FRGNM -Chapter 79 Conflict

“Hm?” Luo Mingyu raised his swordlike brows and bent down to look at the two little ones in front of him. Propping his chin with one hand, he asked, “Ruoxi, don’t you think Yizhui and Yimeng should still learn something else?”

“What?” she asked.

“Writing.”

“……”

He was clearly looking down on her! Ling Ruoxi almost wanted to splash the tea in her cup straight into Luo Mingyu’s face. She snorted coldly. “Then you teach them if you want. My handwriting is terrible anyway—it’s already like that.”

“What I mean is, keeping the children by our side makes things inconvenient when we act. The Shuhai Academy in Northern Ning is pretty good. I can have Ting Hai send them there to study reading and writing, and then bring them back later.” As he spoke, Luo Mingyu patted the two little ones on the head and raised his brows at Ling Ruoxi.

The word “act” made Ling Ruoxi spray out air in shock. This man was far too wicked—he said anything without restraint! Now that the children had heard it, what would she do when they grew up and understood what those words meant? Where would she put her face then?!

“No! Yizhui and Yimeng can’t leave me!” Those two innocent children were her only shields—how could she let them go? If they did, wouldn’t Luo Mingyu have an opportunity every single day?

“That’s right, we won’t leave Mommy!” The two little ones hugged Ling Ruoxi’s legs and glared indignantly at Luo Mingyu. They had never left her side since birth—separating now would be unbearable.

The smile on Luo Mingyu’s lips gradually faded, his expression turning cold. His hands clenched in front of him as the atmosphere grew serious. “Did you forget what I told you? People from Tianwaitian are mixed among us and could strike at any time. The Shuhai Academy has friends of mine—they’ll protect Yizhui and Yimeng. Or do you want to see the children taken hostage again, turned into bargaining chips?”

“I…” Her heart trembled. Ling Ruoxi had never seen Luo Mingyu so serious before. She knew this was no small matter—if someone was secretly targeting her, then her children would naturally be targets as well.

Just as Luo Mingyu said, those people were right beside them and could act at any moment. She couldn’t be with the children every second. Instead, placing them somewhere safe would indeed avoid many dangers.

Her resolve wavered. Watching the two pitiful children being sent away, Ling Ruoxi felt a sour ache in her chest. Facing Ting Hai, who was escorting them, she explained over and over again:

“Yizhui and Yimeng are both a little sensitive to fragrances—don’t let them pick flowers at the academy. They like listening to stories before sleeping, so tell them more stories and sing them a few tunes. Also, Yimeng hates scallions and garlic, Yizhui hates food that’s too greasy. Besides pollen, there’s also—”

She kept talking nonstop, as if she had endless things to say. Watching the carriage gallop away, she could only stand there dumbly, staring at it until it disappeared beyond the horizon.

In that instant, her heart felt much emptier. The children who had never left her were suddenly gone, as if some invisible treasure had been snatched away, leaving her in pain.

“Alright, alright—it’s not like you’re parting forever,” a certain man said smugly, curling his lips upward after succeeding. “It’s just a temporary separation.”

Now there was finally no one to interrupt them. Thinking back to last night, when Yizhui had actually come knocking on their door, saying he needed to pee—

Even with Luo Mingyu’s thick skin, he was helpless in front of the children. He’d had no choice but to put his pants back on and take Yizhui to relieve himself. He hated being interrupted halfway through—it was an extremely unpleasant feeling.

What’s more… those two kids’ handwriting was truly atrocious!

“I still feel like something’s off,” Ling Ruoxi said, scratching her head and looking at the man in front of her. “Tell me—what are people from Tianwaitian doing here? Even if I’m the target, why would they come after me?”

“……” Luo Mingyu laughed heartily. “That’s a secret.” Pulling her into his arms, he continued, “You little vixen—honestly, your handwriting is really ugly. But I remember people once saying you were the capital’s talented woman, great at poetry and painting. Looks like rumors really can’t be trusted.”

“Mind your own business!” Ling Ruoxi glared at him fiercely, grabbed a bamboo stick, and began drawing in the dirt. “I like writing with this kind of pen, okay?”

Lively characters appeared in the soil—completely different from her brush writing. Luo Mingyu tried writing with the bamboo stick himself, but couldn’t help frowning; this time, his writing was downright ugly.

A brush pen was soft and fine, allowing flexible strokes and momentum. The bamboo stick was far too stiff—its characters lacked spirit and felt rigid and lifeless. How could one write grandeur with such a thing? Yet even so, this woman’s writing with it was still decent. Perhaps this was where her talent truly lay.

“Fine, fine, I surrender. Your writing is very good—very beautiful,” Luo Mingyu said, dropping the stick and grabbing her wrist with a grin. “Since it’s still early, why don’t you, my lady, accompany your husband and do something… pleasurable?”

“……” Ling Ruoxi wanted nothing more than to kick him flying. She brushed her hair aside, frowned, and walked toward the city.

All the way, Luo Mingyu coaxed the young lady, chasing after her with all kinds of snacks and toys.

“Heh, I wondered who it was—so it’s you.” A shrill laugh rang out. Onlookers stopped to watch, all turning their gazes toward Ling Ruoxi.

That voice sounded somewhat familiar. Ling Ruoxi frowned and glanced sideways. A woman in ostentatious yellow robes, wearing a golden crown, stood there with four guards and two maids behind her, radiating an imposing presence.

Yet no matter how grand she looked, she couldn’t hide her petty aura.

Scratching her ear, Ling Ruoxi reached into Luo Mingyu’s arms and pulled out a candied hawthorn skewer. Looking at the man almost buried in snacks, she raised a brow and asked, “So it’s the Crown Princess. What is it—do you need something?”

Ling Huiru clenched her fists. Ling Ruoxi was even more arrogant than before. Ever since she got together with the Young Lord of Qiongyu, those who once gossiped and accused her of being improper had vanished entirely.

She had borne two children for the Young Lord of Qiongyu—what an honor! Who would dare say she’d been unfaithful now?

Meanwhile, all the ridicule was focused on Ling Huiru. Abandoned by the Crown Prince on her wedding night, defeated by Ling Ruoxi—she was the Crown Princess, yet in the Crown Prince’s heart, her position wasn’t even half of Ling Ruoxi’s.

“Ling Ruoxi, you were lucky last time that I didn’t take your life!” Ling Huiru sneered coldly. “Do you think you’ll have a chance to leave today? I hear you and the Young Lord of Qiongyu have fallen out. The Emperor is hosting a banquet soon to send the Young Lord away. Without your backing, what do you have left?”

With a wave of her hand, she ordered, “Seize her! Kill her on the spot if she resists!”

“Oh?” Ling Ruoxi curled her lips. “Abusing power right under the Son of Heaven—Crown Princess, only you could pull something like this off.” She casually hurled the candied hawthorn forward.

The four guards who had just stepped out dodged swiftly, hands pressing on the hilts of their swords as they lunged forward like lightning.

Yellow Dou Qi burst forth, surging like ferocious beasts as it rushed straight at Ling Ruoxi.

Damn it—did they really have to open with such a big move?! Ling Ruoxi’s hair stood on end as she hastily retreated, thinking how to counter.

But the figure holding snacks stepped forward diagonally, positioning himself squarely in between. His indifferent eyes fixed on the charging men. “With tricks like yours, you dare show off in front of an expert?”

Boom!

Everyone around froze. They hadn’t even seen how Luo Mingyu moved—only that the four figures were flung outward and slammed to the ground. After twitching a few times, they went completely still.

So strong!

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath of cold air. Four Yellow-tier Dou Qi practitioners, fighting with full force, could even kill a Green-tier expert. Yet this man, so young-looking, had instantly killed all four with a single move!

Even Ling Ruoxi was stunned. The four bodies lay there without a trace of blood, yet their life aura was gone. She hadn’t seen Luo Mingyu strike at all—only knew that this man was terrifyingly strong.

“So you’re the one who wanted to kill Ruoxi? ‘Kill without mercy’? Who gave you that authority?” Luo Mingyu said coldly. “A mere Crown Princess, acting so arrogantly—just an abandoned woman cast aside by Nangong Mo. Even if I kill a meddlesome woman for him, so what?”

Killing intent flashed in his star-like eyes as he slowly set down what he was holding.

At that moment, Ling Huiru went blank. Suddenly realizing something, her whole body trembled as she screamed, “You—you’re Luo Mingyu! Impossible! Didn’t you leave? How are you still here?!”

“So if I left, you could bully my woman openly?” Luo Mingyu raised his brows. In a ghostlike blur, he appeared behind Ling Huiru, his icy hand gently closing around her throat. Lowering his head, he smiled. “Anyone who bullies my woman deserves to die—man or woman. You will be the example, paid for in blood.”

Crack!

Bones shifted with a crisp sound. As if he’d done something utterly trivial, Luo Mingyu wiped his fingers with a handkerchief and let the woman fall to the ground.

“Your… Your Highness…” The two maids behind her panicked, staring at the scene in horror, completely at a loss.

Snapping his fingers, Luo Mingyu smiled faintly. “Perfect—you’re here too. Do me a favor and take Ling Huiru’s corpse back. Tell His Majesty or the Crown Prince that I killed her—Luo Mingyu, Young Lord of Qiongyu, killed your Crown Princess. Let’s see how they react.”

“Damn it, Luo Mingyu—you really killed her?!” Ling Ruoxi nearly had all her hair stand on end. Looking at the five corpses on the ground, she shuddered involuntarily.