The stunned Lei Jian finally regained his senses, "Yueliang, stop," he hurried, arriving behind her, "You can't offend her; she's the princess!"

"I know who she is," Xue Yueliang rolled her eyes. "She's the most talented cultivator in the entire kingdom, the most beautiful one and the most likely heir to the Qinxia Kingdom." "What am I not good enough?" She smiled, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"We aren't," he said, shaking his head. "Even when compared to the heirs of divine temples and empires, she is not much inferior."

"Don't worry, I'm not so foolish. I'll wait until I'm more powerful." She stated, calming the worry he felt in his heart.

"Let's have some fun before leaving the city," she beamed, naturally grasping his hand and leading him to the city centre.

Seeing this sight, Lei Jian could not help but smile; this reminded him of the time before auntie had died when Xue Yueliang was more go lucky. He followed behind and decided to act like they were still kids, and as for why she had the crazy idea of wooing the princess, he did not care as long as she was happy.

As they entered the centre of Flower City, Xue Yueliang noticed that the number of people in this city far exceeded the time she had been chased around. It was almost like a festival was being held. She curiously looked around hand in hand with Lei Jian as if she was afraid to separate. As they walked around aimlessly, following the streams of people, they entered a large flower shop belonging to a man with greyish hair and a genial smile.

As soon as she had entered the shop, she had noticed more than a few gazes landing on her. Being the daughter of a noble, Xue Yueliang was naturally pretty and now wearing the delicately embroidered clothing of an alchemist; her beauty was only further enhanced. Her high cultivation base and peculiar hair colour only made her more conspicuous.

"Young Lady, what brings you here?" The shopkeeper asked, his tone flattering as he presented her with a single pink rose.

The rose's petals came together beautifully, and they were big enough to completely fit the palm of her hand. Its fragrance was also strong enough to overpower the many other flowers in the store. Even the people who were not paying attention turned toward them, marking her as the centre of attention. She tentatively accepted the rose from the shopkeeper's hands but did not know what to do next. Finding herself in a situation where she lacked information made her feel uncomfortable, so this experience was anything but flattering to her.

Who hands the most expensive item from their store as a gift? She thought, eyeing him suspiciously.

The shopkeeper noticed her discomfort and asked, "Are you not from here?"

Xue Yueliang shook her head, so he continued, "Of course, how could such a pretty young woman live here and not be noticed. If you wish, I could explain this to you over some tea."

But before Xue Yueliang could decline, an unruly voice sounded from the crowd, "Why do you act so secretively! This is not some hidden story. You either tell her, or I will."

The person who spoke was a slightly overweight woman with a high bun and a mean face, but her kind intentions were there for everyone to see. Her cultivation base was at the mid-level Foundation Establishment Realm, and although she wasn't using her cultivation base to suppress those present, she still had a terrifying air about her. The shopkeeper did not know who she was but knew she was more powerful than him, so he complied.

Xue Yuliang lightly nodded in her direction, feeling that her luck had a comeback, and the shopkeeper wiped the sweat that formed on his forehead. "Do you know the story behind Flower City?" He asked mysteriously but seeing the fierce glare directed toward him, he honestly began his story.

His storytelling was marvellous, as even those born in the city and who had heard this story a million times could not help but be sucked in. The story was that of a cliched romance between a demonic lord and a Qinxia Kingdom princess, following their tragic circumstances and the many compromises they made along the way. After a particularly miserable battle, the princess cut her wrist on the battlefield and made a heart-wrenching declaration. "With this blood that flows from my open wound, I hereby declare that I cut any relation with you. We are no longer anything more than enemies. May only a fool be with you."

After that declaration, the weakened, injured princess returned to the kingdom, never stepping out again. She planned on repaying her country for the remainder of her life, ready to fight the demon lord as soon as he showed, but he disappeared, seemingly gone from this world. Years passed, and a genius cultivator emerged from the populace, quickly claiming the ranks as he became a war general. He reclaimed many lands for the Qinxia Kingdom and was granted an entire city to rule. During the ceremony, the demon lord unmasked himself, swearing his neverending love and loyalty toward the princess, asking for her hand in marriage.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The princess was elated by this news, agreeing to be his wife, repeating that she was, indeed, the fool. The general renamed his city Flower City and brought flowers from all over the continent. All of this because our princess had the character for flower in her name." The shopkeeper completed his story, wiping nonexistent tears from his eyes as he gulped a cup of tea.

"As for the rose you were handed, it is a gift given to the woman believed to have the most resemblance to the princess, this year, I was given the honour to choose."

Xue Yueliang, finally understanding the meaning behind this flower, handed it back to the shopkeeper, "I cannot accept this honour. I'm nothing like the princess. I would have killed him the moment he unmasked himself."

"Do you not believe people could change for love?" He asked laughingly, but Xue Yueliang answered indifferently, "No."

An awkward silence filled the room as the crowd around her gossiped, unwilling to believe that a girl would not be moved by a grand display of love. The shopkeeper wiped another layer of sweat as he joked, "Young Brother, you have plenty of trouble ahead of you. You better not upset the Young Lady." The awkward atmosphere dissipated as the people around them began to laugh. "If she were my lady, I would naturally not upset her." Lei Jian laughed, but their hands were still interlocked, not doing much to convince the crowd otherwise.

"I just came to buy white lilies," Xue Yueliang interjected, paying for the flowers and escaping from the crowd. Seeing as they finally had some breathing room, Lei Jian could not help but ask, "Do you really not believe that people can change?"

"Think of it like this," Xue Yueliang said, "If the princess had tried to kill him or otherwise rejected him, would he have accepted it?"

Noticing the conflicted expression on his face, she continued, "And if the princess were to die, later on, he most likely would abandon the Qinxia Kingdom. He was still the demon lord deep in his heart; he didn't change, only his circumstances did." She knew that Lei Jian held hope for her to be a better person, but she did not believe in that happening. She was herself because of her own choices. If she could rationalise them once, she could justify them multiple times in the future.

"You know he did abandon the Qinxia Kingdom soon after the princess' demise." A familiar voice sounded behind the duo, and it was the sharp-tongued lady from before. The women's characteristic features were gone as her body slimmed down, and her sharp, mean face became much softer as a beautiful visage appeared in front of the duo. It was the only princess of the Qinxia Kingdom, Yao Niang.

"Xue Yueliang, it has been a while."

"It's an honour to meet you again, Your Highness," Xue Yueliang smiled.

Lei Jian, who was beside her, also bowed to the princess, "You are as beautiful and powerful as the rumours say." He greeted politely.

Although his expression did not show it, he was inwardly shocked, as concealing methods were rare and easy to see through. While he had not been paying much attention before, he had never suspected that she was disguised. He was sure that even if he had been paying attention, it would have been near impossible for him to detect something. Although he had confidence in Xue Yueliang, he felt that her chances with such a powerful woman were minuscule. Before trying to win her heart, she had to compete with various suitors. Even he - who had absolute confidence in his self-control - could not help but be tempted by her. As she stood there, it seemed like the lights of the world converged on her, marking her the most important figure in the entire world. This sort of charisma was unmatched in this world.

"Princess, it seems like my friend here had fallen for you." Xue Yueliang joked, causing Lei Jian to shake his head, "How can a toad lust after swan meat?. I don't dare have such intentions."

He then smiled toward Xue Yueliang, realising her intentions, "I won't stay for any longer than I am welcome. I'll see you, ladies, later." Lei Jian then politely excused himself, leaving the two women to enjoy each other's company.

"It seems like I scared your friend away," Yao Niang laughed, amused at how hurriedly he denied having feelings toward her. In those situations, men would usually praise her and mark their impure attention as if it were natural. His response and tact left a positive impression on her.

Could I just be setting the foundation for him? Xue Yueliang panicked but decided it was not worth it; she could only do her best.

"Unlike him, I am a toad that dares to lust for swan meat, princess; what do you think I should do?"

"If you like him, you should naturally tell him. I doubt many people in this world would reject you."

"If that's what you say, princess," Xue Yueliang then lightly reddened her cheeks as she said, "Yao Niang, I like you."

A stunned looked appeared on Yao Niang's face, but before she could think further about it, Xue Yueliang changed the topic, "Can we go somewhere private? I have something important to tell you." The still stunned princess reapplied her disguise and guided her to an inn.

Xue Yueliang, who was following behind her, felt a slight panic in her heart. She had wanted to lightly tease Yao Niang, but before she could do much, she felt her face blush.

I should work on thickening my skin, she seriously thought.

She had never relied on things like seduction in her previous life, so she was unsure of how to go about it. They soon entered an average looking inn; the paint on the walls was washed off, and a faint smell of freshly cooked food filled the entire inn. Though it was not worth the patronage of a princess and a noble, it had a homely feeling that was comforting to the two women. Xue Yueliang looked around the room, and from how things were placed, she guessed the princess had only come here recently.

After setting up a formation, the princess, who had regained her composure, asked, "What is it that you want to share with me?"

"What do you know about the Lei Clan?"