Chapter 05: Visit of Prince Zhou Chen

It was early morning. The sky was beginning to brighten with the arms of sunlight. And like every morning, Miss Bingyue's personal Maid went out for her daily walk in the backyard of the Liu Clan.

With a basket in her arms, the maid by the name of Ling bent down as she tucked her short hair behind her ear and gently, her hands plucked a red-colored grass from the ground.

"Spirit Yang Flower. So strange, these herbs are only born in environments rich in Yang Qi."

As the name suggests, those Spiritual Herbs are a special type of herbs that, after absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, contain a large amount of Qi inside. Although they are rare in low-energy areas, those who cultivate the spiritual consider them miracle herbs.

Ling set aside the herbs he had collected and placed the Spiritual Yang Flower very carefully. She thought her master would love her discovery.

When she took a step to explore further, her senses sharpened.

"Hm? Is anyone here?"

Her footsteps stopped, and her gaze drifted to the left, where she sensed a faint energy fluctuation. She shook her head; that person's Qi was thin, so thin that it might as well not exist.

Spiritual Gathering Realm; the lowest rank and the beginning of cultivation. Someone with such strength could only waste their life wandering in this forest.

As the largest Clan in Glory City, the Liu Clan had a vast land; besides the Clan itself, a quarter of that land was occupied by mountain ranges and lush trees decorating the backside.

It was well known that such a forest was a perfect habitat for Demonic Beasts, so whoever it was that was there didn't stand a chance of going into the forest.

Ling walked silently toward that person, not causing the slightest discomfort by stepping on the lifeless leaves of the trees. After all, as a Maid who aspired to greatness, she should advise the younger ones to follow the right path.

As for whether that person ignored her well-intentioned action, she would not mind in the least and would likewise go on her way.

As soon as she stepped out from behind the bushes, her gaze fixed on the lone back of a young man, and her eyes narrowed.

Staring solemnly forward and sideways, that young man looked like a puppy who didn't know where he was. Then.

"Liu Yang?"

A voice full of coldness escaped her lips. She knew that man too well! And if it were possible, she wished that he would simply disappear from existence. He was a hateful man!

...

At the sound of the voice, Liu Yang turned around, and his blue eyes widened slightly.

"Ling, what are you doing here at this hour?".

He looked her up and down, inspecting her.

Dressed in a short-sleeved dress, a frilly mini-skirt, and a white apron; black-colored shoulder-length hair, and a sharp, emotionless face marked by milk-white skin; she gave off the energy of a cool, stoic maid.

"That's my question; what are you doing here?" Ling glared at him and took a few steps toward him.

She inspected him more closely, and although she found no visible wounds anywhere on his body, his tattered clothes and the red traces of dried blood were a clear sign that he had been through some hardship.

And most importantly...

"... Have you lost your cultivation?".

Liu Yang was previously at the Third Level of the Spiritual Formation Realm! But now, Ling could only feel a faint trace of Qi, almost as if it was a remnant of what it was in the past.

"Em. I've had my Dantian broken."

Liu Yang nodded as if his situation was nothing. And contrary to his words, his once blue eyes were dyed a deep gold, showing his hatred towards the world.

'W-what is this oppressive feeling?!'

Ling's legs tensed as she felt an instinctive, shuddering fear petrify her mind. That oppressive feeling was something she did not feel even in the presence of clan elders.

'What happened to him? Didn't he say his Dantian was broken? Wait...'

The vengeance-thirsty aura disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and Liu Yang's unnatural eyes became natural again.

But when her senses focused on his body, she could feel that his cultivation was at its lowest; First Stage of the Spiritual Gathering Realm.

"You... how did you get your Dantian back?".

The possibility that he was lying to her flashed through her mind for a few seconds. After the destruction, it was impossible for a broken Dantian to recover! Likewise, if one did not have a Spiritual Treasure capable of concealing the individual's strength, cultivation couldn't be camouflaged.

And since such a treasure was a high-value item only possessed by the four Major Sects, the only possibility left was for Liu Yang to find a method to restore his Dantian. Perhaps a treasure that defied the heavens!

"Forget it. The situation is hard to explain."

With a barely audible whisper, Liu Yang leaned on the ground with his back and jumped up. His eyes stopped on Ling's figure; more specifically, they fixed on her pale white collar. Then, the world seemed to freeze, losing all natural color.

'Phew, what the fuck is happening now?'

An uncomfortable feeling rose in his throat, almost as if he hadn't had a drink of water in months. He tried to control himself as he squeezed his neck, but the situation seemed to get worse as heavy breaths escaped his lips.

The world turned gray; the only thing different was the red blood coursing through Ling's throbbing veins.

His blood pressure rose, and his mind clouded with unethical thoughts; he wanted to squeeze the girl under him and bury his teeth in her appetizing neck!

"Liu Yang, wake up!"

Then, the cold voice echoed in his ears.

"Huh? Ah, yes, where were we again?"

Ling's shout ended his delusions and made the world come back into color. He didn't know what had happened, but he felt fearful, afraid that, for some unknown reason, he might decide to attack her.

"For a moment, I thought your perverted instincts had taken over your body." Ling's eyes narrowed as she looked into him face. "In any case, I don't know the full version of what happened. I'll let Master Bingyue herself take over. Follow me."

With a stoic face, Ling turned around and motioned for him to follow her.

"Oi, Maid, are you really going to take me to that woman?".

Not wanting to be left behind, Liu Yang quickened his steps to catch up with her.

"Don't call me Maid; I have a name, you know?" Ling turned her gaze towards him; her eyes shone with a cold light, a look that, for some reason, excited Liu Yang, "Master Bingyue asked me to take you when I find you. When you see her, you'd better thank her since she's spent three whole days looking for you."

"Three days?! That doesn't make sense..."

If he remembered correctly, he had been ambushed yesterday on his way back from the neighboring city after handing in his certificate to attend the High Heaven Sect.

Unless...

'Is the time flow of that place different from that of this world? Em? When I think about it, it's really confusing'.

Seeing Liu Yang's puzzled look, Ling decided not to comment. She thought that the boy had lost a few screws due to recent events. After all, it is hard to adjust when you lose everything you've built up in the blink of an eye.

'Come to think of it; I don't know how Master Bingyue will act. Will she break off her relationship with Liu Yang?' Ling was thoughtful.

Because Liu Yang lost his cultivation and was now destined to fall behind the younger generation, there was no need to mention how weak he was currently. Such reasons led to a possible future; Bingyue, who had previously gotten close enough to him to call him a friend, would possibly throw him into a trash can or even might start to despise him.

After all, no one wanted a weak person.

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Glory City; a small city located in the far north of one of the five Empires of the Azure Continent. As such, it could be considered a remote city, for aside from the inhabitants who rarely leave the safety of the walls, few were foreign visitors.

But for an almost forgotten city, it was certainly not as old-fashioned as one might imagine.

Several citizens could be seen walking along the cobblestone streets while some were heading inside some street store or others were coming out from inside their homes.

As today was an important day for Glory City, the citizens were at their hottest.

Today was the day when several people of important status were visiting Glory City.

The sound of galloping horses echoed through the cobblestone streets as the citizens felt a slight tremor beneath their feet.

Instantly, they made way for the visitors and began to observe the entrance located on the south side of the city.

There, several silhouettes of people riding majestic horses could be seen. However, the troop leader was riding a bird-like monster with a lion's head and a snake's tail.

Wearing a bluish robe with a dragon design, the man had a well-defined face, long black hair, and sharp eyes that would pierce the soul of a being. He also carried a noble posture, which made others unconsciously admire him.

"Gulp! So that's Prince Zhou Chen and his Poisonous Manticore. I wonder why it has come to our city."

A cultivator broke the silence, and the others began to gossip.

"Shit! I can't even feel their cultivations, but that terrifying aura surrounding Prince Zhou Chen and his royal guards is not to be scoffed at."

"I can feel a suffocating pressure even from here! Perhaps they are already in the Spiritual Earth Realm. Even the Liu Clan's clan chief hasn't even reached such a cultivation realm!".

"Hey, Daoist brothers! I have some shocking news that I know you would like to hear!".

A cultivator dressed in a white robe arrived in front of a group. His face drenched in sweat but with a big smile on his face.

"Spit it out already!"

"Brother Daoist, don't be so impatient." He grinned from ear to ear and held out his hand, "Ehem, I'd like you to help this poor cultivator with a couple of gold co-."

—Bam!

At that moment, the cultivator didn't even finish his words when his nose sank into his face.

"You think you're so funny?! Now, spit out the information!". Clenching his fists, the man who hit him, along with a group of people, surrounded the man whose face was bloodied.

"S-sorry if I offended you, senior!" From a smiling man, he turned to a trembling man, and not wanting to offend anyone; he began to blurt out everything he knew.

"When this junior was prowling around the vicinity of the Liu Clan, I heard two cultivators talking. Prince Zhou Chen of the Zhou Empire has mainly come to propose to Miss Bingyue!".

"What?! Miss Bingyue is getting married?"

"No way, I aspired to catch up with her and ask for her hand!"

"...Have you ever looked in the mirror-?"

—Bam!

With another sound of bones breaking, the same man who was hit flew backward as blood splattered.

"Shit! I have to go back to my clan and spread this news."

"Same here!"

"Man, it's a pity that Miss Bingyue has to get married, aish~."

Bingyue, who was sixteen years old, was considered the supreme genius among the younger generation of Glory City. It was said that her spiritual strength had reached the Tenth Level of the Spiritual Core Realm, almost breaking through the bottleneck to enter the Spiritual Earth Realm.

Being so young but so powerful, even Clan Leader Liu did not have the strength to disobey her!

Most importantly, she was not only strong enough but also extremely beautiful, so she was considered the epitome of beauty in Glory City.

Knowing that someone like her was about to spread her wings and fly out of reach, those who felt unrequited love for Bingyue had no choice but to swallow their jealousy. After all, the man who wanted to marry her was someone who could not be offended.