NOVPUB"Your Highness, I wish you well," Xia Feng placed his hand over his chest and performed the noble’s greeting ritual.
Mu Qingtong was clinging to his arm, her cool and pretty face always bearing a soft and gentle smile.
Li Siwen glanced at Mu Qingtong, then turned to Xia Feng and chuckled lightly, "You and she are indeed a well-matched pair, at least much better than my good-for-nothing brother."
"You jest, Your Highness," Xia Feng replied calmly and unhurriedly.
"Alright, I’m relieved to see how well you two match. Go on in," Li Siwen stepped aside to clear the pathway, gesturing with a smile.
Xia Feng blinked, well, that was unexpected. Why didn’t he play by the book? I thought he would at least take the opportunity to put me down a bit.
It seems we are all genteel people.
A man and a woman walked past Li Siwen leisurely, and as their backs gradually receded, Li Siwen’s smile subdued and his gaze remained calm..
"How are the preparations?"
"Your Highness, everything has been arranged properly," a subordinate beside him whispered.
Taking the cloud ladder to the top floor and passing through the reception hall, Xia Feng and Mu Qingtong instantly attracted the gaze of all the nobles—their attractiveness was simply too striking.
As they entered the banquet venue, a young girl in an off-shoulder evening gown darted up to them, her bright eyes staring intently at Mu Qingtong.
"Mu, Mu Shen!" 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Mushroom usually dressed in overalls without much care, like a tomboy, but now, with her light green slightly curled hair draped over her shoulders and neck and wearing an off-shoulder gown with crystal heels, she looked like a completely different person.
Xia Feng almost didn’t recognize her.
Thinking quickly, he pulled Mu Qingtong back and said in a stern voice, "Be careful, she’s a Dong."
Mushroom’s face turned red, and, puffing her cheeks and turning her head, she protested, "Don’t talk nonsense! I’m a fan, an admirer of hers!"
"Admire what?" Xia Feng was confused. "Admire her singing off-key?"
Mu Qingtong’s breath hitched, her golden eyes giving Xia Feng a sidelong glance.
[Having been provoked, Mu Qingtong has gained an insight into the technique of close-range neck twisting. Your understanding of combat and assassination has slightly improved—]
Xia Feng suddenly felt a chilling sensation around his neck, as if his head was about to spiral off into the sky at any moment.
Alright, alright, Mu Demon God! I provoke you just a bit and you have an epiphany. Then you can’t blame me for provoking you every day from now on, he thought, and gave Mu Qingtong a sidelong glance himself.
Then, the two looked at each other, eyes sparking with electricity, neither blinking, as if the first to blink would lose.
Mushroom watched them both, suddenly feeling a bit superfluous.
At that moment,
The noisy, luxurious banquet hall fell abruptly silent, and the surroundings lapsed into quietness.
Everyone looked to the side where two guards in red top hats had carefully pushed open an arched door and stepped back to stand three meters away.
A woman stepped through the door, walking in high crystal-red heels and clad in a flowing dark red evening gown that flowed elegantly.
But what Xia Feng found strange was the mysterious, light veil that covered the woman’s lower face and the black silk ribbon that obscured her eyes.
"Princess, please follow me."
The guard stood three meters away, bowing respectfully and speaking in a deep voice.
The woman placed her hands in front of her abdomen and walked through the high door led by the guard, her steps assured despite her apparent inability to see and without anyone assisting her.
"Is that your step-mother?" Xia Feng asked in a low, curious voice.
"Mhm," Mushroom puffed her cheeks and glared at the distant woman with her big eyes. Just then, as if sensing something, the distant woman turned her head to look over, her gaze under the black silk band seemed almost tangible.
Mushroom instinctively stepped back, grabbing the hem of Xia Feng’s clothes.
"Prince," the guard bowed respectfully as the middle-aged man appeared in front of the archway, dressed in a finely tailored dark red tailcoat, with his feet in high boots.
He waited until the distant princess had walked away before stepping through the door.
Xia Feng looked around with a puzzled gaze, keenly noting that with the entry of the princess, the surrounding nobility scattered to create distance.
Within a radius of three meters centered around the princess, there was no one, even the maids following behind always kept their faces taut and maintained a three-meter distance.
"Is your stepmother that terrifying?" Xia Feng asked in a low voice, puzzled, "Why is everyone staying away ..."
As if she had a terrible stench.
"It’s a rule set by Father," Mushroom explained in a low voice, "No one is allowed to enter the three-meter domain, or else they bear the consequences."
What kind of weird rule is this... Xia Feng was somewhat speechless, "Has anyone ever entered?"
"Of course, there have been some who have entered, and all those who have..." Mushroom paused, her gaze confused, "What happened to them again? I seem to have forgotten."
Xia Feng looked at Mu Qingtong and noticed a flash of light in her pale golden eyes, as if she were contemplating something.
Xia Feng raised an eyebrow, "Did you see something?"
"Me? Mr. Xia, I’m just an Apprentice Spirit Master, what could I see?" Mu Qingtong asked, puzzled as she tilted her head to look at him.
"Heh~"
Shortly thereafter, following a whole lot of nonsense spoken by the prince, the melodious dance music began to play, and Mu Qingtong led Xia Feng to dance amidst the throng.
As the soft music played, the two moved in and out among the crowd.
"What exactly did you notice? The princess isn’t some kind of weird Evil Beast, is she?" As their distance suddenly closed, Xia Feng leaned in and whispered in Mu Qingtong’s ear.
The warmth from the man’s gentle breath flowed into her ear, causing Mu Qingtong’s golden eyes to freeze for a moment, and subconsciously, her fine eyebrows furrowed before relaxing again.
[A strange feeling in your heart, after some thought on how not to whisper in her ear, you have comprehended the D-grade Spiritual Clothes "Near-distance Transmission"]
Her graceful and calm face remained tranquil, her voice even: "Mr. Xia, please focus on dancing, and stop asking these nonsensical questions."
"Do you want to know why I was able to devour the Evil Power Sea on Blood Evil Street that day?" Xia Feng asked with a smile through near-distance transmission.
Mu Qingtong right hand was on his sturdy waist, left hand interlocked with his fingers, their dance steps quick and in perfect harmony.
Xia Feng suddenly realized that dancing was quite simple, having never attended such courtly banquets before, he naturally had never learned to dance with a partner.
While contemplating, Mu Qingtong’s voice echoed in his mind: "The princess is not an Evil Beast, but she’s definitely related to the Evil Beast’s Imaginary River."
"The Imaginary River?" Xia Feng blinked, "What the hell is that?"
"The ancestor river of the Imaginary Court, and also the power of the Void Emperor. Everything swallowed by the river will gradually have its presence erased until it completely perishes and dies in the historical river, forgotten by everyone..."
Listening, Xia Feng was shocked, "What kind of outrageous ability is this..."
Physical eradication was one thing, but the ability to completely erase the target’s existence from everyone’s memory and relevant documents was akin to "Shielding the Heavenly Secrets" in a world of immortal cultivation.
"So, what’s the state of the princess now?"
"There’s a strange force field around her, roughly within a three-meter radius, connected to the Imaginary River. That’s probably why Mushroom can’t remember what happened to those who approached, because those people have all disappeared."
"However, since she can still remember there were people who approached, it indicates the force field isn’t strong and has flaws."
"Interesting..." Xia Feng mused, "So why does the princess have this force field around her?"
"You should ask her that, not me."
"Fair enough, I’ll just ask—" With that, Xia Feng was about to let go of her slender waist to leave
"Stop!" Mu Qingtong’s golden eyes narrowed slightly, and with a strong pull from her lace-covered right hand, she directly drew Xia Feng’s body to hers, their lower abdomens almost touching, Xia Feng’s pupils widening slightly, his thin lips pausing a half-inch in front of her delicate red ones.
Under the warm yellow light, the atmosphere between the two, with their breath mingling close to each other’s lips and noses, became slightly enigmatic.
