47 Pampered Princess (1/2)

The capital of the Ming empire was in ruins. Craters were everywhere. Smoke was rising from the ashes. There was no blood or corpses to be found. There were no cries for help, nor wails for the dead.

The Ming Palace, the only standing structure in the capital city was also silent. Cracks could be seen on the walls, but they were still standing. Barely.

The royal guards were on high alert. Only a few of them were left. No one tried to run away, they had no place to go even if they did. The capital was their home, and the palace was their life. Now the former was nothing but a pile of ash, and the latter looked as if it could collapse at any moment.

Ming Nui and Zhang Cheng were locked in one of the secret chambers under the palace. They almost died in last night's botched assassination attempt. If it wasn't for the sudden appearance of a crazy woman that burned the entire city to the ground, perhaps they might've perished along with the other princes.

That crazy woman was Xin Meili, the matriarch of the Xin family, who had finished the negotiations with the Ming Emperor a moment ago.

”Are you sure about this?” The Ming Emperor didn't like it when people took advantage of him. It was true that this crazy realm-ignoring woman had helped, but he still didn't like it. He preferred good samaritans that didn't ask for something after doing a good deed. Despite that, he didn't refuse her. Why waste this chance to sow discord among allies?

Xin Meili didn't answer and walked away.

After she had entered the continent, she was attacked by low realm experts. Dispatching them was easy, after interrogating them she didn't linger and started her search for her disciple, Xin Qiang.

A few days later, she stumbled upon a century-old fire lotus that bloomed right at that moment. It was a waste to leave it. The efficacy would fade rapidly once it fully bloomed. After sealing it, she came across an injured high realm expert of the same sect that attacked her.

These people were all quite resistant to torture, so she wasn't expecting much. But out of the blue, this guy started talking about the Starfall Mountain Sect's Han De, and their deal with the Ming Emperor for the weak points. Presumably, it was an attempt to distract her. Obviously, she didn't let him get away and turned him into ash on the spot. She saw a glint in his ashes just as she was leaving. It was a remnant fire essence! It had a strong seal and she nearly missed it!

To gather more information she headed for the Ming capital. The timeline didn't fit, Xin Qiang couldn't have negotiated with the Starfall Mountain. She knew that this Ning Bi was the one that practiced the superior version of the Blazing Sun Scripture.

During her journey, on a random spot she had chosen for meditation, she saw the leaves of an earth-grade thousand years old fire ginseng.

The Ming Empire's capital looked like a warzone when she arrived. The attackers were of the same sect that she encountered, so she didn't hesitate and provided help. The Ming Emperor was unwilling, but still provided the coordinates of the weak points and their general characteristics. In his mind, the Xin family was working with the Han family anyway. It wasn't hard to exploit that fact.

Luck was on her side ever since she had entered the continent. She needed leverage, and leverage she got right after entering the capital of the Ming Empire. It was truly inexplicable.

'Hmm?' Xin Meili had already left the capital, but she saw a tiny red light flicker for a moment at the center of a dried pond. 'What could it be?'

* * *

Yao Qing raised her head. Master and disciple looked at each other. Yao Qing organized her thoughts and started explaining.

”I spent two decades as a mortal. I was able to regrow my roots by chance, under the catacombs of the Brass Stallion city. At that time I had no knowledge of any sect, apart from the Iron Blood that I was a part of.”

”It was nearly a century later that I learned some of the events that happened during my mortal years. It was only a few lines in the passing. In my youth, I had also tried to forget those years.”

”What I remembered was that in the year 906 of the 274th cycle, Long Xiu, the head of the Han family had gone mad with grief and started cutting down anyone and anything related to the Starfall Mountain Sect. The cause of her grief was the loss of her family.”

”Her family, including… the genius of the Starfall Mountain sect. The peerless swordmaster of his generation, her son. Whose name was forgotten in the annals of history.”

For a while, no one disturbed the solemn atmosphere. Yao Qing had told him the truth. The whole truth. She only hid the reason why she remembered Long Xiu even after all these years.

'Yeah, yeah. I know. That idiot was a genius. Tell me something I don't know.' Finally, Han De shook his head. They were already in the year 906. He needed more. When he transmigrated it was 906 already. Technically the cultivation idiot's death covered everything on the surface. But his father's disappearance made him suspect a 2 pronged attack. Which meant that the sect, and therefore himself, was still in danger.

”What about my father, or grandfather?”

”I am sorry. I only know that she lost her family.”

”Any idea of the culprits?”

Yao Qing shook her head. ”At first I thought it was the Silent Silhouette Sect. However, with Ning Bi's… I suspect it the family that resided in the Blazing Sun hidden realm might have played a role as well.”

'The Blazing Sun family? Hidden realm? It is true, that Xin something-something really did intensely stared at Ning Bi back then. But Ning Bi shouldn't have stayed with the Starfall Mountain during Yao Qing's timeline. Well with her luck getting in contact with Xin something-something would be easy. Yao Qing shouldn't know about the Xin family encounter at the Brass Stallion...'

”Why are you suspecting the Blazing Sun family?”

Yao Qing seemed hesitant but she still answered her master's question. ”Ning Bi appeared from the hidden realm a thousand years from now. She destroyed the hidden realm first, then the continents one by one, starting with the southern continent. Once she was done, she shattered the world to escape from the seal.”

Han De had noticed before that Yao Qing was apprehensive about Ning Bi. 'So this was the reason. Well, she only purified the planet. That's nothing. She's going to purify entire frickin' planes of existence. A planet can only be called cute next to that…'

Still, this was Ning Bi. It was better to tie this loose end now before it became a grudge. Considering how Ning Bi's brain worked, this grudge might somehow implicate him as well.

”That is not the Ning Bi you know now. A thousand years is a long time. I have told you before, seemingly insignificant events can have massive and unpredictable outcomes. Your very existence probably altered history before you even became my disciple.”

Han De profoundly closed his eyes.

”The right person in the wrong place can make all the difference... in the world.”

He slowly reopened them again.

”There is no need for anyone to be burdened with a possibility. Not you, not Ning Bi.”

Yao Qing narrowed her eyes. She slowly started nodding after mulling over her master's words.

”Now, what is this 'seal' that you mentioned.” Since she shattered the planet to escape the seal, that must've been one hell of a seal. Of course it immediately caught Han De's attention.