The little princess held Chen Nan's indenture in her hand, frowning as she said, "It's horribly ugly! What kind of lousy handwriting is this? Even a spider's crawling handwriting looks better. You good-for-nothing, you haven't even learned to write properly. It's really... sigh, how could our Chu Kingdom have someone like you? You're a disgrace to the country, a traitor to the nation."
Ugh! Chen Nan dared not speak his anger and sat on the ground expressionlessly.
"You filthy thief, weren't you so powerful? You actually dared to hit me back then..." The little princess's face flushed crimson with shame and anger. She turned and ran into the woods, returning a moment later clutching a piece of dead wood about the thickness of a bowl. She shouted at Chen Nan, "Get down!"
Looking at the thick, long, withered tree that was disproportionate to the little princess's beautiful body, Chen Nan was almost terrified.
"Your Highness...you..."
The little princess forcefully pushed Chen Nan to the ground, grabbed the thick, long piece of dead wood, and slapped his buttocks three times.
"Ah..." Chen Nan couldn't help but cry out in pain, "Your Highness, you've hurt me badly! How are you going to get me out of the mountains?"
The little princess agreed, realizing she couldn't possibly carry this guy on her shoulder. She gave him two more hard slaps, and was about to throw the withered tree down when Chen Nan cried out in pain again, "Little devil, I only slapped you twice, you didn't have to..."
Upon hearing Chen Nan's words, the little princess nearly went berserk, shouting angrily, "You damned bastard, how dare you mention that?! I'll beat you up!"
After Chen Nan let out a scream, the little princess threw the thick, dead tree aside.
"Hmph, let's call it even for now. I'll deal with you properly when I get the chance, you filthy thief."
Suddenly, the little princess smelled the aroma of roasted snow chicken and couldn't help but exclaim, "It smells so good!" She walked towards the fire, picked up the stick from the ground that was holding the roasted snow chicken, looked at the golden-brown snow chicken, and took a small bite.
After taking a bite of the smooth and fragrant snow chicken, she couldn't help but exclaim, "The meat is delicate, the flavor is rich, and it's fatty but not greasy. It's truly delicious!"
Perhaps because she had been hungry for a long time, the little princess no longer cared about her princess image. She stuck the stick back into the ground, tore off a chicken leg with one hand and a chicken wing with the other, and began to chew on it without any ladylike manners.
Chen Nan grimaced as he got up from the ground. Watching the little princess eat, he swallowed hard and moved forward.
"I'm just taking my snow chicken." He reached for the other snow chicken.
"Don't touch that snow chicken."
"You wicked fellow, after what you did to me, so many bad things, humph, I'm punishing you with three days of fasting."
"If that's the case, I won't have the strength to walk. Wouldn't I become a burden to Her Highness in these vast mountains?"
The little princess's eyes darted around, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face: "Here, this is for you, and this too."
A pair of greasy, snow-white hands presented the chicken's head and tail to Chen Nan. Looking at the little princess's wicked smile, Chen Nan really wanted to rush up and pinch her little face hard.
"Eat or not? If you don't eat, I'll throw it away right away, but you'll miss your meal." The little princess said with a mischievous smile.
"I'll eat it!" Chen Nan chewed the chicken head and phoenix tail with all his might, as if he were tearing the little princess apart.
"You rascal, eat slowly. Nobody's going to take it from you. Here, there's more." The little princess grinned and tore off the head and tail of another snow chicken, handing it over.
"Oh, it smells so good! It tastes amazing! You scoundrel, you're so uncivilized. Even if it's delicious, you don't have to chew it so hard." The little princess said these annoying things while eating.
Chen Nan whispered, "You devil, and you're supposed to be a princess of a country? Look at you, chicken leg in your left hand, chicken wing in your right, your face all red, your mouth dripping with oil, really..."
"What are you muttering about, you scoundrel?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Chen Nan didn't want to get entangled with her, so he kept quiet and didn't say anything more.
In the end, the little princess handed the remaining snow chicken to Chen Nan, saying, "This princess will be merciful. Remember to repay me well and carry out every one of my orders diligently."
Chen Nan was frustrated, but could only vent his anger inwardly: "Damn it! I was the one who hunted the snow chicken, is God playing a joke on me? Why did I end up in this little devil's hands again?"
The little princess ran to the river to wash her hands, and then ran back to wipe them on Chen Nan's body.
"Wow, you filthy thief, you're so slovenly! Your clothes are so dirty, it's disgusting!" After saying that, she ran to the river to wash her hands.
Chen Nan was both amused and exasperated.
"You filthy thief, turn around!" the little princess commanded domineeringly. Then she took off her shoes and socks, revealing her two smooth, jade-like little feet, and began wading and skipping stones in the river. Finally, tired from playing, she sat down on the bank, but as soon as she sat down, she cried out in surprise, "Ouch, that hurts so much!"
She quickly stood up from the shore, rubbing her bottom with her small hands. She had been thrown to the ground twice by Chen Nan, and both times her strength was sealed, so her bottom had hit the ground hard, and it still ached terribly. The little princess was both embarrassed and furious; she glared at Chen Nan, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"You damned guy, you're still eating! You have quite the appetite!"
As the little princess strode fiercely toward him, Chen Nan was quickly putting the last bite of chicken into his mouth. To vent her anger, the little princess rushed forward and, without a word, pinned Chen Nan to the ground.
Chen Nan's buttocks, which had just been touched by Da Mu Rou Lin, immediately made contact with the ground, and a chilling scream echoed through the forest.
"You scoundrel, you deserved what you did to me!"
An angel and a devil coexist, beauty and evil coexist. The little princess has the appearance of an angel, but the essence of a devil. No one who sees such a beautiful girl would imagine that she would be a troublesome little witch.
After Chen Nan fell into the hands of the little devil again, he suffered one hardship after another, and the little princess took crazy revenge on him for what he had done before.
Two days later, the little princess and Chen Nan finally left the mountains.
When the princess and her companions entered the mountains, they had some clothes with them, but after the battle with the giant snake and the fight in the forest, almost all their belongings were lost. When they came out, the two were ragged, their clothes torn by the thorns in the mountains, and they had no clothes to change into.
"What are you looking at, you scoundrel? Turn your head away!"
The little princess was barely clothed, revealing large expanses of her snow-white skin. If Chen Nan, who was walking in front, accidentally tilted his head or leaned to the side, he would be scolded.
Gazing at the unknown town in the distance, the two felt as if they had been transported to another world, finally leaving behind the uninhabited mountains and entering a human settlement. Walking into the town and watching the passersby, they couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and familiarity, finding everyone so endearing. Of course, neither of them felt any particular affinity for the other.
Pedestrians on the street looked at the ragged young couple with curiosity. Chen Nan had an ordinary appearance and only attracted the attention of a few people, but the little princess was naturally beautiful. Even though her clothes were tattered, her stunning beauty could not be hidden and she attracted the attention of the vast majority of people.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable being watched like this, the two hurriedly fled into an inn. The little princess took a pearl flower from her hair and gave it to the innkeeper to pawn for money. She then instructed him to buy some suitable clothes.
The royal princess's pearl hairpin was no ordinary treasure; the pearls were of the highest quality in terms of both color and size. Seeing the greedy look in the innkeeper's eyes, Chen Nan knew this unscrupulous merchant was definitely trying to make a huge profit, but since the item belonged to the little devil, he saw no need to warn him.
Just as Chen Nan had predicted, the valuable beaded hairpin was pawned by the innkeeper at an extremely low price. However, the clothes they bought were shockingly expensive, but overall they were still quite bright and presentable, giving the two ragged young people a completely new look.
The little princess possessed an innate noble air that emanated naturally, her every gesture exuding royal majesty. However, whenever she faced Chen Nan, her royal demeanor would vanish. To outsiders, she appeared as a mischievous little fairy, but in Chen Nan's eyes, she was a shrewish little devil.
After a sumptuous dinner was served, the two devoured the food, seemingly forgetting each other's status and focusing solely on consuming the delicacies before them. Although there were countless wild game in the mountains, without the aid of seasonings, no matter how fresh the game was, it could not compare to the exquisite cooking before them.
After enjoying the delicious food, the little princess glared at Chen Nan, wanting to punish him, but an overwhelming weariness washed over her. The perilous experience in the mountains had left her exhausted, so she had to give up. Finally, she pressed over twenty acupoints on Chen Nan's body before finally letting him go to another room.
The little princess, exhausted, fell into a sweet sleep after lying down on the bed, her rosy cheeks adorned with a contented smile. Soft moonlight streamed into the room, giving her an aura of holiness; she was as serene and adorable as a little angel descended to earth.
Chen Nan lay stiffly on the bed, his body rigid. He kept using his family's secret martial arts to attack the more than twenty sealed acupoints, but the acupoints only loosened slightly. At this rate, even by dawn the next day, he would not be able to unseal the acupoints on his own. His family's secret martial arts were not without their wonders, but there were simply too many sealed acupoints on his body, so he had no choice but to give up in the end.
The moonlight, like water, streamed into the room. Chen Nan thought about many things. Ten thousand years ago, he came from a prominent family and held a glorious status. Ten thousand years later, he had inexplicably become someone else's prisoner. A bitter smile appeared on his lips. Before, he had a distinguished background, but his life was bleak. He thought to himself: Perhaps things will be very different now? But that little princess is really too terrifying…
As he thought of the little princess, he felt an unusually cold sensation in his head, making him extremely uncomfortable. Only then did he realize the abnormality of his sleeping position. Chen Nan screamed in his heart, "That damned little devil, he actually... actually let my head rest on the iron railing of the bed! I..." He really had an urge to curse.
The town was bustling with activity at dawn as a large army poured in. The townspeople were filled with unease, suspecting that war was about to break out. After all, the mainland had been peaceful for many years, and unless war broke out, no army would ever come to such a remote border town.
A cloud of dust billowed as three hundred cavalrymen charged into the town, followed by two thousand infantrymen. Shouts and neighing filled the air as the townspeople scattered in panic. The army blocked all the town's entrances. After an officer inquired about the town's pawnshop from the residents, the three hundred cavalrymen charged forward like wolves, surrounding the pawnshop completely.
The pawnshop owner and two assistants rushed out in a panic. When they saw the hundreds of iron cavalrymen in the surrounding area, their cold armor and chilling swords, the three of them trembled and knelt down on the ground.
A general and a dozen cavalrymen dismounted and walked toward the men kneeling on the ground.
The general asked loudly, "Who is the manager here?"
The pawnshop manager hurriedly kowtowed and said, "This humble servant...this humble servant...yes."
The general said, "There is no need to be afraid. We mean no harm. Stand up and answer."
"Yes, yes...yes."
The shopkeeper and his two assistants stood up in a panic.
"I've come to ask you, did anyone come here yesterday to pawn a top-quality pearl hairpin?"
"Yes, yes, yes, someone did pawn a top-quality pearl hairpin, but I sent someone to hand it over to the head office overnight."
"Hmm, who is in charge?"
"It was pawned by the owner of Longxing Inn in our town, but... but it looks like he was asked to pawn it on someone else's behalf."
The general's eyes lit up, and he said, "Oh, how did you know?"
"Because after he asked me to set a price, he made me issue a fake receipt for a lower price."
"Okay, take me to Longxing Inn right away."
Three hundred cavalrymen marched in a mighty procession towards Longxing Inn, followed by infantry, completely surrounding the inn. The innkeeper, terrified, scrambled out and hurriedly pleaded, "Sir...Sir...what...what are your orders?"
The general on horseback, his face ashen, coldly asked, "Yesterday you were sold as a top-quality pearl hairpin?"
"Yes...yes, I did indeed pawn a top-quality pearl hairpin for someone yesterday."
"For whom should I stand?"
"They are...they are a young couple."
"What do they look like?"
"They were a young couple. The man was about twenty years old and of average appearance, while the little girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old and exceptionally beautiful."
The general's eyes suddenly lit up. He took a scroll from his subordinate, unfurled it, and asked, "Is this what the girl looks like?"
"Yes, that's the girl."
The general asked urgently, "Where are they? Can they leave?"
Seeing the general's anxious appearance, the innkeeper was startled and said in a trembling voice, "He...he hasn't left. He's resting in the backyard, but...he probably hasn't gotten up yet."
Upon hearing this, the general immediately dismounted and strode into the inn, followed closely by dozens of soldiers. The innkeeper followed behind the group with trepidation.
At first, guests occasionally peeked out of the inn, but as soon as they saw the group of heavily armored soldiers, they immediately closed the doors and windows tightly and dared not look any further.
The innkeeper pointed and said, "The man is staying in that room, and the girl is staying in the room next to him."
Upon hearing this, the general walked straight to the girl's room, stopped three meters away from the door, knelt down, and loudly proclaimed, "Zhao Sheng, the city lord of Fengning City, respectfully welcomes Princess Yu back to court."
The soldiers behind Zhao Sheng also all knelt down.
The owner of Longxing Inn was stunned and immediately sat down on the ground in fright. He never expected that the beautiful girl was actually a princess of the dynasty. He hurriedly knelt down.
The princess was exhausted from days of hardship and sleeping outdoors. She had finally managed to get to bed on a soft mattress and was still fast asleep. It wasn't until Zhao Sheng called her name three times from outside the door that she groggily opened her eyes. Only then did she hear the shouts of people and the neighing of horses in the street. By the time she recognized Zhao Sheng's voice, he had already kowtowed and called her name for the fourth time.
The little princess finished dressing, opened the door angrily, and shouted, "I know! Humph, it's so noisy!"
Seeing the sleepy little princess's unhappy face, Zhao Sheng knew without a doubt that he had disturbed this proud daughter of heaven's sweet dream, and he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Your subject Zhao Sheng has come to respectfully welcome Your Highness back to court on the orders of Princess Yue."
"Sister? My sister is here too?"
Zhao Sheng dared not raise his head and remained kneeling, saying, "Yes, Princess Yue is outside the town."
"Oh, really?!" The little princess quickly closed the door like a child who had done something wrong, muttering to herself, "Oh no, oh no, Father and Mother must be so worried, otherwise they wouldn't have sent my sister to find me in person."
Zhao Sheng and the others dared not utter another word and waited quietly outside the door.
After a long while, the little princess slowly opened the door. She had regained her royal princess demeanor and said in a calm tone, "Please rise, everyone."
After everyone thanked her and stood up, the little princess said, "You all go out first, gather everyone together, and prepare to depart. I'm going back to my room to get ready."
Watching everyone leave the courtyard, the little princess became lively again, dashing into Chen Nan's room and patting him all over to release his pressure points. Then she grabbed his ear and said, "You scoundrel, lazy pig, get up!"
"Ah..." Chen Nan screamed and jumped up from the bed, rubbing his red left ear repeatedly.
Looking at the little princess's irritating smile, Chen Nan was extremely annoyed. He had been sleeping with his head on the iron railing all night and had just drifted off to sleep when the little princess woke him up again.
After washing up, the two ate a little something under the innkeeper's hospitable yet somewhat apprehensive hospitality.
Upon arriving outside the inn, Chen Nan was startled. Although he had heard the sounds outside and knew that an army had come to escort the little princess back to the palace, he never expected such a large-scale operation. Soldiers lined both sides of the street, their gleaming armor stretching to the end of the road, while the center of the road was deserted. The entire road had been cordoned off, awaiting the little princess's departure.
Zhao Sheng had prepared a sedan chair for the little princess, but she waved her hand and said, "No, I want to ride a horse."
Chen Nan thought to himself: How could such a "terrifying" little devil be sitting so peacefully in the sedan chair?
Zhao Sheng personally led a warhorse over to the little princess, and then a soldier led one over to Chen Nan as well.
The little princess leaped onto her horse and rode off first, raising a cloud of dust. Chen Nan and Zhao Sheng, the city lord of Fengning City, followed closely behind, then three hundred iron cavalry, and finally the infantry. This large group of people left the town in a grand procession.
The townspeople finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the owner of Longxing Inn complained bitterly. Before leaving, Zhao Sheng fined him a large sum of money and ordered him to hand it over to the city lord's mansion within three days as punishment for his greed.
Beyond the town lay a vast plain, where two hundred iron cavalrymen guarded Princess Chu Yue's safety. As the princess and her entourage approached, the two hundred cavalrymen clasped their hands in salute to the princess.
In the distance, a tall, slender figure stood alone quietly in the morning glow, dressed in white, as pure as snow. Under the rising sun, her whole body seemed to be tinged with a faint golden light, like a fairy descended from the heavens to the mortal world. As her clothes fluttered, it seemed as if she might ride the wind and disappear at any moment.
The little princess cried out, "Sister!" Then she left everyone behind and ran forward quickly, rushing to Chu Yue's side and throwing herself into her arms.
The little princess hugged Chu Yue's waist and said sweetly, "Sister, I missed you so much."
Chu Yue patted her head affectionately and said, "You are so naughty. You secretly slipped out of the palace for so long. Your father and mother were worried sick."
The little princess asked anxiously, "Is Mother feeling any better?"
"Why would you ask that? Mother has always been in good health."
"Hmph, this old geezer dared to lie to me!" the little princess grumbled.
"Hehe, who is it? They actually fooled our little rascal," Chu Yue asked with a smile.
The little princess huffed and puffed, "Who else would dare to lie to me except my master, that stinky old man? Humph, that stinky old man tricked me into coming back, and then went to see the Qilin by himself. I'm so angry! When I get back, I'm going to pluck all his whiskers off!"
Chu Yue smiled and said, "We must not be disrespectful to Senior Zhuge. He is someone that both our father and mother respect."
"Hmm, then let's pluck fewer of his whiskers. Oh, by the way, sister, how did you find me?"
"You forgot? Yesterday you pawned a beaded flower, and the pawnshop owner treated it like a treasure, sending it to the main branch in Fengning City overnight. The owner of the main branch saw the royal mark on the beaded flower and was terrified. He immediately reported it to Zhao Sheng, the city lord of Fengning City. Zhao Sheng has been under my command these past few days, so I quickly found out about this and followed the clues to find you, you little rascal."
Chu Yue gently cupped the little princess's face and said softly, "You must have suffered a lot outside. Let me take a good look. Hmm, your skin is a little tanned, and you're thinner than before. Don't run around like that next time, okay?"
"Yes, sister, I promise I won't run around like that again. My... my guards are all..." The little princess choked up as she said this.
"Don't be sad, sweetie..."
"Ugh, I'm already sixteen, and you still treat me like a little kid." The little princess laughed again in an instant.
"Sister, I have something good to show you." With that, the little princess took out a jade box from her bosom, carefully opened it, and immediately a sweet fragrance wafted out, revealing a crystal-clear, fiery red lotus petal inside the jade box.
"Ah, this is..." Chu Yue was taken aback.
The little princess said proudly, "This is the legendary Fiery Lotus, which I specially prepared for my father's sixtieth birthday."
Chu Yue excitedly held the jade box and said, "It truly lives up to its name as the Immortal Lotus. Just smelling its fragrance is enough to refresh the mind and body."
The glistening lotus petals shone even brighter under the rising sun, and their refreshing fragrance reached Chen Nan and his companions from afar, astonishing the soldiers and officers.
"Oh, it looks like someone took a small bite out of the lotus petal!" Chu Yue laughed, pinching the little princess's delicate nose, and said, "It must be because you, you little glutton, couldn't resist and took a bite yourself first, right? Hehe."
"Sister..." the little princess said coquettishly, twisting her body, "Don't pinch my nose, or I won't be as pretty as you."
"Your little mouth is as sweet as honey."
The little princess looked at the Fiery Lotus and said angrily, "It was originally a complete lotus petal, but it's all that scoundrel Chen Nan's fault. That despicable, shameless, filthy, and disgusting thief used trickery to capture me and acupuncture my pressure points. In order to break free of my pressure points and escape, I had no choice but to eat a small bite of the lotus."
"What?" Chu Yue exclaimed in surprise.
"That's the scoundrel. I've caught him." The little princess pointed to Chen Nan in the distance.
"Chen Nan, you scoundrel, come here."
Hearing the little princess call him, Chen Nan felt a headache coming on and reluctantly went over.
When Chen Nan approached Chu Yue and the little princess, he was momentarily stunned. From a distance, he could only vaguely see Chu Yue's unparalleled beauty, but now that she was so close, her incomparably beautiful face made him feel breathless.
Chu Yue, dressed in flowing white robes, possessed a slender, curvaceous figure, her graceful body flawless. Her jade-like face was free of makeup; her phoenix eyes, delicate nose, and cherry lips combined perfectly to create an unparalleled beauty. With eyes like autumn water and bones like jade, Chu Yue's elegance truly deserved the word "perfect."