Luo Shangyu was filled with terror. ‘This couldn’t be some monster known for its speed, could it?’
However, her worry was quickly dispelled.
Luo Shangyu took a closer look and realized it was the Messenger Dragon that Qin Yu had sent out several days ago.
Qin Yu looked at the Messenger Dragon and was also incredibly surprised. “I almost forgot about this!”
“I forgot about it too.” Luo Shangyu took the Messenger Dragon from her shoulder and placed it in her palm. “So much has happened these past few days.”
She removed the message tube from the Messenger Dragon’s body and handed the letter to Qin Yu. “This is a letter from your teacher. Why don’t you open it?”
Qin Yu took the paper, which had only a few words written on it: “Don’t worry, the situation in Yong’an City has stabilized for now. His Majesty is out of danger, and I am coming to save you immediately.”
Below the main text, there was a magic circle emitting a faint magical glow.
“What is this?” Qin Yu asked Luo Shangyu.
“Let me see…” Luo Shangyu said, taking the letter.
After reading the letter thoroughly, she carefully observed the magic circle.
“This is a tracking magic circle that can display the location of the formation, but…” Luo Shangyu connected the dots with the letter’s content and suddenly realized something. “Your teacher must be using the opportunity of the Messenger Dragon delivering the letter to find your location and come to rescue you.”
“Really?” Qin Yu could hardly believe it.
“Really,” Luo Shangyu said. “Even if he didn’t use teleportation magic and instead just kept replenishing his mana to fly at full speed from the Chengji Empire to here, it would only be a journey of about 1 or 2 days. Besides, if he chose to follow behind the Messenger Dragon, he should be arriving very soon. If you don’t believe me, just wait. Your teacher will be here shortly.”
As if to prove Luo Shangyu’s words, both she and Qin Yu felt themselves being scanned by magic.
“This should be him searching for you…”
As Luo Shangyu spoke, the leaves overhead rustled, and a figure rapidly descended from the sky, landing right in front of Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.
The man appeared to be about 70-some years old, but his spirit was excellent. He wore a thick coat and a furry hat.
This person was Qin Yu’s teacher, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince of the Chengji Empire, Yin An.
“Crown Prince, I’m late — “
He stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence, staring at the somewhat familiar yet strange white-haired girl before him. Then he looked at the slightly taller blonde elf beside her and blinked in confusion.
In Yin An’s memory, a Messenger Dragon never made a mistake; it always delivered letters to the intended recipient. But these two…
Neither of them seemed to resemble the image of the Crown Prince in his mind.
“Grand Tutor Yin, it’s me, Qin Yu!”
Qin Yu immediately understood why Yin An was confused. She hurriedly took out the item representing her identity from her key-shaped pendant — the Crown Prince Medallion.
Qin Yu injected mana into the medallion, which produced a powerful spiritual pressure that radiated into the surroundings.
Although the pressure lasted for only one moment before vanishing, it was enough for Yin An to confirm Qin Yu’s identity. After all, the aura produced by the Crown Prince Medallion was impossible to fake.
“How did you end up looking like this!” Yin An grabbed Qin Yu and pulled her toward him, turning her around several times to inspect her thoroughly.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop!” Qin Yu broke free from Yin An. “It’s a long story…”
Yin An then turned to look at Luo Shangyu. “And you are…”
“I am Luo Shangyu.” Luo Shangyu bowed slightly.
“Luo Shangyu…” Yin An repeated softly. “Aren’t you a General from the Kingdom of Yiyong?”
Yin An had already used his magic to scan the area; there were only himself, Qin Yu, and Luo Shangyu. The army of the Kingdom of Yiyong was nowhere to be found.
“I defected with Qin Yu,” Luo Shangyu said succinctly.
Yin An understood immediately. “I see…”
“Grand Tutor Yin, Luo Shangyu is my good friend now. Don’t make things difficult for her!” Qin Yu said, tugging on Yin An’s sleeve.
Seeing how much Qin Yu trusted Luo Shangyu, Yin An didn’t ask any further questions.
“Where do you plan to go next?” Yin An asked Luo Shangyu.
” I’m following Qin Yu. I’ll go wherever she goes,” Luo Shangyu said calmly.
Yin An was somewhat surprised. He never expected to hear such words from Luo Shangyu’s mouth.
Although the Kingdom of Yiyong was a vassal state of the Chengji Empire, its rebellious intent had become apparent in recent years, making the relationship between the two nations extremely tense. As a General of the Kingdom of Yiyong, Luo Shangyu was technically an enemy of the Chengji Empire.
To be able to make an enemy say something like that… Yin An looked at Qin Yu with a gaze full of admiration.
“All right, is everyone ready? We’re preparing to fly back to the Chengji Empire!” Yin An said, adjusting his heavy clothing.
“We’re ready,” Luo Shangyu and Qin Yu said in unison, holding hands.
Yin An took Qin Yu’s free hand and waved his staff. The three of them rose into the air and flew toward the southwest.
Yin An’s flying speed was much faster than Luo Shangyu had imagined. Within several hours, by the time evening arrived, the three of them landed in the southern suburbs of the Chengji Empire.
After several hours of flight, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu had been standing straight the whole time, and their muscles were now aching.
Even worse, the temperature at high altitudes was extremely low. Although Yin An used magic to block the strong winds, the low temperatures had nearly frozen Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu solid.
Only then did Qin Yu understand why Yin An was wearing such thick clothes and a warm hat.
Once Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu had recovered slightly, Yin An said, “Let’s go. We’ll enter the city together.”
The three of them walked toward the south gate of Yong’an City, the Mingde Gate.
As the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, the Chengji Empire, Yong’an City’s walls were tall and sturdy. The largest gate, Mingde Gate, located on the southern end of the central axis, was particularly grand.
As they walked through the open city gate, Qin Yu looked up at the high gate tower, her eyes welled with tears. ‘I, Qin Yu, have finally returned!’
Passing through Mingde Gate, they reached a street over 100 meters wide and over 10 kilometers long, bustling with people. This was the largest and most prosperous market street in the Chengji Empire — Yong’an Street.
Yin An led Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu to the military camp beside the city gate and called for a carriage.
The carriage was stamped with the emblem of the Chengji Empire’s imperial family and had a very high-end appearance.
“Get in.” Yin An opened the carriage door for Luo Shangyu and Qin Yu.
Once inside, Luo Shangyu carefully observed the interior decor.
The decorations were extremely luxurious. A small table inside held an expensive tea set, and a pot of hot water was *hissing* nearby, emitting white steam.
The sofa Luo Shangyu sat on was incredibly soft. she reclined comfortably, watching the bustling crowds on Yong’an Street through the large window.
The carriage moved very smoothly, earning Luo Shangyu’s praise. “As expected of a royal carriage of the Chengji Empire.”
“The two of you head back to the East Palace first. I need to go to the Imperial Palace to stabilize the situation. I’m worried about political changes during my absence,” Yin An said.
“Fine,” Qin Yu nodded.
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the palace gates. After Yin An got out, the carriage continued toward the East Palace with Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.