Princess's Secret

Suddenly, Long Chen grabbed Chu Yao's delicate hand. Chu Yao's body trembled slightly, and a blush appeared on her pretty face.

Her beautiful eyes flickered, revealing a hint of panic, but she didn't pull her hand back. She secretly looked at Long Chen and found his expression surprisingly solemn.

Long Chen gazed at the shy Chu Yao, who bloomed like a pear blossom in the spring, her eyes as clear as autumn water. His heart couldn't help but pound, and for a moment, he forgot what he was supposed to do.

"Mm."

Seeing Long Chen staring at her blankly, Chu Yao's face grew even redder. However, her beautiful eyes were filled with joy. She let out a soft hum, lowered her head, and dared not look at Long Chen. Only the warmth from his hand made her heart flutter like a startled deer.

Long Chen took a deep breath to calm his mind. Chu Yao possessed an unapproachable aura, yet also a gentle and virtuous tenderness, as if she were a walking contradiction.

The proud Chu Yao who had once trapped him with a net, and the current Chu Yao, who was as tender as flowing water and shy, created a stark contrast that made Long Chen's heart pound.

"Pardon me."

Suppressing his racing heart, Long Chen slowly guided his Soul Force along the Meridians in Chu Yao's palm and into her Dantian.

In fact, with Long Chen's current strength, at such close range, he could have directly investigated Chu Yao with his Soul Force.

But if he had done that, it would have been as if Chu Yao were standing naked before him. Long Chen might have wanted to do it, but he feared that afterwards, he would be met with another net.

Long Chen's Soul Force slowly probed towards Chu Yao's Dantian. Upon entering and seeing the situation within, even Long Chen, with his composure, couldn't help but look a little grim.

"What's wrong?" Chu Yao, seeing Long Chen's expression change drastically and his eyes sharpen, was startled.

Long Chen was furious because within Chu Yao's Dantian, nine strands of foreign spiritual energy were tightly locking it down.

These nine strands of foreign spiritual energy were like nine saplings planted in fertile land, greedily absorbing Chu Yao's spiritual energy.

No wonder Chu Yao's spiritual energy was so chaotic and weak. It turned out that, just like Long Chen, someone had tampered with it.

What angered Long Chen the most was that within Chu Yao's Dantian, there was a concentrated mass of primordial energy, which was her spiritual root. Although he wasn't entirely sure of its rank, Long Chen knew that Chu Yao was an absolute prodigy, rarely seen in a thousand years.

Yet, such a prodigy was being wasted like this. If it were just this, it wouldn't have been enough to ignite Long Chen's killing intent.

Because Long Chen saw that the nine strands of foreign spiritual energy were connected to Chu Yao's pure root. In the future, when Chu Yao married or lost her virginity, the spiritual energy that had been nurtured in her body for years would be silently taken away by someone else.

This was the most detestable part. A princess, with her unparalleled beauty, was being used as a pawn. This was clearly a calculated scheme.

And Chu Yao, before him, was completely unaware of such a matter. Long Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of shared suffering for this beauty.

"Long Chen, what exactly is wrong?"

Seeing Long Chen's complex expression, Chu Yao couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on her pretty face.

"Chu Yao, can I trust you?" Long Chen asked, hesitating slightly before speaking solemnly.

Seeing Long Chen suddenly become serious, Chu Yao sensed something. Without any hesitation, she looked deeply into his eyes and softly said, "You are the person I trust the most right now."

Hearing Chu Yao's words, Long Chen's heart warmed. He said, "Your Dantian has been tampered with."

However, to Long Chen's surprise, Chu Yao didn't react much. A hint of sadness and helplessness appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Gazing at the distant mountains, Chu Yao gently brushed away the windblown strands of her hair and softly said, "Revealing this secret might implicate your family. Aren't you afraid?"

Long Chen was taken aback. "You know?"

"Can you answer my question first?" Chu Yao asked, looking into Long Chen's eyes.

Long Chen gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Since we've chosen to trust each other, even if it costs us our lives, it's worth it."

"Trust? Trust?"

Chu Yao murmured the words. Suddenly, she threw herself into Long Chen's arms and burst into tears, her tears flowing like a broken dam, as if wanting to pour out all her grievances.

Suddenly holding soft jade in his arms, Long Chen felt no carnal desire. Instead, a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

Long Chen was even more miserable than Chu Yao. His spiritual root, spiritual bone, and spiritual blood had all been drained. If he hadn't merged with the Pill Emperor's soul, he would still be in the dark.

At some point, his hands encircled Chu Yao's slender waist. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair, holding her tightly. In that moment, it felt as if only the two of them existed in the world.

After crying for an unknown amount of time, Chu Yao finally stopped sobbing. Long Chen's chest was already soaked with her tears.

Chu Yao's face suddenly turned red. She hurriedly broke free from Long Chen's embrace and turned her body away. However, her beautiful eyes were now filled with joy and confusion.

"Cough, cough."

Long Chen coughed awkwardly and asked, "Chu Yao, when did you realize your Dantian had been tampered with?"

Hearing Long Chen's question, Chu Yao's pretty face slowly returned to normal. She looked at Long Chen and said, "When I was young, before my father, the Emperor, went into seclusion, he said I was a martial arts prodigy and might one day leave the empire.

Before he went into seclusion, he exhorted me to cultivate diligently, and at first, I truly did.

But when I was ten years old, my mother suddenly fell gravely ill and never recovered. Before Master Yun Qi could be summoned, my mother had already passed away."

As she spoke, tears slowly welled up in Chu Yao's beautiful eyes, as if lost in a distant memory.

"My brother and I were still young then, but as we grew up, we gradually became accustomed to the power struggles within the palace. I realized my mother's death was definitely not an accident.

But all the evidence had long since disappeared, and I was powerless. Furthermore, five years ago, my cultivation began to stagnate. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make any progress; my spiritual energy only grew weaker.

At that time, I understood that the hidden hand that had killed my mother had finally reached out to my brother and me.

From that day on, my brother and I began to act arrogant and willful, becoming reckless. After that, everything seemed to return to normal."

Hearing Chu Yao's words, Long Chen felt an unspeakable sense of helplessness. It seemed that life within the palace was even more cruel than he had imagined.

"You used this method to protect your brother?" Long Chen sighed.

Chu Yao nodded and said, "Now, my only family is my younger brother. I don't want him to have any accidents. If he's like this, even though he's annoying, at least he won't pose a threat to anyone, so he should be safer.

Although I don't know what they did in my dantian, I know they restricted my cultivation because they were afraid I would threaten them.

So, as long as I don't focus on cultivating, no one will pay attention to a weak woman like me, and my brother and I will be safe."

Long Chen sighed and said, "Unfortunately, you've underestimated the enemy's ruthlessness. They're practically a bunch of beasts."

After much hesitation, Long Chen still told Chu Yao about the situation in her dantian. Upon hearing this, Chu Yao's eyes were filled with anger and confusion, her pretty face turned pale, and her delicate body swayed precariously.

Long Chen held Chu Yao tightly with his large hand and said, "But you don't need to worry too much. Give me some time, and I can break the shackles within you."

"Really?" Chu Yao asked incredulously.

"More real than real gold," Long Chen said solemnly.

For some reason, looking at Long Chen's face, Chu Yao's heart was filled with trust. It was an inexplicable feeling.

Long Chen gave her a sense of security, a feeling that was too luxurious in the scheming palace.

Seeing that Chu Yao didn't doubt his words at all, Long Chen felt a wave of emotion, as if another burden had been added to his shoulders.

"Heroine Chu Yao, could you show me a few more of your peerless skills? Let this humble boy learn from you," Long Chen said with a smile, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

"You're annoying! You're clearly mocking me," Chu Yao said, her pretty face suddenly blushing, with a hint of playful reproach.

"Absolutely not. Chu Yao, your foundation is very solid. It's just that you can't unleash your dantian power, which is why you're like this. But don't worry, I'll be able to help you solve it soon," Long Chen comforted her.

Only then did Chu Yao's expression soften slightly. Seeing Long Chen's sincere tone, she demonstrated a human-grade advanced combat skill—Wind Breaking Fist.

This time, Long Chen observed very carefully. After watching, he couldn't help but be immensely shocked. Chu Yao's spiritual power had already been reduced to less than a tenth by the absorption of the nine strands of exotic spiritual power.

Yet, with such meager spiritual power, Chu Yao showed no signs of spiritual power deficiency when performing the combat skill.

Long Chen discovered that Chu Yao's control over spiritual power had reached an extremely powerful level, far surpassing that of ordinary experts in the Blood Condensation Realm.

Long Chen praised Chu Yao without reservation, causing her pretty face to flush with joy, like peach blossoms in March, incredibly beautiful.

Long Chen pondered that the nine strands of exotic spiritual power were actually nine spiritual seed essences. After absorbing in Chu Yao's dantian for so many years, they had become extremely powerful.

To forcibly shatter them would be too much of a pity. Their immense energy would be enough to help Chu Yao advance to the Blood Condensation Realm, and her cultivation would continue to climb.

After learning the Wind Breaking Fist, Long Chen suddenly took out a bottle of liquid. "This is a disguise liquid. Apply it to your face, and it can change your appearance. It lasts for twelve hours and is very convenient."

After speaking, Long Chen poured out a few drops, rubbed them evenly in his hands, and applied them to his face. Instantly, Long Chen's appearance changed drastically. His eyebrows became slightly thicker, and his skin color changed, making him look like a completely different person.

Chu Yao was overjoyed when she saw this. "This way, I can disguise myself to find you in the future."

After speaking, Chu Yao also applied the liquid to her face. The liquid adhered to her face like a thin film, which could arbitrarily change its shape. Once she stopped moving, it would solidify in just a few breaths, which was very magical.

Chu Yao looked at herself in the mirror, her appearance now much more ordinary, and she let out a happy shout.

She linked her arm with Long Chen's and said happily, "Long Chen, let's go shopping! I've never been shopping in my life."

Although Chu Yao, as a princess of a kingdom, was "wild by nature," she still couldn't be too out of line or as free as a commoner. Today, Long Chen gave her this opportunity, and she naturally wouldn't let it pass.

Chu Yao affectionately linked her arm with Long Chen's. Seeing the excitement in her eyes, it would be a lie to say Long Chen wasn't moved. He readily agreed.

However, after agreeing, Long Chen began to regret it. He had clearly underestimated Chu Yao's desire to shop.

She almost dragged him through every alley in the entire imperial capital. Everything looked incredibly new to her, and she kept asking Long Chen questions while holding his arm.

Breathing in Chu Yao's unique scent and feeling the intoxicating sensation from her jade hand, just as he was feeling elated, she suddenly stopped and pulled Chu Yao to hide behind a small stall.

Long Chen pretended to examine the items on the stall, but his peripheral vision was fixed on a few people in the distance, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Xia Changfeng?"