The City Lord of Luoshui left grumbling to himself, but still left behind his “money pouch.”
When Lin Wuming opened it, he saw that aside from the fifteen mid-grade spirit stones previously taken out, there were still over ten more mid-grade spirit stones, and three high-grade ones.
The total value was equivalent to about six high-grade spirit stones.
Though this represented over half a year of the City Lord’s salary, it also spoke volumes about the Empire’s wealth.
If even a city lord in a remote region could earn the equivalent of ten high-grade spirit stones a year, then the Empire’s treasury must be unimaginably vast.
That said…
The princess probably has quite a bit of money herself, right?
Lin Wuming glanced at his little junior sister, only to find that she was looking at the pile of spirit stones with a casual expression, as if none of them could catch her eye at all.
Alright, be confident—drop the “probably.”
“Senior Brother, use these spirit stones for your cultivation first. Once we return to the capital, I can…”
At that point, He Yingying’s words trailed off.
Right—now that her injuries had fully healed and her cultivation was restored, it was time to return.
But… Senior Brother probably wouldn’t want to go with her, right?
“Princess” sounded impressive, but back in the imperial capital, her father had many children—princes and princesses alike.
What was she, the Ninth Princess, but one of the least known?
Her senior brother was exceptionally talented, and he even had a fiancée—the chief disciple of the Taixu Hall.
Surely, he would prefer to head there instead?
No matter which sect he chose, he’d be fought over, treated like nobility, and never have to worry about his future.
Why would he willingly follow a fallen princess back to the capital, where the court was full of power plays?
But just thinking about parting ways with her senior brother—going their separate paths—left a suffocating weight in her chest.
She felt miserable but didn’t know how to bring it up.
Still, staying here wasn’t realistic either.
The people who were hunting her could show up again at any time… and her mother consort was surely worried sick.
“Senior Brother, I… I need to return to the capital soon. Will you…?”
“Return to the capital? I’ll come with you.”
“Ah?”
He Yingying looked at him, half surprised, half overjoyed.
“Senior Brother, you’re willing to go back with me?”
“Of course.”
Lin Wuming gave her a confused look.
“Why? You don’t want me to come? Or is there some rule in the capital…?”
“No, no…!”
She quickly waved her hands, her face flushed red.
“If Senior Brother wants to come, of course I’d be absolutely thrilled!”
“Good to hear.”
Hearing her words, Lin Wuming let out a sigh of relief.
Are you kidding?
Before, he didn’t know.
But now that he knew his little junior sister was a princess—and a rich little princess at that—of course he had to cling to this golden thigh.
Going back with her meant he could eat and drink for free and wouldn’t have to wander around selling his skills just to get by.
He had just healed her injuries—surely it was reasonable to at least get food and lodging out of it?
Not to mention, with her so flush with spirit stones, maybe she’d even toss him a few on a whim.
And besides… don’t forget—he still had a mission.
His task was to make sure his junior sister became Crown Princess.
Before, that seemed absurd and near-impossible.
But now, things were different.
While it was rare for a princess to be chosen as crown heir and eventually ascend to the throne, it wasn’t unheard of.
His junior sister had already broken through fate, her talent now exceptional.
Once she returned to the capital, she’d surely attract attention and shine brightly.
In Lin Wuming’s eyes, with her fate and talent, it was only a matter of time before she became the heir.
Once they were in the capital, he wouldn’t even need to do much.
He could lie low, eat and drink, and train at his own pace while she climbed her way up.
That alone would satisfy the mission’s conditions.
In other words, her rise had little to do with him—and the reward should come rolling in…
Lin Wuming suddenly froze.
Wait—no. This was wrong.
Every time he started thinking like this—planting flags—it always backfired.
This time, he was smarter.
No more flag planting.
He wouldn’t think about the top reward.
He’d be happy just getting some decent rewards.
Otherwise, he’d just end up barely getting the guaranteed minimum—and nearly dying in the process.
After all, the top reward for this mission was the Creation Saint Dao Manual—the supreme cultivation method he had missed last time.
Even though the Strengthening Body Technique he had gotten was more powerful than he expected, he couldn’t keep relying on just one method.
If he could get something even better, that would be ideal.
***
In the next few days, Lin Wuming’s fiancée—the young lady of the Liu family—visited a few times with her maid, bringing him small gifts.
She told him that since he wasn’t in a rush to marry, they could take things slowly.
She would wait for him.
While strolling through the streets together, she even invited him to return to Taixu Hall with her.
The mere thought terrified Lin Wuming.
No way!
Even just imagining that scenario—a top true disciple returning from a journey and bringing back a mysterious fiancé—it was obvious how hated he’d be.
Going to Taixu Hall would be like walking into a den of wolves.
Besides, he had already promised his junior sister he would go back to the capital with her.
That alone was a solid excuse.
Lady Liu didn’t say much after hearing that, though she did cast a somewhat warning-like glance at his junior sister before leaving.
She had been away for a while already, and since the matter was settled and there was no rush to marry, it was time to head back.
Despite being a top disciple, she still wasn’t considered powerful among the younger generation.
There was much she still had to learn.
Her fiancé was far more impressive than she had imagined.
His rivals had strong backgrounds too.
This filled Liu Yingfeng with determination.
She would work hard, rise through the ranks—and eventually, she would be the one to provide for her husband.
And when that day came, he’d have no choice but to listen to her…
The thought cut off abruptly, and Liu Yingfeng’s face reddened as she cleared her throat awkwardly.
Was she sick or something?
Why was she having such… perverted ideas?
Off to the side, her maid Linger shook her head repeatedly.
Her young lady had arrived in a bit of a temper, obviously coming out of spite.
And yet, after just a few meetings with the young master, she looked like she was completely smitten…
She’d never seen her usually serious and rigid lady make such girlish expressions before.
That look—it was so obvious, even a leading “male pig” in a drama could tell what was going on…
Er, sorry—maybe a boar could.
But a “male pig lead”? Probably not.
Linger’s mind was full of such inappropriate thoughts—never once imagining how badly she would suffer in the future when someone finally came to “get revenge”…