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Hearing this, Xu Taiping's brows furrowed slightly.
Elder Yunye was clearly implying something more with his words.
"Don't worry too much, your task is merely to ensure the Sixth Princess's safety; everything else is none of your concern."
As soon as Fairy Yunye left, Fairy Lingyue's voice echoed in Xu Taiping's mind.
"That's right."
Xu Taiping nodded, not dwelling on it further, and headed straight for the black horse.
"Ever ridden a horse?"
Fairy Lingyue suddenly asked with a smile.
"Not really… not very well."
Xu Taiping scratched his head.
He had ridden oxen before, but horses were another matter.
"Let me teach you."
Fairy Lingyue's interest was piqued.
"Alright."
Xu Taiping nodded.
He knew what Fairy Lingyue intended to do.
"Fairy Lingyue, please go ahead."
He focused his mind, allowing Fairy Lingyue to take control of his body.
"It's been hundreds of years since I last rode a horse; I'm quite eager to try again."
Fairy Lingyue responded cheerfully and then took control of Xu Taiping's body to leap onto the horse.
"Giddy up!"
With a neigh, "Xu Taiping" skillfully rode the horse, galloping through the forest.
"Taiping, the spiritual energy in this mundane world is impure. You must drink several cups of Dragon Gall Wine daily; otherwise, when you return to the mountains, you'll spend a lot of time expelling the impurities from your body," Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping while riding.
"Does that mean Baiyu and the little monkey are better off not coming out of their gourds?"
Xu Taiping asked.
"It's best they don't. Being immersed in this tainted spiritual energy for too long is detrimental to their cultivation," Fairy Lingyue replied.
Xu Taiping nodded.
"However, the worldly atmosphere of the secular world is indeed nostalgic. No wonder there are cultivators who are reluctant to leave it and return to the mountains," Fairy Lingyue, through Xu Taiping's body, inhaled deeply.
"What do you think, Taiping?"
She then asked Xu Taiping.
"It's nice, but with grandfather gone, there's no place for me in this world. I prefer solitary cultivation in the mountains over the worldly life," Xu Taiping murmured, gazing at the verdant scenery before him.
Hearing this, Fairy Lingyue let out an unintentional sigh.
***
Green Snail Valley.
Mandala Villa.
"Your Highness, we can't wait any longer."
In a secluded pavilion within the villa, a tall and burly imperial guard dressed in dark attire, with a precious saber hanging at his waist, looked worriedly at the gentle-eyed young girl in front of him.
The girl, dressed in exquisite palace attire with a veil over her face, still radiated a captivating charm.
"Commander Cao, I can't leave without that person's arrival," the girl said, firmly clutching the half jade bracelet in her hand.
"Your Highness, rumors about your ability to transcend mortality and become a fairy are rampant in the Black Vulture Nation. Both righteous and evil factions are eager to find you. If we continue to wait and your whereabouts are exposed, with our current manpower, it will be difficult to protect you from the martial artists," Commander Cao earnestly advised.
"As long as that person arrives, everything will be resolved," the girl said, gripping the jade bracelet tightly, her eyes resolute.
"Your Highness!"
At that moment, a young man in similar dark attire hurried into the room, his expression tense as he approached the girl.
"General Chu!"
The girl's eyes lit up as she stood up quickly.
"Did you bring the person?"
She asked General Chu nervously.
"No," General Chu shook his head helplessly.
Upon hearing this, the light in the girl's eyes dimmed once again.
"Your Highness, may I know who you are waiting for?" General Chu suddenly asked seriously.
"I'm sorry, General Chu, I can't reveal his identity to anyone before I meet him," the girl said apologetically, shaking her head.
"In that case, Your Highness, you must make a decision," General Chu said after a moment's contemplation, frowning at the girl.
"A decision?"
The girl was puzzled.
"Today, as you instructed, I waited for that person at the valley entrance. However, as dusk approached, my men found several freshly broken branches and strands of blood-red spider silk in the forest," General Chu reported with a grave expression.
"I suspect that the Blood Spider Valley's young master and his group have arrived near Mandala Villa. Therefore, Your Highness, please make a quick decision on whether to leave Mandala Villa."
The girl's expression turned solemn.
"So they have caught up after all?"
She sighed heavily.
"But these days are precisely the time I agreed to meet him. Leaving now, I might miss him," she hesitated.
"Your Highness, since General Chu has discovered their traces, we truly cannot stay here any longer," Commander Cao also urged seriously.
"General Chu, Commander Cao, something's wrong!"
Just then, several urgent shouts came from outside the pavilion.
"General Chu, stay here and protect Your Highness. I'll check it out," Commander Cao glanced at General Chu and the girl, then hurried to the window.
"What's happened?"
He shouted down.
"Commander Cao, it's terrible. Two guards on patrol have been killed, their bodies hung at the villa's entrance. The villa's gates and walls are covered in blood-written messages," the guard below shouted back, his voice tinged with panic.
"Don't panic; the villa is full of our people. They wouldn't dare to break in," Li, the guard, yelled back.
"What's written on the walls?" he asked further.
Hearing this, the girl and General Chu also pricked up their ears.
"The messages say that the Blood Spider Valley's young master is coming to Mandala Villa to propose to Your Highness. If you refuse, he will continue to kill within the villa until you agree," the guard below explained frantically.