“Wait, why is another team approaching?”
The voice on the communication channel interrupted Shen Zhaomu’s thoughts. He turned his head and noticed several groups of unfamiliar hunters gathering at the main exit.
Among them were individuals clad in black and grey attire, with tactical goggles concealing a large portion of their faces. They belonged to the Association’s Audit Department, an infrequently seen supervisory unit.
They were containing the irate attendees, but they were also engaging in disputes with other hunters without adhering to any rules. This disrupted the hunters’ operations, causing some previously settled attendees to start moving around, attempting to breach the defence line.
Then, a woman with white hair emerged. She wore a dark golden laurel wreath on her head that shimmered even in the dim light, along with a pink flower pinned to her dark brown antlers. She moved gracefully, her tactical uniform accentuating her shapely figure.
Bai Yiyi, the princess of the beast tribe.
The White Doe Princess was renowned for her age-defying appearance. Despite being in her forties or fifties, she looked no older than thirty.
Though there were still hunters attempting to control the commotion caused by the auctioneers, the atmosphere remained tense.
Bai Yiyi and Shen Zhaomu had always been rivals for the chief hunter position, and their relationship had never been cordial.
Shen Zhaomu remained composed despite the abrupt interruption of the operation. He leaned against the wall and casually lit a cigarette. “What brings you here?” he inquired.
Compared to Bai Yiyi, who was commanding the hunters and radiating power, Shen Zhaomu only appeared slightly impatient. As he exhaled a puff of smoke, the sharp line of his chin and throat was revealed. His powerful aura, a result of the confidence gained from countless battles, easily overshadowed his counterpart’s.
Bai Yiyi blinked and replied, “I’m on a mission to hunt down the church, and decided to check in on Mr. Shen.”
“I’m in charge of Kassand. Your presence wasn’t necessary,” Shen Zhaomu retorted.
“There’s no need for such rudeness, is there? I thought I could be of assistance,” Bai Yiyi said, twirling her hair. “In case the Association hasn’t informed you yet, I’ve been specially assigned here by the Interstellar Governor. He considers the church’s activities a high priority. We will likely have to collaborate in the days to come.” She winked at Shen Zhaomu. “I’m thrilled to work with such a handsome hunter.”
Shen Zhaomu offered no clear response. He merely waved his hand while holding his cigarette, instructing the hunters around him to continue identifying the crowd.
Bai Yiyi didn’t stay long. A few minutes later, she chuckled and departed with her fellow hunters.
===========================
Long Shiyu stood in the alley, with Will panting beside him.
Will was familiar with the auction. He had taken advantage of the chaos created by Bai Yiyi’s arrival to enter the private room, adamant on escorting Long Shiyu away.
However, they encountered an obstacle. The back door that Will planned to use was now securely locked by the technical team, with several tons of steel tightly sealing it shut.
It did not remain a problem for long. Long Shiyu smashed it open. A portion of the wall also became collateral damage.
The other Undertakers had no issues staying behind. The Hunter Association only concerned itself with its own responsibilities and would not intervene, provided there was no direct interaction with exotic creatures or exposure as such.
If another hunter had been in charge, Will could have employed various methods to resolve the situation. However, Shen Zhaomu proved to be a difficult hurdle to cross.
He lived up to his notorious reputation amongst exotic creatures.
For people like them who revered the king, the Association wouldn’t intervene unless they engaged in blatant misconduct. Hunting exotic creatures was already a complex and arduous task, leaving little room for dealing with such intricacies.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“I see,” Long Shiyu responded. “Then I’ll return.” Shen Zhaomu’s psychic imprint had lost its effectiveness. The man was definitely searching for him.
“Return?” Will was momentarily puzzled. “Return to where?”
When Will mentioned this, Long Shiyu smiled. “To find my princess, of course.”
Will remained perplexed as footsteps approached.
A sense of impending danger washed over him, prompting him to look up.
Bai Yiyi and several Audit Department hunters now stood not far from the alley entrance. She grinned.
“Oh, Shiyu, what a pleasant surprise. I’ve been eager to meet the person who’s captured little Shen’s heart. He even brings you along on missions! Seeing you now, I must admit, you’re quite adorable. No wonder he treats the Interstellar Governor’s people so poorly because of you.”
She referred to the incident at the restaurant when Long Shiyu had first joined the Association.
Will’s entire body tensed.
He could sense that Bai Yiyi was an exceptional hunter. Her companions clad in dark gray also exuded an aura distinct from that of regular hunters—colder and more formidable.
Will’s instincts as a beast warned him that this encounter wouldn’t bode well.
Bai Yiyi approached with an alluring sway, her golden laurel crown gleaming in the sunlight. Will instinctively moved to defend Long Shiyu, only for the young man to gently pull him back before he could even take a step.
Long Shiyu’s expression revealed nothing. He gave off a gentle air and appeared harmless, just as he always had, hiding his sharp edges away.
Bai Yiyi continued to smile. “I just helped Little Shen out. What do you say? Are you going to show some appreciation to your big sister?”
Long Shiyu blinked and asked, “What exactly did you help him with?”
“He had difficulty handling the situation earlier,” Bai Yiyi explained, twirling her hair, her laurel crown glistening in the sun. “He tends to act too recklessly and impulsively. In such cases, experienced seniors like me need to step in. But it’s understandable, considering little Shen’s young age.”
She was certain that Long Shiyu hadn’t been present at the scene. No one should have escaped the commotion. Moreover, those unfamiliar with hunter operations couldn’t distinguish between those causing trouble and those intervening.
Long Shiyu replied nonchalantly, “Oh, I see. I thought you were causing trouble deliberately.”
Bai Yiyi was taken aback. She hadn’t expected such words to come out of the gentle and harmless-looking Long Shiyu’s mouth.
The next moment, her expression softened again. “Of course not. Was little Shen saying bad things about me behind my back? Sigh, that child is truly…”
“That’s not the case. He doesn’t mention you at all,” Long Shiyu responded.
Bai Yiyi was left speechless.
“Furthermore,” Long Shiyu continued, a faint glint of gold reflecting from his eyes, “the Association’s rules state that one must contact the person-in-charge if they wish to enter the venue of a mission, even if they are special hunters or members of the Audit Department. But you didn’t inform Shen Zhaomu, did you?”
He glanced at the hunters behind Bai Yiyi. “Additionally, none of you are wearing Audit Department insignias, which means you can’t be identified as inspectors. This could raise suspicions of unauthorised activity and misuse of power.”
Tension mounted as Long Shiyu spoke.
Members of the Audit Department were accustomed to having special privileges and weren’t used to such confrontational language.
Bai Yiyi’s smile didn’t waver. “Oh, I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable about the Association’s rules. Thank you for the reminder,” she said, twirling her hair once more. “Well, since we’re both in Kassand, we’ll surely cross paths again. I hope we can have a pleasant chat with you and little Shen next time.”
Long Shiyu simply replied, “Sure.”
Bai Yiyi led her group away with a chuckle, her charm intact.
Will muttered under his breath, “What’s going on? Why did she mention something about you and Shen Zhaomu? It doesn’t make sense.”
Long Shiyu was about to return to the auction and replied, “Let’s meet again some other time. I gotta go.”
“Wait, how will I find you next time? Or are you planning to leave Kassand?” Will asked anxiously.
“I won’t leave for now. I’ll come back for your food. The desserts are delicious.”
Will was reluctant to see him leave, but he didn’t dare to stop Long Shiyu, so he could only watch helplessly.
Long Shiyu quietly re-entered the auction hall through the back door, slipping in unnoticed.
As Shen Zhaomu regained control of the situation, he spotted Long Shiyu.
“Where did you go? Why didn’t you stay in the private room?”
“I was just taking a stroll,” Long Shiyu replied casually.
“Taking a stroll?” Shen Zhaomu probed further.
Recalling that he had calmly left with Will earlier, Long Shiyu asserted, “Yup!”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
He still had some suspicions, but he had indeed looked away from Long Shiyu for a moment back then.
Long Shiyu added, “The person who barged in just now even struck up a conversation with me.”
“Bai Yiyi?” Shen Zhaomu asked, his brows furrowing. “What did she say to you?”
“Nothing much, but she’s kinda strange.”
Shen Zhaomu commented, “You do know she’s a princess, right?”
His initial intention had been to caution Long Shiyu against approaching Bai Yiyi too easily. After all, Long Shiyu had shown excessive enthusiasm for princesses in the past.
Unexpectedly, Long Shiyu replied, “I know.”
Shen Zhaomu was speechless.
Puzzled, he asked, “You no longer like princesses?”
Long Shiyu stated firmly, “She’s a bad princess. I don’t like her.”
This response caught Shen Zhaomu off guard.
Regardless of their competition for the top spot, Shen Zhaomu had never held Bai Yiyi in high regard. Hearing Long Shiyu’s statement, he couldn’t help but laugh and tousle Long Shiyu’s hair.
But as he withdrew his hand, a peculiar feeling washed over him once more.
It felt as if this had happened a long time ago. The young man had once told him earnestly, “She’s a bad princess. I don’t like her. I only like my princess.”
His eyes gleamed like gold, a blend of cold, hard determination and boundless joy. His presence was like the wind sweeping across a desolate landscape.
This fleeting sensation lasted less than a second.
It was nothing more than a strange illusion.
Shen Zhaomu asked once more, “How many princesses have you met?”
“I don’t remember exactly. At least eight or nine?” Long Shiyu responded.
“So, which princess is your favourite?” Shen Zhaomu recalled several active princesses in recent times. “Is it Katherine? Or Christina?”
He chuckled. “The two of them can’t be considered bad princesses.”
This time, Long Shiyu remained silent.
He smiled at Shen Zhaomu, revealing his sharp canines. His eyes glimmered with delight.
Shen Zhaomu had no idea what made Long Shiyu so happy.
Nonetheless, this was a good thing.
Subconsciously, his furrowed brows relaxed. After vigorously ruffling Long Shiyu’s hair, he issued his orders over the command channel. “All teams, prepare to wrap things up.”
“Affirmative.”
Author’s Note:
Little Dragon’s Princess Classification: Good princess, bad princess, and my princess qwq
One cutesy sob a day (0/1)
Im confused?
They’re life endingly cute :<
Love my casual Shiyu unaffected by power plays
TELL ‘EM SHIYU
No cutesy sob today 😢
Thanks for the update! For some reason in dark mode the text shows up as black on black not sure if you can fix that or not!
fixed! thanks for pointing it outt!
I bet Shen Zaoumu still has no idea that he is the “My Princess” Long Shiyu is talking about 🤣
There can ve
*be many good and bad princesses, but there’s only one person for shiyu’s ‘my princess’ uwu
+1
Bai Yiyi thought she was cool but she’s just a bad princess and a bad cop 😄