Chapter 60 The enemy army is annihilated and the crown prince is captured; peace reigns on the frontier!

Then, the curtain was lifted by a slender, delicate hand.

A lantern hung beside the carriage, its soft light making the hand appear as if it were exquisitely carved from mutton-fat jade.

The Crown Prince of Yu's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth.

With such beautiful hands, the person inside must be a beauty!

He couldn't resist going forward to take a closer look, but was blocked by two young women on horseback in front of the carriage.

"May I ask your name, young lady? Who is your daughter?" The prince craned his neck, trying to get a clear look at the situation inside the carriage.

A soft laugh rang out, "Young lady? I'm already over forty, and my daughter is older than you."

The Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom was slightly taken aback.

By the light of the lanterns that shone into the carriage, he finally caught a glimpse of a face that looked like that of a celestial being.

Although she is no longer a young girl, she has a unique mature charm.

When he wanted to get a better look, the curtain was drawn.

A soft, gentle voice came from inside, "Alright, that counts as a meeting. No need for thanks. I have to continue my journey. Farewell."

The Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom's Adam's apple bobbed as wicked thoughts welled up in his mind.

If he doesn't take full advantage of a woman of such beauty, he'll truly be a wasted prince.

"Stop!" He raised his chin and glanced sideways at the others. "Do you know who I am?"

The coachman said politely, "We've only met by chance, and I hope this sir will—"

"I am the current Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom!" Seeing that the other party did not respond, the Crown Prince impatiently introduced himself.

The groom and the four sect leaders' attendants all showed expressions of surprise.

Seeing the five people's reaction, the Crown Prince of Yu said arrogantly, "Judging from your appearance and clothing, you must all be from the Central Plains, and perhaps even from Yu. Don't you kneel down and pay your respects to me, the Crown Prince?"

However, the five people remained motionless.

The Crown Prince of Yu frowned. "Such rudeness, do you want to die?"

Splash—

Several lieutenants and guards drew their long swords to bolster the crown prince's prestige.

"No wonder you look so arrogant despite your young age," the voice behind the carriage curtain turned slightly colder. "So you're the good-for-nothing crown prince of Yu Kingdom. Sorry, we're not from Yu Kingdom, so we don't need to give you face."

"How dare you!"

"presumptuous!"

The lieutenants rebuked them.

Despite having his soldiers backing him up, the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom was somewhat embarrassed and asked with a gloomy expression, "Could you be a person from Xuan Kingdom?"

"I suppose so," Sect Leader Ye said calmly, "but I am a member of the martial world and do not want to get involved in the conflict between the two countries. Don't go looking for trouble."

"What arrogance! How dare you threaten our Crown Prince?" a deputy general roared.

The Crown Prince of Yu's expression grew increasingly gloomy. "I was going to be polite to you because you're beautiful, but since you're so arrogant and rude, I have no choice but to take a hard line!"

"Go! Seize that carriage, along with the woman inside and the four horses, and take them all for me!"

"Kill the other five!"

At his command, the lieutenant and guards immediately drew their swords and surrounded the enemy.

The prince wanted that woman, and they happened to need a carriage to escort him.

It's just that these guys were both bold and unlucky; they were traveling in the middle of nowhere late at night when they ran into them.

At the same time, Xiao Qidi, carrying Ning Jinli across the ditch, had already followed the hoofprints to the vicinity.

Seeing that something was amiss, he did not reveal himself immediately, but pulled Ning Jinli behind a boulder.

By the moonlight, Ning Jinli saw that the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom's men were about to launch an attack, while the other side consisted of only four young women and an elderly groom.

She asked in a low voice, "Little brother, would you mind lending a hand?"

She was both worried about worsening Xiao Qidi's injuries and didn't want the five civilians to be killed.

With Xiao Qidi's skills, dealing with the remaining dozen or so people beside the Crown Prince of Yu should not be difficult.

It's a pity she doesn't know how to fight or has any martial arts skills, otherwise she would have gone herself.

"I don't need to do anything," Xiao Qidi replied quietly.

Ning Jinli said worriedly, "We can't just stand by and watch the Crown Prince of Yu kill him, can we?"

Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's already past midnight, yet those people dare to travel in this desolate wilderness. They didn't even flinch when facing the Crown Prince of Yu and his group. Do you think those five people are ordinary people?"

Ning Jinli muttered under her breath, "But even if they're not ordinary, they're facing elite soldiers in armor, not to mention some of them are generals..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of clashing swords rang out from the carriage.

When Ning Jinli peeked out again, she saw that the Yu Kingdom generals and guards were already lying in pools of blood.

She stared in surprise, her eyes widening.

"Such impressive martial arts skills," Xiao Qidi said in a deep voice. "Miss Ning, don't move here. I'll go and negotiate with them."

"Then be careful," Ning Jinli cautioned.

Xiao Qidi emerged from behind the stone, head held high, chest out, and strode confidently to the carriage.

"Gentlemen, I happen to be pursuing these people. I would be grateful if you could lend a hand." He bowed and asked, "Could you hand over the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom to me?"

The Crown Prince of Yu was terrified and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing another person appear and say they were chasing him, he quickly turned his head to look.

“Xiao…Xiao Qidi?!” he exclaimed instinctively.

A few years ago, when Xiao Qidi had just inherited the throne and held a investiture ceremony, the relationship between Yu Kingdom and Xuan Kingdom was relatively peaceful, and the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom attended the ceremony with the King.

He was deeply impressed by Xiao Qidi's extraordinary height and stunningly handsome appearance.

Although we only met once, five years later, I still recognized him at a glance.

"Oh? You are the Great Xuan King?" The coachman looked surprised, quickly got off the carriage, and bowed respectfully.

The other four young women also bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xiao Qidi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed these were all his people from the Great Xuan Kingdom.

The carriage curtain was quietly lifted a crack.

Sect Leader Ye peered through the crack at Xiao Qidi, who was not far away.

"So this is the future Emperor Xuanzu... He really is majestic and handsome," she muttered to herself, her eyes revealing a thoughtful look. "I wonder how that guy who went to the capital of Xuan Kingdom is doing now."

She sighed softly and lowered the curtain.

Then he raised his voice slightly, "Since the Great Xuan Lord wants this person, then take him away."

Xiao Qidi looked at the carriage, took a few steps closer, clasped his hands and said, "Thank you. May I ask who you are? I will reward you handsomely in the future."

"No need for a generous reward, it was just a small favor. We are Yuqi Mountain, Tian Shu Sect."

Master Ye replied, then said, "Old Liu, let's go."

"It's the sect leader." The coachman sat back down in front of the carriage.

Xiao Qidi watched the carriage procession slowly disappear into the night.

"Xiao... Xiao Qidi," the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom began tremblingly, "If you let me go, I... I promise that Yu Kingdom and your Xuan Kingdom will live in peace from now on..."

Xiao Qidi knocked him unconscious with a single punch and said coldly, "Only if you stay here can the Yu Kingdom truly be wary and dare not invade again."

Immediately, he dragged the Yu Kingdom's crown prince, who was like a dead dog, to the location where Ning Jinli was hiding, and casually recounted what had just happened.

Ning Jinli asked curiously, "What's the background of the Tian Shu Sect? Are their martial arts skills all very powerful?"

Xiao Qidi said, "I don't know either. Rumor has it that it's a sect that suddenly appeared in the martial arts world a few years ago. Its whereabouts are unpredictable and it's very mysterious. As for its martial arts, there must be some masters among them. Otherwise, given its reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness, it would have been wiped out by other sects long ago."

Ning Jinli said incredulously, "Even you say it's cruel and ruthless?"

Xiao Qidi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ahem..." Ning Jinli coughed lightly, "Well... aren't they nice people? They even helped you capture the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom. I saw them from afar just now, and they were all very polite to you. By the way, who's sitting in the carriage?"

"I don't know. Let's go, back to Xitun Pass." Xiao Qidi said coldly, no longer bothering to argue with her.

"Okay, little brother." Ning Jinli followed him eagerly.

After daybreak, Ning Jinli drove to Xitun Pass.

Xiao Qidi handed the captured Crown Prince of Yu over to his soldiers, who then imprisoned him.

Duan Wu and the others were overjoyed.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom, whom they lamented failing to capture last night, was actually brought back.

Moreover, His Majesty has returned, and Fairy Jinli has also arrived!

Duan Wu eagerly reported:

"Your Majesty, last night, the 170,000 elite troops of the Yu Kingdom fought dogfights with the barbarian army. Less than 40,000 were killed, 20,000 of whom were captured by us, and the rest of the defeated soldiers escaped."

"The barbarian army is in even worse shape, with only a few thousand left!"

"The barbarian commander brought these several thousand men to join us, saying that you sent him. I didn't believe him easily, so I've locked them all up for now."

After hearing this, Xiao Qidi nodded, "Well done."

"Your Majesty, what should we do with the prisoners of war from the Yu Kingdom and the thousands of barbarian soldiers?" Duan Wu asked.

Xiao Qidi said without changing his expression: "The 20,000 prisoners of war from the Yu Kingdom will be used to clean up the battlefield and bury the corpses. Then they will be used to reclaim wasteland and build roads for Xitun Pass and Linxian Village. Those who disobey will be killed. As for the barbarian soldiers—kill them all."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duan Wu accepted the order and left.

"Hiss..." Ning Jinli gasped for breath.

Xiao Qidi frowned. "What, do you have some brilliant idea?"

Ning Jinli shook her head. "No, you did the right thing. I just think that war is cruel."

Xiao Qidi said quietly, "It is precisely because war is so cruel that we must fight it, and we must win it."

“That’s right!” Ning Jinli looked steadily into his eyes. “Only when we all win can our country and nation achieve true stability and peace. Keep up the good work, I will absolutely support you in this regard!”

"Aren't you afraid something will happen to me?" Xiao Qidi said meaningfully.

Ning Jinli said irritably, "Can you please stop saying such unlucky things..."

Xiao Qidi smiled inexplicably and said calmly, "If it's something destined to happen, or something that has already happened for future generations, do you really think it can be changed? If you can't even understand this, you're quite foolish, Miss Ning..."

Ning Jinli's expression instantly turned serious.

This statement touched on a problem she had been trying to avoid.

Logically speaking, if she traveled to more than two thousand years ago through a time portal and wanted to change a historical event after learning about it, it would be impossible for her to succeed.

Because this would create a historical paradox.

In other words, if she really changed Xiao Qidi's fate of being replaced by a puppet, then this secret history would be as if it never existed. Therefore, she, who lived more than two thousand years later, could not have known about this from the beginning.

So, if she didn't know about this, why would she take any action because of it? And if she wouldn't take any action because of it, how could she possibly change the situation?

This has led to a vicious cycle of contradictions that are impossible to reconcile.

Ning Jinli was aware of this paradox of cause and effect.

But she dared not think about it in detail.

By the time they came to their senses, Xiao Qidi had already walked far away.

Watching the young king's retreating figure, Ning Jinli sighed softly and muttered to herself:

"I'm so stupid that I'm delusional enough to try to change something that can't be changed, but... what if, what if a miracle happens in this world? My mother once told me that as long as you live, you should have hope and a sense of beauty."

She took a few deep breaths and started walking after Xiao Qidi.

Xiao Qidi summoned his generals for a discussion, and Ning Jinli listened in from the side, but he didn't interfere.

"The Yu Kingdom's 200,000 elite troops have been completely wiped out. Its main force consists of only tens of thousands of guards in the royal city. It has suffered a severe blow and will not pose a threat to the western side of Da Xuan for at least three years," a general analyzed.

Duan Wu added, "Don't forget, we still have the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom held hostage here. Even if they recover their military strength, they won't dare to make any rash moves."

Li Yao nodded. "Yes. In addition, the entire military force of the Sha Yue Kingdom was wiped out, and they even broke ties with the Yu Kingdom because of it. Since then, they have been unable to invade the southwestern border of Da Xuan. Our western and southwestern borders of Da Xuan are finally at peace."

As they spoke, the generals were both happy and excited, and felt as if they were dreaming.

Not long ago, the Yu Kingdom's army breached Xitun Pass, and tens of thousands of people suffering from drought crowded into Linxian Village, where everyone felt they had reached a dead end.

As a result, these seemingly hopeless situations have all been resolved.

Thinking of all this, they all looked at Ning Jinli, who was standing silently in the corner.

The group exchanged glances, turned to face her, and bowed respectfully in unison, saying, "Fairy Jinli, please accept our bow."

Ning Jinli waved her hands repeatedly, "What's wrong with you all now...?"

"A few years of peace is not enough," Xiao Qidi said slowly. "I want to destroy the Yu Kingdom and the Sha Yue Kingdom to eliminate future troubles forever."

"Your Majesty is wise!" all the generals exclaimed in unison.

Ning Jinli frowned and couldn't help but interject, "They do need to be eliminated, but is there any need to rush?"

Xiao Qidi said calmly, "Did I say we were going to wipe them out now?"

Ning Jinli muttered, "I shouldn't have said anything, you scolded me again..."

A smile, which even he himself did not notice, flashed across Xiao Qidi's eyes. He then said seriously, "My beloved generals, next, let the soldiers and the people rest and recuperate, restore the livelihood of the people in the Xitun Pass and Linxian Village area, accumulate strength, and prepare for the future pacification of Yu Kingdom and Sha Yue."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the crowd replied.

"You may all step back," Xiao Qidi waved his hand.

The generals took their leave one by one. Duan Wu walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and turned back. "Your Majesty... there is something I don't know whether I should say."

Xiao Qidi took a sip of hot water and said, "Speak."

Duan Wu's expression was complicated as he slowly said, "Your Majesty... are you planning to return to the capital?"

Xiao Qidi's expression was somewhat intriguing. "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't? General Duan, what exactly are you trying to say?"