“A coachman’s main job is to carry items for the princess. Do not look at her, speak to her, and watch the surrounding people at all times…” Butler Seven gave Lu Yin a lot of instructions. Before long, Lu Yin went outside and saw Tang Si standing silently in front with a serene expression.
Lu Yin lowered his head and quietly moved to stand behind Tang Si. A few other coachmen followed his lead and stood beside Lu Yin.
Not long after, the princess walked out with a veil covering face and a maid following after her. She glanced at her surroundings curiously, as she hardly ever was allowed to step out of the house. If not for the king sensing her poor mood, he would not have let her out this time either.
Ming Yan cherished this opportunity to see the world. Even though Fan City was not big and could not compare to Shanhai City, it was still very exciting to her, and she was delighted with whatever she saw.
Tang Si closely followed behind Ming Yan and did not dare to move even half a step away from her. Lu Yin and the other coachmen followed closely behind, and all the items that the princess bought were given to them to carry.
Lu Yin was only five meters away from Ming Yan, but Tang Si stood in between the two. Lu Yin dared not approach them for fear that Tang Si would sense something off. Although Lu Yin’s Invisible Aura Technique was effective, he did not want to test its limits since he was not familiar with martial power.
While Ming Yan was happily strolling about the town, there was a hubbub of activity ahead of them, and Ming Yan was immediately drawn towards it.
Lu Yin and the rest hurriedly dispersed the people in her path and then looked inside the crowd. Lu Yin’s pupils shrank. What is this?
There were several burly men in front of them, and they had surrounded a woman and were loudly scolding her and even occasionally punching her. The people around them were all pointing at them, but no one dared to step forward and intervene.
Ming Yan pitied the woman and looked at her maid, who then went forward to stop them. Soon enough, the group of people was dispersed, and the bullied girl was brought to Ming Yan.
“Your humble servant Yue’er thanks Young Miss for her kindness in saving me,” the girl gratefully said as she kowtowed and expressed her thanks through tears.
Ming Yan could not bear the pitiful sight and immediately helped the girl up. “What’s the matter? Why was that group bullying you?”
“This servant came to Fan City to look for her relatives, but they were long gone when she arrived. This servant was even poisoned mid-journey and lost all of her cultivation. They even wanted to sell this servant to a brothel! If not for Young Miss, then this servant would have been done for.” Yue’er expressed her gratitude and then kneeled down again.
From behind Ming Yan, Tang Si suddenly grabbed Yue’er’s arm with a cold look. Ming Yan was angry. “Brother Tang Si, what are you doing?”
Yue’er looked at Tang Si in alarm.
Tang Si stared at Yue’er and then placed his thumb on her wrist. He palpated her pulse for a moment before releasing her hand. He then respectfully said, “Miss, this girl’s cultivation was not weak, but she was indeed poisoned, and her martial power has dissipated.”
“She already said that. Look at you, hurting others.” Ming Yan was obviously upset with Tang Si’s actions, and she then turned and looked at Yue’er apologetically. “Yue’er, I’m sorry, but that’s just how he is. He does not realize how forceful he is being sometimes.”
Yue’er replied, “Dangers lurk behind every corner. Could Young Miss not blame her brother? He was just trying to protect Young Miss.”
Ming Yan nodded and looked at Tang Si. “Can Yue’er’s poison be neutralized?”
In a deep voice, Tang Si replied, “Yes, but the antidote will need to be verified by the king before she can use it.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll look for my father, His Highness,” Ming Yan had no further thoughts of shopping and immediately took Yue’er away.
Yue’er immediately spoke up, “Young Miss, did you just say, ‘His Highness?’ Are you the princess?”
Ming Yan stuck out her tongue and smiled. “Yes! I forgot to tell you that. Let’s go and see my father.”
Yue’er was starting to panic, but she was still dragged away by Ming Yan.
Ming Yan was elated. She had heard many storytellers talking about this sort of matter, but she had never thought she would actually be able to personally save a girl from prostitution. This was too fun! The princess grew happier the more she thought about it.
Tang Si and the rest hurried along behind Ming Yan.
Lu Yin looked at Yue’er and felt like cursing. Damn it! Isn’t she just Yue Xianzi? She had slightly altered her appearance, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Lu Yin from recognizing her. This woman had come to Mingdu and directly charged towards the Reverent King’s palace, but what were her intentions? She could not possibly think that this silly ploy would be enough to deceive the king.
However, the facts revealed were beyond Lu Yin’s wildest expectations. Everything that Yue Xianzi had said was proven to be true, and even her relatives who were supposed to provide her with shelter were found to be in Lin City! There were no problems with her story.
Lu Yin was left speechless, and his eyes flickered with a thoughtful light. It appeared that these great powers had settled down in the capital and taken root here long ago, possibly even several hundred years ago, just to make their future trialtakers’ cover stories more believable. Yue Xianzi had the Frostmoon Sect behind her, and they had people who had stepped onto the Shenwu Continent so long ago that they now even had some semblance of a lineage. It was always good for one to have some supporting power behind themselves.
Yue Xianzi’s story caused Ming Yan to express her sympathy. “My father has found your relatives. Do you still want to go to them?”
Yue Xianzi bitterly shook her head, “They’re only concerned with themselves. It’s no use for me even if I look for them.” She then bowed towards Ming Yan. “Thank you, princess, for your kindness in saving me. Yue’er is unable to return the favor, so my next life will be used to repay your kindness.”
Ming Yan then looked at Ming Zhaoshu. “Your Highness.”
Ming Zhaoshu looked at Yue Xianzi. “Where did you cultivate your strength?”
Yue Xianzi replied, “I was tutored at home by Pingshan Shuiguai.”
Ming Zhaoshu was shocked. “The same Pingshan Shuiguai who challenged a Martial Emperor while still at the Martial King realm?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he now?” His interest was piqued.
Yue Xianzi revealed a pained expression. “He died over a year ago and was buried at Pingshan.”
Ming Zhaoshu nodded and sighed. “What a pity. Your master was a rare breed for him to be able to cross realms. Although he lost that battle, it was still an honorable defeat. His death may be related to that battle back then.”
Then, Ming Zhaoshu looked at Yue Xianzi. “You’re Yue’er, right? Are you willing to stay in the Reverent King’s household?”
Yue Xianzi was stumped for a moment, but then she looked at Ming Yan. She bowed her head in gratitude. “Yue’er’s willing to use her remaining life to repay her gratitude to the princess.”
“That’s great, Yue’er! From now on, you’ll follow me,” Ming Yan was delighted and she looked at Yue Xianzi with gleaming eyes.
Yue Xianzi smiled back at the princess.
Ming Zhaoshu watched the two girls leave and then ordered, “Go and investigate Pingshan—not just Pingshan Shuiguai. Include this Yue’er’s family history and search back for a thousand years.”
“Is Your Highness afraid that she’s an alien?”
Ming Zhaoshu snorted disdainfully. “These aliens have rooted themselves so deeply in the Shenwu Continent that forging a simple identity is no longer difficult for them. I’m still not sure if she’s an alien, so let’s just investigate.”
“If that’s the case, then why is Your Highness allowing her to stay with the princess?” Tang Si could not understand Ming Zhaoshu’s reasoning.
Ming Zhaoshu did not reply, and Tang Si left, not daring to speak any further.
Lu Yin and the rest set down Ming Yan’s purchases and left as well.
After they all departed, Yue Xianzi suddenly looked over towards Lu Yin. That person seemed to have intentionally avoided her, and his aura also felt rather familiar. However, she could not recall if she knew this person. Is he also a trialtaker?
Lu Yin had not altered his appearance too much, so he was afraid that Yue Xianzi might recognize him. He had subtly avoided her, but the woman’s intuition was just too sharp. Lu Yin’s small actions might have escaped the detection of experts, but they could not escape from this woman’s eyes. Although she had not recognized him, she had noticed his irregularity.
Ming Island was the central island of the Shenwu Empire as well as the central region of the entire Shenwu Continent. Ming Island was also entirely encircled by a giant river called the Ming River.
“The Ming River encircles Ming Island and countless tributaries extend from it. After Fan City, it will take us about two days before we reach the Ming River. After we cross that, we’ll be within the boundaries of Ming Island,” Butler Seven explained in a puffed-up manner. He was rather proud that he had visited Ming Island before.
No matter where it was, discrimination would always exist. The people from Ming Island looked down upon those from the other thirty five islands, just like how the people of the Shenwu Empire looked down upon the other regions of the Shenwu Continent.
Every island in the Shenwu Empire was massive, and many had never even ventured beyond the boundaries of their island throughout the entire course of their life. Butler Seven was no martial expert, but he had entered Ming Island and was rightfully proud of it.
Lu Yin immediately flattered him, causing Butler Seven to become extremely happy.
“Right, Butler Seven, since the princess is one of the empire’s twin beauties, has no one proposed marriage to her?” Lu Yin asked curiously.
Butler Seven rolled his eyes. “Of course there have been some, but not many have done so ever since His Highness’s relationship with Crown Prince Ming Hao soured.” Butler Seven then carefully moved closer to Lu Yin’s ear and softly whispered, “Think about it. No matter how pretty the princess is, it won’t matter if you’re dead.”
“Are you saying that Crown Prince Ming Hao will attack His Highness?”
“Shh! Don’t spout nonsense. I don’t know either,” Butler Seven’s face paled and he stopped speaking.
At that moment, Butler Seven was called away by someone, and Lu Yin continued to drive the cart.
Not much later, a fragrance blew by, and Lu Yin’s expression changed, though he continued to drive the cart. A girl rode up beside him on her horse. It was Yue’er, or rather, Yue Xianzi. “Haven’t we met before?” she inquired as she stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin gave a humble smile. “I’m just a coachman, so how could I have had the honor of meeting miss before?”
Yue Xianzi sized him and still felt that he gave a familiar vibe. She was relying on her woman’s intuition, and felt that he was purposefully avoiding her gaze. “Raise your head.”
Lu Yin slowly looked up as he had no choice.
At that point, Butler Seven arrived. “Little Seven, a coachman behind us is sick and can’t move. Go and take his place.”
A burden lifted from Lu Yin’s heart as he bowed to Yue Xianzi and then immediately left.
“Miss Yue’er, I hope that Little Seven was not rude to you,” Butler Seven tried to probe into what had just happened.
Yue Xianzi gave a faint smile. “Of course not. Butler Seven is being too harsh. I just felt that he seemed familiar.”
“Oh, then I’ll rest assured. After all, Little Seven’s a rural person who doesn’t know the customs of us city folk.”
“Butler Seven, has Little Seven always been in the Reverent King’s household?”
“He joined us just a few days ago. I accepted him since he seemed to have some skill in taming horses.”
Yue Xianzi nodded, smiled at Butler Seven, and then left.
Butler Seven took a deep breath, seemingly infatuated. “She’s too fragrant. It’s a pity that she wasn’t sold, or else I would have played with her even if I had to sell everything I own. Such a pity…”
Yue Xianzi was very pretty, and many cultivators had become infatuated with her back at Blackwater Lake. Even if she had altered her appearance, she was still a top-tier beauty and was naturally extremely attractive to people like Butler Seven.
Joined just a few days ago? Yue Xianzi looked at Lu Yin who was eagerly driving a different cart. Her eyes sparkled. Is he another trialtaker? If so, then why did he seem to have no cultivation? Had he hidden it? It would be terrifying if he could truly conceal his cultivation so well. She tried her best to match him to all the experts that she had met, but she ended up drawing a blank. After all, she was the young mistress of Frostmoon Sect and had met far too many young elites. She naturally could not recall all of them.
