Chapter 388: Chapter 260: Arrival of the Rootless Sect (Part 2)

All along the journey, she stayed close to the Ninth Princess, realizing that the princess was a gentle, quiet, and hard-working child, contrary to the image that the common folk might have imagined.

Over time, Linghua couldn’t help but care for her as if she were her own daughter, forming a deep bond.

Given her and Dong Zhou’s strength, if they continued to escort the Ninth Princess, they might eventually fall prey to the pursuers sent by the Chang’an Sect. Seeing Qin Yuesheng’s extraordinary abilities, she secretly hoped that Qin Yuesheng would take in the Ninth Princess.

"My lord, the Ninth Princess is a good person, innocent, and truly shouldn’t die at the hands of those eunuch party’s lackeys," Dong Zhou said, kowtowing earnestly.

The two of them were so sincere that soon the stone bricks on the ground started cracking from their kowtows.

The Ninth Princess stood quietly beside them, lips pursed, without uttering a word.

She was once an exalted princess, without worries of food and clothing, but now she was merely a little girl who could die at any moment at the hands of assassins.

"Wait, did you just say... attract the masters of the eunuch party?" Qin Yuesheng suddenly asked Linghua.

"Yes, indeed..." Linghua replied.

"That’s not bad at all." Qin Yuesheng laughed, "Alright, then you three stay together for now, and reside in the courtyard I’ve arranged for you during this period."

Dong Zhou exclaimed, "My lord, the masters sent by the eunuch party are formidable. I suggest the two of us leave Jiangnan to lure them away, so the Ninth Princess can be safer for a while longer."

"If it’s just the two of you traveling, those masters won’t see the traces of the Ninth Princess traveling with you, and won’t waste efforts searching for you," Qin Yuesheng waved a hand and said, "Let’s settle it like this, all of you listen to me."

Dong Zhou and Linghua exchanged a glance and reluctantly agreed.

The Qin family had vast assets, and besides the Qin Mansion, they also had many residences in Cyan Yang City. Qin Yuesheng casually picked one for the Ninth Princess and the other two to stay.

To keep their whereabouts secret, the residence for the Ninth Princess and the others had no servants, so they had to handle all their daily needs by themselves.

After dealing with this matter, Qin Yuesheng returned to the teahouse.

He hadn’t forgotten that his purpose for coming to the teahouse was to meet the various high-ranking members of the Tai Sui Alliance, only to encounter such an unexpected incident along the way.

...

Tang Heng was carrying a goat, pacing back and forth at the door of the teahouse. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

When Qin Yuesheng led the three away, he specifically instructed Tang Heng to wait here. If other high-ranking Tai Sui Alliance members arrived, he should let them find a place to sit inside the teahouse until Qin Yuesheng returned.

The shopkeeper of the teahouse looked helplessly at the mess inside; businesses like theirs feared situations like this the most, where damages occurred and no one could be found to compensate.

When Qin Yuesheng appeared outside the teahouse, he quickly greeted him, "Young master, I brought a goat caught by the local mountain people to offer to you this time."

"Leave it there for now. Tell me if anything significant has happened over your side recently," Qin Yuesheng said calmly as he walked into the teahouse.

Seeing the shopkeeper, he tossed over a silver yuanbao, "I’ve reserved this place for today, and I’ll also cover the cost of these damaged tables and chairs."

The shopkeeper was overjoyed at the sight of the silver yuanbao, "Thank you, young master, thank you!"

Once Qin Yuesheng found a chair to sit in, Tang Heng bent down beside him and said, "Young master, recently, it’s apparent that one of the thirty-six rebels, Cao Mengda, intends to move against Wu Bao. Additionally, there’s been a surge of various civilian forces emerging throughout Jiangnan, with varying strengths, causing much chaos. I suspect a new uprising force might soon appear among them."

"What about the sects in Jiangnan?"

"They’re either relocating to escape the warfare or joining one of the three forces — Liu, Cao, or Wu," Tang Heng explained in a low voice. "I’ve heard that on Cao Mengda’s side, there seems to be many demon practitioners skilled in magic joining them, significantly boosting their power."

"Demon practitioners?" Qin Yuesheng’s interest was piqued, "Do they have any distinctive features?"

"Yes, they all uniformly prefer wearing white clothes and shoes. Essentially, they’re dressed entirely in white, like in mourning,"

"White Lotus Saint Sect!" Qin Yuesheng’s eyes glimmered.

In Cyan Yang City, he had previously used the Life-and-Death Cold Ice Talisman to control a group of White Lotus Saint Sect followers, so he was quite familiar with the sect’s requirement that its members choose to dress all in white.

"Behind Liu Xian stands the Yellow Turban, behind Cao Mengda the White Lotus. Even Wu Bao dares to openly rebel, surely supported by yet another mysterious force. This pond is indeed not as simple as it appears," Qin Yuesheng mused.

However, for him, these matters were of little concern. Qin Yuesheng’s current goal was just to defend Cyan Yang City amid chaos and protect his family.

Though Cyan Yang City may be small in Jiangnan, any who dare attempt to disrupt this city must first reckon with Qin Yuesheng’s martial prowess.

As the sun climbed higher, more high-ranked members of the Tai Sui Alliance gradually arrived. After reporting their intelligence, Qin Yuesheng neutralized the icy effects of the Life-and-Death Cold Ice Talisman that he had implanted in them.

These people had traveled far. Qin Yuesheng couldn’t treat them poorly. He immediately hosted a feast at the finest restaurant in Cyan Yang City, entertaining them until their bellies were full and cheeks grew plump, each reclining in their chairs, exclaiming in satisfaction.