Drinking wine might not be Ling Xue’s strong suit, but since it was tea in place of wine, if she didn’t give everyone face, she would inevitably be looked down upon.

Ling Xue thought so and continued to sip tea cup after cup, completely unaware that the tea had already been tampered with.

However, Ling Xue was, after all, a Commandery Princess equipped with special magical treasures and strong cultivation skills. Thus, those responsible didn’t dare to put too much of the poison.

Even so, as long as Ling Xue kept drinking, their plan was bound to succeed.

The Young Master of Pearfall Palace looked on triumphantly. The poison mixed into the tea was something he painstakingly acquired and was practically unheard of in the entirety of the Great Tang.

This colorless and tasteless poison had a particularly peculiar effect—once consumed, upon waking after sleep, the victim would become infatuated with the first person they laid eyes on!

The effect wouldn’t last long, but the Young Master of Pearfall Palace wouldn’t rely solely on this one method. In fact, the best part of his plan was yet to come!

Ling Xue had now consumed five cups of tea. Although she only took a few sips each time, the number of people surrounding her made it difficult for her to avoid drinking entirely.

For some reason, Ling Xue began to feel drowsy. Just as she was about to find a place for a quick nap, her bracelet vibrated.

Ling Xue shook herself awake—could it be Ye Luo?

Indeed, it was Ye Luo sending her a magical communication signal.

"This is bad, the situation’s going south!"

The Young Master of Pearfall Palace frowned slightly. The poison’s effects were already starting to take hold. If Ling Xue closed her eyes, she would fall asleep immediately. Then, after another hour or two, his plan would come to fruition.

The Young Master could not afford any disruptions at this critical moment.

With a subtle gesture, Wei Wei understood his intent and pretended to be exceptionally cheerful, rushing over to Ling Xue.

"Commandery Princess, haha, Commandery Princess, congratulations! I did it!"

Wei Wei grabbed Ling Xue’s hand firmly, preventing her from answering Ye Luo’s signal, and spoke with great excitement, not giving Ling Xue any chance to get a word in. She rambled on, holding onto Ling Xue’s hand with the bracelet tightly, effectively stopping her from responding to the communication.

"Commandery Princess, he agreed! He agreed to it! Haha, congratulations! Let me tell you, here’s what happened..." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Ling Xue tried several times to free her hand, but Wei Wei held on tightly. Given Wei Wei’s obvious excitement, Ling Xue didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm.

Although her heart was filled with frustration, Ling Xue decided to wait until Wei Wei finished speaking to answer Ye Luo’s communication.

Yet, her drowsiness became increasingly overwhelming.

Ling Xue was only holding out because she was concerned about Ye Luo; otherwise, she might have already fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, Ye Luo had already arrived outside the fifth banquet hall. Since Ling Xue had mentioned she was there, Ye Luo trusted her words.

But where was she?

Ye Luo was exceedingly anxious to get points from Ling Xue, so he couldn’t afford to waste time. Activating the Clairvoyant Eye, he revealed the surrounding scene without reservation.

Moments later, Ye Luo spotted Ling Xue and quickly realized the problem wasn’t Ling Xue refusing to answer his communications—it was that she didn’t have the opportunity to!

Ye Luo didn’t lose his temper. If Ling Xue was being held up, he could simply go in and find her directly!

So Ye Luo made no hesitation and headed straight for the fifth banquet hall!

"Stop him! He must not enter here!"

These days, Ye Luo and Ling Xue’s affairs had been causing a stir throughout the Royal Academy. Naturally, the Young Master of Pearfall Palace worried that Ye Luo might ruin his plans. If Ye Luo were to enter, Ling Xue’s nap would likely be guarded by him.

In that case, the Young Master wouldn’t be able to whisk Ling Xue away while she was asleep, nor could he proceed with the next stage of his scheme!

Such an outcome was unimaginable!

At his command, several individuals immediately stepped out to block Ye Luo’s way.

In the Royal Academy, there were no personal attendants, only students. Thus, these individuals were all Academy students themselves!

Just as Ye Luo was about to enter, he was swiftly stopped by a group: "Who are you? Do you have an invitation?"

Ye Luo was slightly taken aback—did entering require an invitation?

"I am Ye Luo, here to find a friend. Please grant me passage!"

Ye Luo spoke helplessly; after all, given the apparent banquet inside, their request for an invitation seemed reasonable.

"No way. Without an invitation, no one is allowed in! Ye Luo? We don’t know anyone named Ye Luo. Do you even realize the guests in here are all nobility? If you have malicious intent and we let you in, wouldn’t we be putting everyone at risk?"

Their words were harsh, and Ye Luo frowned slightly, feeling irritated. Still, barging in would be improper since it was their event.

"Alright, then can you relay a message to Princess Ling Xue? Tell her Ye Luo is here and ask her to step out to meet me!"

"Haha, Princess Ling Xue isn’t someone you can meet just because you want to. Well, since we’re classmates, I’ll pass on your message. But whether Princess Ling Xue sees you is not my decision! Plenty of people want to meet her, after all!"

Their tone remained curt, but since they agreed to relay the message, Ye Luo didn’t press further.

Curious about the event being held inside and the exclusivity, Ye Luo stealthily activated his Clairvoyant Eye, intending to see what was happening.

Unexpectedly, Ye Luo’s casual move uncovered a shocking secret!

Initially, Ye Luo observed the person who agreed to pass along his message. However, they hadn’t gone to inform Ling Xue at all. Instead, they entered the banquet hall and stood idly, likely planning to return later with an excuse.

Ye Luo initially considered bursting in immediately, but out of sheer instinct, he decided to look deeper inside.

What he discovered left him startled: Princess Ling Xue had already fallen asleep, and several individuals were in the midst of moving her!

This is bad!

Ye Luo’s heart jolted—any fool could see something was wrong here, let alone someone like him!

Damned audacity! Broad daylight, inside the Academy no less—these people were outrageously bold!

No matter their intentions, Ye Luo could never ignore this!

In a flash, Ye Luo’s figure darted forward, charging directly into the banquet hall!

"Stop him!"