Huang He had been a tyrant in this area for so long that he thought these were just a few ordinary disciples from the South, only to find himself kicking a steel plate.
Yan Gongzi’s face was filled with terror; he didn’t even dare lift his head, feeling as if his head was about to be moved elsewhere.
The fox friends and dog companions who usually colluded with him scattered in panic, eager to distance themselves.
The two tall, sturdy Foundation Establishment guards ran the fastest!
Hearing Qin Xing pulling Her Highness away to get going, the unlucky fellow felt as if he’d been granted amnesty.
Looking at the beautiful, kind green-robed sister, it was like seeing a living Bodhisattva—tears welled up in his eyes.
Thanks to Qin Xing speaking up in time, a disaster was averted, and nothing more extreme happened.
If Her Highness had lost even a single hair in Huang He Commandery today, the City Lord would announce the severing of all family ties tomorrow, with multiple parties confirming they weren’t even related by blood.
Qin Xing kept Yun Liu’s advice in mind: better to avoid trouble than invite it.
She just wanted to reach Yudu as soon as possible, otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered with these idiots.
However, while capital punishment could be avoided, lesser punishment was inevitable.
Miserable cries echoed from the Crane Arrival Tower. Before long, Yan Dashao, who had strutted around like a tyrant, came tumbling down, wetting himself in terror, while those ethereal Fangwai Immortals soared northward on their swords, vanishing from sight.
Ji Shiyu, the troublemaker, giggled nonstop.
Trading a meal for a beating, she became Jing Tan’er’s punching bag.
This good-hearted person was truly pitiable.
Three people and one crow quietly left the city, concealing their tracks as they exited the main capital.
Only then did Qin Xing breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m so mad! If Senior Sister hadn’t held me back, I would’ve beaten him until even his mother couldn’t recognize him!”
Jing Tan’er was still grumbling, furious.
Without Nini and Lu’er at her beck and call, the dignified Royal Princess had to fly her own sword on the road, getting openly teased by a bunch of country bumpkins who hadn’t even grown all their hair.
How humiliating!
If this were the old villainess, even exterminating ten clans wouldn’t be enough; even passing peddlers at his doorstep would get a beating.
Qin Xing gave a wry smile.
“Fortunately, they were just a few unlucky ruffians. What I feared most was that he wouldn’t be afraid of you at all.”
“What do you mean?”
Ji Shiyu looked confused.
Was it already a time when even princesses from urban-rural fringe zones couldn’t throw their weight around?
Jing Tan’er thought for a moment, her expression changing.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she marveled at Senior Sister Qin’s keen insight.
If the other party knew her identity and still deliberately stalled, it could mean pursuers were coming.
That would be serious!
Min Hen, just a small Qingshan Sect enforcer, dared to make a move on the Treasure Ship.
It wasn’t impossible for that group of rebels to act brazenly in broad daylight.
Someone was backing him—either Jing Rui or some other treacherous minister.
Their goal was to intercept the little princess.
“We need to hurry.”
“Mm!”
“But what about Teacher? He’ll worry if he can’t see me!”
Ji Shiyu muttered softly, looking back reluctantly before flying after them on her sword.
The Xuantian Nine Transformations technique of Little Yellow Hair was unusually sensitive to Qi Luck.
She always felt her destined (father) fate wasn’t in that direction.
Aotian picked its nose, flapped its wings, and jumped onto Jing Tan’er’s head.
It was the first time Yun Gongzi had entrusted it with a mission, and it had already turned the Treasure Ship upside down.
It couldn’t let the little princess get into trouble again.
“You still seem to have some misunderstanding about your place in Mr. Yun’s heart…”
“Impossible, Teacher likes me best! He only acted strict before so I wouldn’t waste my World-Shaking Talent. As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the harsher the discipline. Right?”
“It’s ‘the deeper the love, the harsher the discipline,’ and I think ‘hoping one’s daughter becomes a phoenix’ fits better here.”
“Same difference! As long as you understand, who could be more important than me?”
Ji Shiyu put her hands on her waist, brimming with confidence.
After all, Teacher even defied Master and left the Sect for me.
Aotian glanced at Qin Yao’s frail yet reliable back and shook its head.
Give me a break.
Even if you add our status together, it’s barely higher than Xiao Xinran’s, and we might not even be a match for Jing Tan’er, let alone that one.
Senior Sister’s wife attribute is maxed out.
How can Shiyu in her current bear-like state compare?
***
Meanwhile, on Yun Liu’s side, five people bid farewell to the battered yet undeterred Huang He little tyrant and set off again.
Following the three-forked river north, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
By afternoon, it grew heavier, the temperature dropping sharply, cold and bone-chilling.
Mist began to obscure their vision.
They flew low to the ground to avoid being swept off course by the wind.
Along the way, there were occasional spiritual veins in the mountains and rivers, but none as abundant as those of the Sea of Clouds.
The White-robed Youth walking on his sword was drenched, letting the rain batter his face, even closing his eyes as if asleep.
Xiao Xinran wasn’t as carefree.
She carefully guided her flying sword through wind and rain, neither accelerating nor braking too hard.
Whenever the rain touched her skin, the fire spirit qi instantly evaporated it.
The cloud sedan was steady and comfortable, with two maids shielding it from wind and rain.
Jing Tan’er shifted her position, making room for another person beside her.
She poked out her small head, saw the soaked figure, and gave a light “hmph,” speaking with a hint of shyness.
“If you want to come in, just say so. Why make yourself suffer like this?”
Yun Liu paid her no mind, continuing to fly his sword while deducing the Demon Sect’s heart method in his mind and reviewing the Eight Banners demon-hunter’s speedrun strategy.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Near dusk, the heavy rain gradually stopped.
In the distance, the White-robed Youth remained steady as a rock, always pointing the way for the other four.
Xiao Xinran’s face was pale.
She shook her wet ponytail, swallowed a Spirit Summoning Pill, her Qi Sea nearly depleted.
Yun Liu noticed, slowing down a bit. With a slight movement of his arm, a wave of qi burst forth, instantly drying his clothes.
Passing through a golden plain, the rain dissipated, and under the setting sun, a rainbow shone brilliantly.
To the left, a white stone tower loomed, faint but imposing, surrounded by peak spiritual energy—clearly a place where northern spiritual veins converged, extraordinary indeed.
For Miss Xiao, this was her first journey far from home, and she couldn’t help but marvel.
“What’s that?”
Jing Tan’er waved her hand.
“You don’t even recognize the Mingshi White Tower? At least you should know the Radiant Light Sect, right? Don’t make a fuss. When we get to the capital, don’t say you know me.”
Xiao Xinran pouted. What’s the big deal?
Once, an old lady claiming to be an emissary of the Radiant Light Sect visited the Xiao family, wanting to take her as a disciple.
She wasn’t interested.
Lu’er pushed up her glasses, glanced toward the White Tower, and reminded them,
“In Yudu, no one really cares about the Shenhua Sect. In the last Heavenly Concord Alliance Summit, it was the Radiant Light Sect disciples who shone the brightest, and there’s a growing sense they’ll overtake the Sword Sect as the top power in East Pole Province.”
In other words, the reputation of the Sea of Clouds Five Peaks doesn’t carry much weight in the North.
You can’t act as freely in the capital as you do in the Shenhua Sect.
“Once we cross Guangming Ye, Yudu isn’t far, right?”
Jing Tan’er cupped her face, cheeks flushing at the thought of soon bringing the prince consort to meet her parents, feeling both hot and a little nervous.
If it weren’t for the Sword Duel Conference, meeting Yun Liu and ruining her life, she would never have traveled all the way to the Shenhua Sect to study!
The Radiant Light Sect is strong, and being close to home, it was naturally the little princess’s best original choice.