Hei Long stretched wide, yawning as the sunlight streamed through the window of his temporary inn.
"Ahhh~ What a peaceful night," he said, scratching his stomach and looking completely unbothered for someone who had just stolen a royal treasure, evaded elite pursuers, and left a taunting note behind.
As he stepped outside, he passed by a wanted poster stuck to a nearby pole.
[WANTED
Description: Tall, handsome, smug-faced bastard
Crime: Theft of Royal Property
Reward: 1,000 Spirit StonesBonus: Princess' personal thanks (source unclear)]
Hei Long paused.
"...Smug-faced bastard? That's just rude."
He plucked the poster off the wall and rolled it up.
"I'm keeping this. I look great."
Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace
Lan Yinyin was not having a good morning.
She sat in her luxurious courtyard, a fan in her hand, clearly fuming as her maids hovered nervously nearby.
"Your tea, Princess..."
She took the cup, sipped it.
"...It's lukewarm."
The maid paled. "Forgive me, I'll fetch another—"
"No need. I'll throw it myself."
SPLASH.
The maid screeched, drenched, as Lan Yinyin tossed the tea cup aside with elegance and fury.
Her mind wasn't on tea.
It was on him.
"He didn't kneel."
"He stole my treasure."
"He winked at me as he left."
She groaned and clutched her pillow.
"WHO DOES THAT?!"
Her maid hesitantly whispered, "...Princess, perhaps he doesn't respect you because he sees you as an equal...?"
A moment of silence.
"...Fetch the royal sword. I'm going to kill a man."
Downtown Ocean City – Tournament Registration Area
The disciples of Mu Qianxue's group had finally arrived at the plaza, ready to register for the Ocean City Grand Tournament.
Lin Fan, of course, was trying way too hard.
"Ladies, I'll go first and show you how a real man registers for battle!"
He stepped forward, chest puffed out, arms flexed—and immediately tripped over a loose stone, landing face-first into the registration table.
"Name?" the elder at the desk asked, not even blinking.
"Hnngh... Lin... Fan..."
"Spell it?"
"L-I—*owww—*N—F-A—"
"Too slow. Next."
Hei Long stepped forward, casually.
"Name?"
"Hei Long."
"Done. You're in the top bracket."
Lin Fan spat dirt. "HOW?! I trained for this!!"
Later, in the Marketplace
The group had split for lunch before the opening ceremony.
Hei Long was enjoying a meat bun on a stick, walking along the stalls, when a young girl in a veil and ocean-colored dress stepped out of a jewelry shop and stopped dead.
Her gaze locked on him.
Her breathing hitched.
Lan Yinyin.
Their eyes met.
A beat passed.
Hei Long blinked.
"...Nice veil."
She immediately flushed and stormed off in the opposite direction.
But not before she whispered to her bodyguard, "That's him. Follow him discreetly. And if he buys anything for another woman—cut off his hands."
Hei Long watched the girl disappear, then glanced behind him to see her shadowing guards bumping into a watermelon cart.
CRASH.
"Smooth," he muttered.
That Evening – Inn Rooftop
Hei Long lounged on the roof, looking over the Ocean City skyline. A warm breeze blew through, and a bottle of wine rested at his side.
Down below, Lin Fan was being chased out of a brothel-like cultivation bathhouse after being caught trying to flirt with a girl who turned out to be a disguised bodyguard from the royal family.
"IT WAS A MISTAKE! I THOUGHT SHE WAS A MAID!"
"YOU TRIED TO FONDLE THE PRINCESS'S COUSIN!"
"AHHHHHHHHH—"
Hei Long sipped his wine.
"...Y'know," he said, grinning, "Ocean City might just be the most fun arc yet."
Lan Yinyin sat on her silken lounge, surrounded by scented candles, veiled dancers, and rows of maids ready to act on a whim.
But she didn't see any of it.
Her mind was a chaotic swirl of thoughts—one name echoing in her skull like a cursed mantra:
Hei Long. Hei Long. Hei Long.
She held the note in her dainty, gloved fingers:
"Thanks for keeping it warm."– Hei Long
The audacity.The boldness.The insufferable cockiness.
Why was it working?!
Lan Yinyin bit her lip, cheeks red.
"He... he didn't even flinch before me..."
A maid nearby coughed politely. "Princess, your tea?"
Lan Yinyin turned sharply.
"Forget the tea. Forget everything."
"...Even lunch?"
"Not lunch. I'm hungry. But also: we are starting a plan."
Operation: "Make That Bastard Fall For Me (So I Can Crush Him Later, Maybe)"
Lan Yinyin stood before her four most elite retainers, dressed in sleek ocean-blue uniforms, kneeling before her like ninjas waiting for war.
She unfurled a scroll and slammed it on the table.
It read:
"GET HIS ATTENTION (WITHOUT LOOKING DESPERATE)"
The guards exchanged glances.
"...Princess. This sounds like a middle school romance trap." w(e)bnov el.com
"Silence. Phase one: Seduction Through Combat."
Phase One: Seduction Through Combat
.
.
.
Two days later—at the pre-tournament exhibition matches—
Hei Long stood in the crowd, casually watching fights while eating skewered squid on a stick.
Suddenly, a trumpet blasted.
"Special Challenge Match! Representing the Royal Family—Her Highness, Lan Yinyin!"
She descended from the arena roof dramatically, veil fluttering, robes sparkling, a smug grin on her face as she looked directly at Hei Long.
"Today," she called out sweetly, "I seek a duel with the man who dares steal from me."
The crowd gasped.
Hei Long raised a brow, licking his fingers.
"You sure this is about the pill?" he muttered. "Or is it about how irresistible I am?"
A voice in the crowd screamed, "I SHIP THEM!"
Lan Yinyin flushed. "SILENCE, FOOLS!"
In the Arena
Lan Yinyin charged, drawing a blade of condensed water energy.
Hei Long dodged without pulling out a weapon, smiling like a man walking through a breeze.
"Are you even trying? Or just dancing for me?" he teased.
Her spiritual pressure burst—waves of oceanic qi slammed the stage—yet Hei Long just side-stepped, hands in his pockets.
Lan Yinyin's attacks grew faster, wilder.
"Why won't you fight me seriously?!"
Hei Long whispered as he passed beside her. "Because you're pretty when you're frustrated."
Boom.
The crowd screamed again.
"DID HE JUST—?!"
"SHE'S BLUSHING!"
Lan Yinyin stumbled. "I—WHAT—NO—I'M ANGRY!"
After the Duel (Draw – Lan Yinyin rage quit)
Back in her palace, Lan Yinyin sat in her room, red-faced, scribbling on a new scroll:
Operation: Get Revenge By Making Him Fall In Love and Then BREAKING HIS HEART
Beneath it:
Step One: Invite him to my private garden.
Step Two: Be nice.
Step Three: Deny everything.
Step Four: SCAR HIM EMOTIONALLY FOREVER.
She smirked like a villainess.
"Yes. Yes... It's foolproof."
Meanwhile, Hei Long in his room was casually reading a scroll she accidentally dropped after the fight.
He sipped his tea.
"Step Four: Scar him emotionally forever."
"...She's down bad."