HomeSheng Shi Di FeiChapter 84: The Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier

Chapter 84: The Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier

Shadow Two knew many interrogation experts, such as the charming and elegant Young Master Feng Zhiyao, the Shadow Guard Commander who trained them, and even the stern but kind-hearted Steward Mo of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. However, Shadow Two never knew that their delicate mistress, the Princess Consort of Dingguo, was also skilled in this art. Many times, the four of them couldn’t help but secretly wonder just how badly the Ye family had mistreated the Princess Consort to twist a well-bred young lady from a noble family into someone like this.

Getting that unfortunate assassin out of the Princess’s manor would require considerable effort. With the manor under high alert, the cost of smuggling someone out might not be worth the potential reward. So Shadow Two didn’t plan to wait until tomorrow – he intended to make the guard talk right then and there. The guest quarters were quite spacious, with Ye Li’s inner chamber at the very back. As long as they didn’t shout, even the guards monitoring outside wouldn’t notice anything amiss. Of course, the Shadow Guards already hidden in the Princess’s manor wouldn’t let anyone who shouldn’t be near the guest quarters approach. After being forced to drink a cup of cold tea laced with muscle-weakening powder, that unfortunate assassin couldn’t make a sound even if he wanted to.

Thus, an eerie scene unfolded in the elegantly decorated room. On one side, the Southern Frontier maid lay unconscious on the couch, while at the table sat a delicate young lady writing by lamplight. Just steps away, a brutal interrogation was taking place. Shadow Two’s face was dark as he broke the assassin’s left leg bone, but despite being pale and drenched in sweat, the assassin still refused to talk. Due to space limitations and the inability to use more complicated or bloody methods, Shadow Two’s expression grew increasingly grim. Even by the time Ye Li finished her own business and looked up, Shadow Two still hadn’t gotten a single useful word out of the assassin, though he had barely managed to prevent the assassin from biting off his tongue.

“No luck? Need help?” Ye Li stood up and asked. Shadow Two’s mouth twitched as he shook his head, “My Lady, you shouldn’t concern yourself with such matters.”

“It’s fine. Even if you break another leg, he won’t talk.”

“Then I’ll break every bone in his body,” Shadow Two said coldly, glaring at the assassin.

Ye Li shook her head with a smile, “He’ll be dead before you break half his bones.”

“Does My Lady have any ideas?”

Ye Li walked over unhurriedly, crouched down beside the assassin on the ground, and smiled, saying softly, “You understand the Central Plains language, right? Don’t worry, I won’t be as rough as him.” The assassin warily watched the pretty young lady smiling kindly before him. His assassin’s instincts told him that this lovely, cute young lady was the truly dangerous one.

Ye Li smiled warmly at the assassin who was watching her cautiously, and said gently, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t break your bones like he did. I plan to… dislocate all the bones in your body. Let’s start with… your fingers.” Her delicate hand picked up the assassin’s left hand, and with a crack, one joint of the index finger twisted oddly. Ye Li continued downward, and with another clear sound, the entire index finger was twisted. With his jaw dislocated, the assassin couldn’t even scream. Only muffled “ah ah” sounds came from his mouth. Ye Li looked at him, “Whenever you want to talk, just nod. But… don’t wait until I’ve taken apart your entire skeleton before nodding, it’ll be too late by then.”

Crack…

Ye Li’s expression remained calm, but her hands moved methodically. It was precisely this calmness that was more terrifying than Shadow Two’s harsh threats and intimidation. Just as Ye Li moved her hand toward the assassin’s right hand, the assassin, now pale-faced and barely breathing, finally nodded with difficulty. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Shadow Two, “And here I thought he was really tough. Is that all?” Shadow Two silently wiped the sweat from his brow. He also thought this assassin was rather weak, but at the same time felt that what made their mistress truly frightening wasn’t her torture methods, but rather that terrifying calmness. If it were him, he would probably be scared too.

“Very good, but don’t try to play games with me. Otherwise… you’ll regret being alive in this world.” Ye Li advised him sincerely.

Ye Li nodded with satisfaction, “Good, now tell me who your master is?” She waved for Shadow Two to reset his jaw, then asked. Fear flashed in the assassin’s eyes, and though he opened his mouth to look at Ye Li, he still didn’t speak. Ye Li furrowed her delicate brows and thought for a moment before saying, “If you’re worried about your safety, I can guarantee it. And after I finish my business in the Southern Frontier, I can give you money to change your name and start a new life.” The assassin’s eyes flickered, and hesitation appeared in his expression. Ye Li noticed this and her smile became even more sincere, “Your information is very important to me, so… as long as you give me true information, I promise to fulfill the above promises. However, I think you should also understand that you’re not the only one who knows this information. If you don’t talk, others might. At that time… I’m sorry, I’ll just have to…” Seeing the assassin’s nervous expression, Ye Li smiled and said, “No, I won’t kill you. When I came to the Southern Frontier, I passed through a valley full of blood-red flowers. Under each flower coiled a small snake. At the time, I wondered what all those snakes would need to eat to grow up. What do you think…?”

“Snake… Snake Valley… no…”

It wasn’t just Central Plains people who feared places like Snake Valley. The Southern Frontier people weren’t afraid of snakes, but except for snake charmers, no one would fear thousands of uncontrolled venomous snakes.

“So… your answer?”

“I’ll talk… what do you want to know?”

Ye Li turned back to look at Shadow Two and raised her eyebrows in satisfaction.

In truth, they didn’t get much intelligence from the assassin – after all, someone sent out as cannon fodder like this probably wouldn’t be a core member. However, at least some of Ye Li’s suspicions were confirmed, and at the same time, they narrowed down the target of Xu Qingchen’s disappearance. It was just that Xu Qingchen’s exact location remained unknown. Since it was confirmed that Xu Qingchen’s life wasn’t in immediate danger, Ye Li’s worried heart finally relaxed somewhat.

“Jun Wei… Jun Wei…”

A cheerful shout rang out on the bustling street. Passersby turned to look and saw a handsome young man in white Central Plains clothing waving happily at a youth not far away. Ye Li turned around, saw the white-clad man running towards her, sighed helplessly, and smiled, “Brother Han, how have you been these past few days?” Han Mingshi looked at Ye Li with soul-stirring eyes full of grievance, “Jun Wei, I followed you to Nanzhao, yet you abandoned me. How could you be so heartless…”

“I…”  Ye Li couldn’t help but shudder. Though the passersby couldn’t understand what he was saying, seeing his manner and hearing his tone, they couldn’t help but look at them with strange glances.

“Brother Han!” Ye Li couldn’t help but hold her forehead, barely controlling her temper before smiling, “Brother Han, have you finally slept enough? How rare indeed.”

Han Mingshi wasn’t embarrassed in the least, moving closer with a smile, “Not at all, I woke up ages ago and even took a tour around the city, but I didn’t see Jun Wei anywhere. If Jun Wei had business, why didn’t you tell me? Wouldn’t it be safer if I went with you?” Ye Li gave him a white-eyed look, “I was just looking around, not charging into a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair.” Han Mingshi shrugged, saying carelessly, “Even if Jun Wei wanted to charge into a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair, I would go with you.” After speaking, he didn’t forget to wink at Ye Li, his eyes full of “see how good I am to you.”

Ye Li frowned. She hadn’t expected to run into Han Mingshi. But now, having Han Mingshi along would be very inconvenient. However, given Han Mingshi’s personality, if she didn’t take him along, who knew what kind of chaos he would cause in Nanzhao’s capital with the Tianyi Pavilion’s resources? After thinking for a moment, Ye Li said, “Brother Han, let’s talk somewhere else.”

After finding a private room in a teahouse and sitting down, Ye Li finally said, “Brother Han, I have some business to attend to, and it might not be convenient for you to come along.”

Han Mingshi lay dissatisfied on the table, glaring at Ye Li accusingly, “You… you didn’t say it was inconvenient when you wanted Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence, but now you want to dump me. You’re taking advantage of me!” Ye Li was speechless – she had paid an appropriate price for Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence, she hadn’t made him work for free. Seeing Ye Li’s expression of not wanting to deal with him, Han Mingshi bit his fingernail and giggled, “How much business could there be in a small place like Nanzhao? Jun Wei, aren’t you here for the Ghost Lotus Flower? I have information about that Southern Frontier Holy Maiden, you know. Or maybe it’s about the sick scholar? I know his whereabouts too, though he seems to have been targeted by another group. Jun Wei had better not provoke them. Or perhaps… Young Master Qingchen has gone missing, right?” Tilting his head, Han Mingshi smiled innocently.

“Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence network truly lives up to its reputation,” Ye Li sighed lightly.

Han Mingshi smiled, “Is Tianyi Pavilion just selling information? There have been only a few major events in Nanzhao’s capital recently – if we didn’t know about them, what would be the point of our existence? So… which one would Jun Wei like to handle first?” Ye Li stared at him steadily before finally laughing softly, “Do you know where Young Master Qingchen is?” Han Mingshi’s eyes flickered, saying somewhat dissatisfied, “You want to find him first? Jun Wei, I thought the Azure Fall Flower and Ghost Lotus Flower would be more important to you.” Ye Li replied, “Items can be retrieved anytime, but if we don’t find a person soon, they might not remain unharmed.” Han Mingshi propped his chin up, watching her, “If you want to know about Young Master Qingchen, that’s fine, but tell me what relationship you have with him?”

Ye Li shook her head, smiling, “You don’t know Xu Qingchen’s whereabouts. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be negotiating with me only now, would you?”

Han Mingshi humphed, glaring at her glumly, “Well then, do you want information about the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden? If not, I’ll burn it.”

“He is my elder brother,” Ye Li answered. Han Mingshi frowned, looking her up and down for a while before asking, “Brother? Are you Xu Qingbai or Xu Qingyan? Age-wise… you seem more like Xu Qingyan, but personality-wise, you’re more like Xu Qingbai. However… no one ever said the Xu family’s young masters knew martial arts?” Ye Li smiled, “It seems Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence isn’t so reliable after all. The Xu family’s third young master, Xu Qingfeng, is currently serving in the military. Brother Han, don’t you know this?” Han Mingshi stared at her suspiciously, “Could you be from the Xu family?” Ye Li just smiled without speaking, neither confirming nor denying.

Han Mingshi paced around the private room restlessly, occasionally muttering complaints to Ye Li, “You deceived me… you didn’t come for the Ghost Lotus Flower at all, you came for Xu Qingchen! Jun Wei, you lied to me…”

“Young Master,” Shadow Two’s voice came from outside. The door was pushed open from the outside, and Shadow Two glanced at Han Mingshi before saying to Ye Li, “Young Master, we have news.”

Ye Li nodded, “Come in and speak.”

In the private room, Ye Li and Shadow Two both looked at Han Mingshi, but surprisingly, the usually tactful Young Master of Romance showed unexpected obtuseness, seemingly completely unaware of their wish for him to leave. He lounged casually in his chair and started eating snacks. Ye Li helplessly waved at Shadow Three, “Never mind, just say it directly.”

Shadow Three nodded and said solemnly, “Princess Anxi has had contact with Young Master Qingchen today, or… someone related to him.”

Ye Li frowned, “Explain.”

Shadow Three said, “When Princess Anxi finally returned to her manor today, she had traces of a particular fragrance on her. The Southern Frontier people don’t like incense, so they haven’t particularly studied fragrances. But they don’t know that in the Central Plains, even the same fragrance can have many different aspects. For example, among the Xu family’s young masters, except for the third and fifth young masters who don’t use fragrances, the second young master habitually uses plum fragrance, the fourth young master favors orchid fragrance, and Young Master Qingchen, because he often travels, uses fragrances personally blended by Madam Xu, which contain some medicinal ingredients beneficial to health, so there’s an extremely faint medicinal scent. Ordinary people would find it extremely difficult to distinguish, let alone try to imitate and blend it.”

Ye Li frowned, “Where did Princess Anxi go?”

“The palace. This morning the King of Nanzhao summoned Princess Anxi, and after leaving the palace, she returned directly to her manor,” Shadow Three said with certainty.

Han Mingshi smiled curiously, “Could Young Master Qingchen be in the palace?”

Shadow Three hesitated, frowning, “The chance of Princess Anxi seeing Young Master Qingchen in person should be small. From when Princess Anxi entered the palace until she left, except for when she had an audience with the King of Nanzhao, she was basically within our sight, so it would have been impossible for her to meet Young Master Qingchen. Unless it was during her audience with the King. Moreover… after returning to her manor, Princess Anxi dispatched more people to secretly search for Young Master Qingchen.” Ye Li shook her head, “The King of Nanzhao must know Elder Brother’s identity. If anything happened to Elder Brother in Nanzhao now, it wouldn’t benefit him. So… the chance of Elder Brother being in the palace is also small. That fragrance… he probably wanted to send us a message letting us know he’s still relatively safe.”

Shadow Three was puzzled, “If Young Master Qingchen isn’t in the palace, why would the message come from there? How would Young Master Qingchen’s fragrance be in the palace?”

“Naturally because the person might be someone from the palace, or at least someone who can freely enter and exit the palace.”

Han Mingshi shook his head lazily, “That’s not right… Jun Wei. In Nanzhao, apart from the Crown Princess, no one can freely enter and exit the palace. Including other princesses, and of course, even this princess isn’t in Nanzhao now.” Ye Li glanced at him, “If not openly, then perhaps secretly?”

“Secretly?” they both asked in unison.

Ye Li frowned, asking, “Have you tracked down those assassins’ traces?”

Shadow Three nodded, “We found them, but we were a step too late. They were silenced at a small mound two li outside the city, and their bodies were left in an abandoned cave.”

“Tell me the details.”

“When we found their bodies, it was in a hidden cave ten li west of the capital. But there were no signs of struggle at the scene, and although that place isn’t far from the capital, the road is very difficult to traverse, with nothing around. Even if those assassins were fleeing, they shouldn’t have fled in that direction. Fortunately, we had applied tracking incense to the hidden weapons that wounded them. It took an entire night to discover that they were probably silenced shortly after leaving the city, and then their bodies were dumped in that cave.”

Ye Li rubbed her temples thoughtfully and asked, “In which direction were they silenced?”

“To the east.”

“So they originally intended to go east, but after they were killed, the perpetrator dumped their bodies in the west? What’s in the east?” Ye Li stood up, “Give me the map of Nanzhao’s capital.”

Shadow Three lowered his head and carefully took out a thin piece of paper from his chest, spreading it on the table. Han Mingshi peered at it and pouted, “A complete map of Nanzhao’s capital? If you had something like this, Jun Wei, you wouldn’t have needed to seek information from Tianyi Pavilion at all, right?” Ye Li smiled, “More information means more safety, and I’ve always valued my life. Besides… I don’t believe Tianyi Pavilion couldn’t produce this map.” This wasn’t any defense map, just a general city layout map. She took out a charcoal pen and circled the palace, Princess Anxi’s manor, where Xu Qingchen disappeared, where the bodies were dumped, and where they were silenced, then looked up and asked, “What do you notice?”

Han Mingshi pointed at the map, “If we ignore the body-dumping location and the princess’s manor, all these locations seem to be quite close to the Holy Maiden Temple. Speaking of which… if I hadn’t seen this map, I wouldn’t have realized the Holy Maiden Temple was so close to the palace.” The Holy Maiden Temple was on a mountain five li outside the eastern city. But if measured from the palace, adding the mountain path, it would take at least ten li to reach the Holy Maiden Temple. Ye Li pointed down, “Ordinary people only think about how the path from the palace to the Holy Maiden Temple isn’t short, and the palace was built against the mountain. The mountain peak behind the palace is steep and treacherous, so trying to go over the mountain would not only be extremely difficult but would also take more time than going directly out of the city. So basically no one has paid attention. The straight-line distance between the palace and the Holy Maiden Temple is less than two li.”

“A tunnel?” Shadow Three said.

“Haven’t we experienced the Southern Frontier people’s tunnel-digging abilities all along our journey?” Ye Li asked with a smile. The two of them simultaneously recalled those mountains that were almost hollowed out and fell silent.

“What was the founding King of Nanzhao thinking? Building the palace against the mountain?” Han Mingshi asked puzzled. In Central Plains history, only temporary palaces or secondary palaces would be built against mountains. The real imperial palace would invariably stand at the very center of the capital, both displaying the imperial family’s supreme dignity and showing the majesty of ruling all under heaven. Ye Li replied casually, “Different customs, I suppose.”

Han Mingshi could see through her perfunctory response at a glance. He glared at Ye Li for a while, but seeing that she remained lost in her thoughts, his face darkened. He coughed twice to draw the attention of the two people in the private room, then smiled, “You suspect Young Master Qingchen is in the Holy Maiden Temple? As everyone knows, the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden is pure and untainted, and men are not allowed to enter the Holy Maiden Temple, let alone be harbored there. If people knew you thought this way, believe me… you would be overwhelmed by the anger of Nanzhao’s people.” Ye Li said unconcernedly, “Precisely because everyone knows this, isn’t it more likely to be true?”

Han Mingshi rolled his eyes, “Then may I ask how Young Master Jun Wei plans to enter the Holy Maiden Temple, which is as heavily guarded as the palace, and find Young Master Qingchen who is hidden who knows where? If you don’t find him and you’re discovered, we’ll be beaten to death by the Nanzhao people.”

“I don’t plan to enter through the Holy Maiden Temple,” Ye Li said.

Han Mingshi’s face showed a mixture of amazement and admiration, “So Young Master Jun Wei plans to bravely charge into the Nanzhao palace? Dear Jun Wei, even if Nanzhao is small and their palace isn’t even a third the size of our Chu capital, you shouldn’t look down on them, okay? Don’t forget… our Chu capital’s palace doesn’t have venomous snakes, but Nanzhao’s might.” Ye Li smiled faintly, “You speak as if the Young Master of Romance hasn’t been to the palace himself. Wasn’t someone boasting about touring the inner courts of various countries’ palaces just the other day?” Han Mingshi was speechless, somehow beginning to regret bragging to Jun Wei about his past romantic adventures during their boring journey.

“Even if you get in and find Young Master Qingchen, how will you get him out?” Han Mingshi asked, “According to my knowledge, Young Master Qingchen has no martial arts skills at all.”

Ye Li frowned, “That… needs careful consideration.” Forceful entry definitely wouldn’t work. Even if the Shadow Guards were powerful enough to snatch someone from the Nanzhao palace, dealing with the aftermath would be troublesome. If outsiders learned it was the Dingguo Prince Manor’s people who did it, that would be even more problematic. Seeing her frowning in thought, Han Mingshi cheerfully smiled, “Well? Need help?”

Ye Li looked at Han Mingshi and shook her head. She and Han Mingshi were merely partners. The last time Han Mingshi followed her, they had already risked quite a bit. This time, she couldn’t drag him into danger again no matter what.

Han Mingshi smiled at her, “Don’t reject so quickly. Tianyi Pavilion is a business after all. As long as Jun Wei can afford it, we can do more than just collect information.” Ye Li’s heart stirred, and she looked at Han Mingshi asking, “What does Brother Han want?” Han Mingshi smiled smugly, “Xunya Pavilion – I want another twenty percent.” Ye Li said, “I thought Tianyi Pavilion preferred cold hard cash. You should know that whether it’s the Xu family or me, we’d pay whatever amount.” Han Mingshi looked at him pitifully, “I’m your friend, and how could a friend take advantage of someone in need?”

Friend? Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly, “Tianyi Pavilion isn’t skilled at these things, so let’s not trouble Brother Han.”

“Jun Wei is being too distant,” Han Mingshi smiled. “Though Tianyi Pavilion might not specialize in this, we’re very familiar with Nanzhao’s capital. Considering our friendship, wouldn’t you say Tianyi Pavilion is more trustworthy?” Ye Li frowned, thinking deeply for a while before saying, “Then I’ll trouble Brother Han. I’ll be responsible for any losses Tianyi Pavilion suffers afterward, and of course, the twenty percent share of Xunya Pavilion remains as agreed.”

“See, I said Jun Wei was being too distant,” Han Mingshi sighed helplessly.

Ye Li smiled faintly and lowered her head in silence, secretly thinking that perhaps they would still need Princess Anxi’s help.

In the gleaming pearl light, the heavy stone door was opened once again. The woman in a golden formal dress no longer had her usual leisure, her chaotic footsteps seemingly containing extreme anger. “Xu Qingchen!”

Xu Qingchen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and turned to look at the hastily approaching woman with gentle calmness, frowning, “What’s wrong?” The woman seemed furious, sweeping all the celadon teacups off the table with her sleeve. The sound of shattering was crisp and pleasant to the ear. “Tell me! How did they know you were here?!” Xu Qingchen shook his head, saying indifferently, “I can’t even leave the room here, how would I know about this? What’s wrong? Did someone give you trouble?”

“How could you not know?! You must have leaked the information. Tell me, what method did you use?” the woman asked, trying hard to control her anger.

Xu Qingchen shook his head and sighed, “You think too highly of me. I’m just a powerless scholar, not some deeply hidden supreme expert. Rather than thinking about these things, you might as well consider if you’ve offended anyone recently.” The woman snorted lightly, “How could I offend anyone? Apart from that Anxi girl, my only sin in life seems to be… hehe, your delicate fiancée.”

“I told you not to touch her,” Xu Qingchen said gravely.

The woman laughed coldly, “Don’t worry, your precious fiancée is completely fine. However… being fine now doesn’t mean she’ll be fine later. The last time was just meant to frighten her a little. Speaking of which… it seems her flower protector has quite good martial arts skills.” Xu Qingchen remained unconcerned, “You mean her guard? Central Plains noble ladies always have a few guards when they go out, it’s nothing special.”

“You trust her so much. Why don’t we continue to see if her guards can protect her? Perhaps while protecting her, they might fall in love. Isn’t that what young ladies like most – being saved by heroes?”

Xu Qingchen glanced at her, “If you have that much free time, why don’t you tell me what happened that made you so angry?”

At the mention of this, the woman’s face hidden behind the mask twisted, and she said hatefully, “Someone dumped those assassins’ bodies outside the Holy Maiden Temple!”

Xu Qingchen was somewhat surprised, but his brow quickly smoothed, “Even so, it’s nothing. Just hand it over to the Nanzhao royal family or officials to handle.”

“How can that be?!” the woman shouted. “Don’t tell me you don’t know, if people learn that bodies were dumped at the Holy Maiden Temple, Anxi will use this as an excuse to search the temple. Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know, she’s wanted to extend her reach to the Holy Maiden Temple for a long time. But she doesn’t have that right!” Xu Qingchen reached for a book and opened it, saying, “You haven’t mentioned that if people learn about bodies being found at the Holy Maiden Temple, the Nanzhao people will also doubt the Holy Maiden’s purity in their hearts. Most importantly, if you had another year or two, you could still blame this on Da Chu or Xiling, but now… you haven’t even prepared for war with Da Chu.”

The woman’s eyes darkened, and she stared at him gloomily, saying in a deep voice, “You know too much. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Xu Qingchen nodded slightly, “Because you still want to learn more from me, don’t you?”

“Correct!” the woman admitted frankly. “If you hadn’t secretly helped Anxi, she would never have been able to beat me. Since you could help her, naturally you could help me too, right?”

Xu Qingchen shook his head, “I won’t help you.”

“I’ll make you willing!” the woman laughed coldly. Xu Qingchen put down his book again, looking at her with pitying eyes, “You’re not suited for this at all. None of the historical Southern Frontier Holy Maidens were suited for it. Even though you’re smarter than them, when it comes to governing a country, you’re still not as good as Princess Anxi.” Anger flashed in the woman’s eyes, and she said coldly, “Who says I’m not suited? You admitted I’m smarter than Anxi, didn’t you?”

“You’re just better at schemes and plots than her. But a country can’t be run on schemes alone. Moreover… your schemes aren’t even presentable yet.”

“So what? At least you’re in my hands now, aren’t you?” the woman said proudly. Xu Qingchen smiled faintly without speaking. Seeing Xu Qingchen’s calm and peaceful demeanor, the woman suddenly felt extremely angry and said hatefully, “You look down on me!” Xu Qingchen frowned, “I don’t look down on you, I just don’t agree with your current methods.”

“I know! You do look down on me!” the woman screamed. “What do you know? Do you know what kind of life Anxi had since childhood? What kind of life I had? Why? Why was she born as the Crown Princess, why does she get everything?”

“You are the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden, equally revered by tens of thousands,” Xu Qingchen said.

“Hehe… revered by tens of thousands? I hadn’t seen my mother since I was three and was all alone by five. Not allowed to talk to maids, not allowed to go out to play, not allowed to cry, not allowed to see outsiders, not even allowed to fall in love. And at twenty-eight I still have to go to that ghostly sacred place, who wants to go to that cursed place? Nanzhao is mine, everything is mine!” the woman suddenly seemed to break down, screaming.

Xu Qingchen shook his head, “The life of a Southern Frontier Holy Maiden is indeed pitiable. But I don’t think this includes you. No one has ever restricted your movements, have they? Otherwise, how could you have had the chance to meet the Li King, and how could you have become enemies with Princess Anxi? Even… originally the new Holy Maiden should have appeared two years ago, but you killed her. The Southern Frontier Holy Maiden can serve until twenty-eight at the latest, but in fact, most Holy Maidens retired before twenty-five.”

“Anxi even told you this?!” the woman stared at him. “It seems she trusts you.”

“Princess Anxi and I are friends.”

“Hmph!” The previous breakdown seemed to be just an act, or you could call it a performance. The woman regained her elegance in an instant, “Some friend. I will send you the heads of your friend and your fiancée.” With that, the woman swept her sleeves and left again.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Chapters