Looking at Chu Yuan on the street, flanked by two beautiful women, some people criticized his debauchery, while others were consumed by jealousy.
Sensing all this through the command medallion, Chu Yunlan, who was in a room at the tea house, slammed his fist onto the table.
‘Why does this waste get to have such a romantic encounter?’
‘Chu Yuan! Just you wait!’
‘One day, I will definitely tear you all apart!’
The more Chu Yunlan thought about it, the more the Dao Seed of Jealousy within him solidified.
At the same time.
Chu Yuan caught a glimpse of Ji Xuanyuan’s snickering expression out of the corner of his eye and secretly gritted his teeth.
‘You… you’re certainly acting calm!’
‘But I’m the one lacking in male virtue, and I’m about to have people pointing fingers at my back.’
The only thing that made Chu Yuan feel lucky was that the Auction House was already within reach.
Seeing this, he didn’t dally any longer. He practically dragged his two Guardians on his left and right as he rushed toward the entrance of the auction.
His sudden burst of strength startled both Ji Xuanyuan and Gu Qingwan.
In a momentary daze, the three of them had already reached the doors.
Faced with their aggressive approach, the female guard at the entrance was about to shout for them to stop.
But as soon as she saw Ji Xuanyuan’s face, she shuddered. She quickly bowed in greeting, her words stumbling.
“Gre—greetings, Your…”
“No need for formalities.”
Ji Xuanyuan didn’t stop her pace and stepped directly over the threshold.
Fang Henian had been waiting inside for a long time. He bowed and sent a Sound Transmission.
[Your Highness, the Guardians and experts you requested are already in ambush!]
Ji Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.
[Very good! It’s finally time for a showdown…]
After learning of Chu Yuan’s “true identity” yesterday, Ji Xuanyuan had been in a complex mood while also pondering a strategy.
Having lived a second life, her goal was not just as simple as making up for her relationship with her Junior Brother.
Ji Xuanyuan also felt it was of the utmost importance to “wipe out the Demonic Path Alliance in advance and prevent those future disasters from happening again.”
If Chu Yuan was indeed her Junior Brother, the situation would be easy to handle.
But if he was just an Evil Cultivator, she had to prepare preventive measures.
Killing him outright was the least desirable option. Ideally, she would capture him as a death warrior and make him serve only her.
Especially after seeing Chu Yuan’s actions yesterday, Ji Xuanyuan could tell that his cultivation was extraordinary.
If she was going to have a showdown, she knew she had to be prepared.
It was also thanks to Chu Yuan staying outside all day that Ji Xuanyuan had the time to summon powerful experts from the surrounding immortal cities.
Ji Xuanyuan had appeared today of her own accord, intending to lead Chu Yuan to a suitable and enclosed location.
It just so happened that Chu Yuan and Gu Qingwan had an appointment for today’s Small Auction.
Ji Xuanyuan simply decided to play along with their plans.
Seeing the three of them arrive at the venue, Fang Henian stepped forward.
[Your Highness, when shall we strike?]
Ji Xuanyuan waved her hand.
[I will give the signal when it is time to act. Until then, just have your men seal off the inside and outside of the venue.]
The hidden Guardians were merely for her self-protection and to act as a deterrent, all for the sake of facilitating the upcoming negotiations.
Ji Xuanyuan then said, “Prepare a quiet room for me! I need to speak with Master Yuan in private!”
“What?”
Hearing this, both Chu Yuan and Gu Qingwan were startled.
‘The Crown Princess’s attitude is a bit too overbearing, isn’t it?’ Gu Qingwan thought. ‘This was originally supposed to be my date with A-Yuan!!!’
Chu Yunlan, peering through the medallion, also frowned.
‘What is so good about this trash? Why is Her Highness so desperate?’
Chu Yuan, who was there in person, managed to guess the reason. He complained in his heart.
‘A private talk?’
‘What is there to talk about between us?’
‘Isn’t it just about that Yin Yang Harmony Sutra?’
‘Does the Crown Princess really want to treat me as a Cauldron and drain me dry?’
‘No!’
‘I definitely have to do something!’
‘Otherwise, I’ll definitely be limping out of this Auction House tonight with a sore waist.’
Chu Yuan subconsciously looked at the childhood friend beside him.
‘No choice! I have to use my childhood friend as a shield so the Crown Princess knows that this man is already taken!!!’
Acting on his thought, Chu Yuan hurriedly said, “Your Highness, I’ve already mentioned this before! I agreed to attend the auction with Lady Gu. For you to suddenly invite me for a private talk… that wouldn’t be right, would it?”
Gu Qingwan nodded vigorously in agreement.
Ji Xuanyuan’s brows furrowed slightly as she clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘This beast… he couldn’t have sensed something and is trying to use Fairy Gu as a hostage, could he?’
‘This… fine! I’ve already laid out an inescapable net anyway.’
‘Letting him think he has the upper hand is a good way to start the negotiations.’
Thinking this, Ji Xuanyuan gave a fake smile.
“Heh! It seems I was indeed being impolite. You two, go on in!”
Seeing this, Chu Yuan sighed and could only lead his childhood friend in after her.
As the three of them went deeper into the venue, Fang Henian immediately ordered his men to activate the Auction House’s formation.
In the distant tea house, the medallion in Chu Yunlan’s hand suddenly lost its connection.
He frowned.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Why did I lose the connection?’
Chu Yunlan tried to reactivate the medallion, but he discovered that the signal seemed to be blocked by something and could not penetrate the venue.
‘Ji Xuanyuan must have set up a formation.’
Chu Yunlan then shook his head helplessly.
‘Sigh! Fairy Gu, it looks like it’s up to you from here on out.’
He put down the medallion and looked toward the Auction House.
‘The Crown Princess is quite meticulous.’
‘To prevent anyone from giving Fairy Gu advice, she actually went so far as to set up a formation that blocks Divine Sense.’
‘But does she really value a piece of trash that much?’
In reality, Ji Xuanyuan had done this entirely to prevent Chu Yuan from seeking outside help once she revealed her hand.
If it turned out that Chu Yuan was not her Junior Brother but was instead a powerful Evil Cultivator — then the negotiations failing would surely lead to a massive battle.
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, Ji Xuanyuan’s heart grew increasingly tense.
Inside the auction hall, the lights were bright.
The three of them entered a private room in the inner hall.
The decor inside was extremely elegant.
Three chairs were arranged in a single line, facing an open, carved window.
The window offered an unobstructed view of the main auction stage.
Gu Qingwan was about to walk to Chu Yuan’s side, but she saw that Ji Xuanyuan had already sat firmly in the middle, forcefully separating the two of them.
This caused Gu Qingwan to pause, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
‘The Crown Princess is actually using such methods…’
Ji Xuanyuan didn’t care what she thought. She casually pointed to the seats on either side and acted calm.
“Sit.”
Gu Qingwan bit her lip, but she had no other choice and sat down beside her.
Across Ji Xuanyuan, Gu Qingwan stole a distant glance at Chu Yuan and muttered to herself.
‘Her Highness is so calculating!’
Chu Yuan sat on the other side with an expressionless face.
Just as he sat down, he heard Ji Xuanyuan’s playful voice through a Sound Transmission.
[Elder Shenbao, we can finally have a good chat!]
[Don’t even think about hiding it. Your wonderful performance at the Demonic Path Alliance base yesterday — ]
[I recorded it all using an Image Retention Stone.]
Chu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Shenbao?’
‘How does she know?’
‘Did she secretly follow me to the base yesterday?’
‘How is that possible?’
‘My Phantom Ethereal Dharma Robe is a God-Treasure Grade artifact!’
‘How many disasters did I survive in my previous life thanks to this treasure?’
‘Then how could she have found out?’
‘Wait… could it be…’
A flash of inspiration struck Chu Yuan’s mind.
‘That Hook-nosed Cultivator?’
‘At that time, he also fled from the official road back to the base.’
‘If I could mark him, Her Highness’s people could have as well.’
‘Ji Xuanyuan must have followed that mark all the way to the base.’
‘I was really careless!’
Chu Yuan ground his teeth inwardly, but on the surface, he maintained his calm and breezy demeanor.
[Your Highness, your insight is truly remarkable. I am impressed, but please, allow me to explain!]
‘Here it comes!’
Ji Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.
Whether this kid was her Junior Brother or someone else depended on what he said next!
Ji Xuanyuan glanced sideways at Chu Yuan, her gaze like that of someone looking at a prey that had fallen into a trap.
[Speak! I’d like to see what other excuses you can come up with!]
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