28: Chapter 28 The Princess Repays Her Life-Saving Grace

The appearance of a pursuit naturally indicated that there must be factions contending in this area.

He could ask these people for some information.

Li Yuan had no interest in understanding their disputes or conflicts.

After asking, they could fight however they wanted.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan stepped out from his hiding spot.

Before he could even speak, two of the five assassins immediately split off and attacked Li Yuan.

These assassins did not give Li Yuan any chance to speak at all.

The long blades in their hands struck directly at his vital points.

They didn't care where Li Yuan came from or what his identity was.

Since he had interfered in their affairs, he had to be killed.

Li Yuan knew he had interrupted their business, but they should at least give him a chance to explain.

Since they wouldn't give him a chance, his neutral stance could only shift toward that woman.

Li Yuan, who had no intention of playing the hero saving a damsel in distress, was forced to finish this matter.

With a shift of his body, Li Yuan reached out and snatched a long blade.

The next moment, the two assassins who wanted to kill him both perished under that very long blade.

The remaining three assassins turned around abruptly: "Fourth Grade!"

The three looked terrified; they regarded Li Yuan as a Fourth Grade Martial Artist expert.

A single Fourth Grade made them this nervous...

"I am Zhuang Yuan, daughter of the Nanhe Kingdom's ruler, a princess of the kingdom. I beg you to save me, sir. If I can preserve this remaining life, I will surely repay this favor generously!"

This princess knew how to speak well.

Despite her noble status, she actually referred to herself as a humble daughter.

Seeing this, the other three assassins likewise gave Li Yuan no chance to argue.

The three formed a formation and attacked Li Yuan in a three-pronged stance.

Looking at the attitude of these assassins, they were forcing Li Yuan to help this princess.

Li Yuan only used the strength of a Fourth Grade Martial Artist and took the Opportunity to use Meng Guidu's "Cloud Rolling Blade Technique."

The mystery of this blade technique lay in the fact that when retracting a move, it could injure the enemy with the retraction itself.

As clouds roll and unfurl, the blade strikes and returns, injuring the enemy without a trace.

To put it simply, it was very difficult to tell whether this "Cloud Rolling Blade Technique" was an attacking move or a retracting move.

A fierce momentum might actually be a retraction, while a continuous defense might unexpectedly be an attacking strike.

Overall, this blade technique still had its merits.

However, compared to the blade technique used by a Ninth-Grade Mortal Immortal like the "Heavenly Thunder Blade," the gap was still quite large.

Still, it could be used as a surprise move to injure enemies unexpectedly.

A moment later, the remaining three assassins were dead.

Li Yuan stood not far away, his gaze falling upon Princess Zhuang Yuan.

"Thank you for saving me, sir. I, Zhuang Yuan, am endlessly grateful!"

Seeing that the people pursuing her had all perished, Princess Zhuang Yuan hurriedly climbed up and bowed to Li Yuan to express her gratitude.

Her clothes were already torn in many places, and with this bow, her private areas were exposed.

Li Yuan had no interest in her body; what he wanted was information about this region.

After she finished her words of gratitude, Li Yuan began to ask questions.

He asked six questions all at once.

Among these six questions, information related to the treasure map was mixed in.

According to the treasure map, the location of the "Tai Xuan Divine Art" was to the northwest, between two mountains.

Zhuang Yuan appeared to answer Li Yuan's questions very seriously.

Speaking of the location indicated by the treasure map, it was not good news for Li Yuan.

That place was a Forbidden Ground of the Nanhe Kingdom, guarded by a national treasure.

The Forbidden Ground was extremely beneficial for martial arts cultivation, so Martial Artists from outside the Nanhe Kingdom also came to seek an Opportunity.

In Zhuang Yuan's eyes, she had already regarded Li Yuan as an outsider Martial Artist seeking a martial arts Opportunity.

Such people were not uncommon in the Nanhe Kingdom.

"Since you saved my life, sir, I will naturally repay you with all my heart. Please, sir, return to the capital with me. Once I find an Opportunity, I can arrange for you to enter the Forbidden Ground to cultivate."

Zhuang Yuan extended an invitation, asking Li Yuan to travel with her.

Upon hearing these words, Li Yuan did not answer immediately.

He looked at her calmly, waiting for more explanation from Zhuang Yuan.

During the silence, Zhuang Yuan's Aura weakened again.

"I have indeed encountered some trouble. If you help me, sir, these troubles will surely be resolved quickly. By then, entering the Forbidden Ground for training will be just a small matter!"

At this point, Li Yuan finally nodded and agreed.

This was normal; he had displayed his strength, so it was only right that she wanted to win him over.

Li Yuan followed behind her, heading toward the northwest.

On the way, besides stating his name, Li Yuan concealed all other information.

As for his martial arts strength, he simply continued with her perception of him: Fourth Grade Perfection.

Fourth Grade strength was already considered a top-tier expert in their Nanhe Kingdom.

The patrons of the Nanhe Kingdom were three old rulers whose martial arts had reached the Sixth Grade.

These old rulers were the Foundation of the Nanhe Kingdom's stability.

But currently, they had long since stopped managing political affairs.

The top experts who were more active in the Nanhe Kingdom were of the Fifth Grade.

Whether various factions were powerful or not, apart from their armies, depended on the number of Fifth Grade experts under their command.

The Sixth Grade experts of the Nanhe Kingdom would not interfere in other matters unless there was a crisis of national extinction.

During the journey, Zhuang Yuan explained why she was being pursued by assassins.

The root cause was that she was fighting for the succession rights of the Nanhe Kingdom.

This princess wanted to become the ruler!

Li Yuan was slightly surprised when he heard her say this.

For a princess to want to ascend to the position of ruler was likely not just her own desire.

It was the position she was in that forced her to fight.

If she didn't fight, she wouldn't be able to keep her life either.

"It seems your dispute over the position of ruler has reached a life-or-death stage. How much confidence do you have?"

"In this desperate situation where death was certain today, Heaven let me meet you here, sir. I believe this is a sign from Heaven given to me. The final victor will be me!"

There was a hint of determination in Zhuang Yuan's eyes.

Although she was a woman, she possessed quite a bit of the Aura of a general.

Since it wouldn't drag on for too long, Li Yuan could afford to wait a little longer.

The area marked on the treasure map was a Forbidden Ground of the Nanhe Kingdom.

Taking advantage of this time, he could also learn more about the situation.

Listening to Zhuang Yuan's description, the top experts here were only at the Sixth Grade.

It seemed they had been isolated for a long time from the world where the Shun Kingdom was located.

In their view, the Sixth Grade was enough to stand at the peak of the world's high mountains.

With only this level, Li Yuan was not worried about any safety issues.

If he encountered any crisis or trouble, he would intervene, and his Eighth Grade martial arts strength was sufficient to deal with all kinds of situations.

When dawn was about to break, Li Yuan followed Zhuang Yuan back to her residence.

As a princess, being able to independently build a mansion and courtyard showed that she was not ordinary in the Nanhe Kingdom.

"Take Master Li Yuan to the guest room to rest, and ensure he is taken care of with the highest standards in the mansion."

Upon returning to her mansion, Zhuang Yuan's entire Aura seemed to strengthen several times over.

She spoke to arrange for her steward to take Li Yuan to rest.

After speaking, without waiting for the steward to handle this task, Zhuang Yuan spoke again: "Go and invite Lord Xiang, Lord Gu, and Lord Qi, and have them bring their trusted aides to my mansion after nightfall today to discuss important matters!"

Li Yuan followed the mansion servants to rest first.

That night, in the inner court of Zhuang Yuan's mansion, all her trusted aides had arrived.

Hearing Zhuang Yuan speak of the crisis last night, everyone's expressions were serious.

"Princess, the reason for the current situation lies in your excessive benevolence. Indeed, benevolence is the Foundation of a ruler, and that is not wrong. But you must also look at who this benevolence is directed toward. Do the First Prince and Second Prince care about your benevolence? They only want to eliminate you as quickly as possible!"

The one speaking was Zhuang Yuan's supporter in the military, Lord Xiang, or General Xiang!

Zhuang Yuan frowned; she did not reply immediately.

Beside her, another lord spoke up after some hesitation: "Princess, we have been treated harshly for the past half year. The power in our hands has been continuously chipped away and seized. If you do not strike back, we really cannot continue to follow you."

The one speaking before them was Lord Gu.

He was the Court Marshal in the palace, but now his power was becoming smaller and smaller; he had the title but was almost without real power.

Lord Gu's words were more direct, and could even be called a threat.

Having reached a certain position, even if Zhuang Yuan wanted to retreat, the people around her would force her forward.

"I invited you all here today to discuss this matter. If we are to resist, how should we resist?"

"Of course, by beheading the First Prince and the Second Prince! If those two perish, you, Princess, will be the only candidate for the position of ruler."

Lord Xiang, this military officer, was indeed quite direct in his speech.

Zhuang Yuan's brows furrowed slightly as she retorted: "The Nanhe Kingdom governs the world with filial piety and righteousness. If I kill my two brothers, how can I explain it to the world?"

"If it is not appropriate for you to act, Princess, then let me act. I do not fear this infamy! When the ruler comes to hold someone accountable, let them hold me accountable."

Lord Xiang continued, preparing to take all the responsibility upon himself.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yuan shook her head repeatedly.

Of course, she would not let Lord Xiang get into trouble; he was her Foundation in the military.

During the hesitation, Lord Gu reached out and pointed toward the guest room.

"Princess, doesn't that young Martial Artist who saved you also have Fourth Grade strength? After the two princes are dead, perhaps by then, we can say that he was the one who did it. A Fourth Grade Martial Artist has this ability. His sacrifice should be enough to give an explanation to the ruler..."