Chapter 80: The Princess Flew Away

Slap!

A loud slap rang out as it landed heavily on Hua Wuyi's face.

Guan Tianzhao was truly enraged. He had never struck Hua Wuyi before. After all, Hua was a congenital expert, and if Guan truly wanted to fight him, Hua could take his life with a single strike. But this time, Guan Tianzhao had truly been pushed to his limits.

"Hua Wuyi! Do you think I'm an idiot?! You're incompetent, fine. But to come up with such an absurd story to deceive me—do you believe I won't chop off your head and completely annihilate your Tian Dao Alliance?!" Guan Tianzhao roared.

Hua Wuyi, holding his face in pain, protested, "My lord, if I dared deceive you, I would have already been dead. The princess was really carried off by a bird! She flew right above us, mocking us as she went. It wasn't just me who saw it—other members of the Tian Dao Alliance saw it, and even your soldiers saw it!"

"Bullshit! Nonsense! I've never heard of a bird carrying people through the sky! Is that even a bird? It's more like a dragon!" Guan Tianzhao shouted, utterly disbelieving.

"My lord!" Hua Wuyi fell to his knees, crying out, "This is absolutely true! The bird's wings were nearly two meters wide, all snow-white, with eyes like golden lamps and claws like hooks. It flew past us at about thirty meters above our heads, and the princess was sitting on its back. We were stunned. Later, a skilled archer shot at the bird, but the bird just flapped its wings twice and knocked the arrow down before it even reached it. We were helpless! The bird was flying too fast, and we couldn't even catch up on horseback. Before we knew it, the bird was already gone!"

"Enough of this nonsense!" Guan Tianzhao could no longer hold back his fury. He was about to call for his guards when a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Report, my lord! Your personal guard captain has returned from Luoyang."

"Oh? He's back? Did he capture or kill Zhao Yuanji? Let him in at once!"

A man in military attire rushed into the room, panic written on his face. He quickly knelt and saluted upon seeing Guan Tianzhao.

Seeing the unease on his guard captain's face, a sense of foreboding rose within Guan Tianzhao. If Zhao Yuanji had been captured or killed, the captain would not be showing this expression. If she had escaped or eluded them, the captain would have stayed silent. The fact that he returned with this expression could only mean one thing—a strange, unexplainable event had occurred.

"Tell me what happened. Speak quickly!"

Guan Tianzhao still held on to a faint hope. After all, if Zhao Yuanji had escaped, it would be a catastrophic blow to him, something he could never accept.

"My lord, I led a thousand elite cavalry to secure Luoyang. Every person who entered or left went through strict inspections. The princess could not have passed through the border."

"What's going on? Just tell me the important details!" Guan Tianzhao growled impatiently.

The captain hurriedly explained, "This morning, I personally patrolled the city gates with a hundred soldiers when we saw a large bird in the sky. It was enormous!"

"Whoosh! Oh no!" Guan Tianzhao couldn't take it anymore. He hurled a teacup, hitting the captain in the head and knocking him to the ground with a loud cry.

"If you say another word of nonsense, I'll annihilate your entire family. Speak the key details!"

"Y-yes, my lord! The bird flew over us, and to our surprise, the princess was sitting on its back, flying right above our heads!"

"You fools! Didn't you have a hundred men? Shoot arrows at it!" Guan Tianzhao was now starting to believe, as there was no way that Hua Wuyi and his guard captain could be conspiring to deceive him. Furthermore, this was something that could easily be verified.

"We shot! We all shot!" the captain explained hurriedly. "Following your orders, we tried to shoot the bird, but it just flapped its wings, knocking the arrows down before they could reach it. Some of our brothers were injured by falling arrows, and they're still being treated!"

"Didn't you chase it down?" Guan Tianzhao asked, exasperated.

"We tried! But the bird was too fast. We couldn't catch up, and soon it crossed into Shanxi, and the border guards were there. We couldn't risk following, so we had no choice but to return and report to you."

Hearing this, Guan Tianzhao slumped in his chair, his heart sinking.

What was going on?

What in the world was happening? Was the universe playing tricks on him?

His first assassination attempt had been foiled by a monk and some strange dragon horse, and now, the princess had escaped. He had been certain she couldn't get past his grip. Every route from Henan had been blocked, with countless martial artists helping him track her down. Yet, somehow, a bird had swooped in and carried her away.

Why? Why was this happening?

"Damn it!" Guan Tianzhao screamed, his voice full of rage. Everyone around him jumped in surprise.

"I swear! If there's a next life, I'll be a hunter, and I'll hunt down every bird! Steamed! Roasted! I'll pluck their feathers and eat them! I'll eat every bird in the world!"

In a fit of madness, Guan Tianzhao shouted loudly, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed from his chair.

"My lord! My lord!" His subordinates rushed over, panicking, trying to resuscitate him by pinching his nose and pressing on his chest, while others rushed out to find a doctor. The manor was thrown into chaos.

On the mountain roads of Shaoshi Mountain, two young girls were about to ascend the mountain.

One girl, slightly plump, was panting as she climbed the stone steps to the Shaolin Temple but was supporting the other girl, who appeared frail.

The other girl was extremely slender, her figure strikingly perfect. Her delicate face was pale, and her cherry lips were slightly pursed, making her irresistibly alluring.

The two girls walked slowly, stopping often, prompting the surrounding pilgrims to offer assistance.

Some bolder men tried to strike up a conversation, but were quickly scolded by the plump girl.

Despite the frail girl's delicate appearance, many men couldn't help but feel a desire to help, wishing they could take the place of the plump girl and assist her.

After taking over an hour to reach the Shaolin Temple, the two girls enjoyed the attention they attracted, even though the pilgrims who came to Shaolin were mostly Buddhists, their worldly desires still led them to gaze at beautiful women.

Among the monks, some of the newer ones couldn't resist stealing glances. If they noticed others looking, they quickly straightened up and pretended to be oblivious.

Today, the abbot, Huò Yuánzhēn, was walking around the temple grounds. This scene caught his attention.

However, the moment he saw the frail girl, his first instinct was to think, "This woman has demonic energy!"

Having watched many dramas in his past life, including action romance films, Huò Yuánzhēn had a keen understanding of women, and he naturally classified them into different types. Yet, after becoming the abbot for so long, he had become somewhat rusty in his judgment.

In his mind, this woman's beauty was on par with Ning Wanjun's, though she lacked Ning's ethereal grace and Lin Yi's sweet purity. Instead, she gave off a distinct fox spirit vibe—like one with many tails.

Sure enough, this woman had the aura of a fox spirit.

Today, Huò Yuánzhēn was in a good mood because the Golden-eyed Eagle had successfully completed its mission, bringing the princess back to Chang'an. Now, it was monitoring two monks on the mountain.

And Guan Shanyue would also return soon, bringing Yue Ying with him.

Yue Ying had no further duty, as the princess had left, and he had been instructed to find his own path.

After hearing that the Golden-eyed Eagle had been sent by the Shaolin abbot, Yue Ying decided to shave his head and become a monk, choosing to step away from the palace intrigues. He had sold his life for the royal family long enough—now, he would live for himself.

Learning that the abbot had sent the divine eagle, Yue Ying made his decision, and Huò Yuánzhēn was happy with the results. He had gained another expert to add to the Shaolin ranks.

Today, feeling good, Huò Yuánzhēn went out for a walk and unexpectedly encountered this fox spirit.

"Demon! What are you doing here at Shaolin? If you cause trouble, beware—this abbot will capture you!" Huò Yuánzhēn thought to himself, walking toward the girl with a determined expression.