Unlike Jing Rui, who held real power in her hands, all of Her Highness the Princess Royal’s capriciousness stemmed from the Nation Master’s favor.
She was still young and had repeatedly refused political marriages, which now seemed to be because her heart belonged elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Jing Tan’er’s arrogant attitude, born from being spoiled, had offended many former king’s allies.
Behind her, apart from the Fallen Shenhua struggling to survive, there was nothing—no one supported her.
Once [Sorrow of a Fallen Nation] was triggered by the main storyline and the King passed away, all of Jing Tan’er’s advantages would vanish, collapsing completely.
At that point, the peaceful and tranquil Eastern Pole would become a war-torn map, with the Demon Sect rampant and factions vying for power.
As a Princess of the Former Dynasty and Baby of Experience, her fate was obvious.
If the silly girl didn’t complete the Yudu map quests before the main story began, she would just pat her butt and move on to the next map to cultivate, preparing for Dan Forming and Realm Breaking.
When she returned, the Eastern Pole would have already changed hands and become a demon lair!
“I was wrong, I’m sorry!”
This time, Jing Tan’er didn’t put up a front. She apologized weakly, bowing her head even lower.
Ji Shiyu and Xiao Xinran’s expressions became even stranger.
What’s going on?
When did this arrogant villainess become so obedient?
Yun Liu pondered for a moment, glanced at Jing Tan’er, and immediately, Qin Xing understood.
She grabbed Ji Shiyu and Xiao Xinran and pushed them toward the door.
“Alright, alright, you two take the junior sisters outside for some fresh air and to restore your Qi Sea.”
“Huh?”
Jing Tan’er also tried to sneak out, but Yun Liu stopped her with a glare.
“You stay!”
“Uh?”
Yun Liu’s expression was uncertain and deeply worried.
On the surface, Madam Black Crow was a royal relative, the Zhusheng Monarch’s younger sister.
In reality, she was a fiend of the Demonic Sect Eight Banners – Hehuan Banner, hiding evil intentions, sent as a bewitching agent to overthrow the dynasty and seize control of the Eastern Pole.
There should have been plenty of time to break the situation, so Yun Liu hadn’t interfered with the process and quietly left Jueyun Peak.
He didn’t expect the Shengyu Festival plot couldn’t be restored.
Now, a side villain character who shouldn’t have been involved had approached Ji Shiyu ahead of time and could tempt Ao Tian into crime at any moment.
The situation was far from optimistic.
Jing Tan’er looked uneasy, her mind entirely on Jing Rui’s coquettish glance, curious about what the two had done in the room before coming upstairs.
Who would have thought the family tutor didn’t care about the protagonist group but instead worried about her?
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I disturb you bonding with her?”
The little princess grumbled softly, jealous of her aunt.
This time, she really wasn’t acting as a villainess—Madam Black Crow truly was a serious problem.
A widowed noblewoman, she had married far away to a regional lord in her youth.
When her husband died under mysterious circumstances, she took over the fief.
In recent years, Jing Rui’s reputation had become notorious.
Rumors said she had affairs with several vassals and retainers, winning favor through seduction, and her secret influence had only grown, making her despised by her subjects.
The Nation Master pitied his sister for being alone, managing the household alone, and turned a blind eye, not expecting he was raising a tiger.
“What are you thinking? It’s strictly business. Yuyu didn’t bring me here to enjoy life but dumped a mess riddled with holes on me.”
Yun Liu hadn’t expected Jing Tan’er to have the mood to think about such things.
He smiled, flicked her smooth forehead with his finger.
If a side character war god could reverse their own fate, then they could rewrite history itself.
That was the point of this little experiment—regardless of good or evil.
If [Sorrow of a Fallen Nation] was triggered, Eastern Pole would fall into endless war, with half its territory ending up in the hands of the Demon Sect.
Would the GDP of Shanhai Pavilion not plummet?
The battle between good and evil didn’t concern the Eastern Pole Pavilion Master, but this piece of cake now belonged to Yun himself—anyone who touched it would die!
Jing Tan’er covered her forehead, speaking cautiously.
“So, don’t be mad, okay? I know you’re doing this for me, but listen, that vixen is really no good—don’t be fooled!”
“Do I look like the type who loses his mind at the sight of a woman?”
“Hard to say.”
“Hmm?”
“M-my point is, she’s very good at seducing men!”
The little princess waved her hands in panic, feeling a bit envious from another perspective.
If she had that ability, she would’ve long since devoured her tutor!
“Heh, I’m also very good at rejecting women. Anyway, unlike those two silly girls earlier, I expect more from you—there’s no time to waste.”
Yun Liu spoke earnestly, his gaze burning, making Jing Tan’er’s face turn red.
M-more?
Was one child not enough?
Did he want eight or ten to form a Cloud Sea Sword Array, treating her as a breeding machine?
“Idiot, moron, pervert! Who—who—who—who—wants to have that many princes and princesses with you!”
The little princess covered her face and rushed out the door.
If she stayed half a second longer, she wouldn’t be able to hide the smile on her face!
“Ah?”
Yun Liu shook his head in confusion, speechless.
Given Her Highness’s condition, the Empress-raising plan would have to proceed slowly.
Ever since he took over Shanhai Pavilion and spent his days surrounded by Yuyu’s conspiracies, he seemed to be getting more and more devious himself.
At their core, the ambitions of the Pavilion Master and a bewitching villainess weren’t so different—only the methods varied slightly.
If he couldn’t sleep on the lap of the inn’s owner, then he’d cultivate an Empress to lie in her arms and play!
At the very least, he had to help Jing Tan’er seize a complete kingdom, ensuring Eastern Pole remained peaceful and prosperous.
Peace and prosperity bring wealth, right?
The Cloud Gold Crow raced with the wind, chasing the sun.
As night fell, the golden lanterns hanging from the treasure ship gradually lit up, resembling the feathers of a Holy Bird.
Rarely did Yun Liu leave the Cloud Sea to relax and live a few days as an ordinary person, so of course he hoped to spend some intimate time with Sister Qin.
Qin Cha’s gentle eyes held a thousand words of willingness, but she couldn’t escape the Cloudsea Trio of Fools.
Whenever Xiao Xinran left, Jing Tan’er would appear, and Ji Shiyu often clung to the Boss as well, leaving no free time.
They couldn’t possibly sneak from Mingya Court to the Hidden Crow Courtyard for a midnight tryst, could they?
Qin Cha gave Yun Liu a helpless look. All she could do was continue their well-known, clandestine relationship of Qingxia Peak, focus on cultivation, and wait for the right moment.
Once she reached Nascent Soul, she could officially leave the Shenhua Sect as a true Yunhai Sword Cultivator, and then, wherever they were in the Nine Provinces, she’d stay with Younger Brother Yun forever—so thought the Senior Sister.
The treasure ship was massive and clearly divided into levels. Even inside the cabins, it held its own wonders.
Below the deck was a bustling snack street.
Yun Liu was wandering there when he stumbled upon Ji Shiyu and Ao Tian.
A cute blonde girl, eye-catching and lively, was playing a pitch-pot mini-game, hugging a pile of prizes with her left arm and munching on a fragrant skewer with her right.
The hole of the pitch-pot was narrow, and it looked like a shady merchant had tampered with it to make the darts bounce out easily.
Others failed after several tries, but when it was Ji Shiyu’s turn—even standing on tiptoe—she was a hundred percent accurate, drawing cheers from the crowd.
“Heroine, please stop using your supernatural powers! This humble shop relies on small business—if I’ve offended you in any way, I apologize!”
The vendor begged pitifully, but it was useless—Ji Shiyu-sama was having too much fun.
“Muda muda! If you open a shop, you must be prepared to lose everything—that’s what Teacher taught me!”