The young lady was the fifth child of Emperor Elyk Silveria II, and was known by everyone as the fifth princess. She had an unruly and arrogant disposition befitting of her noble identity. Even her imperial brothers did not dare anger the little dragoness.
She might be the youngest among the five children of the emperor, but she was a very talented young lady.
At the age of five, she broke through the 1st-rank Warrior realm. She later broke through the 2nd-rank Elite Warrior when she turned nine years old. And now, at the age of thirteen, she was already at the 3rd-rank Crusader realm. Even her fourth brother who was known as someone who had the same talent as the current emperor was not as talented as his fifth sister.
He was already more than twenty years in age, but he was only one realm higher than his sister.
Aside from that, all her imperial brothers doted on her so much that no noble's sons dared to casually flirt with her.
The fifth princess looked around the store with narrowed eyes.
From the floor to the tables and chairs, and even the lights seemed to be the top in quality. The atmosphere inside the store was also peaceful and tranquil which was a stark contrast to the noisy streets of Beltran City.
Her dissatisfied heart calmed down unknowingly, and the words she had practiced along the way dissipated like a puff of smoke.
"Where is the owner? I want to speak to him." She tried to sound arrogant, but her voice was strangely mild and there was even a hint of expectation to it.
In her mind, the owner should be a dishonest old man with crafty facial features. 'Who else would price their wines so absurdly high? A bottle of wine for 120 True Crystals? Did he really think that his wine was a precious pill?'
She tried to search around the store, but she saw no one that fits what she had in mind.
The fourth prince took a step back and pointed at Jiu Shen who had his eyes shut tight. "Little sister, that man is the owner of this store. Don't be fooled by his seemingly gigolo-like appearance. He is a top expert who is even stronger than Defender Duanmu. Aside from that, he might also be an 8th-rank Divine realm expert, similar to our father." The fourth prince said with admiration.
The fifth princess only heard the first sentence of her brother's introduction. When her fourth brother took a step back, she saw the most handsome man she had ever seen in all her thirteen years of life.
He had a long silver hair tied in a ponytail. His facial features can be said to be demonically handsome. Even those so-called refined noblemen would look like excrement if placed beside him. He had a small sword earring on his left ear which strangely enhanced his charm. His milky white skin would make the fair maidens sigh in jealousy.
The fifth princess was spellbound by the man she saw that she even forgot to blink her eyes. Her breathing increased in intensity, and she felt her heart becoming jittery all of sudden.
She watched him as he slowly opened his eyes causing his long silver eyelashes to flutter gently.
When their gazes met, she felt time seemed to stop all of a sudden. The arrogant look in her face was then replaced by a gentle and tender expression of a young lady.
With an indifferent face, Jiu Shen spoke. "What do you need me for, young lady?"
His voice caused her to jumped in surprise that she even stuttered. "I...I ah-"
The fourth prince glanced at his little sister in bewilderment. He was already expecting her to throw curses at Jiu Shen for pricing his wines high. He had even prepared a speech to explain himself to Jiu Shen in order to avoid getting his displeasure.
The fifth princess blushed in shame. It was the first time she experienced something like this. She felt like banging her head in a wall because of embarrassment. "I- I wa-want to or-order a bottle of wine." She said with a crimson-red face.
Jiu Shen nodded his head calmly and replied. "Since you are still a 3rd-rank Crusader, I can serve you a bottle of Ables Blanc. Are you fine with this?"
The fourth prince smirked. He was already snickering in his heart. 'Wine Master Jiu, you did wrong this time. My sister does not want anybody to tell her what she has to do. Even imperial father was berated by her for doing so.'
But before the fourth prince could laugh, he heard the most unexpected answer coming from his sister's mouth.
"Ah, really? Okay, I'll get one Ables Blanc then." The fifth princess replied with a bright smile which would cause the flowers to fully bloom.
"Okay, give me one moment." Jiu Shen stood up and went towards the wine storage area to grab her order.
The fourth prince and even Defender Duanmu were stunned speechless. Hey! Where was the cold and temperamental fifth princess? Where was the unyielding little dragoness that struck fear in the hearts of the imperial princes? Didn't you say that you would scold the owner for being a dishonest merchant? Then what is this? What's with that infatuated smile?
Black lines appeared on the foreheads of both men as they glanced suspiciously at the fifth princess.
The fifth princess felt two pairs of eyes staring at her. She glared at the two men in disgust and put on a haughty air. "What are the both of you looking at? Haven't you seen a beautiful young lady before? Hmph!"
When the fourth prince and Defender Duanmu heard her familiar arrogant tone, they heaved a sigh of relief. 'We thought you became a different person...'
"Fifth sister is the most beautiful and elegant young lady of the whole Silver Wing Empire." The fourth prince flattered her with an unnatural smile on his face while Defender Duanmu chose to remain silent. The latter was afraid to say anything as he might incur the little dragoness' rage, so he refused to speak.
"Good that you know. Hmph! Smelly brother, you will pay for everything I will order today." The fifth princess held her head high haughtily as she spoke.
"What? But my allowance this month-"
"You won't pay? I will tell father then." The fifth princess threatened with a cold sneer on her beautiful face.
"Who said I won't pay? It's just a few coins, nothing worthy at all." The fourth prince hurriedly said with a bleeding heart.
The fifth princess disdainfully glanced at her brother after hearing his reply.
"Here's your order of one Ables Blanc." Jiu Shen came back with a wine bottle hovering beside him. He then placed it on the fifth princess' table with a calm look.
The fifth princess expression softened as she stared at Jiu Shen's face. "Thank you, sir. Could I have the pleasure of knowing your name, sir?" She gently said with a bright smile.
Jiu Shen glanced at her and replied indifferently. "Jiu Shen."
"Jiu Shen." The fifth princess muttered to herself as she saved his name in her heart.
The fourth prince and Defender Duanmu were both stunned at the sight in front of them. The little dragoness just smiled! She even asked a man's name! What the hell?! Did the world just turn upside-down?!
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Xue Family's mansion. A group of people was carrying an unconscious body with thick beads of sweat on their faces. 'Fuck! This fatty is so much heavier than a Flame Boar!' They thought to themselves as they slowly placed his body on the floor.
Elder Ming came out with a small bag filled with glittering gold coins. He tossed it towards the men who brought Fatty Xue. The men's eyes brightened as they thanked Elder Ming passionately before going out of the Xue Family's Mansion.
Elder Ming frowned as he looked at the unconscious Fatty Xue. He then infused his true essence on his foot before he gently kicked the latter's round belly.
As if electrocuted, Fatty Xue stood up with an alarmed look causing all his fats to jiggle. "Who dares sneak attack this lord fatty?!" He snarled with his half-awoken beady eyes.
When his vision returned to normal, he saw Elder Ming standing sternly in front of him. "Ah, Elder Ming, so it was you who sneak...er I mean woke me up. What happened?" Fatty Xue scratched the back of his head with a forced smile.
Elder Ming was still looking at him calmly. He then opened his mouth and spoke in a cold voice. "A few men brought you here when you were unconscious. Now tell me what happened my dear nephew."
Fatty Xue was at first stunned, before becoming bewildered, then his face became solemn. "Elder Ming, Sword Four, and Sword Five aren't back yet. And when I went to check that damn store, it was still intact. It was even more bustling than before."
Elder Ming frowned when he heard his words. 'Did Sword Four and Sword Five fail to accomplish the mission? Then, where are they? Could it be... they were killed? Impossible! The both of them are peak 6th-rank King realm assassins. Even if they failed their mission, they could still escape with their lives. Just what could have happened?'
Seeing Elder Ming's silence, Fatty Xue swallowed the words he was about to say.
"Don't do anything as of the moment. This matter is too suspicious. We need to investigate things first before we do our next move. Go home and don't do anything to that store before we get the bottom of things. It may not be as simple as what it seemed to be." Elder Ming solemnly said before he left the stunned fatty standing rooted on his spot.
"Maybe the rumors about Wine Master Jiu being a top expert was true. If that is so, then both Sword Four and Sword Five are..." Thinking up to that, Fatty Xue felt his heart turn cold.