Jun Xie’s heart lurched, suddenly recalling a moment from his past life. Back then, he was wandering down a street, captivated by how beautiful "she" looked, unable to stop himself from staring a moment too long. Unexpectedly, the young woman, clearly furious at the time, had spun around and snapped, "What are you looking at? Never seen a beauty before, you rotten pervert?" Who knew that chance encounter would lead to them knowing each other? Jun Xie, being an assassin, had always meticulously avoided entanglements until disaster struck, separating them across two worlds. Thinking of this, a faint wistfulness touched him.

At this moment, Jun Xie felt as if history was looping back, and a warmth bloomed unexpectedly in his chest. Looking at this young woman again, he inexplicably felt a deep sense of familiarity. He couldn't help but offer a slight smile, "Miss, I feel we must have met somewhere before. You look incredibly familiar to me."

The young woman glared at him through gritted teeth: "Hmph! I find scoundrels like you equally familiar! Young Master Jun Three, what trick are you pulling today? Pretending we’re strangers?!"

Huh? So they actually knew each other? Jun Xie swiftly retrieved the file on this spoiled girl from his memory, letting out an awkward chuckle as he tried to make conversation, "What fate brings us together! It turns out we're acquainted, Miss Dugu."

That counted as fate? What nonsense was that?

The supposed "Miss Dugu" stared, wide-eyed and astonished, while the maid behind her couldn't suppress a giggle. Just then, Tang Yuan, seeing Jun Xie hadn't followed, turned his horse around. Hearing Jun Xie's remark, he was instantly filled with awe; Young Master Jun Three was truly adept at charming beauties. However, his sheer audacity was even more admirable—daring to speak to Dugu Xiaoyi, the most notoriously difficult woman in Tianxiang Kingdom, was something few in the entire city would attempt!

The young woman fixed her eyes on Jun Xie, a dangerous glint slowly starting to surface: "Jun Mo Xie, did you not get beaten enough last time? It just so happens I'm in a foul mood today, and I can personally help you loosen up those bones!"

Jun Xie froze, only then recalling that this Dugu Xiaoyi was precisely the person the original Jun Mo Xie feared most. It seemed he had done something that resulted in Dugu Xiaoyi beating him severely enough to keep him bedridden for nearly half a month afterward...

"Miss Dugu, I hope you’ve been well, ahem… I mean… this younger brother actually has pressing matters, so I must take my leave now. We’ll meet again." Jun Xie prepared to make a swift exit. Seeing the fire in this little chili pepper's eyes, it looked like she was about to leap forward and start brawling. In Jun Mo Xie's memories, this fiery girl, though young, was highly skilled; even several of the original Jun Mo Xie wouldn't have been her match. While Jun Xie himself didn't fear a fight, revealing his true strength prematurely was out of the question right now. A wise choice dictated self-preservation—ah, a true gentleman doesn't wrestle with a lady!

"Stop right there, girl!" Dugu Xiaoyi held her chin high, regarding Jun Xie with an air of condescension, as if looking down upon the world. "Where do you think you're going? Are you off to stir up more trouble again? Let me tell you, Jun Mo Xie, now that you’ve run into me, you won't be doing a single bad thing. Behave yourself! Once I’ve vented this anger, I might let you go!"

Tang Yuan was sweating profusely, stomping his feet and mentally wailing a cascade of worries: Oh, Young Master Jun Three, when we should be avoiding this tigress, why did you choose to provoke her? No matter how beautiful she is, her beauty isn't worth more than your own life, right?

Looking into the girl's bright eyes, yet seeing the aggressively arrogant demeanor she projected, an idea suddenly struck Jun Xie. He deliberately adopted a look of evasiveness: "Miss Dugu, the place we are going… ahem… it’s actually very unsuitable for young ladies to visit."

"Are you planning to visit a brothel?" Truly formidable; she could utter such things so frankly!

Dugu Xiaoyi let out a cold snort, casting a look of utter disdain at the pair: "You despicable, shameless wretches!"

"Who said we were going to a brothel? Do you think everyone shares your narrow mind?" Jun Xie immediately adopted an expression of righteous indignation, as if deeply wronged. "We were merely heading to the Hall of a Thousand Beauties to try our luck at a few hands… Hmph?!" Seeming to realize he had spoken out of turn, Jun Xie quickly clamped his mouth shut.

"The Hall of a Thousand Beauties? Gambling?" Hearing the first half of Jun Xie’s statement had made her even angrier, but the second half caught Dugu Xiaoyi off guard. Her eyes suddenly lit up. She then squinted, a mischievous glint in her eye, revealing a pair of cute little fangs as she smiled. "I really haven't been there before. Take me!" Her tone was a commanding decree, allowing no room for refusal. One truly had to admire the sheer, explosive leap in logic characteristic of women.

"Miss…" The maid beside her, clearly her personal attendant, timidly tugged at her sleeve in a gesture of restraint. This was perfectly reasonable; the places the two notorious wastrels of Tianxiang City frequented were hardly reputable establishments. How could their young mistress, a daughter of a prestigious family, possibly consort with them?

Dugu Xiaoyi paid her no mind, instead exclaiming with excitement, "Don't worry! My two older brothers talk about the Hall of a Thousand Beauties every day; it must be some special place. This time, I, your lady, shall go and see for myself!" With that, she grabbed Jun Xie's ear: "Hurry up and take me! As long as you take me, I’ll let you off today!"

It would have been effortless for Jun Xie to slip away, but a thought crossed his mind, and he did not evade. He merely put on a pained expression, allowing her to drag him forward by the ear.

The eight guards trailing behind exchanged wry smiles and glanced at each other before following. They found themselves surprisingly compatible with Dugu Xiaoyi's own eight guards. Compatibility was inevitable, given that the predicaments of these sixteen men were fundamentally the same: those following the dissolute Young Master Jun felt suffocated with frustration, but following Dugu Xiaoyi wasn't much better—everyone felt terribly stifled, making conversation easy.

Tang Yuan let out a long sigh. How could such a she-devil suddenly appear midway? If she happened to see my I.O.U… Tang Yuan shuddered violently: this woman had a reputation for spreading news across the Imperial Capital in half a day, and across the entire nation in two days... I might as well end my life quickly; that would be more satisfying.

The entire entourage proceeded grandly to the Thousand Mile Fragrant Cloud Tower. Passing through halls and courtyards, they reached the large rear compound. Tang Yuan rushed in without delay, shouting, "Young Master Jun Three is here! Quickly, give me back that… that thing!"

Accompanied by a burst of smug laughter, six young men appeared at the entrance of the main hall. Before they could utter a word, they saw Dugu Xiaoyi entering while gripping Jun Xie's ear. Instantly, every face changed color, turning ashen.

Currently, the two major factions maintaining neutrality among the princes were the Dugu family and the Jun family. Crucially, both these powers held pivotal, transcendent positions within both the court and the military.

And this young lady, Dugu Xiaoyi, was the sole cherished pearl of the Dugu lineage. The Dugu family boasted a large number of male descendants, seven in total, and this one girl; rarity meant preciousness, and she was naturally spoiled beyond measure. While young, Xiaoyi possessed exceptionally high talent, showing considerable mastery of Xuan Qi at such a tender age. Furthermore, she was deeply imbued with a sense of justice, earning her widespread fame in Tianxiang City as the "Nemesis of the Wastrels." Every one of the eight young masters present today, including Jun Xie, had suffered under her hand at some point.

Speaking of which, the Dugu patriarch, Dugu Xiao Tian, was himself a supreme master of Xuan Qi, rumored to have reached the Heaven-grade realm. He was the only elder in the Empire who could openly challenge the Jun family's Jun Zhan Tian on equal footing, holding a comparably high position as an Imperial Grand Duke. As for Dugu Xiaoyi’s father, Dugu Wu Di, and his three brothers, they were all presently Imperial Great Generals, and her seven elder brothers all held posts in the Ministry of War. They were truly figures of overwhelming power, currently possessing even greater influence than the Jun family.