Chapter 8: A Tiger's Roar, Shaking Heaven and Earth

“Drink up, hurry. It’ll get cold if you don’t.” Ye Zhenhuang sat down beside him and urged.

Chu Jinchen was lost in thought, but subconsciously, he obediently picked up the medicine bowl and gulped it all down.

He had assumed that Ye Zhenhuang was in such a rush to drag him out because she wanted to buy clothes, never imagining that she would head to a pharmacy first, specifically to have him examined and get medicine...

Moreover, he had never even mentioned that he was ill.

A strange feeling quietly stirred in the depths of his heart.

The sensation was subtle, unfamiliar, and somewhat awkward, yet it made his heart feel a strange sort of...

Chu Jinchen couldn't find the right adjective.

It was as if he had been stranded in a frozen wasteland, his entire body stiff with cold, when suddenly a flicker of firelight with a magical warmth began to linger around him, causing his body to gradually soften.

After finishing the medicine, Chu Jinchen broke into a sweat. He felt much lighter, and some of his strength had returned.

Ye Zhenhuang bought a few other medicinal herbs and some simple tools for preparing medicine. After paying the bill, they left the pharmacy.

Chu Jinchen was no longer being dragged along by Ye Zhenhuang; instead, he consciously followed by her side, while Gui Jing followed them in total silence, like a shadow.

Along the way, the two of them, dressed in bright red wedding attire, drew plenty of attention and stares, with onlookers whispering and guessing at their identities and history.

Seeing their luxurious wedding clothes and their outstanding, celestial-like appearances, many assumed they were a couple from a wealthy family who had eloped.

This time, the three of them headed straight for a clothing store.

The small town’s shop didn't have any particularly fine styles, so Ye Zhenhuang picked out two sets of simple, elegant clothes for a man and a woman. She also bought a sharp little pair of scissors from the shop. The two changed into their new clothes, paid, and left.

Back at the inn, Li Hao had everything prepared. Ye Zhenhuang cast a faint glance at a strange attendant standing beside Li Hao, then sat with Chu Jinchen and Gui Jing in a brand-new carriage to begin the journey back to the city.

Inside the carriage.

Ye Zhenhuang took out the herbs she had bought in town today, along with the small scissors. She carefully trimmed and mixed several different herbs, placed them in a small mortar, and gently ground them.

Before long, several different portions of medicinal powder were prepared.

Chu Jinchen just stared straight at her, not saying a word.

Ye Zhenhuang suddenly crooked her finger at him, signaling him to come closer. Subconsciously, Chu Jinchen obeyed once more, shifting his body to lean in...

“Your Highness, what is your friend’s cultivation level like? Is he good at fighting? Could he take down everyone outside all by himself?” Ye Zhenhuang pointed at Gui Jing and asked in a lowered voice.

Hearing this, Chu Jinchen turned his head to look at Gui Jing, who was resting with his eyes closed, and then replied in a similarly hushed tone: “He is very powerful. Fighting is no problem for him.”

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Zhenhuang brightened up, her eyes sparkling much more than before.

Seeing her like this, Chu Jinchen didn't know why, but he felt the urge to dampen her spirits. He continued in a low voice: “However, if it’s just the two of us being beaten, he absolutely will not intervene. As long as it has nothing to do with him personally, even if we were beaten to death, he wouldn't even lift an eyelid.”

“Ah? How could he be like that...” Ye Zhenhuang couldn't help but steal a glance at Gui Jing, finding it hard to believe.

Didn't this Young Master Jing help Chu Jinchen be resurrected? Weren't they friends? What kind of friend would stand by and watch someone die?

But looking at Chu Jinchen’s serious expression, he didn't seem to be lying to her.

Watching Ye Zhenhuang’s troubled look, Chu Jinchen chuckled inwardly. Once he had his fill of amusement, he whispered a suggestion: “Unless you make the attackers go directly for him. That way, he could kill a whole group with a casual wave of his hand.”

Hearing this, Ye Zhenhuang fell silent, lost in thought.

Soon, she came up with a countermeasure and pulled Chu Jinchen aside, whispering to him for quite a while.

Chu Jinchen listened, nodding and chuckling to himself.

He suddenly felt that, aside from her annoying habit of touching his body, this Ye Zhenhuang was actually quite interesting.

At the very least, they could conspire against Gui Jing together.

In a way, this could be considered revenge for Gui Jing standing by and watching when he was struck by the violent lightning during his tribulation.

Nearby, Gui Jing heard their conversation. He opened his eyes, cast a silent glance at them, and then closed his eyes again to rest in silence.

Halfway through the journey, on a remote and desolate narrow mountain path, Li Hao suddenly waved his hand to halt the procession.

With a cold, sinister expression, he stared at the carriage curtain, his hand slowly moving to the large blade he held.

After leaving the Imperial Mausoleum last night, Li Hao had sent word back to Fenglan City about the resurrection of Chu Jinchen and Ye Zhenhuang, and the fact that they had an alchemist with them.

Early this morning in Wanshou Town, he had received orders from Fenglan City.

The order clearly stated: “Kill Prince Jing and the Princess Consort at all costs. They must not be allowed to return to Fenglan City alive.”

In truth, to him, killing this pair of useless royals was as simple as crushing two ants.

The only thing that made Li Hao wary was that alchemist, Young Master Jing.

Fortunately, Fenglan City hadn't just sent a kill order; they had also dispatched a Talisman Beast Master. With this master’s assistance, an alchemist was nothing to worry about.

Li Hao gripped his blade, feeling more confident.

Just then, Ye Zhenhuang suddenly lifted the carriage curtain: “General Li, why have we stopped? As it happens, the Prince and I need to relieve ourselves, but this wilderness is a bit frightening. Could you accompany us?”

“Of course... certainly!” Li Hao thought quickly and stepped forward to help Ye Zhenhuang and Chu Jinchen out of the carriage.

If he could lure the Prince and Princess away and kill them, the Talisman Beast Master could focus entirely on dealing with that alchemist, Young Master Jing.

In the process, Ye Zhenhuang tripped and nearly fell, but Li Hao was quick enough to catch her.

Ye Zhenhuang grabbed Li Hao’s shoulder, gave him a grateful smile, and then the three of them walked together into the depths of the grass.

Before leaving, Li Hao signaled to the Talisman Beast Master hidden among the soldiers. The master understood immediately and stepped out from the crowd.

Once the figures of Ye Zhenhuang and the others were completely obscured by the grass, the Talisman Beast Master immediately opened a Talisman Beast Scroll.

He bit his finger and dripped a drop of fresh blood onto it. A lifelike yellow-browed tiger, depicted on the scroll, transformed from a drawing into a physical entity and leaped down.

Under the Talisman Beast Master’s command, its eyes glowed with bloodlust as it roared fiercely and leaped onto the carriage toward Gui Jing!

“ROAR!”

The tiger’s roar shook the heavens and the earth.