Chapter Ninety-Five: A Dead Pig Is Not Afraid of Boiling Water
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence!
Everyone turned around abruptly, only to see the crowd automatically part to the sides, making way for a passage.
Mu Cenlin, dressed in casual clothes, could not conceal his imposing aura as he strode over.
Mu Cenlin's face was cold and his eyes were frighteningly gloomy as he stared straight at Xi Yuan, who was trying to "get to know" his princess, and Li Bao'er, who was staring blankly at another man!
Damn it! How long have we been gone? This woman's eyes are practically glued to someone else!
Is this person really that good-looking? Better-looking than me?
Xi Yuan's smile froze slightly, and a hint of surprise and amusement flashed in his glassy eyes as he sized up the uninvited guest.
When Li Bao'er heard that familiar voice, her heart skipped a beat. She instinctively wanted to explain, "Your Majesty..." But as soon as she uttered the word, she realized that she was dressed as a man and quickly swallowed the rest of her words, leaving only her wide eyes staring at Mu Cenlin.
Mu Cenlin gave no one time to react. Ignoring the astonished gazes of the entire room, he strode to the front of the private room, stretched out his arm, and, to everyone's disbelief, forcefully pulled Bao'er, who was dressed as a man, into his arms! The action was forceful and domineering, leaving no room for struggle!
"boom!"
The entire auction hall erupted in chaos!
"That...that's His Highness Prince Jing?!"
"Am I seeing things? Prince Jing is holding a man?!"
"My God! Prince Jing... he actually has homosexual tendencies?!"
"This...this...this is outrageous!"
"He's clinging to the black market boss!"
"No wonder the black market has thrived so much over the years; it turns out its backer is His Highness Prince Jing!"
"What about the newlywed princess?"
"King Jing is truly something else! You can't judge a book by its cover!"
Li Bao'er, held tightly in Mu Cenlin's arms, froze completely. His familiar, cold scent filled her nostrils, while the increasingly outrageous whispers from the audience filled her ears. Her cheeks flushed crimson with shame and anxiety as she struggled, crying out, "You...let go! So many people are watching!"
Mu Cenlin held her even tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head. His icy gaze swept across the room like a sharp blade, finally settling on Xi Yuan, whose expression was constantly changing: "We only parted this morning, and you're already going to abandon me and leave me behind?"
Bao'er choked, "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't start something and then abandon it!"
Upon hearing this, the gasps from the audience grew even louder! This conversation, this amount of information, was astonishing! This was clearly flirting!
Linglong covered her face in despair. "It's over," she thought, "I'm completely humiliated now. Your Highness, you've really thrown away all dignity to assert your dominance!"
Xi Yuan was initially taken aback by the unexpected scene before him, but then his glassy eyes gleamed with even greater interest and amusement. He chuckled and clapped his hands, saying, "Interesting, truly interesting! So the renowned Prince Jing of the Great Lin Dynasty has such a peculiar hobby." The sarcasm and probing in his words were undisguised.
Mu Cenlin then slowly shifted his gaze from Li Bao'er and looked directly at Xi Yuan.
"So who am I? It's you, you cowardly rat, who has repeatedly sent people to infiltrate my territory, spread rumors, disrupt business, and test my limits."
His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto any subtle change in Xi Yuan's face: "What? Can't handle a direct confrontation, resorting to these underhanded tactics? Now that you've failed to disrupt things, you're trying to implicate my people?"
Xi Yuan's nonchalant expression gradually faded as Mu Cenlin spoke, a fleeting look of surprise flashing across his light-colored eyes, quickly replaced by a deeper, more sinister light. He hadn't expected Mu Cenlin to see through his identity so easily and to know so much about his actions behind the scenes!
He stopped pretending and straightened up: "Your Highness Prince Jing is indeed as renowned as he is, with sharp eyes and excellent information. However," he changed the subject, his gaze once again sweeping over Li Bao'er, who was being held tightly in Mu Cenlin's arms, "Your Highness's nervousness only makes me, Xi Yuan, even more curious about this young master. Just who is he that Your Highness would disregard worldly opinions so much?"
"Besides, this young master looks very familiar to me."
"Young Master Xiyuan, is that it? Being too curious isn't a good thing!" She broke free from Mu Cenlin slightly and called out, "Mingyu! Pay up and take the sword!"
"Yes, boss!" Mingyu responded immediately, signaling his subordinates to handle the handover.
Soon, the sandalwood sword case was respectfully presented.
Without even glancing at it, Li Bao'er reached out and took the heavy sword box. Then, as if dealing with a hot potato, she turned around and stuffed it into Mu Cenlin's arms.
Mu Cenlin caught it subconsciously, looked down at the peerless sword in the precious sword box in his arms, and then raised an eyebrow at Li Bao'er, who had an awkward expression.
Li Bao'er ignored him, her gaze drifting elsewhere. Her cheeks were still flushed, and her tone was firm, her voice soft but clear:
"Here, this is for you."
She paused, as if to cover something up, and then added somewhat hesitantly, "So you won't keep saying I treat you badly... Fifty thousand taels, you got a good deal."
Mu Cenlin looked down at the "You Tan" sword in his arms, its dark blue light reflecting in his deep eyes. Then, he looked up at the woman beside him, who was stubborn but soft-hearted and had bought him the sword. His chest heaved, and he let out a low, pleasant chuckle.
His free hand wrapped around her waist again, pulling her closer. Completely ignoring the jaws dropping and eyes widening in astonishment around them, he whispered in her ear in a hoarse voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Your Highness's kindness is too much for me to refuse." He paused, his tone becoming ambiguous and tender, "Tonight, I will definitely thank you properly."
Li Bao'er nudged him hard with her elbow: "...Get lost!"
Bao'er distanced herself from Mu Cenlin. Ever since last night, he had been like a piece of chewing gum, shameless and persistent.
"As for you, you have repeatedly caused trouble on my territory, and today you have openly provoked me again! Guards!" She ordered her bodyguards, "Take him down!"
Yuan Ting, Feng Li, Zhu Zhi, and the auction house guards immediately stepped forward, ready to take action.
However, facing this situation, Xiyuan was not afraid at all. Instead, he seemed to have seen something extremely interesting and chuckled softly. He even shrugged, looking like a shameless rascal who was "not afraid of boiling water".
"Oh dear, Young Master Yu, you have quite the temper." He looked at Li Bao'er with a smile, his glassy eyes flashing with an eerie light. "I just reluctantly gave you a sword. I only wanted to make friends. Why resort to violence?"
"Besides, if I didn't use some tricks, how could I force you to show yourself?"
"It's been incredibly difficult for me to even see you, but luckily an acquaintance of mine uncovered your whereabouts."
An acquaintance? The customs of Da Lin have only improved in recent years, and there are relatively few people from the Western Regions in the capital. The only person she knows with any connection to the Western Regions is one person.
Xi Yuan continued slowly, "I wonder if, young master... you know someone named Ling Jin?"
It really is related to Ling Jin!
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