Volume 4, Chapter 255 – Report, Traces of the Crown Princess Discovered

“Let’s get one thing straight! I can help you build the shelter, but I can’t stay there indefinitely.”

On the way to the mass burial grounds, Qi Huang prepared to set boundaries early to avoid future complications.

“Why? Give me a reason.”

Yaoyao immediately challenged her.

“You know my main body’s temper. I’m not even allowed to take half a step outside the Honghua Sect, let alone stay out for long.”

Qi Huang explained patiently.

“Don’t you have a doppelgänger standing in for you?”

Yaoyao remained unmoved.

“That’s just a brainless clone, completely incapable of replacing me.”

Qi Huang sighed helplessly.

“Well, that sounds just like you. Why can’t it substitute for you then?”

Yaoyao retorted sarcastically.

“Stop joking around. I’m serious. That clone’s soul is different from mine, it’d be easily exposed. Right now, I can’t let my main body know I’ve also learned to cultivate doppelgängers. Otherwise, my future escape plans will be ruined.”

Qi Huang elaborated with forced patience.

“In that case, maybe I should just collaborate with your main body instead, have her be my caretaker directly.”

Yaoyao threatened to fire Qi Huang on the spot.

“Wishful thinking! With her temper, asking her to be a caretaker is harder than asking her to die.”

Qi Huang shot back bluntly.

Yaoyao fell silent. Though reluctant to admit it, she knew it was the truth.

Rеаⅾ оո КаtRеαdіոɡCаfе

Qi Huang sensed her words had taken effect. Her large, clear eyes glimmered with hope, silently begging the cat-eared lady to show some mercy.

“Even so, the shelter must still be built. I told you, my sister is about to take human form soon. She can’t stay in this spatial ring forever.”

After a moment’s thought, Yaoyao pressed on.

“What?!”

Qi Huang’s face immediately fell.

“But considering you’ve at least put in some effort, I’ll be generous. Here’s the deal, when I’m not out, I’ll take care of them in the shelter. But whenever I leave, you’ll have to collect them in the ring and look after them yourself.”

Yaoyao proposed a compromise.

“That… actually sounds reasonable.”

Qi Huang brightened up.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. Let me remind you, this spatial ring isn’t enough anymore. You need a bigger one.”

Yaoyao promptly rained on her parade.

“Huh? But where am I supposed to find one? Spatial artifacts are already rare as it is!”

Qi Huang rubbed her temples in frustration.

“How dense can you be? Aren’t you working with the Golden Fortune Auction House? Their business spans the entire Western Radiance Dynasty. If that female manager helps, getting a spatial artifact should be a piece of cake.”

Yaoyao sighed in exasperation. For some reason, she felt more like the caretaker in this arrangement.

“That… actually makes sense.”

Qi Huang nodded thoughtfully. Visiting the auction house wasn’t a big deal, she needed to collect her payment anyway.

“Are you a broken record? Ugh, I must’ve been cursed to end up with a caretaker like you!”

Rеаԁ οո ΚаtRеаԁіոɡСαfe

Yaoyao snapped. Strangely, she felt more and more like she was the one doing the caretaking.

“Don’t be mad! The dumber I am, the smarter you seem, right?”

Qi Huang quickly flattered her.

As they bantered, they soon arrived at Pingshan Mass Burial Grounds. Despite having the formidable cat-eared lady as backup, Qi Huang remained cautious. After a quick scan along the outskirts, she chose a valley as the shelter for the cats.

“No! This is too close to the edge. There aren’t enough powerful wandering spirits here. My kin won’t just struggle to evolve, they won’t even get enough to eat!”

Yaoyao immediately vetoed the location.

“Oh, come on! Cut me some slack. If we go any deeper, what if that damn zombie comes after me again?”

Qi Huang pleaded, shuddering at the thought of the undead crown prince trying to capture her for breeding purposes.

“Coward! I told you, with me around, he wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you.”

Yaoyao rolled her crimson eyes dismissively.

“You can’t be sure of that! What if he’s so lust-drunk he loses control?”

Qi Huang remained uneasy.

“Pfft. You really think too highly of yourself. You’re just a mere poop-scooper!”

Yaoyao scoffed.

“What’s wrong with being a poop-scooper? It doesn’t affect my looks! If he goes berserk and tries to snatch me, are you absolutely certain you can stop him? If you fail, you’ll lose this beautiful, powerful, and kind poop-scooper of yours!”

Qi Huang put on a pitiful act.

“Then let him take you. Having a crown princess as my poop-scooper would be even more impressive.”

Yaoyao smirked mischievously.

Rеаԁ оո KаtRеаdіոɡСafе

“What’s there to be happy about?! Who was it that stood in front of the zombie prince and declared ownership over me? If I get captured, it’s your reputation that’ll suffer! The great Yaoyao, who single-handedly wiped out the Yuxiao Sect, couldn’t even protect her own poop-scooper, how laughable would that sound?”

Qi Huang deployed reverse psychology.

“Fine, fine!”

Yaoyao took the bait, waving her off impatiently. “We’ll settle here then, you coward!”

Qi Huang secretly sighed in relief before drawing her sword and getting to work as an impromptu construction worker. Though the burial grounds were barren due to the corrosive Yin energy, there were still enough scattered stones for her to slowly assemble the shelter.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial tomb nestled within the burial grounds, the former crown prince Jiang Feng was poring over a pile of books, mostly historical records of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s past few centuries. Even in death, he couldn’t shake his habit of concerning himself with worldly affairs.

“The Western Radiance Dynasty has been embroiled in near-constant warfare since its founding nearly a millennium ago. The Lin Clan truly are warmongering fanatics.”

A cold smirk crossed Jiang Feng’s sharply defined features. Though the people living on these lands were no longer his subjects, compassion wasn’t exclusive to the living, zombies felt it too.

“Indeed! Worse still, they lack self-awareness, picking fights left and right. A third of our Great Qi Kingdom’s former territory has already been annexed by neighboring nations.”

General Li Hua chimed in indignantly.

“Territory is trivial. The real victims are the common folk, especially the young men. How many of them return alive from the battlefield?”

Jiang Feng’s tone was laced with sympathy.

“True. The conscription age in the Western Radiance Dynasty now targets all unmarried men over twenty-seven who haven’t served. Because of this, the gender ratio is severely skewed. While the mortal world appears to have more men, that’s only because women are being taken into immortal sects. In reality, women now outnumber men by nearly two to one.”

Li Hua elaborated gravely.

“How absurd! Is the Lin Clan deliberately inciting wars to reduce the male population and balance the gender ratio?”

Rеad оո КаtRеαⅾіոɡСαfе

Jiang Feng’s deduction was razor-sharp.

“This humble general suspects the same, though we lack concrete evidence.”

Li Hua nodded in agreement.

“Whatever. The Lin Clan was propped up by the common people themselves. They’ll have to endure their own folly.”

Jiang Feng shook his head before shifting topics. “What about the other matter I tasked you with?”

“Your Highness, forgive me. The incident happened too long ago, uncovering the traitor won’t be easy.”

Li Hua immediately knelt in apology.

“Is there truly no way? If I hadn’t died, the Great Qi Kingdom wouldn’t have fallen. That traitor caused all of this. I refuse to rest until vengeance is served!”

Jiang Feng’s gaze turned icy.

“Indeed! Had Your Highness ascended the throne, the Lin Clan would never have exploited our weakness.”

Li Hua agreed solemnly before adding, “Though the traitor remains elusive, must we ignore the Lin Clan, our sworn enemies? When they overthrew the Great Qi, they nearly exterminated the entire Jiang bloodline!”

“Of course we’ll deal with them! I’ve always intended revenge, but your crown princess is being difficult. With that little cat-eared girl by her side, she’s rendered me powerless!”

Jiang Feng laughed bitterly.

“Your Highness! Our scouts have spotted the crown princess near the outskirts of the burial grounds!”

Just then, a zombie soldier rushed in to report.

“What?! The crown princess? Is she alone?”

The gloom on Jiang Feng’s face vanished instantly. He sprang up from his throne, exhilarated. If there was one thing in this world that could instantly lift a man’s spirits, it was the sight of a beautiful woman.