Chapter Twelve: Return to Cangyun

“Damn it, hold on!” Zhou Weiqing gritted his teeth. Standing before them was a stone giant, towering dozens of feet high. Its strength was also at the seventh level of Qi Training, and yet the seven disciples of Cangyun Sect could not defeat it for the moment.

Rumble...

Once again, the stone giant was shattered, but there was no relief on the faces of the seven. They knew that soon, the giant would reconstitute itself.

As soon as the stone giant recovered, it once again engaged the seven in fierce battle.

Suddenly, a female disciple from Cangyun Sect spotted Shen Qingyun and Qin Ning passing through the corridor. With delight, she exclaimed, “It’s the Ninth Princess!”

Zhou Weiqing also caught sight of them, but he had no time to worry about others—dealing with this stone giant came first!

That was his thought, but not everyone shared it.

“Ninth Princess, help us!” someone from Cangyun Sect shouted.

Qin Ning paused, intending at first to ignore them. But upon hearing their cries for help, she found herself unable to walk away. She could not leave them to their fate.

Shen Qingyun, seeing her hesitate, understood her intentions. He calmly said, “If you wish to help, then do so.”

At his words, Qin Ning glanced at him gratefully. Shen Qingyun drew her spirit sword from his ring and handed it to her.

The instant Qin Ning gripped the weapon, her entire bearing transformed. With a spirited cry, she joined the fray.

Shen Qingyun stood aside, watching.

With Qin Ning’s entry, the battle quickly tipped in their favor. Her strength at the ninth level of Qi Training soon reduced the stone giant to rubble, this time for good.

“Thank you for your aid, Ninth Princess!” Zhou Weiqing gazed at Qin Ning, a trace of awe in his eyes. Among their group, her beauty was unmatched—even in the Cangyun Sect, she would be considered a rare jewel.

Moreover, she was the Ninth Princess of the Tianlan Dynasty—one of its most noble women.

Zhou Weiqing’s mind began to stir with new thoughts.

Qin Ning, unaware of his inner musings, swept her gaze over them and said, “Since you’re all unharmed, I’ll take my leave.”

“Please, Princess, wait!” Zhou Weiqing called after her. “There may be more dangers in these ruins. Besides, the Second Prince is still searching for you. Why not join forces, so we can look out for one another?”

They had no idea yet that the Second Prince and Beiming Han had already been killed by Shen Qingyun. They only believed that helping the prince find the princess would win them great favor.

Of course, Zhou Weiqing’s ambitions extended further.

Shen Qingyun, arms folded, replied coolly, “No need. If you all came with us, you’d only slow us down.”

The moment Shen Qingyun spoke, all eyes turned to him. Until now, no one had paid him any mind, regarding him as dead weight—a first-level Qi Trainer venturing into these ruins was courting death.

He was just a background figure, desperate for attention!

Zhou Weiqing’s face darkened as he said, “Boy, didn’t I warn you to stay out of my way?”

“So you didn’t listen to your senior after all!” Zhou Weiqing sneered, closing in. “Let me, as your senior, teach you a lesson.”

Just as he was about to strike, a sword suddenly came between them.

Zhou Weiqing paused, startled. “Princess...”

Qin Ning’s face was frosted over. “He is my friend. If you dare lay a hand on him, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Zhou Weiqing hadn’t expected Qin Ning to defend Shen Qingyun so openly. He had no choice but to bow his head. “Yes, Princess...”

“Hmph!”

Shen Qingyun spoke up. “If there’s nothing else, let’s go.”

At his words, Qin Ning quickly followed after him.

The others exchanged bewildered looks. Why did the Ninth Princess act like a shy girl before Shen Qingyun?

Zhou Weiqing bit his lip, eyes burning with jealousy as he watched Shen Qingyun’s retreating figure. He wanted nothing more than to reduce him to ashes. How could someone as lowly as Shen Qingyun win the princess’s favor?

“Let’s go!” Zhou Weiqing barked.

The others wondered, were they to seek out the Second Prince?

Of course not. After this incident, Zhou Weiqing had lost all interest in anything else. He silently marked Shen Qingyun as his enemy.

...

Outside the ruins, Qin Ning looked at Shen Qingyun with lingering reluctance. Once more, she urged, “You must come find me.”

Shen Qingyun nodded again. “Don’t worry, I will.” Inwardly, he added, “As a friend.”

After repeated reminders, Qin Ning finally summoned her gryphon and climbed atop it, departing with much reluctance.

Her father, King Qin Haotian, had given her a final command to return to the capital. All her life, he had never interfered nor spoken an unnecessary word to her. This was, in truth, the first time he had spoken to her so directly. She could not refuse.

Yet she felt a tangled emotion toward Shen Qingyun—a mixture of love and resentment. He was the first man to see her unclothed; by rights, she ought to have killed him. But in the end, she could not bring herself to do it—not because of Shen Qingyun’s threats, but because, deep down, she knew he was her savior. She could not repay grace with enmity.

Within the ruins, everything Shen Qingyun had done left her deeply reliant on him. From childhood, in the palace, she had relied solely on herself, trusting no one.

With Shen Qingyun, she experienced something entirely new.

Now that she had to leave, she could hardly bear it.

Watching the gryphon soar away, Shen Qingyun sighed inwardly. He wasn’t sure why he treated her so kindly—perhaps she reminded him of someone from long ago, stirring his compassion without his realizing.

“Time to return,” Shen Qingyun murmured. With this parting, who knew when they might meet again? Or perhaps, it would be better if they never did.

He told himself—there was no room in his heart for anyone else.

...

Back at Cangyun Sect, Zhao Rencai stared at him, mouth agape. Of course, with his broad, fleshy face, it was hard to tell any difference.

“Junior Brother, did you really gather this Withered Silence Grass?” Zhao Rencai asked in disbelief.

Shen Qingyun’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Who else would have helped me?”

“But there are so many high-level demonic beasts in the Withered Silence Mountains...”

“Maybe I was lucky. I only encountered a severely wounded third-tier Scarlet Python when I entered the mountains.” Shen Qingyun shrugged, emphasizing the “severely wounded.”

“Hmm?” Zhao Rencai was startled. “And then?”

“Naturally, I killed it,” Shen Qingyun replied, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.

Zhao Rencai’s beady little eyes darted over him. A third-tier Scarlet Python—even wounded, it was not something a first-level Qi Trainer could defeat.

Could it be... Zhao Rencai mused to himself.

He quickly processed Shen Qingyun’s mission and handed over his reward, watching him leave.

...

Two days later, within the ruins—a trembling figure radiated a terrifying aura that made all those nearby collapse to the ground in terror.

Staring at the apparition before him, dressed in blue Daoist robes and wielding a dark red halberd, the figure roared, “Bring him to me—find him for me!”

“Yes!” the assembled beasts answered, fleeing the stone chamber as if escaping death.