Although Chen Nan had caused a huge disaster in the capital, he was not afraid at all. With the little princess, a favored daughter of heaven, in his hands, he was not worried that those following behind him would cause trouble.
The only person he was wary of was the emperor's great-grandfather, that old monster who was over 170 years old. The old monster possessed terrifying and unfathomable cultivation, which made him deeply wary.
The little princess was held between Chen Nan's ribs, and she was furious, but her acupoints were sealed, so she could only keep cursing.
"Damn scum, if you don't put me down, I'll bite my tongue and kill myself."
"Go ahead and bite, let's restore some peace to this world as soon as possible."
"You filthy scoundrel, you dead scoundrel, how dare you treat me like this! If I really bite my tongue and commit suicide, you will die without a burial place, and people will be relentlessly hunting you down every moment."
"Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years. It would be a miracle if you, little devil, went to hell to meet your devil sisters right now."
"you..."
"What's wrong with me? You should just kill yourself, I beg you."
The little princess gritted her teeth in anger and said hatefully, "You vile thief, you actually advised me to commit suicide! I hate you so much! Sooner or later I will kill you, and I will use the cruelest and most vicious punishments—a thousand cuts, skinning and dismembering, severing your fingers and feet..."
Chen Nan squeezed the little princess's slender waist tightly and said, "You little devil, you're too wicked. How can you be my maid like this? I'll definitely teach you a lesson on the way."
The little princess cried out in pain as Chen Nan's arm gripped her tightly, "You scoundrel, let go! It hurts so much!"
The weather was extremely hot, with the scorching sun baking the earth. The leaves on the trees drooped listlessly, while only the cicadas chirped "cheerfully" and "incessantly".
After Chen Nan sealed the little princess's considerable cultivation, she could no longer withstand the summer heat, and sweat rolled down her cheeks drop by drop.
"You scoundrel, I'm dying of heat, hurry up and get into the shade of a tree."
The little princess was furious upon hearing this and viciously bit his shoulder.
Chen Nan quickly grabbed his chin and said, "You're really fierce. How can you do this? If you don't behave, I won't be so gentle with you anymore."
The little princess was filled with hatred, anger, and fear. She never imagined she would fall into Chen Nan's hands again. Last time, being captured by Chen Nan was a great humiliation for her, and now she was in his hands again, which drove her crazy.
She angrily turned her face away, refusing to look at that hateful face, while secretly cursing him.
The lush foliage shielded the scorching sun, and a gentle breeze wafted through the woods, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grasses, creating a refreshing atmosphere.
Chen Nan lay on the soft grass, closing his eyes contentedly. The battle just now had exhausted a lot of his strength, and he needed to recuperate.
Although the little princess was able to move freely at this moment, her powers were sealed, so she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. She sat with her back to Chen Nan, plucked an unknown wildflower, and tore it apart forcefully, venting all her resentment towards Chen Nan on it.
About half an hour passed, and Chen Nan remained motionless, as if he were asleep.
The little princess carefully observed the wretched creature on the ground. After another quarter of an hour, seeing that he still hadn't moved, she cautiously stood up and secretly slipped out of the woods.
Just then, that hateful voice rang out again: "If anyone doesn't want to stay in the forest, I will grant her wish and let her sunbathe."
The little princess shook her fist at Chen Nan resentfully, then reluctantly sat down on the ground again.
Suddenly, Chen Nan sat up abruptly, pulled the little princess into his arms, and placed one hand on her throat. He shouted towards the outside of the forest, "Those outside the forest, show yourselves now! If you continue to stalk yourselves in the shadows, don't blame me for being impolite to your princess."
The little princess muttered curses under her breath at Chen Nan, "How stupid of him to let this guy find out. Why didn't he send some experts to rescue me?"
Seven martial artists emerged from behind the tree trunk. It wasn't that these people lacked cultivation, but rather that Chen Nan was no longer the same as before, thus he was able to sense their presence the moment they approached.
"There's still someone else. If they don't come out soon, I really won't be polite." With that, he pinched the little princess's smooth cheek hard, eliciting a scream from her: "You scoundrel, you scumbag..."
A fluctuation of magical elements came from the air, and a mage used a levitation spell to float down from a tree.
Chen Nan frowned. He originally thought that after dealing with those extraordinary individuals from the Qishi Mansion, there would be no more experts in the capital. However, it seems that this is not the case. These individuals are all high-level experts, and one of the old men is even more powerful than him.
"Do you still want this little devil's life? If you continue to sneak around behind me, don't blame me for being impolite."
The mage among them said, "His Majesty has already appointed you as a guardian of the nation, yet you dare to be so rebellious..."
Chen Nan interrupted him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense, are you leaving or not?"
The elderly martial artist, who possessed the highest cultivation among them, said, "Chen Nan, don't get agitated. Let's leave here immediately."
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled, and dust filled the road outside the forest as countless cavalrymen rushed towards the scene.
Shouts from men and neighing from horses filled the air as thousands of cavalry surrounded the entire forest.
On the main road, a stunningly beautiful woman in her twenties sat atop a white dragon horse, her captivating beauty undiminished by the dust. The newcomer was none other than Princess Chu Yue. She dismounted and walked straight into the woods, a hint of anger on her face.
"Chen Nan, now that you've escaped the capital, why won't you release my sister?" Her gaze towards the little princess was filled with pity.
The little princess's face lit up with joy, and she called out, "Sister..."
Chen Nan reached out and sealed her speech acupoint, then said to Chu Yue, "If I had let her go, I'm afraid I would already be lying dead on the ground by now."
Chu Yue said, "With Hou Yi's bow in your hand, who dares to stop you? You may leave at your leisure."
Chen Nan sneered, "How can a single Houyi bow face an army of thousands? If I were to use the Houyi bow to kill a member of the royal family or a high-ranking official, it might shake the Chu state's government. But what use would it be if I killed an ordinary soldier? In the capital, I could use the Houyi bow to intimidate the emperor and his officials, but once I leave the capital, my advantage will be gone. If I don't have an important hostage, wouldn't I be trampled into mincemeat by the army that arrives later? I absolutely cannot let your sister go."
Chu Yue asked anxiously, "What do you want from me to let Yu'er go?"
"At the very least, I must leave the border of Chu safely. During this process, you must not send anyone to follow me, or you will regret it."
Chu Yue gritted her teeth, looked at the little princess with pity, and said to Chen Nan, "Alright, it will be as you say. However, you must guarantee that Yu'er will not suffer any grievances on the journey, otherwise I will issue a kill order and use the entire power of the Great Chu to hunt you down!"
Chen Nan said, "In that case, please lead your men and leave quickly."
"If you do not release Yu'er when you leave the border of my Chu Kingdom, you should understand the consequences." Chu Yue took one last deep look at the little princess before leading everyone out of the forest.
Dust billowed as thousands of cavalrymen sped away.
Chen Nan released the little princess and reached out to release her speech acupoint.
As soon as the little princess was able to speak, she began to curse: "You scoundrel, you filthy thief, you pig-headed bastard, you actually acupunctured me! I didn't even get to say a word to my sister! I curse you, you bastard, to go to the eighteenth, no, the nineteenth level of hell..."
Chen Nan grabbed her and lifted her up, holding her chin with one hand, saying, "Now you are my prisoner. If you dare to talk back to me again, don't blame me for being impolite."
The little princess shrieked, "You scoundrel, you filthy scoundrel, what are you doing?" She quickly broke free from Chen Nan's grasp and ran four or five meters before stopping. Her face was flushed red, and she shouted angrily, "I'll kill you sooner or later..."
Chen Nan said harshly, "If you don't behave, I'll make you serve me in bed tonight."
The little princess was so frightened that she dared not make any more noise.
Chen Nan laughed and said, "It should have been done long ago. What kind of behavior is it for a girl to be so noisy and disruptive?"
The little princess glared at him resentfully and turned her face away.
Although Chen Nan had escaped with the little princess, a lingering unease remained in his heart. The emperor's great-grandfather, that over 170-year-old monster, made him feel uneasy. After resting in the forest for a while, he set off again with the little princess. This time, he didn't carry her under his arm, but let her walk on her own, while he stayed close by her side.
It wasn't until dark, when the little princess kept complaining of being tired, that Chen Nan finally stopped in a small town a hundred miles from the capital. He only booked one room, and after dinner, when he brought the little princess into the room, she was terrified, her face pale and filled with panic.
Her voice trembled: "You scoundrel... don't you dare do anything reckless, or my sister... my father will not let you get away with this..."
Chen Nan wore a mocking expression. Although he had no wicked thoughts, he didn't miss the chance to tease the little princess. He sipped his tea and said, "Good little maid, go and make the bed for me."
"You... I'll kill you sooner or later." The little princess's face turned ashen with anger.
Chen Nan said, "If you don't want me to act recklessly, quickly do as I say."
The little princess glared at him fiercely, reluctantly walked to the bedside, haphazardly spread a straw mat on the bed, and said, "Alright, are you satisfied now?" After saying that, she sat down angrily to the side.
"Looking at your stunning beauty and delicate hands, it's surprising that you're so clumsy and rough when laying out this lavish mat..."
The little princess roared, "Enough! You scoundrel, I've had enough of you! No one has ever dared to order me around like this! You're so unreasonable and presumptuous, making me, the princess, make your bed! Don't forget what my sister said: if I suffer even the slightest injustice, you will die a horrible death!"
"Hehe..." Chen Nan laughed and said, "I'm going to make you suffer all kinds of injustices and see what your sister can do to me."
"You scoundrel, I'll drag you into the palace to be a eunuch sooner or later!" The little princess was furious and on the verge of going crazy.
"You little devil, you're truly ruthless! Hmph, I'm afraid you'll never have that chance. You'll just have to be a good maid for the rest of your life. Alright, stop arguing. You'll sleep in the other bed; we have to travel tomorrow morning."
The little princess gritted her teeth in anger and said resentfully, "No, you must give me a room to myself. I am a princess of Chu, how can I share a room with just any man?"
Chen Nan said, "Little devil, don't push your luck. If you don't obediently sleep in the other bed, you might as well come and serve me in bed."
Upon hearing this, the little princess turned pale with fright.
Suddenly, Chen Nan felt a strong sense of unease. He felt that a powerful expert was watching him from the shadows, but when he tried to sense it carefully, the feeling vanished without a trace.
"Could it be that the old monster really followed us down? But why hasn't he made a move yet?" He was filled with doubt. He gritted his teeth and made a decision in secret.
Chen Nan approached the little princess, who was sulking, and quickly pressed several acupoints on her, rendering her unable to move or speak.
The little princess was startled, and fear appeared in her eyes.
Chen Nan's face was solemn, his inner energy surging, and his body radiating a faint golden light. He channeled his energy into his fingers, and specks of golden light and faint glow appeared between his fingers, making his ten fingers instantly sparkle and shine.
His father's words echoed in his ears: "The Binding God Finger can seal a person's power and lock their essence and blood. If the caster does not dispel the spell in time, the victim will die from blood depletion within half a month. You must use it with caution! This finger technique is incredibly powerful. When practiced to its highest level, it can bind gods and seal immortals. However, you must never use it rashly when your power is insufficient, otherwise you will suffer great damage to your vital energy."
Chen Nan had no confidence whatsoever. He didn't know if he could successfully use the Binding God Finger with his current cultivation level, but the pressure from the old monster was too great, forcing him to take the risk.
He completed nine cycles of cultivation, and finally, with both hands moving in unison, streams of golden true energy shot out from his fingers and entered the little princess's body. The crackling sounds were incessant, and the golden light made the entire room glitter.
Chen Nan felt waves of fatigue wash over him. His face turned pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his temples. After the last strand of golden true energy was injected into the little princess's body, he was completely exhausted and collapsed to the ground, powerless.
It took him a long time to recover some of his strength and barely be able to stand up. He felt extremely weak, so he quickly sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing. It wasn't until an hour later that he opened his eyes.
Chen Nan thought to himself: I've finally succeeded. I'm afraid I won't be able to fight anyone for the next few days. I hope the old monster doesn't have enough supernatural power to break free of the Binding God Finger.
After leaving the capital, the little princess was his only protection. Only by firmly holding her in his grasp could he escape the Chu Kingdom. The little princess saw all of this. Although she didn't know what Chen Nan had done to her, she knew it was definitely not good. She was filled with anger, and seeing Chen Nan's weak appearance, she couldn't help but show a gloating expression.
Chen Nan walked over and released her speech-impairing pressure point, saying, "Little devil, don't gloat. If anything happens to me, you're dead. I've already cast the Binding God Finger on you. No one in this world but me can break it for you. If I don't revitalize your blood and essence within half a month, you will die from blood depletion."
Upon hearing this, the little princess's expression turned ashen, and she angrily retorted, "You scoundrel, you're too vicious! I have no grudge against you, yet you used some kind of lousy finger technique on me! You're despicable, shameless, vile, utterly disgusting, and utterly shameless!"
"Little girl, I really don't know how you grew up in the palace. Your mouth is so vicious. If you dare to curse me again, this is what will happen to you." With that, he chopped off half of the table corner with his palm, and then pinched the little princess's jade face.
The little princess screamed in pain, "Ah...you filthy scoundrel!"
After Chen Nan put the little princess on the bed, he lay down on another bed himself. He wasn't worried about anyone sneaking in. Since his spiritual senses returned, his six senses had become incredibly sharp, and he could always detect danger a moment before it arrived.
Today's battle in the capital has made him an enemy of the Chu state. He sighed inwardly, "Alas, I've actually offended an entire nation!"
Nalan Ruoshui did not leave the capital with him, but he felt no sadness. Reflecting on the past few months, he felt somewhat dazed. The candlelight flickered and went out, and the moonlight, like water, shone into the room. Chen Nan drifted off to sleep. The little princess was also asleep, but even in her sleep, she pouted, seemingly displeased with Chen Nan's various rude behaviors during the day.
At this moment, the Queen of Chu was weeping uncontrollably in the royal palace, sobbing, "Poor Yu'er... Waaah... My good child..."
The emperor advised, "Don't cry. Yu'er will be alright. Chen Nan would never dare to act recklessly."
Princess Chu Yue said from the side, "Now that all the extraordinary talents are suffering from a strange poison, none of them can make a move for the time being. If we send ordinary experts to rescue my sister, it will probably only alert the enemy. If we try to summon super experts from other places, it may be too late. Now we can only ask Senior Zhuge Chengfeng to come out of seclusion ahead of schedule."
Although Chu Han was the emperor of a country, his words revealed a hint of respect for Zhuge Chengfeng: "Although Senior Zhuge is an unparalleled master, he has been in seclusion since being seriously injured by the divine beast Qilin. It would be inappropriate to disturb him at this time."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared on the Empress's face. She asked, "Do you know where this old man is recuperating?"
Chu Yue said, "Actually, Senior Zhuge has been recuperating in the palace."
The Empress was overjoyed and said, "We must invite Senior Zhuge out tomorrow no matter what. I am really worried about Yu'er."
Chu Han sighed and said, "That's the only way."
All was quiet, the night was exceptionally peaceful, and everyone was fast asleep.
A streak of green light arrived at the town where Chen Nan was located with lightning speed. Within the green light was a gaunt figure. After flashing several times, the figure emitting a faint green light floated into the inn and went straight to Chen Nan's room.
The door was pushed open silently, and a gaunt figure slipped into the room. Chen Nan, seemingly sensing something in his sleep, emitted specks of golden light from his body. The newcomer was startled; a flash of green light appeared on his body, and where he stood, it was as if a void had appeared, where even moonlight vanished without a trace, leaving absolute darkness, where all light disappeared.
The golden light on Chen Nan's body slowly disappeared, as if he had lost his usual charisma.
The newcomer seemed to vanish into the darkness, leaving only a lightless void slowly moving within the room. Hou Yi's bow floated up, and then the sleeping princess also floated up, as if drawn by a spell, swiftly flying towards that void and disappearing into the dark realm in the blink of an eye.
After the door opened and closed silently, the moonlight shone into the room again, but the Houyi Bow on Chen Nan's bed and the little princess on the other bed had disappeared.
The green light vanished from the town like lightning, stopping in the wilderness outside. Its faint glow flickered like a ghostly fire in the desolate landscape. The gaunt figure within the green light pressed several pressure points on the little princess, then stretched out its hands and began patting her body repeatedly, the sounds of "crackling" filling the air. The green light flowed into the little princess's body like water.
About half an hour later, the gaunt figure stopped moving, and he carried the little princess back to the town. A green light appeared in Chen Nan's house like a ghost, and disappeared after the little princess floated onto the bed.
The next morning, Chen Nan awoke to a shock; Hou Yi's bow was gone. His innate spiritual senses had failed him, leaving him completely unaware of what had happened during the night. It would have been incredibly easy for anyone to take his life. He broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly looked towards the little princess's bed, only to find her still fast asleep, which reassured him slightly.
After washing up, he tapped the little princess's pressure points and shook her awake.
"Ugh, who dares to disturb this princess's rest!" The little princess was still clearly groggy, but once she came to her senses, she shoved Chen Nan away and said nervously, "You scoundrel, what are you doing?"
"I'm waking you up." Chen Nan said as he probed the little princess's aura. He immediately sensed that someone had tried to dispel his Soul-Binding Finger Force, but had failed.
"Little devil, hurry up and wash up." With that, he walked into the courtyard.
"The person who came was able to enter my house silently, evading my spiritual senses. His cultivation level must have exceeded the fifth level. Otherwise, I would have known. He is most likely an old monster. But why would he need to be so sneaky?" Chen Nan recalled the old monster's past and found that he was always elusive and unpredictable.
"From the beginning until now, he seems to have been plotting against me. Otherwise, he would never have let me rebel against Chu. But what exactly does he want from me?" Chen Nan was puzzled. However, he was certain of one thing: the old monster would not turn against him for the time being, which put him at ease.