The Duke of Pei Is... Me?

Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised.

Only three and a half days had passed since the last main storyline, yet a new one had arrived.

Could it be that the system encouraged him to head into places where conflicts converged and delve into danger, thereby rapidly advancing the main storyline?

A petty recluse hid in the wilds; a great recluse hid in the marketplace... Did it want him to become a great recluse lurking in peril?

The system's thinking was dangerous!

Of course, Jiang Chen still firmly believed that he had not yet reached the point where he could throw caution to the wind. No matter how the system tempted him, if there were no thigh to cling to, he would never face danger head-on.

As for Main Storyline Five... Princess Breaks Off the Engagement?

The titles were becoming more and more formulaic.

Right now, the two merfolk women were sleeping so deeply that drool streamed from their mouths, completely unaware of him. He could begin watching the simulation directly.

[Beginning to view the original storyline!]

At the center of his vision.

Above the desert.

A black giant eagle with a wingspan of several zhang was speeding toward Xiyang City.

Standing on the eagle's back were two people, one tall and one short, one old and one young. Both wore the talisman-yellow Daoist robes of the Beast Taming Sect, carrying an air of nostalgia and tradition.

The old man stood eight chi tall, hands clasped behind his back. He had a hooked nose and a disdainful gaze, his cultivation at Peak Golden Core.

The young man was short, at Foundation Establishment Peak. He had the face of a boy, yet his expression was exceptionally gloomy. A greatsword utterly disproportionate to his build was slung across his back.

Though his features could be called handsome, his overall appearance still seemed somewhat comical.

Jiang Chen guessed that this young man was the beast tamer of the two merfolk women, Princess Ping'an's betrothed, Yun Lanzi.

This journey was to the Fireburn Kingdom's imperial palace, where he would formally seek Princess Ping'an's hand in accordance with the marriage pact established years ago.

The old man behind him was likely some highly respected elder of the Beast Taming Sect, brought along to hold down the fort.

The Beast Taming Sect was a major sect within the Fireburn Kingdom with the best relationship with the imperial palace. Though slightly smaller in scale than the Azure Mist Sect, it was not weak in the slightest, with two Nascent Soul powerhouses presiding over it.

"I heard that Princess Ping'an, Yuwen Chan, is a spoiled and unruly princess with eccentric behavior. Could something go wrong with this?"

Elder Guo was still somewhat worried.

Yun Lanzi's gaze was resolute as he said:

"Please rest assured, Elder Guo.

"Princess Ping'an is deeply favored by both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. She will surely rescue the two merfolk women. Once this disciple secretly plants the forbidden curse in them again, they can be delivered into the Emperor's hands.

"After entering the palace, I will also gain the Emperor's trust as quickly as possible and take part in his mysterious plan.

"Even if I do not participate, I can still use the two merfolk women to seize his Dragon Bone at the crucial moment!"

Jiang Chen finally understood.

The Emperor had not hesitated to advance to Pseudo-Nascent Soul and stake everything on one throw because he wanted to obtain the Dragon Bone.

The pair of Twin Mermaids whom Jiang Chen had rescued were the key to finding the Dragon Bone.

In other words, Jiang Chen had been dragged into this main storyline ahead of time. Whether he participated or not was no longer up to him.

Perhaps that was the downside of venturing deep into a place where conflicts converged.

Besides that, Princess Ping'an, the Emperor's own daughter, was actually conspiring with the Beast Taming Sect to pluck the fruits of her own father's revolution. She was truly a filial daughter.

"By the way, I heard General Chen Huan was killed. Who did it?"

Elder Guo asked.

Yun Lanzi said:

"This matter was the work of Li Lingzhou, the Prison Suppression Envoy of Xihe Prefecture.

"This disciple suspects that after she killed General Chen, she had someone send the two merfolk women to the Empress Dowager.

"Fortunately, Li Lingzhou was held accountable by the Prison Suppression Bureau over this matter and taken back to Xihe Prefecture. The two merfolk women presumably would not dare admit it either."

Elder Guo nodded in satisfaction.

"That is excellent.

"Besides, we are acting under the banner of rescuing merfolk slaves. The Prison Suppression Bureau's so-called slaying demons and eliminating evil is not indiscriminate slaughter.

"With the Dragon Bone, our Beast Taming Sect will surely become the foremost sect in the Fireburn Kingdom. We may even hollow out the imperial clan from within.

"In the future, should the Daqian Dynasty seek to take away the powers of the various commanderies and kingdoms, the Beast Taming Sect, as a Daqian sect that pays tribute on schedule, will surely control the entire Fireburn Kingdom!"

Jiang Chen roughly understood the entire chain of events.

He suddenly became curious. How exactly would the Emperor use the Twin Mermaids to find the Dragon Bone?

The black giant eagle swiftly arrived at Xiyang City and flew all the way to the Zhengde Gate outside the imperial palace. Elder Guo and Yun Lanzi landed and continued on foot.

Welcomed by a host of attendants, they strode into the imperial palace's Golden Hall.

The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, Princess Ping'an, the Crown Prince, and the kingdom's chief ministers were all present.

The two from the Beast Taming Sect did not kneel either.

This showed how seriously the imperial palace regarded this marriage.

It also showed that the local commanderies and kingdoms of the Daqian Dynasty were relatively weak compared to the great sects within those kingdoms.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, it has been a long time. Have your dragon bodies remained well?"

Elder Guo cupped his hands in greeting.

The Empress Dowager gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

The old Emperor, on the other hand, was much more amiable. He sighed.

"Elder Guo, I trust you have been well. When we last met, you and I were equally valiant and majestic. Now, I am already in my twilight years."

"Your Majesty overpraises me."

Jiang Chen glanced at the old Emperor.

Though Yu Wenshu possessed considerable dignity and was a cultivator with Nascent Soul cultivation, he could not even straighten his body. He needed eunuchs supporting him on either side just to attend court normally.

Yet few knew that he was at Pseudo-Nascent Soul. Most believed the Emperor was deliberately showing weakness and concealing his true strength.

After only a few pleasantries, Yun Lanzi stepped forward and bowed with cupped hands toward the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

It was the Empress Dowager's first time seeing someone attend court with a greatsword on his back. She found it excessively rude, her face stern as she ignored him.

It seemed that one's persona was important... Jiang Chen could not even connect the Empress Dowager seated high above, bearing herself as the mother of the realm, with the soft, plump darling in his arms.

"Yun Lanzi pays his respects to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager."

The old Emperor opened his cloudy, weary eyes and carefully examined Yun Lanzi. After a long while, he sighed.

"Martial Nephew Yun is truly a man of outstanding appearance!

"At such a young age, you are already at Foundation Establishment Peak, and you are a beast-taming genius seen once in a century. Consort Xiao often mentioned you to me back then.

"In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. You and Chan'er have both grown into adults. It is time to settle this marriage."

Only then did Yun Lanzi reveal a smile. He glanced at Princess Ping'an.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting this!"

Princess Ping'an merely cast a haughty sidelong glance at him, seemingly looking down on him.

"Hmph... shorty."

The Empress Dowager softly scolded her.

"Chan'er, do not be rude!"

Immediately afterward, Elder Guo took out eight great chests of betrothal gifts from his Storage Ring.

Besides the usual spirit stones, pills, and magical artifacts, there were also all kinds of rare spirit beasts carefully bred by the Beast Taming Sect.

In addition, Yun Lanzi personally brought a Five-Colored Beast-Taming Orb and presented it to Princess Ping'an.

Princess Ping'an glanced at the Five-Colored Beast-Taming Orb and liked it greatly. She quietly put it away, then asked:

"What about the Twin Mermaids?"

Yun Lanzi looked troubled. Gritting his teeth, he said:

"The merfolk women had come of age, so I released them."

Princess Ping'an's expression changed drastically. Her pretty face suddenly turned stern.

"My mother loved merfolk women most when she was alive. I grew up with merfolk pearls in my mouth, and I saw that rare pair of Twin Mermaids when I was little. That was why my mother arranged this marriage for me. If they cannot keep me company now, I will not marry you."

Yun Lanzi's expression froze.

"This..."

The Empress Dowager rebuked her.

"How can a match made by the words of parents and the go-between be treated as child's play? This is not for you to decide."

Princess Ping'an curled her lips, suddenly becoming willful.

"This matter must be decided by me!

"Didn't Imperial Grandmother also casually find herself a handsome imperial physician? I should get to choose whom I marry as well.

"How about this? Whichever man brings that pair of Twin Mermaids to me, I will marry him. I will never go back on my word!"

The entire hall fell silent.

Jiang Chen stared blankly, suddenly dumbfounded.

He had known there was something fishy about the princess breaking off the engagement.

Xiang Zhuang danced with his sword, but his true aim was the Duke of Pei... Could the Duke of Pei actually be me?