Chapter 2: Calling You a Pig

"Liu Ruoshui, you ugly freak, why don't you get lost already? The Prince doesn't want you anymore, so what right do you have to stare at my Prince! Keep looking, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The voice of a willful and arrogant young girl suddenly rang out, interrupting her contemplation.

Liu Ruoshui glanced sideways and realized that a beautiful young girl in pink was clinging tightly to Jun Tianxiang's side, looking at her with a gloating expression and eyes full of disdain.

Yao Xixi? Images flashed rapidly through Ruoshui's mind.

The legitimate daughter of the Yao family, the Dali Temple Chancellor, and Ruoshui's former close friend in their girlhood. She used to call Ruoshui "Sister Ruoshui" with a sweet voice while subtly prying into Jun Tianxiang's various preferences.

So... that's how it is!

"Your Prince?" The corners of Ruoshui's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

"That's right! Prince Gong has already broken his engagement with you. The one he likes now is me, not an ugly woman like you!" Yao Xixi raised her chin triumphantly.

"Is that so? If he likes you, then just marry him. I don't care for him at all," Ruoshui chuckled softly.

"You don't care? Then why were you just kneeling on the ground, clutching the Prince's robes and begging desperately? Since the Prince doesn't want you, you went to ram yourself against the stone lions to threaten him with death? Hmph! And you still say you don't care!" Yao Xixi pursed her lips.

"You are quite right. However, it was precisely because of that collision just now that it reminded me of a story," Ruoshui blinked, her lips curling into a smile.

"What story?" Yao Xixi rolled her eyes disdainfully.

"The story goes that there was once a beautiful girl who took a fancy to a beautiful boar. Then, another beautiful girl came along and also took a fancy to the same beautiful boar. And so, two beautiful girls began to fight with each other over a single beautiful boar," Ruoshui's expression was relaxed, her tone gentle.

Two beautiful girls fighting over a pig? Yao Xixi's curiosity was piqued.

"And then?" Yao Xixi couldn't help but press on.

"And then, the first girl suddenly realized that no matter how beautiful that boar looked, it was still just a pig. So, she decided she didn't want that boar anymore."

"Then... what happened after that?" Yao Xixi's train of thought was completely led astray by Ruoshui.

"As for what happened after that, you'll have to ask the other girl," Ruoshui smiled softly. "If that girl is smart enough, perhaps she will realize that what she took a fancy to was merely a boar that happened to be a bit more handsome. But if that girl isn't smart enough, she might just mistake herself for a sow and marry that boar."

"Pfft..."

"Hehehe..."

As soon as Ruoshui finished speaking, a series of strange noises erupted from behind her.

It sounded like dozens of bicycle valves being pulled out at once, the sound of tires leaking air.

The commoners gathered behind her understood the joke and couldn't hold back their amusement, but no one dared to laugh out loud. They could only keep their mouths tightly shut, though suppressed laughter leaked out through the cracks in their teeth.

In a private room on the second floor of a teahouse just one street away, a youth in white let out a "pfft" and sprayed a mouthful of tea, laughing so hard he doubled over.

"Interesting, interesting, truly interesting. I never would have thought that this Eldest Miss Liu, despite her ugly appearance, possesses such a clever mind. With just a few casual words, she made Third Brother suffer a massive loss. She truly is a remarkable person," the youth in white praised while laughing.

"Eighth, it seems your internal strength has improved significantly. You can actually hear everything clearly from an entire street away!"

Opposite the youth in white, a man dressed in black spoke expressionlessly, reaching out a finger to flick a drop of tea off his collar that had been sprayed onto him by the youth.

The youth in white held a gold-trimmed folding fan in his hand. With a *swish*, he opened it and fanned himself with feigned elegance, glancing sideways at the man in black. "What, if you can't hear it yourself, does that mean I'm not allowed to eavesdrop?"

The man in black's expression remained wooden, but a flash of pain crossed his eyes as he looked out the window.

The youth in white felt a pang of regret. He closed his fan and asked in a low, concerned voice, "Seventh Brother, the poison in your body..."

"Silence!" The man in black abruptly withdrew his gaze, his voice icy. "Be careful, walls have ears!"

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother, I've been using my cultivation to listen the whole time. There are no idle bystanders around here," the youth in white said with a relaxed smile. "I didn't expect it, I really didn't. By listening in, I actually heard a story told by Eldest Miss Liu. Haha, brilliant, fascinating!"

The man in black frowned, appearing uninterested.

The youth in white's smile faded slightly. He flicked his robe and sat back in his chair, chuckling softly. "I forgot, Seventh Brother, you are famously indifferent to women. This Eldest Miss Liu—let alone her being incredibly ugly today—even a year ago when her beauty was at its peak, you never once gave her a second glance."

"Beauty or ugliness is nothing more than a mere shell. A rosy skeleton lasts only a fleeting moment. Eighth, you are too caught up in appearances," the man in black said indifferently.

"Is that so?" The youth in white pricked up his ears to listen for a while longer, his expression shifting constantly. Suddenly, he stood up. "Oh no, Third Brother is about to lose his temper. Eldest Miss Liu is likely to suffer. Seventh Brother, my apologies, I must rush over to see. A woman with such wit and intelligence must not be allowed to be bullied."

Having said that, without waiting for the man in black to respond, he reached out, pushed open the window, and leaped down in a flash.

"Meddling in others' business," the man in black snorted coldly, raised his teacup, and drained it in one gulp.