Lin Xuan seethed, ready to strike, when a cold voice rang in his ear—audible only to him.
"Do you want to die?"
No matter what, Qin Luo's status as a prince was already beyond doubt, and Gu Qingxue was his fiancée.
Back in the carriage, they could still claim they had only been discussing cultivation.
But not now. If Qin Luo was holding his woman in front of everyone and he lashed out, what would that look like?
Even if everyone knew the truth, as long as it wasn't stated openly, there was still room to maneuver.
Lin Xuan slowly unclenched his fist, humiliation burning in his chest.
[A vivid shade of green flashes overhead. Humiliation continues to eat at Lin Xuan's heart. Luck -5,000. Host gains 5,000 Villain Points.]
Qin Luo knew today's business was nearly finished. He looked at Lu Cang and said mildly, "Commander Lu, isn't that right? I'll remember you."
A sharp light flashed in Lu Cang's eyes. He understood perfectly what Qin Luo meant.
He was being threatened—by a mere junior, and a "wild prince" at that.
"Just some stray dragged in from outside, utterly clueless," Lu Cang scoffed inwardly.
Qin Luo then glanced at Chen Mo, who stood there dazed, eyes hollow. "Chen Mo, right? What kind of young marquis are you supposed to be? You've embarrassed yourself thoroughly."
"Friendly reminder: simps, simps… in the end, they always wind up with nothing."
With that, Qin Luo turned and headed for the capital. Today's test run had gone very smoothly.
Li Yuan hurriedly saluted Lu Cang, then trotted after Qin Luo.
"This Ninth Prince is a real scourge—arrogant as hell," Li Yuan grumbled to himself, but he didn't dare slack off. If he let Qin Luo stir up any more trouble, he'd be the one to suffer.
Chen Mo might be a simp, but he wasn't a complete fool. When he looked over at Gu Qingxue, his expression turned dark, his chest throbbing with pain.
In the end, he didn't say a word and simply turned to leave.
Gu Qingxue herself was flustered and at a loss. She looked around at the whispering onlookers and felt as if everyone were talking about her, judging her. Shame burned across her face.
Her reputation in the capital might very well be shattered after today.
She stole a glance at Lin Xuan and saw only deep concern and affection in his eyes, which calmed her a little.
She was not the type to cling and whine in public. Instead of fawning over Lin Xuan here, she headed back into the capital to return home and report everything to her father.
The situation had already blown up. If she made it sound even worse, it might just push her father to demand that the engagement be annulled.
Once Gu Qingxue left, Lin Xuan's face immediately sank.
This was the first time in his life he had suffered such a crushing blow.
Lu Cang walked up beside him. "You were too impulsive just now," he said gravely.
"Even if the Imperial Clan Court hasn't officially recognized him yet, his identity is basically settled."
"You're quite bold, openly clashing with a prince inside the capital."
"When we get back, I'll assign you to an out-of-city mission. Stay low for a while."
It wasn't that they feared Qin Luo. As a prince without a power base, Qin Luo's reach didn't extend into the Demon Suppression Division.
What Lu Cang worried about was people with ulterior motives seizing this chance to stir up chaos.
"Thank you for your concern, Commander Lu," Lin Xuan replied, cupping his fists. "But before this is resolved, I won't leave."
"Oh?" Lu Cang frowned. "That engagement was decreed by His Majesty. Don't do anything reckless."
"A real man doesn't need to fret over one woman. Some women simply aren't meant to be yours."
Lin Xuan lowered his head without answering. But how could someone who saw himself as exceptional tolerate his woman being toyed with and treated as another man's plaything?
Wouldn't that be planting a green hat firmly on his head?
Compared to Qin Luo, *he* was the one who came first. He was Gu Qingxue's lover, her childhood sweetheart—they had known each other for over ten years.
Childhood sweethearts couldn't compare to a prince that fell out of the sky?
To hell with that. Worst case, he'd just leave Great Qin.
A man could not simply yield when it came to a woman. This was pride. If he compromised here, that humiliation would fester into a heart demon, and someday it would block his path to further breakthroughs.
"Commander Lu, I have my own plan. Don't worry," Lin Xuan said quietly.
Within Great Qin, there were people whose status surpassed even Qin Luo's.
Calling in a favor over this matter might be a waste—but worth it.
Of course, now was not the time to kill Qin Luo. If anything happened now, he would be the first suspect. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not strike.
In a few days, once the storm died down, he would make his move and send Qin Luo to his grave.
Lu Cang gave him a long, searching look. "Your future is bright. Remember—don't take the wrong step."
"Thank you for the warning, Commander Lu." Lin Xuan bowed deeply.
News of the scene at the capital gates spread quickly, and Chen Mo became the butt of jokes all over the city.
Many people also heard Lin Xuan's name for the first time. They had never expected that the capital's famous beauty, Gu Qingxue, had actually been taken by Lin Xuan already.
Even more shocking, that same Gu Qingxue was supposedly going to become a prince's consort.
"This Ninth Prince doesn't seem so simple."
"I think I've seen him before—he looks like Tai Xu Holy Land's Holy Son."
"Holy Son of Tai Xu Holy Land, Ninth Prince of Great Qin… his talent must be extraordinary. Interesting. Seems all nine princes of Great Qin are monsters in their own right."
Qin Luo was soon brought to the Imperial Clan Court. After undergoing a bloodline test, his identity as the Ninth Prince of Great Qin was officially confirmed.
During the process, a deputy clan head named Qin Xiuyuan personally came to inspect Qin Luo's talent, then left with an unreadable expression.
"As expected, a case of bloodline atavism," Qin Xiuyuan muttered, shaking his head.
"It seems the Ninth Prince's future achievements will be limited."
A subordinate hesitated, then asked, "Lord Zongzheng, the Ninth Prince is already at the Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm. Doesn't that prove his talent is quite good?"
Qin Xiuyuan sneered. "He's simply been forced to grow too quickly. Too many rare treasures were used to wash his marrow and refine his meridians. He'll find it very hard to ever reach the Saint Realm."
Only Saints truly had a voice in this world. The saying "beneath Saints, all are ants" was more than just words.
"What about the bloodline baptism in a few days?" a strange look flashed in the subordinate's eyes as he asked.
Qin Xiuyuan turned to stare at him. "He's a prince. Don't even think about little schemes."
"If the matter is ever looked into, I won't be able to protect you."
The officials of the Imperial Clan Court were all Qin clan members or direct descendants; they were kin, one way or another.
Qin Luo's sudden return had taken up one of the positions, and quite a few people were displeased.
The subordinate quickly crushed his stray thoughts and dared not say another word.
"Is that it?" Qin Luo asked calmly.
"Your Highness, all tests confirm that you are indeed of the direct royal bloodline of Great Qin, and thus the Ninth Prince," the official replied.
"Oh?" Qin Luo asked. "Then do you know which clan my mother came from?"
At that, Li Yuan froze.
His own mother also had royal blood; by rights, he should know something about the inner branches of the clan. But when it came to Qin Luo's maternal line, he knew nothing.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed as Qin Feng stepped into the Imperial Clan Court.
"Ninth Brother, if you want to know about your mother's clan, just ask me. I know them well."
Qin Luo felt a flicker of familiarity at the voice. He turned and saw a fair-skinned man walk in, surrounded by beautiful women.
Now *that* was the classic entrance of a villain.
Looking at his own side, Qin Luo couldn't help thinking that, as a villain, his entourage was still a bit too low-class.