Chapter 239 : The Princess
Chapter 239: The Princess
“Many thanks to Senior for rescuing us.”
Jiang Yingxue, still pale with lingering fear, supported the heavily injured cross-dressing Chen Ming. She raised her hands respectfully toward the sky, her demeanor extremely reverent.
To scare a First Grade Inspector of the Six Doors Authority into fleeing on the spot—there was no need to even ask about the rescuer’s identity.
A master of the Divine Repository Realm, a supreme powerhouse!
She said, “May I ask Senior to leave your esteemed name? In the future, this junior will surely report to the elders of my family so they can personally thank Senior.”
That voice replied lazily, “If you must give thanks, thank our Princess instead.”
Princess?
Jiang Yingxue was momentarily stunned. Could it be her?
Just then, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind.
“Miss Jiang, how did you end up in such a sorry state?”
She turned around and saw a luxurious carriage approaching from the direction of Jiangzhou City. A young woman stuck her head out from within—the recently renowned Princess Mingyu of Jiangzhou.
Jiang Yingxue quickly bowed.
“So it was Princess Mingyu who saved us. We’re truly grateful. If not for you, we would’ve been finished.”
She had met this princess once before but was not very familiar with her.
Princess Mingyu leapt lightly out of the carriage. In a flash, she appeared before the two. She wore a set of purple palace robes, which made the strikingly beautiful young woman seem even more stately and regal. It was a unique air of nobility that only a family of imperial blood could cultivate.
Behind her, an elderly matron followed like a shadow, standing a few feet away with her head bowed, looking rather unremarkable.
Princess Mingyu’s smile was warm and approachable.
“Miss Jiang, there’s no need for such formality. Just last month I visited Elder Jiang and received some of his guidance. There’s no need for us to be so distant.”
She had said “Elder” and not “Senior,” meaning the person she met was a Jiang Family elder of the Divine Repository Realm.
She then asked with concern, “Sister, what happened to you? Why are you in such a state?”
Jiang Yingxue’s eyes immediately reddened, and she said aggrievedly, “I was careless for a moment and was abducted by villains. Fortunately, this elder sister saved me, otherwise… I…”
As she spoke, tears were about to fall.
Princess Mingyu’s expression flashed with pity, and she scolded, “Which madman was so bold as to abduct you? Don’t worry. I’ll go with you to find Lord Pan and have that villain captured and chopped into pieces.”
Jiang Yingxue sobbed, “That… villain… has already been killed by elder sister… Thank you for your kindness, Princess…”
Princess Mingyu’s beautiful eyes turned to the woman beside her. She saw a tall, strikingly beautiful figure whose brows held a wild and aggressive air rarely seen in women. Her eyes lit up.
“And how should I address elder sister?”
“Yuan Ziyi of the Xingyue Sect. I greet Your Highness.”
“Xingyue Sect?”
Princess Mingyu thought for a moment.
“That sect, I haven’t heard of before.”
Yuan Ziyi gave a bitter smile.
“Our sect has long since declined. All our masters were murdered by traitors. Now only one senior sister of mine remains, wandering the world, separated by the ends of the earth.”
“Ah, I’m sorry to have brought up elder sister Yuan’s sad memories.” Princess Mingyu said apologetically. “I see elder sister is badly injured. Why not ride in my carriage into the city?”
Jiang Yingxue hurriedly said, “We wouldn’t dare trouble Princess. You’re returning to Qingfeng City, aren’t you?”
“It’s no trouble. I suddenly remembered something I must attend to back there. Let’s go.”
Since she’d said so, the two naturally couldn’t refuse.
…
Princess Mingyu’s carriage was very large. Even with three people inside, it didn’t feel cramped.
Yuan Ziyi sat meditating, eyes closed, circulating her energy to heal her wounds.
Princess Mingyu chatted with Jiang Yingxue.
“That First Grade Inspector from Xiazhou’s Six Doors Authority—why was he chasing you?”
At this, Jiang Yingxue grew indignant.
“That bastard was truly vile. He was originally after the villain who abducted me, but fell into an ambush. All his men were killed. Left alone and unable to explain himself upon return, he tried to capture me and elder sister Yuan as witnesses.”
“I see.”
Princess Mingyu understood. She was not some sheltered young lady of the inner palace. She knew well that certain individuals in the Six Doors Authority were indeed capable of such conduct.
She then asked about something else.
“By the way, last time you asked me about Chen Ming. Do you perhaps have some connection with him?”
A hint of shyness flashed across Jiang Yingxue’s face.
“Sister, don’t tease me. What connection could I possibly have with him?”
It was like the saying, “A guilty conscience betrays itself.”
Princess Mingyu suddenly turned serious.
“No matter what relation you have with Chen Ming, you must not inquire about him again. If you see him, you’d best run as far as you can.”
Jiang Yingxue resisted the urge to glance at “Yuan Ziyi” and asked, “Why is that?”
“This matter is confidential and shouldn’t be told to you. But—never mind.” Princess Mingyu said, “On that day in the Fire Element Secret Realm, there was a tremendous incident. I personally saw him possessed by the divine soul of the Undying Demon Venerable.”
“What?!”
Jiang Yingxue was shocked, eyes wide. “That—how could that be?”
She’d heard the rumor but thought it far too outrageous to believe. The Undying Demon Venerable was a great devil who had wreaked havoc a thousand years ago. How could he take an interest in a mere Third Grade like Chen Ming?
Princess Mingyu said, “I saw it with my own eyes. Later, I inquired about it. Over a hundred years ago, the seal suppressing the Undying Demon Venerable loosened, and a wisp of his fragmented soul escaped. The experts of the Heaven’s Path Alliance pursued it all the way to Qingfeng City.
“That wisp of soul hid inside the Fire Element Secret Realm. The Heaven’s Path Alliance stationed people there for fifty years, believing it had dissipated, and only then withdrew. Who would have thought there was a long-lived fire flood dragon in that secret realm, and that wisp of soul had parasitized it and survived to this day…”
Jiang Yingxue was dumbstruck.
Princess Mingyu spoke earnestly,
“Miss Jiang, this is only our second meeting, so forgive me for speaking frankly. But even if Chen Ming is still alive now, he’s no longer the person he once was. You must not trust him and bring harm upon yourself.”
Jiang Yingxue muttered in protest,
“That Undying Demon Venerable was only a fragment of a soul, and trapped for over a hundred years. Maybe he couldn’t possess him?”
Princess Mingyu sighed,
“You don’t understand the terror of the Undying Demon Venerable. Back then, to destroy this great devil, countless martial artists perished. It was the greatest calamity in two thousand years. You must not take chances.”
Jiang Yingxue lowered her head and said no more.
After that, Princess Mingyu also fell silent. The carriage rolled straight into the Sea-Calming King’s secondary estate.
This was a residence the Sea-Calming King had built in Jiangzhou City years ago. It had been abandoned for twenty years, only recently cleaned and refurbished for habitation.
Soon, members of the Jiang Family rushed over and took Jiang Yingxue and “Yuan Ziyi” away.
Before parting, Princess Mingyu specially reminded her,
“You must not tell anyone you were in the hands of kidnappers, not even your kin. It would damage your reputation.”
Jiang Yingxue naturally agreed.
“Thank you for the reminder, Princess. I know what’s at stake.”
…
The Jiang Family’s main base was not in Jiangzhou City, but they did have holdings there. The local affairs were overseen by one of Jiang Yingxue’s grand-uncles, himself a First Grade cultivator.
Upon seeing his grandniece, Jiang Yingxue immediately poured out the whole story of her ordeal, completely ignoring Princess Mingyu’s warning.
That Jiang Family First Grade was so enraged he nearly tore the house down. That a legitimate daughter of the Jiang Family could be abducted within Jiangzhou’s borders—this was an intolerable humiliation. He wished he could draw his sword and hack those insolent villains to pieces.
Upon hearing that his grandniece had been saved by the woman named Yuan Ziyi, he quickly offered her his thanks.
Thus, Chen Ming temporarily stayed at the Jiang Family estate, recuperating from his injuries while contemplating his next move.
For now, this calamity seemed to have passed.
This time, it had all been thanks to that Tortoiseshell, which had foreseen the form of the coming tribulation.
Otherwise, whether he could have survived it was uncertain.
In any case, he had decided to continue operating under the identity of Yuan Ziyi for the time being. With Jiang Yingxue’s endorsement, no one should suspect his true identity.
The only concern was Du Rusong—that man most likely wouldn’t give up.
“I and Yingxue ran so far, yet he still caught up. He must have some special tracking method.”
Chen Ming thought of the small black mouse on Du Rusong’s shoulder.
“Could it be that spirit beast?”
Thinking of this, his heart grew heavy.
To be hunted by a First Grade expert, especially one hidden in the dark with a way to track his location at any time—one-sided transparency—just imagining it felt like a giant stone pressing on his chest. The pressure was immense.
A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
“I must find a way to eliminate this man.”
Otherwise, living constantly in fear was no solution.
At present, he had successfully broken through to Second Grade, killed Xie Jianqiu, and gained two million experience points. The problem was that to break through to First Grade, he needed fifty million!
That meant he’d have to kill twenty-five First Grades.
The higher the level, the more experience required, naturally making advancement slower than before.
With each increase in realm, the number of martial artists dropped by an entire order of magnitude.
In a place like Jiangzhou City, there might be dozens of Third Grades, but fewer than ten Second Grades, and even fewer First Grades.
This meant finding opponents of the same rank to spar with was much harder.
Second Grade experts were the pillars and core figures of major powers. Without great connections, they wouldn’t casually spar with others.
Chen Ming couldn’t help but miss the Six Doors Authority. The position of prison warden there had truly been a divine job for him.
If only he could rejoin the Six Doors Authority.
As he was thinking this, a knock came at the door.
“Elder Sister Yuan, I’ve come to see you.”
It was Jiang Yingxue.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Jiang Yingxue stepped inside in new clothes. She told the maids behind her, “Wait outside. I have private words with elder sister.”
After dismissing the maids, she closed the door and sat beside him, teasing,
“Elder Sister Yuan, are you comfortable living here?”
She had clearly just bathed. Her face was soft and pink, her skin delicate, and she carried a faint, pleasant fragrance. The bright liveliness unique to young maidens shone all the more alluringly in her gaze.
Chen Ming said blandly, “Did you forget what Princess Mingyu just said? Yet you dare come so close. Aren’t you afraid I’ll seize your soul and turn you into a walking corpse who obeys only me?”
Jiang Yingxue took his hand and pressed it to her cheek, gazing at him dreamily.
“Brother Chen, don’t you know? My soul was already taken by you long ago. With just a curl of your finger, I’ll do anything you say…”
“…”
This little girl was getting bolder and bolder.