Chapter 24: The Princess Royal: He Is Definitely No Simple Man!

Not long after leaving, Jiang Wan turned back.

Watching the direction in which Wang Chu had driven his carriage, she thought to herself, "The person in that carriage is definitely at least at the Soul Transformation stage. My guess was right—this Wang Chu is by no means an ordinary shopkeeper. He might even have some connection to the Northern Underworld!"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jiang Wan decided to follow them to see what was happening.

...

In the carriage, Wang Chu sensed a tagalong trailing behind them, but he merely smiled, unbothered.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the foot of a hillside. Wang Chu turned, lifted the carriage curtain, and said to Chuxue, who was sitting inside, "Let's get off, Miss Chuxue. We've arrived."

Chuxue rose with anticipation. She poked her head out first to look around, and upon seeing the hillside beside the road, she asked, "Is this the place?"

Wang Chu nodded. "Yes, this is it."

Chuxue reached out, and with Wang Chu’s assistance, she stepped down from the carriage. After glancing around, she remarked, "It doesn't seem like anything special."

Wang Chu looked up at the hillside. "Don't speak too soon."

Chuxue coughed twice. "Fine, I’ll wait and see."

Wang Chu smiled and asked, "Can you still walk?"

Chuxue, her face slightly pale, replied, "I can."

No sooner had she finished speaking than she coughed again, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

Wang Chu stepped forward, wiped the blood away with a handkerchief, and said, "Better let me carry you. I’m afraid you’ll be exhausted to death before we even reach the spot."

Chuxue blinked rapidly. "Carry... carry me?"

Wang Chu crouched down, extended his arms, and said half-jokingly, "Get on. We’ve already slept together, so what’s a little piggyback ride?"

Chuxue pressed her lips together slightly. "Fine."

Her body slowly settled onto Wang Chu's back. Chuxue had assumed that Wang Chu, who looked somewhat lean, would struggle to carry her. In reality, however, he carried her with remarkable ease. As he walked up the hillside, he didn't even pant; his breathing remained steady, and his gait was firm and reassuring.

"I never would have guessed you were in such good shape."

Wang Chu boasted proudly, "I can't speak for much, but I, Wang Chu, have two things going for me: strong legs and a very good waist."

Hearing this, Chuxue suddenly recalled something she had read in a book, and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Can't you be serious for once?"

Wang Chu feigned ignorance. "What do you mean? What’s wrong with saying I have a good waist and strong legs? Is there a problem with that?"

Chuxue replied, "I’ve seen what you’re talking about in books. People who usually say things like that are..."

Chuxue felt too embarrassed to continue, though an image had already formed in her mind, one she couldn't shake off no matter how hard she tried.

Wang Chu tutted. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought you were innocent, but it turns out you read those kinds of books."

Chuxue quickly defended herself. "No... I don't! I only read romantic novels! Don't misunderstand!"

Wang Chu said, "That’s exactly what I’m talking about. What did you think I meant? Unless..."

Chuxue felt a bit guilty. "Stop it, I didn't read them! I just... glanced at a few pages, that's all."

"Right, right, a few pages—what a great excuse."

For once, Chuxue felt genuinely flustered. "Fine, I read the whole thing, so what? Haven't you ever read them?"

Wang Chu declared righteously, "I certainly haven't."

"I don't believe you."

"I really haven't."

"Liar!"

The two continued their playful bickering until they reached the top of the hillside. Looking down from the peak, the view was entirely different from the foot of the hill: the rolling mountains and trees were all draped in a coat of ice. A layer of white clouds spread across the mountainside, and above these clouds, a single wisp of smoke rose straight into the sky from a house.

Chuxue, having climbed down from Wang Chu's back, looked at the scenery. She reached out, closed her eyes, and let the cold wind ruffle her hair and brush against her face. "This place doesn't seem so bad after all; it's not as boring as I first thought."

Wang Chu took two chairs out of his storage ring. "You sit here for a moment; I’ll go build a fire."

Chuxue asked curiously, "Why do you need a fire?"

Wang Chu arranged the chairs and pointed toward the woods behind them. "Since we're here, we obviously have to hunt some game to eat."

Chuxue’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Is this what the books call a picnic?"

Wang Chu nodded. "Something like that."

A smile bloomed on Chuxue’s face. "That sounds lovely."

...

In the woods, two pairs of eyes were secretly observing Wang Chu and Chuxue. One pair belonged to Jiang Wan, and the other to her attendant, a woman named Si Bingyan who had been with her in the pavilion earlier.

"This guy brings a master above the Soul Transformation stage here so mysteriously, and it's just to sightsee? And this master looks so sickly, as if she doesn't have long to live... no, that can't be right," Jiang Wan whispered through a telepathic transmission to Si Bingyan while watching Wang Chu arrange the chairs.

Before Si Bingyan could respond, Jiang Wan figured out the "reason" and realized with a start, "It’s a ruse! Yes, he’s creating a facade to deceive others! If I hadn't come here myself and had only used my divine sense or sent subordinates to investigate, I would have been fooled! I want to see exactly what kind of trickery he’s hiding here!"

Jiang Wan focused her mind and began to use various magical artifacts to probe the surroundings, including the ground beneath them. These artifacts shared a common trait: they generated no spiritual fluctuations and were extremely difficult to detect.

"The Eye of Breaking Barriers is useless? Then I'll try the Bracelet of Ultimate Truth."

"This guy really has hidden himself well; even the Bracelet of Ultimate Truth is useless! I’ll have to try the Three Thousand Breaking Precepts."

"Even the Three Thousand Breaking Precepts don't work? It seems I have no choice but to use the Questioning Stone."

Watching the Eldest Princess continuously deploy various artifacts, Si Bingyan sighed helplessly and transmitted, "Your Highness, is there a possibility that Wang Chu is actually just out for a stroll and enjoying the view?"

Jiang Wan, who was about to use her trump-card artifact, froze. She then rejected the idea with unwavering conviction: "Impossible! Why would a cultivator above the Soul Transformation stage accompany him here just to look at the scenery? Is she sick in the head? That’s exactly why I say this guy is deep—he’s even managed to fool you."

...

"Boom!"

A campfire roared to life on the ground. Wang Chu stood up, clapped his hands, and looked toward the woods with a meaningful smile. "Wait here for me. I’m going into the woods to catch some game."

Chuxue reached her hands toward the fire, gazing at the beautiful scenery in the distance. "Okay, be careful."

Wang Chu turned and waved. "Don't worry, I hunt here often. I know this place like the back of my hand."

With that, Wang Chu walked into the woods.

Jiang Wan, hiding in the forest, saw Wang Chu walking toward her and her heart jumped into her throat. "Oh no, has he discovered us?"