Everyone was taken aback.
Hun Yuan's eyes sparkled. "Oh~ This thousand-year-old iceberg has finally seen the light!"
Ye Xi subconsciously looked up at Yi Yuan.
Their gazes met, and something seemed to blend together quietly before dispersing in the moonlit night.
Ye Xi curtsied, her long eyelashes fluttering as she concealed the complex emotions in her eyes.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Now that most of the matters had been discussed, Ye Xi was about to take her leave.
Unexpectedly, Hun Yuan suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a moment."
He strolled over to Ye Xi with a beaming smile and put on a serious look.
"Since the gu poison on Miss Ye is related to my master, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
"Moreover, Miss Ye's 'Divination by Appearance' technique makes her half a member of our Taoist sect. As Miss Ye needs to conceal her identity, it would arouse suspicion if she has no background. I'll just make this sacrifice and lend you my name. If anyone asks in the future, Miss Ye can just say that you're my outer disciple..."
Hun Yuan rambled on and on, while Ye Xi and Yi Yuan both had black looks on their faces.
Mian Xiao, standing beside them, thought to herself: This stinky Taoist priest is trying to take advantage of the prince.
Ye Xi simply interrupted Hun Yuan's endless chatter.
"No need," she said, giving Hun Yuan a speechless look and rejecting him without hesitation.
"This is fine as it is."
Although having Hun Yuan's backing would indeed make things much more convenient for her and make those who intended to harm her think twice before acting, like Mrs. Cao...
But Hun Yuan's blatant attempt to pry into her mind-reading technique was so obvious, and he even made it sound so justifiable. He even wanted her to be his disciple, which would make her one generation lower and force her to obey him. He had quite the nerve and was being overly calculating.
Hun Yuan blinked. "Alright... I didn't manage to fool her."
It was okay. He was just giving it a try. He wasn't the kind of person who was full of self-importance and looked down on others because of his status. If one way didn't work, he'd just try another.
"Come on, Miss Ye. Don't be so hasty in your rejection..."
Hun Yuan quickly changed his tactic. He rummaged through his bosom and took out a golden lotus-shaped token.
As he handed it to Ye Xi, he said,
"You don't have to be my disciple. You can be my junior sister. Anyway, you were once helped by my master, so you can be considered half of my master's disciple. In that case, I'm your senior brother by extension."
"Hehe... Junior sister, this is the Golden Lotus Token passed down to me by my master. There's only one like it in the world, and it symbolizes my identity. Today, senior brother will give it to you. If anyone dares to question or disrespect you in the future, just show it to them. It'll scare the wits out of those blind fools."
!!!
The appearance of the token shocked everyone present.
This Golden Lotus Token was bestowed upon Hun Yuan's master by the late emperor. It symbolized the royal family. Not only could the bearer enter and exit the palace at will, but even the emperor would make exceptions for them. Even officials below the first rank had to pay their respects upon seeing it. If there were any important matters regarding Taoist divination, officials below the third rank had to follow the bearer's instructions.
Unless one committed an unforgivable heinous crime, the Golden Lotus Token could not be revoked.
If one day the token was to be passed on to someone else, that person would have to go through numerous tests. It involved aspects such as character, personality, and relevant abilities. It was more than ten times more difficult than the imperial examinations in Dayin for selecting talents.
Although Hun Yuan had been by his master's side since childhood, he had also overcome many obstacles to obtain the token.
This thing, which was almost as powerful as an imperial order, Hun Yuan just gave it away!?
After all that hard work, he just handed it over to someone else??
Ye Xi also didn't expect Hun Yuan to be so generous. She could tell that Hun Yuan was interested in her mind-reading technique and thought that he would try to lure her with a large sum of money or set other conditions and pester her relentlessly.
Who would have thought that he would take out the Golden Lotus Token right away.
Ye Xi didn't know what to do for a moment.
If she accepted it, it was too precious...
If she didn't accept it, she really wanted it...
Moreover, Hun Yuan had presented it so generously and called her junior sister so affectionately. If she didn't accept it, it would seem overly pretentious and ungrateful.
After much hesitation, Ye Xi finally took the Golden Lotus Token from Hun Yuan's hand.
"Then... I'll accept it. Thank you, senior brother."
"Hey~" Hun Yuan grinned from ear to ear. "Are you going back now, junior sister? Senior brother will see you off."
He was well-known almost everywhere in Dayin, so the token didn't mean much to him. Exchanging such a Golden Lotus Token for a junior sister who was extremely beautiful and knew the "Divination by Appearance" technique was a great deal!
A vein on Yi Yuan's forehead twitched.
In just a short while, they were already calling each other senior brother and junior sister? And he even wanted to see her home?
He always had the feeling that Hun Yuan had taken advantage of him and snatched away the person he cared about, and he had suffered a great loss...
Seeing that the two of them were already walking out affectionately, completely ignoring his presence.
Yi Yuan couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"Is Miss Ye leaving already? What's this? Using me and then leaving me hanging?"
Mian Xiao: !!! My prince, are you sure you know what you're saying!
Saixing: ? Miss used... used what? When?
Hun Yuan: Oh~ So there's this aspect...
Everyone had a strange look on their faces. Ye Xi was so embarrassed that her cheeks turned crimson. She quickly explained,
"It's my fault. Thank you, Your Highness, for finding Senior Brother Hun Yuan for me. Your Highness has gone to so much trouble to find someone for me. Thank you, Your Highness."
By emphasizing twice that Yi Yuan had only helped her find someone, the blush on Ye Xi's face gradually subsided.
The moment the words left his mouth, Yi Yuan realized something was wrong.
Seeing everyone looking at him teasingly and Ye Xi looking so embarrassed, Yi Yuan couldn't help but feel his ears turn red.
He coughed lightly and pretended to be calm.
"No... you're welcome. Since it's getting late, aren't you in a hurry to return to the palace, Hun Yuan? I'll see Miss Ye off."
As he said this, he gave Hun Yuan a cold look. The meaning in his eyes was obvious.
Hun Yuan: Alright. Anyway, I've already won her over. If you want to see her off, go ahead. It doesn't matter this one time.
The group parted ways at the door. Ye Xi and Yi Yuan got into the same carriage and headed back.
Once inside the carriage, Ye Xi noticed a girl dressed in tight-fitting clothes. She looked valiant and heroic.
When she saw Ye Xi and Yi Yuan, she knelt down to pay her respects.
Ye Xi looked at Yi Yuan in surprise.
Yi Yuan sat down steadily and began to introduce her.
"This is Ling Yan. She comes from the same school as Mian Xiao. Her martial arts skills are no less than Mian Xiao's and are much better than those martial artists on the stage."
"From now on, she'll follow you and protect you."
Thinking of the assassination attempt the other day, Ye Xi still felt a little scared. Those martial artists had been seriously injured while protecting her. Fortunately, their lives were not in danger.
Although they had signed a life-and-death contract, stating that they were responsible for their own safety and there was no obligation between them, Ye Xi still felt a little guilty. She had visited them with supplements and good medicine. She also gave up the idea of finding martial artists to protect herself. After all, when facing powerful assassins, the martial artists' skills were really not enough.
She had even planned to go to the black market to find someone, but unexpectedly, Yi Yuan had even thought of this for her.
Perhaps... Yi Yuan really had feelings for her? Should she read his mind?