"A fine blade!" Princess Lingmeng admired it, unable to set it down. Now, a conviction had largely solidified in her heart. However, this was something she had no intention of voicing.

Because only now did she sense that... perhaps Jun Mowu’s earlier entanglement with her, his rampant dandyism, all those roguish maneuvers he employed, had been nothing more than a façade?

If not, never mind his earth-shattering profound arts, his heart brimming with chivalry, his sword-like resolve and gentle spirit—even his transcendental medical skills alone were enough to stir a massive sensation in the capital! Yet, due to family circumstances, this youth who ought to stand at the pinnacle, basking in universal admiration, had chosen instead to debase himself...

So what he said before was all true? He truly harbored no ill intentions toward me!

We might indeed be ill-matched, but it isn't that he is unworthy of me; it is I who am unworthy of him!

These years must have been agonizing for him.

Such a peerless youth, possessing such miraculous skills, possessing a proud heart and noble bearing, yet forced to live under the scorn and mockery of the masses, even having to project an image of extreme depravity, beyond redemption... What torment this must be!

What breadth of spirit, what expansive temperament, must one possess to face all this with composure!

Who among mortals doesn't yearn to be sought after? Who doesn't desire universal adoration? Who wouldn't wish to ascend to the peak? Yet Jun Moxie, equipped with the potential for all these things, was compelled to swallow his pride and endure disgrace...

Princess Lingmeng suddenly felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

He is only about the same age as me, yet the trials he has endured are several, perhaps dozens, of times what I have faced... Furthermore, when he performs good deeds and champions righteousness, he never leaves his name, nor does he seek reward; he even endures the contemptuous sidelong glances of those he saves...

How could a mere Li Youran compare to such a magnanimous heart?

In an instant, Jun Moxie’s image in Princess Lingmeng's heart transformed violently from that of an utterly despicable scoundrel to a figure radiating dazzling brilliance!

As if catapulted instantaneously from the basement of the Eighteenth Level of Hell straight to above the Thirty-Third Heaven! And this happened in the blink of an eye.

Princess Lingmeng suddenly felt that the Xue Ge [Blood Vow/Pledge] she had made earlier... perhaps wasn't so unacceptable after all... and there was even a faint... secret delight mixed in.

It was a pity that Jun the Great Assassin was unaware of these thoughts. Otherwise, he would surely weep three times and then laugh three times, lamenting like a madman, "Heavens above, Earth below, what kind of princess is this? How can her imagination be so rich? Even I dared not fantasize like that..."

The previous Moxie's profligacy and this young master's rogueish behavior were entirely genuine, with no pretense whatsoever.

The former Moxie was indeed a typical spendthrift, utterly lacking in any redeeming image; as for this young master, I live as I please, utterly unconcerned with others' opinions...

Unlimited fellow villager, how beautiful!!!! The misunderstanding... Dugu Xiaoyi, seeing Princess Lingmeng staring blankly at her "Love Blade," seemingly enchanted and unable to let go, immediately felt a tightening in her chest. Hmph, no matter what, she wouldn't hand this blade over to you; sisterhood means nothing in this contest!

Pouting angrily, she stomped over: "Sister Meng, seen enough? It’s just a knife, what's so strange about it?" Saying this, she reached out, snatched the knife back into her own hand, and smiled triumphantly, narrowing her eyes: "Although this blade isn't all that extraordinary... Brother Mowu told me that both its material and design are completely unique..."

"Unique? I doubt that very much?" Princess Lingmeng, for some unknown reason, felt deeply uncomfortable seeing Dugu Xiaoyi's smug expression and couldn't resist retorting coolly: "I have several small knives just like this back home, they are just a bit smaller in style..."

"You have several? I don't believe you! The Big Bad Guy said he had this treasure blade forged specifically for me alone!" Dugu Xiaoyi exclaimed, her delicate, large eyes widening: "How is that possible?"

"What's impossible about that? Aren't they just a few small knives?" Princess Lingmeng replied with a mysterious smile: "When you have time, you can go and see for yourself?"

Princess Lingmeng could only indulge in verbal sparring at this moment. How could she not know that while she did possess several throwing knives crafted by Young Master Jun, they were all obtained through sheer coincidence? Not one had been gifted by Young Master Jun, let alone specially forged. Now, she dared not even produce her throwing knives, as Jun Moxie was present. Judging by his current demeanor, he didn't seem to care much for her. If she showed off now, it would certainly displease him. Even worse, if he exposed her on the spot, wouldn't she lose immense face in front of the two sisters?

"I must see Sister Lingmeng's treasures when I have the chance!" Dugu Xiaoyi pouted, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. Princess Lingmeng met her gaze with a smile. Both women were radiant with smiles, but when their eyes locked, they suddenly felt a surge of intense hostility!

This wave of willpower clearly transcended the realm of blossoming young girls, having already ascended to the level of "Women." A "Woman," when defending her love and status, would certainly employ any means necessary; sisterly affection seemed insignificant by comparison...

This intense hostility and jealousy, characteristic of "Women," was even palpable to Sun Xiaomei standing nearby. At this moment, even the exceedingly clever Sun Xiaomei couldn't help but gasp in astonishment, her mouth dropping open.

Dugu Xiaoyi's infatuation with Young Master Jun was not surprising, but Princess Lingmeng's shift in attitude was too drastic; this simply defied logic!

Previously, although Princess Lingmeng had sworn the Blood Vow never to marry anyone but Jun Moxie, it had been entirely under duress, without a shred of willingness. Based on her understanding of Lingmeng, Princess Lingmeng had never held the slightest favorable impression of Jun Moxie; in fact, she deeply loathed him. How could it be that in just a moment—in the blink of an eye—these two were already engaging in the legendary bickering over affection? And the atmosphere was so thick with gunpowder, completely disregarding their deep sisterly bond. What was going on?

Baffling, truly baffling...

Sun Xiaomei felt that her usually very capable large brain was suffering a momentary short circuit...

Jun Moxie finally let out a long, weary sigh, releasing his grip on Ye Guhan’s wrist. After holding it for so long, pouring out spiritual energy recklessly and without regard for consequences, he had finally, finally stabilized the man's injuries. Ye Guhan's internal Xuan Qi had now been completely expelled by Jun Moxie, replaced entirely by dense Heaven and Earth spiritual energy—one hundred percent pure.

Moreover, the fractured bones had been meticulously enveloped by Jun Moxie's spiritual energy. As long as his body wasn't deliberately moved to disturb the broken bones, there wouldn't be any immediate problems.

Jun Moxie blinked his eyes, utterly exhausted, and looked at the three girls before him, sighing dejectedly. He felt an intense reluctance to speak. In the Great Assassin's view, one woman could be compared to a thousand ducks—their chattering could bore a person senseless. As for three women together...

This was a truly terrifying prospect! Especially when only one man faced them, that man's fate would be exceptionally miserable.

"How is he?" Princess Lingmeng leaned forward, her expression laced with a touch of appeasement.

"How is it?" Dugu Xiaoyi thrust her small head forward, tucking it directly under Jun Moxie's chin. Her delicate eyebrows twitched incessantly, and Jun Moxie could feel her fine breath, which surprisingly carried a faint sweet fragrance...

"You must be tired, right?" Miss Sun didn't dare crowd in, but she sat nearby and added a remark.

With the three women questioning him simultaneously, the Great Young Master, too weary to even speak, let out a weak groan from the depths of his throat. After a moment's thought, he felt some things needed to be said. He opened his eyes and looked at the three young women, forcing his expression to be rigid, like an ancient block of eternally unmelted glacier ice.

Brushed by his cold gaze, the three women felt a touch of apprehension and timidity, inexplicably feeling as if they had done something guilty; even the little girl was no exception...

"Women, oh women!" Jun Moxie curled his lip, wearily raising a hand to rub his temples, his face etched with irritation: "I didn't intend to waste breath on you, but now it seems necessary! Otherwise, sooner or later, this young master will be dragged down to death by you lot!"

"Ah?" The three women gasped simultaneously, glancing at each other, utterly bewildered.

"First, you!" Jun Moxie pointed accusingly at Princess Lingmeng: "Completely, utterly wrong!"

"Take today's events as an example. It was entirely an unnecessary sacrifice, manufactured out of thin air by you! Ye Guhan shouldn't have been so severely injured, let alone crippled; he even had a chance to retreat whole! But because of your ignorance, things ended up like this today! You swore an oath to save your Uncle Ye, seemingly very touching, but I still feel aggrieved for Ye Guhan; his current plight is simply not worth it, too stifling!"

"I learned some details of today’s events from the mouths of the other two. Your Highness Princess Lingmeng, you are already a Golden Profound practitioner; in the eyes of ordinary people, you can be considered an expert, a master! If you encounter assassination or kidnapping, even if you can’t win, can’t you run? Ye Guhan blocked all the enemies for you. And the incident happened not far from the Imperial City or the great noble houses. Why didn’t you flee?

Why did you insist on displaying your concern and shedding tears at that precise moment? Do you realize? It was those impractical things that brought Ye Guhan to this state today!"

"In the instant things happened, the only thing you should have done, the most essential thing, was to seize the time and run, run quickly! The faster and farther you ran, the easier it would be for Ye Guhan. What you should have been thinking about then was not Ye Guhan's safety, nor the inability to abandon Uncle Ye and escape alone! It should have been your own safety, because Ye Guhan was fighting for you! As long as you were safe, it wouldn't have been difficult for Ye Guhan to break free; even if he couldn't retreat whole, he certainly wouldn't have been wounded to this extent! But did you do that? No, you only knew how to look back repeatedly. By the time Ye Guhan was critically injured and near death, you hadn't even managed to flee a hundred zhang away. If Xiaoyi and Miss Sun hadn't physically dragged you, you probably wouldn't have covered even that distance... Is your head stuffed with tofu dregs? What on earth were you thinking?!"

Jun Moxie berated her without politeness, scolding her mercilessly. Princess Lingmeng’s eyes reddened, and she was on the verge of tears.

"Don't cry! If you dare let a single tear fall here today, I will immediately throw both you and your Uncle Ye out! I never gave a damn about that damned Blood Vow you made, damn it! What garbage! Tears might work on your Uncle Ye—your Uncle Ye was worn down to death by those damnable tears—but do they work on me? Do they work on the enemy? Cry my ass! What else can you do besides cry? Try crying again!" Jun Moxie roared fiercely.