Chapter 3: Dragon Maiden of the Great Xia

Qian Wu shrugged his shoulders and said with an innocent expression, "Actually, we gathered information as soon as we arrived in the Dragon Kingdom."

"Is it reliable?" Ji Huo asked, surprised.

"Absolutely reliable."

Qian Wu snuck a glance at his boss, his mind drifting back to the days when they roamed the world together and the way his boss interacted with Miss Xia. The sense of peculiarity in his heart only deepened.

"Tell me about it," Ji Huo said, taking another sip of wine, his tone calm.

Qian Wu gave a wry smile. "In the Dragon Kingdom, 'Xia' is the imperial surname. Miss Xia is the ninth child of the former Dragon Emperor, known as the Ninth Princess."

"It’s just that because Miss Xia and her biological brother were born to the old Emperor from an unfavored concubine—who died right after giving birth to Miss Xia—the two siblings were never favored growing up. They were constantly bullied within the palace. It is said that the Grand Shaman, what we call the State Preceptor, took pity on them and helped them out, which made their lives a bit more bearable."

Ji Huo drank silently, his eyes narrowing slightly before he frowned. "The former Emperor?"

"Yes," Qian Wu said, winking and looking rather gleeful. "Boss, you have no idea how terrifying those two siblings are."

"When they were in the palace, everyone thought they were harmless, innocent royals. Who would have guessed? Miss Xia, who seemed so unremarkable as a child, suddenly joined the army at thirteen. After a year of campaigning, she quelled the chaos in the Dragon Kingdom and rose to become the nation's supreme commander."

Ji Huo continued to drink in silence, imagining Xia Ningchang leading thousands of troops—a sight he could never have pictured in her day-to-day life.

Qian Wu continued, "By then, Miss Xia’s influence was unparalleled, and the siblings had firmly established their footing in the Dragon Kingdom."

"Soon after, the Dragon Emperor died suddenly, and the entire kingdom fell into chaos. Every prince fought for the throne, involving assassinations, frame-ups, and more. Miss Xia’s brother was naturally caught in the middle."

"Then, the two of them suddenly vanished from the Dragon Kingdom."

Ji Huo tapped his fingertips against the table, realization dawning on him. "They came to the Central Plains."

Qian Wu nodded. "Exactly! When Miss Xia’s brother returned to the Dragon Kingdom, he held the long-lost shards of the Demon Dragon Spear and displayed the cultivation level of a Grandmaster!"

"The Dragon Kingdom has always held the tradition that whoever possesses the Demon Dragon Spear is the Dragon Emperor. Coupled with his Grandmaster-level strength, the civil and military officials all knelt to acknowledge him as their sovereign."

"The first thing that newly crowned Dragon Emperor did was purge the inner palace completely! He wiped out not only the concubines but also the factions of the officials involved."

Qian Wu lamented, "They say this Dragon Emperor was usually timid and showed no ambition from childhood. No one even knew he possessed martial arts skills; he was bullied constantly, and most of the time it was Miss Xia looking after him. Who would have thought he was such a ruthless character?"

Ji Huo felt a strange sensation. It suddenly occurred to him that Miss Xia’s brother, a doting sibling, had followed the same path as his own older brother—hiding his true self and playing the fool since childhood, only to rise up in one fell swoop.

The only difference was that the doting brother had his sister by his side, while his own brother had been separated from him, both growing up independently.

Ji Huo sighed. He had thought that having an older brother like his own was already defying the heavens, but these two from the Dragon Kingdom were equally monstrous.

Moreover, if his guess was correct, the brother must have only been at the peak of the First Grade when he fought the Sword Saint. He likely reached the Grandmaster realm only after obtaining the Demon Dragon Spear.

What a monstrous genius he was, too.

Ji Huo lowered his gaze, pursing his lips slightly, and let out a long sigh. "Since ancient times, chaotic eras produce heroes, while prosperous eras see their decline. It is a cycle that never ends. It seems a war between the Great Qi and the Dragon Kingdom is inevitable."

Qian Wu nodded. "I see that Dragon Emperor as highly ambitious. As soon as he arrived, he finished off the palace, ascended the throne, reorganized the government, and spread the story of his and Miss Xia’s experiences over the years, elevating their public standing to an unbeatable height."

"Miss Xia already held high prestige among the common people, and after all that praise, her popularity in the Dragon Kingdom skyrocketed, even surpassing that of the Dragon Emperor. She is a Princess in every sense of the word—Princess Ningchang."

"Stirring up public opinion," Ji Huo said flatly.

Qian Wu nodded. "That’s what we think, too. After building this momentum, they will likely invade the Zhao Kingdom. Once the Dragon Kingdom swallows Zhao, they will surely become a threat to Great Qi, which is why we hurried back."

"However, I’ve left many people behind and established several strongholds, so we won't be left in the dark if war breaks out."

Ji Huo nodded and smiled. "You’ve done well."

Hearing this, a smile bloomed on Qian Wu’s face, and he looked quite pleased.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Boss, you and Miss Xia... how are things?"

The smile on Ji Huo’s face vanished instantly. He stood up, walked toward the door, and said calmly, "You’ve done a good job with this. Set aside your current tasks and go report to the Flying Bear Army."

"Huh???" Qian Wu’s mouth hung open, his voice dragging out in a long, drawn-out sound as his face fell. "No way! Boss! Why send me to the Flying Bear Army all of a sudden? I heard the Flying Bear Army is cursed..."

"That’s not true," Ji Huo’s voice drifted back.

"Then is there anything I should watch out for in the Flying Bear Army?" Qian Wu shouted.

Ji Huo walked with one hand behind his back and waved the other, his lazy voice trailing behind him:

"Watch your backside."

"???"

...

On the way back, Ji Huo frowned, his face solemn, his eyes flickering with deep thought.

When he reached the gate of his small courtyard, his steady footsteps suddenly faltered, filled with hesitation.

He eventually entered the courtyard, only to find it empty. There was nothing there.

"..."

Had she left?

It was probably for the best if she did, right?

Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

Ji Huo thought to himself, though he couldn't explain why he felt the urge to sigh. He stood in the courtyard, feeling a sense of desolation; the courage he had just mustered had dissipated into thin air.

"Second brother."

Ji Junhong’s clear voice echoed from the gate.

Ji Huo started, turning to see his older brother clutching a watermelon and munching on it. He had no idea when he had arrived.

Ever since his older brother had become a Grandmaster, he was no longer constrained by the physical world. His body followed his heart, and his heart followed his will; within the borders of the Great Zhou, he could go wherever he pleased.

"Older brother, what is it?" Ji Huo asked.

His brother smiled and held up the melon, asking, "Want some?"

"No," Ji Huo shook his head.

His brother chuckled, golden light flickering in his eyes as he said casually, "Miss Xia is by the lake to the south."

Ji Huo froze.

"Second brother," his brother sighed with a smile, "some things are better said clearly."

This was the second time he had repeated those words.

Ji Huo took a breath, suddenly nodded, and bowed to his brother. "I understand. Thank you, brother."

With that, he leaped into the air and headed south.

His brother took two more bites of the melon, then smiled to himself, muttering, "This melon... it should be sweet."