Qin Zhaoyue was dumbfounded. What happened? How did her merit points get cleared?

That shouldn't be the case. Although she wasn't good enough to advance, she should have accumulated quite a bit of merit. Could it be that this cheat system would secretly pocket her merits?

After confirming it many times, Qin Zhaoyue had no choice but to accept the fact, and she already had some guesses.

Judging from Yin Zhe and Liu Yan's expressions, it's absurd that her true energy can heal injuries; it must be beyond the realm of the ordinary.

She clearly still had some true energy left in her body, but suddenly lost the healing effect. Could it be because this effect requires the consumption of merit points?

The more Qin Zhaoyue thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Saving lives accumulates merit, and merit can be used to save lives—it's all perfectly logical and creates a complete loop, isn't it?

Qin Zhaoyue opened her eyes, her face looking very pale.

Tsk... I should have known better than to save that good-for-nothing Pei Xueqiao; maybe that would have been just enough to save my elder sister.

The problem is somewhat tricky because the merits of flood control and disaster relief are not calculated in real time.

Based on previous experience, merit points will only be awarded upon departure if one successfully completes disaster relief work in a given location.

Huff... huff...

After taking a few deep breaths, Qin Zhaoyue wiped her face.

"Your Highness, is there anything you need? Are you feeling unwell? Let me get you a campfire to warm you up."

Sui Mo was surprised to see the Sixth Princess come out of the tent again shortly after entering.

Qin Zhaoyue shook her head. This awful weather! It'll dry out in a little while and then get soaked again.

"Gather everyone, I have something to say."

After saying that, he went to the eldest princess's sanctuary again, asking, "How long can my eldest sister hold on?"

Neither of them expected her to return so quickly. After a few moments of silence, Liu Yan spoke:

"Thanks to His Highness's intervention, his injuries have improved somewhat. So... in about two or three days?"

Liu Yan wasn't absolutely certain and could only give an approximate timeframe.

"This is a poison of life force. Your Highness's treatment has loosened the binding of the Princess's true energy and life force somewhat, but it is not complete."

Even with my power suppressing it, this connection continued to infiltrate relentlessly, only the rate of deterioration was brought under control.

My guess is that unless the toxins are completely eliminated in one go, life cannot be truly awakened.

Qin Zhaoyue sighed, realizing that saving her elder sister required not only controlling the floods but also accumulating enough merit points.

She looked intently at Yin Zhe beside her, "I need you to believe me."

Yin Zhe cupped his hands in greeting, "Sixth Prince, please speak."

"To save my elder sister, we must first control the floods," Qin Zhaoyue said, waving her hand. "Don't ask why, I can't explain it."

In order to save people, she has already exposed a lot. If it weren't for the need for the cooperation of the Xuanji Guard, she would never have gone to this point.

The atmosphere inside the shelter suddenly became heavy.

They clearly had the power to save lives, yet they stopped halfway through, and now they're making this request...

Both of them were palace guards, and in an instant, they made many connections, such as the grand drama of power struggles among the imperial heirs.

The eldest princess is currently unconscious due to poisoning in the disaster relief team, and the fifth prince has been dispatched to Bailu Prefecture to distribute disaster relief grain.

If the Sixth Princess is determined to seize control of the narrative, now is the best time.

Could it be... like that?

Was his previous laziness all an act? Was he using the only way to save the princess to threaten them?

Yin Zhe did not avoid her gaze, meeting Qin Zhaoyue's eyes. After a few moments, he spoke, "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

She spoke, and Liu Yan had no choice but to suppress whatever thoughts she had.

Although both are commanders of the Xuanji Guard, their identities are ultimately different.

Qin Zhaoyue breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that from an outsider's perspective, this request was very strange.

He could use his inner energy to save people but he didn't. Instead, he was thinking of taking over his elder sister's job and insisted on stepping forward at this critical moment.

The silence just now was enough to show that perhaps the two people in front of them had already thought about the "struggle for the throne".

Heaven have mercy, Qin Zhaoyue truly had no such intention, but she couldn't explain any further.

"Complete the disaster relief and rescue work in Longmen County as quickly as possible, and then leave."

"Okay." Yin Zhe's answer was clean and concise, without any hesitation.

When she left the shelter, she followed behind Qin Zhaoyue.

Not far away, all the Imperial Guards had temporarily stopped what they were doing, and they had only managed to find a little over two hundred people.

Qin Zhaoyue stood beside the huge campfire, with Yin Zhe and Sui Mo following behind her on the left and right.

"I am in charge of directing the flood control efforts in Longmen County, and it must be completed within one day."

Liu Yan said it would take two or three days, but he couldn't be sure. Of course, the sooner the better.

After he finished speaking, the soldiers below fell silent.

Most of those remaining are imperial guards and the princess's personal guards. They are all bewildered by her "power grab," and even the deputy general who had previously followed Qin Zhaoyue has become instantly on guard.

The rain poured down, and the atmosphere suddenly became very strange; for a moment, no one answered.

Meng Jian frowned, immediately thinking of the struggle for the throne.

But the way the Sixth Princess has acted all this time... if it's all a disguise, then her scheming is far too terrifying.

No! He didn't think so. Could it be that the princess's injuries had reached a critical point?

Meng Jian wanted to stand up and offer his support, but his steps felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he couldn't take that step no matter what.

Because he represents not just himself, but the entire Meng family.

The Meng family's ancestral precepts dictate that one must never get involved in factional strife!

Meng Jian did not move, the princess's deputy general did not move, and naturally the imperial guards and personal guards did not move either.

The torrential rain lashed at the locust tree's feathery compound leaves, and the cracked bark, soaked with rainwater, flowed with winding tear tracks in its deep brown ravines.

The moment lightning cleaved through the clouds, the water droplets on the leaves reflected an eerie blue light, as if the entire locust forest had suddenly opened a million cold pupils.

Standing opposite each other, they seemed to have truly become two sides, silently confronting each other.

After saying a sentence, Qin Zhaoyue fell silent, having already anticipated this situation, which is why she sought out Yin Zhe first to explain.

She was waiting, waiting for Yin Zhe to step forward, reveal his identity as a member of the Xuanji Guard, and openly take over the disaster relief efforts in Longmen County.

But after waiting for a long time, several flashes of lightning passed by, but there was still no movement behind them.

What's going on? Did he change his mind at the last minute? Or did he not understand her hint?

That can't be right. Don't the Xuanji Guards have this much sensitivity?

At that moment, it was actually the Broken Ink on the left who stepped forward.

His eyebrows were like swords drawn from their sheaths, carving deep ravines between his brows. His nostrils twitched slightly, and his lips were pressed into a thin, almost broken thread.

His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist tightly, the veins on his knuckles showing through a spiderweb-like pattern from the excessive force.

When he raised his head, his eyes were full of determination...

[P.S.] Thank you everyone for reading, urging me to update, and sending gifts!

The data continues to drop sharply, ugh, it's tough, there's not enough to eat...

By the way, would you like to write and release one chapter at a time as before, or release them all at once?