“Don’t bother about going back. Qiyue, I’ve told you to get yourself prepared. You’ll encounter many bad news. You need to have a strong mentality to prop yourself up,” the hare said quietly.
“Who took my green jade gourd? Do you know anything?” Hua Qiyue could already feel the green jade gourd’s uneasy tremors during the battle.
The little hare was from 10,000 years ago. And it knew Tianpi. Perhaps it knew that Tianpi was inside?
“Shimo took your green jade gourd away. After all… Tianpi’s a devil. He took you in as his disciple probably for some dubious reasons,” The little hare replied slowly.
Hua Qiyue hit out a fist at the carriage, causing it to rock. “Outrageous! Yun Shimo!”
Hua Qiyue was so angry that her eyes seemed to be dripping blood. She felt a monstrous hatred surge up.
Yun Shimo had not only eloped with Princess Qianyang, he had also taken her green jade gourd away.
There was a gourdful of divine herbs inside—together with Tianpi!
“Don’t worry. Shimo isn’t the gourd owner. He can’t enter it.” The little hare was speaking quietly.
Hua Qiyue felt even more uneasy inside. She anxiously and irately rubbed her palms together. Then, she instructed the Qi Artists outside to increase their speed to the full and race back to the capital.
The unease in her heart was because of Tianci.
Was Tianci doing well in the tower? Although Yun Shimo had abandoned her, he could not have done anything to Tianci, could he?
But intuition told Hua Qiyue that her uneasy premonition was due to Tianci.
The company was baffled by Hua Qiyue’s anxiety. There were very few Lightning Steeds in the world. If these steeds over-exerted themselves, they would have trouble promoting to the next level.
But Hua Qiyue had given the orders. The others followed behind her. Perhaps there was something very important she needed to see to urgently?
Just at the moment when they reached the outskirts of the capital at a small town, a large number of Qi Artists had blocked the carriage’s path.
“Stay where you are! Everybody must be inspected!”
Rows of Qi Artists were blocking the front, trying to halt Hua Qiyue’s carriage.
The carriage driver was a Qi Artist at the Great Completeness of Cultivation Dimension. His level had improved after the battle. He was now even more heads-over-heels in awe of Hua Qiyue.
So the moment they blocked their path, the Qi Artist started to bellow angrily. “We are triumphant Qi Artists who’ve defeated the Gnawing Devils Sect. It’s Princess Jinghua inside. Please let us through!”
Although the carriage was still in movement, the men in front did not allow it to pa.s.s. They halted it by force, delaying Hua Qiyue’s precious time.
“Princess Jinghua? You mean that Princess who has surrendered to the Gnawing Devils Sect? Good heavens, bar her from the capital. Advance, everyone!”
The moment the Chief heard her name, his countenance changed. He waved the white flag in his hand strenuously and cried.
“Get off!” Hua Qiyue heard him and gave a cold sneer. She waved her big sleeve and unleashed a vigorous gale, rolling up her curtain. The Qi Artists standing in front all bent down tacitly. The vigorous gale immediately surged out toward the row of Qi Artists in front.
“Ahhhh… ”
Horrendous shrieks were heard. Before this row of Qi Artists could act, they were all knocked off-balance by Hua Qiyue’s move. They crashed against the city wall by the side, madly throwing out blood.
“Advance, quick… ” The Qi Artists standing by the sides were in a fearful frenzy. If they did not manage to obstruct Hua Qiyue, the Emperor would hold them accountable and behead them!
“How presumptuous! I’m the Crown Prince. Scram!”
The curtains of the carriage behind Hua Qiyue were pulled aside, revealing a man in finery, with a gold coronet on his head—the emblem of the Crown Prince.
“Ah… the Crown Prince… ” The men broke out in cold sweat. The Crown Prince, an ally of Hua Qiyue? Why then would the Emperor order Hua Qiyue’s death?
But Hua Qiyue was so powerful. These minor Qi Artists could do nothing to her.
While these Qi Artists were hesitating, the carriages of Hua Qiyue and her followers raced past them.
The Qi Artists knitted their brows and stared at one another, their eyes full of bewilderment. “Isn’t Hua Qiyue in league with the Gnawing Devils Sect? Why aren’t there remnants from the sect? And why is the Crown Prince… with Hua Qiyue? He doesn’t look like he was abducted!”
One of the Qi Artists asked, perplexed.
“You’re right. We find it strange too. And Hua Qiyue seems to be the head of the alliance which has exterminated the sect!”
“Haha, you people don’t know. I was bypa.s.sing the battlefield and that great battle was alarmingly dangerous… Hua Qiyue and her allies were about to lose, when she managed to summon 10 demon corpses. She rescued our kingdom at that crucial moment!”
One of the Qi Artists remarked complacently amid the crowd. Soon, all the Qi Artists were pushing their way toward him, enquiring about the battle.
After all, it was a great battle. Many cowardly Qi Artists had not dared to take part and would only watch from a distance.
So many Qi Artists had witnessed that great battle.
When the company won, these men slipped away crestfallen, too ashamed to face the triumphant heroes.
“You’re right. I, too, have witnessed it. Haha, it’s so exciting! Well, one can only witness one such battle in all of one’s life! It’s worth risking my life to see it!”
One of those cowardly Qi Artists smiled. They had only watched while the others were at the brink of death. Yet now, they were bragging about their courage without an ounce of shame.
After all, they had “risked their lives” to watch the battle.
The crowd soon approached the two men, inquiring more about the battle.
Farther on, Hua Qiyue and her followers were about to arrive at the capital.
“We must be prepared. Perhaps… they won’t open the gates of the city.” The hare said quietly.
Hua Qiyue gave a cold snort. The hare’s guess must be right. That rotten Emperor was simply making use of Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo to exterminate the Gnawing Devils Sect. Then, fearing that they would become too powerful, he had tried to kill them.
“But… if the Emperor’s smart enough, he will not stop you by force. After all, with your strength… ” The little hare snorted, waving its paws. “If I were a demonic beast, I would devour that Emperor in one mouth.”
Hua Qiyue and Ji Jing started to t.i.tter. The two girls were finally smiling.
In the capital, the Emperor was standing anxiously on the top of the city citadel.
Soon, he saw a signal flare go up above a town near the capital.
“Looks like… Hua Qiyue is back.” The Changlong Emperor’s face was looking extremely ghastly. There were many Qi Art experts from the palace in that town. If they could not hold Hua Qiyue off, the Emperor would have to degrade himself and receive her.
“Your Majesty… although Hua Qiyue’s powerful, Yun Shimo has already eloped with the Princess. I’m afraid… ”
The High Priest said by his side, his eyes full of worry.
“I don’t think people like Hua Qiyue will focus on power. Even if I concede the throne to her, she may not accept it. Alas, I’ve miscalculated. Princess Jinghua may not be that ambitious about our tiny Changjing Kingdom. Even if she is, I can’t stop her now!” The Changlong Emperor regretted somewhat that he had got men to waylay and kill Hua Qiyue in the town.
“Your Majesty… do you mean to welcome Hua Qiyue back in a lavish ceremony?”
“Indeed.” The Changlong Emperor had no other option. Hua Qiyue was too powerful and he could not stop her.
He thought that after the battle, Hua Qiyue would be weak. Then the Left and Right Custodians could kill her. But unexpectedly…
The Changlong Emperor wanted to enlist Hua Qiyue to his side. But he was deeply concerned about the incident when she was three. If Hua Qiyue knew about the matter, she would probably not let him off.
Now, he had to change his plan.
Sure enough, after a while came urgent trottings from the front. The carriages of Hua Qiyue and her followers appeared in their sight. The Changlong Emperor and a few of his more important officials were waiting outside the city gate.
The carriage stopped. Hua Qiyue pulled up her curtains, her icy, profound eyes landing on the Emperor.
“The Crown Prince and Princess Jinghua are back after exterminating the Gnawing Devils Sect! Such a great victory! It’s been hard on you, my subjects!”
On the face of it all, the Changlong Emperor was chuckling merrily. But his heart was full of bitterness. He was the sovereign of the kingdom, yet he must subject himself to such a lowly female Qi Artist.
The Crown Prince also leaped down the carriage. The Emperor’s actions had made him most unhappy, yet he could not reprimand him in the face of the public.
Hua Qiyue did not alight. Her tone was extremely cold and indifferent. “If there is nothing more, Your Majesty, I shall make my move.”
Wow!
No way… a mere Princess, speaking to the Emperor like that?
However, Hua Qiyue was a Qi Artist at the medium level of Moon Eclipse—a meritorious subject who had exterminated the Gnawing Devils Sect!
Furthermore, the Emperor had tried to kill her when she was three. Must she grin at a former murderer?
“How presumptuous… ” The High Priest was just about to rebuke Hua Qiyue when the Changlong Emperor waved his hand. “The Princess’s too tired. Better go home and rest. Tomorrow, you can enter the palace and receive your reward.”
The Changlong Emperor said politely. Hua Qiyue gave him an indifferent sweep of her eyes. Well, he knew his place. If it weren’t for Huangfu Shenglin, Hua Qiyue would surely cast this rotten Emperor 10,000 kilometers away.
Hua Qiyue did not care for the glowering eyes of the others. She returned to her carrriage and slowly entered the capital.
The Emperor saw that Huangfu Shenglin was unhurt and breathed a sigh of relief.
But the Crown Prince was looking antagonistic. He simply greeted him coldly and returned to his carriage.
When the Emperor and his men departed from the city gate, the watching bystanders all started to discuss.
“Well, well, this is the first time I saw Princess Jinghua. I can’t believe she’s such a peerless beauty! And her Qi Art’s so strong too. She really is my idol!”
“Ha, I heard the Princess Jinghua and her allies almost died after the battle with the Gnawing Devils Sect. They relied on Prince Nan’s pills to survive. And the Emperor’s Left and Right Custodians had tried to kill her. When they reached Teal Stone Town in front, they were surrounded and attacked by Qi Artists!”
“You don’t say! The Emperor couldn’t be so vicious, could he? Without the Princess, the Changjing Kingdom would end up being part of the Gnawing Devils Sect!”
“That’s why the Princess is treating the Emperor so coldly… ”
The discussions of the people quietly spread. The Emperor, who had once earned the trust of his people, soon found himself demoted to an inferior position in their hearts.
Hua Qiyue was heading for Prince Nan’s mansion, not Hua’s Mansion.
Hua’s Mansion was protected by her great formation. No one could get in there, as there was no Qi Artist at the Great Completeness of Round Sun in the capital.
Prince Nan’s mansion was the place she most wanted to go. Most importantly, Tianci was there.
Hua Qiyue’s carriage raced like lightning to Prince Nan’s mansion. Before it could stop, she had leaped down the carriage, streaking into the mansion.
To her great surprise, the doors of Prince Nan’s mansion were open. No one was around.
“The Princess? Isn’t this Princess Jinghua? Everyone has moved from Prince Nan’s mansion half a day ago.” A kind soul saw Hua Qiyue barging into Prince Nan’s mansion and explained to her in a loud voice.
Moved out?
Hua Qiyue was shocked.