Chapter 259 - 239: Commandery Princess
"Thank you, senior, for coming to our rescue."
Jiang Yingxue was full of lingering fear, supporting the gravely injured Chen Ming in disguise, and paid a formal salute to the sky, her attitude extremely respectful.
The identity of someone who could frighten a First Grade Governor of the Six Gates into jumping was evident without question.
A master of the Divine Treasure Realm, an absolute pinnacle expert!
She said, "May I ask for the senior’s name, so that in the future, I can inform the elders of my family and personally thank the senior."
The voice replied lazily, "If you’re going to thank someone, thank my family’s Commandery Princess."
Commandery Princess?
Jiang Yingxue was slightly startled, could it be her?
At this moment, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind, "Jiang Family sister, how did you become so disheveled?"
She turned around and saw a luxurious carriage coming from the direction of Jiangzhou City. The person sticking their head out from the carriage was none other than the Princess Mingyu, recently renowned in Jiangzhou.
Jiang Yingxue quickly saluted, "So it was Princess Mingyu who saved me, I’m truly grateful. If it weren’t for you, we would have been in real trouble."
She had met this princess once, but wasn’t very familiar with her.
Princess Mingyu leaped gracefully, appearing in front of the two of them. She was dressed in a purple court gown, which made this beautiful young lady appear regal and dignified. It was a unique aura, one that only such a noble royal family could cultivate.
Behind her, an old matron followed closely, standing a few feet away, bowing, and looking rather inconspicuous.
Princess Mingyu’s smile was warm yet approachable, "No need for formalities, Jiang Family sister. I just visited your senior last month and received guidance from him. We don’t need to be so distant."
She mentioned the term ’senior’, not just a senior, indicating she had met a Divine Treasure Realm elder from the Jiang Family.
She then asked with concern, "Sister, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?"
Jiang Yingxue’s eyes reddened immediately, and she said aggrievedly, "I was careless and got captured by a bandit. Luckily, this sister saved me, otherwise... I..."
As she spoke, she almost began to cry.
Princess Mingyu’s face flashed with a pained expression, cursing, "Which ruffian was so bold as to dare kidnap my sister? Don’t worry, I’ll go with you to find Lord Pan and ensure that scoundrel is caught and punished severely."
Jiang Yingxue sobbed, "That... scoundrel... has already been killed by the sister... thank you for your kind intentions, Princess..."
Princess Mingyu’s beautiful eyes shifted to the woman beside her, noting her tall stature and exceptional beauty, with a wildness and aggression in her features rarely found in common women. Her eyes lit up, "How should I address this sister?"
"Yuan Ziyi of the Star-Moon Sect, greetings to the Princess."
"Star-Moon Sect?"
Princess Mingyu thought for a moment and said, "I’ve never heard of this sect."
Yuan Ziyi smiled bitterly, "My sect has already fallen into decline, the elders were harmed by villains, and now only one senior sister remains adrift, miles apart."
"Ah, I’m so sorry to bring up your sad past, Sister Yuan," Princess Mingyu apologized, "I see you are injured; why not ride with me in the carriage into the city?"
Jiang Yingxue hurriedly said, "We wouldn’t dare trouble the Princess. Are you returning to Qingfeng City?"
"It’s no trouble at all. I suddenly remembered I have some unfinished business and must return. Come along."
With her saying this, naturally, the two had no grounds to refuse.
...
Princess Mingyu’s carriage was large, comfortably seating three without being crowded.
Yuan Ziyi sat cross-legged, eyes closed, channeling energy to heal her injuries.
Princess Mingyu chatted with Jiang Yingxue, "Why were the Six Gates’ First Grade from Xiazhou chasing you earlier?"
Speaking of this, Jiang Yingxue felt anger rising, "That scoundrel was truly detestable. He was initially supposed to catch the villain who kidnapped me, but ended up falling into a trap, losing all his men. He couldn’t account for himself upon returning, so he wanted to capture me and Sister Yuan to testify for him."
"So, that’s what happened."
Princess Mingyu realized, not being a sheltered noblewoman unaware of the world. She knew well that some within the Six Gates indeed behaved this way.
She inquired further, "By the way, you asked me about Chen Ming last time. Do you have any connections with him?"
Jiang Yingxue flushed slightly, "Please don’t joke, Sister. How could I have any connection with him?"
This was nearly screaming from the rooftops.
Princess Mingyu suddenly became serious, "No matter what your relationship with Chen Ming is, don’t inquire about him anymore. If you see him, it’s best to keep as far away as possible."
Jiang Yingxue tried hard to suppress the impulse to look at "Yuan Ziyi," asking, "Why is that?"
"Originally, this matter was a secret and shouldn’t be told to you. But—very well," Princess Mingyu said, "On that day, in the Fire Element Secret Realm, a great upheaval occurred. I personally saw him being possessed by the Primordial Spirit of the Immortal Demon Venerable."
"Ah!"
Jiang Yingxue was shocked, eyes wide, "How is this possible?"
She had heard this rumor but found it utterly absurd and didn’t believe it at all. The Immortal Demon Venerable was a great demon head from a thousand years ago, how could he take notice of a mere Third Grade like Chen Ming?
Princess Mingyu said, "This is what I saw with my own eyes. Later, I inquired, and more than a hundred years ago, the seal suppressing the Immortal Demon Venerable had some issues, and a wisp of the demon’s Split Soul escaped. Later, the strong ones from the Celestial Dao Alliance pursued it all the way to Qingfeng City.
"That wisp of Split Soul hid in the Fire Element Secret Realm, where the Celestial Dao Alliance stationed guards for fifty years, believing it had dissipated. Who would have thought that in that Fire Element Secret Realm, there was a Fire Flood Dragon with a long lifespan, and that wisp of Split Soul parasitized on it, surviving to this day..."
Jiang Yingxue was utterly stunned.
Princess Mingyu spoke earnestly, "Miss Jiang, this is our second meeting, please forgive me for speaking so bluntly. However, even if Chen Ming were still alive, he would not be the same person as before. You must not trust him lightly, lest you harm yourself."
Jiang Yingxue was a bit unconvinced, "The Immortal Demon Venerable is just a wisp of a split soul, and has been trapped for over a hundred years. He may not be able to seize the body!"
Princess Mingyu sighed, "You do not understand the terrifying nature of the Immortal Demon Venerable. Back then, in order to exterminate this great demon, more than half of the martial artists perished or were injured. It was the greatest catastrophe in two thousand years. You must not harbor any lucky thoughts."
Jiang Yingxue lowered her head and stopped speaking.
After that, Princess Mingyu didn’t say much more, and the carriage continued its journey towards the Sea Suppression King’s villa.
This was a residence built by the Sea Suppression King in Jiangzhou City twenty years ago, abandoned for two decades, and only recently cleaned up and refurbished for habitation.
Soon, the Jiang family members received the news and hurried over, taking Jiang Yingxue and "Yuan Ziyi" away.
Before parting, Princess Mingyu specially reminded her, "The fact that you were in the hands of villains must not be told to anyone, not even your family, as it would harm your reputation."
Jiang Yingxue naturally agreed, "Thank you for the reminder, Commandery Princess. I understand the stakes."
...
The Jiang family’s main base was not in Jiangzhou City, but they still had property in Jiangzhou, managed by Jiang Yingxue’s granduncle, who also possessed First Grade cultivation.
As soon as Jiang Yingxue saw this granduncle, she tearfully recounted her ordeal along the way, completely disregarding Princess Mingyu’s warning.
The Jiang family’s First Grade member was so enraged he almost tore the house apart. That a legitimate daughter of the Jiang family could be abducted within the Jiangzhou territory was an utter humiliation; he wished he could take up a sword and dismember those arrogant scoundrels.
Until he heard that his grandniece had been rescued by a woman named Yuan Ziyi, he quickly expressed his gratitude.
Thus, Chen Ming stayed at the Jiang family residence for the time being, mending his injuries while contemplating his next move.
It seemed that this calamity had finally passed.
This time, thanks to the turtle shell, he foresaw the possible form of the calamity.
Otherwise, whether he could successfully pass this tribulation was truly uncertain.
In any case, he had decided to temporarily conduct himself under the identity of Yuan Ziyi, with Jiang Yingxue’s endorsement, no one should suspect his identity.
The only concern was Du Rusong; this person was unlikely to give up so easily.
"We’ve fled so far, yet he still managed to catch up. He must have some special tracking method."
Chen Ming thought of the small black mouse on Du Rusong’s shoulder, "Could it be that spirit beast?"
Thinking of this, his heart felt heavy.
Being pursued by a First Grade and the opponent being in the dark while having his location known at any time, it was a one-sided transparency. Just thinking about it felt like a giant stone pressing on his heart, creating enormous pressure.
A glint of fierceness flashed in his eyes, "I must find a way to eliminate this person."
Otherwise, constantly living in fear was no solution.
At present, he had successfully broken through to Second Grade, successfully killed Xie Jianqiu, and gained two million experience points. The problem was, he needed fifty million points to break through to First Grade!
In other words, he would need to kill twenty-five First Grades.
The farther one progresses, the more experience points are required for leveling up; naturally, it cannot be as fast as before.
It must be known that with each level of realm advancement, the number of martial artists decreases by an order of magnitude.
In a place like Jiangzhou City, there may be dozens of Third Grades, less than ten Second Grades, and even fewer First Grades.
This means finding someone of the same level to spar with becomes more difficult.
Second Grade powerhouses are the pillars and core figures of major forces and seldom spar lightly without significant ties.
Chen Ming couldn’t help but miss the Six Gates; being in charge of the prison was truly a celestial position for him.
If only he could re-enter the Six Gates.
Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock at the door, "Sister Yuan, I’ve come to see you."
It was Jiang Yingxue.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Jiang Yingxue, in new clothes, walked in and told her maids behind her, "You wait outside. I have some personal things to discuss with sister."
After sending the maids away, she closed the door, sat beside him, and said mischievously, "Sister Yuan, do you find it comfortable staying here?"
She had clearly just taken a bath; her face was tender and rosy, with a gentle fragrance, an extremely pleasant faint scent. Her bright eyes shone with a unique youthful charm, making her particularly captivating.
Chen Ming said blandly, "Have you forgotten Princess Mingyu’s words just now? Do you not fear me seizing your soul, turning you into a puppet that only listens to me?"
Jiang Yingxue took his hand and placed it on her face, gazing at him dreamily, "Brother Chen, don’t you know? You already have my soul captivated. Just with a beckon of your finger, I will do anything you want..."
"..."
This little girl is getting bolder and bolder.
PS: First update of the day, begging for monthly votes.