The Demon Prince

"That was terrifying, Lao Liu!"

"Get up! Come with me!"

"What? Hey hey hey hey..."

Xiao Xingyue was being pulled by Li Lingxi's sleeve.

Li Lingxi's face was both dark and red.

Xiao Xingyue, supporting his waist, was almost pulled so hard by her that he bumped into a pillar.

"Sixth Princess, please be gentle, I'm injured right now."

Li Lingxi turned around and glared at him: "Where are you hurt?"

Xiao Xingyue sighed: "A man's dignity."

Li Lingxi was filled with shame and anger, and she dragged the person to the corner of the corridor:

"Xiao Xingyue! What exactly is your relationship with Eighth Sister?"

"A clean relationship."

"You were intimate with her in the room for two hours just now?"

"That's practicing martial arts."

Li Lingxi sneered:

"She practiced martial arts so much that she couldn't get out of bed?"

Xiao Xingyue's face was filled with sorrow:

"I was forced into it."

Li Lingxi was stunned: "Forced?"

Xiao Xingyue glanced around to make sure no one was there before approaching Li Lingxi:

"Sigh, you have no idea how much fun your eighth sister has in private."

When she first came to my palace, she said she wanted to spar with me, but things turned out to be something more.

Li Lingxi opened her mouth slightly. If Eighth Sister really wanted to do something, it seemed that a weakling like Xiao Xingyue might not be able to stop her.

Could it really be that Eighth Sister forced her?

She was skeptical:

"Don't lie to me."

Why would I lie to you? You're not as attractive as her, so I wouldn't be able to lie to you.

Xiao Xingyue shrugged:

"I am an innocent prince, and you sisters have almost ruined me."

Li Lingxi's ears burned, and she immediately banished the thought:

"Never mind, I don't have time for you and Eighth Sister right now. The Gou Li Kingdom delegation is arriving in the capital tomorrow, so business is more important tonight."

She took a small wooden box from her sleeve, opened it, and inside were several human skin masks as thin as cicada wings, and some ointment to change skin color:

"I'll disguise you."

She stood on tiptoe, pressed Xiao Xingyue's face against hers, and pressed it hard.

Xiao Xingyue hissed in pain:

"Is this a disguise, or are you sealing it off?"

Soon, an unremarkable young attendant appeared in the bronze mirror. He had ordinary features and a sallow complexion; if he were thrown into a crowd, even a dog wouldn't bother to give him a second glance.

Xiao Xingyue nodded in satisfaction:

"You may be rude, but your disguise skills are quite impressive."

Before leaving, Xiao Xingyue tore off his disguise and first summoned Chen Manfu and Zhao Yuanbao:

"Manfu, take a few reliable coachmen and wait at the back gate of the Minister of Rites' residence."

Xiao Xingyue then looked at Zhao Yuanbao:

"Yuanbao, go spread the word that the military officer has been chosen, and it's the Eighth Princess, Li Shunhua."

Zhao Yuanbao's eyes lit up:

"How loud do you want it?"

"The kind of thing that keeps Pan Yungong awake at night."

"Alright."

……

Half an hour later, the gates of the Ministry of Rites' residence were tightly closed.

Li Lingxi had already changed into Lu Chengzhang's appearance, with a slightly hunched back and slow steps. Her old face showed no flaws under the lamplight.

Xiao Xingyue followed behind her, playing the role of an inconspicuous attendant.

When the old butler opened the door, his eyes visibly froze: "Master? You're really back?"

Li Lingxi didn't rush to speak, but simply looked up at him, her eyes showing a hint of weariness and coldness.

The old butler was still hesitating:

"Didn't the master say that if something really happened to you, you would be immediately removed from the capital?"

Xiao Xingyue stepped forward and slapped the old butler so hard he spun halfway around.

"Does your master need to report to you if he wants to return to the manor?"

The old butler covered his face, his anger rising, and shouted, "Who do you think you are?!"

Then Xiao Xingyue kicked him to his knees again: "You bastard, Lu Chengzhang, tell him who I am!"

Li Lingxi's heart was pounding; she hadn't expected Xiao Xingyue to act so quickly.

To everyone's surprise, after that slap, the old butler dared not suspect anything.

Lu Chengzhang's voice came from Li Lingxi's mouth: "My lord, please forgive me. It is my fault for failing to manage my subordinates properly."

Lord Lu referred to himself as "this humble official" in front of him?

Could it be one of the Lord's men?

The old butler was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling:

"This old servant deserves to die. This old servant was only worried about the master's safety."

Li Lingxi spoke slowly, her voice weary, lukewarm, and aged: "Loyalty is a good thing, but one must also be smart."

The old butler lowered his head even further:

"This old servant understands."

At this moment, Li Lingxi truly became Lu Chengzhang.

She walked into the mansion, her back view heavy as if she were an old minister who had just returned from the brink of death.

Xiao Xingyue lowered his head and followed. After entering the inner courtyard, he said, "Lord Lu, please rest first. I will proceed with the plan."

Plan? What plan? Li Lingxi was stunned. Xiao Xingyue hadn't mentioned it.

As a result, Xiao Xingyue went straight to the warehouse.

Li Lingxi was dumbfounded, cursing inwardly: Damn man! Money-grubbing! You still want to raid my house in such a dangerous situation!

……

Lu Chengzhang's warehouse was even more lucrative than Xiao Xingyue had imagined.

Gold and silver jewelry were piled up in boxes, and antiques and calligraphy and paintings were displayed in rows.

"Something's wrong. The emperor is starting to suspect that Lord Lu is trying to transfer assets. Do you know what to do?"

Xiao Xingyue asked with a cold expression.

The old butler accompanying him nodded repeatedly and immediately arranged for servants to move the items.

A very light knock came at the back door, and Chen Manfu, dressed in a black robe, arrived with his coachman.

One box, two boxes, three boxes—jewelry was carried out through the back door, wheels rolling over stone slabs, the sound swallowed by the wind.

"Alright, Lord Lu has his own arrangements regarding when you will leave the capital."

The old butler bowed and stepped back, saying, "I understand, I understand!"

Xiao Xingyue left with the truck, feeling relieved. Raiding homes was truly therapeutic; he hoped to raid homes more often in the future.

……

at the same time.

That afternoon, the area outside the Kyoto Martial Arts Garden was already packed with people.

The news spread so fast that the military officer selected the Eighth Princess, Li Shunhua.

Pan Yungong refused to accept defeat and immediately set up a challenge against the Eighth Princess.

When Xiao Xingyue returned to the Prince's Mansion, Li Shunhua had already left.

"She just finished a big fight with me, and now she's going to fight again. That woman is really physically fit."

Xiao Xingyue prepared to go and take a look.

Chen Manfu was still basking in the joy of counting his money. "Young Master! We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich this time! So much money!"

Xiao Xingyue slapped his face and pushed him away, saying, "Manage the accounts properly, don't be too greedy."

Chen Manfu's heart tightened, and he put the twenty taels of silver he had just stolen back into the storeroom.

……

Martial Arts Arena.

Qin Zhenyue also arrived. When he saw Xiao Xingyue, his brows furrowed so deeply he looked like he wanted to crush Xiao Xingyue to death.

"Kid, you want to get Shunhua killed?"

Xiao Xingyue stood by the stands:

"The old general is right."

Qin Zhenyue's mouth caught fire:

"Am I wrong? Pan Yungong has been taught by Cao Bi and is a fourth-rank official, while Shunhua is only a second-rank official. By putting her on stage now, you are pushing her into a fire pit. She will be targeted!"

His voice was deeper:

"Revoke her military officer qualification, and I'll take the blame."

Xiao Xingyue looked down at the stage and saw that Li Shunhua had arrived, looking dashing and heroic with a long spear in hand.

Xiao Xingyue smiled:

"General Qin, how about we take a gamble?"

Qin Zhenyue's eyes widened: "What are we betting on?"

"She wins." Xiao Xingyue pondered:

"Give me one million taels."