Lan Xinyu's group of three moved very fast. They had only been delayed for a short while at the rocky cliff stretch since they had to wait for Pei Qianqian. As Pei Qianqian's cultivation was the weakest amongst the three of them, her speed was the slowest as they were leaping across the stone wall. Due to this, Lan Xinyu was grumbling the whole way.
"Qianqian, can you not always stop? It was the same last year. You're always so burdensome. Yuanfeng's cultivation has improved every year. Why didn't you raise the level of your cultivation even a little?" nagged Lan Xinyu at Pei Qianqian curtly.
Pei Qianqian's expression dimmed as she lowered her head. Although she didn't say a word, whenever she was out of Lan Xinyu's sight, she would bite her lower lip so hard, the skin on her lip almost split.
"That's enough, Xinyu. There's no need to say anymore." Shu Yuanfeng interrupted Lan Xinyu as he could not bear to continue watching without interfering any longer. "There are human figures up ahead, they look like they could be Ling Chuxi and the rest."
"It's them! Hurry!" Lan Xinyu raised her head and saw Ling Chuxi and two others up ahead. She let out an excited exclamation and hastened her pace to catch up.
Pei Qianqian was left behind. Shu Yuanfeng hesitated to rush off after Lan Xinyu. Instead, he slowed down to be alongside Pei Qianqian and comforted her in a hushed voice. "Don't mind it too much, Qianqian. Xinyu's temper is as such. Though her words are unpleasant, don't take it to heart."
Pei Qianqian whipped her head up to look at Shu Yuanfeng. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she kept silent and just nodded her head slightly. Then, she continued to leap forward to chase after Lan Xinyu.
...
Ling Chuxi was walking ahead of Ling Yichen and the fifth princess. She was so annoyed at the fifth princess, she really wanted to beat her up.
"Master, what do you think of the pills in my bag? Are there any amongst them you find worthy?" asked the fifth princess enthusiastically.
"None. They're just items one can use while playing house," replied Ling Chuxi curtly.
"Then master, when will you teach me how to make stuff that isn't for playing house? You're really awesome, master! You combined my pills and made an even more amazing poison just like that. The most amazing thing is how you managed to casually come up with an antidote by just rubbing some pills together. How did you do it?" The fifth princess asked incessant questions excitedly. If this had taken place in the recent past, if other people had dared to scorn her poison, the fifth princess would have attacked them already and made it so that they would live wishing they were dead. But now, on the contrary, she felt extremely happy being despised by Ling Chuxi. The more Ling Chuxi despised her poisons, the more awesome Ling Chuxi appeared!
"Move aside. Quietly rush through this journey first. Then, wait till I'm in a good mood, and I'll teach you then." Ling Chuxi had a headache from being annoyed by the fifth princess. It was as if an annoying fly was buzzing right by her ear.
"Yes, okay. I will shut up!" The fifth princess opened her mouth, making an o-shape with her lips as she was about to say something else, but then decided against it and shut her mouth. Then she obediently bounced aside to walk alongside Ling Chuxi with her head lowered and her eyes compliant.
The two secret guards tasked with protecting the fifth princess watched this scene unfold from the shadows. They looked at one another, thinking of jabbing the other's eyes out to confirm if they were really seeing their unruly princess who had always made their heads ache behaving as an incredibly obedient young maiden. Since jabbing one's own eyes out was not feasible, jabbing the other party's eyes out was the way to go.
"That is the fifth princess, right?" muttered the first secret guard to the second.
"Say, do your eyes hurt?" replied the second secret guard.
"They do indeed," responded the first guard in kind.
"How much? If they don't hurt that much then let me give your eyes another jab." The second guard exhaled a cold breath and railed at his colleague, "I said let me give your eyes just another jab you motherf***er! I almost died of pain from yours! If that isn't the princess then who else could it be?!" The second guard calmed himself before continuing, "This Ling Chuxi is really capable. The princess has caused headaches for the emperor and Concubine Li for such a long time. Even they were not able to control her. But now, things have changed to become as such."