Chapter 281: Chapter 281 Minister under the Skirt (3)
 

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”

The pleas echoed in the empty corridor, the voice like a broken bellows, scratchy and unpleasant.

“Your Excellency, don’t kill me. I was just too hungry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Too hungry!

Does this thing want to eat me?

Frightened, Chuzheng hit the thing a few more times with something until it stopped moving, and only then did she cease.

What was originally planned as ‘lure the enemy before striking’ died abruptly.

Chuzheng took down a candlestick from the wall… How do you light it again?

Chuzheng recalled for a moment, trying to call upon the so-called Xuan Qi within her body.

In this world, cultivators start by cultivating Xuan Qi, and newcomers are uniformly called Xuan Masters.

After Xuan Master comes Xuan King, Xuan Imperial, Xuan Zong, Xuan Emperor, Xuan Venerable, and Xuan Saint.

Each major rank is further divided into nine minor ranks.

For example, for Xuan Masters, there are First Grade Xuan Masters up to Ninth Grade Xuan Masters.

It’s only after one becomes a Ninth Grade Xuan Master that one can become a First Grade Xuan King, and so on.

The ranks are easy to distinguish, one can simply tell by the color.

The Grand Imperial Princess is an Eighth Grade Xuan King, which among the younger generation is considered top-notch.

But the original owner… her Xuan Qi color is colorless.

Although I don’t know what rank that is, it’s still pretty impressive.

Chuzheng, following her memories, used her Xuan Qi to light the candlestick, and the light illuminated a small area.

Chuzheng first glanced at the shadow she had just attacked.

It’s like a tree root…

Yes, a tree root.

Chuzheng turned to look at Xie Shu, who was more than ten meters away. There were drag marks on the ground, and his ankles and wrists were still entangled with tree roots.

Chuzheng went back, placing the candlestick to the side.

She had just squatted down when Xie Shu abruptly opened his eyes.

With tree roots twisted around his wrists and feet, Xie Shu’s expression first showed rage, then he scornfully hissed, “What, Your Highness is so impatient that even in such a place you’re still thinking about that sort of thing?”

Chuzheng: “…”

What sort of thing do I still have the mood to do?

I just want to untie you…

Has the Good Person Card gone crazy?!

Chuzheng’s face remained cold and impassive as she broke the tree roots off his wrists and feet before standing up and walking away.

Xie Shu: “…”

The moment he opened his eyes and found himself bound, his first instinct was that she wanted to do something to him, after all, that had always been her purpose.

But now, Xie Shu noticed that something about their surroundings was amiss.

He lifted his hand, the thick liquid on his wrist was revolting.

Not far away lay something that resembled tree roots, and the thing that had bound him had extended from there…

Xie Shu’s delicate and bewitching face flickered in the candlelight, his expression unclear, as he propped himself up to stand.

“Your Highness can still deal with a Shadow Tree Beast even when injured, impressive,” Xie Shu said, leaning against the wall with a chilling tone.

Chuzheng gave him a look: “Shut up.”

Xie Shu: “…”

Xie Shu looked at Chuzheng oddly.

His eyes latched onto the dark bloodstain on her shoulder; the bloodstain seemed to still be bleeding.

Her wound was still bleeding…

So that’s why she was putting on this act, to prevent him from finding an opportunity to kill her?

“Your Highness, perhaps I could look at your wound for you?”

Xie Shu offered helpfully, but whatever malice he was harboring, only he was clear of it.

“I am not Chu Yingyu.” The Grand Imperial Princess is called Chu Yingyu, and if he keeps thinking I am her, how can I be a good person?

Xie Shu chuckled lowly: “Your Highness, there’s no need to deny your own identity. Even if I wanted to do something to you, considering how you are now, I wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on you.”

She looked somewhat weak.

“`

But in front of him, I’m just a piece of trash…

With that thought, Xie Shu’s murderous intent grew even stronger.

All of this was thanks to the person before him.

“Believe it or not.”

Chuzheng couldn’t be bothered to argue with Good Person Card.

“If you don’t believe it, shut up.” Stop spouting nonsense, it’s so annoying.

Xie Shu: “…”

Though Xie Shu felt that Chuzheng seemed a bit off compared to before, he thought it was because of their current situation and she didn’t dare show too much weakness.

Xie Shu found a place to lean on and began cleaning the filth off his body.

The mucus from the Shadow Tree Beast wasn’t poisonous, but it was disgusting.

Patter patter…

“There are tracks here, it ran this way.”

“Chase it quickly.”

“It’s injured, it definitely won’t get far.”

The sound of footsteps and voices echoed, one after the other, as a light gradually appeared from the distant corridor.

Chuzheng looked over there and saw three figures appearing.

Seeming to notice someone here, the three paused briefly and approached warily.

“Shadow Tree Beast!”

The girl among them exclaimed softly.

The young man on the left sized up Chuzheng with a glance, speaking in a not-so-friendly tone: “So it’s the Grand Imperial Princess of Jingyuan, pardon me.”

Before, only a single candlestick in the corridor provided light, but with the arrival of these three people, the entire passageway was almost illuminated.

Chuzheng didn’t recognize them.

But the original owner of the body did.

Aside from Jingyuan Country, this world also had three other nations: Jianing Country, Xia Country, and Jinchuan Country.

These three people were from Xia Country.

Xia Country had always been at odds with Jingyuan. They believed that a woman ruling was an insult to men and sought to destroy Jingyuan.

“I heard that the Grand Imperial Princess has a male pet of peerless beauty. I never thought that the Grand Imperial Princess would bring him along to a place like this. Truly, even in death under the peony, one would remain a romantic ghost.”

The young man’s unrestrained gaze fell on Xie Shu.

There was disdain, contempt, and arrogance.

Perhaps he thought that for a person like Xie Shu to be a woman’s male pet was a desecration of masculinity.

Xie Shu’s hand tightened subtly within his sleeve.

During this trip, Xie Shu had seen too many such gazes, but each time they were infuriating.

“Guo Zhen, stop talking trash, let’s catch the Shadow Tree Beast first.” The girl spoke up.

Chuzheng agreed with the girl; the guy talked too much. Take him down!

Guo Zhen glanced at the Shadow Tree Beast lying not far from Chuzheng: “Grand Imperial Princess, this Shadow Tree Beast is ours.”

As he spoke, he walked over, reaching out to grab the Shadow Tree Beast.

If these three had shown up and asked for the Shadow Tree Beast, Chuzheng might have given them the disgusting creature.

But they started with a round of sarcastic jeering, so Chuzheng was not willing to hand it over.

With a slight movement of Chuzheng’s wrist, a flash of silver light appeared, and the Shadow Tree Beast turned to dust the moment Guo Zhen touched it.

The entire corridor fell eerily silent.

“Guo Zhen, what are you doing!”

The girl rushed forward and pushed Guo Zhen away.

The ground was left with only some powder; there was no trace of the Shadow Tree Beast.

The girl’s face flushed with anger as she glared at Guo Zhen.

Guo Zhen was also utterly bewildered and hurried to explain: “Princess, I… I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault, I didn’t even touch it.”

“I saw it with my own eyes!” the Princess exclaimed with eyes reddening with urgency: “Do you not want to save people? I knew it, you’ve always been at odds with Brother Mo, you want him to die, don’t you!!”

“Princess, I didn’t.”

“Princess, I believe Guo Zhen isn’t that kind of person, and we’re not alone here,” another young man reminded.

Guo Zhen abruptly turned to face Chuzheng: “Chu Yingyu, did you do this!?”