Chapter 31: A Princess Is Hardly Worth Much

The jailer opened the cell door. Lie Yan stepped inside with a frown, grabbed Weiyang by her belt, and hauled her out as if she were a piece of cargo. The jailer’s mouth twitched—Guard Lie Yan, you are dragging a delicate and beautiful princess, not a sack of goods! How are we supposed to keep our composure when you act like this?

Lie Yan tossed Weiyang onto the ground with an expression of utter disdain, as if he were discarding something filthy. He flicked his hand, a faint scent of perfume clinging to his nose, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers before tossing the cloth away.

The jailer no longer dared to look Lie Yan in the eye; he was simply too formidable! Had the status of princesses become so worthless these days? To be treated with such contempt—had the world truly changed?

Beside them, the little fox watched Lie Yan with eyes full of adoration; had its tail not been injured, it likely would have leaped into his arms in excitement.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Lie Yan, well done! That’s it! Throw this woman with a heart as black as ink out, and make sure she never dares to act so arrogant again!

"Sycophant," Han Bing muttered from the side. Her look of indignation was not lost on Lie Yan. She was jealous again; he wondered why he had never noticed before that Han Bing was fond of their master.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Master, hurry, hurry! Break her tail to avenge me! The little fox tugged at Xuanyuan Yu’s sleeve, demanding punishment for Weiyang. Thinking of its tail, the little fox could not help but tear up. Its poor, precious tail had actually been broken; it was a supreme humiliation.

It was a noble Nine-Tailed Snow Fox, and every tail was a life. Yet, she had broken one of them—the little fox’s heart burned with hatred. Moreover, given its noble bloodline, how could it allow Weiyang to trample upon its dignity? Had the little fox still possessed its former powers, it would have slapped Princess Weiyang to the ends of the earth by now.

Xuanyuan Yu pointed at the jailer from before and said, "You, use water to wake her." His tone was flat, yet it made the jailer shudder. The jailer scooped up a ladle of water and splashed it onto Weiyang.

"Ah! Who is so bold as to splash this princess with water? I shall have your skin peeled off and hung on the city walls for all to see!" Princess Weiyang shrieked in shock. She wiped the water from her face, her expression one of explosive rage; she wanted nothing more than to kill the person who had splashed her. Her vicious tone caused the jailer to drop the ladle from his trembling hand.

Weiyang stared at the ladle on the ground, channeled her internal energy into her right hand, and struck a palm at the jailer. A brilliant green glow shot toward him, but Lie Yan intervened, effortlessly neutralizing her attack with a flash of purple light. He then followed up with a swift strike that forced Weiyang to her knees under the immense pressure.

Unable to bear the weight, sweat beaded on Weiyang’s forehead, yet she still didn't forget to threaten Lie Yan. "Do you know who I am? I am Princess Weiyang! I am Cousin Xuanyuan’s cousin! If you dare treat me this way, I will have my cousin cut off your head!"

"I know," Lie Yan replied indifferently, completely unmoved by her words.

"Since you know, why don't you release me at once? Otherwise, this princess will..."

"Will what?" Xuanyuan Yu stood there, supporting the little fox, his eyes calm. Yet, an imperceptible chill surrounded Weiyang, forcing her to lower her head.

Intimidated by Xuanyuan Yu, Weiyang stammered, "Co-cousin, I, I..."

"What 'I'? Hmph." Xuanyuan Yu let out a cold snort, stepped toward Weiyang, and wrapped his long, fair fingers around her delicate neck, gently tightening his grip.