Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 409 - 257 Self-Directed and Self-Acted_2

Chapter 409: Chapter 257 Self-Directed and Self-Acted_2

Either their realms are unfathomable, or it is clear that they are affiliated with the Purple Cloud Immortal Palace; such treatment is unlikely for average sect disciples with common cultivation.

"Fellow immortal, you are not aware."

A cultivator looking somewhat aged behind politely clasped his hands with white hair and beard, appearing quite experienced, and even the Commandery Princess treated him with great courtesy.

For mundane loose cultivators, reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment is already quite an accomplishment; each of the nine realms of the Immortal Sect is a high wall that is difficult to surpass, and at his age, his path to immortality had already come to an end.

For ordinary cultivators, achieving Core Formation before the age of a hundred was already as fortunate as smoke rising from one’s ancestral graves; not everyone is an abnormal prodigy like these three.

"Princess His Highness is indeed intelligent and talented, possessing a level of cultivation at such a young age."

"But it is precisely because of her extraordinary talents that she topped the ranks among the younger generation in the sword fighting tournament held in the Imperial City two years ago, bringing great joy to the Emperor, who then rewarded the Princess with a treasure."

"This object is called the Shadow Concealing Bead, with no combat power but capable of self-preservation. Once used, it can conceal one’s form and vanish without a trace. It was a top-tier Magic Treasure sent by the Joyful Sect when King Liang ascended to the throne over a decade ago."

"But now that an incident has occurred, I’m afraid the Invisibility Pearl has also fallen into the hands of the thief, and the originally life-saving Magic Treasure is now making it hard to pursue the thief, alas."

"Now we can only rely on the vast Divine Skills of several esteemed fellow immortals."

He clasped his hands again.

"Absolutely, we shall depart immediately."

After returning the greeting, the youth walked out the gate. The Longsword behind him unsheathed itself, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light and disappeared, astonishing those present and arousing their envy.

So accomplished at a young age, none of them had seen such a young sect disciple capable of Core Formation in their many years in Dongliang City.

The Longsword cut through the sky, and the three left the city together, the faint sense of being watched gradually fading. Only after traveling four or five miles out of the city did the youth suddenly stop.

"Alright, let’s wait here."

"Huh?"

The man was just serious, seeming to have some leads.

Beneath Cen Yueyue, the Longsword flashing with silver light came to a sudden stop, and Cen Zhuangzhuang, who was charging like a bull, also halted. Although he didn’t know why, he felt that this Brother Jiang was more reliable than his own sister.

"Hey, you enchantress! Coming to our Central Plains with ill intentions and even abducting a good woman; swiftly return the Princess, or do not blame me for being impolite!"

"..."

The dark-skinned strong man fell silent, feeling it would be more appropriate to retract his thoughts from just prior; Brother Jiang was as unreliable as his own sister.

"Are you courting death?"

He lifted his foot and gave Jiang Feng a kick in the rear.

"This matter has nothing to do with us from the Southern Border; no, with the Cen Family. Only my grandfather and I came from the Cen Family, hmph, it must be one of the other families."

He opened his mouth, but then hesitated.

It wasn’t Jiang Feng, but Cen Zhuangzhuang; he originally wanted to ask if he was not human, but his clever little brain glitched at that moment, so he simply didn’t speak, innocently scratching his head.

"Sophistry, hmph, no need to hide. I now know why we bumped into each other; I didn’t expect you to resort to such despicable tactics and use your charms."

"I’m going to fight you with all I’ve got!"

She lunged over with bared teeth and claws, both of them playing gleefully without any sense of tension, just as they had interacted in Shuangfeng City before.

Cen Yueyue belongs to the lively and active type, and if you approach her with the pretense of being a noble gentleman of gentle and refined demeanor, she would only look down upon you; it’s just that young girls always have a bit of rebellion.

What she has seen the most since she was a child are outstanding disciples from various great sects, and in her words, these people are all quite dull, as if carved from the same mold.

Their faces always carry a genteel and amiable smile, through which a touch of pride for their family and sect is revealed. They are polite and gentlemanly, pretending not to care about her while always trying to close the distance.

Doesn’t it sound familiar?

In fact, Purple Cloud Palace also had plenty of such strictness.

Girls with strict upbringings naturally seek the excitement and freshness they can’t usually get. That’s why the naïve ones often fall for sweet talkers who make them fall head over heels.

Jiang Feng satisfies her spiritual needs on various levels, providing spiritual value, and with his decent strength, he’s attentive in his care, which naturally gives a sense of safety, and thus their feelings quickly grow warmer.

After a brief pursuit, Cen Yueyue placed her hands on her hips, all trace of the proper lady that she was at the commandery princess’s residence gone.

"People are anxiously waiting for us to start searching for the princess, why aren’t you in any hurry? Didn’t Liu Xianzi send you here to look for someone?"

To everyone’s surprise, Jiang Feng merely brushed the dust off his pants, his smile undiminished.

"Didn’t you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"This matter has nothing to do with your Southern Border or the Demon Clan."

Confused, it was clear that Cen Yueyue had never thought in this direction, and without further explanation, Jiang Feng stopped walking, took the rolled-up portrait in hand and spread it out again.

They had all glanced at it briefly before, but without careful examination, only upon closer observation does one realize that this isn’t a simple ink brush painting, but one richly colored with various pigments, rendering Princess Yu vividly lifelike.

She appeared like a dewdrop in the morning sun, noble and graceful, with a gentle demeanor that seemed to hide something indescribable beneath it.

The first impression was that this princess was sincere, but it felt like she had hidden motives, a sense of strategizing behind the scenes.

"Let me ask, what kind of person could kidnap a kingdom’s princess right under everyone’s nose, without alarming any experts, with her disappearance going unnoticed for several days?"

"Huh?"

Twisting her head, Cen Yueyue replied as if it were obvious: "Isn’t that normal? Although the princess is a cultivator, I’ve heard she’s underage, at most a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. How high could her cultivation be? Any Core Formation cultivator could capture her."

"You really are a sheltered lady who’s never laid hands on spring water."

Sighing, just as Cen Yueyue raised her eyebrows ready to respond, Jiang Feng continued, "The Dongliang City we just left is merely a commandery city, and it has several Core Formation masters and quite a few at the Foundation Establishment Peak."

"For a country like Country Liang, slightly larger than Long Country, their reserve power is usually not too strong, but neither too weak. I have inquired, and the state cities have two Nascent Soul Stage experts."

"With this as a basis, we can surmise that the Imperial City most likely harbors several Divinity Transformation Stage experts, with at least one Refining Void big shot in residence."

"Do you think someone at the Unification realm would have nothing better to do than kidnap another’s daughter?"

It sounded somewhat reasonable.

Not allowing for a reply, Jiang Feng continued, "Think about it, have we encountered any Nascent Soul Stage experts from this country on our journey?"

She shook her head, having seen none. Initially, she thought there weren’t any, but now it seemed otherwise?

"With such urgency, at this point, a rare genius girl, who was the champion among her peers two years ago, winning at only twelve or thirteen years old. If such a person is abducted, wouldn’t King Liang be furious?"

"The dogs in the Imperial City might as well be leashed to serve voluntarily as guard dogs!"

"Half a month without news, then hearing of a lead on the girl’s whereabouts nearby, can you guess King Liang’s reaction now?"

"And what is their reaction currently?"

It suddenly dawned on her.

She had felt something odd and out of place regarding this matter. Logically, they should spare no effort to search for the girl. This slow response was indeed excessive.

"Did you catch what they said earlier? The Joyful Sect presented a gift to King Liang, who then bestowed it on his youngest daughter—a Magic Treasure called Five Thunder True Method. In addition to nearing adulthood and enjoying the richest cultivation resources for a decade, she was seen near East Liang City..."

At this point, Jiang Feng rolled up the somewhat eerie portrait again.

"That young girl seems likely to have heard about Sect Disciples gathering and might be planning to come and assassinate us herself."