Volume 1, Chapter 61: The Witch Appears

Dongfang Jue was also stunned. How the hell did someone dare to arrest her?

"Who are you?"

"Prefecture yamen of Dingzhou. My name is Pang Ruoxing." The burly man looked solemn and seemed completely impartial. "The two of you had better not attempt to resist. The crime of resisting arrest is entirely different from a mere brawl!"

Pang Ruoxing could see that both gentlemen carried swords and possessed extraordinary facial features, so they likely had some martial arts prowess.

Moreover, Liu Mingxuan was no ordinary person either, so presumably these two were not your average cultivators!

"You're driving me crazy with laughter! Me? Resisting arrest? In the Southern Region, there is no yamen that dares to arrest me!"

Dongfang Jue was utterly speechless. These people were completely oblivious, unable to tell high from low even if it bit them!

Pang Ruoxing felt much the same way. He simply thought that the pretty boy in front of him had lost his mind. Did he really think he was one of those corrupt officials?

If not for the martial arts tournament being held here in Lingshan, and the orders he received to reinforce the area and maintain public order, he would slice brats like this into pieces on sight!

"Arrest them!"

Ye Qinghan remained seated without moving, merely observing. She held down Li Shiyao, who wanted to stand up, as she was quite curious to see how useful Dongfang Jue's jade token would turn out to be.

Although Liu Mingxuan might not recognize it, the Dingzhou prefecture guards surely knew Princess Consort! Even if they didn't recognize her, they had to recognize that command token, didn't they?

Dongfang Jue could handle the imperial soldiers herself, so Ye Qinghan simply poured her own wine and shared a cup of reciprocal wine with the peerless beauty in her arms.

Dongfang Jue was furious as well. Of course, she recognized the identity of this group!

Damn it! She stepped outside only to be arrested by her own subordinates! If word of this got out, how could she ever show her face again?

She slammed the military tally heavily onto the table and let out a fierce shout!

"Damn it! Have I given you too much leeway? The Dingzhou garrison is leaving camp without authorization! I haven't even punished you for that yet, and you want to arrest me?!"

"Open your dog eyes and look closely! Forget about you—even your master, the Prince of Dingzhou, would not dare to touch a single hair on my head!"

Pang Ruoxing was startled by Dongfang Jue's outburst. The soldiers surrounding Dongfang Jue also looked uniformly toward Pang Ruoxing, waiting for further instructions.

"This is... Dingzhou..." Pang Ruoxing was utterly bewildered. How did the military deployment token for the Dingzhou city defense end up in the hands of this delicate young person?

Dongfang Jue shoved aside the soldiers surrounding her, stepped right up to the nine-foot-tall Pang Ruoxing, raised her head, and glared straight into his eyes!

"Tell me! Why are you and your soldiers away from camp without authorization?"

"Five days ago, this subordinate received orders for a rotation of guard duty to assist in maintaining public order around Lingshan. It is not unauthorized absence from duty." This token was proof of Dongfang Jue's identity—at the very least, it belonged to someone of a frontier prince's rank!

"Why was I not informed of the rotation? If I remember correctly, these men are the garrison troops of Zhoushan Pass. Who is in charge of the defense now?"

Dongfang Jue felt something was amiss. Although her tiger tally had been confiscated by her adoptive father because she kept wandering off, she was still the Prince of Zhenbei. How could a garrison rotation at a vital strategic pass happen without notifying her in advance?

...

Pang Ruoxing remained silent, dropping to one knee. This was a military secret. Even though the person before him held high status, such matters could not be casually disclosed.

Dongfang Jue was somewhat speechless; this fellow still didn't know who she was.

She looked back at Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao, who were acting as if nothing was happening, drinking and chatting away.

"Fine, I won't ask! Drag that dead-dog Liu family member out of my sight first; he's ruining my drinking mood!"

"Send someone to the inn to find my adjutant, and then wait for me at the Dingzhou prefecture yamen."

***

Meanwhile, Su Cheng was eating alone on the first floor of the inn. Although the financial power had been handed over to his chief disciple, he still had some pocket money of his own.

Two small dishes of appetizers and a pot of brewed wine—Su Cheng felt that if life could just go on like this forever, it would be wonderful.

"Owner, another pot, please!" Su Cheng rubbed his hands together. He rarely drank wine in Lingxian Hall, mostly out of fear that getting drunk would cause him to lose his composure in front of his disciples.

After all, that naturally alluring mother fox wore revealing clothes every day as she sauntered around the hall. If he got drunk and lost his inhibition, he might just turn into a beastly master!

But now that Qinghan was away, Su Cheng intended to reward himself properly! If he got drunk, the worst that could happen was going back to his room to sleep!

The moment the second pot of wine was placed on the table, however, Su Cheng spotted a peculiar figure...

Wearing a bamboo hat that half-concealed a delicate face, clad in leather armor and a skirt-armor over a night-walker's outfit, a dark waistband accentuated her unforgettable, perfect figure.

As the graceful figure settled into a corner and removed her bamboo hat, it revealed a peerless countenance that looked down upon the mortal world. The fragrance lingering around her instantly filled the room.

[Holy crap! Another top-tier beauty! Look at that figure, tsk tsk tsk!]

The graceful figure paused slightly, scanning the entire main hall as she thought: Who was speaking?

[Holy crap! The witch Su Muchan! Why is she in Dingzhou City? Shouldn't she be heading to the Heavenly Dao Pavilion to assassinate Cheng Liang?]

Su Muchan was inwardly startled. She had only just arrived in Dingzhou City and had already been discovered!

Not only did this person know her identity, but they even knew the purpose of her trip!

Her gaze swept across the hall once more, catching a fleeting glance! Was it this man?

Su Muchan looked from afar at Su Cheng, who, like her, sat alone in the corner drinking by himself, and observed him carefully.

[Holy crap! She's looking at me! Have I been exposed? I must have been exposed!]

Su Muchan had initially thought someone was speaking quietly, but no matter how she looked at it, this man hadn't moved his lips at all!

[I must never get entangled with her. She is even more of a troublesome entity!]

[Right, she doesn't know me at all right now. I need to act naturally...]

"Qinghan, bring two more dishes, owner!"

[Holy crap! My big mouth! It's over! She's looking at me again!]

Su Muchan was completely dumbfounded. The voice she heard matched the spoken voice precisely...

Could that strange voice be this man's inner thoughts?

Regardless, since he knew about her affairs, she couldn't just let him be!

She put her bamboo hat back on, crossed the hall, and walked straight to Su Cheng's table.

[My rotten mouth! This only drew more of her attention to me!]

[Qinghan, come save your master quickly! Your master is finished!]

Su Muchan stood right by the table, looking at the scholarly and refined man before her as she processed the keywords she had just gathered.

Qinghan? Master?

Ye Qinghan? Is he Ye Qinghan's master? That would make him the sect leader of Lingxian Hall, which means he is Cheng Liang's senior martial brother?

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

"No!" Su Cheng nearly jumped out of his skin in his panic...

Su Muchan was taken aback. A beauty as stunning as her was offering to share a table, yet she was flatly rejected!

[I must never get involved with her. She is the future Empress of the Demon Realm, Cheng Liang's prospective concubine!]

[She's nothing like Ye Qinghan. When Ye Qinghan kills someone, she at least has a reason. If Su Muchan wants to kill me, just breathing is a crime!]

[Please, go be a good little dog for Cheng Liang, won't you?]

Noticing Su Muchan's awkwardness, Su Cheng forced a smile and quickly added, "Uh... this seat is taken."

Upon hearing Su Cheng's inner thoughts, Su Muchan felt like she was about to explode with rage!

She was clearly on her way to assassinate Cheng Liang, yet in this man's eyes, she was going to act like a dog for him!

This... dog of a man actually dared to insult her so grossly! If Cheng Liang didn't die, this man had to die too!

Who could possibly swallow an insult like this? Flesh and blood could only endure so much!

"Oh." Su Muchan simply sat down and glared fiercely at Su Cheng!