The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 291 Returning to Tianji Mountain

Inside the main hall of Qifeng Manor, Chu Fenghua was brought in. Although she looked disheveled, Chu Fenghua had an inherent arrogance. Her hair was messy and her face was pale, but she still stubbornly raised her chin. When she saw Xiahou Ying, she snorted coldly.

"So this is Prince Duan! The martial arts world and the imperial court have always kept to themselves. How dare you station your soldiers at our Qifeng Manor? I'd like to see how you explain this to the world."

Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow and slammed a scroll of text in front of Chu Fenghua. "Take a look and you'll see whether it's me who's not accepted by the world, or you." Wei Jun drew his sword and swung it. Chu Fenghua twisted his wrist and picked up the scroll from the ground.

His expression changed instantly, and he stumbled, almost losing his balance.

"Impossible! How could you possibly know these things! No one could possibly know!" Xiahou Ying raised his index finger. "I advise Master Chu to keep quiet about these matters. After all, they are not exactly honorable things. However, I will not hold a grudge against Master Chu over such a trivial matter. You are still the Master of Qifeng Manor. As long as Master Chu doesn't say too much, these secrets will naturally not reach the ears of those who have ulterior motives."

The words, a combination of kindness and threats, made Chu Fenghua grit her teeth, feeling both angry and resentful towards Xiahou Ying. Yin Quan, observing the two closely, had to admit that Xiahou Ying was indeed a formidable opponent; even she didn't know just how much power Xiahou Ying possessed.

It seems that everyone in the world is just a pawn in his heart, and everyone's fate is unknowingly under his control, as long as he wants.

"Your Highness is truly skilled. I, Chu Fenghua, am completely impressed. Since Your Highness is only staying for a few days, I hope you will not blame me for not taking good care of you. As for the position of the head of the manor, it was entrusted to me by my master on his deathbed, and I, Fenghua, will naturally shoulder this important responsibility."

Xiahou Ying nodded approvingly. Chu Fenghua's transformation was too rapid. Yin Quan's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. One second he was an enemy who wanted to kill your whole family, and the next second he could be chatting and laughing with a smile.

"Then what does Master Chu think is the misunderstanding between me and the elders of your sect?"

"Your Highness said it was a misunderstanding, so Feng Hua should explain it to them." The back-and-forth of open and covert attacks left Yin Quan speechless. No wonder she had become Xiahou Ying's pawn several times; now it seemed that if Xiahou Ying truly wanted to use her, she probably wouldn't even know it now.

"I have long admired the Princess's reputation, and seeing her today, I can confirm it is indeed well-deserved. But I wonder if this Princess is the principal wife or a concubine?" Chu Fenghua's words instantly made the scene awkward, and Xiahou Ying's cold gaze shot towards Chu Fenghua.

"Master Chu, please remember this: too much talk leads to mistakes." Yin Quan stood up nonchalantly, walked past Xiahou Ying to Chu Fenghua, and straightened her clothes.

Chu Fenghua unconsciously shrank back a little, her eyes full of vigilance.

"Look at you, one second you were saying you'd heard so much about me, how come you're so afraid of me the next second? I don't know martial arts, so I'm naturally not a hot beauty like Master Chu in the martial arts world. But even though I'm not good at anything, the prince is still head over heels in love with me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Jun choked, his face turning red, but he didn't dare to show it and turned his face away. Yin Quan continued to speak seriously.

"Sometimes men are like that. You can treat them with all your heart, but they don't appreciate it. On the contrary, if you tease them, they'll like to stick to you. Look at Master Chu, such a charming man, he hasn't even tasted the sweetness of love yet. What a pity. Don't worry, if there's a good man in the military tent tomorrow, I can try to match you up."

"You..." Yin Quan's words were both overt and covert, hinting at Gu Lounan's affection for her, which made Chu Fenghua's chest heave with anger.

Yin Quan slapped her forehead and said, "Look at my memory! I forgot that Master Chu is a married man. Don't worry, Master Gu is a very considerate person and is especially thoughtful towards women."

Chu Fenghua nearly fainted. Yin Quan sneered inwardly, thinking that if she wanted to talk back to her, she was miles ahead of her. Did she think she was a pushover just because she wasn't showing her teeth?

Seeing Chu Fenghua's defeated appearance, Yin Quan felt inexplicably happy. After all, he had suffered too many losses at the hands of this woman. It was only a verbal lesson to teach her a lesson, which was much more merciful than the pain that Chu Fenghua had inflicted on him.

Yin Quan turned around and smiled at Xiahou Ying with narrowed eyes. After going through so much together, the two had gradually developed a tacit understanding. Xiahou Ying returned her a slight smile.

But this one smile stunned everyone present, because every soldier under Prince Duan knew that he was a man who inspired fear on the battlefield and was someone no one dared to offend in the court. Yet he had revealed such a gentle side.

Most importantly, the prince was a man who never smiled, but he was unexpectedly so handsome when he smiled, as if the whole world had lost its color.

Gu Lounan watched from afar, his gaze towards Yin Quan growing increasingly intense.

She may seem carefree, but she knows exactly how to crush someone. When it comes to the use of language, there are probably few in the world who can rival her. Chu Fenghua, a proud and arrogant person, hates having her dignity trampled underfoot the most. But now, Yin Quan's words not only ruthlessly trampled Chu Fenghua's dignity underfoot but also chased her away, which was truly gratifying.

The problem at Qifeng Manor was finally resolved, thankfully without causing too much of a disturbance. However, the news of the artifact's emergence from the mountain would likely remain a secret for long. Therefore, the group decided to return to Tianji Mountain as soon as possible. After returning from Tuoran Mountain, Yin Quan couldn't find Xiao Rong. Only after mobilizing all the guards in the manor did they finally find her in the secret room where Xiao Rong had initially been.

It had been curled up in the coffin, but when it saw Yin Quan come out, it darted into Yin Quan's arms and kept rubbing its head against Yin Quan. Seeing that the little fur had grown a bit bigger, Yin Quan grabbed it by the ears and pulled it out of his arms.

"What did you eat while I was away? You've gotten so bloated, you look like a steamed bun!" Xiao Rong whimpered pitifully, and Yin Quan stroked its fur.

On the way to Tianji Mountain, Xiahou Ying should not reveal his identity, so only Wei Jun and Jing Yu accompanied him, while the other generals were assigned to various places to gather troops.

Tianji Mountain still stands majestically, but things have changed. Qin Nian was fine when she left, but now her fate is unknown. When Yin Quan saw Xuan Qingzi again, she didn't dare to look up. The guilt in her heart made her feel that she had let Xuan Qingzi down.

Xuan Qingzi summoned Xiahou Ying to his study for a private talk that lasted a day and a night, while Yin Quan tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next morning, Yin Quan was summoned to the alchemy room by Xuan Qingzi. The room was filled with smoke, and Xuan Qingzi sat beside the alchemy furnace with a whisk in his hand. Yin Quan called his name softly.

"Xuan Qingzi?" He slowly opened his eyes, his expression unusually serious, unlike his previous unserious demeanor.

"Sitting down is fine, let me see the Ancient Spirit Pearl in your hand." Yin Quan handed over her finger.

“Although the Ancient Spirit Pearl is on my ring, I can’t take it off once I put it on.” Xuan Qingzi examined it for a moment and took out a black compass-like object from his pocket.

After twirling it near Yin Quan's finger for a moment, the ancient spirit bead emitted a faint green light, gradually detached from the ring's setting, and slowly flew into Xuan Qingzi's hand.

Xuan Qingzi's eyes flashed like lightning. He flicked the whisk in his hand, and the huge iron lid of the alchemy furnace opened. Instead of a strong medicinal fragrance, a faint fragrance wafted out from the furnace, which was quite refreshing.

The Ancient Spirit Pearl flew into Xuan Qingzi's hand, and he threw it into the alchemy furnace. The furnace lid was sealed, and there was a hissing sound inside. Yin Quan stretched his neck and looked for a long time, then said with some worry.

"You don't mean to refine it, do you?" Xuan Qingzi murmured a few words, and the alchemy furnace began to spin rapidly. Xuan Qingzi's body was somewhat stiff, and it was clear that he was trying his best to suppress the trembling alchemy furnace. Ever since the Ancient Spirit Pearl flew in, the alchemy furnace seemed to be about to explode at any moment.

"Quickly bite your finger until it bleeds." Yin Quan had never hurt herself before in her life. She raised her finger and bit it several times but couldn't get a wound. Xuan Qingzi said angrily.

"What are you dawdling for!" Yin Quan closed her eyes, hardened her heart, and bit down hard. Blood flowed freely instantly. Xuan Qingzi waved his sleeve, and the lid of the alchemy furnace opened again. "Quickly drip your blood in."

Yin Quan jogged over and squeezed his blood into the alchemy furnace, which finally stabilized and returned to its original position after a moment. Xuan Qingzi breathed a sigh of relief and said to Yin Quan.

"The first step is finally complete. We'll know the result in one more night. I've never seen this artifact before. There are only simple records of it in the notes passed down by my master. I hope it will be useful."

Seeing Yin Quan's bleeding wound, Xuan Qingzi handed her a box of ointment, "Apply it, it won't be good if it leaves a scar."

Whether it was Yin Quan's imagination or not, she felt that Xuan Qingzi had become somewhat distant from Yin Quan and Xiahou Ying since returning this time. "Is Master upset because of Senior Brother Qin's matter?" Xuan Qingzi paused in his steps.

“Disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Sect do not die easily. The fact that no body has been found means that he must have survived. As long as we send people to search, we will definitely find him. I am not worried. What I am worried about is the current situation in the world.”

Yin Quan looked at Xuan Qingzi's back, which was like the only star in the boundless night sky, shining brightly, yet lonely and untouchable.

"Master, are you saying the Crown Prince will succeed to the throne?"

Xuan Qingzi nodded, "The celestial phenomena have changed drastically in the past few days, and the world is likely to face disaster. It is probably inevitable that there will be widespread suffering. As the Tianji Sect, it is our responsibility to protect this peace. I just didn't expect that such a thing would happen when I am unable to leave the mountain."

Yin Quan frowned. "Don't worry, as long as Xiahou Ying is here, everything will be fine." Xuan Qingzi was taken aback, then turned to look at Yin Quan and gave a wry smile.

"Yes, with that kid around, things won't be too bad. You must be tired, go and rest." Yin Quan nodded. For some reason, she had been having a bad feeling lately. Perhaps it was because the political situation was too tense, which made her unable to sleep at night. Moreover, Xiahou Ying was never by her bedside when she woke up in the middle of the night.

Perhaps he, like himself, was also uneasy about the uncertain future. How could the world be easily changed by one person alone? Xiahou Ying's plan was the most difficult of all. If he could not ascend the throne, he would only be crushed to pieces.