The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Lu Nianzhe never expected that those unreliable parents would just leave like that, leaving only the three of them with two children in this deep mountain forest. Even all the guards of Qilin Pavilion had been withdrawn.

Looking at the empty bamboo house, Lu Nianzhe lowered his head and said, "Are we being abandoned?"

Shangguan Ruyu looked up at him and asked, "Brother Nianzhe, do Mother and the others not want us anymore?"

Shangguan Rufeng, acting like a little adult, said, "Didn't we say long ago that we were going to throw us out? Now, we're just fulfilling our original plan."

As he spoke, he walked toward Jian Yue and Bai Jianan's bedside, and looking down, he noticed a letter.

Shangguan Ruxing also noticed it and quickly came over, picking up the letter and opening it before Rufeng could read it.

"My dear children, when you see this letter, you clever ones must have already guessed what we want to do. That's right, we are going to abandon you, and from now on, our names will no longer appear in the world of martial arts, nor in your lives."

From now on, you will have to rely on yourselves for everything. All the hardships and difficulties you will experience in the future will become the solid fortress you ultimately gain. Strive hard for the dreams you made back then!

—Your loving aunt and mother.

After reading it, Shangguan Ruxing crumpled the letter into a ball and said fiercely, "Damn it, how could they be so irresponsible? They just abandoned such a beautiful young girl like that. What if some evil person finds out and ruins her?"

Shangguan Wutong immediately said, "Don't worry, Ruling, I will protect you."

Ru Feng said calmly, "With your looks, who would dare to ruin you? The ones who should suffer are those who are blinded by your appearance!"

Shangguan Ruling glared at her: "What do you know? You're just a kid, don't always interfere in adults' conversations."

Ru Feng rolled her eyes and said, "Sir? If you can be considered an sir, then I can be the head of the family. Stop flattering yourself. Let's go our separate ways and live our lives well!"

Lu Nianzhe took the letter from Shangguan Ruling's hand, looked at it, and said, "Separating is not a good idea. You and Ruyu are still young, and your martial arts skills are mediocre. It's too dangerous."

Ru Feng said, "I feel even more unsafe following that idiot. Ru Yu, let's go."

Shangguan Ruling was furious and was about to punch someone, but Rufeng dodged nimbly. Shangguan Wutong grabbed Ruxing and said, "Don't get excited, Ruxing may not be talking about you."

Ru Yu looked up and said with a grin, "But I think what brother is talking about is sister."

Ru Feng nodded in agreement: "Of course I'm talking about her. Who else here is as mentally challenged as her?"

Shangguan Ruxing tried to break free from Shangguan Wutong's grasp, but Shangguan Wutong pulled even tighter. She angrily pointed at Rufeng's nose and said, "Bai Rufeng, you wait, I won't rest until I kill you."

Ru Feng calmly pulled Ru Yu's hand and walked outside, saying as they went, "We'll accompany you to the end, provided you can find us."

As they spoke, the two vanished from everyone's sight in an instant, disappearing without a trace.

Seeing Shangguan Ruxing's angry expression, Lu Nianzhe shook his head and said, "Let's not worry about the two of them for now. Ruxing, you should control your temper. Although Rufeng and Ruyu are naughty, they are still children. They will suffer alone in a foreign place."

Shangguan Ruxing scoffed, "What could possibly happen? I don't believe my father would let his precious few leave without anyone behind. Let's look for anything first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Nianzhe picked up a package from the bed and said, "Something was left here."

He opened the package, glanced at it, and said, "Silver, maps, five copies."

Just then, Ru Yu's voice suddenly came.

"There are five portions of food in the kitchen, but we took three. You can divide the rest among yourselves. There's not much, so hurry up, or we might come and eat you after we've finished eating."

Shangguan Ruxing could no longer hold back and began searching for the source of the sound. After searching for a long time without finding it, she couldn't help but curse fiercely, "Bai Ruyu, you little vixen, you bullied your sister with that bastard? You have a heart of rottenness."

Ru Yu said with a smile, "Sorry, sister. We're twins, and we're very strong together, so I can only be with him. We're leaving now, take care."

The sound disappeared, and Shangguan Ruxing clenched her fists, holding her breath. Shangguan Wutong comforted her, "Don't be angry. I don't want the remaining two portions. Ruxing, you won't go hungry."

Lu Nianzhe walked to the door and said, "No need, you can take the food and the silver, you won't go hungry."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruxing's beautiful eyes flickered, and she smiled wickedly, saying, "That's right, they left without taking any silver, so they lost out. Haha, all the silver is mine now."

Shangguan Wutong had already walked to the bedside, scratched his head, picked up the package and said to Shangguan Ruxing, "It's already been taken away. There are only one left, and two maps are missing."

Shangguan Ruxing flew into a rage and shouted, "How exactly did they take it? Those two bastards!"

Lu Nianzhe said softly, "Your attention was drawn to the other one, and it was taken when you weren't looking."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruxing looked at Lu Nianzhe and said, "Then why didn't you stop him?"

"Can I stop them?"

Lu Nianzhe smiled slightly, stretched out his finger, and a plump white insect covered his finger. He laughed and said, "My insect found him, but I couldn't sense his presence. By the time I sensed it, he had already run far away."

Shangguan Ruxing was taken aback upon hearing this, then frowned: "No, with your abilities, it's impossible for you to be this bad. I remember during the assessment, you were the one whose score was closest to theirs."

Lu Nianzhe chuckled and said, "So what? Xing'er, they are your younger brothers and sisters. As the older brother, I should always be more courteous to them."

Shangguan Ruxing still wanted to braid her hair, so Lu Nianzhe simply changed the subject, saying, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's go to the kitchen and check the food. Should we leave or stay?"

As she spoke, she left the bedroom first, followed by Shangguan Ruxing and Shangguan Wutong.

The three of them went to the kitchen and saw the two portions of food. Lu Nianzhe smiled and said, "It seems that you gentlemen really care about us and have prepared a very lavish meal."

Shangguan Ruxing walked over, picked up the nearest meat-filled bun, took a bite, and said fiercely, "It's a pity there's one less. Those two brats are really annoying. But they left on their own, are they really safe? Nianzhe, should we go look for them?"

Lu Nianzhe chuckled: "Xing'er is clearly worried about them, so why does she always put on such a fierce look? If they go after them now, with their abilities, they probably won't be able to catch up at all!"

Shangguan Ruxing thought for a moment, a hint of hesitation still in her eyes: "Then are you really not going to pursue me? I'm worried..."

"No, I will go after you. If you want to leave this place, you must wait for me to come back. If I do not come back, you must leave a mark for me so that I can find you."

Wutong said, "We are at ease knowing that Nianzhe is going to chase after Rufeng and the others, but this food can only last for three days at most. I looked around and there wasn't even a wild rabbit. I'm afraid that all the beasts in this mountain have been summoned away by Mother, just to force us to leave."

Shangguan Ruxing finished eating all the buns and sneered, "Go if you want, are you afraid? In my eyes, there has never been the word 'fear'."

Lu Nianzhe smiled and said, "In that case, I will leave. If I do not return in three days, you may leave on your own. Just leave a plum blossom mark in the places you have been. I will go there when I find Rufeng and the others."

Especially for Ruxing, please don't wander off. The outside world is completely different from here, and the people aren't as friendly as those around here in the mountains. Keep a close eye on Wutong to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Shangguan Ruxing laughed and said, "What could possibly happen to me? I'm so cute, nothing will happen to me."

Wutong also said, "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on Ruxing."

Lu Nianzhe shook his head, somewhat worried. Shangguan Ruxing was Bai Jianan and Jian Yue's first child, and she was a girl just like Jian Yue. Bai Jianan loved her very much, even to the point of spoiling her. If it weren't for Hua Xiangrong, Shangguan Ruxing would probably have become a fearless and clueless rich man's daughter.

Even though she has a skill, she has never been involved in the martial arts world and has less experience than Ru Feng. So, as Ru Feng said, Shangguan Ruxing is indeed the most worrying person.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Nianzhe said, "Being loved by everyone isn't necessarily a good thing. If there's a kidnapper, you might really never come back. Ling'er, don't think I'm just scaring you. It's really not as peaceful outside as it is here."

Shangguan Ruxing didn't actually underestimate the outside world. From a young age, Jian Yue had instilled in her how complicated the outside world was, and she had made ample preparations. However, now that Lu Nianzhe had pointed it out directly, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and her princess syndrome instantly kicked in.

"Alright, alright, do you think I'm that useless? You're right, I'm the one who's a burden. In that case, I'll leave on my own and save myself from being a drag on you."

As she spoke, she wrapped up the food beside her, placed it together with the package containing the silver, picked it up and left. Lu Nianzhe tried to stop her, but was ruthlessly pushed away. He could only shake his head helplessly and look at Shangguan Wutong.

Shangguan Wutong nodded to him and chased after him. Lu Nianzhe turned around, wrapped the package, and handed it to him. He shook his head. Lu Nianzhe said, "Take it. Don't let her suffer."

After exchanging glances with Lu Nianzhe for two seconds, Shangguan Wutong grabbed her package and chased after Shangguan Ruxing. Lu Nianzhe glanced at their backs and suddenly sighed, "We've known each other for ten years. I'm afraid that now that we're parting, I don't know when we'll be able to meet again."

He had a suffocating premonition that many things would happen after he left the mountain.

"Hmph, so what if you've never left the mountains? So what if you've been pampered? Why are you being so spoiled and looking down on me? I'll show you I'm not useless, hmph!"