After Young Master Wang and his group had completely disappeared from sight, Ning Rongrong said helplessly, "These guys are really useless. I didn't even have to use my support Soul Skill, and they were actually driven away by you, Qi Ling!"
Meanwhile, Xue Ke was staring at Qi Ling, who was displaying great power, with a lovestruck expression, almost mesmerized.
How can there be such a perfect person in the world? Their temperament and appearance are impeccable, and they also possess such great strength. Their way of dealing with people and things is just right. They are simply God's favorite.
"Alright, let's get ready to go into the city," Qi Ling said. "But judging from this Young Master Wang's attitude, we'll probably get quite a welcoming ceremony once we get in!"
"Huh? A welcome ceremony? Will there be any events?" Xue Ke was immediately excited when she heard that there would be a welcome ceremony.
Looking at her, Qi Ling couldn't help but chuckle. As a princess, she probably really didn't know what she meant by the welcoming ceremony.
The three of them walked into the city together without encountering any soldiers to stop them. However, after entering the city, the city gates suddenly closed, trapping them inside.
Immediately, a large number of soldiers poured out of the city and, led by a fat man on horseback, blocked Qi Ling and his two companions at the city gate.
"Halt! Where did you come from, you scoundrels? You have some nerve, daring to touch the son of City Lord Wang! Don't you want to live?" The fat man, riding on his horse, was almost bending the horse's back under his weight, yet he still spoke arrogantly.
Faced with the encirclement and suppression of a large number of soldiers, Qi Ling remained calm in the slightest. The reason why this City Lord Wang was so arrogant was because of his status as city lord, which gave him the illusion of being in a high position and wielding great power.
But now, Qi Ling's status is that of a marquis, which is far more noble than that of a so-called city lord. This is because a city lord is just a position and does not actually hold a title. He is essentially just a worker managing the city for the marquis.
Even though Qi Ling, the newly appointed marquis, couldn't gain much attention, the only princess of the Heaven Dou Empire was by her side. Even if Qian Xunji Qi Ling were standing there, he wouldn't dare to touch her casually.
Regardless of Xue Ke's thoughts, she represents the glory of the entire Heaven Dou Empire. Anyone who dares to turn against her can be seen as a challenge to the Heaven Dou Empire, and in serious cases, could even be punished for treason.
Therefore, when this City Lord Wang was so arrogant and domineering, daring to send troops to besiege them, it was destined that he would be in trouble today. As for the extent of his misfortune, it depends on his subsequent performance.
Qi Ling then rode forward and said to City Lord Wang, "Are you the city lord here?"
City Lord Wang raised his nose and said, "Exactly! There's no one in this whole area who doesn't know me, City Lord Wang! Where did you country bumpkins come from, so ignorant?"
Qi Ling smiled and said, "That's a real shame. Unfortunately, we've never heard of you before. But I think you should recognize this, right?"
As Qi Ling spoke, she took out the token symbolizing her marquis status and tossed it to City Lord Wang.
At first, City Lord Wang didn't care, thinking that Qi Ling wanted to bribe him, and simply took the token. But when he saw the words on the token, he was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse.
"This, this is a Marquis's Decree! And it's the latest Marquis's Decree! You could not possibly be..." City Lord Wang said, trembling with fear.
"You're smart enough to know your place, and that's not all, City Lord Wang." Qi Ling stepped aside, revealing Xue Ke beside her, and said, "This lady beside me is none other than His Majesty's beloved daughter, the only princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, Princess Xue Ke! Do you know the enormity of your crime?"
City Lord Wang was shocked again upon hearing this. He never expected that his son had taken a liking to Princess Xue Ke! Offending a princess was a capital offense!
"I... I..." Cold sweat dripped down City Lord Wang's forehead. Even someone as arrogant and domineering as him knew the kind of trouble he had gotten himself into.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the man was incredibly handsome and distinguished, and such a young marquis—could he be the prince consort?
In that case, he would be even less likely to spare him, and his family's three-generation fortune might be completely lost! Thinking of this, City Lord Wang couldn't help but feel a surge of evil and hardened his heart.
"Guards! Arrest these two imposters, the marquis and the princess!" City Lord Wang suddenly shouted, while secretly hiding Qi Ling's marquis's token.
"These two men actually impersonated a marquis and a princess, swindling and cheating along the way! Fortunately, I, the city lord, saw through their scheme, preventing them from succeeding and causing even greater losses! Arrest them immediately, regardless of their lives!"
When Qi Ling saw that the City Lord Wang had actually slandered her as a fraud, she immediately understood his plan. He must have planned to leave her and the others here in order to avoid punishment. What audacity! He even dared to touch the princess!
Qi Ling then shouted, "Soldiers, don't be misled by him! City Lord Wang has committed treason by openly attacking the Imperial Marquis and Princess; he has already committed a capital offense. You don't need to die with him!"
"Nonsense! You're all liars, you can't possibly be marquises and princesses!" City Lord Wang exclaimed anxiously. "Whoever arrests them will be richly rewarded!"
As the saying goes, a great reward will surely bring forth brave men. Upon hearing the reward promised by the City Lord Wang, these soldiers immediately revealed greedy expressions. Short-sighted, they didn't care whether they would live to receive the money or live to spend it.
Seeing this, Qi Ling snorted coldly and said, "Soldiers, I advise you not to make a mistake. I am a genuine marquis, and the woman beside me is the real Princess Xue Ke. If you do not move aside, I will punish you for treason!"
Upon hearing Qi Ling's words, many soldiers hesitated. After all, Qi Ling didn't seem like a liar, and they had to consider their own lives.
Qi Ling didn't wait for them to make a decision, so she said, "Now, I will count to ten! If anyone is still standing in front of me after I've finished counting, then I will consider you enemies of the Empire and eliminate you!"
"Ten! Nine! Eight..."
After Qi Ling counted to ten, some soldiers chose to withdraw and leave, but most soldiers remained, clearly determined to be Qi Ling's enemy.
These people's fates were mostly tied to that of the City Lord Wang; they were bound together by fate, and if the City Lord Wang fell from grace, they would certainly not fare much better.
"Perfect, looks like we can get rid of all these pests at once," Qi Ling laughed. "Let me show you what true power is!"