A Promise Like a Play

Under the moonlight, the wreckage of the carriage lay silent.

"Da da. da."

The boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the muddy road.

Xu Yuan, carrying the Willowwood Ghost Blade that exuded an aura of madness, walked to the wreckage of the carriage, stared at it for a few moments, and then sighed softly:

"Junqing, it seems our visitor from the sea is quite wary. Where is your Thousand-Mile Dark Soul Incense?"

The Thousand-Mile Dark Soul Incense is a special fragrance that, when used with a specific Secret Method, leaves subtle traces of it in the air once activated.

Dressed in a close-fitting outfit, Li Yunqing stopped at Xu Yuan's location, staring at the now empty wreckage of the carriage, and said:

"On this dissipated corpse."

"On the corpse?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Li Yunqing beside him, and said with a hint of amusement, "You're really something, using this fake body as a substitute for True Person to drug someone?"

Li Yunqing choked on his words, rolled his eyes, and retorted sarcastically:

"Don't tell me you knew these two were imposters before you even made a move?"

No, not at all.

Xu Yuan answered decisively and honestly, "Before taking action, in my perception, those two were indeed True Person."

"Then how dare you say that to me?" Li Yunqing retorted.

"No, that's the strange thing."

Golden light flashed in Xu Yuan's blood-red eyes as he solemnly said:

"My detection techniques can easily detect Mortal Shedding, but they cannot distinguish between this woman's fake body and her true form."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing subconsciously glanced at Xu Yuan, but after seeing his gleaming golden eyes, he understood and said:

"The Heaven Derivation Art, huh? It seems these visitors from the sea have some rather unusual cultivation methods, managing to conceal the connection between their illusory bodies and their true forms."

There are countless Cultivation Method, and the Great Yan Dynasty once had a similar substitution technique, but this type of technique has always had a problem that is difficult to break.

Regardless of the methods used to create a fake body, Source Qi or Will Soul is needed as a control link between the real body and the fake body, making it easy for others to detect.

As relevant information flashed through his mind, Li Yunqing slowly stepped forward, bent down, and half-squatted in front of the wreckage of the carriage, saying softly:

"In other words, the woman may have come in disguise when we first met, or even when she entered the palace to meet the emperor..."

"Puff"

Listening to Li Yunqing's analysis, Xu Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. He stepped forward, patted Li Junqing's shoulder, and whispered:

"Just how much do you despise your father to think that Princess Xien would dare to play tricks on him?"

Although the principle behind this illusion technique is unclear, what Xu Changge can see through, the one in the palace cannot possibly not see through.

Li Yunqing paused for a moment, then chuckled softly and slowly stood up:

"That's true. I did overestimate the power of this secret technique. But right now, rather than delving into its principles, we should consider what the real Princess Xien did when she met me in her avatar."

Upon hearing this, a thought flashed through Xu Yuan's mind, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

Li Yunqing immediately noticed this subtle change in expression and asked softly:

What came to mind?

Xu Yuan sighed softly and uttered four words:

"The Grand Court of State Ceremonial."

"."

Li Yunqing was taken aback upon hearing this, but he quickly understood the meaning behind Xu Yuan's words.

According to the laws of the Great Yan, the Grand Court of State Ceremonial not only has a garrison of imperial guards, but also has powerful figures active there year-round, ostensibly to protect and monitor foreign envoys entering the Di'an City.

It was virtually impossible for Aurenli to escape from the Grand Court of State Ceremonial; she could only seek opportunities outside. However, if an envoy wanted to go out, the Court of State Ceremonial would dispatch powerful individuals of varying cultivation levels to follow him, depending on the circumstances.

If anything suspicious is discovered during this period, the Court of State Ceremonial will send additional personnel.

And that's precisely where the problem lies.

If the envoy's behavior during his travels does not raise any suspicion, the Court of State Ceremonial will also reduce its staff.

After all, the higher the cultivation level of a powerful individual, the more freedom they have, and it's impossible for them to follow someone around non-stop for twelve hours a day for some trivial matter.

The matter of the Third Prince's contact with the envoys from the Xien has caused quite a stir in Di'an City over the past half month. Perhaps Aurenli used this to lower the Grand Court of State Ceremonial's guard against her, and then pulled off a clever escape to do her own thing.

After a few breaths of silence, Li Yunqing said in a low voice:

"So, it turns out we were used by that Princess Xien?"

Xu Yuan chuckled:

"You could say this is a win-win situation in some sense."

"A win-win situation? They beat us twice?"

Li Yunqing looked somewhat helpless, as if he wanted to explain, "They used our scheme to do what they wanted in Di'an City, and now they've successfully escaped Di'an City and fled thanks to our invitation tonight."

At this point, Li Yunqing gave a light snort:

"Hmph, this damned woman is truly something else. She managed to come up with so many contingency plans without any prior intelligence. We should have just taken action within Di'an City."

Xu Yuan chuckled softly upon hearing this:

"Too many eyes are watching in Di'an City. Although we can ensure she stays, we will also have to bear the consequences. Can you, the Third Prince, bear those consequences?"

Within Di'an City, he and Li Yunqing held an absolute advantage, but they also faced many constraints.

Xu Yuan's faked death, Li Yunqing's connection with the Prime Minister's Mansion, and even the reaction of the Sect Alliance) in the court to this matter all prevented them from acting rashly, thus leaving the woman room to maneuver despite their absolute advantage.

Sighing inwardly, Xu Yuan continued in a low voice:

"And there's one thing you've overlooked Junqing."

"What?" Li Yunqing raised an eyebrow.

Xu Yuan smiled slightly and gently planted the Willowwood Ghost Blade into the gray mud road beneath his feet:

"As long as we can't escape, no matter what she does, we'll ultimately win twice."

Li Yunqing's lips twitched, he coughed lightly, and said:

"Let's cut the nonsense. You could sense those two running away, so I guess Xu Changge told you through telepathy. Why don't we call him out and chase after them together?"

He won't come out.

Xu Yuan glanced around and shook his head slightly. "Non-Self 'm in mortal danger, that guy most likely won't make a move tonight."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing clicked his tongue. "Your older brother is really pretentious, is he deliberately making things more difficult for us?"

Xu Yuan glanced at him:

"That's still better than your Crown Prince brother, the Crown Prince."

"."

After a brief eye contact, Li Yunqing sighed and shrugged.

"Alright, alright, I know you're a loving family. Since Xu Changge isn't coming out, what do we do now? Those two should have escaped some distance away; I can't sense any trace of them here."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, his fingertip lightly tapping the hilt of the Ghost Blade stuck in the ground, his blood-red eyes, gleaming with golden light, fixed on the wreckage of the carriage before him:

"I've been investigating ever since I destroyed that carriage, and now I'm ready."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan dragged the Willowwood Ghost Blade and slowly walked towards the wreckage of the carriage.

As he moved, some strange, brownish-red fungal carpets began to sprout from the ground, almost instantly covering the entire wreckage of the carriage.

The woods were very quiet under the winter moonlight. Looking at the strange Qi surging around him, Li Yunqing's eyes twitched involuntarily.

He thought of what had happened in Huizhou County, and also of the dark curtain that had covered the entire sky that day.

While he was lost in thought, Xu Yuan had already stepped into the wreckage of the carriage and whispered:

"Although her feigned body technique is quite miraculous, it is inevitable that some residual Qi will remain when it dissipates, and my technique has already detected this residual Qi."

Xu Yuan paused at this point.

Li Yunqing frowned slightly:

"What's wrong?"

Xu Yuan turned around, his lips slightly parted, a hint of surprise in his smile:

"Hey Junqing, that woman left us a gift here."

"."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing instantly realized what was about to happen, and without thinking, he abandoned Xu Yuan and turned to run.

The hard, cracked mud road appeared beneath his feet, and his figure had vanished from the spot.

Almost simultaneously,

A complex array of blue-glowing patterns appeared out of thin air beneath the carriage!

Upon seeing the magnificent array patterns, Xu Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

Then,

"Boom--"

Blue flames soared into the sky, creating a massive mushroom cloud amidst the silent mountain forest.

Working at sunrise and resting at sunset—this was the life of the vast majority of the people of the Great Yan.

In those rolling hills and fields, there are no city lights, and the villagers go to sleep early. There is only the tranquil moonlight and the ink-black landscape.

This tranquility lasted for an unknown period of time, until a figure as tall as an iron tower suddenly emerged from the mountains and forests, speeding across the fields.

His body was thick and large, but every step he took in the paddy field did not even splash water or make a sound.

The heavy, silver-white armor reflected the bright moonlight, while the blonde woman in his arms wore a gothic-style, elaborate gown that accentuated her curvaceous figure. The crystal-studded skirt swayed and fluttered in the wind, as dazzling as the stars in the sky.

The moonlight cast a silvery glow on the blonde woman's stunning face, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

Gazing at the landscape of this ancient empire, Aurenli's beautiful, shimmering blue eyes curved into crescent moons. A glimpse of her snow-white leg, peeking out from under her skirt, danced in the wind like an elf, a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Xides, this place is truly beautiful. Compared to the eroded soil within our empire, this is like paradise."

After a moment of silence, Huron's deep, muffled voice came through:

"Besides the Third Prince and his companions, an extremely powerful person has arrived tonight, Your Highness."

Upon hearing those words, the smile on Aurenli's face vanished instantly:

"As boring as ever."

As she spoke, the gleam of excitement in her eyes faded, and she looked back in the direction she had come from:

"Since there are others besides those two good-for-nothings, why doesn't he make a move?"

"I know nothing about this," Huron.

Aurenli raised her hand to tuck her long, straight, golden hair, which was flowing in the wind, behind her ear, and a smile appeared on her lips:

"Is it because you realize you're no match for me?"

"No, that person is very strong."

Huron's voice was calm yet solemn. "Even if I use all my strength, I'm afraid I can only hold him off for a short while, Your Highness."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Aurenli's eyes. "If that's the case, then why doesn't he make a move?"

As she spoke, she extended a slender, soft hand and gently tapped her cheek, murmuring to herself, "I am asking and answering myself."

"So, they must be the prince's guardians. Come to think of it, if the ruler of this ancient empire wanted our lives, we would have no chance of survival at all."

Having said that,

Aurenli suddenly chuckled softly, her crimson lips appearing especially beautiful in the night.

"Hehehe~ It seems that killing us was the decision those two good-for-nothings made themselves. How laughable, don't you think, Xides?"

Huron held the woman in his arms like a princess, his voice coming from within his armor:

"I hope you will not provoke him and will dispel that cursed ring, Your Highness."

Aurenli's beautiful eyes showed a slight surprise:

"You noticed?"

Huron said in a deep voice:

"When I left earlier, I sensed some fluctuations in the magic rings."

"So it seems my magic circuit still has some flaws."

Aurenli murmured softly, a hint of distress on her face:

"I'm afraid I have to refuse your request, because they triggered the magic ring I set up twenty minutes ago."

"But don't worry, I'll be careful. That prince won't be in mortal danger, he'll just suffer some injuries. Consider these injuries a lesson for the prince of this ancient empire."

At this point, she smiled radiantly:

"After all, it's not a gentleman's behavior to covet a lady's body."

"."

After a brief silence, Huron's posture tensed slightly.

"I will protect Your Highness with my life."

Sensing the change in the knight beside her, Aurenli frowned slightly.

Are you that afraid of that person?

Huron's voice remained calm:

"The day I became your knight, I cast aside my fear."

"But when that person locked onto me with their aura, I almost lost control and drew my sword."

Upon hearing this, Aurenli tilted her head slightly, looked up at the full moon hanging high in the sky, and gently exhaled a puff of white mist:

"It seems that person is at least on par with His Highness the Crown Prince. What should we do now?"

As he spoke,

Aurenli's deep golden eyelashes suddenly trembled, and she extended a slender, jade-like finger, hooking it onto the knight's chin, which was covered by iron armor.

"Xides, don't you think we look like a princess and knight in distress from a play?"

"Having mistakenly entered a foreign country and been hunted down, we found ourselves relying on each other for survival. I was moved by your integrity and loyalty, and we developed feelings for each other."

As she finished speaking, her beautiful eyes formed two crescent moons:

"How about this: if you can safely escort me back and win my heart, I will bestow upon you the title of my First Prince."

"I am your knight, Your Highness," Huron said in a calm and steady voice.

Upon hearing this, Aurenli gently shook her head:

"This is just a promise I made to you. Don't you find this kind of promise interesting?"

Princess Aurenli.

A calm and gentle voice came from the sky, interrupting their conversation. Huron's fast-moving figure paused slightly, and he subconsciously looked in the direction from which the voice came. His gaze, visible beneath his closed iron helmet, was already full of solemnity.

Suddenly, a man in magnificent robes appeared, suspended silently in mid-air above the sky, beneath the full moon.

Bathed in moonlight, a pair of alluring, blood-red eyes, gleaming with golden light, silently stared at them.

He stared at the two people who had already stood below, a smile playing on his lips:

"If your knight is unwilling, then how about you temporarily entrust this promise to me?"