Three months later, Jun Qiangwu left the wilderness. His blue eyes had changed. Ice-blue markings circled around his pupil, forming a flower-like symbol.
Jun Qiangwu placed a hand over one of his eyes as he felt them pulse with qi. He had just finished successfully cultivating the Frostflower Eye Technique, and it would still take some time for the pain to disappear. It would take even more time for him to be able to display the power of the Frostflower Eyes.
The successful cultivation of the Frostflower Eyes wasn’t Jun Qiangwu’s only gain. He had also discovered the location of his fifth meridian. With enough time, he would easily step into the Fifth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
“System, what is my current mission?”
[Ding! Main Mission Issued.]
[Main Mission 3: Join the Xi Immortal Dynasty.]
Jun Qiangwu furrowed his brows. “System, do I have to join that organization?”
[The host does not have to complete the mission, but subsequent missions will not be issued.]
“Isn’t that just forcing me?” Jun Qiangwu asked, with simmering anger. Needless to say, his experience with the Qian Dynasty had soured his views on authorities who claim themselves as emperors.
“What about the Mu Dynasty or Qian Jiafeng? Aren’t you the Nine Heavens Revenge System? Shouldn’t the next mission be to kill Qian Jiafeng?” Jun Qiangwu asked.
[The Nine Heavens Revenge System has judged the host to be too weak. Joining the Xi Immortal Dynasty will expedite the host’s growth. Also, the Mu Dynasty has nothing to do with your revenge. Mu Long did not take part in the Qian Dynasty’s Betrayal.]
“Weak?” Jun Qiangwu trembled. After everything, he was still considered weak? “I don’t believe it.”
The former general walked out of the cave. Instead of traveling toward the Xi Immortal Dynasty, he returned to the Qian Dynasty’s capital. After three months, Qian Jiafeng should have returned by now, right?
Jun Qiangwu slipped in just as easily as he had slipped out the night he killed the emperor. He sneered when he saw the white banners still hung on many buildings.
According to tradition, all citizens had to hang white banners or clothes to display their sadness at the emperor’s passing. Of course, outside of the capital, the mourning period lasted as long as the local governor chose to.
Jun Qiangwu sneered. In his eyes, the Qian Emperor wasn’t worth a single day of mourning, much less the standard three months or longer. Still, he wasn’t here to ruin the traitor’s funeral, but to focus on the future. Specifically, retribution on the one who had actually back-stabbed him.
Pretending to browse some hawker’s wares, Jun Qiangwu perked his ears.
“Hey, did you get a glimpse of Her Highness?” a passerby asked.
“I wish. What about you? Weren’t you related to a servant of a ducal family?”
“Ah? You mean my uncle? He’s just a laborer, not even someone who serves the noble. How could he let me get a glimpse of her?” the first person said.
The second person sighed. “I heard that Her Highness is the reincarnation of a fairy from the immortal realm. Her beauty is beyond mortal coils. If I could just catch a glimpse of Princess Jiafeng, I would die a happy man.”
Suddenly, a third person interjected into the two person conversation. He had a smug smirk as he said, “I caught a glimpse of her and I didn’t have to die.”
Instead of being mad, the two started questioning the interloper with relish. “Really? What did she look like?”
“Yeah, tell us. Quickly!”
The interloper puffed his chest up. “Actually, I only caught a glimpse of Princess Jiafeng by complete accident. I’m a woodcutter by trade, and when I was peddling firewood to the capital, I saw a magnificent carriage. There was a scary old man driving it.”
“Pfff, how scary can an old man be?”
“No, no, no,” the woodcutter said. He shivered, as if recalling the experience. “I’ve actually survived many monster encounters, thanks to my intuition. And none of the monsters I’ve ever encountered gave me the chills I had when seeing him.”
“What does the old man have to do with seeing the princess?” the first person asked.
The woodcutter glared. “I was getting to that.”
“Anyway,” the woodcutter said, resuming his story. “There I was, frozen from fear. My whole body was stiff, and only my eyes could move. I watched the carriage pass by with my eyes, afraid that something would happen. What I didn’t expect was for a strong wind to blow, making the curtains flutter. In that single instance, I caught a glimpse of the princess.”
“What, the princess left?”
“Yeah, isn’t she still mourning His Majesty’s death? Her brother has just ascended the throne, and she already left? Who are you trying to trick?” the second person said.
The woodcutter snorted. “How should I know? All I know is that I saw Princess Jiafeng.”
The two people shared a look and then laughed. “If you really did see her, describe her.”
Instead of getting angry, the woodcutter closed his eyes, as if recalling the memory. “Even if I used all the words I’ve learned, I can never describe her heavenly appearance. Imagine the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. Princess Jiafeng is a hundred times more beautiful. That’s how beautiful she is.”
The two people shared another glance. They wanted to mock the woodcutter, but judging from his reaction, he might have really seen the princess. But before they could continue down their train a thought, a fourth interloper appeared.
“What was she wearing?” Jun Qiangwu asked, staring at the woodcutter.
“Huh?” the woodcutter stared in surprised at the former general, who had appeared out of nowhere. Still, he answered without hesitation. “Green.”
Jun Qiangwu’s eyes narrowed. “Was she wearing a silver hairpin with a blue gem encrusted in it?”
“How’d you know?” the woodcutter asked. He looked Jun Qiangwu up and down. The latter wore common clothing, and didn’t look like he was part of the nobility.
“Which way did she go?”
“Huh?” The woodcutter took a step back, fearing the ferocious light in Jun Qiangwu’s eyes. “W-why’d you w-wanna know?”
Jun Qiangwu growled and took a step forward. “Just answer the damn question.”
“N-n-no!” the woodcutter said, trying to put a brave front. He shivered as he stepped back. Still, it was too late as Jun Qiangwu flashed in front of him. A hand reached out and grabbed his neck.
“Y-you, what are you doing?!” one of the two passersby shouted while pointing at Jun Qiangwu with a trembling finger.
His companion also added, “Yeah, this is the capital of the Qian Dynasty. No matter who you are, you’ll be thrown into jail and have your head cut off.”
The commotion had already caused the residents of the capital to take notice, but Jun Qiangwu didn’t care. He raised the woodcutter until his feet lifted off the ground. “Tell me.”
“Grak!!” The woodcutter opened his mouth, only for air to escape his lips from the force of Jun Qiangwu’s grip. With no choice, he could only point a shaky finger in the direction the carriage had traveled toward. “T-t-th-at w-way!…”
The woodcutter collapsed onto his back. He clutched his throat as he breathed in the sweet air. When he looked up, Jun Qiangwu had already disappeared.
“He ran that way!” a pedestrian said as the city guards appeared.
The city guards ran towards the direction the pedestrian pointed at. However, it was already too late, as Jun Qiangwu had already left the city walls. Even if they had caught sight of him, they were only stronger than the average human. If it was against a soldier or captain-class superhuman, they might have a chance at winning.
But against Jun Qiangwu? They weren’t even worthy of touching the dust he left behind.
Jun Qiangwu ran in the direction the woodcutter pointed at. It seemed that the woodcutter didn’t lie. He could see the tracks the carriage had left behind. Sure, there were other carriages, but Jun Qiangwu already had a guess where Qian Jiafeng would leave for.
Qian Jiafeng either left for the Xi Immortal Dynasty, or the Mu Dynasty. Coupled with Jun Qiangwu’s tracking skills, a skill he learned because of his hunting hobby, he already zeroed in on his next target of revenge.
Hours passed, and he ran like a man possessed. Jun Qiangwu ignored the hunger gnawing at his stomach, and even the protesting muscles. All he knew was that revenge was at hand. When the number of tracks disappeared, leaving only a single carriage track, he knew he had followed the correct direction.
The location had changed to a dirt road surrounded by trees. Only those accompanied by a platoon of soldiers would dare to tread here. That, or an extremely powerful superhuman. And what are the chances of that powerful superhuman not being Qian Jiafeng?
Jun Qiangwu’s footsteps slowed down when he saw a carriage on the horizon. It had stopped, as if waiting for him. He snorted and brandished his spear as he walked slowly toward the stopped vehicle. Once he walked closer, he noticed the captain-class monster attached to the carriage. However, it was the old man that attracted Jun Qiangwu’s attention.
Even ten meters apart, Jun Qiangwu felt a sense of danger from the man. Still, he did not back down. No matter how powerful the old man was, his power shouldn’t exceed Jun Qiangwu’s too much. Even a genius like Mu Long had only entered the Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
“Little Rascal, why have you been following us?” the old man asked. His voice was dry and raspy, akin to grating sandpaper. It only enforced the dangerous aura he exuded.
Jun Qiangwu ignored him. Instead, he observed the carriage. “Jiafeng, why aren’t you coming out? Hmpf, or are you too ashamed to face me?”
The old man paused, not expecting the seemingly skinny man bearing a spear to have a relationship with the lady. Silence passed, and just as it seemed that Qian Jiafeng would ignore him, the carriage door opened. Out stepped the Qian Dynasty’s princess in all her glory.
Qian Jiafeng had shed most of the extravagant accessories and dress for a plain, green dress with a few simple hair accessories. Jun Qiangwu’s eyes drifted toward the sapphire encrusted hairpin, and his bottled anger boiled. She looked more beautiful than before, but that only added fuel to the fire.
Just as Jun Qiangwu stared at Qian Jiafeng, so, too, did she stare back.
Qian Jiafeng possessed complicated emotions towards Jun Qiangwu. Before the world changed, she had been an average princess. One, who envied her older sister for being able to have an engagement with the famous successor of the Jun Family. It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t happy when the engagement fell onto her.
But exceeding her admiration and feelings for Jun Qiangwu was the reality of power. She understood that love was nothing, and only power mattered. Had she not possessed power, would the Qian Emperor respect her? Had she not possessed talent, would the engagement fall on her head?
The Qian Emperor wanted her to give the fruit she and Jun Qiangwu collected to her half-brother, the current emperor, but she ate it instead. So what if the Qian Emperor was angry? What could he do to her? The Qian Emperor needed her more than she needed him.
“If I knew this would have happened, I should have finished you myself,” Qian Jiafeng said.
Jun Qiangwu sneered. “Even if I died, I would have crawled out of the pits of hell to drag you and your scum of a father down with me.”
“I don’t know where your confidence comes from, but all those who have not joined the Xi Immortal Dynasty and obtained the cultivation methods are just ants. You may be able to kill a mortal like my Emperor-Father, but you’re wrong if you think you can defeat me by just playing with some water and ice,” Qian Jiafeng said.
Jun Qiangwu whipped his spear forward in response. “We shall see.”
Qian Jiafeng stared at Jun Qiangwu. She had secretly admired him for years, and partnered with him even longer. Even with anger raging in his mind, she knew that he would not attempt something he was not confident about. So, she turned toward the old man. “Mister Bing, I’ll have to trouble you to take action.”
“It’s no problem at all, Miss Qian,” Bing said. “It’s this guard’s duty to keep you worry free. Even if it means squishing an ant to death.”
Jun Qiangwu sneered. He dug his feet into the ground and prepared to charge. However, something stopped him.
[Ding! Side Mission Issued.]
[Side Mission: Escape Qian Jiafeng’s guard, Bing.]
“Wha—” Jun Qiangwu didn’t have a chance to process the Nine Heavens Revenge System’s announcement as Bing had already leaped toward him.
Bing’s body blurred as he arrived in front of Jun Qiangwu with his fist reared back. From that fist, Jun Qiangwu sensed the shadow of death. If he did not dodge or block it, he would be severely injured or possibly die!
