Chapter 46: Privileges of a Fiancee

Maple Leaf City was situated in the southwestern frontier of the Tianhun Empire, right at the strategic intersection of the Tianhun Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Douluo Continent's Sun Moon Empire.

Although the primary target of the Sun Moon Empire was the Star Luo Empire, the western frontier of the Tianhun Empire also shared a border with them entirely. Maple Leaf City served as a vital supply hub for the western garrison of the Tianhun Empire, as well as a significant border trading post.

The city's scale had reached the level of a main provincial capital.

After traveling for the better part of the day, the group finally arrived in Maple Leaf City that afternoon.

Upon entering the city, they found a restaurant in a high-end hotel, where they could finally have a proper meal, drink, and rest.

With Dai Yueheng absent, Yao Haoxuan's inner tension was relieved, and since they were all fellow citizens of the Tianhun Empire, conversation flowed easily, naturally bringing them much closer together.

Inside the spacious, gold-and-jade-adorned restaurant, only Ye Xixuan and the other six were dining. The environment was elegant, quiet, and offered excellent privacy. Through the floor-to-ceiling crystal windows, one could overlook almost the entire panoramic view of Maple Leaf City.

Maple Leaf City was famous for its maple trees, and as it was now the late autumn and early winter season, clusters of golden-red maple leaves could be seen grouped together everywhere. Blown loose by the wind, they danced in the air, maintaining their final, graceful postures.

After eating and drinking their fill, Chen Zifeng stood up and bid farewell to the group. "My family's estate is not far from Maple Leaf City. Taking advantage of the holiday, I plan to head back home today. Haoxuan, your path happens to coincide with mine. Are you coming along?"

"I'll head back for a bit too." Yao Haoxuan subconsciously glanced at Ling Luochen, then nodded with a peaceful mindset.

Gongyang Mo ingratiatingly sidled up to Xixi.

"Little Sister Xixi, our paths happen to align as well. What do you say we travel together?"

"Get away from me." Xixi sat in her chair with a blank expression, shifting away in mild disgust.

Gongyang Mo put on a heartbroken look, clutching his heart with one hand.

"Little Sister Xixi, saying things like that really breaks my heart."

"Then don't follow me later." Xixi replied coldly, though her words carried the implicit meaning of tacitly accepting Gongyang Mo's proposal. It was a classic case of a harsh tongue with a soft heart.

Because Shrek Academy's inner court disciples spent long periods executing Enforcer missions, there was always a possibility of being recognized by old enemies. Ambushes against Shrek Academy students were not without precedent in the past.

This was especially true for auxiliary-system Soul Masters like Gongyang Mo, who faced even greater risks. Therefore, whenever they left the academy, everyone was accustomed to traveling in groups.

Ma Xiaotao unceremoniously propped her long legs on the dining table in front of her, cupping her exaggeratedly full breasts with both hands, and spoke to Ye Xixuan in a lazy, soft tone, "Xixuan, let's just stay at this hotel for the night and return to the academy tomorrow."

"Ling Luochen, what are your plans?" At this point, Ma Xiaotao's gaze suddenly turned playful once more.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ling Luochen met Ma Xiaotao's gaze with an icy stare.

"I'll stay here too and return to the academy with you tomorrow."

"Alright then, we'll all stay together tonight." Ma Xiaotao's words always seemed so easy to misunderstand, triggering certain unhealthy associations. To some extent, this could also be considered a natural talent.

The muscles on Chen Zifeng's face twitched slightly. Fearing that things would continue to develop this way and cause Yao Haoxuan's hard-won peaceful mindset to destabilize again, he quickly urged him while placing a hand on Yao Haoxuan's shoulder.

"No time to lose. Haoxuan, let's set off early."

Yao Haoxuan lowered his gaze and silently followed behind Chen Zifeng.

Gongyang Mo and Xixi stood up closely behind them. As he passed by Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo raised an eyebrow with an ambiguous look.

"Xiaotao, take it easy you two."

"Get lost already!" Ma Xiaotao glared with wide, irritated eyes and kicked Gongyang Mo right in the backside.

A cry of surprise escaped Gongyang Mo's lips, but judging from the expression on his face, it somehow looked as if he was rather enjoying it. Carried by momentum, his body looked as though it was about to crash into Xixi beside him, but Xixi black-belliedly kicked his ankle, helping him steady his balance.

The four of them walked out of the restaurant one after another, leaving only Ye Xixuan, Ling Luochen, and Ma Xiaotao behind.

From start to finish, Ye Xixuan had been quietly finishing the food on his plate, choosing not to meddle in the others' conversation.

On one hand, he was afraid of drawing fire upon himself; on the other hand, what Ling Luochen had said to him earlier had delivered a massive shock to his inner world.

Just then, Ma Xiaotao's voice drifted into Ye Xixuan's ears.

"You brat, sitting there in complete silence—what are you thinking about?"

"My fiancée," Ye Xixuan blurted out instinctively. When he saw the peculiar expressions on Ma Xiaotao's and Ling Luochen's faces, he instantly realized it was too late.

"Sister Xiaotao, I..."

Ling Luochen had never deliberately kept things from Ma Xiaotao; it was just that whenever she brought up her engagement to Ye Xixuan, Ma Xiaotao happened to be absent. Moreover, people like Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng certainly wouldn't proactively mention such a matter to Ma Xiaotao.

The smile on Ma Xiaotao's pretty face grew increasingly rich as she teasingly bantered with Ye Xixuan, "A fiancée? Come on, tell your Sister Xiaotao, who on earth is your fiancée?"

"I am his fiancée." Ling Luochen's utterly blunt statement instantly froze the smile on Ma Xiaotao's face.

"What did you say?"

"Our engagement was settled four years ago. It's just that the Ye family suddenly suffered a major upheaval, so he wasn't aware of it." Ling Luochen's ethereal voice echoed through the restaurant. As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed one of Ye Xixuan's arms, her tone carrying an unyielding, irresistible firmness.

"Accompany me for a walk outside."

"Huh?" Ye Xixuan responded in a daze of bewilderment, and the next moment he was already being pulled out of the restaurant doors by Ling Luochen.

Ma Xiaotao was left standing there alone in disarray, her brow furrowed and an inexplicable sense of irritation churning in her heart. Her thoughts at that moment coincided precisely with Yao Haoxuan's earlier frame of mind.

"What's going on here? This brat goes out on a trip, and suddenly he mysteriously acquires a fiancée? And it's even Ling Luochen, that ten-thousand-year glacial iceberg." Yet, looking at Ling Luochen's special attitude toward Ye Xixuan, she truly couldn't find any reason to doubt its authenticity.

"Could it actually be true?"

They were all soul masters with impressive cultivation levels and backgrounds powerful enough that none of them lacked money. The hotel they booked was the finest in Maple Leaf City, situated right in the bustling core district, directly beside the Maple Leaf Plaza at the very center of the city.

Ling Luochen walked with her arm linked through Ye Xixuan's, her expression returning to its customary aloofness. Her height was comparable to Zhang Lexuan's, making her a fraction of a head taller than Ye Xixuan.

Whenever Ye Xixuan lowered his head, he could see the tall, fair, and slender legs beneath Ling Luochen's dress. The skin on the inner thighs was pure, delicate, and flawless, yet possessed a firm texture. Caught in the throes of an agitated adolescence, he honestly couldn't help stealing a few extra glances before opening his mouth to speak.

"Senior Sister Ling."

"Why did you stop looking?" Ling Luochen's expression and tone betrayed no emotion whatsoever, causing a guilty-conscienced Ye Xixuan to feel his cheeks flush hot in an instant.

Ling Luochen pulled Ye Xixuan down to sit on a long wooden bench at the edge of Maple Leaf Plaza. With an elegant motion, she crossed her right leg over her snow-white, pinkish-tender left knee. The rustling friction of skin against skin and the lustrous glow radiating under the setting sun seemed to pluck at every single nerve in Ye Xixuan's body.

The surrounding maple leaves drifted down with the wind, rustling against the ground.

The dusk of autumn and winter brought a wave of chilliness, and Ling Luochen's voice pierced directly through the twilight.

"I am your fiancée. This is a privilege that belongs to you alone."

Hearing Ling Luochen's words, Ye Xixuan felt a sudden surge of courage for reasons unknown. He extended his right hand and gently rested it upon Ling Luochen's thigh.

A wave of warmth washed over him. Ling Luochen's body trembled slightly as she immediately turned her gaze toward the youth beside her, a flush of unnatural redness blooming across her pretty face.

Compared to the younger brother who used to be endlessly respectful toward her, Ye Xixuan possessed a natural, convention-defying rebelliousness.