Chapter 190: Might as Well Cut It Off

Princess Gaoyi’s logic was one that Song Zining could not agree with, but he was not foolish enough to voice his disagreement. Women always had their own reasons in such matters, and no matter how profound the reasoning of others, they would not listen.

Song Zining said, “Even if the main responsibility lies with General Lin, the most urgent task at hand is to find Miss Ruo Xi. Holding someone accountable can come later. I’m just curious, why did she end up here?”

Gaoyi sighed, “As soon as she ran away, I knew it. At first, I thought she merely wanted to go out for a stroll. But who knew, as soon as she left Xiji City, she shook off all her guards. That’s when I realized something was wrong, and I chased after her, but I couldn’t catch up with her, especially since she borrowed the power of the Manjushage.”

“Does Duke Chengen know about this?”

“He spends all day with the Wolfsmoke Legion. What else does he know!” Gaoyi’s words carried a hint of complaint.

Song Zining pondered for a moment before saying, “In my opinion, we should inform Duke Chengen about this. He should be the one to negotiate with General Lin. Since Your Highness wants General Lin to act, coercion might not work, and your position is too special. Every move you make is watched by countless eyes. This matter cannot be kept secret for long, so it needs to be dealt with swiftly. The minor misunderstanding between the Zhao Clan and General Lin in the past can be set aside for now.”

Princess Gaoyi’s brows furrowed slightly, “Why can’t I directly go to Lin Xitan?”

“General Lin is not someone easy to talk to.”

Princess Gaoyi gave a cold smile, “I don’t care if he’s easy to talk to or not. If this matter can’t be resolved, I’ll go into the Great Vortex myself to find her.”

Song Zining was shocked, “Absolutely not!”

Gaoyi calmly said, “If I don’t come back, then so be it. But if I do, some people will never have a peaceful day again!”

Song Zining detected an underlying message and hurriedly asked, “Your Highness means…?”

“Do you think Ruo Xi knew about this on her own?”

Song Zining immediately understood; there must be someone secretly targeting the Zhao Clan.

Gaoyi said, “I’ve already killed thirty servants on the spot, and I don’t mind killing three hundred or three thousand more!”

Killing thirty people on the spot, it was obvious that some were killed by mistake. But Gaoyi was using this to let those behind the scenes know that from now on, she would have no reservations.

Song Zining felt a headache coming on, and he could only say, “In that case, Your Highness, you should still meet with General Lin. He knows much more about the Great Vortex than I do. I’ll find a way to enter the Great Vortex and search for Ruo Xi as best I can.”

Gaoyi nodded, removing two bracelets from her wrist and placing them on the table. “These are two treasures bestowed upon me by the late emperor. One for protection, to ensure your safe passage through the tunnel. The other has its own storage space, which I’ve already filled with supplies for emergencies. Since you’re going in anyway, don’t delay. Go now.”

Song Zining didn’t refuse, taking the bracelets and asking about their usage.

Gaoyi watched him put them away and slowly said, “I’ve heard a bit about the situation there. I’ll just say this: Ruo Xi is a fiery girl, very much like me back in the day. If something happens against her will, she might choose death to clear her name. Remember this.”

Song Zining said solemnly, “Your Highness, rest assured. I, Song Zining, may be a ladies’ man, but I am not a scoundrel. I would never take advantage of her in such a time of need.”

“I’m not reassured,” Gaoyi’s words froze the smile on Song Zining’s face.

The girl who brought Song Zining in suddenly said, “Your Highness, why don’t we castrate him before sending him in? That way, it’s foolproof.”

Song Zining gasped, not expecting such ruthlessness from the sweet-looking girl. Seeing Princess Gaoyi’s thoughtful expression, Song Zining’s heart sank. In this place, even with all his skill, he couldn’t escape Princess Gaoyi’s grasp.

Fortunately, after some consideration, Gaoyi shook her head, allowing Song Zining to breathe a sigh of relief. However, her next words made him unable to smile: “He still needs to do his job. Cutting him now would weaken him. If he does something wrong, we can cut him when he comes back.”

As he walked out of the floating ship, a cold wind hit him, making Song Zining shiver. The same girl followed beside him, giggling. Song Zining, his face as cold as ice, said angrily, “What are you laughing at? You look pretty, but why are you so cruel?”

The girl laughed, “Men like you, letting you out would harm many sisters. It’s best to cut you.”

Song Zining gritted his teeth, “I haven’t harmed you!”

The girl covered her mouth and laughed, “If you harmed me, how could I bear to cut you?”

Song Zining’s face turned green and white, and he quickly left without another word.

Once Song Zining was far enough, the girl returned to the ship, closed the door, and came back to Princess Gaoyi. “Just like that, let him go?”

Princess Gaoyi said slowly, “We can’t find anyone better right now. Let’s go. Remember, no matter what, don’t let Junda and the others know about this.”

“Your Highness, rest assured.”

Inside the Great Vortex, Qian Ye had no idea of the chaos outside. Lying in the grass, he gazed at the distant stone castle, his expression serious.

This stone castle was much larger than the first, with four towers on one wall, each manned by two four-armed guards. The castle was well-built and well-maintained, with no damage to the stone walls.

The walls were thirty meters high, not much under normal circumstances, but in the Great Vortex, ten times the gravity made flying extremely difficult. The height of the walls became a real obstacle.

Looking at the castle, Ji Tianqing also looked serious and somewhat suspicious. She asked softly, “You took the white fruit from here?”

Qian Ye nodded.

“How did you get in?”

“By climbing the wall.”

Ji Tianqing shook her head, “I can’t chat with a monster like you.”

She turned to Li Kuanglan, “Have you thought of anything?”

“Ropes, hooks, nails.” Li Kuanglan was concise.

“This is easy.” Ji Tianqing pulled Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan back into the forest. They cut down a tree, peeled the bark for ropes, and carved hooks. Soon, they had a batch of tools ready.

Ji Tianqing checked the time and said, “Let’s start, we can’t wait any longer.”

Qian Ye nodded, suppressing his aura, and sneaked to the other side of the castle. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan approached the wall.

Qian Ye reached the wall, grabbed the protruding stones, and leaped up, easily scaling the wall. When he reached the top, he saw a grappling hook flying over and hooking onto the wall, and then Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan appeared. Ji Tianqing inserted wooden stakes into the cracks and punched them in halfway.

Though the vibrations were light, the four-armed warriors on the nearby tower noticed and looked over. Just as one turned, Li Kuanglan’s hands clamped onto his neck, the cold sealing his mouth and throat. A quick snap, and the four-armed warrior’s neck broke.

Li Kuanglan quickly turned and attacked the other warrior in the tower. This was a female four-armed warrior, who inhaled deeply and exhaled a white fog. Li Kuanglan was prepared, her hands forming a circle, and the cold instantly froze the fog, which she shoved back into the woman’s mouth. Then, with her left hand, she formed an ice blade and stabbed the four-armed woman’s chest.

But the ice blade only pierced halfway before breaking against the bone!

Li Kuanglan was shocked. Her ice blade, formed from elemental force, was not inferior to ordinary weapons, yet it couldn’t cut through the four-armed woman’s ribs?

In pain, the four-armed woman lashed out wildly. Li Kuanglan pounced, wrapping around her, and with a twist of her legs, tripped her. She then snapped her neck.

The battle was over in an instant, but Li Kuanglan was drenched in sweat. These four-armed natives were incredibly strong, their bodies hard as iron, and their vitality overwhelming. If not hit in a vital spot, they could keep fighting even after being slashed dozens of times. The white fog from the four-armed woman was also extremely noxious.

Li Kuanglan thought that fighting famous strongmen in Eternity Night might be easier. Besides, she hadn’t seen any special abilities from the four-armed men yet. Their size and strength alone were enough to give her a headache.

After dealing with the two guards, Li Kuanglan suddenly realized that the noise might have alerted other guards.

She quickly looked around and saw the guards in the nearby towers fall, and then Ji Tianqing and Qian Ye signaled her it was safe.

Li Kuanglan searched the two guards’ bodies and jumped down, following Ji Tianqing into the castle.

Once, she, Ji Tianqing, and Qian Ye were equally powerful. Qian Ye could only defend himself by fighting desperately. But now, in the Great Vortex, she seemed useless, needing Qian Ye and Ji Tianqing to protect her. This contrast was unbearable for a top young powerhouse.

Ahead, Qian Ye moved stealthily and steadily, seemingly unaware of her turmoil. His stealth was not flashy but effective, every step precise. He easily crossed the area where the two-armed people lived and headed towards the central stone houses. Based on the previous experience, these stone houses were like barracks, protecting the precious white fruit in the center.

Qian Ye suddenly accelerated and entered a stone house. A faint sound came from inside, then silence.

But the native warriors were highly sensitive. A four-armed warrior from the neighboring house came out to investigate.