The term "eight-hundred-mile express" wouldn't do it justice, but even so, two full days had passed by the time Yao Ye received the urgent message.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword as she read the letter, a murderous rage building within her. She wished she could drag the Wang brothers here right now and cut them to pieces.
She took a deep, steadying breath, not in the mood for explanations. For the first time, she left her post without permission, riding immediately for the palace with the letter in hand. She needed to discuss this with Jia Xingtian.
As she departed, the soldiers on the parade ground fell silent as cicadas in winter. They exchanged frightened glances, having never before witnessed the First Princess in such a state of fury.
The outside world never learned what Yao Ye and Jia Xingtian discussed within the palace walls. What they did see, however, was the First Princess emerging near noon, clad in full military armor. She led a retinue of nearly twenty people, mounted on flying Magical Beasts, and they departed from the capital in a great hurry.
Those with sharp eyes recognized a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard among them.
Something big is happening.
The thought echoed in the minds of all who watched them leave.
The deputy commander, Wei Ping, was a genuine Dou Wang. And while he wasn't ranked among the top ten strongest experts in the empire, no one dared to underestimate him. To see him personally dispatched meant the situation was dire indeed.
What the onlookers didn't know was that Yao Ye's entourage was even more formidable than they imagined. Aside from the Dou Wang Wei Ping, every single person with her was at least an Eight-Star Dou Shi. The true strength of the royal family's foundation was, for the first time, on full display.
"Full speed," Yao Ye commanded, her face a mask of cold fury. "Ignore everything else."
For reasons both public and private, she had to get to the Magical Beast Mountains as quickly as possible. Chen Guan was missing, not confirmed dead. Deep down, she refused to believe he could die so easily. It was almost a cowardly thought, but no one knew the boy better than she did. Would someone so intelligent, so cunning, truly seek his own death?
She wouldn't believe it even if they killed her for it.
Therefore, if he is alive, I must see him with my own eyes. If he is dead, I must see the body.
She was prepared to dig three feet into the earth around the Magical Beast Mountains if she had to.
Nalan Clan Estate
Nalan Jie leaned wearily against his bed, his face sullen as he listened to Nalan Su's report. He remained calm until his son asked if they should send men to investigate. Then, his anger erupted.
"Fool!" he roared. "You want to investigate the royal family's movements? Now? If I weren't poisoned, perhaps it would be fine. But to do something so reckless at a time like this... Do you want to ruin the future of the Nalan Clan?"
"Father, calm down. It was just a suggestion," Nalan Su placated. "But... should we tell Yanran?"
Informing Nalan Yanran was, of course, a thinly veiled excuse to inform the Misty Cloud Sect.
Nalan Jie sighed, exhausted. "Leave her out of it."
He understood his son's intentions—to hedge their bets. But the royal family had made such a public spectacle of their departure. Did the Misty Cloud Sect truly need to be informed? They would already know.
Mitel Clan
Mitel Tengshan had witnessed Yao Ye's grand departure with his own eyes. As a merchant, his senses were sharp. He smelled an opportunity for profit. He immediately summoned a clan elder, a powerful Dou Ling known for his shrewd mind.
"Get some information," Tengshan instructed. "And you can go join the fun yourself. If the royal family requires assistance, feel free to offer it. Use your discretion. I have confidence in you."
The Misty Cloud Mountains
North of the Imperial Capital, several mountains floated impossibly in the sky. This was the home of the Misty Cloud Sect, the most powerful sect in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Great Elder, Yun Leng, stood before Sect Master Yun Yun, reporting the news and awaiting her instructions.
"Send an elder to ascertain the details," Yun Yun said, her voice calm and measured. "Do not intervene until the situation is clear."
"Understood, Sect Master."
As Yun Leng departed, Yun Yun released a soft sigh. Since becoming Sect Master, her fatigue had multiplied. The endless stream of complicated matters demanding her attention left her with little time for her own cultivation. In over a year, her strength had only increased by a single star.
Yun Yun was not obsessed with power; she had accepted the position out of a sense of duty. Her naturally aloof temperament meant she had no interest in meddling with the royal family's affairs, but she had a responsibility to ensure nothing would harm the sect.
It was a delicate, wearying balance.
Chen Guan could never have imagined that his simple disappearance would ripple outward like this, the flap of a butterfly's wings causing a tidal wave.
All eyes were on the royal family. Overnight, a tense undercurrent of speculation and suspicion swept through the Imperial Capital, and it was only growing stronger.
When Yao Ye arrived at Magical Beast Town, met with the Wang brothers, and took command of the City Lord's mansion to officially begin the search, many powerful figures could no longer sit still.
Rumors began to fly. The royal family had found something in the mountains. No one knew what. Some whispered it was the hidden cave of a legendary expert. Others claimed it was a high-level treasure. A few even dared to suggest it was the egg of a Rank 7 Magical Beast. The tales were wild and impossible to verify, but the royal family's massive, overt response lent them a deceptive air of credibility.
Within days, Mitel Tengshan arrived. Yun Sheng, a Dou Wang from the Misty Cloud Sect, also appeared. Even the powerful Yan Shi, the Lion King, heard the news and came to join the spectacle.
Who could have predicted that the small, rustic town on the edge of the mountains would one day host such a gathering of titans, including four Dou Wangs—two of whom were ranked among the top ten experts in the entire empire.
Yao Ye greeted them all with a silent, cold sneer. She had never seen people so eager to serve as free labor. It was a pity Yun Yun herself hadn't been drawn here; her presence would have made the search far more thorough.
On second thought, it made sense. The royal family had, after all, only dispatched one Dou Wang to lead the public-facing effort. In the eyes of these "clever" opportunists, that likely meant the treasure was valuable, but only valuable enough to warrant a single Dou Wang's attention. If it were something truly world-shaking, Jia Xingtian would have come himself.
The search party moved with terrifying efficiency, especially with several Dou Wangs leading the charge. No beast in the outer regions could stand against them. But the area was still immense, and a complete search would take time.
It was worth noting that Yao Ye did not overly blame the Wang brothers. Her initial rage had cooled during her journey. Strictly speaking, they had not failed in their duty. Wang Dalang, in particular, had nearly gotten himself killed venturing deep into the mountains to search. Even now, he was still bedridden, recovering from his ordeal.
Magical Beast Town was still the same town, yet everything felt different.
The mercenaries, whose boisterous vulgarity usually filled the streets, now spoke in hushed tones, as if they had all been collectively neutered. The stark contrast with their rough appearances was almost comical. Even the perpetually bustling Ten Thousand Medicine House had grown quiet these past few days.
The Little Fairy Doctor had the day off. Resting her chin on her hands, she gazed out toward the mountains.
She had a vague suspicion that the source of all this commotion wasn't nearly as complicated as the rumors suggested. She suspected it was all related to the boy who brought her Fire Fox meat.
When Yao Ye had first arrived, the Little Fairy Doctor had caught a glimpse of her from afar. The princess's face was etched with anxiety, not the greedy excitement one would expect from someone searching for treasure.
Of course, she kept these thoughts to herself.
Deep down, she, too, hoped they would find him.
But the fact that Yao Ye, the First Princess of the Jia Ma Empire, cared so deeply for him made Xiao Yixian intensely curious about the boy's true identity. Unconsciously, her mind began to wander down a path very similar to Wang Dalang's.
A prince? The emperor's illegitimate son? Or... her secret lover?
Curiosity was a powerful thing.
While Magical Beast Town was in turmoil, the culprit who had caused it all was sweating profusely, trapped in a dark room at the bottom of a lake.
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