As the voice faded, the two men on horseback below both looked up simultaneously and stared in Yun Xi's direction.
When their gazes met, Yun Xi was instantly stunned.
The man in the cloak had green eyes. They were like the clear, emerald - green lake water in summer or the lush trees in the mountains, adding a touch of demonic charm to his handsome and elegant face.
Qiao Yan was also taken aback. She nudged Yun Xi's arm and said,
"Green eyes, Xi! It's the first time I've seen such beautiful eyes."
"I heard that the national masters of the Ying Kingdom all come from the same lineage. The greener their eyes are, the purer their bloodline is, and the stronger their abilities."
"His eyes are even more vivid and translucent than the clear jade stone in my house. His abilities must be incredibly powerful."
But Yun Xi didn't reply.
The looks from the two men below made her feel like a hunted prey. It was extremely uncomfortable.
However, the feeling only lasted for a moment. When Yun Xi looked again, the two men had already averted their gazes and continued riding forward.
"Xi, Xi..."
"Huh?"
Qiao Yan's voice brought Yun Xi back to her senses. She withdrew her gaze and looked at Qiao Yan curiously.
"What's up?"
Qiao Yan tapped Yun Xi's forehead and asked,
"What were you thinking? I've been talking to you for a while and you didn't answer."
"The Seventh Prince has gone far and the street is empty. Let's go back."
"Okay," Yun Xi replied with a smile. "It's the first time I've seen such eyes. I was just too curious and got distracted. Let's go back."
Qiao Yan didn't think much of it. She warmly linked arms with Yun Xi and walked back.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped out of the Qunying Tower, they ran into Shen Zhou.
Both Yun Xi and Qiao Yan were surprised, but Shen Zhou immediately walked forward with a smile. He didn't seem surprised at all and asked with concern,
"Yingying, how have you been these days?"
Yun Xi stepped aside and replied politely with a smile,
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I still have something to do, so I'll go back first."
Shen Zhou's eyes dimmed. Suddenly, he asked out of the blue,
"How much do you remember about our encounter when we were kids?"
"Huh?"
Yun Xi didn't expect Shen Zhou to ask this. She thought hard for a while, then shrugged apologetically and said,
"To be honest, I don't remember anything. I was probably too young at that time. I've forgotten everything from then."
Shen Zhou gave a non - committal "hmm". His expression didn't change much. Then he suddenly asked,
"Then... if you still had the memories and Yi Yuan wasn't around, would you... choose me?"
Yun Xi's almond eyes suddenly turned cold. She stared at Shen Zhou nervously and asked,
"What do you mean? What's wrong with A Yuan?"
A Yuan, A Yuan! He was asking about himself and it was just a hypothesis, but all Yingying's words were about Yi Yuan!
A pang of pain and bitterness welled up in Shen Zhou's heart. A dark glint flashed across his peach - blossom eyes. He shifted his eyes to avoid Yun Xi's gaze and said,
"Nothing. I'm just asking casually."
Shen Zhou pursed his lips stubbornly and asked again,
"You haven't answered me yet. Yes or no?"
"She won't."
A familiar, clear male voice answered firmly on Yun Xi's behalf.
The heart that had been hanging high because of Shen Zhou's question instantly settled back in place. Yun Xi's eyes turned red and she threw herself into the man's arms,
"A Yuan!"
Yi Yuan patted Yun Xi's back to comfort her. His cold voice softened immediately,
"I'm sorry to make you worry."
Then he looked directly at Shen Zhou, whose expression was gloomy. Yi Yuan's words were arrogant yet serious,
"Even if I hadn't appeared and even if Xiao Xi remembered you, she still wouldn't choose you."
Shen Zhou glanced at Yi Yuan coldly, his eyes full of mockery,
"His Highness the Prince of Yu'an is too confident. You're not a god. How can you be so sure that Yingying..."
"Because you're from the Shen family."
Yi Yuan interrupted him rudely without leaving any room,
"Because you still compromised and got close to Lou Qianying after you knew that Xiao Xi was the one you were looking for. Because you don't want to accept your fate but don't have the ability to turn things around."
Every word was hurtful and piercing.
Shen Zhou's face turned pale.
His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Yun Xi frowned tightly. Although she felt sorry for him, she didn't say anything to comfort him.
Shen Zhou was too obsessed with her. He wouldn't listen to her harsh words. If what Yi Yuan said today could completely break Shen Zhou's obsession with her, it would actually be a good thing for him.
Shen Zhou was left speechless by Yi Yuan's words. Behind him, Sheng Yu couldn't hold back anymore. With a face full of anger and dissatisfaction, he said,
"His Highness the Prince of Yu'an sure can talk without feeling any pain. If our young master had your background and situation, he would definitely be a hundred times more outstanding than you. It's not your turn to boss us around here!"
"If you had experienced what our young master went through when he was a child..."
"Sheng Yu!"
Shen Zhou suddenly roared, cutting off Sheng Yu's words.
"Stop talking. Let's go."
After saying that, without even giving Yun Xi a look, he turned around and left first.
"Young master..."
Sheng Yu gave Yun Xi a reproachful look and quickly followed.
Since Shen Zhou left in a huff, they naturally wouldn't go after him. They each sighed and then turned back to the mansion.
Naturally, they didn't notice that not far behind them, Shen Zhou nodded slightly towards the second - floor window of an ordinary tavern on his upper right without making a sound.
He mouthed silently,
"I'll do it."
Above the tavern, there was the Holy Master, wrapped up so that only a pair of eyes were visible! Shan Hou still stood behind him.
A mocking look flashed across the Holy Master's eyes. He nodded in satisfaction.
The next moment, the two of them disappeared from the window out of thin air.
On the other side -
After seeing Qiao Yan off, Yun Xi happily nestled in Yi Yuan's arms. Her big eyes sparkled like stars as she asked,
"Didn't you say you'd be delayed for another day? Why did you come back so suddenly?"
Yi Yuan hugged the soft body in his arms contentedly, let out a comfortable breath, and replied,
"Xie Huaiyue sent a message saying that the so - called Seventh Prince of the Ying Kingdom advanced his journey and would arrive today. According to the usual practice, a banquet will be held tonight. He told me to come back quickly so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Shen family."
There was still a trace of exhaustion in Yi Yuan's eyes. Yun Xi lovingly rubbed the space between his eyebrows and scolded gently,
"You didn't have to be in such a hurry. They must need some rest after a long - distance journey. The dinner will definitely start late. You could just arrive an hour earlier."
Yi Yuan couldn't help but pull over her soft and delicate fingertips that were gently rubbing on his forehead and kissed them. With a smile on his lips, he said,
"I wanted to see you."
These three simple words contained countless yearnings.
Yun Xi's eyes curved into a sweet smile.
After the two of them had been sweetly intimate for a while, Yun Xi asked,
"How was your trip? Was there anything unusual about that mansion?"
When it came to business, Yi Yuan put away his joking manner and said seriously in a low voice,
"We caught a big fish."
"In each bag of rice in that warehouse, there were silver coins and - weapons."