Chapter 60: Enemy forces routed, the crown prince captured, the frontier at peace!

Immediately, the curtain was lifted by a pair of slender, white hands.

A lantern hung beside the carriage, its soft light casting the hand as if carved from smooth white jade.

The Yu Guo Crown Prince's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously licked his lips.

With hands so beautiful, the person inside must be a beauty!

He couldn't help wanting to step forward for a closer look, but two young women on horseback in front of the carriage blocked him.

"May I ask your name, miss? Whose daughter are you?" the Crown Prince craned his neck, eager to see inside the carriage.

A light laugh rang out. "Miss? I'm already over forty—my daughter is older than you."

The Yu Guo Crown Prince blinked in surprise.

By the dim lantern light filtering into the carriage, he finally made out a face that looked like an immortal's.

Though she was no longer a young maiden, she possessed a distinct mature charm.

Just as he wanted to get a clearer look, the curtain was lowered.

From inside came a soft, gentle voice: "Alright, we've met. No need for thanks—I must continue on my way. Farewell."

The Yu Guo Crown Prince's throat tightened as a wicked thought rose in his heart.

With a woman of such beauty, if he didn't enjoy her once, he'd be wasting his position as crown prince.

"Halt!" he shouted, chin raised, glancing sideways at the others. "Do you know who I am?"

The driver said politely, "We're just passing strangers; I hope you'll excuse us, sir—"

"I am the current Crown Prince of Yu Guo!" the Crown Prince said, impatiently announcing his identity when they didn't take the bait.

The driver and the four attendants of the sect leader all showed looks of surprise.

Seeing their reaction, the Yu Guo Crown Prince said arrogantly, "Judging by your appearance and clothing, you must be from Zhong Yuan—perhaps even from Yu Guo. Upon seeing me, the crown prince, shouldn't you kneel and pay respects?"

Yet the five didn't move a muscle.

The Yu Guo Crown Prince frowned. "Such rudeness—do you want to die?"

Clatter—

Several deputy generals and soldiers drew their long swords to bolster the crown prince's prestige.

"No wonder you're young yet so arrogant," the voice from behind the carriage curtain said, turning colder. "You're just a useless Yu Guo crown prince. Sorry, we're not from Yu Guo, so we don't need to give you face."

"Bold!"

"Impudent!"

The deputy generals shouted.

Although the soldiers backed him, the crown prince's face fell a little, and he asked darkly, "Could you be from Xuan Guo?"

"Perhaps," the sect leader Ye said calmly, "but I'm a wandering martial artist. I don't want to get involved in your two countries' feud—don't bring trouble on yourself."

"What a big mouth! How dare you threaten our crown prince?" a deputy general snapped.

The Yu Guo Crown Prince's expression grew darker. "I was going to be polite because you're beautiful, but you're so arrogant and rude—I have no choice but to use force."

"Go, seize that carriage, the woman inside, and the four horses for me!"

"Kill the other five!"

At his order, the deputy generals and soldiers immediately drew their swords and closed in.

The crown prince wanted that woman, and they also needed the carriage to escort him safely.

It's only their bad luck and recklessness that led them to travel at night through the wilderness, where they happened to run into him.

At the same time, Xiao Qidi, carrying Ning Jinli, had crossed the ditch and followed the horse tracks to the vicinity.

Seeing something amiss, he didn't reveal himself right away, pulling Ning Jinli to hide behind a large rock.

Ning Jinli, by moonlight, saw the Yu Guo Crown Prince's men about to attack, while opposite them stood only four young women and an elderly driver.

She whispered, "Little brother, could you lend a hand?"

She was worried about aggravating Xiao Qidi's injury, yet she didn't want those five civilians to come to harm.

With Xiao Qidi's skill, taking out the remaining ten or so men beside the crown prince should be easy.

Too bad she herself can't fight and has no martial arts; otherwise she'd have stepped in.

"No need for me to act," Xiao Qidi replied softly.

Ning Jinli worried, "We can't just watch them be killed by the Yu Guo crown prince, can we?"

Xiao Qidi's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's already midnight, yet they dare to travel this desolate ridge, and even when facing the crown prince's entourage they show no fear—do you think those five are ordinary people?"

Ning Jinli muttered, "But even if they're not ordinary, they're up against armored elite troops—and besides, a few of them are commanders…"

No sooner had she spoken than the sound of clashing blades rang out from the carriage side.

By the time Ning Jinli poked her head out again to look, she saw the Yu Guo commanders and soldiers already lying in pools of blood.

She stared, eyes wide with shock.

"What formidable martial arts," Xiao Qidi said in a low voice. "Miss Ning, stay here—I'll go negotiate with them."

"Be careful," Ning Jinli cautioned.

Xiao Qidi stepped out from behind the rock, head high and chest out, walking straight to the carriage.

"Gentlemen, I happen to be pursuing these people—could you lend a hand?" he said, bowing, then asked, "May I take the Yu Guo crown prince into my custody?"

The Yu Guo crown prince was stunned, sitting limp on the ground.

Seeing another figure step forward, claiming to be pursuing him, he quickly turned his head to look.

"Xiao… Xiao Qidi?!" he exclaimed involuntarily.

A few years ago, when Xiao Qidi had just ascended the throne and held his investiture ceremony, relations between Yu Guo and Xuan Guo were still relatively cordial, and the Yu Guo crown prince had attended alongside the king.

Back then he was deeply impressed by Xiao Qidi's towering height—far above ordinary—and his strikingly handsome appearance.

Though he had only seen him once, five years later he still recognized him at a glance.

"Oh? You are the King of Daxuan?" the coachman's face showed surprise, he quickly got

The remaining four young women also performed a salute, saying: "Greetings, His Majesty."

Xiao Qidi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed these were all his Daxuan subjects.

A slit quietly opened in the carriage curtain.

Ye Zhangmen peered through the gap, sizing up Xiao Qidi not far away.

"This is the future Xuan Ancestor Emperor?... He really looks mighty and handsome." Her eyes revealed she had something on her mind, she muttered to herself, "I also don't know how that guy who went to the Xuan Guo capital is doing now."

She let out a light sigh and lowered the curtain.

Then she raised her voice slightly: "Since His Majesty of Daxuan wants this person, just take him away."

Xiao Qidi looked at the carriage, stepped forward a few paces, and cupped his fists: "Thank you; may I ask who you are? I will surely reward you in the future."

"No need for rewards, it's just a trivial effort; we are—Yuqi Mountain, Tian Shu Sect."

Ye Zhangmen answered, then said: "Old Liu, let's go."

"Yes, Sect Leader." The coachman sat back down in front of the carriage.

Xiao Qidi watched the carriage convoy slowly fade into the night.

"Xiao, Xiao Qidi," the Yu Guo Crown Prince stammered, "Let me go; I... I promise that in the future Yu Guo will peacefully coexist with your Xuan Guo."

Xiao Qidi knocked him out with a single punch, coldly saying: "Keeping you here will truly make Yu Guo wary and dare not invade again."

Immediately, he dragged the Yu Guo Crown Prince like a dead dog to where Ning Jinli was hiding, and casually recounted what had just happened.

Ning Jinli curiously asked: "What's the background of the Tian Shu Sect? Are their people's martial arts very strong?"

Xiao Qidi said: "I'm not sure either; rumor has it that a sect suddenly appeared in the jianghu a few years ago, its whereabouts unpredictable, very mysterious. As for martial arts, there must be experts among them; otherwise, given the sect's ruthless and vicious reputation, it would have been wiped out by other sects long ago."

Ning Jinli incredulously: "Even you say they're ruthless and vicious?"

Xiao Qidi frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Cough..." Ning Jinli gave a dry cough, "Um... aren't they nice? They even helped you capture the Yu Guo Crown Prince; I saw from afar just now, they were quite courteous to you. By the way, who was in the carriage?"

"I don't know. Let's go, back to Xi Tun Guan." Xiao Qidi had a cold face, no longer wanting to chatter with her.

"All right, little brother." Ning Jinli trotted along behind him.

After daybreak, Ning Jinli drove the cart to Xi Tun Guan.

Xiao Qidi handed the captured Yu Guo Crown Prince to the soldiers, to be imprisoned and guarded.

Duan Wu and the others were overjoyed.

Unexpectedly, the Yu Guo Crown Prince they had sighed over failing to capture last night was actually captured after all.

Moreover, His Majesty has returned, and the Jinli Fairy has come too!

Duan Wu eagerly reported:

"Your Majesty, last night the Yu Guo's 170,000 elite troops fought the barbarian army to the death, leaving fewer than 40,000 dead; we captured 20,000, and the remaining defeated troops fled."

"The barbarian army suffered even worse, only a few thousand left!"

"The barbarian leader brought these few thousand to join us, saying you sent him; I didn't readily believe it, so I've temporarily detained them."

After hearing this, Xiao Qidi nodded: "Well done."

"Your Majesty, how should we handle the Yu Guo prisoners and the few thousand barbarians?" Duan Wu asked.

Xiao Qidi said without changing expression: "The 20,000 Yu Guo prisoners will be used to clean the battlefield and bury the corpses, then to reclaim land and build roads for Xi Tun Guan and Lin Xian Village; those who refuse discipline will be killed. As for the barbarians—kill them all."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duan Wu received the order and departed.

"Hiss..." Ning Jinli sucked in a cold breath beside him.

Xiao Qidi frowned: "What, do you have any better ideas?"

Ning Jinli shook her head: "No, you did it right; I just feel that war is very cruel."

Xiao Qidi said gloomily: "Precisely because war is cruel, we must fight, and we must win."

"Exactly!" Ning Jinli stared fixedly into his eyes, "Only when we both win can our nation and people gain true stability and peace; keep at it, I absolutely support you in this!"

"Aren't you afraid something will happen to me?" Xiao Qidi said meaningfully.

Ning Jinli said irritably: "Can't you stop saying ominous things..."

Xiao Qidi inexplicably chuckled, then said lightly: "If it's something destined to happen, or rather, something that has already occurred for posterity, do you really think you can change it? If you can't even grasp this, you're quite foolish, Miss Ning."

Ning Jinli's expression instantly turned heavy.

This sentence touched on the issue she had always wanted to avoid.

According to reason, if she had come to over two thousand years ago via the Spacetime Portal, and because she learned of a certain historical event wanted to change it, that would be impossible to succeed.

Because this would create a historical paradox.

That is, if she truly changed Xiao Qidi's fate of being replaced by a puppet, then this secret history would be as if it never existed; thus, she, living over two thousand years later, could never have known about it from the start.

So, if she doesn't know about this matter, how could she act for it? And if she wouldn't act because of it, how could she possibly change it?

Thus she falls into a huge contradictory loop that cannot be reconciled before and after.

Ning Jinli is aware of this causal paradox.

But she dares not dwell on it.

By the time she came to her senses, Xiao Qidi had already walked away.

Gazing at the back of this young monarch, Ning Jinli softly sighed and muttered to herself:

"I am foolish, foolish to the point of daydreaming about changing something that cannot be changed; but... what if, what if this world experiences a miracle? Mother once told me that a living person should hold beauty and hope in their heart."

She took several deep breaths, then strode after Xiao Qidi.

Xiao Qidi summoned the commanders for a discussion; Ning Jinli listened from the side, and he didn't bother with her.

"The Yu Guo's 200,000 elite troops have been completely destroyed; their main force now consists only of a few ten thousand palace guards in the royal city, severely weakened, and they will not pose a threat to Daxuan's western side for at least three years." A commander analyzed.

Duan Wu added: "Don't forget, we still have the Yu Guo Crown Prince held here as a hostage; even if they recover their forces, they wouldn't dare act rashly."

Li Yao nodded, 'Yes. Moreover, all of Sha Yue Guo's forces have been wiped out, and because of this they fell out with Yu Guo, after which they no longer have the capacity to harass Daxuan's southwest border. Our Daxuan's west and southwest are finally at peace.'

As they said this, several generals felt both excited and elated, yet also had a dreamlike feeling.

Not long ago, they were still breached by the Yu Guo Army at Xi Tun Guan, and tens of thousands of drought-stricken civilians crowded into Lin Xian Village, with everyone feeling they had reached a desperate situation.

As a result, this seemingly hopeless desperate situation has now been completely resolved.

Thinking of this, they all turned to look at Ning Jinli, who stood silently in the corner.

They exchanged a glance, turned to face her, and in unison performed a respectful salute, saying, 'Jinli Fairy, above us, please accept our bow.'

Ning Jinli waved her hands repeatedly, 'What's with you guys, what's going on...'

'Just a few years of peace is not enough.' Xiao Qidi said calmly, 'I will destroy Yu Guo and Sha Yue Guo once and for all to eliminate future threats.'

'His Majesty is wise!' the generals exclaimed in unison.

Ning Jinli frowned and couldn't help interjecting, 'We do need to destroy them, but must we rush so much?'

Xiao Qidi said lightly, 'Did I say we have to go destroy them now?'

Ning Jinli muttered, 'I shouldn't have spoken up, and you rebutted me again...'

A fleeting smile crossed Xiao Qidi's eyes, one he himself didn't notice, then he turned solemn and said, 'My beloved commanders, from now on let the soldiers and civilians rest and recuperate, restore livelihoods in the Xi Tun Guan–Lin Xian Village area, accumulate strength, and prepare for the future pacification of Yu Guo and Sha Yue.'

'Yes, His Majesty!' everyone replied.

'All right, you may all retreat.' Xiao Qidi waved his hand.

The generals took their leave one by one; Duan Wu walked to the door, suddenly stopped, thought it over, then turned back and said, 'Your Majesty... there is something I don't know whether I should say.'

Xiao Qidi took a sip of hot water, 'Speak.'

Duan Wu's expression was complex as he slowly said, 'Your Majesty... are you planning to return to the capital?'

Xiao Qidi's expression was somewhat inscrutable as he said, 'Whether it is or not, what does it matter? General Duan, what exactly do you want to say?'