Carrying Wine and Singing Long Songs

Chapter Ten: How Could You Be a Woman?! Your Chest Muscles Are Harder Than Mine!

"..."

"Do you know that person?"

The moment they stepped out of the cave and saw daylight again, Tang Wei truly felt as though he'd been reborn. After refining the two Corpse Demons, a faint, subtle gleam seemed to flash across the two Command Flags, shaped like banners.

Tang Wei spat.

Tang Wei forced himself to ignore Bai Qiuran's words and asked Sima Yingbo, "Sima Yingbo, what are you doing here?"

In all the martial-world rumors Tang Wei had ever heard, women disguised as men had reacted in all sorts of ways when their companions discovered their true identities: shock, embarrassment, awkwardness, or overwhelming joy. But someone like Bai Qiuran, who still doubted it was true, was a first for Tang Wei.

The two stared at each other for several seconds. The young man called Sima Yingbo shifted his gaze to the tree Tang Wei was hiding behind.

"I don't really have any questions. From what I just heard you say, I've already guessed most of it."

"Your Highness the Princess, come out. I can see you."

After Sima Yingbo had walked away, Tang Wei turned to Bai Qiuran with an awkward look and said, "If there's anything you want to ask, go ahead."

Tang Wei raised an eyebrow.

Tang Wei held back the nameless anger rising in his heart and said, "It was Sima Yingbo."

Bai Qiuran's expression changed dramatically.

"Your Highness..."

Curious, Tang Wei concealed himself behind a tree and looked toward the source of the voice.

Tang Wei paused, then continued, "I understand."

"Damn Qi Refining Stage Cultivators."

Sima Yingbo sighed. "Your Highness, please spare a thought for Father Emperor and us servants. Your safety isn't just your own concern."

Bai Qiuran grabbed Tang Wei by the arm and moved. The world blurred around Tang Wei, and the next moment, they had landed deep within the Withered Leaf Forest.

Bai Qiuran scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed.

A trace of helplessness crossed Sima Yingbo's face.

"He's the favored disciple of Fu Qianqiu, the current Imperial Advisor of Shangxuan Kingdom."

Sima Yingbo shook his head helplessly, then cupped his hands to Bai Qiuran.

The two Corpse Demons struggled and roared inside the barrier. After holding out for several seconds, they gradually weakened and were burned to ash by the flames.

"Huh?"

"Fine, Your Highness the Princess. As you wish. The Yao Mo has been eliminated, and you can protect yourself now."

Tang Wei said indignantly, "It's no—"

Bai Qiuran smiled. "It's all right. I'll find the answers to these questions myself. I have just one last question, Brother Tang. What's your real name?"

"Hm? A cultivator?"

"Of course it's true."

Nearby, a handsome young man nimbly dodged the attacks of two Corpse Demons. He controlled two small, red-and-black Command Flags, murmuring a Magic Incantation as he moved. His footwork was exceptionally nimble, his movements elusive; the Corpse Demons couldn't even graze his clothes. They could only roar in frustration and fruitlessly smash the trees and rocks around them.

"Deep in the Withered Leaf Forest, up ahead."

"Brother Tang, you're a princess? How is that possible? Your chest muscles are harder than mine!"

Seeing his expression change, Tang Wei hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's fighting those two Corpse Demons."

Bai Qiuran pointed.

"Sorry, Your Highness is rather stubborn. Please be understanding, good sir."

Tang Wei replied coldly.

"But you, Your Highness the Princess—you secretly left the palace in disguise. What would you do if you ran into trouble? You should hurry back. His Majesty and the Crown Prince are very worried about you. Yao Mo like these are beyond your abilities. If there were a few more, even I might perish here."

"What?!"

Bai Qiuran came over and crouched beside Tang Wei, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"I don't need you to remind me."

"Where I go is my own business. It's none of yours."

Tang Wei's face showed a hint of suspicion and wariness.

Sima Yingbo said nothing. He just stared fixedly at the tree Tang Wei was hiding behind. Several dozen seconds later, Tang Wei emerged from behind it, his face dark and his gaze hostile.

"I'll go back, but not with you."

He stepped back and cupped his hands toward Bai Qiuran. "It seems Your Highness has something to say to this good sir, so I won't intrude. But... Your Highness, you should remember who you are."

"But in half a month, Shangxuan Kingdom will hold the Heaven Worship Ceremony. His Majesty has ordered us retainers to bring you back to the palace if we find you."

Tang Wei's expression darkened as he looked at the two Command Flags.

"Princess?"

As the two spoke, the young man seemed to notice something and looked in their direction. Tang Wei's heart jolted. He quickly ducked behind a tree, but Bai Qiuran remained crouched in the open, smiling at him without a care.

"Hmph. So Sima Yingbo's master is the Imperial Advisor sent by the so-called Azure Nether Sword Sect?"

Tang Wei impatiently raised a hand. "Do me a favor and head back first. Tell Father Emperor that I'm safe and making my way back."

Mang Mountain is plagued by Yao Mo. As a first-rank retainer of Shangxuan Kingdom, of course I must exorcise them and keep our kingdom peaceful."

"Which way?"

"How would I know? Our knowledge of the Azure Nether Sword Sect comes only from ancient texts. Those Cultivators never talk to us; they only come down the mountain to take on disciples."

"I'm looking at his moves, and they don't seem like the Azure Nether Sword Sect's style at all. If anything, they feel rather sinister..."

As the young man dodged, his spell seemed to finish taking shape. At his command, the two flags danced through the air, tracing a huge red rune that pinned the Corpse Demons within its bounds. Then the flags landed and turned into a red barrier, trapping the two demons inside. A great blaze surged from the rune and scorched them.

"Come with me."

Bai Qiuran looked thoughtful.

The young man kept the flames going for several more seconds, until the Corpse Demons' bodies had been reduced entirely to ash. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and recall his two Command Flags.

Perhaps because the Corpse Mother underground had been destroyed, the Withered Leaf Forest outside the cave seemed brighter. It remained gloomy, but no longer inspired that instinctive revulsion and fear in the living.

Bai Qiuran answered with keen interest, "From the way he's doing it, he seems to be a cultivator, and he's about to win."

Bai Qiuran rubbed his chin and couldn't help asking, "But Brother Tang, are you really a princess?"

Bai Qiuran asked in surprise, "Who are you calling, little brother?"

This time, Tang Wei didn't need Bai Qiuran to point the way. He could hear the sounds of battle ahead: the Corpse Demons' roars, the crash of trees being snapped and toppled, and the shouts of a young man, all tangled together.

Sima Yingbo and Tang Wei stared at each other for several seconds. Then Sima Yingbo chose to back down.

"How come you're a woman?! Your chest muscles are harder than mine!"