Xue Beng stopped in his tracks. His breathing quickened.
In Heaven Dou City, Xue Beng had always lived indulgently. To him, women without powerful backing were nothing more than entertainment—passing amusements in a life of excess.
This behavior was deliberate. It was his way of presenting himself as a wastrel prince, someone harmless, foolish, and indulgent, but it was his original character.
But today—
The moment he saw that girl, a strange impulse surged within him of possession.
'I want her,' he thought, his gaze darkening.
For the first time in a long while, Xue Beng felt the urge to toy with someone for a long time.
He stepped forward deliberately, blocking her path.
"Stop," Xue Beng said, lifting his chin slightly. "You have something that I've lost."
Eve, who was on her way to the Spirit Hall branch, felt as though she had stepped on shit the moment she saw Xue Beng cutting across her road.
'How unlucky.'
Still, she decided to humor herself for a moment.
Tilting her head slightly, she asked with feigned curiosity,
"Oh? What is it?"
Xue Beng stared at her.
His gaze lingered obsessively, roaming without restraint, as if he were already imagining ownership. After several heartbeats, he finally spoke, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction.
"You have my heart," he declared dramatically.
"The heart that belongs to the prince of the Heaven Dou Empire."
He delivered the line with practiced confidence, clearly believing it would have the same effect it always did on ordinary girls—shock, awe, fear, and flustered submission.
Eve's stomach churned. She genuinely felt like vomiting.
Suppressing the urge, she let out two dry laughs.
"Ha. Ha."
Then she waved her hand dismissively.
"That was funny. I'm not interested."
She turned to leave without another glance.
'I was just going to the Spirit Hall branch for something important', she thought irritably.
'Renxue… is this you tormenting me?'
A faint annoyance surfaced.
'This is my fault. Why did I think I could go alone?'
'I should have waited for Xue Qinghe. He would've handled this idiot brother of his without effort.'
Behind her, Xue Beng froze.
He pointed at her, disbelief and indignation flooding his expression. This was not how things were supposed to go.
What he never understood was that the interest he received from most women had nothing to do with charm—Only fear of his identity and the suspected retaliation and consequences.
Seeing Eve continue walking away without hesitation, his humiliation transformed into rage.
"How dare you!" he shouted, his voice sharp and shrill.
"How dare you disrespect me?!"
He took a step forward, his tone rising.
"I am a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire!"
The crowd around them subtly slowed, curiosity flickering.
Eve stopped, she finally had enough of the monkey jumping around in front of her.
In one smooth, almost lazy motion, she turned around. Her fingers brushed past the branches of a roadside tree, plucking several ordinary-looking green leaves between her fingertips. To an uninformed observer, it looked like nothing more than a meaningless gesture.
The next instant—
Whoosh!
The leaves vanished.
Xue Beng had not even managed to register danger before he felt a sudden chill below his waist, as if a cold wind had brushed past him.
"Huh…?"
His expression froze.
A second later, he looked down.
The fabric of his pants, right near his crotch, had been sliced open with terrifying precision. The cut was clean, neat, and stopped just short of what truly mattered.
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
If the trajectory had been even a finger-width lower—
His legs went weak.
"T-this—!"
Xue Beng staggered back several steps, clutching the torn fabric in panic. His face, moments ago filled with arrogance and lust, was now pale white, his pupils trembling.
For the first time, genuine fear gripped his heart.
He forced himself to shout, trying to salvage his dignity through intimidation.
"D-don't you know who I am?!" he barked. "I am a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire! If something happens to me, you won't be able to escape—your entire family—!"
Before he could finish his threat, a calm, cold voice sounded from behind him.
"Have you disgraced yourself enough?"
The words were neither loud nor sharp, yet they carried a weight that instantly crushed Xue Beng's remaining courage.
His body stiffened.
Slowly, he turned around.
Standing a short distance away was a tall, elegant young man dressed in simple yet refined robes. His posture was straight, his expression gentle—but beneath that gentleness lay an unmistakable authority that came from long familiarity with power.
Xue Qinghe had arrived.
"R-Royal Brother!" Xue Beng exclaimed, as if seeing a savior. Then, remembering himself, his expression twisted with grievance. He pointed at Eve and shouted, "That woman! She disgraced the dignity of the royal family! She attacked me in public!"
Xue Qinghe didn't even look at Eve at first.
His gaze fell on Xue Beng, slow and cold, as if he were examining something unpleasant.
"I know," Xue Qinghe said flatly.
"I know about all your deeds in Heaven Dou City."
Xue Beng's heart skipped a beat.
"You harass civilians, bully commoners, hide behind your identity, and believe yourself untouchable." Xue Qinghe's voice remained calm, but each sentence struck like a hammer. "You shame the imperial bloodline."
Xue Beng opened his mouth to argue, but no sound came out.
"Scram," Xue Qinghe said, finally lifting his eyes. "Leave before I personally report this matter to Father and ask him to decide your punishment."
The last shred of Xue Beng's bravado collapsed.
His face turned ashen.
"Yes… yes, Royal Brother!"
Without daring to say another word, he grabbed his torn clothes and fled down the street, his steps hurried and disordered, drawing suppressed laughter and strange looks from passersby.
Only after he disappeared did Xue Qinghe turn toward Eve.
His expression softened slightly.
"I apologize for my brother's impudence," he said sincerely. "You shouldn't have been bothered by such nonsense."