Chapter 693: The Earth Is Indeed Moving

"Dig." King Chen's voice squeezed out from between his teeth, "Keep digging."

"Your Highness!" Meng, the chief, scrambled forward, his voice trembling, "That means, starting from the very beginning!"

"This ten‑day construction schedule is probably too tight."

"Stop nagging!" King Qing's face darkened, "Work as many days as you can!"

"Yes!" Meng dared not say more.

King Chen coldly said, "Deliver my royal decree: from tonight onward, the city‑guard must strictly watch the siege canal; any further lapse will be met with beheading!"

"Yes!"

"Move! Into the palace!"

"Your Majesty—!"

The carriage sped toward the imperial palace.

King Chen and King Qing arrived at Zichen Hall and informed the Masked Man about the siege canal matter.

The Masked Man was silent for a moment, then said, "Princess Jiayou is still alive."

"Her again?" King Chen's face was full of disbelief, "Your Excellency, no matter how powerful she is, she's just a little child! How could it be her again?"

The Masked Man lifted his eyelid, "If not her, who else could it be?"

"But Your Excellency," King Qing hesitated, "the Guoshi Residence has been back‑filled and rebuilt, the Imperial Guard never withdrew, yet we haven't seen a single figure."

"If Princess Jiayou truly remains in the secret chamber, how many days has it been? What has she been eating and drinking?"

"Could it be that she is truly an Immortal Envoy, able to live without food?"

"Even if she can, Xiao Er certainly cannot."

The Masked Man shook his head, "If it's not her, why could your whispers be heard crystal‑clear by others?"

"Why did all the weapons in the armory rust overnight?"

"Why do all these oddities benefit only Xiao Yuanhang?"

King Chen and King Qing exchanged a glance, speechless.

"You handled it well," the Masked Man said softly, "though the siege canal schedule is delayed, with so many gathered outside the city, even if they have secret passages, they can't be used for now."

"Let's see what the next two days bring."

"Yes!"

Evening, at the Guoshi Residence, inside the secret chamber.

Tuan Tuan slowly opened her eyes.

Xiao Feifei, who was lying at her pillow, sat up with a sudden "Eek—" sound, lowered her head, and brushed her fluffy little head against her.

"Tuan Tuan?" Xiao Ningyuan, sitting at the bedside, stared intently at his sister, "You're awake?"

"May the Three Pure Ones protect us!" Eunuch Cheng earnestly recited, "Little Princess, you finally woke up!"

"Are you feeling any discomfort?" Chen Hao, his face tense, looked at her small face.

"Miss! Are you alright?" Xiao Er and Lu Qi's large faces leaned in as well.

"I'm fine!" Tuan Tuan rubbed her eyes, "Just... really thirsty."

Xiao Ran hurriedly brought a cup of water and squeezed it in, "Little one, quick, sit up and take a sip."

Xiao Ningyuan carefully helped Tuan Tuan sit up.

Tuan Tuan took the cup and glug‑glug drank it dry, "I want more!"

"Alright!" Xiao Ran snatched the cup, poured another, and handed it to her.

Seeing Tuan Tuan gulp it down in a few mouthfuls, Xiao Ran laughed, "See, Brother Nine is still good to you, huh?"

"They kept asking this and that, and didn't even bring you a cup of water."

Tuan Tuan gave him a sweet smile, "Thank you, Brother Nine!"

Xiao Ran was extremely satisfied, puffing out his chin proudly toward everyone.

"Aside from His Majesty," Eunuch Cheng laughed, "this is the first time the Ninth Prince has served tea and water to others!"

Xiao Ran smiled shyly.

The others couldn't help rolling their eyes.

Tuan Tuan patted her little belly, "I'm hungry."

"I'll get it!" Xiao Er and Lu Qi answered in unison, turned and left.

Finally, Tuan Tuan ate and drank to fullness.

Xiao Ningyuan let out a long sigh, "I thought you'd sleep for a few more days."

"Yesterday the National Preceptor said you were exhausted; it scared me to death."

Tuan Tuan clutched Xiao Feifei and darted into his arms, "Big brother, don't be afraid, Master is here!"

"He wouldn't let anything happen to me! Right?"

Xiao Ningyuan had been on edge all day, worrying both about his sister and the Guiyuan Formation.

Although last night he saw the outside of the city in the star map Illusion, it wasn't firsthand, so he remained uneasy.

He hugged Tuan Tuan tightly, "I still don't know whether the siege canal has returned to its original state."

Tuan Tuan lifted her little face and looked at him, "We'll just ask Master tonight and find out!"

"Miss," Xiao Er's gaze softened as he looked at her, "the National Preceptor said last night that we still have to go tonight!"

Lu Qi frowned, "Miss is already this tired; can she still go?"

"Sure!" Tuan Tuan tugged at Xiao Feifei's big tail, "I'm feeling great now!"

Everyone, watching her sprightly little demeanor, felt their hearts ease.

That night, at midnight.

Several people arrived at the Guoshi Residence again.

"This morning I sent people to check outside the city," Chu Yuan said with a faint smile, "the Guiyuan Formation is truly formidable; now the common folk are all saying that last night the Earth God manifested."

"It must be that the capital's Land God couldn't stand it, and in one night he smoothed over that canal."

"Land God?" Xiao Ningyuan was startled, then couldn't help but laugh, "That's quite imaginative."

Lu Qi also laughed: "The common folk, when they encounter something they can't understand, naturally turn to ghosts and gods."

"Actually there's some truth to it; the encircling city canal vanished completely in one night, even the grass grew back," Xiao Er said, looking at his own miss, "Besides immortals, who else could do that?"

Tuan Tuan pouted: "The Land God is so old, I'm certainly not an old man!"

Everyone laughed.

"Indeed, my disciple is an Immortal Envoy, far more powerful than the Land God," Chu Yuan patted Tuan Tuan's little head, "Is your body all right?"

"They're still digging; tonight, you and I, master and disciple, must join forces again."

"I'm fine, Master!" Tuan Tuan nodded, "Why are they still digging!"

Xiao Er snorted, "It was hard enough to find a way to defeat the enemy; how could they give up so easily?"

"Master! Then let's hurry!" Tuan Tuan clenched her little fist and swung it, "Fill that broken ditch again!"

"But Master," Tuan Tuan frowned, "My little porcelain piece is gone!"

"No need to worry, the Formation hasn't broken; you just need to sit there as you did last night, speak to the Big Dipper just as you did, and that will suffice."

Tuan Tuan nodded, "Got it!"

At the same moment.

The guards on the city wall stood upright at the edge, their eyes fixed precisely on the shallow pit of the encircling city canal that had just been dug below.

The leading man paced back and forth, "Everyone, snap to attention!"

"The Regent King has issued a strict order; if the encircling city canal is compromised, we'll all lose our heads!"

"Yes!" the guards shouted in unison.

The man thought for a moment, raised his hand and pointed, "From you to the right, everyone, go down! Guard the canal edge, one person every ten steps! The rest stay put!"

"Yes!"

Late at night, the air was filled with the scent of fresh earth.

A young soldier standing by the canal suddenly felt the soil beneath his feet shift.

He abruptly lowered his head, looked for a moment, and nothing was amiss.

He shook his head, "How could the soil move?"

"It must have been that I was half‑asleep earlier."

He was just about to lift his head when the soil beneath his feet moved again.

This time, he saw clearly; the soil under his feet was indeed moving!