“Imperial city, here I come!”
On the main path outside Watermoon City, Chen Fan, Chen Zhengqing, and Chen Tianxiong stood side by side.
After hearing Chen Fan’s reasoning and promise, Chen Zhengqing and Chen Tianxiong did not try too hard to stop him.
They only urged Chen Fan to keep his temper in check when in the imperial city and not to act recklessly. Matters regarding their revenge could wait.
Chen Fan looked at Chen Zhengqing and Chen Tianxiong and said, “Alright, Father, Grandfather, I should set off now.”
Chen Zhengqing nodded and said, “Alright, Xiaofan. Humans are unpredictable. They can be treacherous. You need to be more careful in the imperial city.”
He had once gone to the imperial city, filled with determination. He befriended Zhao Ru and others, treating them as brothers with sincerity. Unaware of their true nature, he had to pay the price: they damaged his primeval vessel.
“I will.” Chen Fan nodded. Without further delay, he ascended into the sea of clouds, tearing it open and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Chen Zhengqing silently watched as Chen Fan disappeared from his line of sight.
Chen Tianxiong patted Chen Zhengqing’s shoulder and smiled. “Rest assured, Zhengqing. Xiaofan has grown up. He knows what he should and shouldn’t do. Believe in him.”
Chen Zhengqing retracted his gaze. A sharp light blossomed in his eyes, and he said, “Father, I’ll have to trouble you with the clan matters from now on. My primeval vessel is now fully healed. I want to dedicate myself to cultivation. Although Xiaofan is improving rapidly, I wish to settle past matters with my own two hands.”
Chen Tianxiong looked at Chen Zhengqing. A brief moment later, he nodded heavily and said, “Alright!”
Chen Fan unfurled his Wings of Rain Dragon and flew with remarkable speed, soon leaving Watermoon City behind.
He kept flying east and saw diverse landscapes along the way.
As he approached the imperial city, the cities he traversed grew in size and prosperity. Some of them were even ten times the size of Watermoon City, and there were more and more experts around.
Sometimes, Chen Fan could even sense the breathing of many experts. Their qi reached the clouds.
He did not fly all the way. He captured a Demon Horse and sped across the earth at lightning speed. Demon Horses were much faster than Golden Horned Horses.
However, he occasionally encountered dangerous terrains and had to fly across them. Only during those times would he use the Wings of Rain Dragon.
In these lands beyond, experts were as abundant as clouds, a contrast to the more secluded Watermoon City.
Although he was powerful now, Chen Fan understood that there would always be someone better than him. It would be very troublesome if some great expert discovered him.
His current strength wasn’t enough for him to act as he pleased in the entire Great Chu Empire.
Chen Fan did not feel lonely during his travels. He relished the scenic beauty and historic landmarks, finding solace in the clarity of his thoughts.
As soon as dawn broke, he stood up in an inn in Tight Might City. He left the rent for the room behind and rushed out, shooting into the sky like lightning and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Cloudsun Town, the closest town to the imperial city, housed over a thousand households in relative tranquility until today, when its peace was violently shattered.
A menacing gang of bandits invaded the small town, ruthlessly killing residents and plunging the entire place into chaos.
This group of bandits came from the Wolf Head Mountain a hundred miles out. They were powerful, and they numbered around eight hundred. Their leader was a fourth-level Yuanfu realm expert, occupying and ruling over the mountain as king and causing trouble everywhere.
The leader of the bandits, Scarface, charged through the street on a Golden Horned Horse. Along the way, he killed and decapitated no fewer than forty to fifty people.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old woman. He laughed teasingly and grabbed the young woman.
“Haha, come here, little beauty.”
With a ripping sound, he tore open the young woman’s dress. He began humiliating her in front of countless people.
“Damn, I’ve wanted to raid Cloudsun Town for a long time. The women of this town are all so full of life and healthy-looking.”
“Haha, brothers, kill all the men, round the women up, and bring them back to Wolf Head Mountain to bear our little rascals.”
The group of bandits was like the autumn wind, sweeping the fallen leaves everywhere as they committed all kinds of evil wantonly in Cloudsun Town—committing arson, murder, pillaging, and kidnapping without a shred of remorse.
Cloudsun Town transformed into a nightmarish hell, echoing with weeping, wailing, screams, and desperate pleas.
In the midst of the bandits' rampant chaos, a group suddenly entered Cloudsun Town on horseback, exuding a commanding presence.
Leading the group was a striking young woman, approximately sixteen or seventeen years old, adorned in tight-fitting purple attire that complemented her extraordinary beauty and heroic demeanor.
To her left and right were two handsome young men with extraordinary temperament.
A group of guards followed behind the three.
Obviously, the group’s identities were not simple.
The young woman in tight-fitting purple clothing saw the shocking scene and was immediately enraged. She raised her long, shapely eyebrows and berated Scarface and the other bandits.
“Hey! You damned beasts, how dare you stir trouble here. Today, I, Chu Xuan’er, shall put an end to your atrocities and restore peace to this place!"
Scarface looked at Chu Xuan’er, and his gaze lit up.
“Huh, where did this little lady come from? You’ve got a good face on you. Good, very good. My Wolf Head Mountain is still in need of a chieftess. You shall be the one."
His attraction was solely based on Chu Xuan’er's beauty.
“Damn it, you, yes, you, the one with a scar on your face. You’re so ugly, yet you dare to come out and scare people with that face. You even dared to insult Commandery Princess Xuan’er. That’s a crime deserving of death! I’ll give you a choice right now. Kneel and kowtow a hundred times, and I’ll give you a quick death!” [1]
The two young men with Chu Xuan’er immediately rebuked.
Next to Scarface, a man who seemed to be an inept advisor whispered, “Chief, that chick seems to be a commandery princess or something.”
Scarface smacked this person’s head and chided, “Who cares if she’s a commandery princess or an imperial princess? Since I took a liking to her, she’s mine. This chick looks like she has soft skin and tender flesh. I bet she's delightful in bed."
“Yes, yes, you’re right, Chief!”
On the left of Chu Xuan’er was a youth fanning himself with a paper fan. He grew furious and turned to a gray-robed elder behind him.
“You’re looking to die, ugly freak, peasant. How dare you spout filth. You cannot be spared. Go, Uncle Fu, take down this savage. I want you to break his limbs and chop them off, turning him into a human stick!”
The gray-robed elder nodded. He immediately leaped forth, unleashing his powerful fourth-level aura.
He flew across the air like a roc spreading its wings. Then, he threw a palm strike at Scarface, shaking the space.
“You’re courting death!”
A fierce light immediately shone in Scarface’s eyes.
His aura spread out. The Golden Horned Horse under him burst like a watermelon from the shock as he rose into the air. His fingers curled into a claw, slashing at Uncle Fu.
1. According to the Ming dynasty’s nobility system, Commandery Princess (郡主) refers to the daughter of a crown prince or first-rank prince. First-rank princes refers to the sons of the emperor except the crown prince. Meanwhile, Imperial Princess (公主) refers to daughters, sisters, and paternal aunts of emperors. ☜