Chapter 156: Chapter 136: The Secret of the Shadow Scout, the Golden Crow Enters the Court, Calling for the Seventh Prince

“If you have any questions, Princess, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Faced with her question, Lu Mingyuan replied with graceful courtesy.

“Young Master Yang, do you hold a grudge against that monk? It seemed like you knew him. Furthermore, where do you hail from, and what brings you here?” Luo Qiufu asked.

She remained fully on guard.

Even though this Young Master had saved them, one must always be vigilant.

“The monk from just now is named Fa Hai, a Tributor serving the Seventh Prince. I hold no great grudge against him; we simply stand on different sides. After many encounters, you could call us old acquaintances. As for myself, I am a Temple Priest from the Cyan Nether Grand Mysterious True Monarch Temple. I came to the Capital City under the True Monarch’s command to observe the various factions before choosing one to support.”

Lu Mingyuan delivered the lines he had rehearsed to perfection.

He could spin a lie without a second thought, and he wasn’t worried about anyone investigating it.

Having learned from his past mistakes, he didn’t dare claim to be from the Qingyuan Miaodao True Monarch Temple.

There are no temples to Erlang True Monarch in this world.

Anyone who bothered to investigate would easily find out. It was far safer to use the name of a real place.

’Surely no one would be bored enough to travel all the way to the Ba and Shu Region just to verify whether a temple there was missing a priest.’

“So, you’re also on your way to the Capital City, Young Master?”

Luo Qiufu’s eyes lit up as she pressed him for more.

Lu Mingyuan shook his head. “I’ve just come from the Capital City. Most of the experts under the Seventh Prince are from the Buddhist Sect, and they’re skilled at winning people over with wealth. They’ve been building Golden Buddha Temples everywhere, which has angered the True Monarch. I was on my way to investigate when I stumbled upon this whole affair.”

Luo Qiufu fell silent, mulling over his words.

She seemed to be weighing their authenticity.

The air grew quiet for a moment.

Then, turning to the man before her, her smile bloomed like a flower. “Since we are traveling to the Imperial Capital, would it be convenient for you to accompany us, Young Master?”

Lu Mingyuan shook his head repeatedly. “I thank you for the generous offer, Princess, but I have other matters to attend to. I’m afraid I cannot accompany you.”

’How could I possibly have time to dally here? I need to get out of here, fast.’

’I still have to report back to Prince Jin’s Mansion.’

’After today, I’ll never see this Eldest Princess again. I’ll make sure our paths never cross.’

“I see. My apologies for the imposition.”

“And thank you again, Young Master, for saving our lives.”

Lu Mingyuan gave a slight bow to Princess Jinwu, his hands clasped.

He then turned and walked away, retrieving another mask from his Acupoints and putting it on.

Along the way, the eyes of the Golden Crow Soldiers and their General were filled with awe and admiration.

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

’This “Qilin Child” ability is really different from just being a “handsome man.”’

’Being a handsome man only works on women at first glance, but with the Qilin Child trait, anyone who sees me develops a favorable impression.’

’Who wouldn’t want a Qilin Child in their family?’

’People have high hopes for the younger generation, for its prodigies and geniuses. Consequently, the strong are treated with privilege and respect.’

’Before, I certainly wouldn’t have been worthy of the title “Qilin Child.”’

’But now, I suppose I can live with the praise.’

“Princess, we should be on our way.”

The middle-aged General beside her couldn’t help but speak up, noticing that his princess was still staring at the man’s retreating figure.

Luo Qiufu reluctantly tore her gaze away. Taking a deep breath, she commanded, “Let’s move out.”

She thought to herself.

’Yunwan Commerce Association… Seventh Prince… if you truly dare to provoke the Golden Crow Country, I will make you regret it, even if it means mutual destruction.’

…

「Elsewhere.」

Lu Mingyuan beat a hasty retreat, returning to the designated town to rendezvous.

The streets were sparsely populated.

Lu Mingyuan led his group of Shadow Warriors back to the inn and sighed softly.

Controlling two separate bodies in combat simultaneously was a great drain on his Heart Spirit. The consumption of Primordial Qi was astonishing. Both bodies were nearly depleted, and the Puppets would soon fall into a dormant state. He needed to sort out the aftermath.

“Lord Shadow Scout, are you in?”

Lu Mingyuan went to the adjacent room and pushed the door open without knocking.

However, the scene that greeted him in the next second made his eyes go wide.

Inside the classically decorated room, by a bed draped with white gauze curtains, stood a woman with her back to him. Her back was bare, flawless and pale as jade. Her hair cascaded down like a waterfall over a lean, athletic waist that was both slender and powerfully toned.

Lu Mingyuan glanced down and saw a trail of blood on the floor, still dripping.

“My apologies, I didn’t know…”

He immediately shut the door, a nervous, flustered look on his face.

’Crap, I forgot to knock.’

’I assumed the woman in black would have gone straight back to Prince Jin’s Mansion instead of returning to the inn. I can’t believe she’s actually here.’

’Is this body of mine done for?’

As Lu Mingyuan stewed in his anxiety…

a cool, collected voice called out from within the room.

“Come in.”

Judging from her tone, she didn’t sound angry.

Lu Mingyuan took a breath, composed himself, and pushed the door open again.

This time, the Shadow Scout was wearing a chest binding. White strips of cloth were wrapped around her torso, leaving her collarbones, arms, waist, and navel exposed.

Lu Mingyuan could see her gathering her hair with a black cord, tying it into her usual neat, high ponytail.

Her back was not soft and delicate like other women’s. Her skin, though fair, was not flawless like precious jade; instead, it was marked with numerous scars across her arms and shoulder blades. Her posture was ramrod straight.

After tying her hair, the Shadow Scout showed no sign of blaming him. Instead, she sat down, poured a cup of tea for each of them, and spoke with surprising patience:

“You did very well. I thought this mission was going to be a failure. I never expected you to have the courage to face Princess Jinwu directly and put on that whole charade with Fa Hai. It was quite an eye-opener.”

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