From a Cold Palace Princess to the Heavenly Empress Chapter 12

"Welcome home."

And so, the brave hero began striving down the path of pursuing Miss Witch.

In the dungeon, locked up by the protagonist

Your meaning is, I disturbed your cultivation?

Having made up her mind, Xiao Minghuang stepped out of the courtyard gate and immediately ran into the person she had been looking for.

A month later, she saw Ye Ruoshui again.

The little girl felt completely different.

Xiao Minghuang looked her over and saw that the girl had grown noticeably taller. Her round chin had gradually become more delicate, and her innocent, adorable little face had already begun to reveal a captivating charm. In a few more years, she would surely become a peerless beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and enchanting all under heaven!

The only fly in the ointment was that the pair of full breasts on her chest seemed smaller than before.

Xiao Minghuang understood one principle: matter was conserved.

Since her body had grown taller, something was bound to shrink. Unfortunately, it was those few ounces of flesh on her chest that had diminished.

But even if the little girl had grown up, she was still her little girl.

Xiao Minghuang naturally walked over, habitually rubbed Ye Ruoshui's soft hair, and smiled. "Ruoshui, you've made quite a bit of progress. You've already reached the Body Tempering Sixth Level."

Ye Ruoshui narrowed her eyes, her little face full of enjoyment. What she loved most was having Her Highness stroke her head.

"Compared to Your Highness's cultivation, this servant's little bit of strength is not worth mentioning."

"Don't belittle yourself."

Xiao Minghuang said seriously, "I'm going to Beiyang City. During this time, stay home and cultivate properly, understand?"

Hearing that Her Highness was leaving, Ye Ruoshui's little face immediately fell.

"Your Highness, can't you take this servant with you?"

Xiao Minghuang had originally not intended to bring Ye Ruoshui. On this trip to Beiyang City, it was still unknown what enemies they would face. If anything unexpected happened, she could easily escape alone, but with Ye Ruoshui in tow, it might not be so easy.

But on second thought, if she encountered some fortuitous opportunity along the way, who would she give it to if Ye Ruoshui was not with her?

Besides, once they reached Beiyang City, she could settle the little girl inside the city, where nothing dangerous should happen.

"Fine, then. But you have to behave along the way. No running around."

Ye Ruoshui nodded like a pecking chicken and hurriedly agreed.

"Rest assured, Your Highness!"

Having made up her mind, Ye Ruoshui went to pack her luggage.

About half an hour later, the little girl returned to her.

"Your Highness, I've packed everything. Let's depart."

Xiao Minghuang nodded. The two walked to the residence gate and saw three thousand Ironclad Army soldiers standing ready, while a large procession of attendants lined both sides, crowding the entire street and displaying the majesty of the imperial family.

But Xiao Minghuang did not care in the slightest for such pomp. Without lingering any longer, she boarded the carriage and headed toward the city gate.

"The Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang, has been ordered to proceed to Beiyang City and assist in exterminating evil cultivators. General, please open the gates and grant passage."

Upon reaching the city gate, Xiao Minghuang leaned out from the carriage and spoke in a deep voice.

The four gates of the Great Xia Capital were guarded by Spring Gushing Realm martial artists.

Now that Emperor Xia was in seclusion and evil cultivators had appeared in all directions, the guards were even stricter than usual.

Whether entering or leaving, one had to undergo layer upon layer of inspection.

But as the Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang was naturally exempt from such checks. She merely showed her face, and the guards opened the gates to let her through.

After Xiao Minghuang's carriage had gone far away, one of the gate guards quietly slipped off and ran all the way to the Wu'an King's Residence.

Wu'an King's Residence, in a certain quiet chamber.

Inside the chamber, a bearded middle-aged man sat upright on a wooden chair. His expression was as still as an ancient well, yet his bearing was imposing. He was none other than Great Xia's second strongest expert, King Wu'an.

Standing before him was the guard from earlier.

"A quarter of an hour ago, the Ninth Princess left by carriage for Beiyang City."

King Wu'an's gaze flickered faintly. He waved a hand and said, "I know. You may leave."

After the guard departed.

A cold glint suddenly appeared in King Wu'an's eyes as he muttered in a low voice.

"Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken..."

The Great Xia Capital stood upon a vast plain. For a thousand li in every direction, there were boundless fertile fields, exceptionally suited for ordinary people to farm and thrive.

Beiyang City lay along Great Xia's northern border, right between the plains and the northern mountain ranges, forming a natural pass.

Great Xia and the northern Golden Elephant Kingdom had fought countless wars, yet the Golden Elephant Kingdom had never managed to breach Beiyang City.

Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to call Beiyang City Great Xia's pillar that steadied the sea.

At this moment, a plain carriage raced like the wind across the vast fields.

Two days had passed since they left the imperial city.

At first, Xiao Minghuang had brought a large retinue, but later found them cumbersome. It was better for her and Ye Ruoshui to travel light and reach Beiyang City as quickly as possible.

After shaking off the Guard Team, she suddenly had much more free time. Xiao Minghuang used it to refine large quantities of spirit stones and medicinal pills, nearly exhausting all the spirit stones and pills rewarded by Emperor Xia, as well as those compensated by the system.

Yet she had only broken through one minor realm, reaching the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Realm.

Though her foundation was deep and increasing her cultivation required vast quantities of spirit stones and pills, it could also be that the pills rewarded by Emperor Xia were of poor quality. Their medicinal effects were weak, so they offered little help in advancing her realm.

The system is getting more and more stingy. I gave Ruoshui an entire storage pouch of spirit stones and pills, yet it only compensated me twofold.

"System, are you there? Explain the reason."

Xiao Minghuang asked.

[Ding! The system's compensation depends on the quantity of items given away in a single instance. The more items given at once, the lower the chance of receiving high-multiplier compensation.]

[Additionally, repeatedly giving items of the same type will likewise reduce the critical-hit multiplier.]

[The critical-hit multiplier will never fall below the number of contractors.]

Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang understood.

At present, she only had Ye Ruoshui as a contractor. Thus, the minimum compensation for gifting a fortuitous opportunity was onefold, meaning neither profit nor loss.

But if she gave something to Ye Ruoshui, it would be twofold.

Because after giving it to the little girl, she could ask for it back.

But Xiao Minghuang would not do that.

That would be too inhumane.

Inside the carriage.

"This is the first time this servant has traveled far from home since growing up."

Ye Ruoshui lay by the window, gazing at the distant horizon where heaven and earth met. A surge of boldness rose within her, and she sighed with deep emotion.

Xiao Minghuang remained perfectly calm. Seated cross-legged on a cushion, she circulated her cultivation technique and refined pills while chatting idly with Ye Ruoshui.

"Once you travel often, you'll get used to it."

Ye Ruoshui drew the curtain shut, rested her little head against Xiao Minghuang's shoulder, and said with a grin.

"As long as this servant is by Your Highness's side, I'll be used to going anywhere."

Xiao Minghuang stopped circulating her cultivation technique and tapped Ye Ruoshui on the forehead. "We've been out for two days, and you haven't cultivated for even a quarter of an hour. Can't you talk less and cultivate a little more?"

Ye Ruoshui covered her forehead and said pitifully, "This servant wants to cultivate too, but when I'm beside Your Highness, I don't know why I can't focus. I always can't help wanting to look at Your Highness."

"Your meaning is, I disturbed your cultivation?"

Xiao Minghuang narrowed her eyes and stared at Ye Ruoshui.

Ye Ruoshui's scalp prickled beneath that gaze. She did not even dare breathe loudly and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

"This servant's will to cultivate is not firm enough. It has nothing to do with Your Highness. This servant will definitely calm down and cultivate diligently!"

After solemnly declaring her loyalty, Ye Ruoshui only breathed a sigh of relief once Xiao Minghuang's expression eased.

Since they had left two days ago, she had noticed that Her Highness's attitude toward her was getting worse and worse.

Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together that Her Highness had fewer reservations. Before her, Her Highness was revealing more of her true self.

Thinking of this, Ye Ruoshui could not help feeling delighted.

But if she wanted to please Her Highness and continue improving her favorability, she still needed to take action.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Ruoshui took out the gift she had prepared long ago from her robes.

"This is for Your Highness."

Ye Ruoshui pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly, occasionally sneaking glances at Xiao Minghuang. She perfectly embodied bashful timidity and coy reluctance.

Xiao Minghuang looked over and saw a delicate little box in Ye Ruoshui's hands. It was square, about the size of a fist.

Judging by its length, it did not look like a hairpin. Could it be a ring?

"What is this?"

Ye Ruoshui said softly, "Your Highness will know once you open it."

Xiao Minghuang took the box and flipped open the lid. A rich medicinal fragrance rushed into her nose, refreshing her heart and soul with its sweetness.

"This is?"

Inside the exquisite little box lay ten round pills, giving off a faint sheen. It was difficult to find any impurities within them.

At first, Xiao Minghuang did not pay much attention to the ten neatly arranged pills. They were merely ordinary Low-grade Yellow Tier Qi Replenishing Pills.

But when she picked one up and examined it closely, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is... an eighty-percent purity pill!"

Alchemy, seized the creations of heaven and earth and fused them into one.

After martial artists consumed pills, they could rapidly increase their strength, but such advancement was not without hidden dangers.

The spiritual herbs and medicinal plants used to refine pills had differing properties. Even if an alchemist's technique was superb and they fused them together, it was difficult to make them perfectly complete and flawless.

Therefore, pills of every grade had varying degrees of purity.

This was true from the lowest Low-grade Yellow Tier to the supreme Heaven Tier.

Pills refined by ordinary alchemists generally had between sixty and eighty percent purity.

Master alchemists with superb techniques, after immersing themselves in the craft for years on end, might be able to refine pills with ninety percent purity.

When a pill's medicinal effect was below fifty percent, its efficacy and impurities canceled each other out, leaving very little essence that could be absorbed after consumption. Such pills were called waste pills.

And since no alchemist could refine a pill with a full hundred percent medicinal effect, ninety-nine percent was the limit. Such pills were called perfect-grade pills.

The purity of the pills Xiao Minghuang obtained through the system depended on the purity of the pills she had given away.

The Essence Replenishing Pill she had initially given away had seventy percent purity, neither high nor low. The Creation Mending Heaven Pill compensated by the system also had seventy percent purity.

Meanwhile, the pills rewarded by Emperor Xia generally had around sixty percent purity, and their medicinal effects were poor.

Now that she understood this.

When Ye Ruoshui suddenly took out pills of such high purity, Xiao Minghuang was naturally shocked.

She carefully examined the remaining nine pills.