Normally, if Pavilion Mistress Bei acted this tough, Jiang Bao would back down for the sake of the Second Prince’s reputation. But today, the little lord had died in Immortal Cloud Pavilion—if he retreated now, the Duke wouldn’t spare him once he got back.
With that thought, Jiang Bao stepped forward, bursting with late Divine Transformation aura. He said coldly, “Mistress Bei, do you really think the Second Prince’s protection lets you act above everyone else?
I’ll ask you one last time—are you handing her over or not? If you refuse, don’t blame me for forcing my way in and taking her myself. I’d like to see who can actually stop me!”
As Jiang Bao finished speaking, his aura surged to its peak, crashing down on the palace-dressed beauty and the goateed man.
“How dare you!”
Old Zhou gave a low shout, and a blood-red saber appeared in his hand.
Whoosh!
The saber tore through the air, slashing against Jiang Bao’s aura head-on.
"You’re not even close to being a match for me!"
Jiang Bao didn’t even bother to look at the flying blood saber—he casually threw out two punches.
The first punch landed squarely on the saber; the second hit Old Zhou in the chest.
Check the mapping of 'Ian Song' and ensure it is used consistently throughout the translation. Avoid mixing pinyin or literal transliteration with localized names; always use the glossary-approved English names for clarity and immersion.
Check that 'Wendy Lin' is consistently translated according to the glossary, not as 'Wan’er' or other variants. Consistency is important for reader immersion and clarity.
Old Zhou barely steadied himself, but couldn’t help spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Jiang Bao laughed loudly, “Mistress Bei, what else do you have to stop me now?” He slammed his right hand down and barked, “You two, go in and grab that woman. Anyone who gets in your way—kill them!”
“Stop!”
At that moment, the palace-dressed beauty stepped forward, blocking the Duke’s two guards. She said to Jiang Bao, “Don’t go too far. If you want to take my person, you’ll have to kill me first!”
Jiang Bao’s face darkened as he stared at her. “Kill you? I wouldn’t dare. But I can imprison you—and if needed, I’ll go apologize to the Second Prince myself afterward!”
As he spoke, Jiang Bao reached out toward the air. Instantly, black qi chains appeared around the palace-dressed beauty, binding her tightly.
The palace-dressed beauty struggled hard, her face flushed red, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t break free.
“Jiang Bao, you’ve got some nerve! Let me go, or the Second Prince will never forgive you!”
“Hmph!”
Jiang Bao snorted and ignored her, barking at his two guards, “What are you waiting for? Go in and grab her!”
Old Zhou instinctively tried to block them, but Jiang Bao shot him a glare. “You’d better not make a move, or I’ll blow your head off!”
Old Zhou’s eyes flashed with anger and frustration, but in the end, he didn’t move, letting the two Duke’s guards rush into Immortal Cloud Pavilion.
Just then, a veiled woman appeared and spoke softly, “Steward Jiang, let Mistress Bei go. I’ll go with you.”
“Smart choice! Take her away!”
Jiang Bao’s face twisted with a cold smile. With a wave of his hand, the black qi chains around the palace-dressed beauty instantly vanished.
Watching Cece being restrained by the Duke’s guards, Pavilion Mistress Bei showed shame and guilt. “Cece, I’m sorry—I couldn’t protect you!”
Cece gently shook her head, then bowed to Pavilion Mistress Bei. "It's alright. I know you did your best, Mistress Bei. Thank you for taking care of me all these days."
As she watched Cece taken away, the palace-dressed beauty bit her lip and sent out a sound-transmission talisman.
In the royal city, Second Prince’s residence.
A dignified middle-aged man radiating noble aura was reading an ancient book when suddenly, a sound-transmission talisman shot in.
He reached out and caught it. A voice rang out: “Second Prince, please save Cece! Jiang Bao came and took her away!”
“Sigh…”
The middle-aged man shook his head and casually set the talisman aside, continuing to read. If it were anything else, he might have helped that woman he’d never even tasted, but this time the stakes were too high—even Jiang Kui’s son was dead, how could he intervene?
Truth is, if he really demanded Cece from Jiang Kui, Jiang Kui would give him face as a prince. But his fourth and sixth brothers aren’t easy to deal with—they’d seize any excuse to attack him. He’s already at a disadvantage against them, and if he handed them more ammunition, it’d be a huge loss.
Compared to the throne, what’s a woman worth?
Back in Immortal Cloud Pavilion, the palace-dressed beauty kept waiting, but after half an hour, still no reply from the Second Prince—nor did he send anyone. Her face fell.
“Mistress Bei, I don’t think the Second Prince will step in,” Old Zhou said cautiously.
"Men—doesn't matter how sweet they talk, when it really counts, they always let you down." Pavilion Mistress Bei sighed, her face tinged with self-mockery.
“Mistress Bei, it’s my fault—I couldn’t stop them!” Old Zhou said, blaming himself.
"It's not your fault. Even if you gave it everything you had, you still couldn't have stopped Jiang Bao!" She shook her head again and turned away.
Nanspring was a squad leader in the Duke of Qi Residence’s guard corps, his cultivation already at the peak of late Out-of-Body. After receiving the chief steward’s orders, he led five men to search the Inner City for the little lord’s killer.
Just then, a fat subordinate rushed over, excitement in his voice. “Captain, we’ve got news!”
“Oh?” Nanspring was overjoyed. “Where is he?”
“That kid’s already left the city—he’s in the outer city!”
“Alright, head for the outer city!”
Nanspring made a snap decision and tossed out several sound-transmission talismans.
Soon, the other four subordinates gathered around him.
Once everyone was assembled, he waved his hand. “Let’s go—outer city!”
In that same low courtyard, Ian Song placed the last top-grade spirit crystal in a corner, clapped his hands, and smiled. “Finally done!”
"Ian, you’ve worked hard—have some tea!"
Wendy Lin hurried over and handed him a cup of fresh tea.
"Good job, Wendy!" Ian Song patted Wendy Lin's head before taking the cup and draining it in one go.
This time, he’d laid down twelve formations in the courtyard, spending over ten thousand top-grade spirit crystals. He was sure that even a Divine Transformation expert would be trapped here.
Time passed slowly.
After about fifteen minutes, Ian Song raised his eyebrows, his gaze piercing through the void. Several thousand meters away, six figures were speeding toward the courtyard.
At the Duke of Qi Residence, outside the study, Jiang Bao reported loudly, “Your Grace, the woman has been brought!”
“Lock her up. Once that brat is caught, execute them both together!” Duke Jiang Kui ordered coldly.
…………
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A series of figures flashed by—six people landed in the courtyard. Seeing Ian Song calmly sipping tea, Nanspring waved and barked, “Seize him! Anyone who resists—kill without mercy!”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
As five figures lunged at him, Ian Song lightly tapped his right foot on the ground.
Boom!
With that stomp, heaven and earth shifted, stars spun, and Nanspring’s whole squad suddenly found themselves in a strange, unfamiliar world.