Xu Jiujiu's Methods

Yin Chen and Uncle Hui did not have much luggage. A few changes of clothes and some daily necessities fit easily into an old-fashioned but fully functional storage Soul Tool bracelet.

It was one of the relics left behind by Yin Chen's parents. Its internal space was roughly one cubic meter, which was enough for their current needs.

This residence held far too many memories for Yin Chen. Although he knew that once he left for Star Luo City, his return would likely be distant and uncertain, with few chances to come back in the future, it was still the only keepsake his parents in this life had left him.

Uncle Hui had already made the arrangements. He had hired an honest, trustworthy local man to come regularly and clean and maintain the house, with several years' worth of fees paid in advance.

For them, who still had compensation money and a small amount of savings, this expense was not a burden.

Keeping this root of theirs was perhaps more of an emotional comfort and a sense of ritual.

Once everything was ready, an ornate yet elegant carriage had long been waiting outside the courtyard gate.

The entire carriage was a deep, dark purple, its body sleek and smooth. It was not pulled by ordinary fine horses, but driven by a special Soul Tool mechanical structure that emitted gentle fluctuations of Soul Power.

Dense, intricate silver runes were engraved upon the shafts and wheel hubs. As energy flowed faintly through them, an almost imperceptible glow occasionally flashed across their surfaces, displaying the exceptional level of Soul Tool technology involved.

The carriage compartment appeared to be fashioned from some kind of sturdy Soul Beast bone mixed with special metal, making it both light and durable. The windows were made from single sheets of highly transparent crystal glass, their edges wrapped in exquisite mithril patterns.

When the door was opened, the luxury and comfort inside stood in even sharper contrast to its restrained, elegant exterior.

The interior was far more spacious than it looked from outside, clearly employing some kind of spatial expansion technology.

The seats were wide and soft, covered in luxurious velvet. Their base color was a deep blue, embroidered in silver thread with the royal emblem of the Star Luo Empire—the Star Crown.

The floor was covered in thick, soft snow-white carpeting that made no sound beneath their feet.

Delicate pastries and a set of gleaming white jade tea ware sat atop a small fixed tea table. A faint incense that calmed the mind and soothed the spirit lingered subtly in the air.

Although Yin Chen knew that Soul Tool technology was already highly advanced in this era, he was still surprised. If the Star Luo Empire was already like this, then the Soul Tool technology of the Sun Moon Empire was easy to imagine.

But when he thought of the humanoid Soul Tools the Sun Moon Empire was researching, he no longer found it surprising. They were already preparing to build mechs. Their technological level was no worse than that of his previous life—perhaps even more advanced because of supernatural factors. It was merely less widespread due to the state of the world.

At the very least, the lives of ordinary civilians remained extremely primitive. They could not afford such Soul Tools, and they did not even possess Soul Power, meaning they could not operate them.

However, once Xuan Ziwen of Mingde Hall developed the Sealed Milk Bottle, there would be an energy source, allowing ordinary civilians to begin using Soul Tools as well. That would undoubtedly be progress for civilization.

What made Uncle Hui feel most flattered was that Princess Xu Jiujiu did not have him ride in the ordinary carriage following behind, which had been prepared for servants. Instead, she smiled and gestured for him to enter the main compartment together with Yin Chen.

"Uncle Hui, please come with us as well. Star Luo City is not close, and there is plenty of room inside. There is no need to stand on ceremony."

Xu Jiujiu's voice was gentle, without the slightest hint of condescension.

Uncle Hui repeatedly waved his hands and said in alarm, "Your Highness, this... this would not be appropriate. This old servant is of low status. How could I ride with Your Highness...?"

"Uncle Hui has taken care of Yin Chen for many years and has worked hard. There is no need to belittle yourself."

Xu Jiujiu interrupted him, her tone sincere.

"Besides, Yin Chen would surely prefer having you by his side."

As she spoke, she smiled at Yin Chen.

Yin Chen understood. This was undoubtedly the princess's method of winning people over—meticulous and straight to the heart of the matter.

Yet he had to admit that it was effective.

He looked at Uncle Hui beside him, who was so excited that he did not know where to put his hands and feet, his eyes even reddening slightly, and warmth stirred in his heart.

Before his memories had awakened, it was this old man who had given him unconditional care and protection. Their bond had long surpassed that of master and servant.

"Uncle Hui, since Her Highness is being so kind, we should respectfully accept."

Yin Chen tugged lightly at Uncle Hui's rough hand and spoke softly.

"Ah, yes, yes... Thank you for Your Highness's grace. Thank you for Your Highness's grace."

Only then did Uncle Hui sit down cautiously in the outermost seat of the compartment, almost on tiptoe with nervousness. His body remained perfectly straight, and he did not dare relax completely.

Yin Chen took the seat opposite Xu Jiujiu.

The carriage was equipped with an efficient shock-absorbing Soul Tool formation. When it started moving, they could barely feel any jolting. Only the scenery outside the window, gradually accelerating as it receded, reminded them that they were in motion.

The carriage was very quiet. There was only the extremely low hum of the Soul Tool core operating and the faint crackling of incense burning in the censer on the tea table.

Xu Jiujiu elegantly lifted a cup of flower tea that a maid had poured beforehand and took a light sip. Her gaze occasionally fell upon the quiet white-haired boy opposite her, filled with inquiry and contemplation.

Yin Chen, meanwhile, turned his head to watch the streets flash past outside. The familiar outline of Yuming City gradually shrank from view and faded into the distance.

He felt the soft seat beneath him and the refined fragrance lingering around his nose, his heart calm and undisturbed.

He knew that this comfortable journey was the beginning of a path toward a broader, more complex world.

And this beautiful princess beside him was his first crucial connection in that new world.

He needed to borrow her strength, but he also had to find his own way to survive and grow within the web she had woven.

The wheels rumbled onward, carrying several people with different thoughts away from the small border city and speeding toward the heart of the empire, the center where storms gathered—Star Luo City.

On the road, the atmosphere inside the carriage had initially been politely calm.

But Xu Jiujiu could not suppress her curiosity forever. Her amethyst-like eyes turned toward Yin Chen as she asked with perfectly measured anticipation:

"Yin Chen, I heard that your martial soul is extremely special. It has a time attribute? I wonder... might I be fortunate enough to see it?"

Yin Chen glanced at her and did not refuse.

He knew that demonstrating his value was the first step toward gaining investment.

He gave a slight nod and said softly, "All right."

With a thought from Yin Chen, Soul Power awakened within his body like a trickling stream and began to circulate.

The aura around him suddenly became ethereal and ancient.

There was none of the usual growth of fur or transformation of physique seen during Beast Martial Soul Possession, nor was there the manifestation of a Tool Martial Soul solidifying in his hand.

The first thing to change was his pair of eyes, which had already resembled shattered gold.

Within those golden pupils, it seemed as though invisible hands had turned unseen clock hands. Rings upon rings of precise, intricate silver markings formed from tiny motes of light appeared out of nowhere, rotated, and settled into place.

His once-round pupils transformed into two miniature clocks that slowly turned on their own, containing the endless mysteries of time. Every tiny tremor of their hands seemed to draw along the flow of light around them.