Bai Xiaoxiao’s smile was as radiant as a flower, a smile that could turn over a city.
The smile on Bai Xiaoxiao’s face at that moment was entirely sincere and brilliant.
Unlike when she had seen Chen Gong before, that kind of smile was merely a royal courtesy.
But Bai Xiaoxiao’s smile at this moment was more like seeing an old friend after many years, full of sincerity and warmth.
"Well, what’s happening? Does Lin Bai know the First Princess?"
"Impossible, the First Princess has spent her entire life within the confines of the palace and has never ventured outside. How could Lin Bai know her?"
This was what Chen Gong was thinking at this moment.
Looking at Bai Xiaoxiao in surprise, the Fifth Princess whispered softly, "Big sister..."
Bai Xiaoxiao said, "Lin Bai, were you the one who injured Wu’er?"
Lin Bai glanced at the Fifth Princess, nodded and said, "She wanted to test her skills against me and see if the sword skills of a disciple from the Spirit Sword Sect were as outstanding as the legends says. But I never expected her to go down even before I could draw my sword."
"Big sister, he bullied me." The Fifth Princess clinged on to Bai Xiaoxiao’s arm, complaining in a spoiled manner.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked reproachfully at the Fifth Princess, and said, "Wu’er, quickly apologize to Lin Bai."
"Apologize? But why, sister?" The Fifth Princess asked petulantly, a hint of anger flashed across her face.
Why should she apologize?
It was clearly him who had injured her. He should be the one apologizing. Why should she thank him?
The surrounding warriors also looked stunned at the First Princess’s words, wondering if they had heard correctly.
"Injure someone and they apologize to Lin Bai?"
"What kind of logic is this?"
Even Prince Qi Rui failed to comprehend, "Xiaoxiao, you must have misspoke. It should be this lad apologizing to us, how can Wu’er apologize to him?"
Lin Bai simply stood there nonchalantly amidst Bai Xiaoxiao’s words.
Bai Xiaoxiao said, "Wu’er, had Lin Bai not held back, you would probably not be alive now. Don’t you think you should thank him for sparing your life?"
The Fifth Princess retorted stubbornly, "If we had fought to the death, whether he could kill me or not, is yet to be seen."
"I don’t want to apologize!"
"Big sister, you’re not on my side. I will tell father!"
The Fifth Princess said, stomping her foot and ran out of the Qianlong Villa with tears of grievance in her eyes.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked at the retreating figure of the Fifth Princess, helplessly shaking her head, she turned to Lin Bai and said, "Lin Bai, Xiao Wu has been spoiled by my father. If she has ever offended you, I apologize on her behalf."
With a slight smile, Lin Bai assured, "It’s okay. The Fifth Princess is extremely talented in sword art. If she could receive guidance from a qualified instructor, she would definitely achieve great feats in the future."
"Hope so. Lin Bai, I’ve been here for quite some time now, aren’t you going to invite me in?" Bai Xiaoxiao asked with a smile.
Lin Bai smiled wryly, "Princess Chang, please come in."
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded lightly, then recalling Qi Rui, she said, "Prince, Lin Bai and I are old friends. We’re here to catch up. You can go back first."
With a hint of reluctance, Qi Rui spoke, "Xiaoxiao, I..."
"Prince, I’ll see you off." Lin Bai interrupted Qi Rui.
Qi Rui looked at Lin Bai with a somewhat displeased expression, coldly snorted, flicked his sleeve, and left.
"Haha, all right. I won’t interrupt your meet-up any longer then. I’ll find another place to drink," Chen Gong laughed heartily as he spoke.
"Farewell, Elder," Lin Bai responded.
Bai Xiaoxiao and Lin Bai walked shoulder to shoulder in the garden of the Spirit Sword Sect’s guest compound.
No matter how fragrant the flowers and plants in the garden were, they could not compare to the faint scent coming from Bai Xiaoxiao.
"I have to thank you for earlier. Otherwise, I would likely have been hounded by Qi Rui all day," Bai Xiaoxiao chuckled.
"It’s nothing much, really. I noticed that the young prince seemed extremely fascinated by you. Why don’t you consider his affections?" Lin Bai asked with a soft chuckle.
Bai Xiaoxiao laughed. "You just arrived in the Imperial Capital and do not understand Qi Rui’s character."
"Lin Bai, did you know? The Imperial Family is now teetering on the brink of collapse," she said.
"How so?" Lin Bai curiously asked.
Bai Xiaoxiao sighed sorrowfully, "Alas, the Xu Family has now joined forces with the Canghai Yuntai Palace faction in the capital. Once the Canghai Yuntai Palace agrees to provide the Xu Family with powerful warriors from the Divine Elixir Realm, the Imperial Family will be in grave danger."
"Moreover, in the Shenwu Kingdom, there are currently 980 princes, each with armies of hundreds of thousands."
"Qi Rui’s family, Qi Wangfu, has assimilated several other princes’ households in recent years, bringing their total troop count over ten million. They’re now the single most formidable military force in the Shenwu Kingdom."
"In the Imperial Court, the Xu Family reigns supreme. In the military, the Qi Wangfu stands out amongst them all."
"The Royal Family, however, has been rendered powerless by these two families."
"In the Imperial Court, virtually all civil officers now follow the Xu Family’s commands."
"On the military side, half of the military marquises have pledged allegiance to the Qi Wangfu."
"If it weren’t for the fact that my grandfather is still alive, the Shenwu Kingdom would probably already have fallen into the hands of the Qi and Xu families," she added quickly.
Upon hearing this, Lin Bai remarked, "So, the Royal family is in such a dire situation."
"Indeed, and as for Qi Rui, hee hee, you probably still aren’t familiar with his infamous deeds," said Bai Xiaoxiao.
"Indeed, I just arrived in the capital and know very little about Qi Rui," agreed Lin Bai.
Bai Xiaoxiao continued, "Qi Rui is not extraordinarily talented in martial arts, but he is ruthless. Relying on his family’s power, he once led an army to indiscriminately slaughter towns within the Kingdom of Shenwu for his sheer pleasure."
"Based on what I know, Qi Rui has ravaged over a hundred towns. If each town had ten thousand people, he would have been responsible for a million deaths."
"The warriors in these towns were innocent. They committed no crimes against the laws of the kingdom or act in defiance of the divine, yet they were killed senselessly."
Lin Bai’s gaze hardened slightly at this revelation.
Slaughtering towns without reason; this was truly reprehensible.
"Tell me, as the first princess of Shenwu Kingdom, do you think I could be nice to Qi Rui? I’ve hated him for a long time!" Princess Chang gave a bitter smile.
Lin Bai laughed, "It must be tough on you. You detest him so, but you still can’t have him killed."
"Never mind that. Lin Bai, the ninth princess often speaks of you. Now that you are in the capital, aren’t you going to visit her?" Bai Xiaoxiao changed the subject, smiling as she asked.
The ninth princess, Bai Zhiyuan.
Bai Zhiyuan came to mind, and Lin Bai felt a headache coming on. If he visited the young miss, Lin Bai was sure his head would be talked off!
Lin Bai grinned and said, "My arrival in the capital was to participate in the Year-end Tail Sacrifice. During this period, I need to concentrate solely on training, without any distractions."
"You’re participating in the Year-end Tail Sacrifice? From what I understand, the results of martial artists from the Spirit Sword Sect in past sacrifices have been far from optimistic," Bai Xiaoxiao gently tipped him off.
"But I believe in you. Since you dared to take part in the Year-end Tail Sacrifice, you must believe you have a chance of standing out amongst those prodigies. Otherwise, you wouldn’t come to court death," Bai Xiaoxiao said with an amused smile.
"While I do have some assurance, I still need to adapt according to the circumstances," Lin Bai managed a smile.