She became a god

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a young woman in a tight-fitting outfit holding a bow, an arrow already shot into a musk orchid beast, with more than a dozen strong servants beside her.

The musk orchid beast's left leg was bleeding profusely, and its body trembled as it tried to get up. The fiery red horns on its head also swayed, but no matter how hard it tried, it was to no avail.

Four strong servants seized the opportunity to cast a net and trapped the injured musk orchid beast.

If the girl were to take the musk orchid beast away, Lin Jingchuan asked himself honestly, he was afraid they would never encounter another one.

Yuantong had told him that, according to records, autumn was the mating season for the Musk Orchid Beasts. They would leave their packs to find mates, form families, and raise offspring. The following spring, they would regroup and live in packs again.

The herd of musk orchid beasts arrived at Yuntai Mountain more than ten days ago. Now, it is likely that some have left, and those that have not left are scattered throughout the Yuntai Mountain range.

They've sneaked in, and they'll probably be caught by the patrolling guards soon. They won't have time to find the next Musk Orchid Beast.

But they are just mortals now. If they rashly come out, they might not only fail to save the Musk Orchid Beast, but also lose their own lives.

Just as he and Yuantong were looking at each other in a dilemma, they heard a rough male voice, "Greetings, Princess Huaishun! Your humble servant has something to report."

Princess Huaishun put down her bow and arrow and helped the visitor to his feet.

"General Song, please speak frankly; there's no need for such formalities."

“Your Highness, my father fought on the battlefield in his early years, which left him with many chronic illnesses. Recently, he has been unable to sleep at night and has been mentally confused. I humbly request that Your Highness part with this musk orchid beast and bestow it upon me. My whole family would be eternally grateful.”

Princess Huaishun smiled slightly, "General Song, you are too kind. The Musk Orchid Beast is indeed precious, but General Song has made great contributions to our Great Yan Empire and should be honored in his later years. Please take this Musk Orchid Beast."

Lin Jingchuan and Yuantong exchanged a glance, and they decided to start with General Song.

After they left, one person came out.

"Your Highness has a brilliant strategy!"

Princess Huaishun laughed and said, "Young Master is just as good!"

The two exchanged a knowing smile, each harboring their own secrets, yet forced to communicate, and so they began to talk about another matter.

Are there really gods in this world?

"I don't know," Princess Huaishun replied with a smile, but a hint of anticipation lingered in her heart.

If one is blessed by the heavens and has divine assistance, how can one fail to achieve great things?

Seeing that he could not get any information from Princess Huaishun, the man stopped asking questions.

He wondered where the other cultivators who had entered the Yuya Secret Realm were.

The Zhou couple must be, otherwise their words and actions wouldn't have changed so drastically.

I wonder where the remaining seven are?

Could the shrewd and calculating Princess Huaishun be one of them?

*

In the general's mansion, an elderly man lay on his sickbed when a maid entered with good news: "Master, you have brought back the Musk Orchid Beast."

Upon hearing this, General Song straightened up, a gentle smile appearing on his aged face.

"My son is so filial, I am truly blessed."

General Song happened to return, and he quickly chimed in with a smile, "This is all thanks to Father's influence."

"What do you mean by this?"

General Song recounted the story of how Princess Huaishun bestowed the beast upon him, and said with a smile, "Father has worked hard and made great contributions. Princess Huaishun is considerate of her subordinates. I am just an intermediary."

Snapped!

A porcelain cup fell to the ground from General Song's sleeve. His old face was filled with anger. "How could you be so foolish? The Song family will never have peace again. Quickly! Return the Musk Orchid Beast to Princess Huaishun."

“Father! Princess Huaishun meant well, and she doesn’t seem like a stingy person. Why do you have to lose your composure like this?”

General Song pointed upwards and said with a wry smile, "Among the royal family members, which one is easy to get along with? They will surely repay any favors they do. We have taken in a musk orchid beast, but in the future, the repayment may be the lives of our entire family."

"Father means that the Prince of Jin is interested in that position, but..."

"His Majesty has no sons, only several princesses to dote on him, and the Prince of Jin is His Majesty's younger brother. With an ambitious mother like the Empress Dowager, which child wouldn't want to make a name for himself?"

"But I've heard that His Majesty intends to make Princess Huaining the Crown Princess..."

General Song looked at his good-for-nothing son, stroked his beard, and sighed, "You don't really think the entire court can tolerate a second Empress Dowager?"

"Do you still remember Princess Xuanhe? She was the only daughter of the Emperor and Empress. The two emperors once favored her as the Crown Princess to inherit the throne, but what happened to her later?"

The bloody incident in the fifteenth year of the Shangyuan era was something that even General Song, who was just a child at the time, could not forget.

Princess Xuanhe, who was deeply loved by the Emperor and Empress, died suddenly, and most of the people in the princess's residence and other people involved in the case were executed.

The emperor and empress even took their anger out on court officials who had grudges against Princess Xuanhe, and for a time, everyone in the court felt insecure.

The case has been under investigation for three whole years, but the murderer has never been caught.

Despite the fact that tens of thousands of people had been punished for this case over the past three years, the Emperor and Empress finally agreed to temporarily close the case files.

"There is no case in this world that even the emperor cannot solve. It's just that... both are my flesh and blood."

General Song was greatly alarmed; it seemed he was about to discover an incredible secret.

"The struggles within the imperial family have always been brutal. It is unknown how many corpses one must step over to reach the top. It is normal to have one or two skeletons of blood relatives among them."

General Song's face turned deathly pale. He had been overjoyed to bring back the Musk Orchid Beast, but now he felt it was a hot potato.

Seeing his son Song Tao so indecisive, General Song couldn't help but miss his brave and decisive eldest daughter, Song Fu. The daughter who had gone with Princess Zhenguo Xuanhe gradually came back to life in his memory.

Song Fu was his eldest daughter and was chosen by the two emperors to be a companion to Princess Xuanhe. If Princess Xuanhe had not died back then, the Song family would have been a famous family in the capital long ago because of this relationship. Why would they have ended up living a life of retreat in Gucheng and keeping a low profile?

The Song family has already suffered one defeat; they cannot afford a second.

Despite his illness, he wrote a letter and ordered Song Tao to take the letter and return the musk orchid beast to the Prince of Jin's residence.

"From now on, tell everyone you meet that the divine physician Xu Ruo treated me and said that the Musk Orchid Beast would be of no use to my illness. We, as her subjects, know of Princess Huaishun's good intentions, but we still ask her to use the Musk Orchid Beast where it is more needed."

Song Tao held the letter and listened to General Song's arrangements. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he still had concerns.

"Dr. Xu, over here..."

General Song interrupted him, "I have my own arrangements, just do as I say."

Song Tao stopped worrying about it and found someone to load the musk orchid beast onto the carriage.

But then the guards who had been sent out were sweating profusely, kowtowing and shouting, "Master, the Musk Orchid Beast is gone!"

"Who dares to bully me?"

Song Tao was furious, and General Song was so overwhelmed with worry and anger that he fainted.

Chaos erupted in the Song residence.