Chapter 30: Stealing the Su Family's Treasure?

Su Yunqing watched his infuriated expression and found it even more amusing. With a look of utter arrogance, she remarked, "Is it any of your business? Your Highness, aren't you overstepping your bounds a bit too much?"

"Su Yunqing! How dare you refuse to help this Prince!" he hissed through gritted teeth. The mere thought of her calmly watching from the shadows while they faced a life-or-death situation without lifting a finger made him want to seize her and demand to know why she hadn't intervened. By what right did she stand by?

"Why should I help you? We are neither kin nor close acquaintances. Even if we once had a betrothal, so what? It certainly didn't reach the point where I would sacrifice my life for you. Moreover, I don't like you, so why should I take risks for your sake?"

"So, you should take that up with Su Yunqi. Don't come here and nauseate me." With that, she swaggered past him, casting a provocative glance in his direction before walking straight toward the two other youths.

"Two brothers, shall we strike a deal?" she asked, addressing the pair who had distanced themselves from Xiao Jinghuai and his group.

They looked at her with confusion, only to hear her continue, "You can no longer earn points, and you surely aren't content to leave empty-handed. How about we cooperate? You help me hunt spirit beasts, and you can keep the materials to sell for profit."

Initially frustrated by their lack of points, their eyes lit up. "That sounds decent, but why should we do the work for your gain?"

"Exactly. Even without cooperating with you, we could hunt the beasts ourselves and keep the materials," another added, echoing the sentiment. They couldn't think of any reason to partner with her.

"I will be fighting too. Besides, you are both injured; working together will take you more time. It would be better to assist me, which will reduce the pressure during combat while still allowing you to claim the materials. It is a win-win situation, no matter how you look at it!" she said without hesitation, her gaze calm and composed.

It must be said that her words struck a chord, and they were tempted. However, they didn't answer immediately, opting to weigh the decision themselves.

Watching Su Yunqing talk as if he didn't exist, and seeing her laughing and chatting with two men, a strange flare of anger ignited in Xiao Jinghuai. "She is nothing but a piece of trash! You actually want to cooperate with her? You are all being used by her!"

"And you! To be flirting with other men right in front of me—have you no sense of propriety?" he accused, his eyes burning with rage.

Su Yunqing found him laughable. They had no relationship to speak of, yet he acted as if she had betrayed him. He truly had some nerve.

"Heh, Your Highness, what I say to others is none of your concern. You have repeatedly crossed the line. It seems I should take the first opportunity to inform His Majesty, as I have no desire to have any connection with you—not even a misunderstanding!" Her eyes held no effort to hide her disgust.

Xiao Jinghuai felt deeply unsettled. In his view, even if he did not like her, she was obligated to fix her gaze upon him and adore him; she had no right to look at other men. Now, her words left him looking pathetic, especially in front of so many people.

Su Yunqi's face betrayed a hint of impatience. "Younger Sister Yunqing, you shouldn't speak like that. His Highness is only concerned for you because you are my cousin; he wants you to maintain distance from other men. He is doing this not only for your sake but for mine as well!"

Xiao Jinghuai, who had felt somewhat in the wrong, saw his opening. "Exactly! That is precisely it! If I weren't worried about you ruining Yunqi's reputation, I wouldn't bother with you at all!"

"After all, even a single glance at you makes me feel sick!" he added, not missing the chance to deliver a cold jab.

He expected to see Su Yunqing fly into a rage, but instead, she looked at him with utter loathing. After a long moment, she withdrew her gaze and turned back to the two youths. "Have you reached a decision?"

If she hadn't wasted so much time leveling up earlier, she wouldn't have even considered working with them; she would have acted alone long ago.

"We agree!" They ignored Xiao Jinghuai entirely; after all, he had just offended Elder Hong, and his words held no weight. Seeing her waiting for an answer, they responded immediately.

"Good. Let's go." She set off, and the two followed behind her.

Seeing her ignore him once again, Xiao Jinghuai was incensed and lashed out with a surge of spiritual energy. "Stop right there!"

The two youths sensed the danger and were about to warn her, but she simply turned around and flicked her right hand casually, reflecting the spiritual attack right back at him.

"What!" They gasped in shock.

In their understanding, even if she had regained the ability to cultivate, she was still trash compared to everyone else. Yet, the "trash" they perceived had just deflected Xiao Jinghuai's attack!

Who was Xiao Jinghuai? He was a recognized genius. Yet his attack had been bounced back just like that? They were momentarily disoriented; the one who had deflected his strike was Su Yunqing!

Su Yunqing raised an eyebrow, realizing it was indeed different; she had only used a sliver of spiritual energy to repel his attack. This feeling was actually quite good! A faint smile played on her lips.

Xiao Jinghuai was equally stunned, leaving him defenseless as the attack rebounded. If not for Su Yunqi’s quick reaction in channeling her own energy to dampen the blow, he might have been struck by his own power. Even so, she had exhausted her inner energy just to defend him; she wouldn't be able to do it a second time.

"Su Yunqing! Did you use some kind of magical artifact?" Xiao Jinghuai demanded coldly as he recovered.

Su Yunqi thought the same. She watched her intently, searching for where she might have hidden such a treasure. With that thought, she felt a surge of excitement and said slowly, "Did you steal it from the Su family? If you hand it over now, I will explain it to the family and ensure you aren't punished. After all, your actions are understandable—training is dangerous, and it's natural to secretly take an artifact for your own survival. I understand!"

With those words, she framed her for theft, sparing no effort to smear her reputation.

"As if the Su family has any artifacts worth stealing! And you both seem so certain I used one, taken from the Su family at that. Do you have any proof? Or are you just making excuses for your own incompetence?" She felt the same way about them, and her opinion of the pair hit a new low. She sincerely felt they deserved each other—they should just stay together and stop harming anyone else.

Her disdain was plain to see. The two youths exchanged a look, and one of them spoke up. "Your Highness, Miss Su, you are mistaken. We saw with our own eyes that she used her own spiritual energy. No artifact was involved."