CHAPTER 4

— The Princess Carry —

"B-b-big... senior brother, cough cough..." With great effort, Ding Ding swallowed the word "iceberg" that was about to slip out. Gone was his earlier smugness, replaced by the terror of a mischievous troublemaker caught red-handed by a stern disciplinarian. "What brings you here?"

'D@mn it, who knows how much of what I just said he heard...'

With a cold snort, Su Yan's icy gaze swept over Ding Ding's face before settling on the still-dazed Tong Tong. Su Yan frowned, displeased by her overly intense stare. She had intended to say something but suddenly lost the desire to speak. If this person weren't a woman, her brazen gaze alone would have been enough to warrant death a hundred times over!

She had only come on a whim to check on the woman she had rescued and return something she had found to its rightful owner—Su Yan would never admit to feeling even the slightest bit of concern for the girl who had fallen from the sky!

Somehow, when the girl was unconscious, she couldn't bring herself to leave her. But now that she was awake and staring at her with those bright, unblinking eyes, the usually fearless Su Yan felt a hint of... panic? No, embarrassment? Not that either.

Then... shyness? Yes, for the first time in her life, the famously cold Su Yan experienced such a girlish emotion—even though she had dressed as a man for so many years and even thought of herself as one, deep down, he was still a "she."

Su Yan resisted this feeling, or rather, she was unaccustomed to it.

With a flick of her jade-like hand, Tong Tong felt a sudden weight in her arms. When she looked up again, all she caught was the elegant, retreating figure of a man.

'What a character,' she thought silently.

Looking down at what she held, she realized it was the travel bag that had accompanied her through her journey across worlds.

So, he had come to return her bag? She must find a chance to thank him!

'Su Yan...' Tong Tong, the young maiden, pressed her slightly flushed cheeks, her lips curling into an unconscious smile.

"Phew... that was close... So, the big iceberg probably didn't hear, right? Right?" Still shaken, Ding Ding patted his chest, then turned to find Tong Tong wearing a silly, infatuated grin. Immediately grabbing her shoulders, he spoke earnestly, "Girl, snap out of it! Even though I've never understood why that big iceberg—who exudes a delicate, feminine aura from head to toe, inside and out—always dominates the top spots on authoritative lists like the Cultivation World's Youth Talent Rankings and the Most Ideal Dao Companion Rankings, there's no denying that his admirers span all ages, genders, and races. If they lined up, they could circle Chonghua several times, you know!" Realizing his tone betrayed too much envy and resentment, Ding Ding let out a sigh and stared even more sincerely into Tong Tong's bewildered eyes. "So..."

"So, don't overthink it, Young Master Ding! I just think he's really good-looking, that's all!" Wiping the spit from her face, Tong Tong leaned back and said helplessly, "Icebergs like him aren't my type at all!"

To make sure Ding Ding believed her, she added, "What woman would want a boyfriend prettier than herself?" Though the baby they'd have would probably be adorable... she secretly mused, simultaneously scolding herself for being blinded by beauty yet unable to forget that fleeting glimpse.

"That's good, that's good..." Satisfied that Tong Tong's simple, almost naive face showed no signs of concealment or evasion, Ding Ding relaxed. "Oh, right! According to Master's instructions, you'll be reporting to Qingyun Court tomorrow. I'll take you around to get familiar with the place!"

A person of action, Ding Ding didn't wait for Tong Tong's reply before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. Waving casually at the cyan-robed disciples bowing respectfully along the way, she eagerly led Tong Tong to an open, empty field.

"Hehe, watch closely!" With a mysterious smile and under Tong Tong's curious gaze, Ding Ding formed a sword seal with two fingers. "Longquan Yintian [Dragonspring, Heavenly Cry]— unsheathe!"

As soon as he spoke, a deep blue sword light shot out from the Qiankun pouch at his waist, accompanied by a resounding dragon's roar that shook the heart.

T/N: [A Qiankun pouch (乾坤袋, Qiánkūn dài) is a pouch able to hold more than it appears able to carry. It is used by cultivators to carry large items.]

It was a sword shimmering with brilliant blue light, about three fingers wide. The hilt was carved with a coiled sea dragon, its mouth holding a glowing blue pearl from which the sword's radiance emanated.

"Cool, right?" Ding Ding boasted cheerfully, recalling how ecstatic he'd been when his master gifted him the sword—so much so that he hadn't slept all night.

"Yeah, totally awesome!" Tong Tong didn't hold back her admiration, her eyes filled with envy.

"And there's more!" With a clear shout, Ding Ding moved his fingers swiftly and commanded, "Qianlong Huaxing [Hidden Dragon, Take Form] —transform!"

The blue light intensified, and the sword suddenly transformed with a whoosh into a massive blade over a foot wide and about ten feet long.

"Hop on!" Ding Ding called out, controlling the massive sword to descend until it hovered just above the ground. He leaped onto it first, then extended a hand to Tong Tong.

Carefully stepping onto the sword, she let go of his hand but held onto the hem of his clothes to keep her balance. Just then, Ding Ding announced, "Steady now! Feilong Zaitian [A Flying Dragon in the Heavens] —rise!"

Before she could react, the massive sword shot skyward like an arrow released from a bow, whooshing through the air.

"Cough, cough... you... you jerk..." Tong Tong nearly screamed in surprise, but the fierce wind rushing into her face forced the sound back into her throat, leaving her coughing uncontrollably.

Ding Ding, who had been eager to show off, quickly apologized when he saw Tong Tong's disheveled state. "Sorry about that!" he said, though the smug grin on his face looked utterly punchable.

Pointing to a towering peak that seemed to pierce the clouds, Ding Ding proudly explained, "See that? That's Qiuye Peak, where we were just now! It's the main peak of Chonghua!" After carefully scanning the horizon, he pointed to another mountain shrouded in lush greenery, its forests as dense as splashes of ink. "That emerald-green one is Zhuomo [Polishing] Peak. The Qingyun [Azure Cloud] Court, which trains cyan-robed disciples, is located there. Besides that, there's also the Bahui [Ash-Rising] Academy for registered disciples and the sparring platform. Basically, it's a large boarding school combining middle and high school levels!"

"That over there is Xiangzhu Peak, home to many spiritual herbs and treasures. Too bad the peak master is a menopausal Obasan! So stingy... And that one is Tielin [Ironwood] Peak, where the master is a rigid old man! He always wears a stern face as if everyone owes him money... Over there, and there..."

While Ding Ding chattered enthusiastically, Tong Tong ignored him. Once she had adjusted to the speed and hidden behind him to block most of the wind, she finally felt secure enough to lean over and gaze downward. Layers of mountains stretched into the distance, veiled in mist and clouds—truly a scene of ethereal beauty!

Was this Chonghua, the pinnacle of the cultivation world?

'Hang in there, Tong Tong!' she cheered herself on inwardly, feeling as though she had returned to her early days of entering the workforce and striving to succeed. The difference was that this time, she wasn't learning to navigate office politics and deceit but rather the profound and mysterious path of sword techniques and spells.

—Innocent Tong Tong had no idea that the conflicts, scheming, and strategies she would encounter in this cultivation world would far surpass anything she had faced in the workplace.

At the very least, in that seemingly peaceful and open era, she hadn't constantly faced the threat of death or endless plundering.

Just as she was lost in her grand, beautiful visions, she suddenly felt the immortal sword beneath her feet wobble. Glancing at Ding Ding, who was piloting the sword ahead, she noticed his previously enthusiastic, flushed face had turned pale, and fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Catching her worried gaze, he gave an awkward smile. "Uh, I... I got a bit too carried away with flying. It seems my spiritual energy is running low..."

A sense of foreboding crept over Tong Tong. Spiritual energy? From the sound of it, it must be something like internal energy or fuel... Could it be like a plane running out of gas? How utterly ridiculous!

She instinctively glanced to the side. The once magnificent and wondrous scenery now seemed terrifyingly ominous—they were at least several hundred meters in the air. If they fell from this height, they'd be smashed to pieces!

"What... what do we do now?" she asked nervously.

Ding Ding scratched his head and gazed up at the sky with a melancholic expression. "We'll just have to wing it..."

No sooner had he spoken than the flying sword beneath their feet flashed with blue light and plummeted straight downward. The speed of their descent made both of them scream in unison: "Aaaaahhh—"

Just as Tong Tong finished cursing about Ding Ding, who always dropped the ball at critical moments and ended up costing her her life, she closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the pain to come. Suddenly, their descent slowed, and she felt a tight grip around her waist and the backs of her knees—she had landed in a warm embrace.

After a few stunned seconds, Tong Tong abruptly opened her eyes and met a pair of clear yet indifferent eyes.

Like the blooming peach, radiant and splendid.

"Su... Yan?" she asked uncertainly, only to receive an impatient, cold glance from the owner of those eyes. It made her wonder if the fleeting concern she had glimpsed earlier was just a trick of her own vision.

Remembering something, she turned her head and saw a vermilion beast, neither quite horse nor not, carrying Ding Ding, whose face was pale with fright. Only then did she relax.

Turning back, she continued to gaze at the person holding her—the faint scent of mint in her nostrils and the comforting warmth where they touched made it impossible to ignore the fact that she had been saved by this person, and in the form of a princess carry.

Her face flushed red without warning.

Lost in her embarrassment, Tong Tong instinctively wrapped her arms around the other's neck and buried her face in their shoulder, trying to hide her crimson cheeks—without considering how much more trouble this action might cause for both of them than before. Please forgive the impulsiveness of a child with limited brain capacity in a moment of panic.

Su Yan raised an eyebrow, her thin lips pressed together. Feeling the warm breath that didn't belong to her on her shoulder and neck, she turned her face slightly, uncomfortable, yet she restrained the impulse to throw the girl she was holding away—since she had saved her, she might as well let it be. She would simply ignore the girl's overstepping.

Seeing that they were not far from Qingyun Court, Su Yan descended on her sword and gently set Tong Tong, who was still lost in thought, down. Without another word, she turned and left.

Her beloved pet, Jiya, however, after landing, tossed Ding Ding off its back, ignoring his pig-like cries of pain. With what it considered a proud stride, it sauntered over to Tong Tong, who had snapped out of her daze and was now staring blankly at Su Yan's retreating figure. Its large, bell-like eyes scrutinized the unremarkable-looking girl from left to right, up and down, then leaned in to sniff her a few times before snorting in disinterest. It then turned and galloped off into the sky, chasing after its master.

Although from Tong Tong's perspective, she clearly saw the disdain in Jiya's eyes—she didn't know why she could understand the expression of a beast, and such blatant disdain at that—to other uninformed onlookers, it appeared as though Su Yan's beloved pet, Jiya, had taken a liking to this girl and behaved affectionately toward her.

And so, the misunderstanding was born.

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