"Hold your tongue! Miss Yue'er is just a..." Cheng Decao had barely started when a chill ran down his spine, and he instantly clamped his mouth shut.

"Is a what? Is a what?" Jun Moxie roared with unrestrained laughter, his mouth twitching. "Since she's in a pleasure house, she's meant to be touched! If you won't even let someone touch her, what kind of courtesan is she? Selling art but not her body? Trying to fool whom?! I'm going to have my way with her today. Being in a famed brothel and still putting on airs of being a virtuous woman in front of me—what does she think she is?!"

"The reputation of the noble families is utterly ruined by scoundrels like you!" Cheng Decao looked at him with boundless contempt. "Jun Moxie, you truly disgust me, to the extreme!" In that moment, Cheng Decao felt a surge of pride: usually, others accused him of disgracing the noble houses, but compared to Jun Moxie now, he felt positively radiant.

"Cheng Decao, you bastard! What makes you think you're fit to lecture me? Damn your impudent hide! If you dare utter one more word, I'll make your entire Cheng clan vanish instantly!" Jun Moxie aggressively thrust his neck out, his eyes slanting sideways. "Get lost back to suckle milk, you son of a bitch!"

Cheng thrust his hands forward, his fingers trembling as he pointed at Jun Moxie, his eyes blazing crimson. Slap! His hand landed on the hilt of his sword, and with a clang! the longsword slid three inches out, casting a chilling light!

"Jun Moxie!" The Second Prince stood up, his face grim. "You're drunk; you should return to your residence early."

"I’ve barely had a few sips of wine; how could I be drunk?" Jun Moxie retorted, stiffening his neck, refusing to back down. "I’m waiting for this pretty boy to draw his sword and cut me in half."

"I said you're drunk, so you are drunk!" The Second Prince roared, finally losing his composure.

Fang Bowen hurriedly stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the Second Prince's arm.

Jun Moxie raised his eyes, and their gazes met across the air. They stared at each other for a moment before Jun Moxie crooked his lips into a semblance of a smile. "Since Your Highness says I, Jun, am drunk, then I shall be drunk. Heh heh. Without touching a drop, I am drunk. Hahaha, how ridiculous, how ridiculous!"

After a loud burst of laughter, he casually snatched up a wine cup and smashed it next to Miss Yue'er. The sharp, clear sound made everyone turn their gaze toward them, their features contorted.

Jun Moxie pointed at Yue'er with a finger and spat out viciously, "...You little slut! Since His Highness the Second Prince is present today, for his sake, this young master will spare you for now! But I will be back to settle accounts with you at any time! Hmph hmph." As he spoke, his hand subconsciously rubbed his crotch. His demeanor was utterly vile, beyond measure!

He then turned, a sinister grin playing on his lips, and approached Cheng Decao. He slowly extended his hand and patted Cheng Decao's face twice—pat, pat—the sound sharp and clear. Jun Moxie smiled sweetly, "You really want to kill me, don't you? Very much, right? Gwahaha, Cheng Decao, drawing a sword halfway doesn't kill anyone. You—behave yourself from now on, understand?!"

With a sharp turn, a false laugh plastered on his face, he waved his hand—more like brushing away dust—and swaggered away with a slight wiggle of his hips.

The Prince hosted a banquet, which he turned into chaos; he took liberties with a woman and then struck her guardian, and when the Prince intervened, he threatened retaliation to his face, publicly abused the star courtesan, cursed Cheng Decao, and used vulgar language. Jun Moxie was absolutely at the height of arrogance today, truly living up to his reputation as Tianxiang's foremost profligate wastrel!

Descending the stairs, Jun Moxie slipped into his sedan chair. Surprisingly, two men in black were already hiding inside. Jun Moxie spoke in a low, urgent tone, "After I leave, you two must closely monitor the Nihang Pavilion for any movement whatsoever. After the Second Prince and his entourage depart, one of you will check the communication avian creatures overhead, and the other will watch the personnel entering and exiting. Not the slightest slack is permissible!" Both men nodded in unison.

The sedan chair swayed, and the Young Master Jun headed back to his manor. Although he gained no concrete intelligence today, the trip could certainly be deemed gloriously successful. On one hand, he forced the Second Prince to swallow a bitter, unspoken loss; on the other, he thoroughly humiliated that Miss Yue'er.

It was absolutely worth the journey!

Jun Moxie knew perfectly well that although Miss Yue'er resided in the Nihang Pavilion, she was by no means a common courtesan or a mere plaything. However, the words Jun Moxie had spoken were things even a standard professional courtesan could not bear, let alone someone disguised as a master possessing profound Xuan Qi? Not to mention that this disguised individual was a virgin!

Thus, Jun Moxie was certain that Miss Yue'er would surely make a move—and this was precisely what Jun Moxie had hoped for.

The current advantageous factor was that Jun Moxie had overheard Yue'er's conversation with Lord Liu, effectively identifying this enemy. But Yue'er did not know that Jun Moxie had already locked onto her. Therefore, having endured such insult, as long as she remained a person and not just a lump of flesh, she would certainly seek revenge!

The third benefit was that by humiliating Miss Yue'er, he had successfully planted the seeds of division between her and the Second Prince.

The Second Prince was indecisive and sorely lacked boldness and magnanimity—this was likely where Miss Yue'er was disappointed in him. If a man cannot even protect the woman he pursues, what kind of man is he? Especially when this man clearly possessed the power to protect her but chose not to act, which was even more unsettling to her.

If Jun Moxie had been in the Second Prince's shoes, he would have roared out, "She is my woman!" to establish immediate possession. But the Second Prince dared not, or at least did not dare to roar it out publicly. This was precisely why Jun Moxie looked down on him. Were wealth, honor, and princely status truly that important?

In truth, this was also a blind spot in the great killer's approach to matters. Not every man would risk everything for a beautiful woman, nor could everyone remain indifferent to wealth and prestige. Believe it or not, the vast majority of people in this world could not escape worldly temptation! Especially a Prince who held the potential for the throne!

As for his actions today, although they were somewhat excessive toward Miss Yue'er, a woman, Jun Moxie felt no guilt in his heart: when dealing with an enemy, one must employ every possible means. Since you plotted to exterminate my entire family and meticulously schemed against me, am I not justified in cursing you a few times? This young master feels perfectly at ease! Gwahaha.

Miss Yue'er watched the sedan chair carrying Jun Moxie move further and further away, her delicate body trembling incessantly, her eyes crimson, tears still tracing paths on her cheeks, killing intent swirling wildly in her eyes. Before the Second Prince could even say a word after walking up to her, she spat heavily, spun around, and walked away.

The Second Prince stood frozen, his hand still held out in the position he had stretched it, his expression flickering wildly.

No one expected that the banquet hosted for Jun Moxie was intended to recruit him, yet Jun Moxie acted with such arrogance! He didn't even show deference to the dignity of a reigning Prince!

Now, with Jun Moxie swaggering away, he had completely defied the Second Prince's intentions, and he did so openly, equivalent to a public severance! This was tantamount to delivering a resounding slap to the Second Prince’s face!

This was the first time since his birth that the Second Prince had been so publicly humiliated! He hated Jun Moxie to the extreme! He stood silently, unmoving, while the other three dared not even breathe.

After a long, long time, as dusk began to settle, the Second Prince finally flicked his sleeve and said in a low voice, "Let's go."

Cheng De Chao curried favor, stepping forward ingratiatingly. "Your Highness, since Jun Moxie was so insolent today, shall this subordinate send a few men to teach him a lesson? To vent Your Highness's anger properly; even if it means taking his life..."

"Are you a pig?!" The Second Prince suddenly turned his head, his eyes burning red. "He is counting on the fact that I cannot move against him, which is why he dares to be so presumptuous today, and the fact that I dare not move against him is a reality! Otherwise, how many guts would Jun Moxie have to confront me? If he decisively breaks ties today, will he send assassins tomorrow? Is the inside of your head filled with tofu dregs? Forget whether you have the ability to touch him; at a time like this, even if Jun Moxie tripped on the road, we would be the primary suspects! Just a few days ago, Jun Zhantian's fury led him to cleanse the capital in blood, clearly demonstrating the Jun family's stance. Do you expect that old brute to happily wash my princely residence in blood next? Huh? Are you not already annoyed enough with me?"

His attempt at flattery had landed squarely on the horse's hoof and gotten him kicked. Cheng De choked out a couple of awkward sounds and retreated, keeping silent. In his heart, however, he cursed: You are a Prince, yet you are berated like a turtle's spawn by your own retainer, and yet you dare not vent your anger on the man himself, instead taking it out on me—what kind of skill is that?

"This must be Jun Zhantian's intent," Fang Bowen stroked his beard and said slowly. "Jun Moxie's actions today were clearly deliberate, meaning that before he even arrived, he was already prepared to break ties with Your Highness."

"Hm? What makes you say that?" The Second Prince mused, asking the question.

"The Jun family has always refused to involve themselves in state affairs, preferring to focus solely on the military; they keep a distance from all three Princes, remaining neutral, clearly unwilling to wade into this muddy water. This was originally a prudent strategy for survival and security. But a few days ago, Jun Zhantian mobilized troops in anger, leading to the bloodbath of ministerial residences; this revealed the Jun family's terrifying strength! And frankly speaking, whichever of the three Princes obtained this power could immediately defeat the other two and seize the throne alone. Since we can see this, the other two surely have as well."

"So, the three Princes are likely all scheming for this power right now, but Jun Zhantian refuses to place his chips on any one person, nor does he intend to participate. Even though he exposed the Jun family's strength, he would rather attract suspicion from everyone than get involved. Under these circumstances, to preserve their strength and extricate themselves from this mess, there is only one method."

The Second Prince gradually began to understand: "To break ties with me?"

"No! It should be breaking ties with all three of you! After exposing such overwhelming power, only by doing so can they reassure His Majesty, ensuring the Jun family remains stable until Jun Zhantian passes away."

"In other words, regardless of which Prince's invitation Jun Moxie accepted today, the result would have been the same falling out. And Your Highness, you were merely a fraction slower than the other two Princes, and it just so happened that Jun Moxie chose to come to our side..."

"Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys?" The Second Prince instantly understood. He couldn't help grinding his teeth. "That bastard Jun Moxie actually used me, this Prince, as the chicken?"

Exhausted! Endless revisions—if it hadn't gotten dark, I might have revised it again. Alas, brothers and sisters who have monthly or recommendation tickets, please support me; I’m going to sleep now.