Chapter 1225: Chapter 1225 - Capítulo 1225: 1210: Enough With the Pretending
Capítulo 1225: Chapter 1210: Enough With the Pretending
The grand steward assigned four guards to Princess Jie Youu.
Leading them was Guard Commander Jiangg Hao with a shiny bald head. The second was a man who looked to be in his thirties, with a faint, ambiguous smile on his well-defined face, which, upon closer inspection, bore a resemblance to the grand steward Guo.
This person was named Guo Yu, and he was, as Jiangg Hao mentioned, Young Master Yud, the illegitimate son of the grand steward Guo.
The other two were Jiangg Changzhong, also with a shiny bald head, and a young man with a somewhat delicate expression named Hee Cheng, who possessed the Eighth Stage of Establishment Realm cultivation.
There was no need to mention Guo Yu and Jiangg Changzhong, but had Ye Zhen not overheard, no one would have thought that Hee Cheng was Jiangg Hao’s illegitimate son.
Upon closer comparison, if Hee Cheng’s black hair were to be removed, he would look just like Jiangg Changzhong.
“Safe travels, Your Highness!” With a distant bow, the grand steward stood on the deck, riding the wind and breaking the waves, though his eyes were full of anticipation as he watched Princess Jie Youu and her entourage.
From the moment they left the deck, Guo Yu and Hee Cheng flanked Princess Jie Youu, while Jiangg Changzhong glared fiercely at Ye Zhen, separating Ye Zhen from Princess Jie Youu alongside Jiangg Hao.
“Let’s depart!”
Jiangg Hao commanded in a low voice, leading the way first, surrounded by flickering spirit light, flying towards the coast with the group.
Even if Jiangg Changzhong hadn’t separated him, Ye Zhen would have kept his distance from these people on his own.
Ye Zhen was not afraid of Guo Yu, Hee Cheng, and others, but with Jiangg Hao’s Fourth Stage of Dao Entrance Realm cultivation, if he suddenly attacked Ye Zhen, it could absolutely take Ye Zhen’s life.
A five-hundred-li sea route would normally take half a quarter-hour, but the actual flight time exceeded fifteen minutes.
Ye Zhen could keep up with Jiangg Hao’s flying speed, but Hee Cheng and Jiangg Changzhong, who carried Princess Jie Youu with a soft sling, struggled to keep the pace.
Silent along the way, Ye Zhen cautiously flew while quietly sensing the many changes as he set foot on the Primordial Continent.
The power of the earth vein and geomagnetism on the Primordial Continent was incredibly strong.
In comparison, Ye Zhen found the power of the earth vein and geomagnetism on the Primordial Continent to be about ten times that of the True Profound Continent.
The power of the earth vein was beneficial for cultivation, allowing the formations that borrowed its power to greatly increase in strength. However, the geomagnetic power, ten times that of the True Profound Continent, was somewhat terrifying.
The geomagnetic power, invisibly applied to the geomagnetic field surrounding Ye Zhen, increased his flying consumption by several times.
Even when Ye Zhen was in the North Sea, he noticed that his internal spiritual power consumption speed was several times that of the True Profound Continent when flying at the same speed.
Upon setting foot on the land of the Primordial Continent, this feeling became even more real.
Originally, with Ye Zhen’s current cultivation, leveraging the Yin Yang Five Elements Spirit Mansion, he could nearly fly indefinitely on the True Profound Continent.
But now, Ye Zhen calculated that he could fly continuously for at most a day before he needed to stop and recover his spiritual power. If he continually used spirit stones to replenish his spiritual power on the way, he could fly for at most two days.
Meanwhile, both Jiangg Changzhong and Hee Cheng were even worse off, needing to stop to meditate and recover spiritual power after just six hours of continuous flight.
According to Jiangg Hao, Xitian County was about a county’s distance from here, and within the Great Zhou Empire, even the lowest Lower Grade County had land spanning millions of li.
Because of the vast territory, the Great Zhou Empire made extensive enfeoffments.
Anyone who gained hereditary titles through military merit, such as Kings, Dukes, Marquises, and Earls, could be enfeoffed with autonomous vassal countries, able to levy taxes and raise armies, needing only to provide 30% of tribute to the Great Zhou Empire annually. In wartime, the Empire had supreme command over the military forces of the vassal countries.
Although Xitian County was essentially the lowest rank of the counties within the Great Zhou Empire, by Princess Jie Youu’s account, it had a standing army of 300,000 and a population exceeding three billion.
As for those vassal states established by higher-ranked nobles such as Marquises, Dukes, and Kings, with millions of troops, they were not uncommon.
This was one of the reasons for the preciousness of titles within the Great Zhou Empire.
Anyone who could earn even the lowest third-class Earl title through military achievements would be qualified to establish a vassal state. Even a small vassal state, wielding tens of thousands of troops and a population of billions, would make them an extraordinary earthly ruler of great wealth.
According to Jiangg Hao, Xitian City’s capital was about 1.5 million li from the coast, and at their current speed, it would take about ten days to reach it.
This statement made Ye Zhen aware of another matter: Jiangg Hao and the others were likely looking for an opportunity to act within these ten days.
However, whether Ye Zhen was aware of this or not, once he knew, how could there be any chance for them to act!
When Ye Zhen went ashore, it was autumn, and the scenery along the way was incredibly prosperous.
The wheat fields were full of golden ears of wheat, with plump grains the size of half a fingernail, made exceptionally robust by the nourishment of heaven and earth primordial qi.
The land was full of hardworking people, each with genuine smiles, seemingly living and working in peace.
Flying through the air, it was common to see young people practicing martial arts. One youth, looking around sixteen or seventeen, had already started drawing in soul energy and tempering his body.
The constant flow of caravans was a testament to the prosperity and peace of the scene.
However, there were also desolate and dangerous places that even someone like Jiangg Hao at the Dao Entrance Realm dared not enter, choosing instead to detour far around.
Perhaps due to Ye Zhen’s vigilance, no action was taken by Jiangg Hao and the others after five days on the Primordial Continent.
“We’ll rest here tonight,” Jiangg Hao said, pointing to a pitch-black forest on the ground, giving Ye Zhen a look.
“Commander Jiangg, why do we pass through the city without entering? The conditions of the towns we’ve passed by are much better than here!
Are we to camp in the open again? I haven’t had a bath in five days!” Princess Jie Youu said through gritted teeth.
All along the way, Jiangg Hao always found some excuse to pass through cities without entering, camping in the wilderness, making Princess Jie Youu grit her teeth in anger.
Ye Zhen knew the reason, it was still that bounty causing trouble.
Because of the reward offered by Lord Xitian of the Xitian County, the surrounding areas of Xitian County had been quite lively for a while. If the nearby people discovered Princess Jie Youu’s whereabouts, there might be unexpected complications.
Escorting Princess Jie Youu back to the country quietly to earn the bounty, that’s Jiangg Hao’s plan, and of course, Ye Zhen liked this plan too.
No one likes trouble, right?
“Your Highness, it’s not that I wish to pass through the city without entering, haven’t you noticed? Ever since we landed on the second day, we’ve been watched!” Jiangg Hao said.
At these words, Princess Jie Youu turned pale with fright. “Who? We’ve come this far, who would still dare target me?”
“There’s a demonic aura. Upon careful investigation, I found traces of demonic aura behind us. It might be the Demon Clan, might be the Demon Race, or traitors among the Human Clan. For the past few days, I’ve been rushing day and night, striving to shake them off.” Jiangg Hao said.
This answer immediately scared Princess Jie Youu, what with bathing or not bathing becoming unimportant. Her safe return to the country was the most important.
“You must shake them off! Commander Jiangg, think of a way to shake them off. As long as I safely return, there will be a great reward, a great reward!” Princess Jie Youu was thoroughly frightened and flustered.
Seeing this, Jiangg Hao smirked, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ye Zhen, “Everyone, stay alert. If we’re attacked by demons while resting at night, don’t blame me for not warning you!”
Ye Zhen understood that this remark was aimed deliberately at him, setting the stage for Ye Zhen’s future disappearance.
Soon enough, the group set up a small tent for Princess Jie Youu and took out food and water from the storage ring to eat and drink. Just as everyone was about to meditate and recover, Ye Zhen suddenly got up.
Jiangg Hao, Guo Yu, Hee Cheng, and Jiangg Changzhong all looked towards Ye Zhen simultaneously.
“Where are you going?” Jiangg Hao demanded.
“To take a dump!” Ye Zhen replied crudely.
“Get lost and do it far away!” Jiangg Hao retorted irritably.
Watching Ye Zhen walk into the depths of the dark forest, Jiangg Hao, Guo Yu, Hee Cheng, and Jiangg Changzhong exchanged glances, their eyes filled with murderous intent, especially Jiangg Changzhong, whose eyes were even more intense.
“Hey, I feel like I need to pee, Ar Cheng, care to join?” Jiangg Changzhong looked significantly into the depths of the forest.
Jiangg Hao’s eyes flickered, and he said loudly, “Brats, now that you’ve mentioned it, I need to pee too. Guo Yu, guard the princess, we’ll be back shortly!”
With a nod, Jiangg Hao, Hee Cheng, and Jiangg Changzhong all stood up and walked in the direction Ye Zhen had left.
Guo Yu responded, his gaze full of anticipation looking towards the direction where the three vanished.
After tonight, he would become the warrior who escorted Princess Jie Youu back to the country, earning the bounty from Xitian County.
As for whether Princess Jie Youu would cooperate, his father, Chief Guo, always suggested that a Commandery Princess wandering outside for four or five years presumably had some secrets she preferred not to share.
How does a weak woman survive outside for four or five years?
A few powerful guards, that is necessary.
Surely anyone wise enough would obediently cooperate.
In the depths of the forest, sensing three presences quickly approaching from behind, Ye Zhen smiled slightly.
Today, Ye Zhen presented Jiangg Hao and his group a chance on purpose because Ye Zhen had discovered a perfect place to deal with Jiangg Hao’s group effortlessly.
This forest, full of trees, thorns, weeds, and wildflowers, was simply the ideal battlefield chosen by the Little Demon.
If used well, Ye Zhen estimated he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger.
Hearing the footsteps approaching from behind, Ye Zhen slowly turned while fastening his waistband, smiling knowingly at Jiangg Hao, Hee Cheng, and Jiangg Changzhong.
“Is it that the three of you can’t wait to make a move?” Ye Zhen suddenly spoke.
Ye Zhen’s weird words altered Jiangg Hao’s expression, who stopped abruptly, asking in surprise, “What do you mean?”
“Oh, still pretending?”
“Pretending is pointless now. Haven’t you been plotting to kill me in secret these past few days?” Ye Zhen mocked.
“How, how did you know?” Jiangg Hao exclaimed.
Jiangg Changzhong’s face twisted into a fierce grin, “Since you know, prepare to die! Daring to challenge me…”
In the next instant, the painful itching in the legs of Jiangg Hao, Hee Cheng, and Jiangg Changzhong made them lower their heads and cry out in surprise.
“Be careful, these grasses are strange!”