Chapter 102: First Prince; Half-Man, Half-Beast

Translator: Minotauruz

Just like that, the fracas-filled auction ended with a thick, heavy atmosphere. Fortunately, the second prince had reserved for himself a booth within the auction, and everyone seated outside of the second prince’s booth was unable to witness the ensuing scene when the second prince had been severely tripped up by Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo. Otherwise, this crown prince would have been thoroughly embarrassed.

Notwithstanding that, the second prince truly lived up to his name as the heir to the throne. He possessed a far more sanguine temperament than people like Qin Lingyu and Ke Xinwen, and he managed to recover from this situation fairly quickly. As the auction ended, he fanned himself leisurely as he bid farewell to the entourage of Dawn Sect disciples.

As the second prince Rong Yebin departed with his subordinates trailing behind him, Jun Xiaomo shook her head helplessly and sighed, “Truth be told, if this person weren’t so lustful, I could learn to appreciate his character.”

Few people were able to compose and collect themselves and even dispel any thoughts of revenge so quickly after being schemed against by someone. At the very least, even Jun Xiaomo wasn’t sure that she would be able to do this.

Furthermore, the heir of a kingdom would always place an inordinate amount of emphasis on his appearances and reputation in public. Rong Yebin had had these trampled upon in public, yet he did not even appear to concern himself with getting back at Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo and salvaging some of his appearance and reputation. Evidently, he was far from being a petty person.

“It’s such a pity...” Jun Xiaomo sighed again, but she didn’t mention what she was feeling sympathetic about. Then, as another thought crossed her mind, Jun Xiaomo tapped on her chin as she thought aloud, “Come to think of it, does this mean that he will no longer harass me any further?”

Jun Xiaomo wasn’t a narcissist by any means. Rather, the second prince had made his intentions so clear by his actions, and Jun Xiaomo truly hoped that she would no longer be entangled in this messy affair with the second prince. She did not even want to be considered as one of the second prince’s preys to begin with.

Ye Xiuwen patted Jun Xiaomo’s shoulder, but he remained taciturn.

The truth was that Ye Xiuwen had an inkling that the second prince wouldn’t take things lying down. In fact, he felt that the stronger Yao Mo’s resistance, the stronger the second prince’s desire for him.

This was what Ye Xiuwen had managed to glean from the second prince’s profound and meaningful smile just before he departed. However, it was also a rare sight for Little Mo to feel at ease. Therefore, Ye Xiuwen simply kept these thoughts to himself so that he would not add to Yao Mo’s burdens.

We’ll respond accordingly when the second prince makes his move again. Ye Xiuwen thought to himself coolly. This was also Ye Xiuwen’s expression of concern.

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It was night. Jun Xiaomo had just taken a shower. She let out a big yawn as she walked over to her bedside while drying her hair.

She felt truly drained, having spent a good part of the day with people whose company she could do without. Furthermore, there was still that incident with the first prince last night which precluded her from a good night’s rest the night before. Therefore, the only thought running through her mind right now was to flop down to her bed and get a good night’s sleep.

Just then, Jun Xiaomo suddenly paused, and her pupils constricted as her eyes anxiously darted about at her surroundings.

In the dim glow of the flickering candlelight, her room was covered with shadows that were dancing ever so slightly. Jun Xiaomo’s goosebumps crept up along the edge of her skin. For some peculiar reason, she felt that there was a pair of eyes transfixed on her body in the depts of the shadows in her room right now.

“Who’s there?!” Jun Xiaomo questioned sharply.

Yet no one responded. Her surroundings were enveloped by a deafening silence, that was only occasionally broken by the gentle crackling of the candle flame.

Jun Xiaomo was frustrated by the fact that she was still only at the second level of Qi Mastery. Even if she released her divine sense right now, she wouldn’t be able to sense the presence of any cultivators who possessed a higher level of cultivation than her.

Even then, Jun Xiaomo made preparations for the worst. She began to manipulate the true energy within her body and channel them to her limbs so that she would be able to react and respond against any attacks in the shortest time possible.

Then, a cold breeze swept through the room, and the candle flame flickered violently as the wind threatened to put it out. The shadows in the room shifted about menacingly. Just at that moment, a tyrannical wind suddenly swept past Jun Xiaomo and appeared behind her body! She immediately turned around and retrieved a Thunderbolt Talisman from her Interspatial Ring in one swift motion!

However, she wasn’t fast enough. In the blink of an eye, Jun Xiaomo felt a heavy weight pressing down on her body, and she found herself falling backwards as she slammed heavily onto the bed.

The impact was so great that Jun Xiaomo’s internal organs felt as though they had been jolted about severely. She struggled to catch her breath. Even then, the assailant had pinned down both of her hands, preventing her from using the Thunderbolt Talisman she had earlier retrieved.

Jun Xiaomo cursed in her heart. She was lucky that her soft bed was behind her right now. Otherwise, she might have been severely injured if she had been sandwiched between her assailant and the floor!

“Huff...huff...” The assailant on top of Jun Xiaomo heaved and breathed heavily as he sniffed about Jun Xiaomo’s body. However, he had not lifted his head once to meet with Jun Xiaomo’s eyes. Therefore, apart from determining that her assailant was a man from his build, Jun Xiaomo could see nothing more than the black hair on the top of his head.

Jun Xiaomo could feel his breath over her neck, and then her chest. If she did not wear the appearances of a “man” right now, she would almost certainly see this man as a lecher.

Yet even though she was under the effects of the Alteration Talisman, Jun Xiaomo still felt extremely embarrassed and awkward. Her whole body was burning up right now – both in shame, and in fury.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you? Are you a dog? What are you sniffing here and there for?!” Jun Xiaomo sharply demanded an explanation.

She discovered that this assailant did not really have the intention to attack her. Instead, after pouncing on her earlier, he only sniff about her body as though he were looking for something, or as though he treated Jun Xiaomo as a piece of meat on a bone.

Meat on a bone... Jun Xiaomo was flabbergasted by even her own imagination. A deep sense of frustration welled up within her.

Even then, the man did not respond to Jun Xiaomo. It was as though he tacitly agreed with Jun Xiaomo’s observations that she was nothing more than a piece of meat on a bone to that man. After sniffing about for some time, he shifted his attention back to Jun Xiaomo’s neck, drew a deep breath, and then breathed out slowly. After that, the man stopped moving.

Jun Xiaomo: ......

What the heck is this?! Am I just supposed to lie here the whole night with this mad man over me until this man agrees to move his body?!

And just what did this man eat growing up? Why’s his strength so immense?!

Jun Xiaomo was so frustrated that she wanted to cry; but no tears came out. Right now, she could only stare at the top of her bedframe as she thought of how to slip out of this awkward predicament.

Just then, two squeaks rang out. Her little packrat crept out from the corner of the room and took a vicious bite at the man who laid on Jun Xiaomo’s body.

“Aaaoooo!” This man yowled with a strange cry before letting go of Jun Xiaomo. Then, he formed claws with his hands before stretching his arm out at the little packrat.

“Little Packie!” Jun Xiaomo’s heart tightened anxiously, and she immediately sent the Thunderbolt Talisman flying at the man while diving straight at the little packrat, blocking that man’s attack in the nick of time. Then, just as she managed to shield her little packrat with her body, the Thunderbolt Talisman exploded.

A deafening crackle resounded in the room, and the table behind Jn Xiaomo’s body was immediately reduced to nothing more than sawdust. However, the man remained completely unharmed.

Jun Xiaomo quickly looked at her little packrat. After ensuring that it was fine, she knitted her brows at the uninvited guest in her room.

When she finally saw this man’s appearance, Jun Xiaomo was momentarily frozen in her steps – it was the same person whom she encountered last night, the frenetic first prince!

The first prince had obviously failed to break out of his maddened stupor. His eyes glowed with a soulless red light, and Jun Xiaomo couldn’t help but liken him to a vicious spirit beast that hadn’t yet gained any spiritual awareness.

Just what happened to him?!

Jun Xiaomo once again retrieved a Heart Purging Pill from her Interspatial Ring and prepared herself to flick it in his mouth when he came pouncing at her again.

Naturally, she would have to aim it at his mouth so that he would swallow the pill like he did yesterday.

“Aaooooo!” The first prince howled again. Then he furrowed his brows as though he were in perplexity and some measure of pain, before he closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously.

Jun Xiaomo was speechless – Howling? Why was he howling as though he were a wolf?

Squeak squeak~ The little packrat poked its head out of Jun Xiaomo’s clothes. Then, it waved its short, stubby paws about as it continued to squeak at Jun Xiaomo, as though it had discovered what’s wrong with the first prince’s body.

Unfortunately, Jun Xiaomo did not understand the language of packrat. After gazing into each other’s eyes for some moments, the little packrat finally gave up. It dejectedly put down its paws and slipped back into Jun Xiaomo’s clothes.

How frustrating! There’s no way to communicate with her at all! The little packrat stared at its own paws as it gnawed on them as though it were swearing.

Jun Xiaomo stroked her little packrat helplessly. Then, she promptly turned her attention back to the first prince as she stared at him intently.

She did not know what the first prince was going to do, and whether the first prince was going to attack them again.

Truth be told, Jun Xiaomo was absolutely vexed by her present predicament. It would be great if the first prince had retained his rationality. At the very least, she would be able to converse with him and determine whether he was friend or foe. However, the first prince was in a completely maddened state of mind right now. Just when was he going to come to his senses?

Just then, the first prince suddenly opened his eyes and howled again. Then, he shifted his legs and started walking over towards Jun Xiaomo.

Jun Xiaomo took one step back cautiously. She had prepared two items in her hands which he held onto tightly right now – a Heart Purging Pill in one hand, and an offensive talisman in the other hand.

If push came to shove, she would resort to using that offensive talisman to protect herself.

Then, the first prince tilted his head slightly, as though it were bewildered why Jun Xiaomo were backing away.

Despite that, seeing a towering person almost eight-foot-tall reveal such an innocent and pure expression did not do anything to lessen Jun Xiaomo’s guard at all. Rather than develop affection for him, this made goosebumps crawl all over Jun Xiaomo’s skin instead.

This...this person is completely mad!

Just like that, the first prince took another few steps forward, and Jun Xiaomo retreated in a similar fashion. Finally, her heel bumped into the base of her bed frame – there was no more room to retreat.

Having been backed into a corner, Jun Xiaomo now raised her senses to new heights and stared at the first prince with all the alertness she could muster. She braced herself for combat.

“Aaaooooo~” This time, the first prince’s howl sounded slightly aggrieved. Even though Jun Xiaomo did not speak “his language”, she could tell from his expression right now that the first prince somehow felt humiliated.

Jun Xiaomo legs almost crumbled in astonishment. She could not figure out what was going on in the first prince’s mind right now.

Humiliation? Shouldn’t I be the humiliated one?! I’ve spent much effort locating the owner of the Blood Jade, only to find that he had somehow turned into a madman who cannot be reasoned with. Furthermore, he’s become almost like a beast, completely devoid of all human rationality right now!

At this moment, Jun Xiaomo truly believed in her heart that she was not going to be able to fulfill her promise to senior Jiang Yutong for a long, long time.

Then, the first prince howled again and suddenly leapt towards Jun Xiaomo. Just as Jun Xiaomo was about to resist, she realized that the first prince had merely held her by the waist as he begun to rub his face against hers as though he were being wronged.

Jun Xiaomo: ......

Squeak squeak! The little packrat popped out of Jun Xiaomo’s clothes again. Immediately, a vicious intent once again filled the first prince’s bloodshot eyes as he glared at the little packrat.

“You’re not allowed to bully my little packrat! Otherwise, I’m going to throw you out!” Jun Xiaomo lowered her head and reprimanded the first prince.

She was only testing out an absurd theory that had just crossed her mind. After all, the first prince had seemed to have lost all rationality, and she was uncertain whether the first prince would even be able to understand the words that she had just spoken. And even if he could understand her words, who knew how he would take these “threats” of hers?

However, her attempt turned out to be more effective than she had thought. After the first prince bared his teeth menacingly at her little packrat, he continued to hug Jun Xiaomo as he shut his eyes in contentment, completely ignoring the little packrat.

Jun Xiaomo looked at the first prince helplessly once again. She just could not understand what was going through his mind.

Squeak squeak~ The little packrat scuttled over to Jun Xiaomo’s side and hopped about eagerly, hoping that Jun Xiaomo could understand its expressions.

“Are you suggesting that I should check his Dantian and meridians to see what’s wrong?” Jun Xiaomo asked curiously.

Squeak squeak! Her little packrat leapt up in joy as it celebrated its first successful communication with Jun Xiaomo.

However, Jun Xiaomo furrowed her brows doubtfully. Having a stranger control or access one’s meridians was an extremely dangerous thing to a cultivator. Therefore, cultivators would generally refrain from sending their own spiritual energy to probe about another cultivator’s body without that cultivator’s agreement. This was not only disrespectful to another cultivator; it could even result in a severe backlash against his own body! In fact, Jun Xiaomo had almost suffered from such a backlash previously when she wrapped her palm around Ye Xiuwen’s wrist. Fortunately, Ye Xiuwen was able to restrain his attack at the very last moment.

Squeak squeak... The little packrat understood Jun Xiaomo’s considerations. But it also knew that if Jun Xiaomo did not determine the root of the problem, there was no way that Jun Xiaomo could treat him with the appropriate cure, and the first prince would be fated to live the rest of his life as a madman.

In fact, the little packrat was aware of what exactly had gone wrong with the first prince’s body. However, it was extremely vexed that it was unable to explain to Jun Xiaomo its findings in a manner that Jun Xiaomo could understand.

Moments later, Jun Xiaomo made up her mind. She drew a deep breath, before softly coaxing the first prince who had cuddled up to her, “Let me investigate the condition of your body’s Dantian and meridians. You’re not allowed to attack me, understand?”

The first prince opened his eyes lackadaisically, howled once softly, before shutting his eyes again. It was as though he was saying that he didn’t mind Jun Xiaomo’s suggestion.

Yet, Jun Xiaomo couldn’t help but wonder to herself – Do you really understand what I’ve just said to you?

However, there was no way she could ascertain this. The first prince’s condition did not allow her to obtain any more of an approval than the one she had just obtained. Even if she grabbed the first prince by his collar and demanded an answer, it was highly improbable that she was going to get anything more than a few howls from him.

Jun Xiaomo rubbed her temples in distress. This first prince was even more of a handful than her little packrat.

Even then, Jun Xiaomo decided to approach this cautiously. She first placed her hand gingerly on the first prince’s wrist so see if the first prince would react with aversion. However, the first prince remained motionless as though he had fallen asleep. There was no reaction at all.

Jun Xiaomo heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she began to convert the true energy within her body into spiritual energy, before sending a thread of it probing about the first prince’s meridians.

At this moment, the first prince shifted, and Jun Xiaomo almost pulled back her spiritual energy in shock. However, the first prince only shifted his body slightly. It did not launch any attacks against Jun Xiaomo.

Jun Xiaomo was thoroughly relieved.

She closed her eyes once more, and this time, she completely set her mind on controlling her energy as she sent that thread of energy throughout the first prince’s meridians and Dantian. Then, she opened her eyes once more. This time, her face was filled with an expression of bewilderment.

She would never have thought that the first prince was a born with a natural demonic body. His meridians and Dantian were filled with chaotic demonic energy, and this energy almost immediately expelled her spiritual energy when she first sent it into the first prince’s body. Fortunately, she was able to react quickly and transform that thread of energy into demonic energy, and thereby complete her investigation of the condition of his body.

What surprised Jun Xiaomo even more was the fact that the first prince’s body possessed a demonic core within it. It was apparent to Jun Xiaomo that the demonic core was the result of the first prince having ingested a demonic beast’s core, and the first prince had not been able to fully subjugate the energies within this demonic core. This was why the first prince was reduced to his present half-man, half-beast state.

Jun Xiaomo rubbed her temples again, chuckling bitterly as she remarked, “My friend, you’re really a natural born troublemaker, aren’t you?”

Regrettably, Jun Xiaomo knew that she was not going to be able to hand the first prince that piece of Blood Jade before he regained consciousness again.