Wenmin gently patted her head in hopes of reassuring her. His cold gaze couldn't help but melt into a warm puddle at the sight of her face.

Did she have to look like a bunny when she was scared? Her doe-eyes were growing so wide, darting back and fourth, it was beginning to amuse him.

But the mirth disappeared when Longhe opened his mouth to speak again.

"This is the city that my father owns and rule over. Why can't I be here?" Longhe resorted, crossing his arms with a relaxed smirk.

When he noticed Wenmin was occupied with a human-sized porcelain doll, he couldn't help his curious eyes. It trailed to Xueyue, took in her appearance. A low smile spread on his lips.

He seemed to have found a weakness in the unbeatable twins.

When Wenmin noticed the heavy gaze on his Xiao Yue, he immediately pulled her behind him. Chenyang was quick on his feet, and soon, there was two large teens blocking his view.

Longhe raised a brow at their protective nature. It nearly amused him. He had never seen the twins become so possessive over something.

"Who's the girl?" He provoked, tilting his head in false curiosity.

"Why do you care?" Chenyang crossed his arms, his muscular arms budging.

Longhe smirked.

"What? A guy can't admire a woman's beauty?" He taunted.

"I'm royalty, I can do whatever I want. For example, taking the girl home and locking her within the Prayer Halls. None of tHs scums here can prevent the Royal Decree." He simply said, as if he hadn't just insulted one of the Great Sons of Shenzhou.

Chenyang's eyes darkened, but he didn't fall into the trap. He knew this bastard wanted to provoke him, but Chenyang refused to accept the bait.

Xueyue stiffened at the fourth Prince's words, her grip on Wenmin tightening. Was he really going to take me...?

Xueyue shook the thoughts from her head. 'No no, I should trust Wenmin and Chenyang!' She reassured herself.

"You were born from such a lowly mother, I almost forgot you were royalty." Chenyang chuckled, clicking his tongue in amusement.

The atmosphere dropped dangerously low.

Xueyue gulped.

Was he asking for a death wish?

Longhe's amused smirk dropped. His eyes darkened and he took a dangerous step closer. "Don't test me, you bastard." He seethed, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Or else what?" Wenmin taunted, a wicked smile on his face.

His hand itched for his sword, but Xueyue was behind him and he couldn't afford to hurt her.

Wenmin and Chenyang might've created a human wall, but their stances were not unpenetrable. Longhe was still able to see Xueyue.

At first, he was intrigued by her. She had instantly caught his attention when she stepped foot in Shenzhou with Chenyang and Wenmin trailing ahead of her.

His curiosity only grew after seeing her grateful exchanges with the food-sellers and when he saw her daunting spirit, he wanted to get to know her.

And lucky for him, she seemed to be Li Chenyang and Li Wenmin's only weakness. Finally, after all these years, Wang Longhe might have something against these two.

"If you don't want blood to shed this early in the afternoon, keep your eyes to yourself." Chenyang snarled, his hand reaching for the sword on his hips.

Longhe suddenly laughed. It echoed through the streets, filled with hatred and disgust. There was no warmth within his laughter, and that scared Xueyue.

"It seems my predictions were indeed correct. You fools finally have a weakness." He mused, smirking at their fierce stances.

Wenmin unscathed his sword and instantly, the Li guards revealed their weapons. At the same time, Longhe's guards also reached for their weapons.

Not wanting blood to shed, Xueyue blindly reached for Wenmin's sleeves again. She couldn't afford to offend the Imperial Family any longer.

What if the Duke couldn't protect his sons and they're really sentenced to death?!

When Xueyue had thought she grabbed Wenmin, she was actually holding onto Chenyang.

He was surprised to feel a light weight on his sleeves and when he glanced down, he finally realized her pale expression.

"W-we can't offend the royal family-"

"The Li family can afford to offend any family." His voice was gruff, but it was sincere and truthful.

Xueyue felt her brows pull together in confusion. Was that even possible?

When Chenyang realized the high tension in the air, the people's whispering, he knew blood might really shed. This argument must end.

If his mother found out about the brawl, he was in for a long lecture. Neither boys wanted to experience the same memories of her lecture that starts at sunrise and ends at sunset.

Seizing the opportunity of Xueyue as momentary distraction, Chenyang quietly told Wenmin, "We don't have time to spare with insignificant bugs. They'll never be able to match our pace."

Xueyue quickly bobbed her head at Chenyang's words. "L-let's go home, okay?" She urged them.

"The famed Li twins are scared of a little bit of blood shed? How pathetic, running home with their tails tucked between their leg-" Longhe doesn't finish his taunting when Wenmin's sword flew dangerously close to his neck.

It happened within half a blink, but Wenmin was standing in front of Longhe, holding a sword to his throat.

"Another word and I'll cut you." He hissed, the metal sword gleaming in the sun.