Chapter 302

Chapter 302: You guys just need to kill Xu Ming! Got it? (4000 words)

Princess Manor.

Wu Yanhan was practicing her martial arts stances in the courtyard.

But with every punch Wu Yanhan threw, all she could think about were Xu Ming’s figure and what happened that day inside the mountain cave.

The more Wu Yanhan tried not to think about it, the harder it became to control her thoughts.

It had been five days since that incident.

For these five days, whether awake or asleep, her mind kept replaying that event.

At first, thinking about it only made her feel a little shy.

But gradually, as Xu Ming didn’t come to see her, a hint of anger began to well up within her.

Even though what happened wasn’t Xu Ming’s fault, and even though she herself had said they should pretend it never happened…

Still, you’ve done *that* with me, yet you haven’t shown any intention these past few days. At the very least, you should have come to see me, right? Could it be that after taking what you wanted, you don’t care at all?! Boom! Wu Yanhan threw a punch, reducing the stone garden ornament before her into powder.

The nearby maidservant saw this and was quite surprised.

Not because Her Highness the Princess was so powerful—Her Highness could do far more than just shatter a rock—but because she rarely lost control like this.

However, the maidservants dared not comment, quickly clearing away the rubble from the shattered rock.

“Your Highness.”

Just then, Ren entered the courtyard and approached Wu Yanhan.

“What is it?” Wu Yanhan retracted her stance, speaking calmly.

“Your Highness, Zhuangyuan Lang and Sheng Sheng have come to visit,” Ren said.

Hearing “Zhuangyuan Lang,” Wu Yanhan’s heart skipped a beat.

Though she had been wanting Xu Ming to come see her,

when he actually arrived, she found herself hesitating to meet him.

“Let them in.”

Wu Yanhan sighed, finding her previous thoughts somewhat laughable.

If something happened, it happened. He has nothing to do with me anyway. I told him to forget about it, it was all my idea.

When did I start becoming so indecisive?

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ren withdrew.

“Big Sister Yanhan~~~”

Not long after, Wu Yanhan heard Shen Sheng’s cheerful voice.

Shen Sheng ran happily toward Wu Yanhan, who affectionately ruffled her hair.

“I’m practicing boxing.” Xu Ming walked over, smiling.

Wu Yanhan brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: “We’re about to head to the Rootless Mystic Realm soon. I don’t want to die there.”

Xu Ming smiled: “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die there. Even if you do, you’ll have to step over my corpse first.”

Wu Yanhan gave Xu Ming an exasperated glare: “You’re getting really good at saying cheesy things, aren’t you?”

Xu Ming: “…Cheesy? It shouldn’t be that bad…”

“Want to practice?” Wu Yanhan asked Xu Ming.

“Not against it,” Xu Ming nodded.

“Then let’s go!”

With that, Wu Yanhan threw a punch at Xu Ming’s chest, a ferocious blow.

And Shen Sheng, standing nearby, watched as Brother Xu got pummeled by Big Sister Yanhan—chest pounded, kicked in the rear, ridden on… it was truly a pitiful sight.

After a while, Shen Sheng couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

But why does it seem like Big Sister Yanhan is angry? Did Brother Xu do something wrong to her?

In fact, Xu Ming was also puzzled.

He thought it was just a friendly sparring session, but unexpectedly, Yanhan went all out.

Xu Ming noticed that Yanhan seemed to have some resentment towards him.

So Xu Ming decided not to resist and just let her vent.

“Hmph! You might as well give up being a martial artist altogether; your skills are already so rusty.”

After thoroughly beating up Xu Ming, Wu Yanhan lifted her proud chin, aware that Xu Ming had intentionally let her win. But his “consideration” alleviated much of her gloom.

Xu Ming chuckled: “That can’t happen. Martial Way is my foundation. I can’t abandon it. Speaking of which, Princess, could you get off me first?”

Only then did Wu Yanhan realize she was sitting on Xu Ming in a rather unbecoming posture, which reminded her of what happened in the cave.

“Hmph! Like I’d want to sit on you forever. I’m going to take a bath!” Wu Yanhan’s cheeks flushed slightly as she got up and walked out of the courtyard.

Watching Wu Yanhan’s retreating back, Xu Ming asked the attendant maid: “Has your princess encountered anything unpleasant recently?”

The maid named Qiao, like Ren, was one of Wu Yanhan’s most trusted attendants.

Qiao smiled slyly: “The princess’s thoughts are hard to fathom~ But she hasn’t been very happy lately.”

She added: “Ever since returning from the palace with His Excellency the Prince Consort, she’s been like this.”

Xu Ming: “…”

Qiao bowed respectfully: “This servant will attend to the princess. Lord Zhuangyuan, please make yourself at home. The princess said you may treat this place as your own.”

After Qiao left, only Xu Ming and Shen Sheng remained in the courtyard.

Xu Ming couldn’t quite figure out why Yanhan was so upset with him. Could it be because he hadn’t visited her for so long? “Well, after getting beaten up by her, it seems her frustration has lessened somewhat.”

Xu Ming shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and sat down to drink tea.

Shen Sheng sat obediently beside him.

“Remember this, Sheng Sheng. If anything happens in the future, tell Brother Xu. Don’t be like Big Sister Yanhan, keeping things bottled up inside. If you keep things to yourself, others won’t know what’s bothering you. Only by speaking up can problems be solved, understood?” Xu Ming said to Shen Sheng.

“Um~” Shen Sheng nodded vigorously. “Understood, Brother Xu~”

“Good.” Xu Ming ruffled her hair. “Come, have some pastries.”

Xu Ming and Shen Sheng drank tea and ate pastries while waiting for Wu Yanhan, treating the princess’s manor like their own home.

Soon, Wu Yanhan returned wearing a different dress.

“So, what’s up? Why did you suddenly want to visit me?” Wu Yanhan asked.

When Wu Yanhan asked this question, Xu Ming was momentarily stunned: “Have you forgotten? Today is the selection for the Rootless Mystic Realm.”

“…”

Upon Xu Ming’s reminder, Wu Yanhan remembered—it was indeed the day for selecting participants for the Rootless Mystic Realm.

These past few days, she had been preoccupied with thoughts of Xu Ming and forgot about this important matter.

“Why didn’t you remind me earlier!” Wu Yanhan glared at Xu Ming.

“…” Xu Ming helplessly shrugged. “But you didn’t ask either. And why are you bathing now? Won’t you get dirty during the competition anyway?”

“Don’t lecture me, just wait a moment!”

Wu Yanhan walked into her room and slammed the door shut.

Shen Sheng tugged at Xu Ming’s sleeve: “Brother Xu, maybe you should talk less, otherwise Big Sister Yanhan will beat you again.”

Xu Ming: “…”

Shen Sheng offered advice: “Brother Xu could compliment Big Sister Yanhan. She’s easy to please.”

“Really?” Xu Ming asked.

Shen Sheng nodded vigorously: “Really, really.”

Xu Ming thought about it and found Shen Sheng’s suggestion reasonable.

“Let’s go.”

When Wu Yanhan came out, she had changed into a martial outfit, looking efficient and heroic. The dignified elegance of her previous dress disappeared completely.

“What’s wrong?” Wu Yanhan looked at Xu Ming.

“Nothing, just noticing how effortlessly you switch between styles. In court robes, you don’t look like a martial artist, and in martial attire, you don’t look like a princess,” Xu Ming commented.

Wu Yanhan was momentarily taken aback: “Is that a compliment?”

“Uh…” Xu Ming hesitated, unsure how to respond. “Isn’t it obvious enough?”

Wu Yanhan chuckled softly: “Then tell me, which style do you prefer?”

Xu Ming answered seriously: “I like both. In court robes, you appear dignified and elegant. In martial attire, you exude heroic charm.”

“You should use the energy wasted on such nonsense to think about how to handle the upcoming competition,” Wu Yanhan shot him a glance and walked away.

Xu Ming turned to Shen Sheng: “I don’t think it worked. Your Big Sister Yanhan still seems pretty mad.”

“It worked!” Shen Sheng blinked innocently, clenching her fists. “Big Sister Yanhan is much happier.”

“Are you sure?” Xu Ming was startled. Why does it feel like this girl understands more than me? “How do you know?”

Shen Sheng scratched her head: “I don’t know… I just feel it.”

“Alright.”

Xu Ming didn’t press further, perhaps it was children’s sixth sense.

Xu Ming took Shen Sheng’s small hand and walked out.

The three boarded a carriage heading to the third camp of the Blood Floating Pagoda.

The selection for the Rootless Mystic Realm would take place in this third camp.

According to regulations set by various dynasties and sects in the Central Plains, the Wu Kingdom, like the other ten human dynasties, had ten spots available for the Rootless Mystic Realm.

These ten spots included not only cultivators from the military but also all capable individuals and wandering cultivators within the Wu Kingdom.

As long as one reached Dragon Gate Realm in cultivation and Martial Heart Realm in martial arts, one could participate.

However, one’s cultivation must not exceed Golden Core Realm, and one’s martial arts level must not surpass Divine Body Realm.

Compared to previous registration requirements for the Rootless Mystic Realm, this time they were significantly stricter.

The main reason was that this would be the final Rootless Mystic Realm entry, with the Heavenly Dao changing. Originally, Sea Observing Realm was sufficient to enter, but now it had been raised by one level.

Similarly, following the principle of complementary worldly rules, raising the minimum requirement should theoretically raise the maximum requirement by one level too.

But due to the vast disparity between higher realms and the inability to use life-saving talismans in this Rootless Mystic Realm, both dynasties and sects feared excessive violence, so they lowered the upper limit.

A smaller gap in realm meant a smaller gap in strength, thereby increasing the chances of survival.

When Xu Ming and his group arrived at the third camp of the Blood Floating Pagoda, Xu Ming expected a massive crowd, wondering if the camp could even hold everyone participating in the selection.

But Xu Ming soon realized he was overthinking it. Though the number of participants wasn’t small, it was far fewer than he anticipated.

Looking around, Xu Ming roughly estimated that there were merely five thousand people in the camp.

“What’s wrong? You seem puzzled?” Wu Yanhan asked Xu Ming.

Xu Ming shook his head: “Nothing, just that there are fewer people here than I expected. I thought there would be tens of thousands.”

Wu Yanhan replied dryly: “In the world, out of a hundred people, having one person able to cultivate is already good. Out of a hundred people who can cultivate, having one reach Cavern Realm is already a blessing from heaven and earth.

“As for those who pass through Thunder Tribulation after entering Cavern Realm to reach Dragon Gate Realm, they are extremely rare.

“Our Wu Kingdom has the smallest population among the ten human dynasties. To have this many qualified cultivators and martial artists is already quite impressive.

“Don’t think that just because you usually encounter Golden Core or Nascent Soul Stage cultivators that everyone is at that level.

“People like us are ultimately the minority.”

“That’s true.” Xu Ming nodded.

“Let’s go, get our tokens.”

Wu Yanhan strode toward the registration area, Xu Ming followed with Shen Sheng, collected their tokens, and proceeded to group matches, eventually selecting ten participants for the Rootless Mystic Realm. Simple and straightforward.

And as Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan registered, several pairs of eyes intensely focused on Xu Ming.

“Don’t stare.” The leader warned.

“Is that the current prince consort?” A man licked his lips, averting his gaze.

Another man with a nose ring licked his lips: “The princess is quite beautiful.”

Before the nose-ringed man finished speaking, the leader’s dagger had already pierced his shoulder, whispering in his ear: “I’ve told you, the princess is off-limits! Once we enter the Rootless Mystic Realm, your only task is to kill Xu Ming! Got it?”

The nose-ringed man gritted his teeth against the pain, sweating profusely: “Yes, understood…”

[Ah~ It’s been 23 days without taking leave, and there’s no leave next month…]