"Lord Xu Ran, Yao Ye pays her respects." Yao Ye hastily performed a ceremonial bow, her head lowered in a mix of reverence and fear. Unlike Yao Yue, who was much bolder, Yao Ye wouldn't dare take the slightest risk of offending Lord Xu Ran.
In her view, offending Lord Xu Ran was no different from pushing her family into a pit of fire.
Her family was, at this point, surviving only through the aid of others, and if Lord Xu Ran so wished, she would willingly serve as a subordinate to him.
"Sister, what are you doing? How could he possibly be Lord Xu Ran?" Yao Yue was startled and almost fainted as darkness threatened to envelop her mind. Could it be that...
But at this time, she naturally continued to feign bravery.
Deep down, she still held some hope... Hadn't there been plans for a beautiful encounter with Lord Xu Ran? And now, instead of such a wonderful event coming to fruition, she would be fortunate not to make an enemy.
She still found it hard to believe this truth. Could she really have randomly met Lord Xu Ran on the street? How could such a high-level figure possibly have any interaction with her? Given his power, he could have slapped her to death for her foolishness, yet his temperament had seemed so good.
With her heart in turmoil, Yao Yue couldn't help but steal glances at Xu Ran. And at this moment, Xu Ran was also looking at Yao Yue. Their eyes met, and immediately she felt guilty and lowered her head.
If all of this was true, then Lord Xu Ran must be aware of her feelings as well.
Yao Yue felt shy and extremely awkward, standing there, unsure of what to do.
The fact was, she had begun to doubt Xu Ran's identity after he easily broke through her strongest move. Being a princess of the Jia Ma Empire, was she not aware of all the geniuses in the realm? The most famous talent in the Jia Ma Empire was Nalan Yanran, and besides her, it was herself; the abilities of others were simply not noteworthy.
After her sister's warning, she had already believed it to a great extent.
But at this moment, she truly did not know what to do. If possible, she wished she could flee the place immediately.
In the palace and the Alchemist Guild, everyone knew of her admiration for the mysterious and powerful Lord Xu Ran, and she had never tried to hide it. Especially after finding out that the Xiao Family Sisters, Ya Fei, and Nalan Yanran were all close confidantes of Xu Ran, she had many thoughts and felt somewhat indignant.
She believed that her own talents far exceeded those of the Xiao sisters, and that she was in no way inferior to Nalan Yanran, let alone Ya Fei, who had even struggled with cultivation before. And her beauty was certainly not surpassed by any other. If all these people could be with Lord Xu Ran, why couldn't she?
All she lacked were opportunity and fate. With Xu Ran's whereabouts constantly uncertain, even the royal household often found it difficult to locate him, let alone her.
This time, she had intended to plan everything carefully to at least make Lord Xu Ran aware of her name and leave a good impression. But who could have anticipated...
Yao Yue felt a sense of despair, and even a chill of discouragement.
She was far too foolish; even after being told that he was Xu Ran, she had assumed he was an imposter and even wanted to fight him for his possession. She probably appeared as nothing more than a haughty royal princess in his eyes, and any favorable impression of her had likely plummeted to the lowest point.
She was nearly driven to tears by her own stupidity.
"Yue'er, what are you still fussing about? Why haven't you come to pay your respects to Lord Xu Ran? Lord Xu Ran's status is not to be questioned by the likes of us," Yao Ye said, seeing her foolish little sister still standing there in a daze, seemingly still entangled with the question of Xu Ran's identity, and immediately pulled Yao Yue to kneel beside her.
"Lord Xu Ran, Yue'er is young and ignorant. I hope Lord Xu Ran won't blame her," Yao Ye said through gritted teeth, pleading with Xu Ran, afraid that he might get angry and kill Yue'er with a slap.
"Oh? Does Princess Yao Ye see me as a villain who loves to bully young girls?" Xu Ran curled his lip. Though he was easygoing, his strength was such that none could fail to fear him.
"I wouldn't dare," Yao Ye shuddered.
Xu Ran scrutinized Yao Ye carefully. Though she was afraid, Yao Ye stood before Xu Ran without servility or arrogance. Her impressive figure was showcased by her royal attire, and the dignified air of the Empire's Eldest Princess caused even Xu Ran to look upon her with great regard. It seemed that in the vicinity of this Newbie Village, there was a tendency for the yin to overshadow the yang. Not to mention Queen Medusa, the Snake-People Tribe had historically been led by the beautiful Queen Medusas. Yun Yun was the Sect Master of Yunlan Sect, and the most outstanding members of the royal household, the Eldest and Young Princesses, were also female; it appeared that the younger generation's standout members were all female.
What a wonderful place indeed.
Xiao Yan really chose a great Newbie Village to traverse into! Wu Tan City, the Newbie Village, was home to Xun Er and the Xiao Family Sisters, as well as Ya Fei, a mature woman whose figure and demeanor were both incredibly tempting. Looking further afield, there was Xiao Yi Xian in Qing Yun Town, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran of Yunlan Sect, the royal Eldest and Young Princesses, and in the desert, Qing Lin and Queen Medusa.
This was indeed a classic Newbie Village.
Such a number of beautiful and intelligent women, gifted in both looks and talent, all let off by that scoundrel Xiao Yan, it was truly infuriating.
He would not be as polite as Xiao Yan. He would never let go of prey that had come to his mouth.
"You girl, get up. What are you kneeling for? I haven't blamed you," Xu Ran pulled Yue'er up.
"Lord Xu Ran, you don't blame me?" Yue'er's large eyes, brimming with watery mist, opened wide. But she thought that someone as powerful as he might not bother with a minor character like herself, and she didn't know whether to feel happy or sad.
Whimpering, she felt that having left a bad impression, even if he didn't blame her, she no longer wanted to live.
She had promised herself she would be graceful!
"I don't blame you. Besides, do I look like the kind of villain who kills at the slightest disagreement? You two needn't fear me so much," Xu Ran said with some vexation.
"Heehee, I just knew Lord Xu Ran was the best," Yue'er chirped, seeing that Xu Ran truly seemed not to care about her earlier behavior, and the mischievous girl instantly became full of life again.
"Yue'er, don't be disrespectful," Yao Ye also sighed with relief, delighted to see that Xu Ran was so good-natured. Nearly all the strong ones on the Continent had some temper, and even if they weren't the type to kill at the drop of a hat, angering them would have no good outcome.
"It seems I was using my petty mind to judge a gentleman's heart. Lord Xu Ran truly is an elegant gentleman," Yao Ye thought to herself, her gaze toward Xu Ran growing quite fervent. No wonder, after all, he was a handsome man, unmatched in strength and so refined and courteous. He was the perfect companion for any woman.
With Xu Ran's intervention, the psychological oppression and fear they had felt due to his power were already forgotten.