"You should know, this person tried to assassinate me repeatedly. Fortunately, my luck has defied fate, and I've managed to turn danger into safety every time! But that one time, I felt I wouldn't be so lucky anymore! So..."
"I could only watch as he took you away... alas."
"Enough, Ye Chen, spare me the unnecessary explanations."
"Do you know? Unlike your cowardice and fear of death, back then, Brother Xiao—who was just as young and had no Martial Arts cultivation level—risked everything to save me from that vile assassin! If not for him, the Northern Territory Queen wouldn't exist today!"
Ye Xuan'er's beautiful eyes were cold as she issued an ultimatum, "I ask you one last time: are you leaving or staying?"
"I..."
Ye Chen clenched his fists, once again boiling with rage, "Xuan'er! Don't be so headstrong! And don't forget, I, the Princely Heir, am the master of the 800,000 elite Beichuan cavalry!"
"Therefore, everything you've built using this army should rightfully be mine!"
"You've unified the North Territory now, and you've done very well! Your brother readily acknowledges your success!"
"So, according to Father's last wishes, it's time you handed everything over to me!"
With that, he strode forward, only to be repelled by a powerful surge of internal energy!
"Xuan'er, you..."
"You've reached the Martial Saint Stage?"
Ye Chen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Although he knew his sister was a Martial Arts prodigy from a young age, he hadn't expected that in just fourteen years, she would break through to the Martial Saint Stage!
This was a Martial Arts cultivation level that could rival a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm! Combined with the queen's scepter in her hand—a conduit for the destiny of the North Territory's thirty-three nations and the faith of its myriad people—her current strength could likely match any Chairman of the Qinglan Sect, barring only Xiao Hongling!
Instantly, Ye Chen's mind raced, processing these revelations.
No... I absolutely can't just walk away! If I just left, it would be like handing over my talented and beautiful sister, along with the Beichuan foundation that should be mine, to someone else on a silver platter! That scoundrel Lin Xiao... I can't let him get away with this! I have to stay! I'll slowly win Xuan'er over, help her remember all the little things from our childhood. They say blood is thicker than water! She'll surely accept me, her brother, again!
With this resolve, the returned Beichuan Princely Heir gritted his teeth and said, "Xuan'er, after all this difficulty, we've finally reunited! How could I bear to leave? I want to stay by your side, shield you from all harm, and make up for the past fourteen years I've failed you!"
As he finished speaking, he even managed to squeeze out a tear, attempting to gain his sister's sympathy.
However, what he hadn't foreseen was...
The young queen before him remained icily indifferent. "Ye Chen, stop pretending. I see right through you. You are, after all, Father's most beloved eldest son. Since you choose to stay, I..."
At this point, she bit her lip, "I will also try to treat you according to the etiquette of the North Territory's royal family. When we return to the capital of the North Territory, I shall enfeoff you as the Prince of Peace and Joy."
"Prince... of Peace and Joy?"
Ye Chen mulled over those words, his handsome face growing even more bitter.
"HAHAHAHA! I, Ye Wudi! I cut a swath from the imperial city of Great Zhou, undefeated all the way to the Eastern Region, becoming the Chief Disciple of the top Immortal Sect, the Qinglan Sect! And now, you want to make me... a Prince of Peace and Joy?!"
"Sister, in your eyes, am I truly so contemptible?!"
By the end, his expression was distorted with utter rage.
Lin Xiao quietly watched the spectacle from the side. He felt a sense of vindication, yet he was still puzzled.
It really shouldn't be like this. Even if I, Lin Xiao, and Ye Chen are mortal enemies, as his biological sister, isn't she taking things too far by siding with an outsider like this?
"Ye Chen, further words are pointless."
Ye Xuan'er, arm linked with Lin Xiao's, seemed too disdainful to even glance at her brother, "For the last time, choose: stay or leave! Decide now!"
"Stay!"
Like a frenzied beast, Ye Chen roared, "Xuan'er! I'll stay and make it up to you! I know why you're being so cruel today! You're deliberately trying to provoke me! You're angry that your brother didn't choose to save you back then!"
"And this petty Lin Xiao is just an errand person you're using to provoke me! The one you truly care about... always... has always been me, your Brother Chen!"
SLAP!
Before he could finish his sentence...
A full-force slap landed squarely on his cheek!
Instantly, his handsome, fair face swelled up, already showing dark bruises!
"Xuan'er, you... you actually hit me?"
Ye Chen, furious and shocked, stared aghast at the stunning blue-haired young woman who had suddenly rushed before him.
At this moment, this young queen felt like a complete stranger to him!
"I'm warning you, Ye Chen! If I hear you insult Brother Xiao again, don't blame me... for disregarding any past affection between us!"
Ye Xuan'er's beautiful eyes were glacial, her domineering and incisive aura as the Northern Territory Queen flaring to its utmost!
Looking at his implacable sister, Ye Chen felt a monstrous rage surge within him!
Endure! I must endure! I've already endured for three years! What's a little longer?! She must still care for me! Otherwise, she wouldn't have let me stay! Winning her back... it's only a matter of time!
Ye Chen kept reassuring himself.
Then, gritting his teeth, he forced an expression of deep affection, "Xuan'er! Since your brother has chosen to stay, I won't blame you! No matter how you treat me, you will always be your brother's treasure! For all eternity!"