At this moment, the Thirteenth Prince and Ye Chen were staring at each other. Their gazes were both blazing and piercing, making others dare not look directly, as if they could scorch one's eyes.
After a moment, both withdrew their intensity. However, a clear flash of surprise and doubt crossed the Thirteenth Prince's face as he looked at Ye Chen, filled with astonishment.
Although he couldn't discern Ye Chen's true strength, this small test was enough to make him understand that Ye Chen was absolutely no ordinary individual. An average peer would find it difficult to withstand his gaze and would be defeated.
Yet, this mysterious youth before him could resist it. All of this indicated the youth's extraordinariness.
However, very few people were aware of this exchange. Wu Changwei, in particular, had no inkling of the underlying situation. He addressed the Thirteenth Prince with tears and a runny nose, saying, "Your Highness, you must uphold justice for this humble citizen, grant me the fairness and righteousness I deserve."
"It's this lowly commoner who attempted to barge into Xia Feng Academy. Your Highness, you also know that the academy is not a place anyone can enter casually—only elders, instructors, and students. This humble citizen kindly stopped this lad, solely for the academy's peace and dignity. Who would have thought this lad wouldn't listen to my words and wanted to force his way into the academy? To uphold the academy's dignity, I had no choice but to block him."
"Unexpectedly, this lowly commoner not only completely ignored my warnings but also resorted to violence. In the end, he used despicable means, which is why this humble citizen is now injured. I beg Your Highness to uphold justice for me. We cannot let righteousness be lost in this world."
These words twisted black into white and white into black, completely inverting right and wrong. He portrayed himself as the good guy and Ye Chen as the villain, completely reversing the situation as if he were the righteous victim. It made everyone around them suck in a cold breath.
They had seen shameless people before, but never one this shameless.
Ye Chen gave Wu Changwei a cold stare, instantly making the latter feel icy all over. He recalled Ye Chen's earlier harsh words, and fear surfaced within him. However, seeing the Prince by his side, he regained his courage and showed no fear.
The Thirteenth Prince furrowed his brows. How could he not know that at least half of what Wu Changwei said was unreliable? After all, Wu Changwei was one of his followers, so he naturally understood his character.
Although he knew Ye Chen was troublesome, he couldn't simply ignore the matter either. Doing so would chill the hearts of his other followers, which would be quite disadvantageous for him.
Thinking of this, the Thirteenth Prince could only let out a slight sigh. He then looked at Ye Chen and smiled, a very bright smile. "Young brother, to be honest, this prince also knows that what Wu Changwei said isn't entirely true. I have some understanding of his character. But truthfully, young brother, you also bear some fault. After all, you are not a student of Xia Feng Academy. Forcing your way into the academy is itself a transgression. Wu Changwei blocking you was justified."
"How about this prince offers a suggestion? Why don't both of you take a step back?"
Ye Chen didn't speak, just looked at him in silence.
Seeing that Ye Chen showed none of the respect a commoner should have for a member of the royal bloodline, the Thirteenth Prince couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed inwardly. However, his temperament was excellent, and he didn't show it. On the contrary, he smiled gently. "Since young brother isn't speaking, this prince will take it as your tacit agreement. Alright then. Wu Changwei was at fault first and should have apologized to you, young brother. But since he's already been injured by you, let's forget about that. After all, he's already received corresponding punishment. You shouldn't have any objections to this point, right, young brother?"
"However, you also have fault, young brother. So, let this prince make a decision. You publicly apologize to Wu Changwei, and consider the matter settled between you. What do you think?"
These words sounded reasonable and well-founded, appearing quite fair to those listening. The people around couldn't help but nod in agreement, feeling this was indeed appropriate. Ye Chen only needed to offer a simple apology to Wu Changwei, and both sides could be absolved of responsibility. By both emotion and reason, Ye Chen was getting the better deal.
Truly worthy of being a Prince. His thinking was so meticulous, considering everything so thoroughly.
The Thirteenth Prince first looked at Wu Changwei and smiled. "Wu Changwei, you shouldn't object to this prince's proposal, right?"
Wu Changwei initially wanted the Thirteenth Prince to take action and teach Ye Chen a lesson. But seeing the meaningful smile at the corner of the Prince's mouth, how could he not understand? The Prince was clearly giving him an opportunity. Calling it punishment was merely a pretext to make Ye Chen publicly apologize to him and suffer humiliation.
Even though he was clearly the one at fault initially, if Ye Chen apologized publicly, it would be like yellow mud falling into his pants—even if it wasn't shit, people would think it was.
At that point, everyone would only believe Ye Chen was in the wrong.
"Your Highness is wise. This humble citizen is willing to accept the punishment."
"Good, good. Since that's settled, it's fine." The Thirteenth Prince nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Ye Chen. "Young brother, you see, Wu Changwei is willing to agree and has already received corresponding punishment. So, you should apologize to him too, right? After all, you also have fault. And you don't need to offer any gifts, just apologize in front of everyone, and it's done. Surely you're not unwilling and want to put this prince in a difficult position?"
Seeing the Thirteenth Prince being so approachable, the people around couldn't help but advise: "Apologize, young brother. It's no loss. Look, the Thirteenth Prince is even willing to state his position. What more are you dissatisfied with?"
"That's right. The Thirteenth Prince has spoken. Young brother, you should apologize and admit your mistake."
Wu Changwei stepped forward, looking at Ye Chen with apparent sincerity, though a flicker of mockery flashed deep in his eyes. "Young brother, as long as you admit your mistake, I definitely won't blame you."
Unfortunately, this trace of mockery couldn't escape Ye Chen's notice. He said coldly, "Have me apologize to you? Ridiculous. What do you think you are?"
The contemptuous, disdainful words shocked everyone present.
The next moment, Ye Chen, expressionless, slapped out.
Boom—
The force behind this slap was immense, like a mountain crashing down. Before Wu Changwei could react, he was sent flying. Cracking sounds echoed from his bones, who knew how many were broken. He finally crashed to the ground dozens of meters away, covered in blood, motionless.
Stunned!
Everyone was stunned, staring dumbfounded at Ye Chen. They truly hadn't expected this youth to act without a word, directly destroying the situation the Thirteenth Prince had painstakingly mediated.
Did he have the guts of a wolf and a leopard? Did he really dare to defy even the Thirteenth Prince's intention, slapping Wu Changwei away in front of so many people? Wasn't this deliberately opposing the Thirteenth Prince?
At this moment, even the always spring-breeze-smiling Thirteenth Prince's face completely darkened. Ye Chen's action just now felt like an invisible slap fiercely striking his own face, silent yet resounding.
Today, his face had been thoroughly lost in front of everyone.
The Thirteenth Prince's expression grew increasingly icy as he stared coldly at Ye Chen. Anyone could sense his anger, bit by bit, welling up, about to erupt.
"Young brother, this prince only intended to kindly mediate between the two of you. But not only did you not appreciate this prince's goodwill, you even struck Wu Changwei. What do you mean by this? Do you truly not place this prince in your eyes?" The Thirteenth Prince said coldly, his voice filled with bone-chilling iciness, as if wanting to completely freeze Ye Chen.
Everyone understood that now, the Thirteenth Prince was about to make an example of Ye Chen, this person who defied his will.
From his body, a terrifying aura began to slowly emanate, startling and eye-catching. His clothes fluttered without wind, and the ground beneath him trembled, pressing toward Ye Chen.
This was the dreadful aura of a Xiantian expert. Under this aura, the many people around paled, including quite a few Xia Feng Academy students who had later heard the news and come.
Was the Thirteenth Prince about to take action?
However, facing this aura that could make everyone pale, Ye Chen remained unaffected. He glanced indifferently at the Thirteenth Prince and said, "What goodwill? Twisting right and wrong, inverting black and white. What your own intentions are, good or bad, do I need to explain that for you?"
The crowd couldn't help but suck in cold breaths. This kid was clearly saying the Thirteenth Prince had ulterior motives.
The Thirteenth Prince's face grew even darker. "Fine, let's not explain these things. If you can withstand one palm strike from this prince, this prince will consider this matter as if it never happened."
Boom—
The next moment, the Thirteenth Prince directly attacked, angrily striking out with a palm. Although he didn't use any martial technique, the powerful palm force shot through the air, exploding the atmosphere. True Yuan circulated—it was an attack from a Xiantian expert, making everyone pale.
Although this was just a casual strike, it contained the power of Xiantian True Yuan. Moreover, it was a strike from the Thirteenth Prince, enough to shatter even a thousand-catty boulder.
Yet, facing this palm, Ye Chen maintained his usual indifferent expression. He simply flicked his sleeve. With a soft puff, the Thirteenth Prince's terrifying palm strike dissipated before everyone's horrified gazes.
"Is this your strength?" Ye Chen shook his head. "Too weak."