“Before this, I have a question I wish to ask Your First Highness.” Bai Luochu didn’t directly answer Pei Rumo’s question, instead, she was preparing to ask one of her own.

Pei Rumo understood Bai Luochu’s personality, now that they were at a critical juncture, Bai Luochu wouldn’t ask a question if it wasn’t important.

“If you have any questions to ask, please do so now.” Pei Rumo didn’t think that it was a waste of time to clarify Bai Luochu’s doubts.

Bai Luochu was dazed for a second and a puzzled expression slowly formed on her face, “Are there any misunderstandings between you and His Majesty?”

Pei Rumo frowned in response. Didn’t she already ask this question earlier in the day? Didn’t I already say no?! He was curious about the reason behind her question and was planning to ask her the reason for her doubts. He even felt that she was possessed by some sort of evil spirit.

“Didn’t I already mention that there aren’t any misunderstandings between me and my Emperor Father? You have been acting strangely since the start of the day… Are you sure you’re not possessed by some sort of spirit?”

Bai Luochu felt a little embarrassed after hearing the reply and laughed apologetically, “It seems like I am thinking too much.”

In Bai Luochu’s opinion, everyone was evil in nature and would constantly utilize underhand methods in order to obtain an advantage over others. It wasn’t a surprise for family members to plot against each other and it would be less of a surprise if members of the imperial clan were plotting something sinister in order to strengthen their authority. There were never any feelings in the imperial palace and the old emperor was a suspicious man. Bai Luochu assumed that the old emperor was planning to send Pei Rumo to his death by sending him on a campaign to the Desolate Region. That being said, Pei Rumo understood the old emperor better than Bai Luochu and if he said that there was nothing wrong with the old emperor’s orders, nothing was wrong.

When Pei Rumo heard Bai Luochu saying, “It seems like I am thinking too much,” he immediately understood the reason behind her question. He immediately explained, “You have thought too much indeed. Emperor Father might be mistrustful, but a tiger will never devour its own cubs. Even if he doesn’t want us to gain too much influence, he will only make a move on our subordinates. He’ll never touch us, the imperial princes.”

Upon hearing Pei Rumo’s explanation, Bai Luochu knew that Pei Rumo had already guessed her thoughts. Therefore, she felt even more ashamed. The old emperor might be an emperor, but he was still Pei Rumo’s father. Casually trying to figure out the intentions of someone’s father was truly an inexcusable matter.

As such, Bai Luochu immediately bowed with her hands cupped together in order to ask for forgiveness. “Will Your First Highness please forgive me. If my delusion has caused Your First Highness any discomfort, I hope that you can forgive me.”

Pei Rumo didn’t have the intention to blame Bai Luochu. In his opinion, Bai Luochu was a person who had grown up in an environment where her horrible relatives schemed against her. It was praiseworthy enough that she didn’t go about flouting the law. It was indeed reasonable for Bai Luochu to have such considerations. But similarly, this had proven that... the trip to the Desolate Region wasn’t going to be as easy as they thought.

Pei Rumo didn’t have intentions to blame Bai Luochu but he thought of a question troubling him for a long time. “Why would you think that my Emperor Father is scheming against me? You’re not someone who would casually try to meddle in other people’s affairs. There must be a reason for you to think this way.”

Bai Luochu felt that it was already great that Pei Rumo didn’t blame her, but his guess was pretty much spot on. Bai Luochu felt pleasantly surprised as she was able to encounter a person intelligent enough to understand the meaning behind her words. What a pleasant surprise...

“Nothing much. The Desolate Region isn’t as simple as it seems.” Bai Luochu directly spoke of her concern.

Pei Rumo obviously knew this point as he had been investigating the Desolate Region for many days and naturally knew of the various strange happenings. But looking at Bai Luochu’s behavior, it seemed like she knew even more than him. Pei Rumo didn’t waste any more time and asked in a clear and concise manner, “Why don’t you tell me everything in detail?”

“We’re not the only group in the Desolate Region.” Bai Luochu spoke solemnly and firmly.

Pei Rumo’s expression changed in response. He had his doubts, but Bai Luochu just confirmed all of them.

When Bai Luochu noticed Pei Rumo’s change in expression, she immediately said, “Truth be told, there were people following me in the dark when I scouted out the ruins earlier. Perhaps after seeing that I didn’t have much spirit qi, they acted unbridledly and immediately released their presence. It seemed like they wanted to scare me off. Your First Highness should know that my spiritual energy is much stronger than them and I managed to notice all of them.”

“Did they hurt you?” When Pei Rumo heard what she said, he was more concerned for her than the mission. He became emotional and unconsciously grabbed her wrist.

Bai Luochu was shocked and she pulled her hand away.

She smiled insincerely and said, “I thank Your First Highness for your concern. They left me alone after realizing that I didn’t want to enter the ruins. However…” Bai Luochu paused for a moment before continuing, “I still don’t know if those people are from the same group. I can only be certain that all of them are rather formidable presences.”

Pei Rumo knew that even though Bai Luochu had inferior strength, her insight was second to none. If she complimented their strength, they had to be rather capable. Pei Rumo’s heart sank while he looked at Bai Luochu. He finally forced some words out of his throat. “If it is really as you say, it doesn’t matter if those people are from the same group. They will be very troublesome to deal with.”