Su Muqing, with Wan Yan'er, sped along the country's stone road. Fortunately, this area was mostly royal gardens and estates of wealthy families, and people frequented it for short stays, so the road from Rongcheng to Qingyang Prefecture was well-maintained.
Wan Yan'er closed her eyes, her arms tightly around Su Muqing's slender waist. Su Muqing pushed the accelerator to the maximum, honking the horn furiously whenever she saw someone ahead.
In fact, anyone who saw them didn't need Su Muqing to honk; they were already terrified by the sudden appearance of the unknown object. Such a large, black monster moving so fast was truly frightening.
After a period of smooth driving, Su Muqing jammed the accelerator to the floor. Wan Yan'er's heart pounded wildly from the sudden acceleration. She opened her eyes to look at the surroundings, but unfortunately, the strange helmet had black glass around the eyes, casting everything in a dark gray hue.
They had rushed from Rongcheng to Qingyang Prefecture two days prior, taking about four hours. Now, the bandits had left more than two hours earlier, so she had to catch up as quickly as possible to have any chance of succeeding.
The two of them spent over an hour, speeding along the road, reaching the outer gate of Rongcheng. The motorcycle's bright headlights attracted the attention of the guards at the city gate. Seeing an unidentified object approaching, they quickly gathered from all directions, surrounding the two and the vehicle from a distance.
"Halt! Who are you? What is your purpose in entering the city?" the commanding officer of the gate stepped forward and sternly questioned.
Seeing the people suddenly rush out, Su Muqing quickly applied the brakes, planting one foot on the ground to steady the slightly skidding vehicle. After the motorcycle stopped, she took out the imperial token given by the Emperor from her懷 and held it high above her head.
Upon seeing the golden token she produced, the guards all knelt and kowtowed to her.
Su Muqing surveyed the surrounding environment. The city gates had already been closed much earlier, more than an hour ahead of schedule, and the number of guards was double the usual.
Although the sky had already darkened, it was not yet past the third watch of the evening (around 7:40 PM), so it was not yet dark enough to prevent people from being seen. It seemed something must have happened in the city!
"Why were the city gates closed so early?" Su Muqing retracted the golden token into her sleeve, removed her helmet, revealing her entire face.
The commanding officer of the gate happened to be one of the military officers who had witnessed the weapon demonstration. Upon realizing it was Princess Ning'an, he quickly ran forward to reply.
"Reporting to the Princess, we just received orders that all city gates must be closed at the start of the evening watch, and residents are only allowed to exit the city, with no one permitted to enter."
"Orders? Whose orders? Did my father, the Emperor, issue this command?"
"This subordinate is unsure, but we are merely following orders from above."
Su Muqing did not converse further with him. She put her helmet back on and got back on the motorcycle. However, as she started the vehicle, the commanding officer of the gate surrounded them again, barring their passage.
"What do you mean by this?" Su Muqing pushed up her visor, looking at the guards surrounding them three layers deep, their sharp spears pointed at them. A hint of anger flickered in her eyes.
The commanding officer of the gate stepped forward and knelt on one knee, begging for forgiveness. "Please forgive us, Princess! We have orders from above that after the evening watch today, no one is allowed to enter the city, only to exit. We dare not disobey!"
"Absurd! Can your so-called orders override the Emperor's decree? I hold the token personally bestowed by my father. Let alone the nine gates of Rongcheng, even the imperial palace, I can enter and exit at will. You dare to suppress me with orders?"
"This..."
Upon hearing Su Muqing's words, the commanding officer of the gate clearly showed a hesitant expression, unsure whether to continue blocking them. Should they listen to the token personally bestowed by the Emperor, or the orders from above?
"What 'this'? Whatever happens, this Princess will bear the responsibility. Hurry and open the city gates for us to pass." As Su Muqing spoke, she directly twisted the throttle to the maximum, and the motorcycle roared to life.
The guards had never seen such a contraption and were greatly unnerved. They looked towards their commander, their hands sweating as they gripped their swords, spears, and halberds. The commander pondered for a moment and ultimately chose to side with the newly appointed princess.
The commander raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to open the city gate. Su Muqing released the clutch, and the motorcycle shot forward towards the gate.
Before the soldiers could fully open the gate, it was only widened to the width of two people. Yet, at precisely this gap, she skillfully maneuvered through the opening, disappearing from sight in a short while.
By the time the others, who had been running to catch up, arrived, the two had already vanished without a trace.
Rong'an City Gate was an inland gate of the Tianzhao Kingdom, unlike the Ronghua City Gate near the pier. This side remained bustling and lively even at night. However, after Su Muqing entered the city, she found the Rong'an roads unusually quiet.
The restaurants and teahouses that normally hosted revelries all night were now eerily silent. The streets, usually thronged with people, were now completely deserted.
Riding the motorcycle towards the imperial palace, they could see the towering city walls of the palace from afar. Just as Su Muqing thought the streets were deserted, suddenly, several groups of people emerged from different directions.
Su Muqing and Wan Yan'er, who were about to cross the moat bridge, found themselves surrounded by these groups. She was forced to brake sharply and stop in place, looking at the people on horseback surrounding them.
"Who are these two? Why are they dressed so strangely?"
"And what are those monsters they're riding? I've never seen anything like it, Your Highness!"
"Dressed so bizarrely in the middle of the night, they must be up to no good."
"Why don't we capture them first? If they're assassins, we could earn great merit!"
Several groups of people circled them, scrutinizing them carefully. Su Muqing removed her helmet, and Wan Yan'er followed suit. Only then did the crowd realize they were two women, and one of them was the Ning'an Grand Princess, recently enfeoffed by the Emperor.
Su Muqing, having cultivated the Space Secret Technique and undergone marrow cleansing, possessed extremely keen senses. She could see clearly even in the darkness.
Looking at the familiar, and somewhat similar, faces before her, Su Muqing had a bad premonition; she might have returned too late.
Despite her swift journey, she hadn't caught up with Brother Lu. Furthermore, these princes and various factions, each leading their household guards or their own troops, had appeared outside the imperial city.
The scale of this mobilization clearly indicated that something major had happened in the imperial palace. She wondered what had happened to her parents and younger brother. Were they safe?
Su Muqing looked at the people around her, a chilling aura emanating from her. Nevertheless, she spoke courteously at first, "I have urgent business at the palace. Please make way!"
"Oh! Isn't this our Princess Ning'an? Why are you here so late at night? And dressed so strangely!" Kebi Ping ignored Su Muqing's words, looking at the besieged individuals with a malicious smile on his face.
Indeed! Hearing Kebi Ping's words, Kebi Qing, who was already unruly and unrestrained, immediately scoffed, "Hmph! What kind of princess is she? Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions. In my opinion, how can a woman from another country be a princess of our Tianzhao Kingdom!"
Seeing that his words were echoed by others, Kebi Ping continued to fan the flames, "Prince Qing, what is the point of saying this now? She is already a princess officially recognized by the imperial family, with a status higher than ours..."
"Oh? So this is the Grand Princess personally enfeoffed by His Majesty! I heard that our Princess Ning'an possesses an ancient divine artifact with astonishing power. It's a pity that I, your humble nephew, only returned from my travels recently and have not had the chance to witness such a marvel. I truly regret it! I wonder if I will have the opportunity to see it in the future?" The speaker was Kebi Ming, the son of the late Fifth Prince, and the only heir to inherit a princely title.
Su Muqing stared at him for two seconds before looking away. Although this person wore a gentle smile, he exuded a somewhat sinister and unfathomable aura. His dot on the space detector was black and red, indicating that his thoughts were far deeper than his smile suggested.
Kebi Qing snorted through his nostrils, casting a disdainful glance at Kebi Ming. "Hmph! You always make a fuss over nothing! She's just a young girl, and that one is a mere child. Even with numerous powerful weapons, without a single soldier at her command, what significant trouble can she stir up on her own? Do you really think she can fight a hundred against one?"
Kebi Ping narrowed his eyes, a naked killing intent flashing within them. "But she has gained the Emperor's favor precisely because of these powerful weapons. What can you and I do about it?"
Kebi Qing brandished his large saber, looking at Su Muqing with a warning tone, "Hmph! If I find out that she has bewitched the Emperor with sorcery, then this saber of mine will not let her off easily!"
Su Muqing frowned with a hint of impatience, pulling out the token from her sleeve. "I have the token personally bestowed by my father. After all this blabbering, are you going to let me pass or not?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Look at our Princess, putting on airs as if she's someone important! Niece! By seniority, we are all your elders, your uncles. It's one thing if you are disrespectful to me, but how can you be so disrespectful to your First Imperial Uncle?" Kebi Ping said provocatively from the side.
As if provoked, Kebi Qing, who was easily provoked, immediately spoke out in anger upon hearing Su Muqing's disrespectful tone, feeling utterly offended by being treated so rudely by a junior. "A mere young girl, how dare you speak so arrogantly! I've heard your martial arts are excellent. Today, I wish to have a good spar with you!"
With that, Kebi Qing leaped from his horse with his large saber. Su Muqing started the motorcycle and made a sharp turn, heading in another direction.
"You refuse the toast and insist on a forfeit!"
Su Muqing stopped the motorcycle steadily, then leaped into the air. With a peculiar, sharp angle, she twisted her body and hurled a wind blade behind her.
With a "clang" sound, the wind blade collided heavily with Kebi Qing's steel saber. The immense impact sent him flying, tracing a long arc through the air.
As a seasoned general, Kebi Qing managed to regain his balance just before hitting the ground, preventing him from falling in a disheveled manner. However, the surging heat in his chest and dantian, and the tingling sensation in his tiger's mouth, left him deeply shocked.
With just one move! He never expected that this woman could inflict such severe internal injuries with a single move. Such astonishing power was truly terrifying!
Kebi Qing stood steadily for a moment but eventually grew weak. The sweet, metallic taste in his throat intensified. He braced himself with one hand on his saber, and the other covered his mouth, tightly clenching the blood he spat out.
Kebi Ping, seeing Prince Qing stumble, feigned concern and dismounted to help him, but inwardly scoffed!
In the past, Kebi Qing always boasted of his rapid martial arts advancements, claiming he was about to surpass the fourth brother (the Regent). But today, it seemed he was nothing more than that, unable to withstand even one move from a woman, which was rather embarrassing.
Su Muqing descended gracefully from the air, her demeanor composed and her movements agile. Her gaze fell upon the two in front of her, her eyes filled with sharp killing intent. She keenly noticed Kebi Ping giving a signal to a general among the Prince Qing's guards.
Upon receiving the instruction, the general raised his long saber and pointed it at Su Muqing, accusing her, "Audacious! You dare to assassinate Prince Qing! Guards! Quickly apprehend the assassin!"
Knowing full well that the person before them was a princess, this man still dared to label her an assassin. It was clearly Kebi Qing who had made the first move to show off his prowess, yet now it was she who was accused of assassination. Did these people truly believe they could say whatever they pleased?
Following the general's command, the soldiers looked around hesitantly. Kebi Qing initially intended to intervene, but Kebi Ping tightened his grip on him, distracting him.
"This woman is truly too arrogant, showing no respect for seniority. This time, consider it a lesson. Brother, do not be soft-hearted and stop them, otherwise, who knows how presumptuous she will become in the future!" Kebi Ping whispered a few words into his ear, and Kebi Qing, who had been about to dismiss his guards, relented.
"I never thought that a prince of the esteemed Tianzhao Kingdom would act so sneakily. Since you wish to resort to dirty tricks, then I shall no longer hold back!" Su Muqing amplified her voice with her inner energy, ensuring her words could be heard even by the shops near the moat bridge.
Hearing her words, Kebi Qing felt his face burn with shame. This girl was clearly implying that he was resorting to trickery because he couldn't win. However, the soldiers, having received orders, had already charged at her like arrows released from a bow. He flung Kebi Ping's hand away and staggered somewhat forward.
Seeing the charging masses, Su Muqing waved her hand, erecting a wall of wind blades. The soldiers who were too slow to evade crashed directly into the wind blade wall, their faces and bodies instantly covered in bloody gashes. This was even after she had reduced the power of the wind blades; otherwise, these people would have been cut into a thousand pieces by now...