The Princess’s Peril and an Unexpected Intervention

But the other party didn’t care at all. The contempt and arrogance in her voice were not concealed at all. The princess of the Immortal Dynasty was worthless in her eyes.

The girl who made the mocking remarks was wearing an elegant brocade dress, but she was not wearing a disciple’s uniform. Instead, the two female companions surrounding her were wearing the Xuan Nv Sect’s disciple uniform.

The young woman’s face was strikingly beautiful, her chin lifted in a defiant gesture, and the arrogance and overt hostility etched between her brows were unmistakable.

Dispensing with all formalities, she marched directly to Ji Xue, halting mere steps away.

Her gaze swept over them like a painter’s brush, eventually fixating on the disciple jade token dangling from Lin Mo’s waist, a sneer of anger and derision twisting her lips.

“I had assumed, Princess Ji Xue, that you were accompanying some distinguished guest to dare venture onto the top floor of the Lakeside Pavilion. As it turns out, it’s merely a brazen young girl, a ‘Class B’ talent just like Princess Ji Xue, who, knowing nothing, has brazenly trespassed here. What, do you imagine this is still the outside world, where your rapidly diminishing princess status grants you free rein? Still, the Xuan Nv Sect has clearly fallen into decline. The fact that even you can gain entry and somehow scrape by as a ‘Class B’ talent is utterly disgraceful. Had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered coming.”

Under such blatant humiliation, Ji Xue’s countenance instantly darkened.

Her fists clenched tightly, her gaze turning frosty as she fixed the young woman before her with a chilling stare.

“Nangong Xuan,” she bit out, “is your Nangong family truly so weary of life?”

“Oh, my, what an imposing display, Princess!” Nangong Xuan exclaimed, clutching her chest with exaggerated theatrics, her face contorted in mock terror. “You’ve frightened me senseless! Absolutely senseless! Is the Princess truly planning to eradicate our Nangong family? Mercy, Princess! I—oh! I nearly forgot, this is the Xuan Nv Sect, not some forgotten bedchamber of yours where dust gathers undisturbed because no one cares enough to sweep it away! And with merely you, you presume to threaten our Nangong family? His Majesty wouldn’t even deign to cast another glance your way! You are nothing but a stain, a disgrace to the imperial bloodline. Indeed, His Majesty now refuses to even acknowledge you as his own daughter; how truly pathetic. At times, our hearts ache for His Majesty, wondering how someone so utterly perfect and flawless could possibly have begotten such a complete waste!”

The two female companions trailing Nangong Xuan chimed in, their voices sharp with agreement.

“Exactly, Miss Xuan is absolutely right!” one declared.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll promptly descend from here!”

“And don’t even bother to consider where you are right now,” the other added, “Do you genuinely believe this is still your own little patch of land?”

Lin Mo now understood.

What Ji Xue had confided that night was indeed true: she was out of favor, her position within the imperial family perilously unstable.

Yet, even with such a precarious standing, she was still, by all accounts, the imperial family’s legitimate eldest daughter.

Was it truly permissible to address her in such a manner?

Could Nangong Xuan’s family wield such immense power?

Did their authority truly overshadow the entire imperial court?

Was the dynasty so reliant on the Nangong family that they dared to speak with such audacious confidence?

While Lin Mo admittedly possessed limited understanding of feudal customs, surely reputation was something held in exceptionally high regard, was it not?

To openly insult a member of the imperial family in such a way—was that not a direct slap to the face of the entire imperial house?

Even when striking a dog, one still considers its master.

Could Nangong Xuan truly be ignorant of such a fundamental principle?

Either this person possessed a remarkable talent for self-sabotage and bringing trouble to their own family, or…

‘No, that wasn’t right.’

‘If this was a scheme orchestrated by Qing You, the spearhead of her attack should rightly be aimed at me.’

‘More likely, Nangong Xuan was simply a genuine fool, prone to speaking without any filter or foresight.’

‘If only I could record this…’ Lin Mo mused.

Glancing at Ji Xue beside him, Lin Mo could see that her fury had reached its absolute zenith.

Her trembling form resembled a pot lid rattling violently atop a boiling stove, quivering and bouncing with suppressed rage.

‘Alas…’ Lin Mo sighed inwardly.

A physical confrontation, it seemed, was now utterly unavoidable.

Lin Mo had already braced himself for action, even subtly positioning himself near a colossal vase.

The moment Ji Xue launched her attack, Lin Mo intended to strike!

However…

“Heh…”

A low, drawn-out chuckle, deep and resonant, escaped from within Ji Xue’s throat, reverberating eerily through the otherwise silent corridor.

“Hey!” Nangong Xuan’s brows knitted together tightly.

That unsettling laugh had sent an inexplicable shiver through her, and she instinctively shrieked, “You… have you finally lost your mind?”

Ji Xue slowly raised her eyes, her gaze, sharp as ice picks, drilling directly into Nangong Xuan.

A strange, knowing curve subtly played at the corner of her lips.

“Insulting a member of the imperial family,” she drawled, “according to the laws of the Immortal Dynasty, what crime does that constitute?”

Listening to Ji Xue’s frigid interrogation, the sneer on Nangong Xuan’s lips became even more pronounced, as if she had just been told a particularly pathetic joke.

“Hmph,” she scoffed contemptuously, her chin tilting even higher, her eyes brimming with undisguised scorn. “I wondered what you were so hysterically laughing about. It seems you’re still clinging to the futile hope of using those antiquated, useless rules to intimidate someone?”

She advanced half a step, her voice rising, imbued with the ingrained arrogance of a powerful noble family and a complete dismissal of Ji Xue’s hollow title.

“Forget about the Xuan Nv Sect,” she sneered, “even within the imperial palace itself, who would ever believe your baseless accusations? And who, pray tell, would dare to incur the wrath of our Nangong family for the sake of a princess like you—a mere figurehead, living under the patronage of others, and soon to be utterly forgotten?!”

“Words without proof?” Ji Xue straightened her spine, a cold smile playing on her lips. “You are quite right; it’s highly improbable that anyone would dare to offend a prominent young lady like yourself on my behalf. The Nangong family’s influence is indeed at its zenith, practically holding sway over the entire imperial court. Their prestige is, without a doubt, formidable! However, the more formidable their power, the more readily they become a thorn in someone’s side, wouldn’t you agree? While mere unsubstantiated words might circulate without anyone championing my cause, what about concrete evidence?”

As she finished speaking, Ji Xue revealed a palm-sized, crystal-clear, and perfectly spherical orb in her hand, which she began to toss lightly.

Lin Mo had no idea what the object was, but the instant Ji Xue produced it, Nangong Xuan’s face contorted in alarm, her entire body stiffening.

“Once this Memory Stone is unveiled, I daresay the Nangong family will find themselves in quite a predicament, all thanks to Miss Nangong’s very own words—”

Before Ji Xue could finish her triumphant declaration, a figure burst forth from behind Nangong Xuan with the speed of an arrow!

Ji Xue gasped in surprise; it was one of Nangong Xuan’s female companions, who had suddenly launched an attack!

“Xuan’er, don’t be so rash! That is, after all, an imperial princess!” Nangong Xuan’s voice feigned anxiety, yet her body remained utterly motionless, offering not the slightest gesture of intervention.

It was glaringly obvious: this was a brazen attempt to snatch the artifact and then utterly destroy all incriminating evidence!

The woman, referred to as ‘Xuan’er,’ moved with astonishing speed!

Executing a high kick, utterly heedless of any glimpse beneath her skirt, a fleeting flash of pure white accompanied a fierce gust of wind as her leg swept horizontally towards Ji Xue’s face, aiming a brutal kick directly at her.

Ji Xue’s pupils constricted sharply.

In a desperate scramble, she attempted to channel her spiritual energy to defend herself—but the ambush was simply too swift!

Before the spiritual qi within her body could coalesce, the boot’s tip, whistling with the force of the wind, had already cleaved through the air directly before her eyes!

The faint protective aura barely had time to shimmer across her skin before she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the imminent explosion of pain!

Yet, the Memory Stone in her grasp was clutched fiercely to her chest, held with such extreme force that she seemed to wish she could embed the artifact directly into her own body.

“Thwack!“

A sharp, clear impact resonated through the air, but—Ji Xue felt no pain.

Ji Xue had instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, yet the anticipated blow never materialized!

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

There, extending steadily from her diagonal rear, was a hand with distinctly defined knuckles.

In that critical, split-second moment, it had precisely seized Xuan’er’s lightning-fast, sweeping ankle!

The sight caused the very air to thicken and still!

Nangong Xuan and her sole remaining female companion’s pupils dilated instantly, as if experiencing an internal earthquake of shock!

They knew Xuan’er’s formidable strength intimately: not only was her talent exceptional, but she was also blessed with innate divine power, strong as an ox!

Moreover, she had already reached the eighth layer of Qi Condensation.

Even cultivators at the half-step Foundation Establishment stage would hesitate to meet such a blow head-on.

So how… how had the person behind Ji Xue managed to catch it?!

‘Who in the world was this person?! What was their background?!’