His belongings — she didn’t want them?

She’d already refused his dagger once before — and now she was refusing the scorpion ring itself!

Did this woman have any idea how many people in this world would kill for that ring?

Jun Beiyue stopped in his tracks, his back to Ziqing, the sheer force radiating off him enough to strike fear into everyone nearby.

A man so proud — refused, yet again! In an instant, every attendant nearby fell silent and withdrew.

Seeing this, Ziqing’s brow furrowed slightly, but she still strode forward, walking right up to him with easy confidence, offering the scorpion ring in both hands, saying only, flatly, “Here.”

Jun Beiyue’s already dark expression turned colder still. He made no move to take it, only stared her down in silence.

“The mission’s complete. I want my payment. I trust Prince Yao wouldn’t be unfair or petty about it,” Ziqing said flatly, taking his large hand herself and pressing the ring into his palm.

But just as she was about to let go, Jun Beiyue, who hadn’t moved an inch, suddenly caught her hand — heaven only knew how much anger he’d been holding back, because that grip nearly wrenched her hand off. For a moment, Ziqing didn’t dare even try to struggle.

He held her hand with one of his own and, with the other, forcibly slid the ring back onto her finger, saying coldly, “This is your payment. This prince has never once been petty.”

Ziqing’s brow furrowed at once. “Prince Yao, we agreed on hard cash. Are you going back on your word now?”

“This prince happens to be short on funds at the moment. Can this count toward it instead?”

Jun Beiyue shot back the question — such a rotten excuse, and he actually said it out loud? What was Ziqing supposed to say to that?

She gave a faint laugh. “Prince Yao, just leave it as a debt owed, then. No collateral needed — it’s not as if I don’t trust you.”

“This prince doesn’t like leaving debts unpaid. This isn’t collateral — it’s payment in full. Understand?” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

Collateral could be redeemed later. Payment in full meant it was settled, finished, over!

How could anyone be this overbearing?

“Then never mind. Consider it a gift from a friend. Ziqing earns her money the proper way — and Ziqing has never made a habit of accepting gifts casually!” Ziqing’s voice turned cold too, refusing to yield an inch.

If she let him win this once, there would surely be a second time.

“This prince doesn’t make a habit of accepting gifts from others either. You must keep this,” Jun Beiyue said coldly, the fury hidden behind his icy eyes on the verge of erupting. This was the first time he’d ever given a woman anything — no, the first time he’d ever given anyone anything, man or woman.

And yet, it was also the first time he’d ever been refused.

At this, Ziqing fell silent, her brow drawn so tight it looked as though it might wring water, glaring right back at Jun Beiyue.

And Jun Beiyue’s own handsome brow was drawn just as tightly, glaring back at her with equal coldness.

High atop the city gate, the two of them faced off once again — not with force this time, but with—

“Jun Beiyue, what exactly do you want?” Ziqing suddenly snapped, breaking the silence.

“I don’t want anything in particular. You borrowed this ring out of necessity, and now that I’m giving it to you properly, why won’t you take it?” Jun Beiyue demanded coldly.

“I borrowed it because it was useful, because it was necessary. I don’t need it now, so why should I have to keep it?” Ziqing shot back.

“This prince doesn’t care about the details. This is your payment for completing the mission. If you refuse it this time, there won’t be a next time!” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

“What do you mean, no next time? Is Prince Yao planning to terminate our arrangement?” Ziqing scoffed. Did he really think she couldn’t live without this payment? How absurd.

“You want to terminate the arrangement?” Jun Beiyue asked, arching a brow. What he’d meant was that he’d never pay her again — he hadn’t said anything about ending the arrangement itself!

“Yes. If Prince Yao won’t pay what he owes, won’t honor his word, Ziqing won’t be staying. Farewell,” Ziqing said, turning to leave — but Jun Beiyue caught her at once, yanking her hard into his arms.

“Don’t touch me!” Ziqing suddenly snapped, her voice sharp and fierce enough that Jun Beiyue instinctively let go.

This woman… seemed to genuinely mean it.

The instant he released her, Ziqing herself froze too, an odd, belated unease creeping in — why had she reacted so violently to his touch? She, who was always so patient, had actually lost her temper for real.

Both fell silent, only the wind howling around them, sweeping up their dark hair and robes, the atmosphere growing suddenly heavy.

Ziqing lowered her head, some realization dawning on her though her mind had gone strangely blank, only aware of her own heart pounding rapidly, unable to slow no matter what.

Suddenly, Jun Beiyue held out both the silver dagger and the scorpion ring before her, saying flatly, “Han Ziqing. Either you keep both of these — or settle down as this prince’s proper princess and stay obediently by his side. Your choice.”

Only then did Ziqing come back to herself, slowly lifting her head to look at him — this man was threatening her.

Even if she ended the hired arrangement, she still couldn’t escape — she’d still have to stay by his side, still occupy the position of Princess Yao.

Ziqing laughed, with a faint trace of self-mockery. “Why bother, Jun Beiyue? Princess Yao is such an exalted position — if you wanted a pretty vase to fill it, you could grab a handful without even trying. Why insist on me — a concubine’s daughter with no standing at all, who can offer you nothing… a woman who isn’t even… pure anymore?”

“Because this prince needs it to be you,” Jun Beiyue said coldly, his patience clearly exhausted, not even registering the real point of what Ziqing had just said.

Needs?

What did “needs” even mean?

Ziqing gave an inward, cold laugh, and then, slowly, actually reached out and took both items from his hands. Jun Beiyue watched silently, an inward sigh of relief building — but then, in the next instant, Ziqing spoke again. “Prince Yao, I’ve accepted these things now. Does that mean they’re mine?”

“Of course,” Jun Beiyue answered without a moment’s hesitation. These two objects were likely the most important things in his entire life.

“Then I can do whatever I like with them?” Ziqing suddenly said with a smile, tilting her chin up slightly.

At those words, Jun Beiyue’s fists clenched abruptly — not with anger, but with something that seized his chest so tight he could hardly breathe. He watched coldly as Ziqing extended her hand out over the wall, watched the two objects in her grasp teeter on the edge of falling, his chest tightening nearly to bursting.

“Suit yourself!” he said, furious, glancing once at the Wuzheng guqin beside him before giving a cold scoff and striding off without a backward glance.

Ziqing could hear his footsteps growing distant. Her hand stayed frozen in place, her clear eyes fixed unmoving on the dagger and ring in her grasp.

She had never once made a habit of casually accepting things from others. She’d accepted Xuanyuan Lige’s Wuzheng only because of what he’d done for her hands, because of that gentleman’s promise.

What was Jun Beiyue even trying to do — did he simply enjoy cornering her like this? Whenever he pleased, he’d toss something at her and insist she take it.

What exactly did he think she was?

Ziqing stared silently at the objects in her hand. At last, her five fingers slowly… slowly relaxed, and both items dropped at once, plummeting together.

…