The Golden Lotus Drive was a masterpiece of engineering.
Unlike Gu Ling's utilitarian, spider-legged war machine, Princess Zhao Ling's new mobility device was pure elegance. It was a floating pod shaped like a blooming lotus flower, made of white spirit-enamel and gold trim. It supported her paralyzed spine with a soft anti-gravity field, holding her upright without effort.
"Lean forward to accelerate," Jiang Fan instructed, his hand resting gently on the back of the pod. "Think 'Up' to rise. The neural link reads your intent, not your muscles."
They were in the newly paved Sector 01 Testing Track.
The Princess bit her lip. She leaned forward. The chair hummed and shot forward—too fast.
"Ah!"
She panicked. Instead of correcting the mental command, she instinctively tried to brace with her legs. But her legs hung limp, useless dead weight. The shift in center of gravity made the pod wobble.
"I'm falling!"
She wasn't falling. The gyroscopes were perfectly stable. But she felt like she was falling.
Jiang Fan stepped in. He caught her shoulders, steadying the pod.
"I've got you," he said softly.
The Princess froze. She looked up at him. His face was inches from hers. She could smell the faint scent of tea and naps on him.
"I..." she whispered, her face flushing red. She leaned into his touch, her hand grabbing his sleeve. "I don't think I can do this alone, Jiang Fan. My core... it's so weak. Stay close? Please?"
It was a blatant plea for attention.
From the balcony of the Main Hall, three pairs of eyes watched this scene with the intensity of a laser designator.
Yun Xi snapped the handle of her broom. Snap. Gu Ling crushed a metal bolt between her mechanical fingers. Crunch. Su Qing sniffed the air aggressively. "I smell pheromones. And deceit."
THE HAREM PROTOCOLS
"She is milking it," Yun Xi growled, throwing the broken broom into a recycling bin. "She is a Stage 6 cultivator. Even paralyzed, she has the mental fortitude of a general. She does not need him to hold her hand to drive a floating chair."
"Agreed," Gu Ling tapped her holographic display furiously. "I programmed the stability algorithms myself. That chair could fly through a hurricane without tipping. She is engaging in... 'The Damsel Protocol'."
"We must intervene," Su Qing said, pulling a vial of purple liquid from her sash. "Shall I make her itchy?"
"No," Gu Ling stopped her. "If we attack her, he will defend her. We must... support her."
Gu Ling's violet eyes flashed.
"We need to make her so independent that she has no excuse to touch him."
SECTOR 01 ECONOMICS
Later that afternoon, Jiang Fan held a staff meeting in the Command Center. He sat at the head of the table, spinning a pen.
"Okay, let's talk money," Jiang Fan yawned. "Upgrading the Princess's chair cost a fortune in Spirit Gold. We are bleeding cash. Boss Pang, report."
Boss Pang stood up, looking sharper than usual. He was wearing a Sector 01 uniform (a sleek suit) and clicked a remote. A projection appeared on the wall.
"Brother Jiang—I mean, Supreme Elder," Pang beamed. "The rebranding is a success! We are no longer just a Sect. We are a Lifestyle Brand."
He pointed to a chart that was going straight up.
[ Product Line 1: The "Lazy Cultivator" Kit ]
Description: An automated meditation mat that gathers Qi for you while you sit.
Sales: Sold out in three empires.
Profit: 5 Million Stones/Month.
[ Product Line 2: Su Qing's "Aromatherapy of the Gods" ]
Description: Incense sticks that cure insomnia, anxiety, and bad moods.
Sales: Every noble in the capital is addicted. They say it smells like "Childhood Dreams."
Profit: 8 Million Stones/Month.
"And finally," Boss Pang clicked the slide. "Our premium service."
[ Service: "Iron Maiden Security" ]
Description: Renting out our Battle-Maid golems (based on Yun Xi's combat data) to guard merchant caravans.
Slogan: "They Clean Up The Mess before It Happens."
"We are rich," Boss Pang concluded, wiping sweat from his brow. "Filthy rich. But there is a problem."
"What problem?"
"Supply," Pang said. "We can't make this stuff fast enough. We need a trade route to the Southern Mineral Lands to get raw materials. But the Iron-Blood Mercenary Guild controls that route, and they demand a 40% tax."
Jiang Fan frowned. "40%? That cuts into my snack budget."
"Leave it to me," the Princess's voice rang out.
Everyone turned. Zhao Ling floated into the room in her Golden Lotus pod. She was wearing a new dress—silk, cut to drape elegantly over her paralyzed legs, hiding the atrophy.
She glided next to Jiang Fan.
"The Iron-Blood Guild operates under an Imperial Charter," she said, flashing a golden badge. "As the Princess, I can revoke it. Or..."
She smiled at Jiang Fan, batting her eyelashes.
"...I can go negotiate. But the journey is bumpy. My spine is fragile. Jiang Fan, would you escort me? In the private carriage?"
The room temperature dropped to absolute zero.
Yun Xi stepped forward. "Your Highness, the carriage is inefficient. I will carry you."
"You?" The Princess raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Yun Xi crossed her arms. "I can run at 60 miles per hour without vibrating. I am smoother than a carriage. And I have excellent shock absorption."
"I have also upgraded your chair," Gu Ling interrupted, typing on her wristpad. "Uploading Patch 2.0 now."
BEEP.
The Princess's chair suddenly extended four massive mechanical arms from the base.
"What is this?!" The Princess shrieked as the arms locked into place.
"Stabilizers," Gu Ling smiled innocently. "Now you can climb vertical walls and withstand an earthquake. You no longer need Jiang Fan to hold you. You are completely autonomous."
"But I don't want to climb walls!"
"Nonsense," Su Qing added, walking over and placing a sachet of herbs in the Princess's lap. "And this is 'Anti-Clingy Essence'. It keeps you calm and prevents the urge to grab people's sleeves."
Jiang Fan looked at his team.
Yun Xi was flexing. Gu Ling was smirking. Su Qing was radiating innocence. The Princess was fuming in her spider-chair.
"You guys are really helpful today," Jiang Fan noted, completely missing the subtext. "Great. Yun Xi, take the Princess to the Southern Lands. Fix the trade route. Don't break too many bones."
"What?!" The Princess and Yun Xi shouted in unison.
"I need to stay here," Jiang Fan said, standing up and stretching. "Boss Pang says we need to design a new product line. Something about... air-conditioned underwear."
He patted the Princess on the shoulder.
"You're a strong independent woman now, Ling. Go get us that discount."
Jiang Fan walked out of the room, Snack trailing behind him.
THE ROAD TRIP
Two hours later.
Yun Xi was running down the highway at highway speeds, carrying the Princess (in her floating pod) alongside her.
They were alone on the road.
"I hate you," the Princess said, the wind whipping her hair. "I wanted a romantic carriage ride."
"And I wanted to clean the Master's bedroom," Yun Xi grunted, keeping a steady pace. "But here we are. Babysitting duty."
The Princess glared at Yun Xi's legs—strong, muscular, functioning legs.
"You think you've won," the Princess spat. "You think because I can't walk, I'm not a threat? Jiang Fan pities me. Pity is the cousin of love."
Yun Xi didn't slow down.
"He doesn't pity you," Yun Xi said. "He respects you. That's why he sent you."
The Princess paused. "What?"
Yun Xi looked over. "Jiang Fan is lazy. He only sends people to do jobs if he trusts them to handle it. He sent me to clean the trash in Sky City. He sent Gu Ling to fix the Sect. He sent you to handle the Guild."
Yun Xi smirked.
"He thinks you're a shark, Princess. Not a doll."
The Princess went silent. She looked at her hands. She looked at the Golden Imperial Badge she held.
A shark.
"Fine," the Princess straightened her posture in the pod. Her eyes turned cold and regal. "Then let's go eat some mercenaries."
BACK AT SECTOR 01
Jiang Fan was in the workshop with Gu Ling.
"So," Gu Ling asked, casually welding a plate of metal. "Did you send them away on purpose?"
"Yep," Jiang Fan inspected a prototype cooling rune.
"Why?"
"Because if the Princess stays here, she'll keep trying to be a 'crippled girl' to get my attention," Jiang Fan said, looking up. "She needs to remember she's royalty. She needs to go yell at some people and feel powerful again."
Gu Ling stopped welding. She looked at Jiang Fan.
He played the fool, he played the slacker, but he saw everything.
"You are surprisingly emotionally intelligent for a man who sleeps 16 hours a day," Gu Ling noted.
"Emotional intelligence is just figuring out what people need so they stop bothering you," Jiang Fan shrugged. "Now, about this underwear. Can we make it vibrate?"
Gu Ling rolled her eyes, but a small blush touched her cheeks.
"You are an idiot."
"I'm a rich idiot. Get to work, Iron Queen."