“You are…” The man moved quickly, so the Third Prince didn’t have time to see what he looked like.
Only after the man helped him up and the Third Prince took a closer look did he recognize him—the man wearing the helmet.
“Great General!” The Third Prince shuddered all over, his eyes instantly lighting up.
The man before him was none other than the Great General of the Daqian Empire!
His cultivation had reached the peak of the Innate Realm, and he had made outstanding contributions to the empire—undoubtedly the empire’s foremost general.
With him by his side, the Third Prince finally felt completely safe.
“Third Prince, are you alright?” The Great General said nothing at first but carefully appraised the Third Prince from head to toe before asking.
“I’m fine. Just some superficial wounds…”
“That’s good.” The Great General seemed to exhale in relief, then said, “Third Prince, I don’t mean to criticize, but I understand your desire to do something for the empire. On that front, I think you’re far better than the Crown Prince. But everything must be done step by step, and you have to consider whether things are feasible. This time, you were reckless.”
The Third Prince lowered his head, thought for a moment, then sighed. “Great General is right. I was impulsive.”
“I say, Little Third Prince, is this your empire’s general?” Lin Guiming raised an eyebrow beside them.
His words immediately drew the Great General’s attention.
That address of “Little Third Prince” caused the general to frown silently.
Still, he did not lose his temper but instead asked, “And this is…?”
“Great General, this is a… friend I met in Yuzhou City. It was him who saved me earlier.”
“Oh?” The Great General raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.
He glanced at the fallen person from the Luo Hao Sect and then at Lin Guiming’s tidy clothes, nodding inwardly.
“This young man’s strength is quite good…”
Lin Guiming smiled and replied, “Your strength is not bad either…”
His words stunned everyone around.
Being praised by the Great General was a huge honor, but this kid… that was a little too audacious, wasn’t it?
“Hmph.” The Great General did not get angry but sneered coldly.
“A young man with strength but a mouth that invites trouble. Watch yourself.”
With that, he helped the Third Prince up and prepared to leave.
Naturally, Lin Guiming had no reason to stop them and just waved his hand. “Goodbye, Little Third Prince.”
The Third Prince twitched the corner of his mouth but couldn’t say anything.
He could only roll his eyes inwardly.
“Third Prince, is that man… from a sect?”
After walking for a while, the Great General suddenly asked.
“Of course.” The Third Prince nodded.
Judging from how easily Lin Guiming defeated that person from the Luo Hao Sect earlier, he had underestimated him.
His cultivation had likely already reached the Innate Realm.
For someone under twenty to reach the Innate Realm was unheard of among commoners—no matter how talented, it was impossible.
Only resource-rich sects could nurture such a Heaven’s Chosen disciple.
“Do you know which sect he comes from?” The Great General frowned.
He hadn’t lost his temper earlier partly because Lin Guiming had just saved the Third Prince’s life, and partly because he couldn’t figure out Lin Guiming’s background.
If he were backed by a major sect, the Daqian Empire wouldn’t dare offend him.
“Not really… but judging by the situation, he should be a friend, not an enemy. At least, he has no hostility toward the Daqian Empire.”
“That’s good.” The Great General nodded. “But we can’t afford to be careless…”
As he spoke, he reached his horse, untied the reins, helped the Third Prince onto it, and headed down the mountain.
Soon after, at the Yuzhou City Lord’s Mansion…
“Third Prince, you go on in. I still have other matters here in Yuzhou City…”
The Great General said this as he handed the horse over to a nearby servant.
“All right, Great General. You go ahead. I’ll rest for now…”
After the day’s ordeal, nearly losing his life, the Third Prince was physically and mentally exhausted.
“Mm.” The Great General nodded and then turned to leave the lord’s mansion.
He had taken on this mission partly because there were few capable enough in the court to shoulder such a heavy responsibility, and with no battles at the border right now, he had some free time.
But there was also another reason.
The Great General left the lord’s mansion and headed toward the bustling district of the city…