Chapter 47: Encountering a Princess's Generous Trade on the Road, Despite All Efforts, It's Unsuccessful...
The land is divided into nine regions, seven of which are occupied by humans. The seventh region is adjacent to the Demon Realm and is covered by snow all year round, as if winter is eternal.
The further you go, the more humid the climate becomes, and the more waterways there are.
In the fourth area, at the waters where the two sides meet, the weather is perfect, and the sun is warm.
A woman draped in a feather cloak stood before the river, pacing back and forth. Her eyebrows were thick, her features somewhat deep-set, and her black hair was tied up high. When she crossed her arms and looked at the vast river, her gaze was sharp, reflecting the rolling waves and a hesitant expression.
After a few moments' hesitation, she stopped, whistled to summon a falcon, and turned to say behind her, "Let's go!"
Behind her, several squads of soldiers stood silently. Five men stepped forward and followed her, intending to board the boats moored on the riverbank. These five men were tall, with arms as strong as logs, covered in soft armor, and their steps were steady and powerful, displaying the demeanor of well-trained soldiers.
"I will go ahead and scout out the situation inside the city. Please keep an eye out for messengers."
As the woman finished speaking and was about to board the boat, a shout suddenly came from behind her—
"Your Highness!"
She turned to look and saw the army parting to bring two people under guard, accompanied by two soldiers, each holding a sword. They were two young women; one had black hair and wore white, and even with her hands bound behind her back, she remained composed and calm; the other, whose features were already quite flamboyant, possessed a pair of bright golden eyes, and two dark blue ribbons fluttered on her tight-fitting clothes, giving her a rather dashing appearance. When they were a few steps away, they stopped along with the soldiers, and finally looked up, fixing their gaze on her.
The woman with golden eyes first looked her up and down, then glanced at the boat moored on the water, and exclaimed, "Senior Sister, look, what a spacious boat! It's much better than the one we rode in before."
The woman in white beside her nodded and said, "That's true, things should be much more stable now."
The two men smiled, showing no sign of unease, which made the leader-like woman before her feel awkward. She frowned slightly and raised her voice, demanding, "Who are you two? Don't you know this place is sealed off? How did you manage to get in?"
“Blockade? But we’re in a hurry—” Shen Lixia raised an eyebrow, drawing out the last syllable, “Besides, the waters aren’t private property. Could it be that ‘Your Highness’ is a prince of the Southern Kingdom in this region? But I don’t seem to have heard of such a thing.”
"We are cultivators who have come to carry out a mission for our sect. We are passing through the four regions and do not concern ourselves with worldly affairs. We hope Your Highness will allow us to pass."
Qiao Yan felt the resentment in Shen Lixia's eyes, as if she were saying, "Why are you undermining me again?" She turned her face away, pretending not to notice. Everyone around addressed the woman in front of her as "Your Highness," clearly indicating that she was of high status, so she followed suit.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the word "cultivator," the woman's eyes lit up. After carefully circling around them for a moment, she pondered for a while, then drew a dagger from her waist and decisively cut the hemp ropes binding their hands. Shen Lixia moved her wrists, rubbing the red marks left by the ropes. The pale red quickly faded, and after a moment, not a trace could be seen.
As expected of someone at the Foundation Establishment stage, even without long-term training, their physical constitution already possesses extraordinary self-healing abilities. If the Qi Refining stage is essentially the same as an ordinary person's, only with more strength and self-healing methods, then the Foundation Establishment stage is already a level above ordinary people, capable of easily healing various surface wounds.
They had traveled this far, mindful of conserving some of their spiritual energy, so they used half their time to fly on their swords and the other half to rely on various means of transportation in the human world—she had read very little about this before, so she was slightly surprised to learn that this place already had a relatively complete transportation system. However, for some reason, she was exceptionally unlucky today; as soon as she sheathed her sword and continued on her way, she was surrounded by several tall women wearing soft armor, who, without asking where they were going or why they came, simply tied their hands behind their backs.
Qiao Yanshen immediately sent a telepathic message telling her not to struggle and to assess the situation before taking action. Shen Lixia, who was about to raise her hand, instinctively withdrew it before she could react, obediently surrendering. The two were then obediently brought before this imposing man.
The woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why didn't you struggle earlier? That sword aura was extraordinary; the two immortal masters could have easily dealt with my soldiers."
The woman in white smiled slightly and replied, "Of course, it's to show Your Highness that we have no hostility."
Moreover, they did indeed need a boat to cross the water. This place was at the border between two domains, and after being blocked off, it was difficult to find other roads. Flying on swords would also consume spiritual energy. The journey was long, taking a whole week. In addition, there were rumors that Vietnam was in chaos in the Seven Domains. Their cultivation had only reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Without Tang Huairou in the team this time, they naturally had to act carefully and discreetly.
The soft armor beneath her feather cloak rustled slightly with her movements. The woman turned her dagger and sheathed it at her waist. Her gaze swept over the woman before her, who was clearly older. The other woman was dressed in pristine white, her face gentle and graceful, her eyes calm and clear like frozen lake water, giving one a sense of security and inspiring a desire to trust her.
At her signal, the soldier beside her returned the weapon to her. The longsword was put into her bosom, the blade clearly hidden in the sheath, yet a cold glint flashed within it.
Since that's the case, let's give it a try.
Qiao Yanshen had just tied his sword to his waist when a hand reached out. The hand had thick calluses and several scars on its fingers, and the knuckles protruded, indicating great strength. It was the hand of someone who practiced martial arts.
"Qin Shiying, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She lowered her eyes, took the other person's hand, and said, "Nice to meet you."
The woman's brows were gentle as autumn water, her eyes were full of smiles, and her dark hair cast thin shadows. Combined with her snow-white clothes, when she looked up, Qin Shiying's breath caught in his throat. He even forgot to withdraw his hand immediately, and his gaze seemed to freeze into a tangible form.
But his gaze was immediately cut off, and his hand was released and grabbed by another person with such force that even someone who had practiced martial arts for many years felt a slight dull pain.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Shen Lixia stepped between the two, forcefully shaking their clasped hands with a forced smile. "Let's get down to business."
The river flowed gently, and the boat moved slowly forward, rippling the water. Qin Shiying sat on the edge of the boat, constantly on guard for any movement around him, never letting his guard down.
A falcon perched on the roof of the cabin, carefully preening its feathers.
Seeing her tense, Shen Lixia reached out and picked up a thin leaf that had fallen on the boat, and said lazily, "Your Highness, there is no need to be so nervous. My senior sister has already used her spiritual power to probe the surroundings. She will be able to detect any movement immediately."
The three of them were talking just now, and two of them showed their sect tokens, confirming their identities as cultivators.
What's meant to happen will happen; being overly cautious only leads to timidity. While Qiao Yanshen's words advocated letting things take their natural course, Shen Lixia's approach was more direct—
"If you're destined to die, you'll die eventually; there's no escaping it. A thousand schemes are no match for a hole in your forehead."
Seeing their frankness, and having already met many soldiers, Qin Shiying changed her story, revealing that she was the eldest daughter of the royal family of the Southern Kingdom of the Third Domain, and that she was going to personally investigate the situation inside the imperial city, and would lead the army into the city in advance.
Shen Lixia sensed something amiss and said knowingly, "Are you planning a rebellion?"
"What do you mean by rebellion? It was originally mine." The woman frowned, as if recalling many past events, and her voice carried a hint of displeasure.
Qiao Yanshen seemed to be deep in thought, and only spoke up after they finished speaking: "The books I read before did record that women had been emperors in the Southern Kingdom for generations and held great power... But for some reason, in the last three generations, men suddenly began to rule, and the country's strength has declined instead of increased. Originally spanning two regions, it can now only live in one side."
Hearing her explanation, Qin Shiying's eyes darkened, his fists clenched, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "The previous Empress's momentary compassion was met with these ungrateful wretches taking advantage of my kindness. My mother did everything in her power to send me away from the Southern Kingdom to live in the border region of the Seventh Domain."
She looked at the female soldier rowing the boat, "Now that I have returned with my troops, I not only have soldiers who support the Queen Mother, but also valiant cavalry from the snowy plains. They guard the edge of the Third Domain, waiting for their chance to strike."
Their gazes fell on the female soldier along with hers, and they realized that she was exceptionally tall, with deep-set eyes and a sharp, piercing gaze. Her cheekbones were high, and although her skin was fair, it was exceptionally thick, like a well-built snow beast that had been tempered by wind and snow. Her breathing was steady and long.
For some reason, it feels somewhat familiar, reminding me of...
Before he could even register the familiarity, Qin Shiying continued, "However, this route is bound to leak information. The royal family's governance is incompetent, yet they have spies everywhere and cultivate many secret guards to maintain their rule. Therefore, I hope that the two immortal masters can escort me back to the city."
"Reward?" Shen Lixia asked directly, without any formalities.
Although this is a good thing, since the person in front of us has the ability to command troops, he must be extremely capable and wealthy, otherwise it would be difficult to form such a besieging army.
Moreover, the added benefit makes people feel more at ease. Good intentions that seem too cheap are more likely to arouse suspicion.
The princess before him was clearly prepared: "In the royal library, there is a fragment that may be worthless to ordinary people, but it could be of great use to cultivators."
"What fragment?"
Qin Shiying's expression became slightly more solemn, and his voice lowered, suddenly adding a touch of mystery: "The Four Spirits Scroll - Vermilion Bird Chapter, incomplete copy."
Before the two could react, she continued her introduction.
The Southern Kingdom originally used the Vermilion Bird as its royal emblem, and its deity was also known as the Lingguang Divine Lord. This was because legend had it that before the separation of heaven and earth, this place was where the Vermilion Bird once resided, leaving behind a trace of the divine bird's aura. Therefore, the summers were exceptionally bright and hot, and various birds and beasts roamed here. Furthermore, the women, protected by the Lingguang Divine Lord, were quick-witted, knowledgeable in military affairs, strong and skilled in battle, and full of vitality.
Although the text of the incomplete scroll of the Four Symbols was obscure and difficult to decipher, it was identified as a relic from the ancient times. For a long time, only one person deciphered its title, declaring it to be related to the Four Symbols, thus saving it from being buried under a pavilion. Therefore, despite its unrecognizable nature, this incomplete scroll was carefully protected and regarded as a divine token.
But everything changed after the man seized power. At least as far as she knew, the surviving scrolls were no longer revered as national treasures, but were instead discarded in the library, gathering dust.
"In addition, most cultivators born in the Southern Kingdom have fire spiritual roots, enjoy spicy food, and have passionate personalities. However, I have been away for more than ten years and do not know how the country has developed during this time. The letter I wrote is too pale, so it would be better to see for myself."
Shen Lixia listened attentively, exchanging glances and communicating telepathically with Qiao Yanshen. Finally, they reached an agreement and cheerfully declared, "Deal!"
“But there is one additional condition,” Qiao Yanshen added. “If Your Highness allows us to… inspect the late emperor’s tomb and search for any necessary information among the burial objects, then we can escort Your Highness until this matter is concluded and everything is settled.”
Three distinctive question marks suddenly appeared above Qin Shiying's head.
tomb?
So they're going to dig up her ancestors' graves!
No, no, that's impolite, absolutely not.
Seeing the obvious refusal in her eyes, Shen Lixia smiled meaningfully, "We can not only escort you, but also help you..."
She paused, then said, word by word, "Clean house."
"...Do we really need to go this far?" Qiao Yanshen asked telepathically, a slight hesitation in his voice. "We are cultivators..."
"The eldest sister even smashed up someone's tomb chamber before..."
"Okay, actually I didn't smash it, I set it on fire... Never mind, if Li Xia thinks it's necessary, then I'll go with you."
Qin Shiying hesitated, then shook his head and answered tentatively, "Wait, let me think about it for a while longer."
Shen Lixia nodded, knowing that this matter could not be rushed, and did not rush to ask the other party for consent.
"By the way, my current identity is that of an official entering the court. When the immortal masters enter the city, they can simply address me as 'Sir,' so as not to cause too much of a stir. I will also disguise myself later."
My lord...
Qiao Yanshen looked away, a few strange thoughts quickly popping into his mind, but he quickly suppressed them one by one.
She should read fewer storybooks.
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