Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun averted his gaze and continued to pretend to look at the jewelry while contemplating what he had just heard.

The second princess was so brazen. What kind of technology was she talking about? Was that technology so powerful that it gave her the confidence to kill the legendary humanoid weapon?

As Ye Qingyun pondered, he caught sight of the second princess approaching him step by step, eventually standing next to him.

“Like it?” The second princess tapped her fingers on the counter with an arrogant expression. “Stay with me, and all of this will be yours.”

Ye Qingyun was taken aback, quickly responding with an unequivocal refusal, “I don’t like it, just looking around. And if I see something I like, my partner will buy it for me. I have other matters to attend to, so excuse me.”

After saying this, Ye Qingyun tried to step away.

He thought that after saying that, even if the princess had some intentions, she would probably give up because he was too uninterested, right?

But Ye Qingyun didn’t expect the second princess to sneer and clap her hands, summoning several people who had been scattered around to surround Ye Qingyun and block his escape.

All of these people were the second princess’s subordinates!

What did she want? Was she trying to forcibly seize a common man in broad daylight?

Ye Qingyun frowned.

The second princess was completely unfazed by the displeasure on Ye Qingyun’s face. Instead, she asked, “Want to leave? Haven’t you heard of my reputation?”

Ye Qingyun genuinely hadn’t heard of her reputation; after all, the original story was a romance novel focusing on the relationships and conflicts between various men and Gu Shenyuan, with little description of women.

The second princess didn’t care and smiled at Ye Qingyun. “There hasn’t been a man who could refuse me after I’ve taken an interest in him. Those I set my sights on never escape my grasp. If you behave, I’ll let you enjoy a lifetime of riches and honor, but if you insist on resisting… don’t blame me for using force.”

The man accompanying the second princess looked at Ye Qingyun with jealousy but still dutifully flattered her, “How bold! This is the esteemed second princess! It’s your honor that she has taken an interest in you. Don’t act all pure and aloof, or you won’t be able to leave!”

Crazy, are we in a play?

Ye Qingyun touched the ability ring that belonged to Gu Shenyuan on his finger, frowning again to refuse, “Sorry, I already have a partner, and I like him. Please don’t make this kind of joke with me.”

“Partner?” The second princess’s smile deepened, “If you have a partner, that’s even better! I love seeing this kind of parting drama. Where is your partner? Let him come out; he hasn’t run away at the sight of me, has he?”

Ye Qingyun’s frown tightened as he took two steps back, trying to distance himself from the second princess.

Ye Qingyun now realized that the entire royal family was filled with such arrogant and delusional people. Perhaps it was because they had been in the privileged class for too long and controlled research on advanced technology that was hundreds of years ahead, making them see themselves as a different species from those outside the royal family. To them, everyone else was just a tool for entertainment.

Their logic was beyond Ye Qingyun’s understanding and acceptance.

Ye Qingyun touched the ring on his hand again, sensing that the ability within it was beginning to overflow, and the temperature was turning cold.

Ye Qingyun knew what this meant.

Gu Shenyuan had seen all of this and was already filled with murderous intent.

Ye Qingyun noticed the second princess looking behind him, her eyes lighting up, and he turned to see what she was looking at.

Gu Shenyuan was striding toward them from a distance, his expression terrifyingly dark.

“That guy is not bad looking, but his expression is too fierce; you fit my aesthetic better,” the second princess remarked, glancing between Gu Shenyuan and Ye Qingyun. “You can be my main consort. I’d be willing to have you in my bed every night.”

The second princess’s gaze swept over Ye Qingyun, taking in the graceful curve of his neck and shoulders, noticing that even in loose clothing, his figure appeared broad-shouldered and slim-waisted. She observed his nearly translucent skin, which seemed like it could leave marks from just a gentle kiss, and eagerly licked her lips. “You’ll fall in love with me; I’ll make you feel so good. Every inch of you is in my hands, and I can make you feel…—”

The second princess’s words were abruptly cut off as a strand of black mist sealed her mouth.

Ye Qingyun knew something was wrong as soon as he heard the second princess speak. Knowing Gu Shenyuan’s temperament, he feared he would immediately kill anyone who thought like that about him.

Sure enough, the black mist that sealed the second princess’s mouth began to rise, attempting to cover her nose, while another part spread downward, taking the shape of a hand, seemingly wanting to choke her.

The second princess was horrified and tried to use her abilities to remove the black mist, but her powers instantly faltered and dissipated upon contact with it.

The second princess’s subordinates rushed to her aid, but like her, their powers also vanished upon contact with the black mist. The second princess’s face turned pale as she fumbled for a necklace around her neck, gripping the button on it. The necklace immediately emitted a red light, protecting its owner and preventing Gu Shenyuan’s powers from advancing further, giving the second princess a moment to catch her breath.

Ye Qingyun realized the situation was dire and quickly turned around, running a few steps forward to grasp Gu Shenyuan’s hand. “Shenyuan, calm down!”

Ye Qingyun was still thinking about the high-tech product that the second princess had claimed could easily take the life of the humanoid weapon.

He didn’t know if it was true, but if it was, once the second princess died, the royal family would use that thing to deal with Gu Shenyuan, if only to protect their dignity, until Gu Shenyuan was dead.

Gu Shenyuan glanced at Ye Qingyun, and there was a tumult of emotions swirling in his dark eyes.

Ye Qingyun hugged Gu Shenyuan and softly comforted him, “Do you still believe what she said? How could I like her? She’s not as good-looking as you, not as powerful, not as considerate, and her technology isn’t as good as yours. I’m not blind, so don’t be angry about this.”

Gu Shenyuan didn’t respond; the coldness around him slightly lessened, but his killing intent didn’t diminish at all.

To Gu Shenyuan, anyone who dared to covet Ye Qingyun and caused him direct distress could only meet one end.

Seeing this, Ye Qingyun could only whisper the second princess’s identity and anxiously advised, “Let’s leave first. We shouldn’t alert the enemy. If you want to take action, wait until you’re fully prepared. Do you have the heart to make me a widow at such a young age?”

The royal family?

Gu Shenyuan frowned, rationally understanding that Ye Qingyun was right.

He should have been preparing in the shadows and waiting for the right moment to uproot that rotten tree rather than killing this person now and drawing the royal family’s attention.

The necklace the second princess wore seemed to have something applied to it that could withstand abilities below level 3 and could delay level 3 abilities for some time while waiting for rescue to arrive.

During the brief struggle, he could have already broken through the necklace’s defense and taken the woman’s life, but doing so would be too shocking.

Gu Shenyuan felt Ye Qingyun’s arms around his neck, and the not-so-convincing sound of Ye Qingyun pretending to cry made him sigh softly.

Well then, let this person live a little longer… Once he was fully prepared, he would eradicate these people.

—

Ye Qingyun was sneaked away by Gu Shenyuan; he didn’t know how Gu Shenyuan managed it, but among so many people, it seemed that no one could catch them or keep up with their pace.

Even the so-called net meant to capture them and prevent their escape was easily destroyed by Gu Shenyuan.

Ye Qingyun boarded the spaceship with Gu Shenyuan, leaving the planet behind.

The scenery outside the spaceship’s window gradually turned into a dark expanse of space, and no one could follow to capture them, allowing Ye Qingyun to breathe a sigh of relief.

Next, he needed to hack into the royal family’s various databases to search for the legendary weapon that could defeat Gu Shenyuan.

This was a massive project that might take a while, so Ye Qingyun didn’t rush it but chose to show care for Gu Shenyuan beside him.

Ye Qingyun lifted Gu Chenyuan’s clothing to check him over and, confirming that he was unharmed, helped him lower it back down, casually touching Gu Shenyuan’s abdominal muscles a couple of times.

Gu Shenyuan let him do as he pleased. After the inspection, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

It was small, round, and simple in design—the ring he had bought earlier.

“Qingyun,” Gu Shenyuan spoke.

Gu Shenyuan lowered his dark eyelashes, looking at the small ring in his hand, and said softly, “Would you allow me to put it on you myself?”

There were simply too many people watching Ye Qingyun—so many that if he let his guard down for just a moment, some reckless fool would try to get close to Ye Qingyun.

Ye Qingyun should have marks of Gu Shenyuan’s kisses all over him, even on his fingertips, to let those people know that he was taken and shouldn’t be touched casually.

But Ye Qingyun surely wouldn’t be willing; Gu Shenyuan could only choose another approach.

“Put it on, okay?” Gu Shenyuan said.

Wearing a matching ring with him, becoming his only partner.

Ye Qingyun didn’t speak, extending his hand.

Due to Gu Shenyuan’s haste, the ring hadn’t been fully adjusted yet. However, it had a special coating that allowed it to change size to fit the finger after being worn for ten seconds, so there was no need to worry about it being unsuitable in the end.

At the beginning of the wearing process, if the ring was smaller than the finger, it would be somewhat painful, which was why adjustments were necessary.

The ring meant for Ye Qingyun hadn’t been modified at all; it had only been engraved with his name, so it was smaller and even slightly tighter than Ye Qingyun’s finger.

Gu Shenyuan held Ye Qingyun’s hand, looking into his eyes, and slowly said, “It might hurt a little; bear with it, it will be over soon.”

Ye Qingyun thought to himself that it was just putting on a ring; how much could it hurt? It would only hurt for ten seconds before the ring became the right size, so he nodded calmly.

Gu Shenyuan’s eyes held an almost imperceptible fervor as he held Ye Qingyun’s fingertip and slowly pushed the ring on.

The ring slipped onto his fingertip smoothly, the silver ring contrasting beautifully with Ye Qingyun’s fair hand, making everything seem so breathtaking.

The ring went on easily at first, but as it reached the thickest part of his finger, it inevitably got stuck.

“Qingyun,” Gu Shenyuan paused, “just bear with it.”

“Of course I can bear it…” Ye Qingyun murmured, “Hurry up, it doesn’t hurt; just don’t dawdle.”

Gu Shenyuan took a deep breath and pressed forward.

The sensation of forcing the ring on wasn’t pleasant; the bone felt like it was grinding painfully, the ill-fitting objects torturing each other, causing Ye Qingyun’s hand to tremble.

Ye Qingyun instinctively tried to pull his hand back because of the pain, but Gu Shenyuan held on tightly, preventing him from escaping.

“Stop it…” Ye Qingyun closed his eyes, feeling wronged and wanting to withdraw, “next time… let’s try again next time…”

Ye Qingyun heard Gu Shenyuan let out a sigh, and then he felt a familiar presence close in, kissing his lips and stealing his breath away.:

—

Ye Qingyun opened his mouth, momentarily dazed by the kiss.

Just as Ye Qingyun was lost in the moment, a sudden pain shot through his finger as something slipped into the base of it.

After a while, the kiss finally ended, and Ye Qingyun pulled away from Gu Shenyuan.

“You did it,” Gu Shenyuan kissed the corner of Ye Qingyun’s mouth and took his hand gently, saying, “See, it’s all in now.”