Junior sister, keep forbear for a while, I almost become invincible as soon!

The small town was bustling with activity, its crowd a ceaseless stream.

Inside a noodle shop.

"Ah!" Chen Pingping sighed lightly for the fifth time, his head aching, feeling melancholic and at a loss for words.

According to his original plan, after entering Central Continent, he would go directly to Great Zhou's royal city in search of Princess Zi Ji, who was also his little junior sister.

Unexpectedly, he heard many stories about her along the way.

It turned out that this little junior sister of his was so famous within Great Zhou territory, having rejected the Martial God lineage and the Tianxuan Saintess, and was now even planning to go out and slay ferocious beasts.

It was enough that her fate was full of ups and downs—she was surrounded by enemies.

Powerful adversaries, all of them, lay in wait, lurking in the shadows, just waiting for Zi Ji to leave the deep palace.

Why, though?

Chen Pingping could not figure it out.

Wouldn't it be better to just stay put? But she insisted on going out.

Without any real skills of my own, who could protect her?

The Emperor?

If he could have, Zi Ji's mother wouldn't have died tragically on Long Street.

Guang Xiaoyu blinked and said, "Senior Brother, do you think our little junior sister is coming to find us?"

During the roughly half a year on the flying ship, Chen Pingping had told Guang Xiaoyu the entire plan. This had surprised her—she hadn't even been born yet when she was accepted as a disciple.

Such bold maneuvers! Probably only Wen Yuqing could pull something like that off.

Now, having heard the stories about their little junior sister, she sighed inwardly. Troublesome!

Being part of the imperial family was troublesome enough. She was also an illegitimate daughter; her mother, a commoner with no status to speak of, had left Zi Ji nothing before her death.

That was nothing, however, considering her extraordinary, world-astonishing talent.

Just for that alone, countless people were envious. Her survival until now was a miracle.

"That can't be, can it?" Chen Pingping stared in astonishment. "She doesn't even know about us. I heard she was just three years old when her mother died. What could she understand?"

At first listen, that seemed to make sense.

But Guang Xiaoyu always felt something was off.

She had stayed in the deep palace for seven years without any issues, but now she was bent on going out to slay ferocious beasts.

Did she have the ability to do so?

Wasn't this giving others the chance to assassinate her?

Or was she setting something up?

That couldn't be possible.

Guang Xiaoyu, puzzled, remarked, "Our little junior sister is truly not simple."

"She's not using her head," Chen Pingping grumbled. "Always causing me trouble." Muttering to himself, he eventually stopped talking.

Bowing his head, he took a few more bites of food.

After a long while, Chen Pingping lifted his head and said, "The town is the only way to Luo City. Although it's not very likely that danger will arise here, this is precisely where an accident is most likely to occur. You and Lao Huang stay and guard this place."

"What?" Guang Xiaoyu looked surprised. "Senior Brother? Are you going alone?"

"If the assassins are too strong, your going would be useless. You might as well wait here obediently," Chen Pingping said irritably. "If she survives, I will accept her as a disciple on behalf of our Master. If not, then so be it. When Master returns, he won't scold me too harshly; after all, I will have done my best!"

How could this situation be resolved?

Chen Pingping had thought about it many times. Those hidden adversaries—which families were they from? How many? What was their strength?

He had just arrived and wasn't very familiar with things here.

But one thing he could be certain of was that the imperial harem's faction was one of them, and a main force at that.

He didn't understand the imperial harem, nor did he know who stood behind that woman, or if the Lin Family was also on her list.

If they were...

This town, the necessary passage to Luo City, would be the best ambush spot.

After all, Luo City was the Lin Family's territory. They wouldn't act within their own domain, as that would be too conspicuous.

"The place one thinks is safest is actually the most dangerous," Chen Pingping whispered, gradually walking away. Mao Qiu shrank again, becoming fist-sized and curling up on his shoulder.

Hei, the little black dog, followed closely.

Those left behind were Lao Huang, the old ox, and Earth Chicken.

「...」

The distance from the Great Zhou Imperial City to Luo City was several thousand miles. Powerful cultivators could make the journey in just a day or two.

Chen Pingping wasn't sure how Princess Zi Ji would travel—would she ride a mount, take a flying ship, or be escorted by powerful experts...

The uncertainties were significant.

Along the way, assassination was a constant possibility.

Which factions? How strong were they? How many people?

Without precise intelligence, he chose the most prudent course of action: to follow the entourage silently.

A few days later, he arrived at the Great Zhou Imperial City.

The city was vast, its walls towering more than ten meters high. They were majestic and imposing. From a distance, they exuded an aura of ancient times, steeped in antiquity.

But he didn't enter the city; instead, he stopped at a teahouse beside an official road.

At that moment, he overheard discussions about Princess Zi Ji. "Sigh, this little princess really has had a hard life. Her mother was killed when she was young, and she hasn't dared to leave the deep palace for seven years."

"Why is she coming out now? Isn't she afraid of being killed?"

"It's not very clear."

"Speaking of which, the princess's talent is evident to all. The Martial God lineage wanted to accept her, and the Tianxuan Saintess also expressed her willingness. Why did she refuse?"

"Who knows? Perhaps she felt it was too dangerous outside?"

"Joining the Martial God lineage might have involved some danger, but if she had gone with the Tianxuan Saintess, absolutely no one would have dared to touch her," a man sighed. "What a pity!"

Such a good opportunity, yet Princess Zi Ji refused it without hesitation.

Now, going out to slay ferocious beasts—how is that different from courting death?

A burly man said, "Not necessarily. The deep palace is teeming with experts. If she is well-protected, no one can get near Princess Zi Ji."

After all, it was an imperial dynasty with a long heritage, and the Emperor, as the master of this dynasty, possessed immense power.

He could freely mobilize any expert within the imperial dynasty, as long as they were subordinate to it.

Suddenly, a group of armored soldiers appeared on the official road, clearing the crowd and investigating all suspicious individuals...

"Are they setting out?" someone whispered, their expression grave.

Everyone had a feeling that Princess Zi Ji's departure would inevitably trigger a monumental disturbance.

Chen Pingping was also waiting, but a remark from someone nearby made him furrow his brows.

"The Imperial City has four exits; Princess Zi Ji won't necessarily leave from this one," an old man surmised.

To ensure Princess Zi Ji's safety, the one in the deep palace would surely have devised a series of travel plans, including feints.

Though simple and easily guessed, it was also the most effective method.

Sure enough, not long after, a large procession emerged majestically from the Imperial City. In the middle of the procession was an extremely opulent carriage.

Surrounding the carriage were seven or eight King Tao experts. The one leading them was a cultivator in the Realm of Divine King, clad in heavy armor and wielding a great saber. His face was solemn, naturally inspiring awe, and his entire being emanated a murderous aura.

Just his presence there was enough to make people shudder.

Accompanying them were over thirty soldiers in the Supreme Mystery Realm.

This was a formidable lineup.

Not only that, but the carriage was also protected by an isolation Array, impenetrable to Divine Sense and invisible to the naked eye.

However, Chen Pingping possessed the Hetero Pupil. With a slight activation, he saw a figure inside the carriage—a little girl, not very old, about ten years of age.

The little girl was lavishly dressed, her skin very fair, and she had a delicate face.

But at that moment, she was very nervous, her hands repeatedly clenching and unclenching. Her small body trembled faintly, and her expression could not hide her panic.

It wasn't her! Chen Pingping determined at a glance.

A girl who could refuse the Martial God lineage and the Tianxuan Saintess, and who, in such a perilous situation, insisted on going out to slay ferocious beasts...

Her temperament would be calm; she would understand worldly affairs, clearly see her own situation, and possess an extremely strong instinct for self-preservation.

She wouldn't be nervous.

The little girl before him was a decoy, definitely not Princess Zi Ji.