"And have it done by today," Kenja placed a gold coin on the counter next to a lavishly-furnished case, "Discreetly."

Wise Man Satoshi clasped his hands and bowed, "Yes, Daoist-sama. I will close my store and complete the task within the hour."

'Satoshi-san, can't you recognize me? It's the boy you've done business with nearly everyday for the past few years!'

Kenja's heart was shaken. Perhaps his disguise was good enough to fool strangers, but he could not imagine that his close friends would be fooled as well.

Kenja came to Wise Man Satoshi to have him deliver a letter to Baba-san along with enough money for her to live like a Queen. He was not sure when he would return, but he wanted to make sure she would not worry about him or about anything in the near future.

A loud commotion could be heard outside the shop.

"Ah, the princess must be passing by right now. She's on her way to the Flowing River Sect for the examination. If it interests Daoist-sama, please feel free to watch from my porch."

Wise Man Satoshi had already placed the coin in his pocket and left the counter carrying Kenja's box. He walked to the front door and held it open for Kenja. Kenja walked outside to see that the crowd had tripled in the tea time he had spent within the shop. He walked to the front of the porch, and Wise Man Satoshi stood next to him after turning the signboard and locking his front door. With his head shaking joyfully and a wide smile on his face from the gold he just made off of Kenja, he waited for the princess to pass.

The civilians stood on the sides of the road to create a clear path for the princess. The synchronized marching of the soldiers silenced the onlookers as they continued on their way to the Flowing River Sect.

In actuality, the princess did not have to travel this far to reach the sect as the sect was located in the second ring of Ryuga, and the palace was in the center. The reason was unclear why she made the effort to travel all the way to the outermost ring but the sentries and shops were informed in advance to make appropriate preparations and clean up the streets for her, as this was the first time she left the palace to see how the common folk lived.

The retinue of soldiers reached Satoshi’s porch.

Kenja could feel a strange force emanating from each soldier. It was as if each soldier housed a gargantuan fortress of Qi within their bodies that towered over Kenja’s miniscule existence. He could feel his heavy heartbeats echoing in his ears as they continued walking past him.

It was said that once one stepped into the Qi Flourishing domain, it was as if one’s eyes were finally opened. Now, he understood what those lecturers meant. He could gauge the true depth of a person’s cultivation and capability.

These royal escorts were all in the Foundation Establishment realm, the stage after Qi Flourishing.

'I need to avoid upsetting the Emperor's family,' Kenja thought as cold sweat fell down his back. Whether he listened to the rumours he had heard or what his gut was telling him right this instant, even ten of him would not last a single breath against one of these soldiers.

In a way, he envied those who were not cultivators standing near him, gawking and cheering at the soldiers. He got goosebumps by simply being nearby, but the mortals had no inkling of the true strength of these soldiers. It was like a bunch of babies sitting defenseless near a stampede of giants.

Kenja looked past the grim platoon, but he could not spot any sign of the princess. After a moment, Wise Man Satoshi pointed up to the sky.

"She's up there, Daoist-sama."

Kenja looked up to see a giant carpet floating fifteen meters above the ground. On top of the carpet, a bright red tent stood covering most of the the carpet's surface. At the front of the carpet outside the tent, Kenja could see a wrinkled, old man hunched over about half the length of Kenja.

"Hoho, a wizard. You don't see many of those," Snail whispered in Kenja's ear.

Kenja's eyes widened. 'That's a wizard?'

'Wizard' was the unofficial name used for a cultivator that ignored the principle of Yin and Yang by foregoing their body and focusing completely on their souls. As a result, they were able to advance through the various stages of cultivation at twice the speed with half the effort. Although a major trade-off was that their longevity was only a fraction of a cultivator who focused on both body and spirit, their Qi utilization and capacity were comparable to normal cultivators who had lived for three or four times as long.

Kenja could not accurately gauge the old man's realm like the Foundation Establishment soldiers walking on the ground, but that in itself was a horrifying thought. Instead, he felt an ambiguous fogginess that encapsulated the old man, preventing others from measuring his strength,

When the carpet passed by Satoshi's establishment, the retinue suddenly halted their march. Squinting his eyes, Kenja saw a head pop out from the slit of the tent and turn back to look at Satoshi’s store. From that angle and height, Kenja could not discern any of the head's features, but it seemed to be covered in a veil. After looking in their direction for a period of time, the head popped back into the tent.

When Kenja thought that the retinue would continue marching forward once more, a figure burst forth from the tent. A person had jumped off the flying carpet and descended slowly onto the cleared street.

The person was not wearing shoes, but their feet were smaller than average and completely unblemished as if it had others do the walking for them. The left foot was adorned with two thin, golden anklets that jingled as the person moved.

She wore a strange white and gold dress that looked similar to daoist robes with tailor-made modifications.

The dress's length and sleeves were shorter than normal robes to allow for easier maneuverability, yet their ends were filled with frills and ruffles like the style of an upper-class child who loved cute, flowery outfits. The robe had an off-the-shoulders neckline that displayed an elegant and youthful frame.

In contrast with the free spirit of the dress, the woman had a white veil shielding her face and hair with a horizontal slit that allowed her to see. Those with the courage to look would see a pair of fiery, dark-red eyes and a strand of scarlet-colored hair, both traits exclusive to the royal family.

As soon as she landed, the retinue of soldiers bowed their heads which prompted the people standing on the sides of the street to do the same.

Women of the royal family were not allowed to show their face in public before they came of age, and even then, they would only be seen at high-level events that common folk would not attend.

The carpet she had been riding on a second ago quickly dropped to a meter above the street.

"Princess, it is improper to jump off the carpet like that. Just tell us next time, and we will bring the carpet down," the old man advised the princess.

She turned to him and nodded, "Un."

She took a step in Kenja and Satoshi's direction when the hunched-over old man floated a pair of shoes in front of her.

"It is also improper to walk barefoot in the street."

She turned to him once more. "If I wore them when I jumped down, then I would have broken them."

She spoke with an irrefutable air, as if her logic was ironclad.

The old man nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, that is why you should have told us, and we would bring the carpet down."

The woman tilted her head to ponder the old man's words before she nodded once more.

"Un. That does make some sense."

She slipped her shoes on and began walking towards Satoshi. Everyone's heads were still bowed, but Kenja could sense the princess approaching them.

He could sense that she was at the Qi Flourishing stage, like himself. She must have advanced recently.

She walked past them to the front door of Satoshi's shop and stared at the closed door for a good minute. Perplexed by something, she turned around and spoke to the old man, “Is this the one?”

“Yes, princess. The attendant obtained the item from this shop.”

“Alright.”

She turned back and stared at the door more intently than before. Another minute passed before she let out a huff and asked without turning around, “Why won’t the door open? Is it broken?”

She really was waiting for it to open!

The old man let out a tired cough. “It appears the store has closed for the day, Princess.” He thought the princess would read the signboard on the door that said ‘CLOSED’.

She turned to look at the old man now. “Closed? Why would it be closed?” she asked with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Satoshi, who was standing next to Kenja with his head still bowed, was shivering in fright. Why was he so popular all of a sudden? First with the rich Daoist-sama and now the younger princess of Ryuga! Will the emperor come looking for him to try his pastries in another five minutes?

“Princess, people still need to sleep and eat. If shops stayed open all the time, when could they do those things?”

She paused to think about it for a moment before quickly responding, “Un. That does make some sense.” The old man observed her downcast eyes and silent disappointment before letting out a defeated sigh.

“Princess. The shop is probably closed so that the owner can join the others in watching us.” His eyes darted to the others on the porch who were stuck bowing their heads.

She thought about his words for a short while before light returned to her eyes. “Un. That does make some sense.”

She turned back to face the people on the porch and spoke in a commanding manner as if it were an afterthought.

"You all may rise."

The people on the porch lifted their heads back up, but those off the porch did not dare.

"I am looking for the owner of this shop. Is he here?"

Satoshi stepped forward and bowed once more.

"Yes, himesama. This lowly one’s name is Satoshi Maru. How can I be of service to you?"

Momentarily surprised that the owner was standing next to her the whole time, she paused to look him over before nodding once more.

“Why did you not speak up before?” She did not sound angry or upset, but one could hear a mild irritation in her tone.

Satoshi-san’s face froze before he quickly bowed to the ground in prostration and stuttered out an apology like his life depended on it, “Th-this lowly one did not dare raise his h-head in himesama’s presence. Please pardon this old f-f-fool’s mistakes, himesama.”

The princess was taken aback by Satoshi’s begging and shaking. Seeing that she was surprised and unsure of how to respond now, the old man on the carpet spoke up again, “It is improper etiquette for anyone to raise their heads or speak before you permit it, Princess. If they are careless with how they act, they might be punished.”

The princess looked back at the old man and asked aloud, “I thought those rules were only for the palace. Did you not say that the commoners outside are unfamiliar with such things, so we must be lenient with them?”

“It isn’t just the palace servants that must follow these rules, Princess. If he was improper, then we can forgive him, but we should not blame those who behave properly, should we?”

The princess furrowed her brows while she contemplated his words before finally nodding in understanding.

“What you said makes sense. Satoshi-san, I am sor—”

“One of your stature should not apologize to a commoner so easily, Princess” interrupted the old wizard.

The princess paused for a moment before nodding again for the umpteenth time. “This princess is not sorry then,” she bowed down to help him off the ground, “Please, ris—”

“Princess, you should not make physical contact with males so easily, especially in public, and especially with a commoner.”

Her hand froze near Satoshi’s shoulder before she pulled it back and let out another irritated huff. It was unclear which she was angry with—the old wizard, the rules or herself.

The princess let out a cough after regaining her composure and nodded to show she understood. “Rise, Satoshi-san. Please do not mind my earlier words. I was not blaming you.” She chose her words carefully.

At this moment, the princess’s cute acts of modesty and sincerity had won the hearts of all the onlookers. Rumors would spread from this day that the younger princess was a royal who did not look down on commoners nor did she wantonly abuse her authority.

Satoshi, who had been on the verge of fainting from all the unwanted attention and excitement, struggled back onto his feet and picked up the box he had shoved in between his legs before prostrating to the princess.

“This lowly one is honored by your grace, himesama. Please tell me how this old shopkeeper may serve you.”

"Un. Do you have any spirit lumps for sale?" She answered simply and succinctly. Her red eyes sparkled in anticipation.

Satoshi, as well as the crowd, was confused by this question. He did not want to deny that he had any spirit lumps since being unable to meet the princess' request would be terrible for his business and possible future, but he had no idea what a spirit lump could be. He also did not want to irritate the princess further by asking her what was a spirit lump.

Seeing the look of confusion and desperation on Satoshi's face as he struggled to reply to her, the princess' eyes adopted a crestfallen expression.

When Kenja saw the continually increasing sweat and shine on his old friend’s forehead as well as the princess’s fiery eyes losing their light, his mind worked in overdrive formulating an idea of what a spirit lump might be before landing on something that fit quite nicely.

“Satoshi-san—”

Before he could finish his words, two soldiers appeared by his side and placed their swords at his bowed neck in an instant, one below and one above. A sudden and intense pressure was placed on his shoulders that held him from moving.

“Who gave you permission to speak in the presence of himesama?” It was not the old wizard but one of the guards who asked Kenja in a loud and authoritative voice that could be heard for several blocks.

Kenja did not reply as he was certain the question was rhetorical, and saying anything at this moment would result in his head doing a few flips on the ground.

“These little buggers are disrespecting you, disciple. Just say the word, and this snail will teach them a lesson.”

Kenja wanted to squish Snail in between his fingers because he had not learned the Wind Whisper technique yet. How could he say anything in this situation?

The princess was startled by the turn of events, turning towards the guards to command them, “Stop! Who gave you permission to threaten others in my presence?”

Upon hearing his question returned back to him, the guard who had just threatened Kenja could not stop his eye from twitching, yet they did not withdraw their weapons.

“Himesama, this commoner broke the rules. It is our job to enforce—”

“Enough! Didn’t you hear Souji-sensei? Not everyone knows the rules, so we must be lenient. How do you expect me to make any friends if I have to give everyone permission to speak with me first? Now sheathe your weapons and return to the others.” Her words did not leave them any face as her escorts.

The guards were stumped for a moment, releasing the pressure on Kenja’s body, but they did not relent, holding their swords steady against Kenja’s neck.

“But himesama, this person is dangerous!”

The escorts felt aggrieved and wronged as they originally thought they were already lenient enough not directly executing the impolite woman then and there. Plus, she was not like the other commoners who were mortals that were no threat to the princess; they could tell she was at the Qi Flourishing stage of cultivation which meant she was at the same stage as the princess and, given the close proximity, a potential danger to her life.

“Do you believe I am incompetent? Or perhaps you believe Souji-sensei is incapable of protecting me? Since you two are so capable, maybe I should have you serve as Father Emperor’s guards.” Her red eyes seemed to shimmer with her rising anger, elevating her intimidation by several notches.

The two Foundation Establishment soldiers gulped before immediately sheathing their weapons. Together, they bowed apologetically to her and pleaded, “This one regrets. This one regrets. Please have mercy, himesama.”

It was a fact that members of any royal family could make the lives of servants and commoners difficult if they desired. Just a simple intentionally-worded phrase or question could place anyone under the executioner’s blade.

Her two questions trapped the guards with no right answer, as it would be insulting to tell the princess she could not handle herself while it would be even more dangerous to claim the emperor’s lead servant and advisor as more incapable than them. Add the threat of being forced to guard the emperor, and they were left with only one viable reaction: admitting their wrongs.

Her anger receded as quickly as it came. “Un. Now go back.”

They saluted her and scurried back into their respective positions in the retinue.

The princess did not linger on them any longer as her gaze was fixated on Kenja.

“I am sor—”

“Princess,” the old man reminded her.

“Oh, right! You two, come back here and apologize to her.”

Her loud command caused the various soldiers to wince in embarrassment and the bowing commoners to stifle their giggles. Upon hearing her orders, the two soldiers in questions could not stop their eye from twitching, but they did not dare disobey.

They took a step out of their formation and yelled towards Kenja with a short and quick bow, “Please forgive our transgressions, Daoist-san.” Their words were insincere and terse, but they fulfilled the princess’s demands respectfully.

Whether one considered the difference in their social status or in their cultivation, being forced to bow their heads to a run-of-the-mill Qi Flourishing cultivator like Kenja was extremely humiliating, but they did not blame the young princess. She was still young and naive, ignorant of the ways of the world, and she was much easier to serve than the other members of the royal family.

Kenja who deeply regretted speaking up to help old man Satoshi was baffled by the quick turn of events. None of it felt real. Once the two royal guards had bowed in apology to him, Sakura vibrated in her sheath to bring him back to reality.

He quickly performed the Daoist salute to indicate his respectful acceptance of their apology.

He nearly died a couple of hours after finally and officially becoming a cultivator! He would cry right now if everyone’s eyes were not centered on him at the moment.

“Un. Very good.” The princess nodded once more in approval of the exchange. “Did fellow Daoist have something she wished to say?” Her red eyes sparkled more fervently than it did with Satoshi-san, as if she was certain Kenja could offer her what she desired.

Kenja wished he could retract his words and just remove himself from the current situation, but now that she asked him and with such a hopeful expression, he could not take it all back with an, “It was nothing, himesama.”

Kenja steeled himself with a cough before addressing Satoshi-san who was internally celebrating because he thought he had escaped his own dangerous situation, "Satoshi-san, perhaps she means the spirit stone fragments that you sell."

His dejection at being singled out again did not last when he realized that the venerable Daoist that hired him had tossed him a lifeline. It had not occurred to him that the princess might not know the proper name for what she was looking for as these broken spirit stone fragments were not a regular commodity with a proper name. They were more of a locally-traded niche commodity with several informal names such as spirit pebbles, shards, chunks, pieces, fragments, crumbs, and now he could add lumps to that list.

Another reason he had not thought of the spirit stone fragments was that the royal family was abundantly powerful and wealthy, with no shortage of their own spirit stones. If a tailor came to make a request of a naked man, no one would expect the request to be related to clothes. Why would the princess want broken pieces of a spirit stone?

Renewed by hope, he reached both hands into several different pockets before pulling out a spirit stone fragment.

The princess' eyes sparkled as she approached the fragment.

"Un. How much for this lump?"

Satoshi relaxed as he narrowly escaped financial ruin. He presented the stone to the princess. "Being given the chance to serve Ryuga’s princess is payment enough."

She jubilantly received the gift in her hand.

"Un. How did you create this lump?"

Satoshi adopted another confused look since he was not sure how Kenja procured the spirit stone fragments. Did the princess leave her castle to take an exam or to destroy struggling merchants?

"My apologies, himesama. My supplier did not share that with me."

The light left the princess' eyes once more prompting Satoshi to panic once again.

"But if himesama is curious, I can take you to his home. He lives on the way to the sect. If princess is the one who asks, I am sure he’ll divulge everything you wish to know.”

Kenja grit his teeth in annoyance. He had just stuck his neck out to rescue Satoshi-san before the old man quickly served him on a platter. Whatever happened to professional discretion? How about our many years of partnership?!

While Kenja did not want Baba to be troubled by this, he was more concerned that the princess would discover that the case Satoshi-san held onto and its contents—gold coins, jewelry and fine cloth—came from the royal family. Even if Baba got off scot-free, it was likely that the box would be confiscated and both, his real identity and this fake one, would be hunted down and interrogated.

"Himesama, if you are curious about how the spirit lumps are made, I am privy to the details." Kenja spoke out while bowing his head.

Kenja felt a slight jiggle on his ear. "Did the princess catch your eye? Good eye, my disciple, but do you have the time to dawdle?"

The princess turned and approached Kenja with glowing eyes. Satoshi was deeply grateful to this Daoist that not only brought him a good business deal but kept saving him from the princess’s inquisition.

Seeing Kenja's robe and cultivation realm, the princess clasped her hands and performed a Daoist salute.

Cultivators would show respect for each other regardless of their status. Princess was a mortal title, and before Immortals, such things meant very little. The cultivators’ respect towards her stemmed from her father's power as well as her own achievements.

"Do you have a name, Fellow Daoist?" the princess inquired.

"Hirai Hikaru, himesama."

"Do you really know how one makes these lumps?"

Kenja nodded his head while returning an awkward smile. The light in the princess' eyes grew brighter.

"Very good. Are you here for the exam as well?"

With Kenja's current cultivation level and outfit, it was a reasonable deduction to make although Kenja had a bad feeling creep up his spine. "Yes, himesama."

"Splendid! Let us go together," the princess finished as she turned to walk back to the carpet. The crowd's faces filled with shock and envy except for Satoshi who felt a mixture of guilt and relief.

'Do I have a say in this?' Kenja was depressed as he was forced to go along with the princess and her whims.

"Making a princess fly you to the sect. You are quite talented, disciple," Snail complimented Kenja.