Just as he was about to unleash the power gathered in his fingers, an urgent, sharp cry suddenly rang out from the mountain path:
"Stop!"
The horse arrived with the voice.
A snow-white steed raced in like lightning, bearing a breathtaking woman in a fiery red cloak. Her cloud-like tresses were slightly disheveled, clearly from her hurried journey, yet even that could not dim her dazzling beauty. It was Princess Anle, Li Guo'er.
The moment Wu Chongxun saw her, his expression changed. His dark scowl instantly gave way to astonishment and embarrassment, and he blurted out, "Guo'er? You... what are you doing here?"
Seeing that the princess had arrived in person, Shang Poyue instantly dispersed the power gathered in his fingers and quietly withdrew behind Wu Lingyun.
Huijue, the "Mad Weituo," who had been fighting like a man possessed, also forcibly checked his attack at the sound of the princess's voice. Feinting with his pestle, he leaped backward behind Wu Chongxun, seething with resentment, his bronze-bell eyes fixed in a murderous glare on Lu Changfeng.
Princess Anle reined in her white horse and swept her gaze over Wu Chongxun's face, her voice carrying a faint reproach. "Had I not come, were you going to turn this peaceful sanctuary of Famen Temple upside down?"
Without waiting for Wu Chongxun to explain, she turned toward Lu Changfeng, who had lowered his hands and stood calmly at ease. At the sight of his handsome face and distinguished bearing, the faint anger in her eyes instantly became a bright, heated interest.
A radiant smile curved her lips, and her voice softened. "Mr. Lu, we have been apart for only a few days, yet your brilliance surpasses even before. At the Nine-Shao Music Bureau, your zither playing and your Qingping Tune delighted This Palace. Seeing