As his body had just fallen toward the ground, several palm strikes swept toward his back. In a rush, without even turning his head, he struck backward with his own palm.

"Boom"

Ethan Brooks staggered forward, nearly collapsing to the ground. His face flushed, a mouthful of fresh blood surged up his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down.

These dozen or so people seemed to have already figured out his abilities, forming a circle to trap him inside. The woman who appeared to be the leader of the guards walked toward him. She was very beautiful, with a delicate and fragile appearance. Ethan Brooks, however, dared not be careless in the slightest; he knew this woman was anything but weak as she appeared.

A sharp flash of sword light slashed toward Ethan Brooks like lightning, arriving before his eyes in the blink of an eye. Ethan Brooks hurriedly dodged to the side, but a lock of his long hair was sliced off by the woman, drifting down to the ground.

He drew in a sharp breath—this woman’s sword was as fast as lightning, far beyond what he could resist, unless he reached the first major stage of his family’s secret art. While he was momentarily stunned, the beautiful woman attacked again, her sword as quick as lightning, each thrust aimed at his vital points.

After exchanging more than thirty moves, Ethan Brooks was finally defeated, struck on the back by the woman’s palm and thrown to the ground, coughing up three large mouthfuls of blood in succession.

These people dragged Ethan Brooks and brought him before the girl.

“Hmph! So this is all you’ve got, you scoundrel. I thought you were something special!” the girl sneered coldly.

A chill rose in Ethan Brooks’s heart. The girl before him was completely different from the one he’d first seen in the water—then, she’d seemed like a little angel, but now he felt as if a beautiful little demon was standing before him.

“Um... little sister, I really didn’t mean to offend you just now. I was afraid you’d cry out and cause unnecessary trouble, so I rushed over and held you...”

“Shut up.” The girl’s eyes were practically spitting fire. She lifted her small foot and kicked Ethan Brooks hard.

Ethan Brooks immediately found himself unable to move, unable even to speak.

The guards who had been protecting the girl had always maintained a calm and composed demeanor, but upon hearing Ethan Brooks’s words, their faces instantly changed. They shouted angrily, “What? This damned bastard dared to insult Her Highness the Princess like this? He deserves a thousand cuts!” Then, in a panic, they knelt down, trembling as they said, “We deserve death for failing to protect Her Highness the Princess.” Cold sweat broke out on all their faces.

At this moment, Little Princess was filled with regret. She wished she hadn’t given Ethan Brooks any chance to speak. Ethan Brooks’s “nonsense” made her feel both ashamed and furious, and she didn’t know how to face her subordinates.

Little Princess snapped angrily, “All of you, get up! This scoundrel is talking nonsense—how could you believe him? I noticed him long before he got close. If I hadn’t wanted to give you all a chance to prove yourselves, I would have dealt with him myself already.”

Then she shot a fierce glare at Ethan Brooks lying on the ground and said, “Hmph, to dare slander and insult this Princess—beat him within an inch of his life for me!”

Ethan Brooks couldn’t move or speak, but he could hear everything clearly. He hadn’t expected this girl to actually be a Princess.

These dozen or so people clearly didn’t believe Little Princess’s words. Secretly hating Ethan Brooks’s shamelessness, they beat him with great skill, making his whole body feel like it was being pricked by needles and bitten by ants, torturing him to the brink of death. In no time at all, Ethan Brooks was covered in wounds.

“That’s enough. If you keep beating him, he’ll die.” Seeing the battered and bruised Ethan Brooks, Little Princess smiled happily, clearly satisfied with the result. The young guards stopped tormenting Ethan Brooks and stepped aside. Little Princess gave Ethan Brooks a charming smile and walked over.

Ethan Brooks, having unintentionally offended a Princess, had not suffered the torture he’d imagined. He relaxed a little, thinking the punishment was over.

Little Princess’s sweet voice sounded in his ear: “You really are bold, daring to set your sights on this Princess. Fortunately, I am wise and heroic and saw through your intentions early. If you had managed to peep at me, what face would I have left? I’d be laughed at by everyone.”

Ethan Brooks was stunned: Wait, what does that mean? Wasn’t she just smiling at me? But now her tone sounds ominous... As he looked at Little Princess again, he felt uneasy. Her smile was sweet, but there was a hint of wickedness in it. He felt a chill run through his body and couldn’t help but shiver.

Little Princess smiled sweetly and said, “Men, give him the palace punishment.”

“Buzz”

Ethan Brooks felt a roar in his head, nearly fainting from fright. In his eyes, Little Princess’s smile was now pure evil. He finally understood—this was a little demon with the face of an angel.

Chapter Three: The Little Demon Princess

Looking at the little demon’s sweet smile, he felt his body tremble. He wanted to struggle, but couldn’t move; wanted to cry out, but couldn’t make a sound. In the blink of an eye, cold sweat soaked through his clothes.