Reunion

An old man stood beside the young woman, his manner polished as he said, "I'd say they never expected your arrival. They're so surprised, they can't even speak."

The old man smiled as he looked toward the crowd, only to see the second young master of the Huang Family lying on the ground, his face covered in blood. He had struggled for quite some time but still couldn't get up.

The old man opened his mouth in surprise and gestured behind him.

Several bodyguards hurried forward and helped Hui Shao to his feet.

One of them reached out and pressed a hand against Hui Shao's face.

The bleeding stopped at once, and his swollen face quickly returned to normal.

With his vitality restored, Hui Shao gazed at the beautiful woman before him, forgetting even his anger for a moment.

He asked quietly, "Kang Lao, who is this?"

The old man gave him a look, then faced the red-haired beauty. "Your Highness, Princess, allow me to introduce you. This is one of the Nine Prefectures, the Huang Family's—"

"Wow, who shot these?"

Anna paid him no heed. Exclaiming in surprise, she walked to the end of the archery lane and gazed at the wall with great interest.

Five people were hanging on the wall, groaning from time to time.

Only then did the old man notice the people hanging on the wall at the end of the archery lane. His expression changed at once.

What was going on? An important foreign envoy had come to the Federation's capital, only to witness a brawl in public.

And why were there several police officers here?

Since when had the capital's police become unable to handle something like this?

This was a major diplomatic incident!

Fury surged through the old man. He opened his mouth to berate them.

"Now that's some fine skill. I'd really like to learn it. Who shot them?" Anna turned around and asked excitedly.

The old man's words stuck in his throat.

Everyone around them watched the scene in silence.

Anyone could see that they'd clearly been fighting, and things had nearly escalated to a battle to the death.

Yet the Princess thought it was amusing to see people pinned to a wall with arrows.

Rumor had it that the Imperial Princess acted entirely according to her own whims and had done many things that left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Seeing it with their own eyes, everyone found the rumors were true.

They had no idea whether that young man was lucky or doomed.

After beating Hui Shao, he had at least remained unharmed on the spot. But if he angered the Saint Orlanka Empire's Princess, Her Highness Anna Medici, heh heh heh...

Countless gazes turned as one toward Gu Qingshan.

Watching Anna pretend to look around, Gu Qingshan's mouth twitched slightly.

He didn't know why she had appeared here, nor what game she was playing.

He wasn't afraid of her; he just felt a little uncertain.

Sure enough, Anna walked over step by step and stopped in front of Gu Qingshan, then spoke with an admiring expression.

"Were you the one who shot them onto the wall?"

At her words, everyone watching wiped the sweat from their brows.

"Yes."

Gu Qingshan answered through gritted teeth.

Anna's expression changed. She curtsied and said solemnly, "I have long neglected this noble sport. Your archery is truly exquisite. Please teach me how to shoot, for the sake of lasting friendship between our two nations."

It was the most textbook noble etiquette imaginable, from her words to her gestures.

Gu Qingshan nearly turned and walked away, but in the end, he held himself back.

Anna's little performance had caught him completely off guard.

Gu Qingshan didn't want too much attention. He only wanted to quietly spend the last stretch of his college life before the apocalypse arrived.

But the Empire's jewel was standing right in front of him. The onlookers were all rich or powerful, and countless secret service agents and intelligence personnel from the Federation government surrounded them. This moment was bound to become known to everyone.

Besides, if he embarrassed the Imperial Princess in front of so many people, both the President and Gu Qingshan himself would be put in a difficult position.

Forget it. It was Anna, after all.

Gu Qingshan sighed softly and returned her bow. "It's my honor to grant your request."

"Yay!" Anna blinked mischievously and waved her little hand through the air. "Clear the area!"

The Federation bodyguards scattered, politely asking the onlookers to leave the archery range.

On closer inspection, one could see that even these well-trained bodyguards looked helpless.

The Imperial Princess cleared the area everywhere she went—even when she used the restroom. It was enough to leave anyone numb and speechless.

But no one dared complain.

The ruler of the Saint Orlanka Empire was an irresistible force.

The Princess herself was also a Transcendent who struck terror into the hearts of others.

It was said that her Five Elements Fire had already reached its fourth stage: Sun Splitting.

Five Elements Fire began at the "Flame" stage, then advanced to "Blazing Flame."

From the third stage, "Magma," onward, each rise in stage brought a terrifying increase in strength.

The fourth stage, "Sun Splitting," had already left ninety percent of the world's professionals in the dust.

Even without her status as a princess, Anna's true strength alone would have earned her the highest respect and glory.

For anyone who won the genuine approval of a woman with such a prestigious worldly status and such formidable power in the Transcendent world, the benefits would be countless.

Hui Shao's eyes shifted. He walked over with several others, wearing a smile. "Your Highness, it would be my honor to serve you."

Anna pointed at the wall, where several bodyguards were trying to get the people down.

"Can you do this?"

"No, but I'm the second young master of the Huang House, and I know the capital very well. I guarantee—"

Anna opened her beautiful eyes wide and asked innocently, "If you can't do this, what are you still doing here?"

Hui Shao was at a loss for words.

"I don't deal with useless fools," Anna said. "Someone clear the area!"

Those words fell like a heavy hammer, shattering Hui Shao's pride.

Hui Shao was politely escorted away.

As he left, he glared fiercely at Gu Qingshan.

Gu Qingshan didn't care in the slightest.

A spoiled young master's hatred was something he could sever with a casual stroke.

Gu Qingshan walked over to Anna and lowered his voice. "What are you doing? You're putting me in a difficult position."

Noticing his gloom, Anna said with a hint of grievance, "I miss Scorpio Palace."

Those words swept away every trace of emotion in Gu Qingshan.

"You... sigh. At least tell me before you show up next time." He shook his head.

With the matter settled, the grievance vanished from Anna's face. Smiling brightly, she walked over to the side and took a bow from the rack.

"Teach me archery first. There's something I want to ask you about later."

Gu Qingshan was about to speak when a streak of light suddenly flew into view, turning into scarlet words across his retina.

"The flow of time remains severely disrupted. The time to enter has arrived."

"The player must enter the Otherworld within five minutes. Otherwise, the temporal distortion will become permanent."

"Warning: if the player gives up entering, he will permanently lose the ability to enter the Otherworld."

Gu Qingshan froze as if struck by lightning.

How could this be?

He had experienced places like the Time-Space Turbulence before. Every time, things had gone just fine. Why had this happened now?

Could it be because he had entered that strange space?

There were many strange sights in the Time-Space Turbulence. Some could indeed affect players, but Gu Qingshan had never heard of anything that could completely disrupt the flow of time.

Could that strange space really be more unusual than every strange space recorded in history?

That Giant Corpse nailed to the Bronze Pillar—he hadn't even paid it any attention!

There was no time to think. Gu Qingshan led Anna to a corner and said quietly, "I need you to do me a favor."

Anna looked at him curiously. "Let's hear it."

"I..."

Gu Qingshan didn't know how to begin.

The situation was urgent. He had only five minutes and had to get out of everyone's sight as quickly as possible.

But the entire club was surrounded by layers of security personnel, all there to protect Princess Anna.

If he wanted to slip away alone, there was no way five minutes would be enough unless he got Anna on board. The layers of security personnel would all stop him.

But once the time was up, Gu Qingshan would have no choice but to travel through, no matter the cost.

If the national security personnel saw him disappear, it would cause an uproar.

Gu Qingshan wasn't afraid of anything, but this would still be a huge hassle, and it would affect all his plans going forward.

When he still didn't speak, Anna stole a glance at him.

His eyes were a beautiful amber, and his eyelashes were long. Whenever he drew his bow to shoot, his eyes would narrow slightly, focused and full of life.

When he mixed drinks, a misty haze filled his eyes, as if he were in another world.

His clothes were utterly plain.

Yet dressed in those very ordinary clothes, he had walked out of a bar and taken down dozens of martial artists in one breath, along with two Mobile Armors.

Some people needed gorgeous clothes to look like dragons and phoenixes. He didn't.

He showed no mercy when killing, but he knew how to hold back on television, keeping his head down and saying nothing.

Feng Huo De had said he was hard to figure out. But there was nothing so hard to understand about him. He was simply shy and nervous in front of the cameras.

At that moment, he stood before her, looking as if he could barely bring himself to speak. It was rather amusing.

Anna's mood brightened, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward him. "What's so hard to say? Do you like me?"

Thanks to Wo Wen Yu Xiao Yao, Rainy Night Soul Eater, and Please Call Me a Bookworm for the tips, and thanks to everyone who added the story to their collections. I timidly ask for a recommendation ticket. Thank you!