The Wrath of Princess Embroidered Jade and Twenty Years of Cultivation

But she wasn't greeting Princess Flower Shifter—after all, who needs to greet your own sister when you see her every day? Night Lily hurried in, respectfully bowing to the four seated on the couch: "Night Lily, servant, greets Her Highness, and pays respects to Princess Moonshadow and Princess Starshine." Moonshadow and Starshine must be the two little girls.

"You may rise," Princess Embroidered Jade said without looking up. "Have you found any news?"

"Yes, I've already found news of the young master." Night Lily glanced at the two little ones, hesitating. After Flower Shifter nodded, she reported clearly: "The young master is currently in Eight Directions City, discussing martial arts daily with the Phantom Sword Saint, and they're getting along like old friends. He often visits Ouyezi's residence and is treated as an honored guest. He single-handedly fought more than twenty sect leaders at Drunken Moon Pavilion and defeated them all without a scratch. In addition, he's on good terms with the Four Vagabond Knights, who have recently become quite famous. Your Highness, the young master has entered the martial world like a dragon into the sea—his rise is unstoppable."

"That's good." Princess Embroidered Jade's face showed no emotion, but her tune grew lighter. Then she frowned slightly, "And on the other side, any movement?"

Night Lily looked ashamed: "The whereabouts of the two old crones, Withered and Flourishing, are hard to track. I couldn't find out everything."

"Hmph." Princess Embroidered Jade snorted coldly, her music now tinged with anger. On the second night after Jack Young and the other three left Moon Palace—the very night Princess Embroidered Jade set out—a large group secretly surrounded the cabin in the woods. They came quietly and left fast; when they found nobody inside, they withdrew in a flash. Still, Princess Embroidered Jade caught a clue. Originally, she was supposed to pay respects to the Empress at the palace, but because of this incident, she didn't even see her, let alone the usual greetings and tea ceremonies.

Flower Shifter gently advised, "That fool isn't an ordinary person. It's not so easy to plot against him."

"Mm." Princess Embroidered Jade nodded slightly, her tune calming down again. Maybe something came to mind, because her music even had a hint of playfulness: "He really isn't easy to scheme against." Not convinced? Go chat with Lady Sanmiao!

"By the way," Flower Shifter asked curiously, "What name is he using now? Is it still 'Yang Chun Thirty Lady'? Or Yang Fool, Yang Melon?" At this, Flower Shifter couldn't help but laugh.

"No, the young master now goes by 'Jack Young,' and calls himself 'Head of the Flower Shifter Palace.' He's got a signature move that's making waves—it's called 'Flower Swap Jade Touch.' Anyone who's seen it can't help but marvel. Even the Phantom Sword Saint praised it as a century wonder."

"Flower Swap Jade Touch?" It was the first time Flower Shifter had heard that name, and she couldn't help but laugh: "Sis, both our names are in there! Oh, and remember how that fool used to talk about 'Embroidered Jade Valley, Flower Shifting Palace'? Who knew he'd still be using that name now!"

Night Lily quickly added, "It was thanks to that title that I managed to track down the young master's trail."

"Mm, good, thank you for your hard work." Princess Embroidered Jade actually said a few extra words, and couldn't help but smile. Even though there are people scheming in the shadows, Jack Young still revealed his whereabouts—an act that carries unpredictable risks. But he did it anyway, which made Princess Embroidered Jade both worried and a little sweet inside. Because the whole point was just to let her know how he was doing. Like waving and shouting "I'm here!" in a crowd—at least, that's how she saw it.

"Oh, right!" Flower Shifter suddenly clapped her hands, grinning mischievously: "Night Lily, that fool is in Eight Directions City—a place full of temptations. Has he been living it up? You just said he's close with the Four Vagabond Knights, so I bet he's been drinking at the brothels!"

"Uh..." Night Lily hesitated, not sure what to say. Suddenly she felt a chill, and looked up at Princess Embroidered Jade, whose expression hadn't changed—but her fingers plucked the strings with a metallic twang that made Night Lily's hair stand on end.

Princess Embroidered Jade suddenly looked up at Night Lily: "Why the hesitation? Speak honestly."

"Yes!" Night Lily managed a bitter smile and confessed, "The young master has...has been staying at the Grand Brothel in Eight Directions City for several days now..."

Twang! Suddenly, one of Princess Embroidered Jade's strings snapped. The broken string whistled through the air and struck a pillar, cutting half a foot deep into the solid wood. Night Lily was drenched in cold sweat and gave a nervous laugh—Jack Young, I was trying to cover for you, but now there's no saving you. Good luck, buddy!

"Hmph!" Princess Embroidered Jade put down her instrument and said to the girl beside her, "Yue'er, that's enough for today, no more playing." She turned and saw Flower Shifter grinning wickedly, whispering with Starshine. Listening in, it was all, "Starshine, I'm telling you, your Auntie Jade is jealous!" Princess Embroidered Jade couldn't keep up her cold act and snapped, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Oh come on, Sis, drop the act—it's just us here! You gotta relax. If a man is strong, he can have lots of women, and if a woman is strong, she can have lots of men. It's all about who's tougher. So next time you meet a rival, just fight! Beat up all your rivals, then beat up that fool too—once everyone's been knocked around, they'll listen to you! I'll be cheering you on the whole time~"

Princess Embroidered Jade was exasperated by Flower Shifter's troublemaking, but then her eyes twinkled with a sly smile: "So, it seems you're not entirely innocent in this matter either."

"Me?" Flower Shifter pointed at her own nose in confusion. "What does this have to do with me?"

"If it doesn't, then tell me—why did he name his sect 'Flower Shifting Palace'?" Princess Embroidered Jade chuckled coldly. "'Flower Shifting Palace,' 'Flower Swap Jade Touch'—you dare say it has nothing to do with you? I think we should have a match, just the two of us."

"Huh?!" Flower Shifter exclaimed, as if suddenly awakened to a longstanding secret. "Now that you mention it, maybe that fool actually likes...me?!" She slapped her palm, as if struck by an idea. "But hey, that's not so bad. The fool's martial arts are decent, and aside from being a bit of a flirt, his character's okay, and his looks are passable. Maybe I should marry him first! That way, I'll be the official wife, and when you marry him later, you'll have to call me 'Big Sister' and serve me tea! Hahaha, that's a brilliant plan!"

As she spoke, Flower Shifter dashed off. Princess Embroidered Jade knew she was just teasing, but couldn't help being both annoyed and amused. Once she calmed down, she said to Night Lily, "Everything else can wait—go investigate this Grand Brothel in Eight Directions City thoroughly. I want to see what kinds of beauties they have there."

"Yes!" Night Lily accepted the order and left. Outside, she couldn't help but smile bitterly. Stirring up the wrath of the guardian princess in Flower Kingdom—looks like the Grand Brothel in Eight Directions City is doomed. Especially since Princess Embroidered Jade is usually calm and rarely angry. But when she does get mad, unless you have ten or so top martial artists, don't even think about stopping her. Still, she never takes it out on others, so in the end, it's probably Jack Young who's in for it.

"Jack Young, you'd better pray for yourself."

Eight Directions City, Grand Brothel.

"Achoo!" Jack Young suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose. His constitution was long immune to cold and heat—even Antarctica couldn't freeze him. And now, in the middle of summer, why was he sneezing? "Is someone talking about me?"

But as he sneezed, a burst of true energy connected inside and out, and he happened to break through a barrier. These past few days, he'd been discussing martial arts and learning nonstop, gaining tons of insight. His internal energy kept improving, and even without deliberate training, it grew day by day. In just a few days, his aura had strengthened, and today, he finally broke through to twenty years of cultivation.

Twenty years—it's a major milestone for postnatal cultivators. Under twenty, you're just a nobody; over twenty, you can be called a young hero. It's not just a title; there are real changes. Postnatal true energy usually runs through the twelve meridians, but twenty years of cultivation is enough to fill one channel completely.

For Jack Young, reaching twenty years means he can finally start merging internal energy and martial arts as he envisioned.

"Time to give it a try." Jack Young walked to the backyard of the Grand Brothel, where there was a small grove he liked for quiet reflection. Today, he was going to test his new martial art. The Four Vagabond Knights, his two disciples, and Madam Dai—seven people in all—were present. They all knew Jack Young had been working on something new, and today, it looked like he was finally ready.

"Jack, want a sparring partner?" The Four Vagabond Knights were itching to go, all shouting at once: "Let me try!" "No, I'm best with fists, I'll do it!" "You can't even beat a chicken, I'm the big brother, I go first!" "Idiot, one day I'll take back the boss spot!"

The four jokers looked ready to start a brawl among themselves. Jack Young just crooked his mouth and smiled helplessly, then waved: "No need to fight—just come at me, all four of you together."

"All together?" The four paused, then burst out laughing, shaking their arms and shoulders: "Hahaha, Jack, don't get cocky! If we all attack together, even a top-tier martial artist would get beaten—well, at least someone who just made it to the top tier."

Jack Young grinned, "Perfect. Weaklings can't really test my power anyway."

"That's the spirit! Don't worry, we'll keep it fair—we're all at twenty years, too." Nan Bo patted his chest: "Anyone who cheats and uses an extra year is a little puppy!"

"No need," Jack Young shook his head. "Just go all out, show me everything you've got. Give it your best shot—let's have a real fight."

The four jokers clicked their tongues, "So tough? Careful you don't blow your own horn too hard!"

"Look at you, so stingy—what's a little bragging? If I blow it, I'll pay up. Besides—" Jack Young strode to the middle of the grove, slowly raised a hand, his eyes sharp: "If my thinking's right, this new fist technique really is that awesome."

As his energy surged, even the jokers got serious and stepped into the grove. They didn't know what Jack Young's new technique would be like, but his confidence and aura were impossible to ignore. Four versus one—the group that the Phantom Sword Saint called 'the most talented newcomers in five years,' the Four Vagabond Knights, were about to clash head-on with Jack Young's new martial art.