29: Chapter 29 The Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect

"That maid, something's not right!"

This thought flashed through Chen Fan's mind, but he immediately forced it down.

"So what if something's not right?"

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

It's better to avoid trouble. He is now the Chief of Black Wind Mountain, not a constable in Qinghe County, let alone some hero of the Jianghu. He can't control everything under the sun, let alone whether the Princess goes missing.

Why should a bandit leader like him meddle in the affairs of royalty?

If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up.

He just wants to be a stable mountain lord, experiencing this simple and boring life of a feudal leader.

As for whether that woman is a princess or a Heavenly Immortal, whether she was kidnapped or ran away on her own, it has nothing to do with him.

Having figured this out, Chen Fan felt much more relaxed.

He glanced at Honge and Cui Qiao, who were still diligently massaging his legs, grinned, and mimicking the rough manner of the Black Wind Demon, pulled both women into his arms.

"Let's go, come have some fun with your lord."

He kicked the stone chamber door shut, shutting out all the outside disturbances.

...

Qinghe County, Yuelai Inn.

In the innermost private room on the second floor, the window was half-open, offering a view of the bustling street below.

On the table were a few exquisite side dishes and a pot of high-quality Yuqian Longjing tea, from which wisps of steam were rising.

A woman dressed in brocade robes sat upright at the table.

She was none other than the "merchant's family member" who had been released from Black Wind Mountain a few months ago, the wife of the Prince of Xiushan, Princess Li Ronger.

However, at this moment, her face, which had once been filled with stubbornness and anger, held only paleness and a trace of undisguisable fear.

Sitting opposite her was another woman.

The woman wore a plain white dress, her long hair tied up with a simple wooden hairpin; her features were as beautiful as a painting, and her temperament was cold and aloof.

She was eating her side dishes slowly and methodically, every gesture exuding an indescribable elegance.

She was none other than the little maid who had been trembling and weeping like a pear blossom in the rain beside Princess Li Ronger back then.

"Why aren't you eating?" The woman in white put down her chopsticks, picked up her teacup, and gently blew on the steam.

Princess Li Ronger's knuckles turned white as she gripped her chopsticks.

"Su Xin, what exactly do you want?"

"I don't want anything," said the woman in white named Su Xin, taking a light sip of tea. "It's just that there was a slight hitch in the plan, and we need to delay in Qinghe County for a few more days."

"A plan?" Princess Li Ronger sneered. "Your plan was to kidnap me, and then frame the bandits of Black Wind Mountain?"

"Not just that," Su Xin admitted frankly, a trace of regret even appearing on her face. "The original plan was to have the Black Wind Demon 'entertain' you, Your Highness."

Princess Li Ronger's body shuddered violently.

Su Xin ignored her reaction and continued to speak on her own.

"The Black Wind Demon is a ruthless killer and lecherous beyond measure. It goes without saying what would happen if a beautiful princess fell into his hands."

"Once you were defiled by him and had nowhere to turn for help, I would then step in and rescue you."

"A princess who has lost her purity is a massive scandal. At that point, as long as I hold this leverage, the Black Wind Demon and his hundreds of desperate men would have no choice but to obediently follow the orders of our White Lotus Sect and raise the banner of rebellion in Xiushan Prefecture."

The private room fell into a dead silence.

Princess Li Ronger's lips trembled. As she looked at the personal maid she had once trusted implicitly, she felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet straight to her scalp.

"You... you lunatic!"

"What a pity," Su Xin completely ignored her curses and sighed softly. "Who would have thought that the legendary, fierce bandit leader would turn out to be a man of such restraint, like Liu Xiahui. He actually spat out the fat meat that was already in his mouth."

"He ruined our Sacred Sect's grand plan."

The Black Wind Demon was one of the pawns chosen by the White Lotus Sect to incite turmoil in Xiushan Prefecture.

The original intention was to orchestrate the princess's capture by the Black Wind Demon; given her beauty, any man would find it hard to resist, let alone a lecherous bandit like the Black Wind Demon.

But the result was unexpected; the Black Wind Demon actually endured it, and not only did he endure it, he even ordered the princess to be released down the mountain.

This directly disrupted her plan.

She raised her head, her cold, aloof eyes landing on Princess Li Ronger.

"There was no other way, I had to activate the backup plan and have the Yellow Robe Army recruit him personally. And the result? That idiot actually refused again."

"He is stubborn and doesn't know what's good for him."

Princess Li Ronger took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

"Su Xin, give up on this idea! The Prince's army will track this place down very soon! When that time comes, all of you in the White Lotus Sect will be buried with him!"

"The Prince's army?" Su Xin chuckled, as if she had heard a joke.

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the endless stream of people below.

"Your Highness, it seems you still haven't grasped the situation."

"The Prince's army is here to suppress bandits and quell rebellions. But right now, Xiushan Prefecture is calm and peaceful; apart from the few Yellow Robe Army spies we deliberately released, where is there a shadow of any rebel bandits?"

"Do you think the Prince would let his army search endlessly throughout his own fiefdom just for one missing woman?"

Su Xin turned around and walked step by step toward Princess Li Ronger.

She leaned down, her cold breath washing over Princess Li Ronger's face.

"However... you have reminded me of something."

A strange curve formed at the corner of her mouth.

"Since the Black Wind Demon refuses to muddy these waters on his own, we shall help him."

A strong sense of unease rose in Princess Li Ronger's heart.

"What do you want to do?"

Su Xin reached out and used two fingers to gently lift Princess Li Ronger's chin.

"Tell me, what if the Prince's personal guards found his long-lost wife on the bed of the Black Wind Mountain bandit leader..."

"A princess who is scantily clad and mentally confused."

"When that happens, what will ensue?"

Boom!

Princess Li Ronger's mind went blank.

She looked at Su Xin's face, which was so close yet so incredibly unfamiliar, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze at that moment.

Su Xin was very satisfied with her reaction; she stood up straight, walked back to the table leisurely, and picked up the now slightly cooled cup of tea again.

"In this way, the Prince of Xiushan will be thunderously enraged and will certainly exhaust all his strength to annihilate Black Wind Mountain. We can then take advantage of the depleted military forces in Xiushan Prefecture to carry out our grand plan."

"Divert the disaster and use someone else's blade to kill."

"Your Highness, would you say my new plan is much more perfect than the previous one?"

Princess Li Ronger slumped in her chair, unable to say a single word.

Su Xin finished the last drop of tea in her cup and placed it gently on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Now, do you still want to use your Prince to threaten me?"

The Princess's expression stiffened, and she said no more.