“Long Chen, is what you said yesterday true?” Xia Youluo looked at Long Chen with excitement. She was talking about how the line of her admirers stretched all the way back to the Grand Han.

“It’s possibly true. I heard two blind people gesturing toward a map with two deaf people on my way to the capital. That’s when I heard that story,” said Long Chen helplessly.

Seeing Xia Youluo’s thoughts seem to wander away, Long Chen grumbled inside. He had to constantly worry about her discussing that story with him.

At this time, Long Chen and Xia Youluo were walking toward the Wine God Palace. They had a large mass of guards following them. Quite a few youngsters were looking over at Xia Youluo with adoring expressions.

Xia Youluo was a goddess amongst the Grand Xia’s civilians. Countless youngsters worshiped her. However, the Grand Xia’s youngsters tended to be very reserved with their emotions, and they only looked at her from a distance. They didn’t dare to come forward and pay their respects to her.

As for Long Chen, he looked incredibly sloppy in comparison, without the slightest air of the imperial family. He looked like a loafer without the slightest care. He was looking left and right, admiring the historical sites located all over the city.

Sometimes when Xia Youluo was pressing him, he would intentionally exclaim in admiration over a certain building’s magnificence, and then ask the guards about the building’s history. He managed to change the subject like this over and over again.

But Xia Youluo was like a child, and despite how obviously Long Chen was trying to avoid this subject, she still couldn’t sense it. Seeing Long Chen constantly changing the subject, she raged, “Long Chen, I’ve asked you so many times, but you refuse to give me an answer. Do you have any manners at all?”

Long Chen was speechless. Just who didn’t have any manners? He clearly didn’t want to reply, but she continued to press him. How was that reasonable?

Xia Yunchong had told Xia Youluo to bring Long Chen to the Wine God Palace. But as a result, as soon as they left the door, Xia Youluo began pressing Long Chen for information. When she wasn’t asking about the line of admirers, she asked about the Grand Han.

“Princess, please spare me. I really don’t know anything about the Grand Han. How am I supposed to answer you?” Long Chen bitterly smiled.

“Liar. You killed one of the Grand Han’s Eight Princes, Han Zhenyu. Having become enemies with the Grand Han, didn’t you come to my Grand Xia just to take refuge?” raged Xia Youluo.

Long Chen’s expression suddenly sank. He coldly looked at Xia Youluo. “Respected princess, there are a few things I should make clear. First, I really don’t know about the Grand Han, and I don’t want to talk about it.

“Second, the reason I have come to the Grand Xia is not because I’m taking refuge. I always face my battles, and my path from the Eastern Wasteland to the Central Plains was built through my enemies’ bones. I’ve never asked for anyone’s protection; it hasn’t happened in the past, it isn’t happening now, and it won’t happen in the future.

“Third, when you speak to me, take note of your words. Although you are a princess, don’t think others need to give you whatever you want just because of your status or beauty.

“Fourth, don’t be so arrogant, because your arrogance has no power backing it. If it weren’t for the Grand Xia’s upbringing, then no matter how good your talent, you would never have had your current accomplishments. Everything you have was bestowed by your father, your mother, your brothers, and the Grand Xia’s people. Can you tell me a single thing that you have achieved with your own power? Just where does your pride and confidence come from?”

Long Chen had been enduring this the entire time. Because Xia Yunchong had entrusted him with this mission, Long Chen had exercised patience with Xia Youluo’s rude questions.

As he endured, he repeatedly told himself that she was just a child and that he couldn’t treat her like an adult. But it seemed like she never used her head before speaking, and she didn’t care about other people’s feelings. Hence, he finally exploded.

Xia Youluo’s expression sank and she raged, “You are provoking me!”

“Don’t say such a senseless thing. I stopped playing with such words in my youth. The people who have said such things to me have long since been buried. Although your cultivation base and power might be greater than mine, if we were to truly fight to the death, the one to die would definitely be you.” Long Chen suddenly stopped walking and stared at Xia Youluo icily, his eyes revealing his confidence.

He wasn’t trying to intimidate Xia Youluo. He felt like her confidence had inflated after killing the Bloodkill Hall’s Soul Transformation expert. But there had been many special factors that had allowed her to kill him, which were not based on her own power.

The Bloodkill Hall’s people didn’t specialize in fighting head-on. They specialized in assassinations and escaping arts. It was because of Long Chen that the Bloodkill Hall expert had given up on running, as he was too enticed by the thought of killing Long Chen. Then he had ignited too much of his Yuan Spirit and his consciousness had grown muddled. He had actually forgotten about Long Chen and launched an attack on Xia Youluo who had been preparing one of her ultimate moves.

If she had fought another Soul Transformation expert, she would be in danger of being killed in one blow.

“You!” Xia Youluo’s hand gripped her sword, and her aura began to condense. All the guards behind them were shocked. Just what was going on? How could she want to start fighting without a word?

These guards were Xia Yunchong’s people. Xia Youluo was Xia Yunchong’s little sister, while Long Chen was Xia Yunchong’s precious guest. If these two fought, they wouldn’t even know who to help.

“You aren’t my match. In a life and death battle, I would definitely take your life within three moves. If I can’t, I, Long Chen, will immediately kill myself in front of Grand Xia City.” Long Chen clasped his hands behind his back, his voice icy and emotionless.

The previously smiling Long Chen, who looked like a big brother, had instantly become a merciless death god. Xia Youluo’s heart was swamped with terror as she looked at Long Chen’s eyes. She seemed to be able to see a boundless mountain of corpses and sea of blood within the depths of those eyes.

This was Long Chen’s killing intent that was normally hidden in his heart. It was accumulated from countless huge battles. Now, he was no longer hiding it, allowing Xia Youluo to see it.

Xia Youluo had grown up in the imperial palace and spent most of her time cultivating. Although she was powerful, her experience was pitifully low. She couldn’t possibly compare to someone like Long Chen who had crawled his way out of a pile of corpses.

She trembled, her face pale. Long Chen’s mouth curled and he said, “Put away that move you used against your big brother. I’ve already said that not everybody has to pamper you. At the very least, I won’t. I’m going to the Wine God Palace. You can go back.”

Long Chen turned and continued onward. Xia Youluo stood there blankly for a long moment. She wanted to cry yet didn’t dare to. She didn’t know what to do.

She suddenly clenched her teeth, wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes, and chased after Long Chen.

“Why are you following me?” Long Chen frowned.

“Who would follow you?! This is my Grand Xia City, and I am the Grand Xia’s princess. This is my home, and I can go wherever I want. Does it have anything to do with you?” snorted Xia Youluo.

In truth, Xia Youluo had been terrified just now, and she felt that leaving like this or going back to complain would cause her to lose face, as well as make her seem cowardly. In order to express her bravery, she was intentionally going along with Long Chen.

Long Chen glanced at her. Seeing Xia Youluo glaring at him, he didn’t say a word. He simply continued onward, with Xia Youluo following beside him.

Those guards all sighed with relief. As long as they didn’t fight, it was fine. They hastily followed behind them.

Just as they left, a middle-aged man in ashen robes followed them with his eyes from a tea parlor.

He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. Along with his square nose, his face looked like it had been carved with a blade. He was extremely imposing.

“This Long Chen is fierce and domineering. He’s quite the fearless character.” The middle-aged man nodded with a hint of praise.

He was none other than the Grand Xia’s current emperor, Xia Youluo and Xia Yunchong’s father, the person with the greatest authority within the entire Grand Xia Ancient Nation.

Beside him was a white-haired elder, Xia Yunchong’s master. His eyes were closed and his expression was indifferent.

“Do you see anything special about him?” asked the white-haired man.

“He is not in agreement with the Heavenly Daos. He clashes with the laws of the world. Just now when he released his killing intent, I could see just how bloody and painful his path has been. That killing light in his eyes is decisive and firm, while his spiritual fluctuations make him appear to be a person who makes meaningful relationships. That’s definitely not the appearance of a Heaven-Seizer. The Heavenly Fate Pavilion was intentionally inverting right and wrong,” said the middle-aged man.

“Chong-er chatted with him last night. The two of them ended up close and trusting each other. Chong-er has entrusted Youluo to Long Chen, hoping he can save her life,” said the elder.

The middle-aged man looked at the street. A calm but sad expression appeared in his eyes. “Her fate was set a long time ago. The tribulation of her life has come, and she will definitely betray my Grand Xia. If I don’t kill her, the Grand Xia will end up in upheaval.”

“While the fate decreed by the heavens cannot be violated and cultivators must comply with the Heavenly Daos, the laws of heaven and earth are too profound to comprehend. Even if you comply with the Heavenly Daos, you won’t necessarily have a good end. But there is one kind of person that is an exception. Anyone who is infected by such a person’s karma will have their fate change. However… whether it is a blessing or misfortune is hard to say,” said the white-haired elder.

“You’re talking about…” The middle-aged man’s expression changed.

“The twists of fate are not easily exposed. As long as you know this inside, as the ruler of the Grand Xia, you should know what to do,” said the white-haired elder profoundly.

The middle-aged man was silent for a long time before he nodded. “I understand.”

…

“Long Chen, I’m eighteen. How old are you?”

As Long Chen advanced silently, Xia Youluo seemed to forget her previous unhappiness and took the initiative to speak to Long Chen.

“Twenty-two,” said Long Chen without overthinking it.

“Ah? Then you’re already really old,” exclaimed Xia Youluo.

Long Chen almost stumbled. He corrected, “The word is mature.”

“Hehe, you’re this much older than me. How about I call you uncle Long?” laughed Xia Youluo.

Long Chen instantly understood she was getting revenge. He irritably said, “Your brother is already twenty-seven. If you call me uncle, wouldn’t you have to call him grandpa?”

“That’s not the same. We’re real brother and sister, so it’s not calculated by age. Uncle Long, you look really young for your age,” said Xia Youluo.

“Hm, that’s not bad. When I see your father, I can directly call him big brother.” Long Chen wasn’t afraid of playing such a game with her.

“Oh, we’ve arrived!”

Long Chen suddenly saw a tall and simple construction.