Chapter 109: Will Her Highness the Princess Be Mad at Brother Royal Son-in-Law?

From start to finish, Xu Ming had no intention of killing the man who tried to assassinate him. He wanted to capture him alive, hoping to extract information about who was behind the attempt on his life.

When Xu Ming realized the man was Li Hui, he felt like he had struck gold.

Setting aside the possibility of him being the "future royal son-in-law," his status as a "civil and martial official" alone made Li Hui's actions a direct affront to Wu Nation's authority. If Xu Ming reported this, regardless of whether Li Hui belonged to a noble family or not, there would be severe consequences.

The imperial court couldn't act recklessly against noble families without a legitimate reason to avoid breaking societal rules. But if a valid reason emerged within those rules, the court would unleash its full might on the offending noble family.

However, Xu Ming never expected Li Hui to explode into a cloud of blood mist so suddenly.

Xu Ming lifted his gaze, focusing on the girl approaching him step by step.

She wore a black dress with a hem so short it didn't even reach her knees—resembling the hip-hugging pleated skirts from Blue Star. While short skirts were common attire on Blue Star, in this world, they were considered scandalous.

Beneath the skirt were long, shapely legs, their pale skin glowing faintly under the soft moonlight. Even in the dim night, their porcelain-like smoothness was striking, hinting at perfection. Her bare feet seemed to hover half an inch above the ground, untouched by dust, with each toe delicately distinct.

Her long hair cascaded to her waist, with neatly trimmed bangs in a princess-cut style. Her large, glistening eyes blinked innocently, exuding a silken charm.

She was a girl so beautiful it felt almost excessive, but Xu Ming immediately recognized her aura—this was no ordinary girl; this was a demoness.

"Did you kill him?" Xu Ming asked.

"Eh?" The girl blinked, pressing a pale finger to her lips, looking both innocent and playful. "What's the royal son-in-law saying? Wasn't it you who killed him?"

Xu Ming frowned, realizing there was no point in arguing. She clearly intended to frame him, so it was better to extract more useful information instead. "Who are you?"

"Black Lotus Sect of the Western Region—Mo Zhuer," the girl replied, a seductive smile curving her lips. Her expression was wild and unrestrained, as though all the rules of the world were nothing but a joke to her.

"Mo Zhuer… I've heard of you. The one ranked tenth on the Beauty List?" Xu Ming said.

Mo Zhuer pouted, her tone coquettish, dripping with mock complaint, "Oh, come on! I'm so beautiful, how am I only ranked tenth?"

As she spoke, her smile bloomed like a moonlit flower in full bloom. "But tell me, royal son-in-law, do you really think I only deserve to be ranked tenth?"

Xu Ming's heart trembled slightly—not out of lust, but as a natural reaction any man would have.

At this moment, Xu Ming understood why it was said that the top ten on the Beauty List were incomparable.

In terms of appearance alone, Mo Zhuer wasn't inferior to Wu Yanhan, who was ranked fourth. However, their styles couldn't be more different.

Mo Zhuer embodied the epitome of the "demoness" archetype, a style far less popular than Wu Yanhan's. That likely explained her tenth-place ranking.

That said… why was a Buddhist nun ranked first? Was the world's preference leaning toward asceticism?

"Oh, you're so mean," Mo Zhuer's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Here I am talking to you, and you're daydreaming."

When Xu Ming snapped back to attention, Mo Zhuer was already standing right in front of him, her delicate hand resting lightly on his chest.

"When…?"

Even though Xu Ming had been slightly distracted, he had kept a close eye on her every move. How had she closed the distance without him noticing?

"Boom!"

In the next moment, Xu Ming's martial aura collided with the girl's spiritual energy, sending both of them flying ten meters apart. Mo Zhuer steadied herself, her skirt fluttering slightly, while a trace of blood dripped from Xu Ming's lips.

The fabric on Xu Ming's chest was torn, revealing a small black handprint imprinted on his skin.

"My, my~ Big brother is really amazing~~~ You even managed to take that strike of mine~" Mo Zhuer's face was full of mock admiration.

Xu Ming didn't waste words with her. He closed the distance in an instant and threw a punch.

His fist hit nothing but air. Mo Zhuer appeared behind him and gently patted him on the shoulder.

Boom!

What seemed like a casual pat landed with the force of a mountain, creating a massive crater with Xu Ming at its center.

Xu Ming reactivated his Dao Pattern Eyes.

Since the technique consumed immense physical and spiritual energy, he had deactivated it after ensuring victory over Li Hui. Now, using it again, Xu Ming calculated that he could only maintain it for three minutes at most with his current stamina.

The Dao Pattern Eyes pierced through illusions, revealing the truth. Xu Ming quickly realized he was caught in an illusion spell.

Every time Mo Zhuer attacked, the illusion would activate, creating a phantom that appeared to strike him. This was the deception revealed by his Dao Pattern Eyes—she wanted him to think he was being hit.

After each attack, Mo Zhuer would dismiss the illusion, leaving him vulnerable to her real strikes.

Xu Ming pretended to be ensnared by her illusion several times, allowing her to land hits on him.

But just as she relaxed, thinking victory was within her grasp, Xu Ming ignored the illusory phantom. He passed straight through it and closed the distance to Mo Zhuer, throwing a punch at her chest.

A soft sensation spread through Xu Ming's fist. He felt as though he'd struck a plush mound rather than bone.

Mo Zhuer swiftly retreated, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "Oh my, big brother royal son-in-law, you're so naughty, touching my chest like that. If Her Highness the Princess finds out, won't she be mad at you?"

Xu Ming's only response was another punch. He didn't have time to waste—less than three minutes remained. Once his Dao Pattern Eyes wore off, he'd be drained of energy, leaving himself at the mercy of this demoness.

Although Mo Zhuer kept up her playful demeanor, a furrow formed in her mind.

Back in the Western Regions, she had killed her share of martial artists and monks, but none of them had bodies as durable as Xu Ming's. And to top it off, he was also a swordsman! His strange eyes rendered her illusions almost useless.

"Big brother, you're really impatient, aren't you? It's getting late, so I'll head back for now. Let's play again another day, okay?"

With a graceful leap, Mo Zhuer dodged Xu Ming's punch like a butterfly. Her pale toes landed lightly on his shoulder as she vaulted away.

When Xu Ming looked up, Mo Zhuer had already disappeared into the night, her voice drifting down from above:

"Brother Xu, you touched my chest—you'll have to take responsibility for me~"

Xu Ming frowned and looked at his left hand.

The hand he had used to touch her chest was now swollen and tinged with a deep, unnatural black.