But Lian Luo had already made his decision. "Your Highness!" He gasped, throwing himself to his knees with such force that his joints cracked audibly.
"I didn't recognize you! Please forgive this humble servant! I never... I would never intentionally..."
His forehead struck the stone floor as he kowtowed, again and again, banging his head in desperate supplication.
"This servant's intentions were pure! This servant never intended to lay a hand on the imperial princess! If this servant had any improper thoughts about the imperial princess, this servant should die a thousand deaths!"
The banging continued, frantic and desperate, blood beginning to trickle from where his forehead repeatedly impacted stone.
The two divine-level cultivators, shocked by their master's sudden capitulation, began to move forward uncertainly, wondering if the pressure had driven him mad. But Lian Luo, without stopping his head-banging, roared out a command.
"You stupid cowards! Don't you still understand who stands before you? It's His Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Luo He! Bow your heads you fools."
The moment those words left his mouth, the two divine cultivators' eyes widened. Recognition clicked into place. The features, the bearing, the aura, it was unmistakable once named.
Before Lian Luo even finished speaking, both divine-level cultivators dropped to their knees beside him. "Your Highness!" the taller one cried out, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"Forgive these servants for acting with such boldness! We beg your mercy!" The moment they submitted, the suppression holding Jin Mulan shattered like glass.
Her body suddenly responded to her commands again.
She gasped, her legs nearly giving out beneath her as sensation flooded back. Every nerve ending screamed, not in pain, but in the overwhelming shock of regained control.
She flexed her fingers experimentally, her muscles still trembling from the shock of suppression. She tried to speak, but her tongue felt thick and numb, completely unresponsive.
The effort to move her jaw was met with resistance, as though her body hadn't quite caught up with her will.
She stumbled, and immediately Luo He was there. His right arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his side with gentle firmness. She leaned into him gratefully, her legs not entirely reliable, her entire body still shaking.
He held her there, one hand steady on her waist, as he stared down at Lian Luo's kowtowing form with an expression of utter calm.
For a long moment, he simply watched the man continue his frantic head banging, his apologies becoming increasingly incoherent. Then, without any warning or preamble, Luo He kicked him hard with his right foot.
Not a casual kick. A precise, controlled application of force that sent Lian Luo flying backward through the corridor. The man's body crashed into a wooden pillar with devastating impact.
The sound of splintering wood and breaking bones echoing through the washroom. Lian Luo collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth and nose.
He tried to rise, his body moving unsteadily, concussed, broken in at least a few places. Luo He released Jin Mulan gently, ensuring she could stand on her own, and then walked toward the fallen man with the kind of deliberate calm that made danger seem like a casual stroll.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" He asked conversationally, his tone light and joking despite the absolute threat underlying every word.
There was no anger in his voice, just a kind of curious, almost amused observation. Which somehow made it infinitely more terrifying. Lian Luo remained silent, gasping for breath while coughing blood.
Luo He's expression didn't change. He simply placed his left hand around the man's shoulder, almost companionably and helped him to his feet. "Come," he said gently. "Let me show you."
The two walked together into the washroom properly, Luo He keeping his hand steady on Lian Luo's shoulder, like brothers sharing a casual moment.
The man was barely conscious, reeling from the force of the impact, his body screaming in pain. The washroom was a simple affair.
A large cesspit in the center, with two wooden planks positioned on either side for users to squat upon. The smell was pungent, the sight deeply unpleasant.
Luo He walked directly to the edge of the pit, never breaking contact with Lian Luo's shoulder.
"Here's the thing about dignity," Luo He said conversationally. His tone still light and joking despite the darkness of his words. "Once you lose it, it's rather difficult to recover. Don't you think?"
Before Lian Luo could even process what was happening, Luo He grabbed his wrist with his left hand and held firm.
"You see," Luo He continued. "I'm generally a forgiving person. But there are certain lines. And attempting to rape the woman I love happens to cross several of them." He said in a dark voice.
With casual, deliberate precision, he twisted Lian Luo's wrist in a direction wrists were never meant to bend. The carpal bones shattered like glass, and Lian Luo screamed.
A sound of pure agony that echoed off the stone walls. But Luo He wasn't finished. While maintaining his grip on the broken wrist, he grabbed the man's arm and twisted it at the elbow as well.
Easily bending it backward with the same measured violence. Another scream. Another set of bones breaking. Then, without ceremony or hesitation, Luo He released him.
Lian Luo tumbled into the cesspit with a splash, his body hitting the thick, viscous contents below. He tried desperately to rise, to escape, but his broken arm was not helping.
He kicked frantically with his legs, his movements becoming increasingly panicked as the viscosity of the pit's contents enveloped him.
His mouth opened to scream for help, but the thick goo poured in, choking him. His nostrils filled. His eyes stung as filth entered them. He tried to breathe, but only inhaled more.
His respiratory system burned as germs and waste invaded his lungs. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. Luo He stood at the pit's edge for a moment, watching with absolute calm.
Then he dusted off his hands as though he'd simply finished gardening. He returned to the main chamber to find Jin Mulan standing where he'd left her, still trembling slightly but more composed.
The moment he saw her, he moved directly to her side and wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her close.
The two divine-level cultivators remained on their knees.
Their foreheads were still pressed to the ground in absolute submission. Luo He regarded them for a long moment, his expression still carrying that peculiar mix of light amusement and darkness.
"If anyone asks," he said rather casualy, conversationally. "Your master entered the washroom. You heard him scream. He fell into the cesspit and broke his arm."
"Whether you saved him or whether he drowned, well. That's a detail you can decide for yourselves." The cultivators didn't dare move or speak.
"The rest of the story is yours to complete." Luo He continued. "I'm certain you'll be creative." He turned back to Jin Mulan, his expression softening completely.
"Come honey. You will need a different washroom. Preferably one without a creep drowning in the pit." He led her away, one hand never leaving her waist, his presence a shield against any further threat.
The casual way he'd just destroyed a man was already forgotten, filed away like cleaning up after dinner.
But Jin Mulan, as she felt his steady hand on her waist and saw his expression shift to gentle concern, understood something with absolute clarity.
Luo He, the Crown Prince of the Flame Kingdom, the man who ruled through perfect masks and calculated performance.
Had just now revealed clear as day the price of touching what was his. And that price was one no sane person would willingly pay.
Luo He didn't waste time with words or explanations. He simply moved with decisive purpose, his arm encircling Jin Mulan's waist as he guided her away from the washroom corridor.
The two divine-level cultivators who had flanked Prince Lian Luo remained frozen in place, unable to move under the weight of his aura.
Behind them, Prince Lian Luo himself continued to be abandoned by his master as he departed. Now his struggle has subsided.
As they walked through the quiet corridors of the wedding venue, Jin Mulan gradually leaned more heavily against Luo He.
With each step, she seemed to sink deeper into him, as if seeking to merge with his presence itself. Her breathing was still ragged, her body still trembling with the aftermath of adrenaline and fear.
But his steady, unwavering presence seemed to anchor her to reality. By the time they reached the dressing room, she was practically clinging to him.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as though she feared he might disappear if she loosened her grip even slightly.
He didn't pull away or show any sign of discomfort. Instead, he simply accepted her weight against him, understanding without words what she needed in that moment.
Once inside the dressing room, Luo He closed the door gently behind them and guided her to sit on the ornate bench.
Rather than taking a seat beside her, he simply held her close, his arms wrapping around her frame protectively.