Xu Qingxue lowered her head and said, "I just thought, there's not really anyone to serve you here at Zhen'nan Pass. I was worried you might need someone to help with things."
"I'm not that delicate."
Yang Cheng let out a sigh. "By the way, why does it seem so lively here today at Zhen'nan Pass?"
Xu Qingxue's expression brightened slightly. "It's because Chu Xianyin, the famed zither master, has arrived."
"Chu Xianyin? What's she doing at Zhen'nan Pass?"
Yang Cheng's gaze flickered with surprise.
"Zhen'nan Pass just went through a big battle. Lots of soldiers were injured or died."
Xu Qingxue explained, "Madam Chu has a compassionate heart. She came specifically to offer comfort to the soldiers."
Yang Cheng was a little taken aback by that.
"Your Highness, Madam Chu's zither skills are unmatched in the Wasteland Realm. Countless people are obsessed with her performances."
Xu Qingxue's face was filled with admiration. "Now that she's here at Zhen'nan Pass, she's even holding a public zither gathering to perform. It's a rare opportunity."
"If you want to go, then go."
Yang Cheng said casually.
Xu Qingxue looked at him with big pleading eyes.
Yang Cheng instantly understood—this girl wanted him to go with her.
He thought for a moment. After several days of cultivation, it wasn't a bad time to relax a little. So he said, "Fine. When does her zither gathering start?"
Xu Qingxue's eyes lit up with joy. "At noon today, in White Jade Square inside Zhen'nan Pass."
"If we head out now, we'll get there just in time."
Yang Cheng took Xu Qingxue and left right away.
To avoid drawing attention, the two of them climbed over the wall.
When they arrived at White Jade Square, the place was already packed with people.
"Madam Chu really has influence," Xu Qingxue said.
Yang Cheng frowned slightly.
With this kind of crowd, any disturbance could easily turn into a disaster.
Still, he didn't take it too seriously. With his current strength, even if trouble did break out, he was confident he could handle it.
Then, Yang Cheng spread his spiritual sense outward.
In just a few breaths, he locked onto a familiar figure.
"Chu Xianyin?"
His spiritual sense didn't stop there.
What came next surprised him.
He hadn't expected to sense several powerful Martial Sovereign auras hidden within the crowd.
Yang Cheng's eyes turned cold. 'A bunch of sewer rats. Looks like I haven't killed enough of you to scare you off yet.'
After a moment, he turned to Xu Qingxue. "Stay right here. Don't wander off."
Then he headed out of the crowd.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince?"
At the edge of the crowd, a soft voice called out.
In Yang Cheng's field of view, a woman wearing a bamboo hat appeared.
She could hide from others, but not from Yang Cheng.
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he instantly identified her. "Chu Xianyin? What are you doing out here at the edge of the crowd?"
Shouldn't she be backstage preparing for her performance?
Chu Xianyin hadn't expected to be recognized so easily. She looked slightly awkward.
"Lu Yun and the others are performing first. I'm going up last," Chu Xianyin replied.
As Yang Cheng spoke with Chu Xianyin, his spiritual sense continued locking onto those lurking figures.
"Didn't think I'd see you here today, Your Highness," Chu Xianyin went on. "Since you're here, then later I'll give it my all. Please give me your honest opinion on my zither skills now."
Yang Cheng didn't answer, because those lurking figures had already released killing intent—they were clearly about to strike.
"Bold of you! I've had my eye on you for a while now!"
Suddenly, a fierce shout rang out.
A valiant-looking woman and a dark-skinned man dropped from the sky.
The moment they appeared, they charged directly at the shady figures Yang Cheng had already locked onto.
What surprised Yang Cheng was how strong the two newcomers were.
The woman was a Martial Sovereign, and while the dark-skinned man was only at the peak of Martial Saint, he had clearly cultivated some unbreakable divine technique—his body's defense wasn't any weaker than a Martial Sovereign's.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two clashed violently with the shady group.
But they were outnumbered, and before long, they were at a disadvantage.
At that moment, the dark-skinned man shielded the woman while she pulled out a crossbow.
It was the Divine Machinery Battalion's newest Thirty-Six Star Divine Machine Crossbow.
That's right.
Over the past year, Xiao Jingchuan had made another breakthrough in the development of the Divine Machine Crossbow.
The Thirty-Six Star model had finally been completed.
This weapon could even threaten a Martial Sovereign.
Of course, the Thirty-Six Star Divine Machine Crossbow was extremely rare.
The fact that this woman had one meant she definitely wasn't ordinary.
The shady figures sensed the danger and quickly dodged out of the way.
The woman chose one of them to target.
It was a short, dwarf-like Martial Sovereign at the fourth tier.
His movements were incredibly agile.
Several terrifying arrows flew toward him in succession, yet he managed to dodge them all.
But even so, the dwarf man felt the immense threat.
"That woman's Divine Machine Crossbow is too dangerous. Let's go after Chu Xianyin instead."
One of the shady attackers suddenly turned toward Chu Xianyin.
Chu Xianyin let out a startled cry. She hadn't expected her disguise to fail so completely.
Not only had Yang Cheng seen through her at first glance, even these unknown enemies knew exactly where she was.
In truth, she'd hidden herself because she vaguely sensed danger—but it was still unavoidable in the end.
"Madam Chu, get behind me!"
The valiant woman shouted immediately.
Yang Cheng froze for a moment. It seemed he'd misunderstood—the attackers weren't here for him, but for Chu Xianyin.
Of course, he couldn't be certain just yet.
He needed to interrogate them and get to the bottom of this.
Chu Xianyin, however, didn't trust the valiant woman. Her expression was guarded.
Compared to hiding behind a stranger, she'd rather stay close to Yang Cheng. It was only beside him that she felt safe.
"Madam Chu, I am Yang Xi, Commandant of the Great Zhou Royal City Division."
The woman said loudly, "These people are evil sect cultivators. Hurry and come over here."
"You're the famed constable Yang Xi?"
Chu Xianyin's face lit up.
Yang Xi was a famous constable of Great Zhou. For years, she had operated outside the empire, hunting down criminals who fled from Great Zhou's jurisdiction.
In fact, Yang Xi was more well-known outside Great Zhou than within it.
Since Chu Xianyin was from the New Moon Islands—part of Great Zhou's overseas territories—she was quite familiar with Yang Xi's reputation.
Right away, she felt relieved and ran over to Yang Xi.
It wasn't that she thought Yang Cheng was weaker than Yang Xi.
But Yang Cheng's status was just too high. She was afraid that staying close to him would upset him.
"Yang Xi?"
Yang Cheng was momentarily stunned.
He didn't recognize her face, but he was extremely familiar with the name.
Emperor Qian Yuan's eldest son was Yang Zhao, and after him came a princess.
The eldest princess of Great Zhou was named Yang Xi—and she served in the Royal City Division.
Which meant… this woman in front of him was his elder sister.
In his previous life, Yang Cheng had never met Yang Xi.
She had spent the first hundred years of her life stationed outside Great Zhou. After that, she left for another world.
Yang Cheng's expression turned odd.
The reason Yang Xi ended up that way ultimately traced back to their mother.
Yang Xi's mother was Consort Xian of Great Zhou—an older consort who had served in the palace longer than Yang Cheng's own mother.
His mother was currently thirty years old and had entered the palace fifteen years ago.