The astonishing change left everyone present in shock. The little princess widened her eyes in disbelief, muttering, "How is this possible? Didn't the old man say the Hou Yi Bow could only be used once a year? I've already used it once, and even the old man couldn't draw it again. But this bastard... he actually..."

  A strong sense of unease surged in Renjian's heart. He had never expected that this prisoner would manage to unseal the Hou Yi Bow.

  At that moment, Chen Nan released his second arrow. The thunder roared again, golden light flashed, and the guard chasing after Chen Nan, with a look of disbelief and terror on his face, collapsed in a pool of blood. The golden arrow exploded into his chest, leaving a blood hole as wide as a bowl, blood pouring out in torrents, and blood mist hovered above his body.

  Chen Nan once again placed a dry twig on the bowstring. The people around him changed color, none knowing who would lose their life to the next arrow. A previously insignificant character had now become the master of everyone’s fate.

  After firing two arrows, Chen Nan was nearly exhausted. Although these two arrows had spared him from immediate danger, they did not resolve the crisis in front of him. Given his current strength, he could barely fire another, but with six people left on the scene, which one should he aim at?

  Every time the dry twig shifted direction, the crowd around him was struck with fear. That tiny dry twig seemed as heavy as Mount Tai in their eyes.

  Finally, Chen Nan aimed the twig at the Third Prince, Renjian. Renjian’s face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

  “Chen Nan, think carefully. You’re about to kill a prince of a nation. If you kill me, you’ll have offended the entire Baiyue Kingdom. Can you fight against an entire country alone? The world may be vast, but after today, you’ll have nowhere to hide,” Renjian said, his tone softening. “If you submit to me, I won’t hold today’s disrespect against you. I’ll ensure your rise to power, with high office and great rewards.”

  “Do you take me for a three-year-old? If I let you go today, don’t even think about high office or wealth. You won’t even have a complete corpse left. I hate it when people threaten me. Today, I’m going to kill you, you bastard prince.”

  The little princess laughed, “Ha ha, Renjian, ‘bastard.’”

  Chen Nan took a deep breath, channeling all his remaining strength into the third arrow. The faint golden light seemed like divine punishment from the heavens, accompanied by a rumbling thunder as it shot toward Renjian.

  Renjian’s face turned pale as he quickly pulled one of his guards in front of him. Blood sprayed as the guard, his face filled with unwillingness, collapsed in a pool of blood. Although the golden light dimmed after passing through the guard’s chest, its speed remained unchanged, pursuing Renjian.

  A brilliant light flashed from Renjian’s waist, a short sword about a foot long, glowing brightly, charging toward the golden light.

  “Flying sword! Could he be a cultivator?!” Chen Nan exclaimed.

  Every successful cultivator has a few magical treasures bound to their life, most commonly flying swords. Not only can cultivators control flying swords from hundreds of steps away to kill enemies, but at the highest levels, they can even ride the sword to fly through the air and move through the earth. However, true cultivators are rare, and those who have reached the highest levels are even fewer.

  When Chen Nan was younger, he longed to cultivate. But a meaningful comment from his father, Chen Zhan, extinguished that desire. Chen Zhan had said, “Cultivating martial arts may not be inferior to cultivating the Dao. If you enter the true martial realm and understand the essence of martial arts, you’ll find that both paths ultimately lead to the same place. The extreme limits of martial arts and the Dao are identical…”

  Although Chen Zhan’s words were not fully explained, their meaning was clear. From then on, Chen Nan worked tirelessly, becoming the best among his peers by the age of sixteen. However, after sixteen, his progress stagnated, and his cultivation began to regress, plunging him into a low point in life.

  In that moment, Chen Nan realized that Renjian was indeed a cultivator, though he had only recently begun his practice. It was said that the flying sword of a cultivator just beginning their training was about the size of a palm and kept hidden within their body.

  The brilliant flying sword collided with the golden light. A metallic clash rang out, and the sword’s brilliance quickly faded, breaking into several pieces that fell to the ground. Renjian’s body trembled as he spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his face ashen.

  Chen Nan understood that the flying sword was closely tied to a cultivator’s life. If the sword broke, the cultivator would not die but would be gravely injured.

  Although the golden arrow had dimmed considerably, it still pursued Renjian. At this moment, two figures stepped in front of him—two guards who had been thrown by the guard leader, Yang Chong, after having their acupoints sealed.

  Yang Chong shouted, “Your Highness, I’ve heard my master say that the arrow from the divine bow will never stop if it hasn’t touched the target’s blood. Your Highness, you’ve offended it.”

  As the golden arrow pierced through the two guards, Yang Chong reached Renjian’s side. He grabbed the injured prince and lifted him up. At the same time, the now nearly colorless dry twig suddenly pierced Renjian’s body, shattering upon impact.

  “Ah…” Renjian screamed in agony, then cursed in fury, “Yang Chong, you fool! I’ve already bled so much, and my clothes are still soaked in blood. You… could have just torn off a piece, you…”

  The Third Prince spat another mouthful of blood in anger, and Yang Chong broke out in cold sweat.

  The little princess laughed loudly, “Ha ha… I’m dying of laughter, the bastard prince’s ass is on fire, ha ha…”

  Chen Nan had exhausted all his energy and no longer had the strength to shoot a fourth arrow. He felt a surge of guilt. He took a deep breath, mustered what little strength he had left, and stood up, pretending to walk a few steps away to pick up the dry twig.

  The Third Prince, Yang Chong, and the little princess watched in excitement. Yang Chong picked up the Third Prince, Renjian, and immediately turned to flee. In that moment, his lightness skill was enough to place him in the realm of a grandmaster. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the depths of the forest.

  The little princess, having exhausted all her energy in the earlier battle, now felt her legs weak and her waist sore. She had just gotten up and run a few steps when she collapsed to the ground. Seeing the Third Prince and Yang Chong escape successfully, she was so anxious she was almost crying.

  Chen Nan had not expected that his act would have such an effect. The Third Prince of Baiyue Country was fleeing like a stray dog, and the little devil princess of Chu State was so frightened she looked pitiful, with tears in her eyes. He didn’t let himself get carried away. He placed the dry twig on the bowstring and, with great effort, walked toward the little princess, intending to seal her acupoints before she could realize his weakness.

  As he walked toward her step by step, the little princess’s face turned pale with fear, tears filling her eyes. She hadn’t forgotten how she had treated Chen Nan earlier.

  “Scum… Stinking thief… You… stay away from me.”

  Chen Nan almost laughed out loud. He hadn’t expected the little devil to have such a weak side. But then, he had a sudden thought: she hadn’t shown any fear when facing the Third Prince, Renjian. Could I be scarier than Renjian? Hmm, no, wait!

  “Little devil, take whatever’s in your sleeve out, or I’ll shoot.”

  “Clang.”

  The little princess helplessly threw a short sword she had been hiding in her sleeve onto the ground.

  “Hmph, sharp eyes.”

  Chen Nan finally made his way to the little princess’s side, and with difficulty, quickly tapped several acupoints on her body with the dry twig, sealing off seven or eight key points.

  “Ha ha, mission accomplished.” Chen Nan laughed triumphantly, then his legs gave out, and he collapsed.

  “Ah… Scum, stinking thief, get away… Get away…!” The little princess screamed.

  Chen Nan lay on the little princess’s thigh, letting out a long breath, “I’m about to die from exhaustion. Sigh! Little devil, do you still have the right to give me orders now?”

  “You’re shameless… vile… Get away, scum, stinking thief…”

  “Enough noise. If you keep shouting, I can’t promise I won’t do something.” Chen Nan glanced at the little princess’s heaving chest.

  “Ah… Scum… Stinking thief… Bastard…” The little princess screamed in fear, but her voice gradually softened. At this moment, she was terrified to the extreme, afraid that Chen Nan might develop some ill thoughts.

  Chen Nan was completely exhausted, resting his head on the little princess's thigh. As he rested, he muttered provocatively, “Ah, this feels so good. Is the leg of a royal princess really so different? Calming the mind, nourishing the spirit, does it also help with high blood pressure? Oh, I think I’ve got it all wrong.”

  The little princess was both embarrassed and angry, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Scum… Let me go. If you release me, I’ll have my father make you an official.”

  “I’m a lazy person. I don’t like being an official, and besides, I don’t believe you. Just a while ago, the Third Prince tried to hatch a plot against me, and I shot him in the ass with an arrow. You wouldn’t want the same thing to happen to you, would you?” Chen Nan extended his hand and slapped the little princess’s rounded bottom, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he took revenge on her previous torment.

  “Ah… You…” The little princess was utterly humiliated, her tears falling in streams.

  “You stinking thief… If… if you let me go, I… I’ll keep my word. I’ll give you… many rewards.” The little princess choked out.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “Hey, even now, you keep calling me scum and stinking thief. I really can’t tell if you’re begging me or just trying to anger me.”

  “Chen Nan… Young Master Chen, please let me go… Wuwu…” The little princess cried out in grievance, sobbing uncontrollably. She was the most beloved daughter of the Emperor of Chu, and she had never had to lower herself like this. The more she cried, the sadder she became, and the more she cried, the more wronged she felt. Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, uncontrollable.

  “Stop crying, stop crying.”

  “Wuwu…” The little princess ignored him, and her crying only grew louder.

  “Cry again, and I’ll strip you bare right here.” Chen Nan grabbed her sleeve firmly.

  The little princess was so frightened that she immediately stopped crying, a single crystal tear hanging from her long lashes, her face streaked with tears, looking utterly pitiful, like a delicate little angel.

  Chen Nan sighed inwardly. She really is still a little girl. He softly said, “Sigh, stop crying.” But, just then, he suddenly noticed a flash of joy in the little princess’s eyes, and he instantly realized what was going on. He gave her a hard slap on the thigh and said, “Almost got tricked by you.”

  “Ah… You…” The little princess yelped in surprise as her thigh was struck. She clearly hadn’t expected Chen Nan’s change in attitude so suddenly.

  “Little devil, stop playing your tricks. How could a devil turn into an angel? Along the way, you’ve already exposed your devilish nature. Thinking back on all your actions, it’s like a nightmare to me. You haven’t forgotten what you’ve done, have you? Now pretending to be pitiful is too late. I’ve already seen through your true nature.”

  “Chen Gongzi… You misunderstand me. I’m actually very kind, not fierce at all. The last time… the last time, who told you to spy on me while I was bathing? I’m a princess, of course I must maintain my dignity, I had no choice but to act that way toward you.”

  Chen Nan replied, “You’re not fierce? You’re kind? Your kindness almost resulted in me getting castrated. And every day, when you got too excited, you’d look for me to ‘express’ your inner ‘joy,’ often leaving me on the ground unable to get up. Was all that really unavoidable?”

  The little princess looked pitiful, saying, “Chen Gongzi… Big Brother Chen… I was wrong, please forgive me, let me go, wuwu…”

  “Little devil, stop acting. Let me tell you the truth, since I captured you, I never had any intention of letting you go.”

  “Big Brother Chen Nan, please let me go. Whatever you want, I’ll have my father reward you with it. I can give you many gold, silver, and jewels, and even many beautiful women.” After saying this, the little princess looked at him with a face full of hope.

  "Gold, silver, and jewels are but material possessions, what use do I have for them? As for beautiful women, why should I look far when I have what I need nearby? Heh heh..." Chen Nan laughed wickedly, deciding to play the villain to the end.

  "You... please, let me go," the little princess pleaded.

  "Give up. I’ll never let you go."

  The little princess lowered her voice and exhausted all her sweet words, but seeing that Chen Nan remained resolute, her face darkened. Her tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold and sharp. "How dare you! Do you know who you’re speaking to? I am the little princess of the Chu Kingdom, and you are just a commoner from my kingdom. Are you not afraid of bringing ruin upon yourself? Are you not afraid that my father will have your entire family executed?"

  Her face was filled with anger, and the softness she had shown earlier was gone.

  "If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have done it. Finally, the little devil shows her true face, huh?"

  The little princess's face turned cold as she said icily, "Chen Nan, think carefully. Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king, and all who live within it are his subjects. Today, you have already offended the Third Prince of the Baiyue Kingdom. If you disrespect me any further, you will have offended two countries. There will be no place for you to hide in this world."

  She shot him a glance, then continued, "Don't think you can do this without anyone knowing. The Third Prince, Renjian, has already fled. If I don't make it back to the palace safely, Renjian will surely expose you. Everything he did will be blamed on you. At that point... heh heh."

  "If I let you go, I too will certainly meet my end. Sigh, looks like I’ll have to find a remote place to hide. But with a princess by my side, it’s still bearable. Then, we can have a bunch of children... Hmm, now that I think about it, such a life doesn’t sound too bad." Chen Nan deliberately wore an expression of longing.

  Upon hearing this, the little princess turned pale, trembling as she said, "You are shameless, despicable, vile..."

  Chen Nan quietly waited for her to finish cursing, then said, "In ten or eight years, when we bring a whole bunch of children to meet your father, I don’t think he’ll kill me then."

  The little princess was so enraged that she was on the brink of madness, cursing, "You devil!"

  "Haha, I’m the devil, and you’re the little devil. Aren’t we a perfect match? Truly a case of fate bringing us together from afar!" Chen Nan laughed, grabbing the little princess’s right hand and playfully caressing her delicate fingers.

  "You... let go of me." The little princess was both embarrassed and angry, her face turning bright red.

  "The devil can be shy too. This is quite a strange thing. I remember when you were going to personally castrate me. How did you suddenly become this shy, bashful girl?"

  "You... hmph, I’ll just think of it as a cockroach crawling onto my hand, just as if it disgusted me for a moment." After saying that, the little princess closed her eyes and ignored him.

  Chen Nan laughed, "Alright, in that case, you can sleep with the cockroach."

  With that, he sat up from the ground, pulled the little princess into his arms, and lay down with her on the floor.

  "Ah... let go of me, take your filthy hands off me! Ah... you rogue, you scoundrel..." The little princess was seething with shame and anger, glaring fiercely at Chen Nan. She gritted her teeth, wishing she could immediately bite him.

  Chen Nan, holding the little princess’s soft body, looked at her exquisite, jade-like face. His heartbeat quickened. Undeniably, the little princess possessed an unparalleled beauty. Having used up all his energy after three consecutive rounds with Hou Yi, and with a sleepless night, waves of exhaustion began to wash over him. Inhaling the little princess’s intoxicating fragrance, he felt his body grow light, and slowly drifted into sleep.

  The little princess initially continued to curse Chen Nan, but when she saw that he had actually fallen asleep while holding her, she quickly stopped her curses. After all, a sleeping enemy is far safer than one who is awake. The little princess didn’t know what to make of her feelings. She had never imagined she would be lying in the arms of a stranger. Normally, she was the one who manipulated others, yet today, she was being treated so lightly by a man who appeared rather ordinary but was behaving like a scoundrel. She constantly contemplated her next move—ranging from temptation to threats, and even seduction—but each plan was quickly discarded, as this man seemed impervious to both soft and hard tactics.

  While considering her options, she gathered the remaining spiritual energy in her body to strike at the sealed acupoints, but despite repeated attempts, she could not loosen the seals even a little. In the end, she became disheartened.

  Looking at the sleeping Chen Nan, the little princess was filled with hatred. His arms were tightly wrapped around her soft waist, pressing her ample chest against his own, and the intimate contact made her want to go mad. Feeling his body heat, she cursed again and again: "Let the wind rise, let the clouds surge, blow down a tree and crush him; let it rain, let there be thunder, let a bolt of lightning strike him; let the sky darken, let the stars shine, let a meteor strike him…"

  The wind did not rise, the rain did not fall, the sky did not darken, and Chen Nan continued to have pleasant dreams, a smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.

  "This damn guy, even in his sleep he’s smiling so lecherously—scoundrel, filthy thief, shameless…," the little princess cursed inwardly again. Gradually, she could no longer hold on, after the continuous fighting and the sleepless night, she was even more exhausted than Chen Nan. Slowly, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, her head resting on his chest.

  By noon, Chen Nan woke up from his deep sleep. A beam of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees and shone on him, making him feel warm and incredibly comfortable.

  At this moment, the little princess was still deeply asleep, her chin resting on his shoulder, pressing him just enough to cause some discomfort, but he didn’t move, quietly admiring her serene sleeping face. Suddenly, the little princess mumbled, "Scoundrel, filthy thief... don’t run... I’m going to kill you..."

  Chen Nan murmured, "Even in your dreams, you want to kill me? You really are fierce."

  Soon, the little princess’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up, still groggy and confused.

  Chen Nan said, "Little devil, you sleep so soundly!"

  The little princess blinked, fully waking up. The intimate position they were in made her feel incredibly awkward, but her face quickly turned cold.

  "How I am is none of your business," she said.

  "How is it none of my business? You drooled all over my chest, you almost drowned me," Chen Nan teased.

  "Ridiculous, that was just dew," the little princess blushed and awkwardly retorted.

  "Haha, you’re so cute when you’re innocent like this. If you didn’t expose your devilish nature and stayed like this, anyone would cherish you dearly."

  The little princess snapped, "Scoundrel, filthy thief, how I am is none of your business!"

  "You’re about to become my wife, isn’t it okay for a husband to point out his wife’s flaws? Also, stop with the ‘this princess’ business. I won’t call you little devil anymore; I’ll call you Yu’er from now on."

  "How dare you! You’re disgusting! ‘Yu’er’—is that something a commoner like you should say?" the little princess scolded.

  "I dare, and what can you do about it?" With that, Chen Nan stood up and immediately lifted the little princess in his arms.

  "How dare you! Scoundrel, filthy thief, put me down..."

  Chen Nan hoisted the little princess over his shoulder and, taking up the Hou Yi bow, strode toward the edge of the forest.

  The midday sun blazed fiercely, and the heat was unbearable. The little princess, carried on his shoulder, felt extremely uncomfortable and angrily shouted, "You madman, where are you taking me? Put me down right now!"

  "Looking for a scenic, tranquil place to retreat, then we’ll have a wedding ceremony and get married," Chen Nan replied with a smile.

  "Ah... you shameless fool, hurry and put me down, I’m dying from discomfort!"

  Just then, the wild beasts in the forest suddenly panicked. Various small animals, hidden in the trees, rushed out and ran away in all directions, followed by large carnivores. The running beasts stirred up a stench-filled wind.

  Chen Nan quickly set the little princess down from his shoulder and then picked her up again, flying up to a tall tree. The little princess, however, showed no sign of fear; her large eyes curiously watched the wild beasts fleeing in the opposite direction. At that moment, the ground suddenly trembled, and the entire forest began to shake. From a distance, a towering figure was approaching.

  "My heavens! This is a jackpot! We actually ran into an ancient giant. Isn’t the chance of encountering such a giant in this mountain range less than one in a thousand?" Chen Nan thought, his head pounding.

  The little princess, on the other hand, was overjoyed, seemingly forgetting that she had lost her freedom.

  "Wow, an ancient giant! Not only have I seen a flying dragon, but now I’ve seen an ancient giant too. This trip was definitely worth it."

  "Of course it was worth it. The most important thing is that you’ve found a good husband," Chen Nan’s words immediately brought the little princess back to reality.

  "You scoundrel, if you don’t shut up, no one will think you’re mute," the little princess snapped angrily.

  "Don’t talk now. Let’s hide here and wait for it to pass before we move," Chen Nan said, noticing the sly look in her eyes. He added coldly, "If you want to alert that giant, go ahead and shout. But I’ll throw you right at his feet the moment you do."

  "Why don’t you just seal my mute acupoint?"

  "To teach you to be obedient," Chen Nan replied casually.

  "You’re dreaming, you damn fool!" the little princess cursed angrily.

  "Boom," "Boom," "Boom"...

  The ancient giant drew closer with every step, shaking the entire forest with each footfall. The violent tremors caused leaves to scatter in all directions.

  Chen Nan reached out and pulled the little princess from a nearby branch, one arm firmly wrapped around her waist. He whispered, "He's coming close. If you want to shout, be ready. I've already prepared to throw you out."

  The little princess spat with hatred, "Take your filthy hands off me, or I'll really scream. Don't think I won’t."

  "If I don’t hold you tight, you’ll fall for sure. And when you land on your backside, are you going to compete with the Third Prince for attention?"

  "You..."

  The towering ancient giant had drawn close, now only about ten meters away from them. The giant stood a full thirty meters tall, his body covered in thick, beast-like fur. Aside from his immense height and dense fur, the giant looked much like an ordinary human.

  A strong, rancid stench wafted from the giant, nearly making Chen Nan and the little princess vomit. Chen Nan quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. Seeing the little princess’s pained yet hopeful expression, he moved the hand around her waist to cover her mouth and nose instead.

  The giant had been walking in the open but suddenly flared his nostrils and turned directly toward the forest where they were hiding.

  "It seems he’s found us," Chen Nan said, lifting the little princess and leaping down from the tree, swiftly maneuvering through the woods.

  "Roar!"

  The giant's roar thundered through the air like a lightning strike. He took long strides, covering the distance in just three steps.

  "Boom!"

  Trees six to seven meters high were trampled to the ground like dry straw beneath the giant’s feet. One large tree fell toward them, causing the little princess to scream in panic, "You idiot, run! He's catching up—ah... hurry, you fool!"