Chapter 85: Imperial Decree

Princess Qianyou's mood soured, her tone slightly sharp, but the words "Your father won't be able to protect you" left a deep impression on Gulin. Thinking back on the background of the Kaiyang Sect, Gulin felt a chill in his heart.

Princess Qianyou gazed in the direction of the Kaiyang Sect, her eyes narrowing as she recalled everything that happened on Zhongshan.

"Aaahhh~"

Under the moonlight, a crane's cry suddenly echoed in the sky. Everyone looked up to see a giant crane flying towards them.

As the crane approached, furrows appeared on everyone's brows. Seated atop the crane was a woman in white, as if she were specifically seeking out Princess Qianyou and her group. She swiftly flew to where they were and dismounted from the crane, bowing respectfully to Princess Qianyou.

"His Majesty has issued a decree, asking Princess Qianyou to return immediately," the woman said, handing a golden decree to Princess Qianyou.

Princess Qianyou took the decree and glanced at it, her eyes freezing for a moment before she tucked it away.

"Let's go back," Princess Qianyou said, turning to the others.

"Yes," they nodded in agreement.

With the woman leading the way on the crane, they followed closely behind. Princess Qianyou soared into the air, her face still filled with lingering anger towards Zhongshan. She glanced at the sandstorm array once more but didn't look back, swiftly heading southwest.

As Princess Qianyou departed, in a distant forest, Zhongshan emerged with three women.

"Let's move farther away from them," Zhongshan said.

"Okay," Tianlinger and Beiqingsi nodded.

Zhongshan continued carrying Yinglan and swiftly left with the two women. After walking for about two hours, they stopped in a mountain valley.

Yinglan had already woken up but pretended to still be asleep, allowing Zhongshan to continue carrying her.

"Are you going to retrieve the second piece of evidence now?" Zhongshan asked.

"Yes, according to what my uncle said, I must hurry to that place. I can't afford any delay," Beiqingsi replied.

Although she said she couldn't afford any delay, she still protected Zhongshan on the two-hour journey.

"Could you do me a favor?" Zhongshan said.

"Sure, what is it?" Beiqingsi looked at Zhongshan.

"Take Yinglan to the Zhong Mansion in Xuan City, Dukun Country," Zhongshan said, staring at Beiqingsi.

Beiqingsi bit her lip, clearly considering the importance of retrieving the second piece of evidence. But upon hearing Zhongshan's request, she nodded earnestly.

"Yinglan, lead the way and go back home quickly," Zhongshan immediately called out, knowing Yinglan had already woken up.

"I don't want to, I want to go back with Grandpa Uncle," Yinglan said, knowing she couldn't evade the situation and woke up immediately.

Frowning at Yinglan, Zhongshan said, "No, I don't want to encounter another Miexian person. Let's go back now, and I'll come back later."

"But..." Yinglan hesitated.

"Are you not going together?" Beiqingsi asked, obviously having no problem bringing two more people along.

"No, Ling'er and I have something to do. We'll trouble you with this," Zhongshan replied.

"Um, alright," Beiqingsi nodded.

Although Yinglan was somewhat unwilling, under Zhongshan's forceful insistence, she could only compromise.

Seeing Yinglan's pitiful expression, Zhongshan shook his head and whispered to her, "I'll be back in three days at the latest."

Upon Zhongshan's promise, Yinglan's expression immediately brightened, and she nodded vigorously.

With that, bidding farewell to Beiqingsi and Zhongshan, riding on Beiqingsi's flying sword, Yinglan disappeared into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Yinglan leave, Tianlinger suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she seemed a bit reluctant.

At the same time, at the former site of the Bamen Mountain, numerous cultivators were frantically running outside because the Bamen Golden Lock Array had malfunctioned.

Countless sandstorms rose into the sky, causing internal chaos. Under the moonlight, from a distance, Zhongshan and Tianlinger could see the turmoil, with countless sands rushing into the sky, forming a massive ball.

"Boom~"

It exploded, and even separated by dozens of mountains, the violent sound could be felt. The sky became chaotic, with heavy rain pouring down, and the moon in the sky seemed to be obscured, rendering the entire sky gloomy.

"Zhongshan, did Tai Xu Zi die?" Tianlinger looked into the distance, a hint of sigh in her eyes.

"Yeah," Zhongshan nodded, because he had heard from the conversation between Tai Xu Zi and Beiqingsi earlier that Tai Xu Zi had a death wish.

"Alright, let them fight over there for the spirit stones. Let's quickly go get the Thunder Flower and then return to the Zhong Mansion in Xuan City," Zhongshan said.

"Okay, follow me," Tianlinger immediately led the way.

In less than a day, Beiqingsi brought Yinglan to the Zhong Mansion in Xuan City.

Upon seeing Zhongshan's mortal residence, Beiqingsi merely glanced at it briefly before swiftly flying away on her sword, heading towards the location of the second piece of evidence.

Yinglan, with a hint of reluctance, headed towards the Zhong Mansion.

"Miss, you're back," the steward greeted from afar.

"Yeah," Yinglan replied with a nod and entered the courtyard alone.

Despite obtaining the Array Spirit, what was there to be happy about when Grandpa Uncle hadn't returned yet?

"Yinglan, give me that wooden box," a sudden voice came from the corner of the courtyard.

Hearing this voice, Yinglan paused, shaking her head, thinking she was imagining things. But she still turned to look and found that it was indeed Grandpa Uncle. When did he come back? How did he return?

"Grandpa Uncle!" Yinglan exclaimed excitedly, running towards Zhongshan and hugging his arm tightly.

"Ssss..." Zhongshan's mouth twitched.

Yinglan turned her head to see a hole on Zhongshan's shoulder.

"Grandpa Uncle, are you injured? How did this happen?" Yinglan exclaimed in shock.

"It's nothing, just a superficial wound. I'll be in seclusion in the secret room for a while, don't let anyone disturb me," Zhongshan said.

"Okay," Yinglan nodded.

"Give me the wooden box first," Zhongshan said.

"Okay," Yinglan immediately took off the wooden box from her back and handed it to Zhongshan.

Inside the wooden box were the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms found in the Miexian's residence.

Zhongshan smiled faintly as he looked at the wooden box.

"During my seclusion, no one is allowed to disturb me. Keep an eye on it for me," Zhongshan said.

"Okay," Yinglan nodded immediately, feeling a bit worried but relieved that Grandpa Uncle had returned.

Zhongshan quickly entered the inner courtyard and went into a secret chamber to recuperate.

Inside the secret chamber, Zhongshan sat cross-legged, continuously circulating his energy to heal his wounds. The Taiyin Scripture swiftly revolved, and he was able to return thanks to Yinglan's assistance. His hidden body turned into a shadow, merging into the darkness of Yinglan's robe, which accompanied her back.

Although it was a hidden body, it could still get injured. The sword strike from Jian Ao had indeed pierced through his shoulder, but as long as he rested for a while, he would be completely fine.

As everyone entered the inner courtyard, another steward-like person hurried over.

"Miss, was that Sir just now?" the steward immediately asked anxiously.

"Yes. Grandpa Uncle instructed that no one should disturb his rest," Yinglan said immediately.

"What should we do then?" the steward asked anxiously.

"What happened?" Yinglan asked immediately.

"We received a confidential report. The royal family of Dukun Country has recently been gathering troops, and they might be targeting our Zhong Mansion," the steward said anxiously.

"Troops at our doorstep?" Yinglan furrowed her brows.

"Yes, although I'm also skeptical, all the signs keep pointing in that direction. The Emperor seems intent on using force against us. I've kept the news sealed and haven't leaked it out," the steward said anxiously.

Yinglan frowned, thinking about the fate of the heads of the four major families and the ancestors of the four major clans. She could imagine the attitude of the royal family, which was already fearful of the existence of the Zhong Mansion, aiming to uproot it completely, even if it meant deploying a large army.

"Alright, you've done well. However, Grandpa Uncle is in seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him. You go gather more information, and as soon as there are any new developments, report them to me immediately. Also, compile a list of the forces that Zhong Mansion can mobilize now, the ones you know of, and send it to me as soon as possible," Yinglan ordered immediately. Years of military command had made Yinglan calm and collected.

"Yes," the steward nodded immediately.

The steward knew that besides Sir, this young lady held the greatest authority in the Zhong Mansion. Even most of Sir's adopted sons didn't have as much power as her.