"What did you say?" Gongsun Lu placed her hands on her hips and stood before the four of them, her face contorted with anger.

"What did we say? Of course, we were speaking human language. I say, little girl, it's so late, and instead of staying home, you're out visiting restaurants like an adult. Isn't that inviting trouble?" The pale-faced man lazily turned around, his eyes sweeping over Gongsun Lu with utter indifference as he spoke. This man was none other than Liang Xiaoke.

"You... you... you called me a little girl? And you cursed me for inviting trouble?" The moment Gongsun Lu heard him call her a little girl, her face flushed crimson. Indignant, she puffed out her chest, which was just beginning to develop, and stared at the pale man with utter disbelief. In Yaocheng, there was actually someone who dared to insult her to her face.

"Hmph, no matter how much you push out your chest, your front won't get any higher. A little girl is a little girl, always trying to act like an adult. Forget that Xuanyuan Xue fellow; any normal man wouldn't choose you!" Liang Xiaoke declared with a sigh of feigned world-weariness.

"You... you... you are courting death." Gongsun Lu was furious and immediately slapped out towards Liang Xiaoke. However, as she was only at the Martial Warrior realm, there was no way she could hit him. Instantly, she felt a pair of icy hands clamp down on her wrist, holding her fast as if caught in a steel vice, utterly immovable.

"Let go of me..."

"Release the young lady..." At this moment, Gongsun Lu shouted in anger, while the other men rushed forward. They clearly hadn't expected the people before them to be so presumptuous—not only insulting Gongsun Lu, but now daring to lay hands on her.

Seeing the men rushing towards him, Ye Jingyu, who was sitting beside Liang Xiaoke, merely sneered. A flash of silver light crossed his eyes as he unleashed the Overbearing War Sigil.

A wave of golden ripples shot out, slamming violently into the bodies of the men. These four were only at the Innate Martial Master realm; how could they possibly withstand the psychic attack launched by a Soul Immortal? Immediately, the chests of the four exploded, spewing a cloud of bloody mist.

And their physical bodies were blasted into fragments, as if sucked into some inexplicable dimension.

This was the true might of the Overbearing War Sigil, and as Ye Jingyu’s soul power reached the Soul Immortal level, the power of his various Soul Arts had grown exponentially.

This sudden turn of events immediately terrified Gongsun Lu, who was still struggling. In all her life, she had never witnessed such a gruesome scene, and for a moment, she was left speechless.

Fox Yanmeng, seated to Ye Jingyu's left, remained as cold as ever, completely unbothered by this small amount of gore. As for Peony, seated to Ye Jingyu's right, seeing Ye Jingyu dispatch several Innate Martial Masters with just a thought, her expression slightly shook. Although she knew Ye Jingyu was powerful, she hadn't realized he was powerful to this degree.

"Little girl, weren't you just so domineering? Why have you stopped shouting? Go on and shout some more! I haven't tasted human blood in ages, especially the blood of a seductive woman like you. Ah, I'm truly looking forward to it!" As Liang Xiaoke spoke, a pair of fangs slowly elongated from the corners of his mouth, and the hand gripping Gongsun Lu's wrist slowly transformed into sharp claws.

Seeing this, Gongsun Lu’s eyes rolled back, and she immediately fainted, falling right into Liang Xiaoke’s arms...

"Uh... did I go too far? Why is she so easily frightened? She just fainted," Liang Xiaoke said innocently to Ye Jingyu, looking at the unconscious Gongsun Lu.

"Let her faint. We shouldn't linger here. Take her somewhere else!" Ye Jingyu stated calmly, rising from his spot.

The group seemed to realize they couldn't stay long either. Following Ye Jingyu, they stepped out through the window.

In the East City of Yaocheng lay a dilapidated temple, long abandoned. Dust and cobwebs covered everything, and even the statue of the deity was missing half its face, appearing somewhat terrifying under the faint moonlight.

Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke brought Gongsun Lu here. As for Fox Yanqi and Peony, they did not follow at Ye Jingyu's request.

"Little tease, stop pretending. If you keep faking it, I’ll strip your clothes right now and let you sample my powerful weapon!" Liang Xiaoke boasted, giving his waist a slight thrust.

Upon hearing Liang Xiaoke's threats, Gongsun Lu, who had been held in his embrace, immediately woke up. Her face was deathly pale as she struggled free from his hold. She glanced at the desolate surroundings, despair clouding her features. "What... what exactly do you want to do?"

"What do we want to do? You tell me, in this desolate wilderness, what else could I possibly want to do?" Liang Xiaoke flashed a lecherous smile and began walking step by step toward Gongsun Lu.

"Get lost..." Unexpectedly, Ye Jingyu strode forward, delivered a kick to Liang Xiaoke's backside, sending him flying, and then replaced it with a face he thought was his most gentle. He turned to the trembling and terrified Gongsun Lu and said, "Actually, we mean you no harm. On the contrary, we are here to help Miss Gongsun!"

Gongsun Lu blinked, looking at the handsome face before her, which felt strangely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before?

However, she placed no trust in Ye Jingyu’s words. Who would abduct someone only to offer help?

"Do you want to become Xuanyuan Xue’s wife?" Seeing Gongsun Lu's defiant refusal to believe him, Ye Jingyu suddenly asked.

"I do!" Gongsun Lu blurted out without thinking.

"That's good then. We are precisely here to help you become the Prince Consort—or rather, the future Prince Consort!" Ye Jingyu nodded, his face full of smiles.

The reason he said 'future' was simply because Xuanyuan Xue had not yet been officially titled as a Prince.

"You? You really have a way to help me become the Prince Consort?" Hearing Ye Jingyu and the others mention the desire that had almost turned desperate within her, her eyes immediately lit up. However, perhaps Liang Xiaoke had been too overbearing earlier, as a slight tremor still ran through her body.

"Of course. Otherwise, why would we bring you here and say all this?" Ye Jingyu nodded confidently.

"But..."

"I know what you want to say. Your guards, while loyal, can you guarantee they aren't reporting on you? If they were to betray our secret, our entire plan would collapse, and all our efforts would be for naught, wouldn't they? That's why I had to remove them first; it benefits our scheme!" Ye Jingyu spoke earnestly.

"Then why are you helping me?" Gongsun Lu was not foolish. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. No matter how logical Ye Jingyu's reasoning sounded, without substantial benefit, why would they go out of their way to assist her?