Chapter 22: Chen Guan's First Divine General, Iron Egg Reports In!

In the mountains, time knows no bounds, and the seasons have no sense of years.

Imperial Palace, Jia Ma Empire.

Unlike the usual quiet and orderly atmosphere, the palace was bustling today. Soldiers and maid servants were busy coming and going, surprisingly without anyone scolding them. It was all because they were preparing for tomorrow's coming-of-age ceremony of the Crown Princess.

The servants were quite happy; they would never experience such a lively event more than a few times in their lifetime.

However, as the person at the center of it all, the Crown Princess sat in a pavilion, lost in thought, without a hint of joy on her face.

On one hand, after the coming-of-age ceremony, she would have more responsibilities to shoulder.

On the other hand, she remembered the scenes of the past.

She still vividly remembered the day when the young man stood in front of her, looking impatient yet compelled to make a promise.

But now... as the coming-of-age ceremony approached, where was that young man?

Various factors affected her mood, making it difficult for her to feel happy, only infinite melancholy.

Yao Ye even considered canceling the coming-of-age ceremony, but her status forbade her from doing such whimsical things. She wasn't an ordinary girl from an ordinary family; she represented the royal family.

Not only must the coming-of-age ceremony be held, but it had to be grand!

"That brat should still be alive, right?"

Even Jia Xingtian had accepted the 'fact' of the young man's death. Only she still clung to hope. Although Jia Xingtian had advised her many times and time passed day by day, Yao Ye began to waver.

She let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with the endless worries of a young girl.

Magic Beast Mountain Range.

A year ago, the low-level monsters near Qingshan Town on this side were almost wiped out, making this area appear desolate for a time. Fortunately, after a period of development, it gradually returned to its previous state. Those who didn't know about the initial incident would never have thought about it.

On a sunny morning, in the area where third-rank monsters were active, in a tranquil small lake, ripples suddenly appeared, scaring away several lucky monsters that were secretly drinking water.

In the next moment, a handsome young man leaped out of the water, completely naked in broad daylight!

Activating his Dou Qi, he vaporized the water on his body, put on a new set of clothes, and clearly felt that they didn't fit well. Even though he had only aged by one year, his body seemed to have experienced three or four years of time.

Finally, after glancing at the place that had 'imprisoned' him for a year, Chen Guan took out a strange piece of ice-red snake with a broken tail. It seemed to be pieced together from fragments.

"I have to thank you. Because of you, I was able to gain this opportunity."

He lightly kicked it, and the Red Ice Snake King immediately made a 'crackling' sound as it dived into the lake.

Chen Guan nodded in satisfaction. Although the appearance of this Red Ice Snake Puppet was not good, and its tail had been roasted halfway, it was his first completed product when he advanced to the third rank of Puppet Master. It could exhibit the strength of around a Two-Star Dou Master.

In this ignored small lake, it was enough to guard the underground stone chamber.

Although he had already collected his teacher's remains, this place held a heavy sense of gratitude, and Chen Guan didn't want it to be destroyed by others.

After arranging everything here, Chen Guan no longer delayed and quickly headed towards the outskirts after determining the direction.

It had been a year. Yao Ye probably thought he had been swallowed by a monster. If he remembered correctly, tomorrow was Yao Ye's coming-of-age ceremony.

Disregarding the possibility of monsters appearing in the vicinity, Chen Guan hurried along at full speed. The improvement in his strength gave him enough confidence.

He effortlessly killed two Foxfire Foxes that were diligently trying to create the next generation. Throughout the whole process, the two foxes maintained peculiar poses.

Soon, Chen Guan exited the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

After some contemplation, he decided to make a trip to the Thousand Medicine House.

After all, they were friends, and they might have been worried about him. It was only proper to let them know, and it wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

However, he was quite helpless when he found out that Xiao Yixian had gone into the mountains with the Thousand Medicine House's medicinal gathering team today.

Chen Guan happened to encounter Chang Jinfu, the steward he had met a few times, in the shop. From him, Chen Guan learned that over the past year, the Thousand Medicine House had been doing well with the business he had instructed them, and there hadn't been any mistakes, earning the pharmacy quite a sum.

Furthermore, to show their gratitude, Chang Jinfu had taken the initiative to reduce the price by five gold coins.

Chen Guan didn't refuse; he would save money if he could. Only a fool would reject something that was practically given for free. He understood the other party's intentions, but it didn't matter. It wouldn't affect anything.

Compared to that, it was even more surprising that the royal family hadn't interrupted the transaction despite his one-year disappearance.

The royal family was truly something! Moreover, he had willingly accepted their arrangements without any complaints.

"That's it then. I'll trouble Chang Jinfu with one thing. When Xiao Yixian returns, please give her these two things."

Chen Guan took out the two foxes that had voluntarily rammed into his sword, hoping to extort money from him, as well as a recipe book that detailed fifteen different ways to cook foxes. It was proof of friendship between him and Xiao Yixian.

Chang Jinfu accepted the task but had a strange look in his eyes.

That night, when Xiao Yixian returned and received the two foxes with their bizarre poses, she was also stunned. She couldn't sleep all night, wondering what this person meant.

On the other hand, Chen Guan traveled day and night, receiving countless strange gazes. Finally, near noon, he arrived outside the imperial capital.

Without resting for a day and a night, he pushed his speed to the limit. Chen Guan didn't feel tired at all, except for his sore buttocks.

Because he was riding on a Tier 6 puppet's neck.

Passersby found it strange and watched for amusement, but only Chen Guan knew the horror of the puppet beneath him.

Without exaggeration, with this puppet, Chen Guan was invulnerable within the Jia Ma Empire.

The only downside was that the puppet couldn't fly.

Because his teacher, Shu Tianhe, had created it with only one purpose in mind: to test his successor. He hadn't considered any other functions and made it hastily, resulting in this peculiar situation.

But not being able to fly didn't mean it was weak. Chen Guan had tested it in the stone chamber several times, and it could jump very high, hitting its head on the ceiling like a bell, but it remained lively and unharmed. Its quality was outstanding!

For this reason, Chen Guan specially gave it a name.

Iron Egg, reporting for duty!

(End of chapter)