Chapter 31: Who Gave You the Courage?
His eyes darkened. He clutched his injured chest and stared fixedly in Li Xuanyue’s direction.
“Princess Xuanyue, what is the meaning of this?”
Jun Mo was the one who had done wrong, and on someone else’s territory no less, yet he acted as if he were completely in the right.
Who gave him the courage?
“That’s a question I should be asking you, Second Prince.”
Li Xuanyue looked at him, seeing the stubborn expression that said he wouldn’t back down without an explanation. A sense of displeasure rose within her.
“This is the Phoenix Clan’s territory. Are you planning on committing murder here, Your Highness?”
The Phoenix Clan was not a power the Hundred Clans could bully as they pleased.
For this Second Prince to be so brazen, to dare bully her people on her land.
Was he acting as if she were dead?
Only then did it seem to dawn on Jun Mo. A strange look crossed his face, but his tone was composed. “You misunderstand, Princess. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen my Third Royal Brother, so I thought we could have a friendly spar.”
Besides, just a moment ago, he had been a hair’s breadth away from crippling Jun He for good.
He never expected Princess Xuanyue to appear out of nowhere.
Heh.
His Third Royal Brother’s luck was truly something else.
“A friendly spar?”
Li Xuanyue would have to be an idiot to believe that.
She had been hiding behind a peach tree and had seen everything with perfect clarity.
That was no spar; he was clearly trying to take Jun He’s life.
What surprised her, however, was that her Consort Jun seemed to have no magic to fight back.
If he had, she wouldn’t have needed to intervene at the critical moment, just as the killing blow was about to land.
“If it’s a spar, you should choose an appropriate venue,” Li Xuanyue said, cutting straight to the point.
“What do you call doing it here?”
Did he think he could destroy the evidence?
Jun Mo’s expression grew awkward. “Princess Xuanyue is right. I will be more mindful in the future.”
Having said that, he knew his actions today had indeed crossed a line.
He glanced at the pathetic figure of Jun He on the ground.
“My apologies, Third Brother. I got a bit carried away and lost my sense of measure. Don’t mind it.”
But his tone held little apology and far more regret.
As for what he regretted, everyone knew full well.
“And you think a simple ‘my apologies’ settles this, Second Prince?”
Jun He was severely injured and recovering, unable to speak, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t.
“Consort Jun is my man, after all.”
Li Xuanyue’s words were sharp, her gaze fixed on Jun Mo, her expression making it clear she wouldn’t let this go. “You have gravely injured him. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation, Your Highness?”
Was she supposed to let people from other clans bully the men in her palace as they pleased?
If word of this got out, it wouldn’t just be her face she’d lose, but the face of the entire Phoenix Clan.
The smile on Jun Mo’s face froze.
He never imagined Li Xuanyue would stand up for Jun He.
Wasn’t this Princess Xuanyue rumored to treat her consorts like dirt? Hadn’t many of them been tortured by her until they couldn’t bear it and left?
Why would she stick her neck out for a piece of trash like Jun He?
Jun Mo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before speaking.
“Then how do you propose we resolve this, Princess?”
He had indeed beaten the man.
But he deserved it.
Even if he could do it all over again, he would still strike that piece of trash, Jun He.
“Apologize to him.”
Li Xuanyue’s demand was simple. Since Jun Mo looked down on Jun He so much, she would force him to lower his noble head and say he was sorry.
Let’s see how he could act all high and mighty in front of Jun He after this.
Jun Mo’s face instantly turned ugly.
“Isn’t that request a bit excessive, Princess?” he asked, displeased.
Make him apologize to that trash?
On what grounds? Was he even worthy?
“Besides, this was just a spar between brothers.”
The implication was clear: Jun He himself hasn’t said a word, so why are you, a princess, making such a fuss?
Li Xuanyue’s expression darkened.
“Apologize!”
However, the one who spoke this time wasn’t Li Xuanyue. It was Jun He, who had been sitting on the ground, silent until now.
He propped himself up, his gaze fiercely fixed on Jun Mo.
He could see that Li Xuanyue was trying to get justice for him. How could he let her be embarrassed in front of Jun Mo?
Since Jun Mo wanted him to speak up, he would grant him his wish.
“You!”
Jun Mo glared, his eyes wide with fury.
If looks could kill, Jun He would already be dead.
Li Xuanyue gave Jun Mo a pointed look. “Did you hear that, Second Prince? My consort is now demanding an apology from you.”
What was the meaning of just standing there? Did he think he could just stall until she let him go?
Jun Mo deeply regretted not killing Jun He with that one palm strike. It was that failure that had landed him in this difficult predicament.
The feeling was like having a dead fly in his mouth—he couldn’t swallow it, and he couldn’t spit it out.
Utterly disgusting.
“Second Royal Brother!”
Just as the three of them were locked in a stalemate, that detestable voice of Jun He’s rang in his ears again.
A flash of impatience crossed Jun Mo’s eyes.
“I’m sorry!”
After weighing his options, he finally spat out the apology to Jun He, his heart filled with unwillingness.
To him, an apology like this was no different from being slapped across the face.
But Li Xuanyue found the apology lacking in sincerity.
“Have you not eaten, Second Prince?” she asked softly, glancing at him from the side.
“I could pull any random guard from my palace whose voice would be louder than yours.”
“Are you speaking so softly because you’re feeling… weak?”
Li Xuanyue was deliberately saying these harsh words to humiliate Jun Mo. Who told him to act so arrogantly in the peach grove, to go out of his way to shame Jun He?
She was just giving him a taste of his own medicine, letting him feel what it was like to be humiliated.
“You!”
Jun Mo stared at Li Xuanyue, his eyes burning with rage.
He had never been so humiliated in his entire life.
Her words were like daggers stabbing him in the heart.
“Second Royal Brother, the Princess recently gifted me a ginseng root,” Jun He chimed in blandly. “If you don’t mind, you can send someone to my palace to fetch it. It might help you… recuperate.”
As if the insult wasn’t enough, Jun He was fanning the flames, doubling down on the suggestion that he was weak.
He wanted to make Jun Mo feel what it was like to be roasted over a fire.
Jun Mo’s face was absolutely foul. Among the princes of the Serpent Clan, anyone could be weak, but not him.
Jun He’s words were meant to solidify the rumor that he was impotent.
If this story spread, which of the Hundred Clans would dare marry their daughters to him?
It could even jeopardize his chances for the throne as the future Serpent King.
“Third Brother, if you have such a kind heart, you should keep it for yourself.”
Chapter 32: Is the Princess… Unwilling?
Jun Mo snapped, “I am perfectly fine, I don’t need your concern.”
“Regarding today’s events, I admit I was inconsiderate.”
“I’m sorry.”
That final “I’m sorry” was incredibly stiff.
You could hear how unwilling he was.
But what did that matter?
Li Xuanyue didn’t care.
All that mattered was that her man received the respect and apology he deserved. That was enough.
“Alright, it’s getting late.”
Li Xuanyue understood the principle of quitting while you’re ahead.
Since he had already apologized to Jun He, there was no need for her to keep pressing the issue.
Besides, he was a prince of the Serpent Clan.
The only reason she could force him to apologize to Jun He was because he was in the wrong.
Now that it was settled, there was no reason to linger in the peach grove.
“If there is nothing else, Second Prince, you should go and rest.”
She needed to get Jun He out of here as well.
“Farewell!”
The moment Jun Mo turned away, his face became completely overcast.
His eyes were filled with nothing but bloodthirsty killing intent.
“Cough, cough!”
After Jun Mo had completely disappeared from sight, Jun He could no longer hold it in and coughed up blood right in front of Li Xuanyue.
The sight startled her.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the Imperial Physician right now.”
Jun He didn’t refuse. In his current state, he truly needed to be seen by a physician.
Jun Mo had shown him no mercy.
Furthermore, with his twelve meridian gates sealed, he had no power to protect himself.
He feared that these injuries would soon cause him to fall into a state of heat again.
It is said that serpents are lustful by nature, and with the start of spring in the second month, all creatures enter their mating season.
At that time, however, Jun He had managed to suppress it.
It wasn’t until a month ago, when he was drugged, that he went into heat again and his true form was revealed.
He could have tried to endure it that time as well, but with his twelve meridian gates sealed, he had no magic to suppress the effects of the drug.
And yet, despite being in the hall with Li Xuanyue, nothing had happened between them.
This time was different. His body was already weak and powerless from the sealed meridians, and now he had been gravely injured by Jun Mo.
The heat came on with a ferocious, overwhelming force.
Even the nearby Divine Physician Liu was having trouble restraining him.
“The princess and Consort Jun…”
How could Li Xuanyue not understand his hesitant, meaningful tone?
Her lovely face flushed red. “Divine Physician Liu, will he be alright like this?”
Li Xuanyue could see that this time, Jun He’s heat was unusual.
Last time, it had been induced by a drug, and he could still resist with his own willpower.
But this time, Divine Physician Liu had examined him and found that his magic was sealed and he was severely wounded. The desire he had been forcibly suppressing within his body had finally burst forth like a flood.
If it was not relieved in time, the consequences were unimaginable.
Jun He could be driven mad by this heat, and it could even endanger his life.
Divine Physician Liu sighed helplessly, then shook his head at Li Xuanyue.
With such an obvious hint, what was there left not to understand?
“Alright, you may leave,” Li Xuanyue instructed solemnly.
Since there was no better way to resolve this, she could only ask Jun He for his opinion.
At that moment, Jun He, though tormented by lust, was still clinging to his last shred of reason.
But his eyes were already blurred with desire.
A voice inside him was screaming for a woman.
As Li Xuanyue moved closer, his blood began to boil. His half-human, half-serpent body grew hotter, almost scalding.
Through the haze, he thought he heard Li Xuanyue ask him, “How are you feeling?”
But Jun He simply reached out a pale hand and gripped her tightly.
Li Xuanyue glanced down at the hand clamped around her wrist. “You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you?” she said in a low voice. “Don’t worry, I will arrange for a woman to come to you immediately.”
Whether it was her words that struck a nerve or the fact that he had already lost his mind to the fire of lust, she couldn’t be sure.
But the moment her words fell, he yanked her directly on top of him.
His searing hot serpent’s body was like a furnace, threatening to melt her.
Li Xuanyue was stunned by the sudden pull. She only came to her senses when she felt the scorching heat source beneath her.
She pressed her hands firmly against Jun He’s chest, her eyes complex as she stared down at him.
“Do you know what you are doing?”
Her voice was calm and steady, without a trace of panic or confusion.
Their eyes met.
For a fleeting moment, a glimmer of clarity returned to Jun He’s clouded eyes.
“Is the princess… unwilling?”
He arched his pale neck, resting his head against her shoulder and refusing to let go.
His hot, ragged breaths fanned across her ear.
It sent a tingling numbness through her, like the bite of an ant, and her entire body suddenly felt weak.
As if drawn in by his passion, Li Xuanyue’s body began to heat up in response.
A blush, like one from a man’s teasing, crept onto her cheeks. Her eyelashes fluttered, but before her parting, pink lips could form a response, the man captured them.
The thumping of her heart and the sound of their breathing echoed in her ears like a drumbeat.
But the man, lost in the depths of his passion, only wanted to take more from the woman in his arms.
To soothe his burning body.
And so, he only grew more brazen.
The next day, inside Zhonghe Hall.
When Li Feng learned from her people that Li Xuanyue had spent the night with Consort Jun in Junhe Hall, her face bloomed into a wide smile.
Yes!
That’s my good daughter.
Li Feng nodded to herself.
To come up with the idea of sleeping with him to slap everyone else in the face was brilliant.
If things continued to develop like this, their Phoenix Clan would have a little royal grandchild soon.
However, just as Li Feng was happily raising a wine cup from the table, someone raised a question.
“Hm? Where is Princess Xuanyue? Why haven’t we seen her today?”
The speaker was Yu Sheng, the eldest son of the Fish Clan Elder.
He looked very young, about the same age as Yu Mian.
With his wide eyes, he appeared somewhat naive.
His voice, too, was youthful and tender.
He was like a clueless neighborhood kid.
Even his moon-white brocade robes couldn’t hide his innocence.
And Yu Sheng’s question was exactly what everyone else in the hall wanted to ask.
All eyes turned to Li Feng.
Only Jun Mo, seated furthest to the side, acted as if he neither knew nor cared about the matter.
He knew very well how heavy-handed he had been last night.
It was perfectly normal for Jun He to be absent.
What he hadn’t expected was for Princess Xuanyue to be missing as well.
He had to admit, that piece of trash Jun He was surprisingly good at latching onto someone powerful.
Recommended Reads
![Does A Broken Mirror Reunion Exist in Esports? [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/esports-225x300.png)