When I stopped licking, the lady panicked.

On the way out of the Beacon Forest, Lin Xuan's mind was filled with the voice of the Dragon Butterfly.

"Boy, I command you to return the pupa!"

"You brat, how dare you deceive me!"

"Do you believe I'll make sure you never leave this beacon forest?"

Lin Xuan's head was about to explode from the noise, so he quickened his pace and walked away, thinking that as long as he left the Beacon Forest, Long Die's voice would no longer enter his mind.

However, he had only taken a few steps when a group of monsters appeared in front of him, blocking his way.

Lin Xuan stopped and looked back, only to find that his retreat was also blocked by the monster.

In the blink of an eye, many demonic beasts emerged from the bushes all around, surrounding Lin Xuan completely.

"I'm giving you one last chance, return the pupa!" the Dragon Butterfly roared angrily.

Lin Xuan said, "I'll give you the pupa now, but what if you go back on your word?"

The Dragon Butterfly said viciously, "I command you to return the pupa right now, or I will make sure you die a horrible death!"

Lin Xuan stared at the snarling, monstrous beasts, but instead of panicking, he smiled calmly and said, "If I die without a complete corpse, will your pupa be preserved?"

"You!" Dragon Butterfly was so angry she couldn't speak.

"I will return the pupa to you, but not now," Lin Xuan said.

"What exactly do you want?" Long Die questioned Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan said, "Me? I want you to keep your promise."

"I have always kept my promises."

"So when you ordered the Soul-Slaying Wolves to attack Xiao Ke and the others in the forest, didn't that count as going back on your word?"

Dragon Butterfly had nothing to say.

After a moment of silence, the Dragon Butterfly said, "Then when will you return the pupa to me?"

"When I have the strength to contend with the royal family, the strength to retrieve my father's Northern King Blade, and the strength to reclaim the empire that belongs to our Lin family," Lin Xuan replied.

Upon hearing this, Long Die was first taken aback, then said, "Are you crazy? You, a mere Spirit Profound Realm cultivator, actually want to contend with the Great Qing royal family and even want to seize the royal family's empire?"

"Although I am not interested in the dynastic changes of you humans, it does not mean that I do not know how difficult the process is."

"You might not even be able to take the Xiao family's empire in your lifetime!"

Lin Xuan said, "You're wrong, I can."

"You're nothing! You just don't want to return the pupa to me!" said the Dragon Butterfly.

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Don't think like that. You need to have some faith in me."

"One year! I'm only giving you one year. If you can't do it within a year, I'll lead a kind of demonic beast from the Beacon Fire Forest into Qingzhou City, and we'll fight to the death!" Long Die threatened viciously.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan felt immense pressure, but achieving all of this within a year was not impossible.

Let's keep him calm for now. As for whether we can accomplish these things within a year, we'll talk about that a year from now.

"Okay." Lin Xuan nodded, agreeing to Long Die's suggestion.

Long Die snorted and said, "I hope you can keep your promise. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life and my soul, I will slaughter every last one of you in Qingzhou City!"

After he finished speaking, the demonic beasts blocking his way all stepped aside, making way for Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan then left the Beacon Forest with ease, riding a fast horse all the way back to Qingzhou City.

……

Qingzhou City, the Yun family.

In her boudoir, Yun Xiyue was carefully examining Xiao Zhan's doll, occasionally revealing a girlish smile of first love.

Just then, the butler knocked on the door and said, "Miss, the Third Prince has arrived."

Upon hearing that Xiao Zhan had arrived, Yun Xiyue immediately put down the doll in her hand and happily opened the door.

"Butler, where is Brother Zhan?" Yun Xiyue asked the butler.

The steward said, "The Third Prince is in the main hall, talking with the Master. You should get ready immediately and go see him."

"Okay, okay, I'll go take a bath and change right away," Yun Xiyue said happily, her eyes brimming with undisguised excitement.

Seeing Yun Xiyue's lovestruck appearance, the steward was afraid she would lose herself, so he couldn't help but remind her, "Miss, don't forget your mission. You need to get His Highness to send you back to the Lin family, control Lin Xuan, and find an opportunity to bring back the Northern King's Decree."

As Yun Xiyue changed her clothes, she said, "I understand!"

Soon, Yun Xiyue washed herself clean, put on new clothes, and burned incense to tidy herself up.

After tidying herself up, Yun Xiyue revealed a shy, girlish demeanor and gracefully walked into the main hall, where she met Xiao Zhan, whom she had been longing to see.

"Brother Zhan~" Yun Xiyue called out sweetly.

Upon seeing Yun Xiyue, Xiao Zhan immediately stood up and took her hand.

Yun Xiyue nestled into Xiao Zhan's arms, enjoying the warmth of the moment.

"Ahem!"

Yun Zhenting suddenly coughed.

Yun Xiyue then parted ways with Xiao Zhan.

Although they all knew that Yun Xiyue and Lin Xuan's marriage was only a marriage of convenience, she and Lin Xuan were still husband and wife in name only. Therefore, the way she hugged and cuddled with Xiao Zhan was really inappropriate.

It's fine if it's at home, since there are no outsiders, but if outsiders see it, not to mention whether the Yun family's reputation will be affected, Xiao Zhan will definitely be affected.

After all, he is the third prince. If his affair with Yun Xiyue is discovered, how will he face himself in the future? How will he fight for the throne and seize power?

Xiao Zhan understood the deeper meaning behind it, so even though the desire in his eyes was already burning and he couldn't suppress it, he didn't hug Yun Xiyue, but instead forcibly held back.

"Wait for my brother Zhan, wait for me to get the Northern King's Decree to help you ascend the throne, and then we can be together forever," Yun Xiyue said with a radiant smile.

Xiao Zhan nodded and said, "Xi Yue, I believe in you."

Yun Zhenting coughed again, interrupting the two of them from their sweet talk.

"Your Highness, Xi Yue has recently suffered a great injustice at the Lin residence. I hope you can uphold justice for Xi Yue this time," Yun Zhenting said.

Mentioning this, Yun Xiyue's eyes reddened, and she burst into tears, saying, "Yes, Brother Zhan, Lin Xuan... he bullied me..."

"What? This good-for-nothing dares to bully you?" Xiao Zhan was furious when he heard that Yun Xiyue had been wronged at the Lin residence. "Take me to the Lin residence. I'm going to teach this arrogant bastard a lesson!"

Seeing Xiao Zhan so angry, Yun Zhenting had achieved his goal. He reminded Xiao Zhan, "Third Prince, once we arrive at the Lin residence, you must not act rashly, or you will give others something to gossip about."

Yun Xiyue said, "That's right, Brother Zhan. You just need to accompany me back to the Lin residence and let Lin Xuan know the gap between him and you. He will naturally feel ashamed and dare not confront you directly."

"At that time, he will definitely beg me not to leave because he is afraid of losing me. Then, the Northern King's Decree will be ours for the taking!"

Xiao Zhan nodded and said proudly, "Of course, if I were to be there, that good-for-nothing would naturally feel ashamed of his own inadequacy and would never dare to disrespect you again."

"Let's go, we're going to the Lin residence!"

"Okay~" Yun Xiyue happily took Xiao Zhan's arm and went out with him.

Xiao Zhan, accompanied by several trusted confidants and Yun Xiyue, headed towards the Lin residence.

Little did they know that after they left, a woman dressed in a light gauze dress, with a slender figure and an ethereal air, emerged from the corner.

When Luo Qingxue saw Xiao Zhan and Yun Xiyue linking arms and behaving intimately, her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"So, what Lin Xuan said was true..."