"Ruoshui, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting so bashful?"
Hearing the question, Ye Ruoshui's heart tightened. Did Her Highness not know about that secret art?
"Could it be that I somehow obtained it before, then forgot about it afterward?"
Thinking this, Ye Ruoshui let out a deep sigh of relief. A smile appeared on her little face as she said:
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Your Highness, let's go!"
By then, Lin Wanqiu had finished packing as well and slowly walked over.
"Your Highness, I am ready."
Xiao Minghuang nodded. She did not dwell on the matter and said with a smile:
"Since everything is packed, let's set off!"
"From Beiyang City to the imperial capital, even traveling without rest would take ten days. After we return, we will still need to enter seclusion and recuperate in preparation for the grand competition."
"Alright!"
Both Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu nodded in agreement and walked out the door.
Their luggage had already been placed into storage bags, so there was no need to pack anything else.
Thus, the three of them headed toward the main hall.
Inside the main hall.
Lin Zhengquan [#~
As for Ye Ruoshui, he ignored her altogether.
The moment he saw the Ninth Princess, he understood that after remaining here for nearly two months, it was time for her to return to the imperial capital.
Lin Zhengquan stepped out from behind the desk and bowed.
"This subject greets the Ninth Princess!"
Xiao Minghuang raised a hand in a token gesture to stop him.
"City Lord Lin is too courteous. Beiyang City and I have weathered hardship together and shared both glory and disgrace, so there is no need for such empty formalities."
Especially in front of Lin Wanqiu.
Xiao Minghuang did not say those words aloud.
Seeing her father constantly bowing and scraping before her, Lin Wanqiu would surely not feel good about it, even if she did not say so.
Upon hearing her words, gratitude surfaced in Lin Wanqiu's eyes. Had her elderly father not been present, she would likely have thanked Xiao Minghuang on the spot.
Having experienced the ways of the world, Lin Zhengquan naturally understood why Xiao Minghuang had said this. Her concern for Lin Wanqiu was likely the main reason, while Beiyang City was merely secondary. His gratitude toward Xiao Minghuang rose another level.
"Since that is the case, then this subject shall presume upon Your Highness's kindness."
After the pleasantries, Xiao Minghuang brought up the main matter and mentioned her departure from Beiyang City.
Lin Zhengquan tried to persuade her to stay, but he also knew that the Ninth Princess surely had other important matters in the imperial capital, so he did not press the issue repeatedly.
However, he asked the Ninth Princess to wait a moment, saying that he had a generous gift to present.
Since they were staying, Xiao Minghuang and the other two each took a seat and waited for this so-called generous gift to arrive.
Before long.
Several dozen guards carried more than ten large chests into the courtyard in a grand procession. Each chest was half a person tall, exquisitely decorated, and covered with red cloth. At a glance, one could tell that the contents were no ordinary items.
Lin Zhengquan clasped his hands and smiled. "Your Highness cannot come to Beiyang City only to leave empty-handed. These humble gifts are both a send-off for Your Highness and a small token of the entire city's regard."
"Come! Open all the chests and let Your Highness inspect them!"
As soon as his words fell.
More than ten large chests opened at once, revealing all manner of rare treasures. Dense spiritual energy surged forth, condensing into thick mist that filled the entire courtyard and even spread beyond it.
Xiao Minghuang looked closely and saw that the more than ten chests contained spirit stones, spirit herbs, and spirit materials, all necessities for cultivation.
Setting aside anything else, those ten chests of spirit stones alone likely contained more than ten thousand stones.
At this sight, not only Xiao Minghuang, but even Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu were stunned.
Lin Wanqiu in particular widened her eyes slightly and asked in astonishment:
"Father, the City Lord's Manor actually has so many spirit stones and treasures?!"
Before this, she had visited the City Lord's Manor's treasury. It had been completely bare, with only a few chests of spirit stones inside.
Hearing Lin Wanqiu's question, Lin Zhengquan gave a light cough and said:
"The City Lord's Manor has many treasuries. It is only natural that you did not know, Wanqiu."
He then turned to Xiao Minghuang and said earnestly:
"Your Highness, please cherish these spirit stones, spirit herbs, and spirit materials. Do not squander them!"
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang hesitated for a moment. She did not offer empty courtesies, but nodded with great solemnity.
"Thank you, City Lord Lin. I will certainly cherish them and will not let them go to waste!"
"With such a promise from Your Highness, this subject can rest easy!"
As he spoke, he took another storage bag from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Minghuang.
"What was given earlier counts as Beiyang City's gift to Your Highness. This storage bag contains a gift from the Lin family and myself."
Xiao Minghuang accepted the storage bag and sent her spiritual sense inside. There, she saw a jade pendant emitting a faint blue glow, engraved with two graceful characters: "Wanqiu."
Although Xiao Minghuang did not know what material the jade pendant was made from, merely seeing its extraordinary nature told her it was no common item.
"This jade?"
Lin Zhengquan explained:
"This jade pendant was left behind by Wanqiu's mother before she passed away. She said it was proof of Wanqiu's identity and might be useful someday."
"Proof of identity?"
Xiao Minghuang asked, suspicion in her eyes.
Hearing this, Lin Zhengquan explained:
"Your Highness may not know this, but Wanqiu's mother was neither from Great Xia nor born in the Southern Border. She came from another great province in the Eastern Extremity."
"Back then, she was persecuted by her enemies and ended up wandering into the Southern Border. I met and came to know her while traveling abroad. We became husband and wife, then returned to Great Xia and had Wanqiu."
"Unfortunately, the harm her enemies inflicted upon her in her early years left behind the root of an illness. Not long after giving birth to Wanqiu, her old injuries flared up and she passed away. Wanqiu was also born with deficiencies because of this, leaving her with blocked meridians."
At this point, Lin Zhengquan's face was filled with grief. Clearly, this had stirred painful memories.
Beside him, Lin Wanqiu was equally bewildered when she heard her father mention her mother. In her memories, the role of mother had always been absent. Now that someone had brought it up, she did not know how to react.
The atmosphere in the room gradually turned sorrowful. Xiao Minghuang clasped Lin Wanqiu's hand and gently squeezed her palm, hurriedly changing the subject.
"I will accept this jade pendant on Wanqiu's behalf. City Lord Lin, please rest assured!"
Lin Zhengquan gathered his sorrowful feelings and replied:
"With it entrusted to Your Highness, I am naturally at ease!"
Thoughts on Going Premium
This book had been published for nearly a month, and it was finally time to go premium. The author was incredibly excited.
First, thank you all for your support and encouragement. You are the reason the author persevered until today.
Tomorrow was the day it went premium, and the author still had a few things to say.
On Ciweimao, original novels were already difficult to make a name for themselves. An original cultivation novel with a wish-fulfillment style like this one had an even harder time standing out. If not for a big shot rewarding me with a treasure chest, it would probably have flopped so badly I could not even tell east from west, north from south.
Here, I offer my deepest thanks to the big shot Yuanhuan!
I often chatted with her in the group. She was such a gentle and adorable big sister!
Let me say a few words about why I started writing and the journey I took. It begins with my previous book.
In the first half of last year, the author suddenly fell seriously ill, spent several months in the hospital, and lost my job. The family also spent a great deal of money. After leaving the hospital, my health was terrible—I would be left gasping after walking only a few steps—but the family's finances were truly difficult, and I still had to eat.
With no other choice, I remembered that I had written novels before. So, with the attitude of giving it a try, I wrote a book.
From the Cold Palace Princess to Immortality
Because my writing ideas were immature, I was often criticized. I wrote and revised at the same time, changing an already uneven plot until it became utterly unrecognizable.
This only made the already poor results worse, like snow piled atop frost.
Back then, whenever I asked big shots for advice, they all told me to cut it. With results like that, there was no money to be made by continuing.
But I persisted. I did not miss a single day of updates, because I knew that if I stopped writing, I might not even have that tiny bit of manuscript payment.
Because of some contract-related issues, the author published the book in August but did not receive the first payment until November. Those days were truly bitter!
I ate only two meals a day. At noon, one steamed bun; at night, a bowl of noodles. I did not dare finish the dishes made at noon, saving the leftovers to heat up at night and mix with noodles.
This situation finally changed when I received my first manuscript payment!
The author took that payment and went to eat at Wallace.
Although everyone said Wallace was the diarrhea set meal, every time I went to buy steamed buns from the bun shop next door, the smell of their fried chicken would make my bones go soft after just one whiff.
Having reminisced about the past, let's talk about this current book.
This book was different from the previous one.
This book had an outline and a complete worldbuilding framework. The author prepared an outline of several tens of thousands of words in advance, so it could be said that there would not be any major plot holes.
However, some details would inevitably contain errors and omissions. I still ask all readers for your guidance, because what the author sees and what the author sees can leave different impressions.
As for the direction of the upcoming plot, there would be wish fulfillment and intimacy alike. Neither would be lacking!
That was about all there was to say.
Tomorrow, when it goes premium, the update would probably be between 6,000 and 8,000 words.
Afterward, regular daily updates would be 4,000 words. There would be bonus updates during holidays or when the author had more free time.
Please support it generously!
The Beast Tide Arrives! (Please Subscribe First!)
After accepting the jade pendant and more than ten chests of spiritual items, Xiao Minghuang rose to her feet and led Ye Ruoshui out of the hall by the hand.
She wanted to leave Lin Wanqiu some time to bid farewell to her father.
Outside, Xiao Minghuang looked up at the azure sky, yet a sense of unreality still lingered in her heart.
When she had first come to Beiyang City, she had only intended to kill several evil cultivators. She had never expected to meet Lin Wanqiu. It truly was an immense stroke of fate.
Before long.
Lin Wanqiu walked out of the hall alone, her eyes slightly red. Clearly, the parting had saddened her and stirred her emotions.
Xiao Minghuang took her little hand and gently squeezed it, comforting her softly:
"Wanqiu, do not be sad. Whenever you miss Beiyang City in the future, you can come back anytime."
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Lin Wanqiu's bewildered little face as she said softly:
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Ye Ruoshui also stepped forward and linked arms with her.
"Big Sister Lin, don't be sad. Her Highness and I will both be your family from now on!"
Lin Wanqiu broke into a smile through her tears. She wiped her eyes, and her dejected mood was swept away entirely as the light returned to her gaze.
"Thank you, Your Highness and Ruoshui. I'm fine. Let's go!"
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's suspended heart settled somewhat. She knew Lin Wanqiu was perceptive, mature beyond her years, and far steadier of heart than others her age.
Yet she was only a fourteen-year-old girl. No matter how mature she was, leaving home now to travel alone to an unfamiliar place would naturally leave her feeling uneasy.
Before you continue