The middle-aged man hadn’t expected Lin Ruoxi to actually fight back—much less that her strength would be this high. He’d thought that one palm strike would be enough to kill this plain-looking girl, but all it did was injure her.
“You reckless fool, how dare you strike back! Today you’re leaving your life right here!” the middle-aged man roared angrily, preparing to attack Lin Ruoxi again.
The bystanders now realized that this girl was almost certainly doomed. Some pitied her for her misfortune, while others just watched for entertainment, thinking a death here didn’t matter at all.
“Stop! For a human girl to have this much strength is honestly surprising to me. What’s even more unexpected is that she’s using a disguise—this isn’t simple at all!” Princess Ivy suddenly spoke up.
Lin Ruoxi checked her own condition and found her injuries weren’t too serious—her shoulder blade was shattered, but besides that she’d be fine. Hearing Princess Ivy’s words, she was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and replied, “The princess’s eyesight is impressive, to notice I’m disguised. They say your disguise arts are unrivaled in the world, but I don’t buy it. If your skills were really that great, you’d have seen through me already—or maybe your disguise technique just isn’t as good as mine.”
“Very good. You’re the first to ever claim my disguise arts aren’t the best. Since you say your skills are so impressive, I’ll give you one more chance. Show me your true face right now—if you can genuinely amaze me, you get to keep your life. Otherwise, the punishment for deceiving me will be worse than death.” Princess Ivy declared.
Lin Ruoxi knew Princess Ivy had taken the bait. Her own disguise arts weren’t truly top-tier, but they were decent enough—Serena Dream had taught her all her secret tricks for suppressing aura and altering appearance.
“I hope the princess won’t go back on her word. Also, if I succeed, I want you to promise me one condition—something that’ll be very easy for you to grant,” Lin Ruoxi said.
The crowd stared in shock at this unknown human girl, wondering if she was crazy—how could she dare bargain with Princess Ivy? Everyone knew Ivy was famous for being unreasonable: gorgeous but ruthless, and the people of Nine‑Shade City even gave her the nickname ‘Poisonous Rose.’
She was beautiful, but dangerous and deadly—her reputation for venom was well earned. Right now, plenty of people were worried about this girl who dared challenge Princess Ivy’s authority, convinced she’d probably be killed on the spot.
“If you can satisfy me, forget one condition—even ten conditions, I’ll grant them all. But listen closely: if you can’t give me the result I want, you’ll die right here, and it’ll be a miserable death.” Princess Ivy still wore a smile, but her voice chilled the crowd like winter ice.
Lin Ruoxi didn’t reply. She simply wiped the blood from her lips, then took a handkerchief from her storage ring and said, “May I borrow the princess’s carriage? My disguise technique is a secret—I can’t reveal it in front of everyone. I hope the princess will understand.”
“You still want to use the princess’s carriage? Who do you think you are? Believe it or not, I’ll kill you right now!” the middle-aged man snapped.
“Let her use it, Harris Xu. I really do want to see just how skilled her disguise arts are—and I want to see how beautiful her real face is. I bet everyone here wants to see it too!” Princess Ivy laughed.
Lin Ruoxi quickly boarded the carriage, removed all the disguise materials from her face, wiped it clean with the handkerchief, then took out clean clothes from her storage ring and changed. The whole process took less than two minutes.
Once everything was ready, Lin Ruoxi swallowed a healing pill and stepped out of the carriage. Instantly, a wave of awe swept through the crowd—her beauty was every bit as stunning as Princess Ivy’s.
And because of the pale look left by her injuries, there was a hint of sickly charm to her face—making people unconsciously feel a surge of pity for her.
“Wow! She’s gorgeous! I never imagined that girl was this beautiful—we all misjudged her!” someone in the crowd couldn’t help but exclaim.
“No kidding, she’s really beautiful—easily on par with Princess Ivy. A girl like this must have an unusual background. I heard her say ‘this young lady’ just now; maybe she’s a noble from some great family?” another person said.
For a moment, the crowd was buzzing with chatter, all of it reaching Princess Ivy and Lin Ruoxi’s ears. But neither of them cared; right now, their eyes were locked on each other, as if trying to see straight through one another.
After a long moment, Princess Ivy said, “You really did surprise me. Now, tell me—what condition do you want me to grant? If I can do it, I’ll do it. You should know, I almost never agree to anyone’s requests. You’re the first.”
Lin Ruoxi smiled. “Looks like I’m really lucky, then. I want to enter Nine‑Shade City.” Just those few words left everyone stunned. They all thought she was crazy—getting a personal favor from Princess Ivy was nearly impossible, yet she’d used it for something so simple. It felt like a total waste, squandering a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“Just to enter Nine‑Shade City? That’s all?” Princess Ivy was shocked too. She’d clearly expected Lin Ruoxi to ask for something difficult, and hadn’t wanted to agree. But with so many people watching, she couldn’t afford to lose her dignity as princess—so she accepted.
“I don’t have many Netherstones, and I don’t have a city pass. Once I’m inside, I’ll probably struggle just to eat and find shelter. I have to save wherever I can. Princess, you won’t refuse, right?” Lin Ruoxi asked.
“Fine. I agree. Your disguise arts really are extraordinary, and you’re so beautiful too. How about this—why not stay by my side from now on? Don’t worry, I promise you’ll never be mistreated!” Princess Ivy said.
Her words instantly stirred up another commotion in the crowd. Plenty of people were happy for Lin Ruoxi, thinking she’d turned disaster into fortune, and more than a few looked at her with open envy.
But Lin Ruoxi wasn’t moved. “I appreciate the princess’s kindness, but as a human, tagging along with a Shade Clan princess would probably cause you a lot of trouble. I think it’s better if I don’t.”
“Idiot! Moron! What a self-important fool! I’ve seen dumb, but I’ve never seen a woman this stupid. A girl who doesn’t know how to take a hint deserves nothing more than to be locked in a water dungeon for men to use!” someone in the crowd couldn’t help but shout.
Hearing that, Lin Ruoxi frowned in disgust, about to retort—when Princess Ivy suddenly flashed forward, appearing right in front of the speaker. “You dare say such filthy things in front of me? You’re courting death!”
As soon as she finished speaking, her palm struck the man’s body. The middle-aged man didn’t even have time to react—Princess Ivy’s blow sent him flying dozens of meters, showering blood through the air before he crashed to the ground, motionless.