"Miss Cheng, the medicine bath is prepared for you. This soup is a special formula of our Xiao Family, which not only nourishes the skin, repairs and moisturizes, replenishes Refining energy, and maintains youthful beauty, but also comes with various fragrant Ningxiang Pills for you to choose at your convenience.
Additionally, if you require an essential oil massage, our sisters can serve you. Of course, you can also choose someone else..."
Xing Yuanzhi smiled gently, stopping the Xiao Family maid from continuing.
"Thank you for the generous hospitality of your esteemed house, the reception has been very thoughtful. However, the massage won’t be necessary. I’m tired; I’ll soak for a bit and then rest."
"Very well, we won’t disturb you. Just call us if you need anything."
With that, the Xiao Family maids withdrew.
Xing Yuanzhi shut the doors and windows, suddenly putting away her smile, grabbed a handful of talismans and threw them, sticking them all over the floor and walls. She then took out a handful of silver needles, bit them in her mouth, and jumped onto the beam without concern for the dust on the roof ridges. Using the wall-crawling skills of a gecko, she crawled around the entire room, using Spirit Silk to guide the silver needles, pinning them to the beams, and hung silver bells as alarms in the eaves corners.
Calculating with her fingers, she confirmed that no one was outside peeping. Xing Yuanzhi then sat at the dressing table, rubbing her face like drawing a talisman for a while before untying her hairpin. Her green silk hair fell, and she took off her embroidered clothes along with a skin suit, akin to a lizard shedding its skin, revealing a tender pink flesh body emerging from the ’Cheng Xiaozhu’ skin sack.
Then the meat person rubbed the hairpin, took out a straw man, tore off the talisman from the back of the straw man, swallowed it, placed the straw man into the now empty skin sack, and pinching the formula and chanting, pointed with her hand.
’Cheng Xiaozhu’ inflated like a balloon full of air, while the meat person tucked the Snow Mountain Palace Candlestick into her bosom, crawled under the bed, curled up into a ball, and hid like a meatball.
Meanwhile, ’Cheng Xiaozhu’ blinked, smiled at the mirror, covered the crack on the back of the head with long hair and a hairpin, stood up, and stepped into the bathtub to bathe. After washing her body clean, she wore just a single garment and went to bed to rest.
Thus she slept through half the night without incident, when suddenly there was a light "pop!" sound from the head of the bed.
The meat person under the bed opened her eyes abruptly, silently and stealthily crawled out, and glanced at the bed.
Only to see ’Cheng Xiaozhu’ on the bed had her head sliced off, the end of the neck smoothly severed, and the skin sack deflated to a wrinkled heap scattered on the bed, with the straw man inside also cut in half.
The meat person was filled with terror, covering her mouth, ready to crawl back under the bed.
Then a cold laugh came from outside the door.
"Ha, not bad indeed."
The meat person realized escape was impossible, gritted her teeth, and knelt before the door,
"Nine Heavenly Mysterious Lady, Xuan Nu, Disciple Xing Yuanzhi, pays respects to the senior."
The person outside spoke coldly,
"Well, since you dodged my sword, your life is spared today.
There’s a new outfit prepared for you outside the door. Put it on, leave East Field, pass Su Lan Pond, cross North Moat, set a fire, and burn Tai City.
If you succeed, I won’t pursue you leaving the city. Make one wrong step, and I’ll take your head."
"I will obey the decree."
The meat person gritted her teeth, opened the door, and found a skin on the ground, exactly like the Xiao Family maid who brought her water earlier.
Without hesitation, she donned the skin, grabbed the candlestick, and swiftly followed the instructions out the door.
Tai City was the inner city of Lanling, also the Xiao Family Treasure Vault, and the retreat of the Xiao Family Ancestor. Such an important place was naturally heavily guarded, and if caught, with the Demon Palace’s skills in tormenting people, it would be a fate worse than death.
But Xing Yuanzhi was not foolish either; choosing between dying immediately and later was an easy decision, so she quickly left the East Field Garden, came to the side of Lan Pond, and then proceeded north along the lotus pond towards Tai City.
It was already dark, clouds obscured the moon, with only the faint light of the Golden Lotus on Lan Pond, resembling the stars falling into the pond. Among the gentle glowing ripples, several golden boat Treasure Ships were spread over the lotus pond, amidst the gamut of flickering lights and scattered colorful brilliance, you could hear laughter, singing, and dancing, the sound of the pipa like pearls striking jade, sending ripples far and wide, clearly indicating the Noble Sons of the Xiao Family were still reveling through the night, their feast unfinished.
Xing Yuanzhi kept her head down, moving northwards along the embankment, dressed in the new ’clothes’ of a Xiao Family maid, without drawing the guards’ notice. Thus, she reached below the moat of Tai City, only to find the Gate locked. The palace walls were heavily lit with countless torches, guarded sternly by Golden Armor guards, with Divine Arm Crossbows and Crossbows at the battlements, in great vigilance, pondering how to ’cross’ over.
Then a bright light suddenly streaked down from the sky, like a flying kite zipping through the clouds, darting past the blaze of torches, leaving only the shadow of a feathered wing. Then the lights atop the battlements wavered, followed by the thud of heavy objects hit the ground.
The spread of Blood Breath made Xing Yuanzhi’s heart go cold.
But she knew that there was no turning back now and that she was entwined in vast causality.
She immediately gritted her teeth, tore her skirt, revealing snow-white thighs, and with gecko-like wall-climbing skills, jumped and scrambled over the wall base, climbing over the wall, only to see a scattering of heads rolling on the city wall.
Such a Sword Immortal.
Not even a moment had passed, and an entire garrison was slain.
Having someone like this tracking you from the shadows, it indeed feels like a single misstep, and your head would roll.
Tough luck for the Xiao Family today.
In no time, Xing Yuanzhi leaped down into Tai City.
"...What is that? A locust?"
Shi Gui stood on the deck of the pleasure boat, squinting at the shadow jumping over the moat in the distance, vaguely seeing a glimmer of sword light.
However, the dazzling light from the Xiao Family’s tower ship Treasure Boat obscured visibility, making it unclear.
Before she could discern more, Xiao Baoqin, drunkenly stumbled onto her, almost knocking her into the water.
Shi Gui was startled, exclaiming "I’ll kill you!", while Baoqin laughed heartily, holding her hand and saying,
"There is fortune after surviving a calamity! We escaped with our lives! Why doesn’t the Princess have a few more drinks!
The fish slices and fine soups of Jiangnan have a different flavor compared to the roasted venison of the Northern lands, don’t they!"
Shi Gui glared angrily at the drunkard,
"Who has the mood to eat or drink! Aren’t you worried about your lover in the slightest! He has been out of contact for so long, he may already be dead!"
Baoqin was also drunk, chuckling foolishly,
"Why is the Princess so concerned about that man, has his physique also caught your heart in spring?
Why don’t I choose a few similar figures from my family for you to drink with?"
Shi Gui was somewhat annoyed,
"The man risked his life to save us, how can you be so indifferent, having the leisure to drink here? Why not send reinforcements to rescue him!"
"Reinforcements? Ha ha!"
Baoqin shook her head, looked at the Jade Cup Wine in her hand and smiled, took a gulp,
"I don’t even have the qualification to board that big ship, can’t even see my big brother’s face. They entertain me with good food and drink, isn’t it clear what it means? Reinforcements? The reinforcements are all here~"
Shi Gui was also exasperated,
"I don’t understand what you mean! In this world, most are indifferent and heartless, few would bother to toil and bother and trapped themselves in turmoil to save someone’s life!
If you regard him as just a pawn to be discarded, why gift him the Court Ceremony Blade? Even if you look down on him, for his dedication, isn’t it worth boarding the ship to plea for him?"
Baoqin lightly sighed, turning her head away,
"How could I not plea... Unfortunately, Young Master Liu is a straightforward hero, but a grassroot hero, ignorant of human interactions. This trip to Lanling, he indeed offended my family’s big brother.
They didn’t hold grudges against his forceful entry, summoned close ministers, cleaned up to meet and treat him with etiquette, spoke to him kindly, offered him immortal elixirs and magic treasures, sparing no effort, giving him full respect, just waiting for his gratitude and acknowledgment of the Lord Ming’s title.
But what did he do? He didn’t even say a single word of thanks, repeatedly opposing them, leaving big brother unable to retain face before the ministers, and even had the audacity to ask to see my father, sigh...
How do you think the Duke Kan’s Family would handle someone like this?"
Shi Gui was speechless too, there’s nothing more to say, unappreciative, off with the head indeed...
Baoqin also smiled bitterly,
"My big brother... well, actually the men of Xiao Family, to put it nicely, are meticulous and thorough, to say frankly, they’re internally narrow-minded. Big brother didn’t lose his temper on the spot, which is already quite forbearing.
In any case, now he’s managing affairs, even for the sake of Xiao family’s dignity, many experts from various palaces and factions have been invited with Zhen country’s Immortal Record.
Now aren’t they all on that ship drinking, waiting for all forces to gather, naturally heading to break formations and save people, to regain face.
If I kept pushing without sense, and really angered big brother, things might get worse, hence just have to wait and see..."
Shi Gui grumbled angrily,
"Your family sure is inefficient! Helter-skelter! Isn’t it a noble family of Zhenzhou! They trample on your face yet keep hesitating and indecision! What are you waiting for! If it were me, I’d immediately gather troops and kill all the traitors and villains!"
"Haha, Northern girls are truly decisive in their grudges, I toast you a cup!"
Shi Gui ignored her, Baoqin wasn’t upset, just drank a cup by herself,
"The Central Plains has its own game, yet in the end, only when there’s a sword in hand can you speak loudly. Only by first surviving, can one care for others.
The Xiao Fa looks glamorous but is nothing more than servants watching the king’s business, and concubines serving the harem.
Now that bandits rise and the world is in chaos, even the men in power at Three Constellations care less, what do we have to worry about?
Might as well enjoy the wine today and let things follow fate~"
She drank another cup and then dozed off by the railing, snoring loudly.
Shi Gui helplessly gave her a look, then gritted her teeth and glanced towards the big ship, still filled with laughter and joy, the indolent playboys wallowing in gentle refuge, clenching her lips,
"Just wish I wasn’t born a woman..."
Ultimately, she had no choice, had to support Baoqin back inside to sleep to avoid catching a cold from the lake breeze.
Behind her, in Tai City, a vivid flame began to rise.

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