Chapter 29: Anomaly

The man at the front wore a dark robe and carried himself with extreme arrogance.

Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu hurried out of the camp gate, only to find that the soldiers had already surrounded the newcomers.

Qin Yu noticed the badge on the man’s chest that read: “Lingyan Pavilion First Special Operations Group Leader.”

“Who are you…?”

“I am Li Xun, leader of the Lingyan Pavilion First Special Operations Group! Zhong Chang Gong, the imperial edict is here—come receive it!” Li Xun’s tone was arrogant, and the soldiers in the camp eyes glimmered with anger.

Qin Yu took the edict and froze the moment she read its contents: the edict ordered the arrest of Zhong Chang Gong’s impostor—herself!

Before Qin Yu could react, Li Xun snatched the edict back and displayed it to the surrounding soldiers.

“This ‘Zhong Chang Gong’ is a fake—seize him quickly!”

The soldiers immediately erupted into chatter.

“Is this for real?”

“Brother Zhong has been acting strange today…”

“Are we going to make a move?”

“Can we trust this guy?”

While confusion filled the air, Li Xun activated his mana.

The Imperial Seal stamped on the edict radiated a powerful magical energy that enveloped everyone present.

“What is this…” the soldiers sensed an oppressive aura emanating from the edict.

“His Majesty orders the arrest of the criminal—no one else shall be questioned!” Li Xun shouted loudly.

Seeing that some soldiers still hesitated, Li Xun pulled out a handful of copper coins.

“One hundred copper coins as a reward for capturing them!”

At the sight of the money, the soldiers eagerly closed in, encircling Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.

Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu exchanged a glance.

Both pulled out a bottle of potion from their pockets and downed it in one gulp.

Almost instantly, the potion took effect, and their appearances shifted dramatically.

Hair spilled out from under their hats, revealing the curves of their bodies and feminine allure.

Qin Yu shook her head, her long white hair flowing smoothly.

“Finally, I can shed this damn disguise!” Qin Yu sighed, running her hand through her hair.

She turned to look at Luo Shangyu, whose hair had transformed into golden locks, her figure now normal and her chest visibly prominent beneath her clothing.

A stunning transformation. The soldiers stared in shock.

Li Xun shouted, “See? They’ve been disguised all along!”

The soldiers snapped to attention, no longer doubting Li Xun’s words.

They drew their short swords.

Qin Yu stared at the flashing blades.

She had never faced real combat before, and her legs trembled at the sight.

Suddenly, a hand gripped Qin Yu’s slightly trembling hand.

Warmth and unwavering resolve surged into her mind.

It was Luo Shangyu.

Qin Yu turned to look at her and realized Luo Shangyu had, without her noticing, donned the armor of an officer.

This was the first time Qin Yu had seen Luo Shangyu in such armor, and she found herself captivated.

‘So fierce…’ Qin Yu marveled, ‘It’s like she…’

Suddenly, Qin Yu realized what she was thinking and blushed deeply.

“Why are you blushing?” Luo Shangyu asked curiously.

“Ahem, nothing…” Qin Yu shyly replied and quickly changed the subject.

“What’s that outfit? I’ve never seen it before.”

“This is the armor of the Palace Commander,” Luo Shangyu explained.

“Armor, huh? It really suits you!”

“You two, surrender immediately!” Li Xun roared.

Qin Yu ended her private moment with Luo Shangyu and refocused on the immediate crisis.

Seeing that her identity was now exposed, Qin Yu decided to stop pretending.

She stepped forward, producing her token as Crown Princess—the Crown Princess’s emblem—and showed it to everyone.

The token was a rectangular gold plaque, engraved with dragon patterns around the edges forming a magic conduit array.

In the center was inscribed: “Crown Princess Qin Yu of the Chengji Empire.”

This sudden reversal caught everyone off guard.

Li Xun was equally shocked; nowhere in his mission was it mentioned that the impostor was the Crown Princess herself!

No choice now—he had accepted the task and was determined to complete it, even at the cost of his life.

With grim resolve, Li Xun raised his magic staff threateningly.

“Impersonating the Crown Princess is a capital offense punishable by extermination of nine clans!”

Qin Yu let out a cold laugh and channeled her mana into the Crown Princess’s emblem.

A force field radiated from the token, pressing down on Li Xun and the soldiers.

The pressure was so great that the soldiers couldn’t lift their blades and dropped their weapons one after another.

Li Xun himself was overwhelmed by the immense aura.

He lost control and “thud”—knelt on the ground.

The situation reversed instantly.

The once overconfident Li Xun knelt, begging repeatedly, “Spare me, spare me!”

Everyone present immediately recognized Qin Yu’s true identity and dropped to their knees in respect.

“Please forgive us for our insolence, Your Highness the Crown Princess!”

Although no one understood why Qin Yu had impersonated Zhong Chang Gong, no one dared offend the Crown Princess.

Qin Yu didn’t press charges against the soldiers and strode toward Li Xun and asked, “Who sent you?”

Her tone was cold, and Li Xun didn’t dare meet her gaze.

“It was… Vice Minister of War Guo Qing…” Li Xun answered with a quivering voice, his previous arrogance completely gone.

‘So he’s the mastermind,’ Qin Yu thought.

“Bind him up!” Luo Shangyu ordered the soldiers, pointing at Li Xun.

“Yes!”

***

Night had fallen deep, and in the vast Yude Hall, only Qin Ling and Yin An sat close together, discussing the Empire’s future.

When Qin Ling was still a prince, he had been diligent and a model royal, which ultimately secured him the throne.

However, after ascending, he grew decadent and indulgent.

Now gravely ill, he had finally found the resolve to govern with the vigor of his princely days.

After concluding the last topic with Yin An, Qin Ling exhaled deeply.

The exhaustion from continuous work had worsened his already frail condition.

Suddenly, Qin Ling raised a concern, “Minister, do you think the Crown Princess might encounter danger while suppressing the rebellion?”

As Qin Yu’s father, Qin Ling worried about her safety, and his recent toil was to ensure she could smoothly inherit the Empire.

“Your Majesty need not worry,” Yin An replied.

“The Crown Princess is quick-witted. The Yang brothers are mere buffoons who will crumble before her.”

Qin Ling still felt uneasy and asked, “What if they have a hidden trump card?”

“That’s not a concern either. Luo Shangyu will protect the Crown Princess.”

“Luo Shangyu? The new Palace Commander appointed by the Crown Princess?” Qin Ling’s interest piqued.

“You seem to have a good impression of her!”

“Yes. Her strength is close to Level Eight, surpassing even mine by far.”

“Oh? Stronger than you? If she were disloyal, that would be a disaster!”

“No need to worry,” Yin An said mysteriously.

“Rumor has it their relationship is quite unusual.”

“Is that so? Tell me more!”

“This comes from the Crown Princess’s Maid…” Yin An began to narrate.

Qin Ling listened with great interest and asked, “So the Crown Princess truly has feelings for her, as the Maid said?”

“That’s hard to say, but they get along sweetly, like lovers.”

“Hm, as long as she’s happy. I think they’re a good match…” Qin Ling stroked his beard.

“If the Crown Princess finds true love, this old father can die content.”

“However…” Yin An warned, “the Crown Princess seems to be the one suffering in this relationship…”

“Seems?” Qin Ling frowned.

“Why ‘seems’?”

“Because they don’t appear to have realized their bond goes beyond friendship…”

“So they’re not officially together?” Qin Ling bellowed, displeased and frustrated with Qin Yu’s stubbornness.

“She’s so dense! Just get together already!”

His gossiping face full of disappointment, “Not together yet? Sleeping in the same bed is just sleeping? Hurry up and get close! Beautiful girls should be close!”

***

“Ah-choo!” Qin Yu suddenly sneezed.

“Caught a cold?” Luo Shangyu asked with concern.

“No. Maybe someone’s talking bad about me again…”

It was now midnight.

Qin Yu stood at the camp tent entrance, Luo Shangyu by her side, ten fully equipped soldiers behind them.

Qin Yu led these ten soldiers onto a small boat already waiting by the riverbank, preparing to drift downstream and launch a surprise night attack on Jing City.

***

On Jing City’s walls, the garrison soldiers had noticed troops constantly entering Qin Yu’s camp that evening.

Their morale faltered, and their vigilance slackened.

The on-duty soldier leaned against the battlements, dozing lightly and snoring softly.

Inside the city tower, Marshal Yang Wei and Marshal Yang Dan were fast asleep.

Last night’s feast had been indulgent; both were drunk beyond consciousness.

***

Qin Yu’s small boat drifted down the Jing River, navigating bend after bend toward Jing City.

The soldiers on board wore armor, wielded magic-conducting guns, carried magic bombs, and had short swords at their waists—all heavily armed.

There was even a magic-conducting cannon on board, caliber seventy-five millimeters.

Though vastly outnumbered, the soldiers were filled with high spirits.

After all, this was their first time engaging with such a stunning Crown Princess.

Maintaining morale was essential.

Besides, the Empire’s Crown Princess was personally leading this suicide squad’s raid.

How could they not be moved?

The Crown Princess was the heir to the throne, the future emperor.

Even the emperor charged ahead—what reason did ordinary soldiers have to hesitate?

With these thoughts, the team’s combat power was unprecedented.

A boatload of soldiers charged toward Jing City.

The city gates soon appeared directly ahead…