Zhong Ling had always called him a useless prince who would wet his pants in fear, yet here he was being dragged by the collar through the dense forest.

Xiao Tian, who was being carried, remained completely unfazed, calmly gnawing on a roasted wild boar leg in his hand.

"The taste is really not bad. It's a pity you can't try it, Wang Cai," Xiao Tian teased the system while savoring his meal.

He had no awareness of his predicament of being kidnapped.

[That is my regret, esteemed master.]

The system replied cautiously, knowing it had to choose its words carefully. If this master was displeased, it could be wiped out.

The person who had captured Xiao Tian moved swiftly, and before long, they arrived in a valley.

"The person is here," the black-clothed person who had abducted Xiao Tian said, throwing him to the ground after landing.

Three figures who had been waiting in the valley turned their gaze toward Xiao Tian, their expressions momentarily freezing.

Sitting on the ground, Xiao Tian continued to gnaw on his roasted pork leg, seemingly oblivious to his situation.

"Old Four, are you sure you didn't grab the wrong person?" The leader of the four black-clothed individuals, a thin man, frowned. "Could the Empress's husband really be such a fool?"

The two black-clothed individuals beside him also wore strange expressions.

Being kidnapped and still eating so calmly—what else could he be but a fool?

The four of them looked at Xiao Tian and shook their heads, engaging in idle chatter among themselves.

In the shadows of the bushes at the edge of the valley, Zhong Ling crouched, her mouth twitching.

Watching Xiao Tian still gnawing on meat, Zhong Ling sighed inwardly, "He really has a big heart. What did Her Majesty see in him?"

"However..."

Looking at the four people ahead, Zhong Ling's expression turned serious, and sweat began to form in her palms.

From the moment she started following them, she sensed something was off, and now, upon closer inspection, it was confirmed.

These four were likely assassins from the Bloodcloud Pavilion.

Bloodcloud Pavilion, the top assassin organization in the Southern Wastelands, had business spanning the entire region. These people were probably from the Great Yan Dynasty branch.

"This is not going to be simple!" Zhong Ling felt the pressure mounting.

The Bloodcloud Pavilion's branch headquarters in the Great Yan Dynasty was so elusive that even the Empress couldn't locate it, making it a tough nut to crack.

Why had the Bloodcloud Pavilion suddenly kidnapped Xiao Tian? What were they planning?

The best course of action now was to quickly take Xiao Tian away and avoid confronting the four of them.

Having made up her mind, Zhong Ling carefully observed, waiting for the moment when the four were relaxed in their conversation, and then suddenly sprang into action.

Her powerful legs tensed, and in the next moment, she burst forth with terrifying strength, charging out of her hiding place like a leopard.

"Let's go!" Zhong Ling shouted in a low voice, reaching out to grab Xiao Tian.

Though she didn't know what they were plotting, as long as she rescued Xiao Tian and returned to the Imperial City from Qingyan Mountain, the Bloodcloud Pavilion assassins wouldn't dare act recklessly.

Buzz!

As soon as Zhong Ling got close to Xiao Tian, a trembling sound arose, and spiritual energy fluctuations surged forth.

"Not good, it's a trap." Zhong Ling's face turned anxious as she tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Chains formed from spiritual energy patterns shot out from the ground, transforming into a cage that trapped Zhong Ling.

"Spiritual Chain Cage Array?" Zhong Ling looked at the slowly flowing spiritual energy chains around her, her face dark as water. "A sixth-tier sealing array, you really do think highly of me."

"Hahaha, a prodigy who reached the fifth-tier Sky-breaking Realm at just sixteen deserves enough respect," the lead assassin from the Bloodcloud Pavilion said, turning to look at the trapped Zhong Ling with a laugh.

Sitting on the ground, silently watching the drama unfold while gnawing on his roasted pork leg, Xiao Tian asked inwardly, "Wang Cai, what is this Sky-breaking Realm thing? Explain."

[In the current realm where the master resides, cultivation is divided into ten tiers.]

 

[First tier: Body Refinement Realm, Second tier: Qi Gathering Realm, Third tier: Core Condensation Realm, Fourth tier: Nirvana Realm, Fifth tier: Sky-breaking Realm, Sixth tier: Life-and-Death Realm, Seventh tier: Awakening Realm, Eighth tier: Transcendence Realm, Ninth tier: Saint Ascension Realm, Tenth tier: Saint Realm.]

 

[Each tier is divided into nine levels.]

Xiao Tian became interested and asked while eating, "So, what realm am I in now?"

[The master's realm is none, an ordinary person.]

"......"

Meanwhile.

Zhong Ling, trapped within the array, didn't make any unnecessary moves. A sixth-tier sealing array was difficult to break.

Her real concern wasn't being trapped herself, but what the other side was plotting.

The four assassins in front of her knew she was secretly protecting Xiao Tian and had set up the array in advance to trap her.

Earlier, when they were chatting and lowering their guard, it was a deliberate attempt to lure her in.

But Zhong Ling didn't give up. She lightly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze scanning the surrounding sealing array.

"Don't waste your efforts. This array is specially designed to counter your Defense-breaking Slash."

The sudden voice of the lead assassin made Zhong Ling's body stiffen.

"Who are you?" Zhong Ling gripped the hilt tightly, staring at the other party. "How do you know?"

The Defense-breaking Slash was her trump card. How could this Bloodcloud Pavilion assassin know about it?

"How do I know?" The lead assassin removed his mask, revealing a face marred by a knife scar. "You tell me, how do I know?"

She was shocked: "Liang Shou, you're Liang Shou from the Smoke Wolf Village, you're not dead!!"

The Smoke Wolf Village had been a scourge in the area, and a year ago, she had personally led a team to eradicate it, capturing the bandit leader Liang Shou and executing him publicly.

Why...

Liang Shou looked at Zhong Ling's bewildered expression and sneered, "Little brat."

Then, noticing Xiao Tian had finished his roasted pork leg, his mouth twitched.

This guy really had a big heart.

"It's time to get down to business, pretty boy of the Empress." Liang Shou reached out, grabbed Xiao Tian by the collar, and lifted him off the ground.

Xiao Tian let himself be pulled up, looking like a lazy fish.

Seeing Xiao Tian's fearless expression, Liang Shou chuckled, "After all, being that woman's husband, you do have some guts."

As he spoke, Liang Shou helped Xiao Tian stand up straight and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Do you want to live?"

Xiao Tian put on an obedient and honest look, "I do!"

"Wanting to live is simple. There's a task for you," Liang Shou flipped his hand, revealing a paper packet between his fingers. "Dissolve this in water and splash it on the Empress's martial training ground."

"It's not difficult. If you do it, not only will you save your life, but you can also..."

"No problem!" Before Liang Shou could finish his coercive and enticing speech, Xiao Tian had already reached out, taken the paper packet, and tucked it into his sleeve.

"......" Liang Shou was silent for a moment, then took out a jade bottle. "A verbal promise isn't enough. As long as you..."

Xiao Tian snatched the jade bottle, uncorked it, and swallowed the poison inside in one gulp.

"Can I leave now?" Xiao Tian handed the poison bottle back to Liang Shou, looking sincere. "I'm worried that if I take too long, the female guards will get suspicious, which wouldn't be good for helping you."

Liang Shou was speechless for a long time, just staring blankly at Xiao Tian.

In response, Xiao Tian frowned.

He was really tired of all the fighting and killing. He just wanted to deal with it casually, go back to eating roasted meat, drinking a little wine, and being a happy little prince.

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He had cooperated so much, yet the guy in front of him wasn't responding?

However, it wasn't that the person had no reaction.

It was just that Xiao Tian's actions had completely disrupted Liang Shou's train of thought.

This was beyond the scope of the question.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan