In the jungle, a burly middle-aged man in black emerged, exuding the aura of a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
The man in black had looked grave at first, but when he saw Lin Wanqiu, his face lit up with joy and he shouted, “Brothers, come out! We’ve found the young miss!”
Hearing that title, Xiao Minghuang let out a sigh of relief.
“They’re from Beiyang City…”
Lin Wanqiu exchanged a few words with the man in black, briefly explaining what had happened, then walked over to Xiao Minghuang.
The man in black bowed deeply to her and said, “I am Lin Zhengyang.
Thank you, Miss Xiao, for saving my niece.
If you have the time, please visit Beiyang City as our guest.
The City Lord’s Mansion will surely prepare a generous gift for you!”
Seeing that the people from Beiyang City had arrived, Xiao Minghuang’s face brightened.
She could finally prove her identity.
“You’re too polite.
I am Xiao Minghuang, the Ninth Princess of the Great Xia royal family, sent here to eliminate the evil cultivators causing trouble near Beiyang City.
What I did just now was simply my duty, so there’s no need for thanks.”
Lin Zhengyang was startled when he heard this.
He steadied himself and glanced at the girl in front of him.
She wore a bright yellow dress, stood tall and graceful, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall, her features exquisite and beautiful, noble and ethereal, with a peerless elegance.
With such presence, in all of Great Xia, only the royal family could produce such a remarkable young woman.
Besides, he had seen the Ninth Princess when she was younger, and the girl before him looked at least seventy or eighty percent similar.
She had to be the real Ninth Princess.
He turned to look at his own niece standing to the side.
Lin Wanqiu had her head slightly lowered, her delicate hands twisted together, looking shy and bashful.
Although many years had passed and no one had mentioned the engagement, it was a promise made personally by the Emperor of Xia and the late old City Lord of Beiyang, with a token as proof.
As long as it hadn’t been formally annulled, it was still valid.
Lin Zhengyang saw all this and smiled knowingly.
“So it’s Your Highness the Ninth Princess.
My apologies!”
“Since Your Highness has come from afar to rid the people of a great evil, you must visit Beiyang City in person and let us all thank you for your kindness.
Please don’t refuse.”
Xiao Minghuang had come to eliminate the evil cultivators, but she hadn’t expected things to be resolved so quickly, leaving her unprepared.
Her original plan was to go to Beiyang City first, get a sense of the situation, then track down the evil cultivators and wipe them out.
But now that things had changed, her original plan was meaningless.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Minghuang said, “I’ll go to Beiyang City myself, so there’s no need for you all to invite me.”
“I was planning to use this opportunity to see the local customs and scenery around Beiyang City.
Walking there from here shouldn’t take long.
You all go ahead.”
Seeing the local customs was just an excuse.
Xiao Minghuang’s real goal was to look around the area and see if there were any hidden opportunities to be found.
Seeing that she didn’t refuse outright, Lin Zhengyang smiled, glanced at the eager Lin Wanqiu, and suggested, “Since Your Highness wants to see the local customs, why not take my niece with you? She grew up in Beiyang City and knows the nearby towns and villages well.
She can be your guide.”
“That… might not be convenient?” Xiao Minghuang hesitated.
She was fine with bringing Ye Ruoshui along, since that girl was obedient and quiet.
But Lin Wanqiu looked like a lively, headstrong type who might cause trouble.
Seeing that she was about to refuse, Lin Wanqiu’s face fell, her bright eyes losing their sparkle.
She wiped her eyes, as if she were about to cry.
“Just now I didn’t recognize Your Highness.
Are you still mad at me?”
As she spoke, Lin Wanqiu stepped forward and clung to Xiao Minghuang’s arm, hugging it tightly, her soft body pressing close.
With a sob in her voice, she said, “I really know I was wrong.
Please don’t abandon me, okay?”
Seeing this, not only Xiao Minghuang but even Lin Zhengyang felt awkward.
He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and tried to persuade her, “Your Highness, my niece has admired you since childhood.
Please don’t refuse her.
Besides, the engagement was arranged by the late City Lord and His Majesty, so you two are a perfect match.
My niece may not be very talented, but she’s at least passably pretty.
Even if you don’t like her, letting her stay by your side as a maid would be an honor for our Lin family.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang frowned.
One moment it was “a perfect match,” the next she was only fit to be a “maid who serves tea.” What was that supposed to mean?
Besides, before this, Lin Wanqiu didn’t even know her name.
How could she have admired her since childhood?
But… given the situation, if she didn’t agree, Lin Wanqiu would definitely keep pestering her, and she could forget about looking for any opportunities.
Xiao Minghuang could only give in.
“Fine, you can come with me, but on one condition.”
Lin Wanqiu nodded eagerly.
“Please tell me, Your Highness!”
“If you follow me, you have to do as I say.
Don’t act on your own.
Whatever I tell you to do, you do it, and you can’t object.
If you can accept that, you can come with me.”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu’s fair face flushed red.
She bit her lip shyly and said, “Don’t worry, Your Highness.
No matter what you do to me, I won’t resist!”
Xiao Minghuang frowned.
The girl clearly hadn’t understood what she meant.
But then she thought there was no point wasting more time.
“I’ll just have Ruoshui keep an eye on her so she won’t have a chance to bother me.”
While they were talking, at some point Lin Zhengyang had quietly slipped away, taking the rescued civilians with him.
Lin Zhengyang’s departure didn’t catch Xiao Minghuang’s attention.
She glanced at Lin Wanqiu, who was still clinging to her arm.
“I’ve already agreed to your request, Miss Lin.
Can you let go of me now?”
Lin Wanqiu smiled sweetly and said softly, “Don’t be so formal, Your Highness.
Just call me Wanqiu.”
Xiao Minghuang never cared about such trivialities and replied, “Miss Wanqiu, let’s get going.
My little sister has been waiting for me for a long time and must be worried.”
The “Miss” after her name was really unnecessary.
Lin Wanqiu was a bit dissatisfied and casually asked, “You have a sister, Your Highness?”
Everyone in Great Xia knew the Emperor had eight sons and one daughter—only the Ninth Princess.
Xiao Minghuang explained, “Her name is Ye Ruoshui.
She used to be my maid, but now she’s like a sister to me.”
Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Just a maid, nothing to worry about.
After that, Lin Wanqiu led Xiao Minghuang to a place where a spiritual herb was hidden.
It was a hundred-year-old spirit fruit, bright red like fire, giving off a gentle warmth, its medicinal power on par with water lingzhi.
Seeing that it wasn’t the kind of herb recorded in ancient texts, Lin Wanqiu looked disappointed.
“Am I destined to be a useless person for life?” Lin Wanqiu clenched her fists, her brow furrowed with frustration.
But the moment Xiao Minghuang turned around, the gloom on Lin Wanqiu’s face vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.
Xiao Minghuang glanced at her, thinking Lin Wanqiu was upset about missing out on the herb, and said, “When we get to Beiyang City, I’ll give this spirit herb to you, Wanqiu.”
Lin Wanqiu just smiled, thinking she was only being polite, and didn’t take it to heart.
Her blocked meridians were her own problem; she wouldn’t trouble others about it.
After putting the spirit fruit in her storage pouch, Xiao Minghuang glanced at the Opportunity Compass, only to be surprised to find it still pointing in the same direction.
She looked up and saw Lin Wanqiu standing right in front of the pointer.
“System, what’s going on? Is the compass broken?”
[Ding! The system is functioning normally.
The compass pointer will prioritize guiding you to the highest quality opportunity within the current range.
The host can freely switch the target opportunity and get guidance as needed.]
“So you’re saying Lin Wanqiu still has an opportunity on her?”
The system didn’t answer again, but that was obviously what it meant.
Xiao Minghuang tried switching the compass’s target, but found nothing.
“What kind of opportunity does Lin Wanqiu have, exactly?”
Xiao Minghuang couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she thought, so she decided to stop worrying about it for now and led Lin Wanqiu back to the camp.
