79: Chapter 79 The Mad Saintess's Difficulties

On that stunningly beautiful face, a strange, scalp-tingling smile bloomed.

Chen Fan's heart instantly jumped into his throat.

The air on the deck seemed to freeze at this moment.

The Prefect of Yanzhou and the group of Jianghu Martial Artists were still limp, lacking even the strength to crawl up.

They looked at the pair of royal sisters standing side by side as if they were looking at two Yama Kings deciding their fate.

Just then, Princess Jingping walked out and stood beside Su Xin.

Her appearance seemed to dilute the heavy Killing Intent on the ship by a few degrees.

"Tonight's events were merely a small misunderstanding between my Imperial Sister and me."

Jingping's voice was clear and resonant, devoid of any emotion, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Everyone only needs to remember that nothing has happened."

She scanned the surroundings, her clear Phoenix eyes sweeping calmly over everyone.

"The Imperial Court does not wish to hear any rumors."

The words were soft, but the warning contained within them made everyone feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

The Prefect of Yanzhou shuddered, scrambling to his knees, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"This official obeys! This official knows nothing! This official saw nothing!"

The remaining Martial Artists also reacted, kneeling one after another, swearing oaths, wishing they could cut out their own tongues to prove their innocence.

Chen Fan also knelt with the others, the heavy stone hanging in his heart finally dropping to the ground.

It looked like they wouldn't be silenced after all.

However, before he could fully breathe a sigh of relief, a cold voice locked onto him with precision.

"Chen Jinzhong, come here."

Su Xin spoke.

The atmosphere on the deck, which had just eased, tightened once again.

Everyone's gaze fell upon Chen Fan, carrying a hint of sympathy and pity.

Chen Fan cursed Su Xin a thousand times in his heart, but he dared not show the slightest bit of it on his face.

He steeled himself, stood up from the crowd, lowered his head, walked quickly to Su Xin, and bowed.

"May I ask what Your Highness requires?"

He kept his posture extremely low, and his words were as respectful as could be.

"Requires?" Su Xin let out a soft laugh, full of mockery, "Last time at the brothel, Hero Chen didn't have this kind of look on his face."

"Aren't you very principled? Didn't you lecture this Saintess, saying this Saintess was 'naturally like this'?"

As soon as the word 'brothel' was uttered, the surrounding atmosphere became even more bizarre.

Many people's expressions as they looked at Chen Fan carried a hint of strangeness.

Chen Fan only felt his scalp tingle.

This crazy woman truly has no shame at all! To dare to say such a thing in public!

He was speechless and could only bury his head even lower.

He was now like fish on a chopping block, left to be slaughtered.

His only lifeline lay with Princess Jingping standing beside her.

Sure enough.

Princess Jingping reached out and gently tugged on Su Xin's sleeve.

"Imperial Sister, he is my bodyguard now."

Her voice remained calm, yet it carried an indisputable power.

The Killing Intent on Su Xin's body slowly receded.

She looked deeply at Chen Fan, that gaze as if to say, "Consider yourself lucky."

"Hmph."

She snorted coldly and turned to walk back into the main cabin.

Only then did Chen Fan feel as if he had been fished out of water; his back was already soaked.

He quickly bowed to Princess Jingping. "Many thanks, Your Highness."

Princess Jingping did not look at him, only responded indifferently, and also turned to return to the cabin.

A shocking storm that could have overturned the entire Yanzhou Martial Forest had passed by so seemingly calmly.

But Chen Fan knew that for him, the real trouble had only just begun.

The following days confirmed his premonition.

The two princesses did not mention leaving again, but instead, under the guise of sightseeing, began to tour within the territory of Yanzhou.

And Chen Fan became the "personal bodyguard" designated by Su Xin.

On the first day, the group traveled to a mountain stream.

Su Xin disliked the water they brought, insisting on drinking the spring water from the mountain stream.

Chen Fan had to go retrieve it himself.

When he brought a pot of clear spring water to Su Xin, she took it and only took a light sip.

"It's too cold, go warm it up."

Chen Fan had to go find firewood again to warm the water.

When he returned holding the water pot again, Su Xin said again.

"It's too hot."

Without even looking at Chen Fan, she casually knocked the pot of water over onto the ground.

The hot water splashed up, and a few drops scalded the back of Chen Fan's hand, immediately forming red marks.

He remained expressionless, said nothing, and turned to get more water.

After repeating this four or five times, Su Xin seemed to have grown tired of playing and waved her hand, telling him to withdraw.

Throughout the whole process, Princess Jingping watched, but said nothing.

On the third day, the group passed through a dense forest.

Su Xin suddenly pointed to the top of the tallest ancient tree, saying that there was a beautiful flower there, and told Chen Fan to go pick it.

That ancient tree was dozens of zhang tall, the trunk smooth, making it difficult even for ordinary monkeys to climb.

Chen Fan didn't say a word, unleashing his Dragon movement technique, his toes tapping continuously on the tree trunk, his figure soaring upward like blue smoke.

When he had exhausted all his strength to finally pick the flower and returned to Su Xin.

Su Xin only took it, smelled it at her nose, then casually threw it on the ground and crushed it with the tip of her foot.

"It's not good-looking, this Palace doesn't like it anymore."

On the fifth day, Su Xin suddenly became interested and said she wanted to see the martial arts of the Yanzhou Martial Artists.

She named Chen Fan to "spar" with her.

Chen Fan dared not disobey.

The two fought in an open space; Su Xin didn't use any lethal Moves at all, only using various tricky and strange Moves to toy with him.

At times she used her scabbard to pat his back, at other times she used her movement technique to circle behind him, gently pushing him to make him stumble.

Chen Fan was in a sorry state, losing all face in front of everyone.

He knew that Su Xin was taking revenge.

Revenge for his "disrespect" at the brothel, revenge for seeing through her disguise, and even more, revenge for his… fleeting glance when he snatched the Secret Manual.

Chen Fan treated it all as training.

He only wanted to be a coward now; as long as he could keep his life and endure until this young madam left, anything was fine.

What he looked forward to most every day was ending this damn errand sooner so he could go home to hold his wife and children.

He was just afraid that this mad Saintess would get unhappy and kill him with one sword strike.

That would be a lose-lose situation.

Although Chen Fan had never mined, he was not interested in it.

Such days continued for ten days.

On the evening of the tenth day, the group arrived at the edge of a cliff named "Wanggui Cliff."

The sun was setting, the clouds were steaming with rosy hues, and the scenery was magnificent.

Chen Fan stood at the furthest point from the two princesses, vigilantly watching the surroundings, while silently counting the days in his heart.

Ten days.

Princess Jingping said she only had half a month.

At most, in another four or five days, all of this would be over.

Just as he was calculating to himself, Princess Jingping, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"Imperial Sister, it is getting late; I must set off to return to the capital tomorrow."

To Chen Fan, this sentence was nothing short of music to his ears.

A huge wave of joy instantly washed away all the suppression and endurance he had felt over the past few days.

Finally… it was going to end!

He could go home!

Su Xin stood at the edge of the cliff, letting the mountain wind blow against her red robes, without turning back.

"So soon?"

"The Imperial Father's decree cannot be disobeyed." Princess Jingping's reply was watertight.

Su Xin was silent for a moment.

She turned around slowly, her stunningly beautiful face revealing no joy or anger.

Her gaze crossed over Princess Jingping and landed once again on Chen Fan in the distance.

Chen Fan's heart gave a sudden leap.

An ominous premonition instantly enveloped him.

Only hearing Su Xin laugh softly, she said to Princess Jingping.

"That's fine too."

"However, since you, Jingping, are going back, then leave this person to me."

She extended her slender, jade-like finger, pointing from afar at Chen Fan.