Facing Jiang Xuan’s inquiry, Leng Wu Shuang was momentarily flustered.
Seeing this, Jiang Xuan continued, “Sister Wu Shuang, you… have never trusted me. You even planned to… incarcerate me forever in this dark prison if I ever had thoughts of escaping, right?”
“That’s not it, Your Highness. You misunderstood me. I brought you here to protect you…”
“Protect me by locking me up?”
“No, no! I just want you to stay here for a while. I… decided to accept the inheritance trial from the first elder ancestor to improve my strength for your protection. But, since this might take a long time, and your appearance has been revealed, many evil women would try to harm you. So, I thought hiding you temporarily could prevent that. After that, I plan to spread news about your disappearance to confuse others and keep you safe.”
Jiang Xuan: “!!!!!”
After hearing Cold Wu Shuang’s explanation, his first reaction was, “Wait, what? This sounds like a good deal!”
But after calming down, he whispered to himself:
“Locking me up for my safety? Is this really happening? The Empress isn’t so bad after all… Or is she just testing me again? No, no, I can’t let her know I’m happy!”
On the surface, Jiang Xuan responded with shock:
“Sister Wu Shuang, will we be apart for a long time? I finally got to see you but now… things seem to have changed…”
After suppressing his slightly uplifted smile, Jiang Xuan pretended to be reluctant and embraced Leng Wu Shuang.
At that moment, Leng Wu Shuang patted Jiang Xuan’s back soothingly:
“My lord, rest assured. I promise, when I return with the inheritance from the first elder ancestor, I’ll be by your side forever. However… none of the empresses who attempted the inheritance trial have succeeded; they never returned.”
Leng Wu Shuang loosened her hold and looked at him gently.
“The inheritance trial is extremely dangerous, possibly fatal. But for you, I must find a way out, even in a no-win situation,” Leng Wu Shuang said emotionally.
Jiang Xuan cooperated:
“Sister Wu Shuang, are you sure you have to go through this dangerous trial? But… I don’t want you to go there, so dangerous. Even without the inheritance, I believe you can become a top-class master.”
“I’m sorry, my lord… I must go. There’s no time for gradual progress. You know, twice you were taken away from me. It happened even in the small Great Jiang Imperial City. Each time, it was because of my weakness that I couldn’t do anything. But I won’t let it happen again!”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan recalled the past:
“What a troublesome situation! I was taken by Liu Yun once and Qing Qi another time. So, this seems to be some sort of fight against the Holy Maiden of the Azure Phoenix Sect!”
On the surface, Jiang Xuan continued acting white:
“My lord, I support any decision you make. I just hope you don’t push yourself too hard, and also take care of yourself more…”
Leng Wu Shuang’s eyes reddened and she cupped Jiang Xuan’s face tenderly.
“My Lord, before I leave, I want to spend our last moments together.”
“??!!”
“No, you don’t want to.”
“Huh? You don’t wish to…”
“It’s not unwillingness, but I’m afraid it will distract you.”
Jiang Xuan pulled Cold Wu Shuang closer and whispered in her ear:
“Since you insist on going through such a dangerous trial, I want to give you the resolve to come back safely; that’s the only thing I can do. Sister Wu Shuang, we’ll continue after you return. Until then, focus on your mission. Don’t get distracted by soft things here. Unless, you aren’t going through the trial—then it’s okay now.”
Listening to Jiang Xuan’s reasoning, Cold Wu Shuang looked determined.
“Alright, everything as you say. I’ll return as soon as possible to free you. My lord, here’s a storage ring with provisions for you. Stay here and use the secret passage if you want. It might feel lonely, but I promise to return stronger.”
“Of course, I trust you…”
Before he could finish, Leng Wu Shuang suddenly sealed his lips.
Long after, she reluctantly released him.
“My lord, I have to leave. Stay here and wait for me. If I stay longer, I’ll lose myself. But I know… I’m not strong enough yet to protect this warmth.”
Only after she left did Jiang Xuan relax. He quickly scanned the area mentally to confirm she was truly gone.
As soon as he was sure, his pretense disappeared. His lips curled into a victorious grin.
“Now, I finally sent away Little Ancestor! And I managed to fool her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left easily.
Now, I have the perfect chance to boost my powers. Many are probably looking for my whereabouts now. Without improving my strength, I could easily run into another trap, even in the Great Jiang Imperial City. Thus, it’s crucial to boost my power first before taking any action.
This place is perfect for training!”
Jiang Xuan checked the storage ring Leng Wu Shuang gave him. It contained provisions, but no cultivation stones.
“d*mn, I was promised one hundred billion high-grade cultivation stones as a gift! That would’ve sped up my training! Now I only have five billion left. Training this way is too expensive.”
Just then, he remembered the compensation package he received after updating the System.
“To the System: Is the compensation package still there?”
“Yes, do you want to open the compensation package?”
“Open it now!”
