Feng Miaojun remained silent for a while before asking him: “Why restore the kingdom?”

“Why not?” Fu Lingchuan turned sharply, his eyes still somewhat red and swollen, but his gaze fierce. “I am a person of An Xia. My ancestors assisted the Hao family in establishing the Haoli Empire. An Xia endured three hundred years of warfare without falling! Sister, have you never taken pride in your pure bloodline?”

Regrettably, she could not empathize. Feng Miaojun gazed at him quietly, her phoenix eyes clear as water.

At her core, she was a detached person.

Fu Lingchuan also understood the undisguised indifference in her expression. Did she truly have no attachment to her homeland? He rubbed his brow, smiling bitterly: “You were too young when the kingdom fell. No matter, once you return to An Xia, you’ll understand.”

“Perhaps,” Feng Miaojun watched as he stored the urn of ashes in his storage ring. “Could I have one of those rings?”

She had coveted storage space for a long time, but existing storage spaces were too rare, and those sold at Luofu Fishing were increasingly expensive.

Fu Lingchuan made a sound of realization: “Of course! I’ve been remiss.”

How could a monarch lack even this basic equipment? He thought for a moment, then removed a ring from his left pinky finger and handed it to her.

“…” It was a man’s ring, though it had a large jade embedded in it.

Fu Lingchuan quickly explained: “Use this for now, and I’ll find you another when we return to An Xia. I gave one to Feiyuan, but she lost it.”

Feng Miaojun thanked him and put it on her right index finger. Practicality was most important; she carried too many small items, which was inconvenient in battle.

Just then, the white crane let out a clear cry and landed on the beach.

“Let’s go.” They had rested enough and needed to continue their journey.

Upon reaching the southern coastal mainland, the crane spirits did not stop but continued flying southward.

According to Feng Miaojun’s requirements, they needed to obtain the Golden Branch Jade Dew before returning to An Xia. If they traveled by land and water, switching between vehicles and boats would likely take an entire year. A kingdom could not go a single day without its ruler; if they truly returned a year later, An Xia would already be finished.

So Fu Lingchuan simply hired the two crane spirits at a rate of thirty spirit stones per day, flying directly to Taiping City, the capital of Yan, and also booked the return journey. Spirit stones were rare nowadays, and cultivation was not easy for monster tribes. After a discussion, the two crane spirits decided to earn this extra income.

After four more full days of flying, they finally reached Taiping City.

Flying over Taiping City was forbidden for bird spirits, and the city gate towers were equipped with extremely powerful anti-air cannons. After dropping off their passengers in the suburbs, the two exhausted crane spirits went to find food on their own.

Fu Lingchuan led Feng Miaojun to change to fast horses, finally entering Taiping City before nightfall.

Throughout their journey south, what they saw most were vast, flat plains and crisscrossing streams and rivers. Now, at the end of September, looking down from high above, the golden rice fields stretched as far as the eye could see, conveying the joy of harvest season.

The major cities in the Taoyuan territory and Yan Kingdom were more densely populated than those in the northern lands, and the roads were better constructed, clearly showing that the southern economy was more prosperous than the northern.

As for Taiping City, the capital of Yan, it was a metropolis with a population exceeding one million. The permanent resident population alone equaled the combined total of three or four small powers near northern Yan, not counting merchants, refugees, and other diverse populations. The number of merchants in Taiping City exceeded 120,000, with an average of more than 270 merchant caravans passing through the twelve city gates daily, truly a busy trade route with a flourishing business.

Walking down the streets, Feng Miaojun often saw noble youths riding fine horses, coming and going with arrogant smiles; wealthy households wore silk brocade garments, while even commoners wore fine cotton clothing. She frequently encountered young maidens in curved-collared wide-sleeved dresses, jade ornaments tinkling, their colorful attire comparable only to that in the imperial capital.

Just by observing their clothing, Feng Miaojun knew that the people of Yan had enjoyed peace for a long time.

Before entering Yan’s capital, she had used a shape-shifting parasite to change her appearance again, disguising herself as the fake Princess Changle. This was Fu Lingchuan’s suggestion to reduce complications during their trip, though Feng Miaojun could only smile bitterly:

What a situation. Feiyuan had once assumed Feng Miaojun’s identity, and after her death, the real Princess Changle had to disguise herself as her!

She was beautiful, and Fu Lingchuan beside her was handsome; passersby kept turning their heads to look. Appreciating beauty and admiring youth, soon several richly dressed young men boldly approached to strike up a conversation.

Feng Miaojun frowned and covered her face with a gauze scarf. Fu Lingchuan was responsible for dealing with those people.

Those who could ride horses in Yan’s capital all had some background, but Fu Lingchuan was not afraid. If you randomly threw a brick on the main street, six or seven out of ten people hit would be officials’ sons.

Just as they had driven away one group, someone called out loudly from behind: “Brother Fu!”

Hoofbeats approached, and someone caught up, calling Fu Lingchuan “brother.” Feng Miaojun didn’t know who these people were and didn’t care to ask. Fu Lingchuan had also been operating in Yan’s capital for many years, and with his personality, he had likely established broad connections.

The newcomers kept curiously observing her.

“My sister is tired and needs to rest first.” Fu Lingchuan spoke briefly, then lightly coughed. “Is Lord Yangshan in the city?”

The leader thought for a moment: “He seems to have left and not returned. I passed by his door this morning and saw the door knocker beast’s head showing an angry face.”

“Good.” After saying this, Fu Lingchuan bid farewell to these people and continued forward with Feng Miaojun.

Lord Yangshan was a prominent figure in the Yan Kingdom, and people wanting to visit him formed long queues every day. But he often traveled, so he established a rule: if the beast’s head on his door showed an angry face, it meant he was away, and visitors should not call; if the beast’s head turned to a smiling face, it meant the master was home and receiving visitors in the queue.

Fu Lingchuan had long since established a large residence in Yan’s capital, called Pine Mist Villa, neither too far nor too close to the palace. After moving in, Feng Miaojun found that the arrangements within the residence showed much ingenuity.

Fu Lingchuan had a mind full of landscapes and was quite a remarkable person.

After spending many days together, Fu Lingchuan’s care for her was meticulous, even personally inquiring about her drinking water and comfort. Even with her iron heart, Feng Miaojun was often pleasantly surprised. Thinking about it, when the fake Princess Changle encountered such tender care, how could she not surrender?

After patiently waiting for three days without Lord Yangshan returning to the capital, Feng Miaojun instead received another bombshell news:

The Wei Crown Prince had been defeated and killed, the Wei Kingdom had suppressed the rebellion, and the internal strife had ended!

“How could it happen so quickly!” Feng Miaojun exclaimed, “The Wei Crown Prince had elite troops and valiant generals, and the outcome shouldn’t have been decided until at least next summer!” The Wei Kingdom was millions of miles away, with the vast Forbidden Sea separating the northern and southern lands. News from Wei would take at least three months to reach here.

This meant that by early summer this year, Wei had already successfully suppressed the rebellion. Those familiar with this war found it inconceivable, as the Wei Crown Prince had once gained the upper hand. Even after the Wei court recovered and won several victories, the Crown Prince’s army showed no signs of defeat. The most conservative strategists estimated that the war would continue for at least another half year, and that was assuming no intervention from surrounding countries.

How could defeat have come so suddenly?