Chapter 42
A massive, scaly beast, over 2 meters tall with five silvery horns, slowly waded through the thick bush. This creature, commonly known as a Rock Dragoon, carried on its back a handsome young man with a chiseled face and long red hair tied behind him. His regal aura indicated that he belonged to a high-class family. Behind him followed another young man with a bulky build and a slightly lesser aura of nobility, along with a group of about 20 soldiers, all at the peak of the Gold Core realm. The two young masters rode on Rock Dragoons, while the others were on the backs of large, panther-like beasts. The beasts were all Level 3, radiating a truly intimidating aura. These creatures were specifically trained as battle companions by the Kingdom of Er, and though they couldn't compare to the tamed beasts of the capital, they were considered top-class in this region.
"Prince Haulin, the beasts are all running this way. I think the town of Haven will suffer a great blow if the beast tide reaches it," a soldier behind the prince said.
"Huh? Who cares? I only want those cores. These peasants can die for all I care; at least they can serve their purpose by stopping this prince's prey. If they offer their lives, then that's a great merit for them. Let's move on; I don't want to wait anymore." The red-haired Prince Haulin commanded coldly.
This young prince, Haulin Xi, was the third prince of the Xi Empire. Although he was not in the line of succession as he was the weakest of the seven princes, he was always arrogant and did as he pleased. This was due to the fact that he was doted on by his mother, the Emperor's fourth concubine, Concubine Zinn, which caused him to grow into an uncultured and spoiled young prince.
The group followed the ruined path and soon saw a long line of caravans in the distance. A soldier immediately moved forward to scout ahead.
"This is a caravan from every school in the city of Er. I think they might have gone here to return after the inter-school tournament. What should we do, my prince?" a soldier reported as he knelt on one knee beside the huge Rock Dragoon.
"Heh, insignificant fools. Go through them. Kill anyone who tries to block this prince's path!" Haulin Xi shouted, gesturing for everyone to move forward.
The group continued their leisurely journey, and as they neared the convoy, they could see the battles ahead. But before they could proceed further, a blood-curdling scream, like the howl of a banshee, echoed through the forest and could awaken even the dead. This startled everyone, causing even the prince's group to stop.
The scream came from a mortal servant who had accidentally turned her head in Prince Haulin Xi's direction. Upon seeing the huge Rock Dragoon, her mind went blank, and all she could do was scream. It seemed the entire battlefield went silent at that moment, and even the beasts stopped their attacks.
"Who dares to shout! I will cut that person's head off. I think my ears were destroyed by that bloody, annoying scream," Haulin Xi roared, his angry gaze fixed on a certain carriage.
But before he could act, a figure suddenly appeared, floating in front of Prince Haulin Xi, making his heart skip a beat. Although he was arrogant, he knew there were people he could not dare to offend, and one of them was the old man floating before him now, Master Ju.
"Well, if it isn't the little lad Haulin Xi. What brings you to this part of the forest?" the old man, Master Ju, asked with an amiable smile.
When Haulin Xi saw Master Ju's smile, his forehead was suddenly covered in cold sweat. He knew that when the old man smiled like this, it meant one of two things: either he was annoyed that someone had interrupted his fun and would kill them, or he was truly happy and interested in someone's talent. This old man would never be interested in him, so it had to be the first option. Without thinking further, Prince Haulin quickly cupped his hands and bowed.
"Master Ju, this foolish prince did not know you were here. If I am intruding on something, I ask for your esteemed self's forgiveness."
"Haha… You are an insightful young one. Since you put it that way, I will let it go this time. This is the territory of the Crown Prince, so the third prince should be aware of his conduct here, as even if you're a part of the Imperial family, I have the authority to discipline you as commanded by the Emperor himself," Master Ju said.
The third prince knew that Master Ju was not a common old man. Although he was known as the Crown Prince's subordinate, this old man and five others had a deep connection with his father, the Emperor. So, without any other option, he had to concede.
"Yes, Master Ju. We are just here to see what had happened in this area. I am also with the 4th prince of the Er Kingdom, Prince Nie Er," Haulin Xi explained as he introduced the prince beside him.
Master Ju nodded, content that the arrogant and undisciplined 3rd prince had become docile. He didn't want any more trouble; what they already had was enough to cause him a headache. He was truly thankful for the mysterious shadow that had eliminated those Level 4 beasts. He wasn't sure of the person's cultivation level, but with his sharp senses, he could see the fluctuation of a peak Core Forming realm within him. He could only see this whenever that person attacked with his black sword. Then, he would see the aura of a middle-stage Core Forming realm when the person used that shiny thing that spewed projectiles that even he could not follow.
With his observation, he concluded that the person might be of a lower level or the same level as a primary Gold Core realm expert but was able to kill Level 4 beasts. This piqued his interest, and he wanted to know more about the person's true cultivation level, which he was not yet sure of. To find the answer, he needed to find the person, who had suddenly vanished, even though his spiritual sense had been locked on them. What made matters worse was when this pompous windbag appeared out of nowhere and disturbed his concentration, making him lose all traces of the man. This truly made Master Ju want to erupt in anger. If this person weren't a prince, he would have already burned his body and soul to smithereens, along with his personal bodyguards.
Shin Jiao, on the other hand, seized this opportunity to sneak into a carriage. He quietly positioned himself in the far back corner without anyone noticing.
"Hey, who's that?" Shin Jiao suddenly asked the person near him to make his presence known and appear less suspicious.
The man was a little startled and knitted his brow with suspicion. He didn't recall a young and handsome man like Shin Jiao being in this place. But seeing the innocent look on Shin Jiao's face, his suspicion vanished.
"Oh, that? I think he's the third prince of the Empire and that one is the fourth prince of the Kingdom of Er," the man explained.
"Kingdom of Er? Where is that?" Shin Jiao asked with confusion.
"What? Don't tell me you didn't know that this land is under the Kingdom of Er?" the man said with an incredulous expression.
"Oh, I see… well, it's because my master doesn't always let me out and would always keep me inside the house, so I'm a little clueless. But thank you for your information, mister," Shin Jiao said happily.
"Let me guess… your master is an immortal lady, right? Hehe…" the man said with a smirk as if he already knew the reason why Shin Jiao was kept as a "pet."
Shin Jiao didn't bother to talk to the man anymore as he had already gotten the information he needed. He returned to the corner and sat there peacefully.
Not long after that, the fighting began to die down. The wounded cultivators were treated in a tent, while those in a life-and-death situation were given the remaining rapid hemostatic pills that Qin Lou had made and submitted to the Floating Lotus Alchemy School.
When Shin Jiao found the tent where Qin Lou and Susu Ling were staying, he happily went there. When he was in front of the tent, he stopped as he was greeted by the sight of Qin Lou with her arms folded. Although he couldn't see the expression on her face, he knew something was wrong.
"Master, what's up?" Shin Jiao asked, foolishly scratching his head.
Inside her mask, Qin Lou squinted her eyes and observed Shin Jiao from head to toe. Her eyes were suddenly attracted to the black goggles on his head, which he always wore. Seeing that familiar thing, a warm smile appeared on her face.
"I know he isn't simple. I'm just happy that he's my… friend," Qin Lou said to herself, slowly calming her feelings.
When she had seen the person who saved her and Susu Ling, she had felt a familiar aura. Then she noticed the fluctuation of his aura from the middle-stage Core Forming to the peak Core Forming realm and vice versa, which made her remember Shin Jiao, who was considered a mortal but could emit the aura of a Core Forming realm cultivator.
"Umn… I'm okay… How… how about you?" Qin Lou asked with a little hesitation.
She wanted to thank Shin Jiao for saving her, but she didn't want to reveal his secret. She didn't want him to hide from her or become indifferent, which might affect their friendship. As someone who had been despised and mocked because of her appearance, Shin Jiao was the first person who never minded it at all. And of course, now there was also Susu Ling, but the latter had a very prestigious background, so she was still a little hesitant to be too intimate with her.
"Well, I was pretty safe in there, except for that loud scream. It almost took my soul, as the woman was near me. I truly didn't want to stay with them at that time, but you left me there, Master. Hehe…" Shin Jiao said with an exaggerated gesture, putting his hand on his chest as if he was hurt.
"Stop your drama… you were safe in there while we almost got killed out here. I think you would have pissed your pants if you saw our battle against that number of beasts. Even I almost went limp; luckily, I'm braver than someone who just knows how to curry favor," Susu Ling suddenly appeared from behind Shin Jiao with some sarcastic remarks, as usual. Shin Jiao didn't mind her, as he was already used to her nonchalant attitude.
"Oh, you're back! So, how was it?" Qin Lou asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Well, I got around 25 Level 3 cores and 3 Level 4 cores. It should have been 4 Level 4 cores, but they discovered that one of the cores from the tail of the Nue was chipped, which released all its energy, and now it's empty," Susu Ling said.
"Anyway, which one do you want? Spirit stones or the cores themselves? I can buy them for you at the market price," Susu Ling added.
"I'll take the cores. As of now, I don't need spirit stones. They are useless to me."
"Oh, okay. Here." Susu Ling then handed her a bag of cores, which made Qin Lou frown.
"Don't ask why I gave you all the cores. It's what I want, as I already owe you my life," Susu Ling added before Qin Lou could say anything.
Shin Jiao had a big smile on his face as he looked at the two ladies having a world of their own. He turned around and was about to walk away so as not to disturb them when a figure appeared in front of him. It was Master Ju, and following behind him were two very handsome and proud young men.
"Young Qin, I just came to say hello! You seem to be okay and weren't hurt. I was truly worried," Master Ju said after seeing that Qin Lou was unharmed.
"Master Ju! I didn't know you were also here. Are Elder Ao and Duang here too?" Susu Ling was the one to answer.
When the two handsome young men saw Susu Ling's cute face and sexy figure, their eyes lit up in excitement. They didn't expect to see someone as beautiful as her in this chaotic place.
"Hello, miss! I'm Prince Haulin Xi, the 3rd prince of the Xi Empire. What might I call you?" the 3rd prince Haulin Xi introduced himself, making the other young man beside him frown.
So as not to be outclassed, he stretched forth his hand towards Susu Ling.
"Hello, I'm the 4th prince of this kingdom, Prince Nie Er. You… you look familiar?" Prince Nie Er introduced himself but seemed to realize he knew the girl in front of him.
"You knew her?" Prince Haulin Xi knitted his brow as he looked at Prince Nie Er.
"I… if I'm not mistaken, you are the famous Miss Susu Ling of the Roc's Eye Merchant company, one of the heiresses of Lord Ling, right?" Prince Nie Er asked, confirming his thoughts.
"Oh, you still remember me, your highness. I'm flattered; it has been a while, and you've grown into a fine young man already," Susu Ling said with a fawning tone as she curtsied.
At this time, Susu Ling found that Shin Jiao and Qin Lou had already bowed their heads in respect to the two princes in front of them. Master Ju waved his hand to gesture for the three to be at ease.
But before Master Ju could say anything, Prince Haulin stepped forward and said something that almost made Master Ju want to smack his head.
"Miss Ling, your prestige doesn't belong in this dirty commoner's tent. Come with this prince's abode, and I will give you a good time."