CHAPTER 37: 37. ENTERING SHU

The light of dawn pierced through the gap in the carriage curtains.

The morning breeze blew, moving the curtains, and the light moved along with it...

Miss Qiu was not considered a great beauty, and although the Princess Consort appeared youthful due to the Multi-tailed Fox Blood, she still showed traces of age in the corners of her eyes and her expression.

At this moment, the two women were already awake but lay quietly under the blankets, watching the light flickering on the wall of the carriage, their expressions complex.

Though Song Yan treated them well, the past few years had been like living in Hell for them.

On the mountain, Song Yan was their protective umbrella.

As long as they were Song Yan’s furnaces, they could stay safely in the Cave Mansion without encountering danger.

But now, they had left the Puppet Sect for several days.

At this moment, the relationship between Song Yan and them had changed. It was no longer "protective umbrella," but... "Prison Guard."

A guard watching over them, preventing them from obtaining freedom.

If they did not die within these five years, they would still have to follow him back into that hell after five years.

As for emotions, perhaps there were some.

But if you call this emotion "love" or "romance," it’s the biggest joke!

The Puppet Sect was the root cause of their family’s ruin!

As for Song Yan, he was the direct murderer of Prince Zhen Nan.

Where’s the "love"?

It was nothing more than being lost in a drunken dream, helplessness, indulgence in desire, a choice of escaping reality.

And just at that moment, the curtain lifted slightly, revealing a young man’s face, and the two women immediately adjusted their expressions.

Miss Qiu smiled and called out, "Song Big Brother..."

The Princess Consort suppressed her myriad emotions and called out, "Song... Song Lang."

Song Yan said, "It’s bright now, let’s set off."

...

...

At the end of winter, small snowflakes fell.

After more than ten days...

The carriage stopped once more.

The surrounding mountains towered, imposing with their presence. They had arrived within the borders of the Western Shu realm.

Upon arrival, the Profound Qi was even more scarce.

Whereas on the periphery of South Bamboo Peak, with complete Cave Mansions and a monthly Elixir supply, it took five or six years to accumulate a hundred strands of Profound Qi to break through the Refining Profound Mirror;

But within a few days’ journey from the Puppet Sect, it would take over three hundred years to absorb a thousand strands of Profound Qi and break through the Profound Three Mirrors... yet in a place like this, attempting to break through forcefully would not be possible without a thousand or even several thousand years.

Even for a Profound Cultivator, dreaming of easily using magic in such a "barren land" is just a dream.

This is not a place for cultivation.

Here, it is a desert for cultivators and a domain for mortals.

Song Yan found a spot and lit a campfire, the three of them sat around it, chatting idly.

The Princess Consort suddenly asked, "Has Song Lang broken the mirror?"

After asking, she seemed to realize the question was inappropriate, so she gently added, "I’m worried the journey might be dangerous, if Song Lang hasn’t broken the mirror yet, you should be careful.

Even though the two Sects have reached a ceasefire agreement, between Sects, in certain aspects, it’s no different than between a Dynasty, saying one thing and doing another.

Previously, it was fine near the Puppet Sect, but now that we’re within the borders of the Western Shu, Lang Jun should be more cautious."

Song Yan slowly shook his head, showing regret, "I was close to breaking through the first layer of Refining Profound, but unfortunately encountered a Ghost Cultivator’s disturbance and a Fox Demon invasion, I had to leave the Sect."

Although he had broken through to the sixth layer of Refining Profound, he did not plan to brag about it to everyone he met.

Miss Qiu said, "Then let’s avoid the main roads, let’s..."

Song Yan raised his hand and said, "The byways have many bandits, and the treacherous hills and waters, if there are many people, my two fists can’t fight against four hands, it’s difficult to deal with them. It’s better to take the main road."

With that, he looked at the Princess Consort and asked, "Xuerou, you mentioned your family was in Western Shu’s Mountain Mist City, is it reliable to go there now?"

The Princess Consort nodded heavily and said, "When I was the Princess Consort of Prince Zhen Nan, to guard against war, I had managed Mountain Mist City in advance, there are many of my confidants there...

It’s only been a little over three years, I’m sure as long as those people are still alive, they will definitely recognize me. We will be able to find peace there."

The air suddenly quieted down.

The Princess Consort’s lips moved slightly, she wanted to say "Song Lang, why not give me some more Fanatic Fans," but swallowed the words.

Song Yan seemed not to notice this small gesture, and added, "You mentioned your grandfather once found a Spirit Flower Atlas for you somewhere, allowing you to recognize the Fire-Breath Pepper and even know how to cultivate it. Could there be an Independent Cultivator Market near Mountain Mist City?"

The Princess Consort shook her head and said, "To be honest, Song Lang, back when I was at Prince Zhen Nan Mansion, we wanted to attract more Loose Cultivators for service, so we searched everywhere, but could not find any...

My grandfather has long passed away, it is difficult to ask him again."

Song Yan looked at Qiu Lianyue and asked, "Once we reach Mountain Mist City, what do you plan to do, Lianyue?"

Qiu Lianyue replied, "I am merely a humble merchant girl, I will follow Song Big Brother and Sister Cao."

The snow fell quietly.

The area illuminated by the campfire grew smaller.

"Let’s get in the carriage to sleep, it will still take some time to reach Mountain Mist, and we need to inquire about the road when we reach the next town."

"No worries, Song Lang, I recognize all the roads here."

The Princess Consort finished speaking, yawned, and got up to enter the carriage, finding a blanket to cover herself.

Miss Qiu followed her and lay down by her side.

Soon, the two women heard footsteps on the driver’s seat.

It was Song Yan getting on the carriage.

Miss Qiu was alright, just suddenly a bit nervous.

The Princess Consort, however, clenched her left arm with her right hand’s five fingers, her nails digging in deeply, a manifestation of fear, anger, excitement, and countless complex emotions mingled together.

As the Fanatic Fans gradually lost their effect, she felt that Song Yan getting into the bed again, forcefully spreading her legs for intimacy, was tantamount to assault.

Fortunately, there were only a few sounds from the driver’s seat before it fell silent again.

Song Yan leaned against the wall of the carriage, gazing upwards into the falling snowflakes, slowly drifting into a dreamland.

Now that he had entered the sixth layer of Refining Profound, his perception range had expanded significantly, and even in his dreams, he could never let petty people approach.

...

...

Several more days passed.

The carriage continued its journey, moving through the wilderness of the Western Shu Kingdom.

Due to Song Yan’s perception abilities, even though far away, he could sense the circumstances around them, so they did not encounter any danger.

According to the Princess Consort, it’s no more than a two-day journey from here to Mountain Mist City.

This day, at noon.

The carriage was moving as usual when Song Yan suddenly perked up his ears because he vaguely caught the words "Prince Zhen Nan."

He slowed the carriage, quickly focused his perception, and followed the sound.

The voices became clearer, coming from a small valley beside a mountain path.

From the valley came the uniform sounds of swords and spears clashing, along with the clatter of armor, clearly indicating a troop of elite soldiers in training.

Amidst the sounds of training, several people were discussing something.

"The rebels have established the Jin Dynasty, and now forced to move the capital southward. With the King of Shu’s support, this might be our chance to reclaim the throne."

"Is this really orchestrated by His Majesty?

Has His Majesty gone to the Mountain and Sea Demon Country?"

"My Cao Family and the Mountain and Sea Multi-tailed Dragon Bo Demonic Fox lineage have an intertwined relationship." The man responded flatly, offering no further explanation, then continued, "Grand General, what do you think?"

The man addressed as Grand General paused and said, "My father, Prince Zhen Nan, was long ago captured by the rebels and offered to the Puppet Demon Sect.

I hate those rebels, wishing I could devour their flesh and blood, so of course I have no objections! But we must wait for the right time!

Now that Mr. Qiu is controlling the merchant routes, we must also use this to gather external information."

"Naturally, Mr. Qiu’s wife is dead, and his little daughter is missing... What’s left now is this hatred for revenge!"

After that, the group continued to conspire about the details of counterattacking the Jin Dynasty.

Song Yan listened silently for a while, somewhat surprised.

From the conversation, he naturally discerned that the "Grand General" was the Crown Prince of Prince Zhen Nan.

Cao Xuerou had told him her son was valiant and formidable.

As for "Mr. Qiu," it seemed to relate to Qiu Lianyue, if not her father, then a relative.

Song Yan initially planned to drop the two women off in Mountain Mist City before leaving, but now there seemed to be a new option.

The title "Princess Consort" was too conspicuous; once they reached Mountain Mist, others would undoubtedly know a little demon brat had arrived with them.

Then, he would likely face countless troubles.

As for his feelings for the two women?

Apart from pity, it was probably just the desire during moments of pleasure.

Now that he could set them free and leave peacefully himself, it was a win-win, and Song Yan was happy to do it.

...

...

A quarter of an hour later.

"Halt!"

A soldier sternly shouted towards the direction of the valley.

With his shout, many bowmen drew their bows, aiming at the carriage.

Seated in the driver’s seat was a young lady.

The young lady shouted, "I am the Princess Consort of Prince Zhen Nan! Who dares act presumptuously!"

The soldier was taken aback by her words. Though skeptical, he dared not make a decision on his own, just as... the person who could decide was indeed here today.

He slightly restrained his expectations, cautiously saying, "Stop the carriage. If you truly are the Princess Consort, someone will recognize you, please wait!"

Cao Xuerou stopped the carriage.

...

...

A moment later...

A handsome and valiant man, clad in silver armor, hurried over from afar. Seeing the lady on the driver’s seat, tears fell from his tiger-like eyes, and his strong body trembled.

"Mother... Mother!!"

The dignified Grand General utterly lost composure, rushing forward in excitement.

Shortly after, the second prince of Great Wei led a group from behind.

When the curtain of the carriage was lifted, among the crowd was an elder who couldn’t help but lose his composure.

"Lianyue?!"

Little Miss Qiu looked at the elder as if in a dream, calling out, "Father?"

"Lianyue!"

"Father!"

The father and daughter hugged and wept, then began recounting the events of the past years.

...

...

Another moment later.

The Grand General, supporting his mother, suddenly spoke coldly, "Mother Consort says that little demon brat heard the commotion here and specifically sent you over?"

Cao Xuerou nodded.

The Grand General wore a fierce expression, a murderous intent rising.

Cao Xuerou hurriedly said, "He’s already gone far, don’t pursue him."

The Grand General coldly replied, "The carriage is here, and there are only a few mountain paths around, how far could he go?"

Cao Xuerou said with a hint of anger, "Don’t pursue!"

Her feelings for Song Yan were complex, but at least... she didn’t want him to die, nor did she want him to get into trouble for setting them free.

Moreover, outside, the wife of Prince Zhen Nan wasn’t just a vase; even after years, she still wielded quite the influence.

The Grand General, helplessly, could only say, "Listen to mother."

However, he also knew that it was difficult for a Cultivator to hide among mortals because the government had pass documents and other forms of identification that could be checked.

The only hope was to enter the Jianghu.

The Jianghu and the court, each governed themselves, neither could suppress the other.

Jianghu matters are beyond the court’s control.

However, a Cultivator couldn’t possibly have time to train in martial arts.

That Demon Sect disciple entering the Jianghu would have no skills beyond some brute strength from his body!

The people of Jianghu aren’t foolish, they would quickly deduce his identity.

How could he possibly stay hidden?