Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Looking at the endless mountain ranges in the distance, Qi Yingzhu felt they were somewhat monotonous.

In terms of environmental and geographical diversity, Central State is undoubtedly the most prominent among the Five Regions. Its climate is neither as hot as South State, nor as cold as North State, neither as swampy as Eastern State, nor as arid as West State. It can be said to combine the advantages of all the states.

West State has many mountains but little rain. The higher the elevation, the more pronounced this condition is, leaving many mountaintops barren—patches of green and white speckled together, all rather unattractive.

…Perhaps the truly unattractive one is me. Neither accepted by the Qilin nor embraced by the White Tiger, I'm just like those mottled peaks.

Qi Yingzhu silently gazed at the mountains for a long time. She tightened her clothing and used the Divine Travel Technique to swiftly descend.

Among the Five Great Demon Clans, the Qilin excel in the Divine Travel Technique, the Xuan Gui in the Earth Escape Technique, while the other three clans are more adept at flight.

The Dragon Clan soar among the clouds, the White Tiger command the wind, and the Vermilion Bird is naturally born to fly. Although Qi Yingzhu does not possess Qilin bloodline, she has learned Divine Travel Technique, though far from mastering it to the level of the Horned Clan.

Arriving at a nearby market, Qi Yingzhu saw several young masters of the White Tiger Family standing and watching some servants digging into the earth.

"What's going on here?" she casually asked as she approached.

"Your Highness," one of the White Tiger men recognized her identity and respectfully replied, "We lost something and came here to search for it."

"Lost something…" Qi Yingzhu mused aloud.

She wasn't usually inclined to meddle in such affairs, but given her unresolved feelings of alienation from the White Tiger Clan, she asked casually:

"What was lost?"

"Just some magic artifacts," said one of the White Tiger young masters with a laugh. "This person was a servant of our clan sent to the market to purchase artifacts but didn't return for ages."

"We initially thought the rogue had run off with the money, so we used a secret technique to track them, only to find they had been murdered here."

"Murdered?" Qi Yingzhu frowned slightly. "Someone committed murder here in broad daylight?"

The White Tiger young masters exchanged uneasy glances, inwardly thinking, isn't that quite normal?

Here lies a clash in worldviews: Qi Yingzhu was born in the imperial capital, a densely populated area of the Demon Race, where the Golden Horn Guard enforced the law. Murder cases would naturally be promptly investigated.

But in West State, vast and sparsely populated, countless cultivators lose their lives for various reasons. Their bodies remain exposed in the wilderness for years, undiscovered. It's unrealistic to expect these incidents to be rigorously pursued.

Nevertheless, considering Qi Yingzhu's esteemed status as the Elder Princess of the Qilin royal family, no one dared express thoughts such as "isn't this an overreaction?" Instead, they flattered her and agreed:

"Your Highness is absolutely correct—such a crime must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Which Demon Race clan is nearest to this area?" Qi Yingzhu continued her inquiry.

"It would be the Celestial Fox Clan of Qingqiu Mountain," someone replied.

"Alright, I'll go take a look," Qi Yingzhu said without making declarations like "we must seek justice for the White Tiger Clan." After all, the deceased was merely a servant—likely an outsider—using the incident to confront the Celestial Fox would be a blatant provocation.

She wasn't here to accuse anyone but rather to see if they might provide any clues.

At the Celestial Fox Clan's residence, Qi Yingzhu presented her visiting card.

Upon learning that Central State's Elder Princess was visiting, the clan leader, Hu Yuan, immediately came out to personally greet her.

"Your Highness, what an unexpected honor. I hope my hospitality will suffice," he said courteously.

"Clan Leader, you are too kind," Qi Yingzhu replied, wasting no time getting to the point. "I've come to inquire about something."

"Please, ask away," Hu Yuan said.

"A murder occurred just outside the market near Qingqiu Mountain…" Qi Yingzhu recounted the details fluently.

Hu Yuan's expression turned severe at first but grew strained upon hearing the victim was a mere servant.

We, the Celestial Fox Clan, while subordinate to the White Tiger Clan, cannot simply tolerate being humiliated like this. Over the accidental death of a White Tiger servant, do they truly wish to saddle us with responsibility?

"…Thus, I merely wish to know if you have any relevant information," Qi Yingzhu concluded.

"Your Highness," Hu Yuan said slowly, "it's not a matter of hiding anything. Our clan does not restrict our members from coming and going. There's no way to account for how many might have passed through the crime scene or gone out for leisure today."

"I heard the White Tiger Clan has their White Tiger Shadow Guards specializing in espionage across West State. Why not inquire within your own ranks?"

"…It seems I've overstepped," Qi Yingzhu faltered, falling silent for a moment.

Seeking intelligence from the White Tiger Shadow Guards over a servant's death was indeed disproportionate.

Hu Yuan's suggestion also indirectly implied that coming to the Celestial Fox for this seemed excessive.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Qi Yingzhu bid Hu Yuan farewell and left.

Realizing he may have been impolite, Hu Yuan extended warm invitations to Qi Yingzhu to tour the Celestial Fox Clan's grounds—lest word spread of the Elder Princess visiting Qingqiu but departing after only a short while. What would outsiders say about the Fox Clan?

Qi Yingzhu reluctantly agreed, and Hu Yuan arranged for some young Celestial Fox maidens to accompany her and show her the scenic spots within their territory.

These Celestial Fox maidens, true to their enchanting nature, were exceptionally amiable. Their cheerful chatter quickly helped brighten Qi Yingzhu's mood.

As the group strolled along, sharing tales of West State's peculiarities, they suddenly spotted a Mustela Clan youth walking alongside a Celestial Fox maiden in the distance.

"How curious," one of the maidens said with a mischievous smile. "Across the clans in West State, Mustela are regarded as foul-smelling; most choose to avoid them. Yet this particular fellow doesn't seem to mind. Always mingling with that Mustela youth—I've seen them together so many times! So shameless!"

Everyone erupted into laughter.

Qi Yingzhu gazed at the pair, feeling a twinge of empathy.

Her own struggles lately concerned being a White Tiger living among the Qilin—caught between two identities, with a deepening sense of alienation and displacement.

Watching this Celestial Fox maiden and Mustela youth, she wondered: even if they were to be together, how could they possibly gain acceptance from either of their clans?

It seemed the divisions between clans were as formidable and unyielding as an insurmountable chasm.

"Bring those two over," Qi Yingzhu ordered. "I'd like to speak with them."

The Celestial Fox maidens exchanged puzzled glances before one rose with a charming smile, saying:

"I'll go, Your Highness. Please wait here a moment."

Meanwhile, Long Long had been accompanying Long Hu around the clan grounds for some time.

Though the surrounding Fox Clan cultivators often cast them strange looks, they didn't provoke them, likely because they didn't recognize Long Hu. None dared utter phrases like "a mere Mustela dreaming of fox meat" to antagonize them.

It seemed that after the West State's formal expedition, the two could blend into the ranks and head for North State.

"Brother from the Mustela Clan," a sweet voice suddenly called from behind, "please, wait a moment."

Long Long stopped in his tracks, glancing at Long Hu, then at the unfamiliar Celestial Fox maiden, before pointing to himself in confusion.

Me?