Ye Feng: "..."
Ye Feng's mind went blank. The tent had many things—bookshelves, screens, and places to sleep and rest. When Ye Feng entered, he assumed the person bathing behind the screen was Xue Qinghe. Wanting to tease him, Ye Feng deliberately walked around the screen and approached the bathtub.
But then, he froze.
He realized he had made a huge mistake.
The person in the bathtub wasn't Xue Qinghe—it was a woman who looked eerily similar to him.
Ye Feng quickly snapped out of it, his thoughts racing. If his guess was right, this woman was Princess Xue Ke. No! He had been summoned here by the attendant of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. But instead of meeting Xue Qinghe, he found himself face-to-face with Princess Xue Ke.
A trap.
This was a carefully laid trap.
During the day, Ye Feng had refused to become the son-in-law of the Heaven Dou Empire. Now, at night, Emperor Xue Ye had set up this little "accident" to force him into it.
Ye Feng knew Xue Qinghe was actually Qian Renxue in disguise. She represented the interests of the Spirit Hall. Given Ye Feng's exceptional talent, there was no way Qian Renxue would let him fall into the hands of the Heaven Dou Empire. Of course, if the Spirit Hall couldn't recruit Ye Feng, Qian Renxue might choose to eliminate him instead.
But the odds of her orchestrating this trap were slim.
Ye Feng had never explicitly refused to join or assist the Spirit Hall. As for Ning Fengzhi, there was no way he'd pull something like this. Chen Xin, on the other hand... maybe. If the one bathing had actually been Xue Qinghe, Chen Xin might have staged this to expose him.
But since that wasn't the case, there was only one possible mastermind—Emperor Xue Ye.
Ye Feng had rejected him earlier, so now the emperor was resorting to dirty tricks.
Ye Feng quietly took a step back. Even though he knew escaping unnoticed was unlikely, he still wanted to try.
"Xiao Ai, bring me a towel. I need to get dressed—I have to meet Ye Feng tonight on behalf of my father!"
Just as Ye Feng was about to leave, Princess Xue Ke suddenly stood up in the bathtub. The sound of his footsteps had startled her awake.
And then—
A naked body appeared right before Ye Feng's eyes.
For a moment, he was completely stunned. It was a natural reaction for any man caught in such a situation.
"Xiao Ai?" Princess Xue Ke called again, waiting for a response from her maid.
Then she turned and saw Ye Feng.
One… two… three seconds passed.
Ye Feng snapped out of his daze and turned around, intending to leave immediately.
"You're not Xiao Ai! Who are you?" Princess Xue Ke's voice was full of suspicion.
Then, she suddenly became aware of her situation—she was bathing.
"Ahhh!"
A deafening scream erupted from her throat.
Ye Feng sighed. There was no sneaking away now.
If his guess was right, a maid would barge in at any moment. As a witness, she would confirm that Ye Feng had seen Princess Xue Ke's body, forcing him to take responsibility as the future son-in-law of the Heaven Dou Empire.
This kind of setup was straight out of a drama.
One, two, three… Ye Feng stood still, keeping his eyes on the only exit. He quietly waited for someone to rush in.
But three seconds passed, and no one came.
"Huh?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow. That wasn't how this was supposed to go.
Five seconds passed. Still no one.
That was definitely not normal.
Ye Feng's mind worked quickly. Princess Xue Ke had screamed loudly—maids waiting outside to serve her should have come rushing in by now. The royal guards assigned to protect her should have reacted instantly. What if she had been attacked?
And yet, nothing.
That meant only one thing—someone had given prior orders to keep the maids and guards away.
"Then, there's only one explanation left."
Ye Feng was sharp. He turned back to face Princess Xue Ke, his thoughts now fully clear.
This was Emperor Xue Ye's doing.
He wasn't playing fair anymore.
He had set up this situation, ensuring there would be no interruptions. This was a carefully crafted moment—a seductive, unforgettable "coincidence" designed to trap Ye Feng.
"Who are you?" Princess Xue Ke crouched in the bathtub, staring at him warily.
"Ye Feng," he answered.
"Ye Feng? The Ye Feng from Shrek Academy?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
"You… You actually dared to barge in and— and spy on me while I was bathing!" she accused.
"I'm not that desperate," Ye Feng said flatly. "Save your yelling. Your father sold you out."
"My father? What does this have to do with him?" she asked in confusion.
Ye Feng immediately laid out his analysis, explaining everything he had deduced.
Princess Xue Ke's eyes widened in shock. It was clear she had no idea about any of this.
By the time Ye Feng finished, she was speechless.
"Xiao Ai, come in!" Princess Xue Ke called out.
Silence.
"Xiao Ai, did you hear me? Come in!"
"Xiao Yi, come in!"
"Hong Meng, are you outside?"
She called for several different maids in a row, but no one entered.
Not a single person responded.
Outside the tent, there was no one.
Not even within a hundred meters.
Everyone had been dismissed in advance—by order of Emperor Xue Ye.
Princess Xue Ke was stunned. Reality hit her like a hammer. Her own father had indeed sold her out.
At her request, Ye Feng turned around to let her get dressed.
A moment later, she tossed something toward him with a flick of her finger.
"This is for you."
Ye Feng caught it and looked down.
It was a blue, transparent, diamond-shaped crystal, with waves rippling inside.
Ye Feng's eyes widened in recognition.
"The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud…!"
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