Hearing Ian Song’s words, the girl who looked just like Faye Shangguan froze for a moment, clearly not understanding what he meant. Her pretty face turned cold. “Let go, or I’ll kill you too!”
“Fighting and killing is no good. Why not sit down and have a nice chat instead?” Ian said with a smile, then released her grip on the longsword.
The girl instinctively tried to stab at the princess again.
But the blade turned to powder and fell to the ground, leaving only a sword hilt in her hand.
“Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?”
The princess suddenly asked.
“You’re the daughter of that dog emperor. You all deserve to die!”
The girl snapped angrily after regaining her senses.
The princess’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, clearly realizing this girl had a grudge against her father. “My father is a wise and great ruler. Maybe you’ve misunderstood him?”
“Pah! My entire Shangguan Clan—three hundred and twenty-five people—were killed on that dog emperor’s orders! Wise and great? He’s nothing but a muddle-headed tyrant, the worst of the worst!”
“Liar! My father is nothing like that!”
The princess’s face flushed bright red as she tried her best to defend her father.
“Tch! I’m done arguing with you. I couldn’t kill you this time, but next time I definitely won’t let you off!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl suddenly leaped out of the carriage, trying to escape.
But she froze in place, because she realized the space-time outside the carriage had been frozen. The crowds on the street, the armored guards around the carriage—all had turned into statues.
“Wh—what’s going on here?”
Just then, Ian Song appeared at her side, snapped his fingers, and time resumed as normal.
"Ah! Capture the assassin!"
"Quick, kill her!"
The guards, just released from the time freeze, lunged forward, spears flashing as they stabbed at Ian Song and Miya.
Ian Song snapped his fingers again, and the world was once more frozen in time.
The laws of the Mortal World were so weak that with just a thought, he could change them at will.
"How... how did you do that? Are you an immortal or some kind of monster?"
The girl stared at Ian Song in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock as she instinctively stepped back, a hint of wariness flashing in her gaze.
"Want to know? Tell me your name first."
"My name is Miya Shangguan."
The girl answered instinctively.
"Still a Shangguan? Interesting!"
Ian Song couldn’t help but laugh.
"Now you can tell me—how did you do it?"
Miya Shangguan asked again, unable to hold back her curiosity.
"It’s simple. Like this!"
Ian Song snapped his fingers, and the world returned to normal.
He snapped his fingers again, and time froze once more.
"Want to learn?"
Ian Song looked at Miya Shangguan and asked.
"Of course! If I learn this move, I can sneak into the palace and kill that dog emperor myself!"
"I won’t let you kill my father, the emperor!"
The princess stepped out of the carriage, glaring angrily at Miya Shangguan.
"Hmph, I’m going to kill him anyway!"
Miya Shangguan said stubbornly.
"Immortal, please take Xinyue as your disciple!"
Suddenly, the princess knelt down, looking up at Ian Song with hopeful eyes.
"You’re shameless!"
Seeing the princess kneel, Miya Shangguan was furious and quickly knelt down too. "Immortal, please accept Miya as your disciple!"
"Get up, both of you!"
Ian Song raised his hand, and the two girls stood up involuntarily. If he was right, these two were the reincarnations of Cynthia Murong and Faye Shangguan.
Since he’d met old friends, of course he had to help them out.
"Miya, do you have any family left?"
Ian Song asked.
"Master, all my family was killed by that dog emperor!" Miya Shangguan said sadly.
"Are you both sure you want to follow me and cultivate the Dao? If you do, you’ll have to leave the mortal world behind."
"I’m willing, Master!" Miya Shangguan said.
"I’m willing too, Master! But please let me see my father, the emperor, one last time!" Xinyue Rivers pleaded.
"Go ahead. I’ll come pick you up at noon tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Xinyue Rivers nodded.
"Let’s go!"
Ian Song grabbed Miya Shangguan’s hand, took a single step, and they instantly appeared dozens of meters away. After a few more steps, they vanished from the street entirely, and time resumed its normal flow.
On a certain mountain outside the city—
With a casual gesture, Ian Song made a manor appear out of thin air, opened the door, and waved for the stunned Miya Shangguan to come inside.
Once inside the main hall—
Ian brewed a pot of tea, then said to Miya Shangguan, "Kneel, kowtow, and serve your master some tea!"
"Yes, Master!"
Miya Shangguan knelt respectfully, kowtowed three times to Ian Song, then picked up a cup of tea and handed it to him. "Master, please have some tea."
"Good!"
Ian Song smiled as he took the cup, sipped the tea, and said with satisfaction, "You may rise."
"Thank you, Master!"
Miya Shangguan stood up, then asked, "Master, when will you teach me your skills?"
Ian Song flicked his finger, sending a ray of golden light straight into Miya Shangguan’s forehead. Then he waved, "Go cultivate!"
"Yes, Master!"
After Miya Shangguan left, Ian Song focused his mind and drew all the spiritual energy within a thousand miles into the manor. In an instant, the place was brimming with rich spiritual power.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace—
Emperor Rivers II wore a dark expression. He’d just received word that his beloved youngest daughter had been attacked by an assassin. Thankfully she was unharmed, but the culprit had escaped.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess requests an audience!"
A eunuch reported.
"Let her in!"
A hint of a smile returned to Emperor Rivers II’s face.
"Greetings, Father Emperor."
Xinyue Rivers entered the hall and bowed to Emperor Rivers II.
"No need for formalities, my child. Come here to your father—let me see if you’re hurt anywhere." Emperor Rivers II said with a kindly smile.
"Father Emperor, I’m fine!"
Xinyue Rivers answered quickly.
"Really? That’s good. By the way, I heard you were attacked—were you frightened?"
Xinyue Rivers said, "Father Emperor, not at all! An immortal saved me—and I even became his disciple. I’m going to leave with him to cultivate!"
Hearing this, Emperor Rivers II’s expression froze for a moment.
But he quickly smiled again. "Can you tell your father exactly what happened?"
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
"Of course, Father Emperor!"
Xinyue Rivers beamed and recounted everything. When she described Ian Song stopping time with a snap of his fingers, Emperor Rivers II’s eyes flashed with suspicion.
But inwardly, he snorted, "Hmph! Bold charlatan, daring to show off tricks in front of my daughter—he’s asking for trouble!"
To him, that so-called time stop was just sleight of hand—at best enough to fool a little girl.
Still, he didn’t expose his daughter’s story on the spot. He planned to capture the charlatan when he came to pick her up the next day.
After Xinyue Rivers left, Emperor Rivers II’s face darkened. "Someone, summon Commander Jiao of the Black-Sigil Guard!"
"At once!"
Half an hour later, a middle-aged man entered and bowed. "Your servant, Jordan Jiao, greets Your Majesty."
"Rise and report!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Rivers II said coldly, "Lead the elite Black-Sigil Guard to the Ninth Princess’s residence and set up an ambush. If a charlatan appears tomorrow, seize him immediately!"
"Your servant obeys!"
Jordan Jiao withdrew and immediately dispatched hundreds of elite Black-Sigil Guards to lie in wait at the princess’s residence.
Outside the city, in the manor atop the mountain—
Ian Song was sipping tea alone. He’d already locked onto the coordinates of the world of Great Qin, ready to travel there at any moment.
But first, he planned to bestow a gift of fortune on his old friends, Miya Shangguan and Xinyue Rivers.
If they’ve both reincarnated, maybe the others I knew have too?
He focused his mind.
Ian Song’s divine sense enveloped the entire planet Azurewater.
As he scanned, he really did find quite a few old acquaintances who’d been reincarnated.
Among them were his uncle and aunt.
They were still married. His uncle now served as a county magistrate in the Rivers Dynasty, already in his forties.
With a thought, Ian Song sent down two rays of golden merit, enveloping his uncle and aunt. Instantly, their bodies underwent a total transformation.
Their aging bodies instantly became more vigorous than those of young people.
Thanks to the golden merit’s transformation, the two could easily live for two hundred years. Ian Song also left a trace of divine power in them—while it remained, no one could harm them.
Next—
He sent down dozens more rays of golden merit, refining the bodies of his other old friends, but didn’t leave any divine power in them.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the reincarnation of Mei Su.
She was the first woman in his life, but fate never brought them together.
After a night passed—
With Ian Song’s guidance, Miya Shangguan’s strength soared, reaching the Innate level.
Actually, with Ian Song’s power, making Miya Shangguan an immortal would have been easy, and her foundation would’ve been perfectly solid.
But that would take all the fun out of cultivation for Miya Shangguan.
By noon—
Ian Song appeared right outside the princess’s residence.
Sensing the people hidden in and around the manor, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
A few ordinary martial artists thought they could ambush him?
With a thought, everything in the manor—except Xinyue Rivers—froze in time. Ian Song took a step and appeared before her.
"Disciple, your master’s here to pick you up!"
"Disciple greets Master!"
Xinyue Rivers quickly saluted.
"Let’s go!"
Ian Song waved his hand, and he and Xinyue Rivers vanished. Everything in the manor returned to normal.
"Oh no, the princess is gone!"
The Black-Sigil Guards lying in ambush suddenly realized the princess had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Search quickly!"
Jordan Jiao’s face turned ugly.
Half an hour later, in the Imperial Extreme Hall, Jordan Jiao knelt in the grand hall. Emperor Rivers II’s face was so dark it could drip water. "You’re telling me the princess disappeared right under your nose?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Jordan Jiao answered, trembling.
"Useless!"
Emperor Rivers II grabbed the inkstone from the imperial desk and hurled it at Jordan Jiao, hitting him squarely. Jordan didn’t even dare cry out in pain. "Your Majesty, forgive me! I’ve already sent people to search for the princess everywhere!"
"You have three days. If you don’t find the princess, bring me your head!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"
Outside the city, atop the mountain, in the manor—
When the two girls met, they were anything but friendly, both snorting and turning their heads away.
Ian Song saw this and couldn’t help but laugh to himself.