54: Chapter 54 In this world, the most important thing is not scheming and manipulation, but strength!

Jiang Rou's expression in the moonlight was unreadable.

"Even Granny Sun cannot see through him? Just what kind of monster is this Prince Jin!?"

It was known to the outside world that she, Jiang Rou, had been accepted as a Personal Disciple by an Elder of the Xuanyin Valley, but this was merely a smokescreen put out by the Xuanyin Sect and the Fenglin Imperial Palace.

Only a very small number of core members within the Sect knew that the person who had truly taken her as a Disciple was not some Elder, but the current Sect Leader of the Xuanyin Sect, Leng Yuexi.

It was precisely for this reason that Granny Sun, whose strength had already reached the eighth level of the Xiaoyao Heavenly Realm, had been sent to accompany and protect her.

Although Granny Sun held no official Elder position in the Sect, her strength was exceptionally transcendent. If even she bluntly stated that she could not "see through" Xia Jin, what did that mean?

It meant that this Great Xia Prince Jin was at least a figure in the Spirit Wandering Realm!

"Young Miss," Granny Sun said when she saw Jiang Rou was silent, "this place is not suitable for a long stay. You must return to the Xuanyin Sect with me! As long as you are back by the Sect Leader's side, even that person from earlier will not be able to harm you in the slightest!"

"Return to the Xuanyin Sect?" Jiang Rou's gaze swept over her somewhat dispirited father, as well as the terrified guards and palace servants around them, and a trace of hesitation appeared on her face. "If I leave, what will happen to Father and the others? What will happen to the people of the Fenglin Kingdom?"

"Young Miss!" Granny Sun's brows were locked tight. "We must set out immediately and return to the Sect to report to the Sect Leader. With the Sect Leader's heaven-defying cultivation at the third level of the Spirit Wandering Realm, if she takes action personally, are you still afraid we cannot deal with this Prince Jin?"

"It is too late." Jiang Rou's voice was very soft, but she had already calmed down. "Granny Sun, let alone the strength of this Prince Jin! I am afraid you do not know that this person is overbearing, decisive, and acts without any scruples. If I were to flee, he would certainly use 'defying orders and breaking the agreement' as an excuse to bathe the Fenglin Imperial Clan in blood, and perhaps even... implicate the innocent. He is capable of doing it."

"He wouldn't dare!" A cold light flashed in Granny Sun's eyes. "Slaughtering the royal family and civilians of a surrendered nation is a great taboo in the world. It would surely invite condemnation from all five regions and be cursed for eternity! Even if he is powerful, he would not dare to defy the world's will like this!"

"Granny Sun, do you think I dare to gamble?" Jiang Rou shook her head again. "Others might be concerned about their reputation, but he... he will not. Because he is Prince Jin."

She slowly stood up, a flash of wisdom crossing her eyes. "There is only one way for now. Please set out immediately, Granny, and return to the Xuanyin Sect at the fastest speed to see Revered Master and inform her of everything that has happened here. With your speed, Granny, it is not impossible to make a round trip within three days."

Upon hearing this, Granny Sun's expression suddenly changed. "Then what about you, Young Miss..."

"I will stay behind." A trace of decisiveness flashed in Jiang Rou's eyes. "I will fulfill the agreement and keep Prince Jin steady. Three days later, when I surrender, I will accompany the other party's envoy to the Great Xia capital. As long as Revered Master can take action before we arrive at the Great Xia capital, there is still room for maneuver."

Granny Sun looked deeply at the young woman before her, who was called the most gifted Disciple the Xuanyin Sect had seen in nearly a hundred years by the Sect Leader Leng Yuexi, and finally nodded. "Very well! Young Miss must be careful, I shall depart now!"

As soon as her voice fell, Granny Sun's figure seemed to merge into the night, leaving the Fenglin Imperial Palace.

Jiang Rou watched the direction in which Granny Sun had disappeared, her fingers in her sleeves slowly loosening, then quietly clenching again.

The night wind grew colder.

"Rou'er!" The Fenglin Emperor Jiang Qianjue looked at Jiang Rou with a trace of apology on his face.

Meanwhile, inside a mansion in the capital of the Fenglin Kingdom.

Eunuch Wei was serving Xia Jin as he removed his outer robe, his face still full of confusion.

In the end, he could not help but ask cautiously while pouring tea, "Revered Master, this servant is dull-witted. Although Princess Jiang Rou is clever, she is a hidden danger after all. Even if she has the Xuanyin Sect behind her, why don't we simply... eliminate the root of the trouble? Wouldn't leaving her be a needless variable?"

Xia Jin took the teacup and let out a low laugh upon hearing this.

"Little Wei, you have been with this Prince for some time now, why do you still not understand?"

"This woman's Heart-Nature, intellect, and courage are all rare. After Great Xia annexes Dayuan and Fenglin, there must be someone to manage things for this Prince. You can't always rely on those useless people in the Great Xia Imperial Court, can you? So, don't you think it would be a pity to kill her?"

"That is true! Revered Master has far-sighted vision; it is this servant who is short-sighted. However..." Eunuch Wei frowned, looking as if he had more to say.

"Speak if you have something to say!" Xia Jin glanced at him indifferently.

"Revered Master, what if this First Princess of Fenglin is only feigning submission..." Eunuch Wei did not finish his sentence.

But Xia Jin already understood what he meant.

"Little Wei, it seems you still don't understand!" Xia Jin's mouth turned up slightly, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes. "In this world, what is most important is not schemes or stratagems, but strength!!"

"If the strength I possess already makes them despair, do you think it matters whether they are feigning submission or truly submitting?"

"Strength?" Eunuch Wei was stunned at first, then showed an expression of sudden realization.

Xia Jin smiled but did not continue.

In fact, he did not kill Jiang Rou, and had not even killed any member of the Fenglin Imperial Clan, for another reason.

A most important reason.

That was because he still had to complete the System's task! To obtain that 'Shenxiao Lightning Technique' which was almost like an Immortal's method!

Kill Jiang Rou?

If that caused a complete blood feud with the Xuanyin Sect, it would probably be harder than ascending to heaven to subdue that Xuanyin Sect Leader, Leng Yuexi.

Eunuch Wei held the teapot and suddenly leaned forward half a step. "Revered Master, this servant... has one more question. Since Fenglin has already softened and agreed to surrender in three days, supposedly our goal for this trip has been achieved, why... why must we still remain in this Fenglin capital?"

Xia Jin had just brought the teacup to his lips when he paused, and glanced at Eunuch Wei, somewhat speechless.

"Little Wei, do you really think that in three days, the Fenglin Imperial City will smoothly open its gates to welcome my Great Xia envoys inside?" Xia Jin's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"Believe it or not, this three-day deadline will not even be reached. The 'return gift' from the Xuanyin Sect should arrive by then."

Eunuch Wei was stunned, forgetting to put down the hand holding the teapot. "Revered Master, are you saying that the Xua... Xuanyin Sect will send someone?"

Xia Jin sighed helplessly, looking at Eunuch Wei as if he were looking at a fool. "My Little Wei, do you really think that for a top Sect of the Central Region like the Xuanyin Sect, when their own beloved Personal Disciple has been bullied, they will just swallow their anger and act as if nothing happened?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wei's face suddenly turned somewhat red.

He only then realized that he seemed to have thought everything was too smooth. He sheepishly put down the teapot. "It... it is this servant who thought too simply."

Xia Jin did not pay any more attention to him. He raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky, the cold light in his eyes flashing and then disappearing.

"Third level of the Spirit Wandering Realm... just right to test my skills. Let's see what level I can reach when I use my full strength after breaking through to the first level of the Spirit Wandering Realm."

His tone was full of absolute self-confidence.

As for worry? Fear?

They did not exist at all!

Possessing numerous ultimate techniques like Demonic Heart Crossing and the Seven Styles of Jiji, what did fighting across ranks matter to him?