Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Maid Xiaoxiang, Unable to Live, Unable to Die

The trip to Cloud Stone Mountain went smoothly, with no unexpected incidents. If there was anything to be gained from it, it was only witnessing the entire process of iron ore being mined from the veins, collected, and stored.

After descending from Cloud Stone Mountain, Yang Chan had acquired a few new items: the account ledgers and some medicinal herbs from Yun City.

Both parties had reached a consensus, so things remained amicable. This was exactly what Yang Chan had hoped for.

Yang Chan returned to Qingfeng Pavilion, inquired about the situation at the border, and then departed on his Qing State Horse.

Everything in Yun City had gone smoothly, much more so than he had anticipated. Consequently, he didn’t spend much time there. When Yang Chan was leaving, Steward Li from Qingfeng Pavilion even enthusiastically escorted him for a stretch of the road, obviously in high spirits.

Yang Chan set out on his journey with his gains from Yun City. It was now time to return to Xiaoyuan Village and bring Princess Lan Yue back to the Cyan Yuan Sect.

The past few days had served as a buffer, which was enough to divert the attention of the Six Gates.

The scraps of clothing and the weapon floating down the Qingyuan River were enough to draw the Six Gates’ attention there, and perhaps even as far as the Abyssal Sea. The more convoluted the trail, the better it was for Yang Chan.

With the attention of the Six Gates drawn far away, the traces he had left on his path would vanish over time. Even if they later suspected something was amiss, there would be nothing to investigate, and the matter would ultimately become a cold case.

Besides, the Court wouldn’t spend too long investigating. After all, if they couldn’t find anything useful despite deploying so much manpower and resources, they would eventually just give up.

As long as Princess Lan Yue’s identity remained undiscovered, everything would be fine. In a few years, once Yang Chan’s power was great enough, he wouldn’t care if the Court discovered the truth.

In this world, strength was the only real currency.

’I’m cultivating in such a low-key manner now, trying my best not to attract trouble or get entangled in karma, all to buy more time. Unless it’s for something I absolutely need, I will never stir up trouble.’

’Once my cultivation is unrivaled under the heavens, I won’t have to be so careful anymore.’

As Yang Chan thought this, the Qing State Horse beneath him accelerated.

’Delays breed complications. If not for the need to make my travel timeline seem more plausible, he would have returned to the Cyan Yuan Sect long ago.’

As he rode onward, back toward the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan was now accompanied by a maid named Xiaoxiang. Her backstory was simple and clear: she was a girl from Xiaoyuan Village who had been lucky enough to catch Yang Chan’s eye and be taken in as his maid.

Her face was a little dark, obviously from frequent sun exposure. She was thin and frail, looking as though a strong gust of wind could topple her. Her only presentable feature was a trace of delicate beauty. With time, once her skin regained its fairness and smoothness, she had the potential to blossom into a little beauty.

Of course, this was all a disguise. ’But the disguise can’t be too unremarkable,’ he reasoned. ’It would be illogical for a Pharmacist of the Cyan Yuan Sect to take on a completely plain woman as a maid.’

’She needed some distinguishing feature, coupled with a poor and common background, to make the choice believable. After all, his own origins were similar. It would make sense that upon seeing someone from a similar background, he would feel a sense of kinship and decide to take her in as his maid.’

Princess Lan Yue was very cooperative, especially after taking a specially formulated Antidote.

When she went too long without taking the special Antitoxic Pill for the Three Flower Insect Divine Pill in her system, she could feel something slowly feeding on her vital essence and blood. The process was slow, but over a long period, it would inevitably damage her very foundation.

Princess Lan Yue, naturally, had no desire to ruin her future, so she remained very submissive and didn’t throw any of her "Commandery Princess" tantrums.

Ever since her royal father, her master, and the others had died, she understood clearly that a "Commandery Princess" temper was a luxury she could no longer afford. She had to grow up.

It was like the Three Flower Insect Divine Pill inside her; what she was feeling now was not its full effect. When it truly flared up, the pain would be so immense that she would wish for death but be unable to die. It would be a living hell.

Although she had yet to experience it herself, she had read accounts of it.

It wasn’t that Princess Lan Yue hadn’t considered escaping. The problem was, she didn’t know which "three flowers" and which "insect" Yang Chan had used in the formula. Trying to find the correct combination among thousands of possible ingredients would be tantamount to suicide. Moreover, the Three Flower Insect Divine Pill was protected by a two-layered mechanism that was extremely difficult to break by force. At least, she had no way of doing so at present.

Therefore, her only choice for now was to place her hopes in Yang Chan.

’In any case,’ she thought, ’escaping the control of those two great powers—the Court and the Jin Meng Empire—is ultimately a good thing. And it means there’s still hope for the future.’

Yang Chan was quite satisfied seeing how docile Princess Lan Yue was. He had been worried she might have a "princess" temper—and in her case, it would have been the temper of a *real* princess.

On the road back to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan spotted more members of the Six Gates. Their distinctive uniforms were easy to recognize, but they were all unfamiliar faces. He didn’t want any trouble, so he simply ignored them.

While resting during a stop, he overheard someone mention that the Six Gates were still searching for something near the Qingyuan River. Hearing this, Yang Chan could only wish them the best of luck.

The road back to the Cyan Yuan Sect was much smoother than his trip down the mountain had been. The entire journey was safe. Upon seeing the sect’s main gate again, he couldn’t suppress a feeling of deep-seated familiarity. He truly enjoyed being in the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Before they entered the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan gave Princess Lan Yue some final instructions regarding his cultivation. He warned her not to let anything slip. He had no intention of revealing his true level of cultivation at this time; he wanted to continue improving discreetly. If he were to expose his real strength, the Six Gates might become suspicious of him again, which would be a terrible development.

After hearing his warning, Princess Lan Yue readily agreed.

...

"Pharmacist Yang, you’re back!"

When Han Bingyu saw Yang Chan appear before the small courtyard, she couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she trotted over to him.

Noticing the person beside him, she stopped demurely to one side. As she looked at Yang Chan, her eyes swept over Princess Lan Yue standing next to him.

’Skin a bit dark and coarse, a scrawny figure, and rather... underdeveloped,’ she assessed. ’Her face has some potential, but she’s certainly no match for me at the moment.’ Seeing this, Han Bingyu breathed an inward sigh of relief.

She had chosen to align herself with Yang Chan, and naturally, she wanted to gain as much as possible from it. ’Ideally, I’ll secure the highest position and become his primary wife,’ she thought. ’If not that, then I at least need to be one of the closest to him.’

As for having him all to herself, she had never entertained such a fantasy. With the talent and ability Yang Chan was demonstrating, he would never belong to just one woman. Han Bingyu was well aware of this; in fact, she had understood it from the very moment she became his Pharmacist.

"Mm," Yang Chan nodded as he headed into the house. "Nothing major has happened at the Cyan Yuan Sect, has it?"

"Other than the expedition to Silver State, there’s been nothing major," Han Bingyu replied, shaking her head. "They left for Silver State a few days ago, but the situation is still unclear. It will probably be some time before any news comes back."

Right now, the Cyan Yuan Sect’s highest priority was the matter in Silver State. They had sent quite a number of people, and everything else had been pushed back.