Chapter Thirty-Eight: Could You Please Be Quiet?

With Zhu Xinyue’s words, Hu Mo naturally had no chance to escape now. Huang Sheng and the other two, who had just started to leave, froze in their tracks and immediately stepped back.

Hu Mo felt a surge of emotion in his heart; these guys truly were loyal when it came to brotherhood.

The name “The Four Declining Men of Heavenly Fire” usually carried such weight that even mountains would tremble. Yet, in Zhu Xinyue’s eyes, the four of them were nothing more than playthings for her amusement—except for that one incident last time.

On that occasion, after Zhu Xinyue was frightened off by Hu Mo’s feigned death, the more she thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. Later, she heard that Hu Mo had wreaked havoc at Drunken Fragrance, forcing the Situ family into a humiliating retreat. Only then did she realize she’d been tricked, played ruthlessly for a fool.

Possessed by evil spirits? Zhu Xinyue would never believe such nonsense! Revenge became her obsession day and night, but to her frustration, Hu Mo spent most of his time hiding away in the Hu residence, leaving her no opportunity.

This time, she had calculated that Hu Mo would definitely come to the arena, so she had persistently wheedled her way into being allowed to come along with Zhu Yan, enduring all the crowds and chaos just to be here. She had certainly gone to great lengths!

As the sedan chair was gently set down, before the curtains were even drawn aside, a fiery red figure leapt nimbly from within—like a scarlet sprite, she bounded right to the front of the crowd.

Last time, Zhu Xinyue had dressed as a man, so Hu Mo hadn’t paid much attention to her face; he only remembered her astonishingly ample chest, her slender, ungraspable waist, and the extraordinary curve of her hips. This time, she wore a proper woman’s dress—a brilliant red gown that showed off her figure in all its glory. What stunned Hu Mo even more was her beauty. At that moment, he wanted to question the heavens: Why, knowing his fondness for baby-faced women with voluptuous curves, did fate keep sending such temptations his way? Wasn’t this an open invitation to sin?

If only these women were easy to approach. One seemed like she’d suffered countless heartbreaks and was cold as ice; the other was sharp-tongued and willful, treating him like a mortal enemy. What was the point of giving such untouchable women such alluring looks and figures?

“Hey, what are you staring at? Thinking of taking advantage of me again? Go ahead, come on then—if you’re not afraid of dying, just try. I could use an excuse to rough you up,” Zhu Xinyue said carelessly, puffing out her chest as she moved closer to Hu Mo.

As the saying goes, the most troublesome people in the world are either scoundrels or women. But when those two qualities are combined, it truly makes one want to weep in despair.

Hu Mo immediately took several steps back, making sure his hands didn’t so much as brush against those towering peaks. He was certain that the moment he so much as touched a corner of her garment, the guards would come at him, and whether or not they killed him, at the very least they’d break his hand. He had no doubt that this unruly princess was more than capable of such a thing!

Seeing Hu Mo’s panicked look, Zhu Xinyue’s mood brightened considerably. She wagged a finger at him. “Coward. For a man, you can’t even bring yourself to touch a woman who throws herself at you. What use are you?”

Everyone was used to Zhu Xinyue’s antics by now. In the fierce culture of the Heavenly Fire Empire, women with spirit were even more admired. That’s why this little princess was so well-liked, especially when she bullied Hu Mo—those who had suffered at his hands before cheered her on, making Hu Mo, the current victim, feel all the worse.

Hu Mo really wanted to curse aloud. He even fantasized about grabbing that wild princess, carrying her off, and making her pay for her teasing. After all, she was the one tempting him. But such unrealistic thoughts were quickly dismissed; he had no desire to die so soon.

“Your Highness, shall we intervene?” The man on the chestnut horse appeared at Zhu Xinyue’s side, casting a look of utter disdain at Hu Mo.

“No need! Chen Hao, just step aside,” Zhu Xinyue snapped at him, clearly annoyed.

Chen Hao hesitated, then obediently withdrew.

Zhu Xinyue’s expression darkened, and she barked, “Hu Mo, you were rude to me first. Last time you played me for a fool—there’s no forgiving that. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Women are indeed fickle creatures—smiling one moment, ready to draw blood the next. Hu Mo felt this pain all too keenly. He hadn’t wanted to argue with this unruly princess; after all, he wasn’t really at fault. But now he was cornered, and toying with a current princess was no minor offense.

“Your Highness, today should be a happy occasion. Why be so angry? Perhaps—”

“Perhaps my foot! Huang Sheng, are you not satisfied with the last batch of stink bugs, or do you want a new flavor? Don’t worry, I have plenty of tricks—never the same one twice. Dealing with scum like you, I won’t hold back!” Zhu Xinyue snorted, shamelessly humiliating the four of them.

Huang Sheng, Lin Meng, and Du Zhong were all used to it by now, shamelessly grinning. Better not to make things worse—going up against this unruly princess would only end in tragedy.

But Hu Mo’s face had grown dark. Zhu Xinyue’s words brought back memories of Huang Sheng’s stink bug ordeal—something that had deeply angered him and was the main reason he had clashed with Zhu Xinyue before.

He hadn’t wanted to revisit old grudges, but the princess brought it up again, even more gleefully than before. How could he endure such humiliation?

He might tolerate insults to himself, but never to his friends or family!

Zhu Xinyue laughed as if she’d won a great victory. She never intended to do anything serious to Hu Mo; even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t have been able to. Zhu Yan had made it clear: she was not to provoke Hu Mo again.

But she simply couldn’t let it go. Not provoke him? Not beating him up was already restraint! She vowed to herself that every time she saw Hu Mo and his friends, she would humiliate them—what could they do about it, after all?

“Can you shut up now?” Hu Mo suddenly said, his tone calm though a smile still played on his lips—the moment when his emotions were hardest to control.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze; everyone’s eyes were fixed on Hu Mo as if he were a madman.

“My god, the Hu family’s infamous son has lost his mind! He actually told the princess to shut up!”

“Yeah, the rumors that he’s possessed must be true. Otherwise, how could he dare say something like that?”

A few idle young lords whispered among themselves, and Huang Sheng and his friends all turned a little pale. What was going on? Hadn’t Hu Mo been cooperating just a moment ago? Why was he suddenly defying the princess? Was he looking for death?

“Insolence! How dare you speak to the princess like that! Seize him!” Chen Hao shouted, and the guards immediately prepared to swarm Hu Mo for a beating.

“Stop! Didn’t you hear me? I told you all to stand aside!” Zhu Xinyue suddenly roared, her emotions running high.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Chen Hao muttered, lowering his head and backing away.

“Master Hu, what are you—”

“Huang Sheng, you and the others step back. I can handle this alone,” Hu Mo said quietly, a deep seriousness in his gaze.

Huang Sheng and his friends hesitated, struggling inwardly, but in the end, they stood by Hu Mo’s side.

“You guys—”

“Heh, brother, we stick together. Even if we step back, the princess will only blame us anyway—sooner or later, we’ll die. Makes no difference,” said Lin Meng, usually so fearful of death, surprising Hu Mo with his loyalty.

Zhu Xinyue was truly angry now. The four men she usually despised were standing together in brotherly unity, making her look like a villain in front of the crowd. Onlookers even began quietly cheering for Hu Mo and his friends. The sudden shift in roles was hard for her to accept.

If she ordered her guards to attack now, it would only fuel talk of royal oppression and bullying of subjects; if that happened, Zhu Yan would scold her harshly, and she might not be allowed out of the palace again.

What should she do? She felt utterly stuck, caught in an impossible predicament.

Hu Mo watched Zhu Xinyue’s silent struggle, a faint smile curving his lips. He walked slowly to her side, leaned in close, and whispered, “Your Highness, let’s not take this any further, or neither of us will have a way out. Let’s leave the past behind—no more grudges from now on. We’ll stay out of each other’s way.”

His low voice felt like needles pricking Zhu Xinyue’s heart. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to do.

Hu Mo smiled, stepped back, and said loudly, “Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now!”

He gave her a slight bow and signaled to Huang Sheng and the others. They immediately followed his lead, walking unhurriedly into the arena, leaving Zhu Xinyue and her guards standing bewildered where they were.

“Your Highness, we—”

“Get out! All of you, get away from me!” Zhu Xinyue suddenly shouted, on the verge of tears. She spun around and bellowed, “Hu Mo, I’m not finished with you yet—”