Chapter 213: 213 Compromise, Frivolity, Inside the Carriage!

I was careless! I never expected that in this tiny Mountain Stronghold, there would actually be two True Persons of the Divine Origin Realm! And that's not even counting the rest.

Mi Zhao's gaze swept over, and when she saw Wei Youqing, her expression changed once again.

She hadn't looked closely just a moment ago.

Could this woman be a disciple of a Master from the Jixia Academy, the Martial Arts Sacred Land of Qi? The various nations are often in dispute.

Intelligence networks infiltrate one another.

Portraits of the high-level officials of each Imperial Court, as well as important personnel of the Sacred Lands, naturally appear on the desks of the other side's high-level officials in a timely manner.

Heavens! What kind of background does this tiny Mountain Stronghold have! Mi Zhao could not help but feel a shock beyond compare in her heart, like a monstrous wave sweeping through, making it difficult for her to calm down.

No wonder even Zhu Yaluan could only rank at the very end.

The pressure had not yet dissipated.

Mi Zhao struggled bitterly to hold on.

Mi Yue'er's cultivation had long since failed to support her, and she had collapsed to the ground in a faint!

And at this moment, Ning Mu's voice rang out, making her expression look even uglier.

"A discarded princess? What discarded princess? Where would a discarded princess come from? Have you all seen one?"

Ning Mu wore an expression of being completely harmless to humans and animals, looking at Mi Zhao with surprise.

Mi Zhao was instantly enraged.

"You..."

But just as her voice began, she had not yet had time to continue.

Suddenly.

Her body staggered, and her complexion turned pale in a flash.

【System Prompt: Host, please take note. Task One has failed. According to the task failure penalty rules, 80% of the Host's current Cultivation Points (approximately 25,600 points) will be deducted, and your strength will drop.】

Listening to the system prompt ringing in her mind.

Mi Zhao was terrified.

She hurriedly looked toward the system panel.

Cultivation: Sitting Reflection Realm (6,400/51,200) + She could see that the points after her cultivation had indeed decreased by a lot.

She could also clearly feel that her Sitting and Shining Great Completion cultivation had actually dropped to the entry level in an instant.

Added to the pressure exerted by Liu Qingmei and Liuli respectively, she could no longer hold on; a sweetness rose in her throat, and fresh blood was about to gush out.

But she still forcibly swallowed it back.

In this instant, the loss of her cultivation made her feel as if her body had been hollowed out.

Mi Zhao could not help but change color.

She never expected that the consequences of this task failure would be so severe! Her cultivation, which had already been truly mastered and integrated, could actually drop without any warning.

There was no time to respond to Ning Mu; her heart was already in a state of internal turmoil.

And at this time.

The system appeared with a new task again, which made her expression stiffen and turn grave.

【Task One: Meeting your Xia Lu for the first time, how can you be so stiff and heartless?】

【Task Details: Give up pursuing the whereabouts of the discarded princess Mi Qiaozhi, and promise your Binding Companion Ning Mu that you will no longer ask about this matter, and will not cause any harm to Ningyang Stronghold! Additionally, you must, in the presence of at least Mi Yue'er or more people, say to your Binding Companion Ning Mu with deep affection: "I have often met you in my dreams, waiting for over thirty years. Now that the dream has come true, I do not want it to turn into the current situation; I will make it up to you in the future."】

【Task Success: Reward of 200 Cultivation Points and 50 Heroic Couple Points! And depending on the number of people present, an additional recovery of the Cultivation Points deducted from the previous failed task, with a minimum recovery of 30% (7,680 points) and a maximum recovery of 80% (20,480 points).】

【Task Failure: Cultivation realm drops to the Inner Profound Realm! Additionally, the matter of Chu Kingdom intending to monopolize the Martial Crystal vein in Changpu County will be made public. Chu Kingdom may become the target of public criticism, and it is possible that a joint crusade by Qi and Zhou will occur!】

Boom! This time, Mi Zhao did not dare to be careless.

After carefully reading and understanding the task, her heart shook violently.

Having experienced the failure of the first task, she already understood the power of this system.

She believed that since this system could say it, it would definitely be able to do it.

The drop in cultivation was secondary.

The key was the matter of the Martial Crystal vein being made public.

For Great Chu, this was undoubtedly a disaster! As the Eldest Princess of Great Chu, she took it as her duty to revitalize Great Chu and maintain the dignity of the Imperial family.

Facing this result, she had no choice but to compromise!

"Hoo..."

The corners of Mi Zhao's eyes twitched wildly, forcing herself to suppress the anger in her heart, and she took two steps forward toward Ning Mu, who was sitting high on the large chair.

Liu Qingmei and Liuli's expressions changed instantly, and they stared at her closely.

"Apologies, Stronghold Master Ning. Mi was just joking; please do not take it to heart."

Mi Zhao cupped her hands in a bow, trying her best to make her expression look more natural.

"There is no discarded princess in Chu Kingdom. Mi did not come here for this matter, but because I heard that Stronghold Master Ning is young and promising, so I came specifically to make your acquaintance."

"I wonder if Stronghold Master Ning is willing to be friends with Mi?"

Mi Zhao tried her best to maintain a natural expression, looking at Ning Mu in a friendly manner.

Then.

She turned her head to look at Liu Qingmei and Liuli, cupping her hands and saying: "I ask that the two Venerables show mercy. She has been with me for many years; although we are mistress and servant, we are like sisters."

Mi Zhao glanced at Mi Yue'er, who had fainted on the ground.

Liu Qingmei and Liuli looked at each other, and only then did they withdraw the pressure.

"So you want to make friends. I was wondering what you were trying to make."

Ning Mu laughed out loud, following the other party's lead, and smiled: "Since General Mi is the Eldest Princess of Chu Kingdom and a general of the Zhenwu Army, and your great army is right behind the mountain, I, Ning, am untalented and merely occupying a small corner. To be able to make friends with General Mi is exactly what I have been hoping for. It is just that I do not know if the friend General Mi speaks of is a true friend? And how exactly do you intend to go about this friendship?"

Ning Mu's words carried deep meaning.

Hearing these words, Mi Zhao's expression tightened.

But immediately after, she took a deep breath, looked at Ning Mu, and said with a hint of resentment in her tone: "I have often met you in my dreams, waiting for over thirty years. Now that the dream has become reality, I did not expect it to turn into the current situation. I will make it up to you properly in the future. To be honest, seeing you for the first time, I was very surprised. I never expected that the person in my dreams would actually be encountered in reality!"

"Stronghold Master Ning, please believe in my sincerity!"

Mi Zhao affirmed repeatedly.

Hearing these words, everyone else in the hall was stunned.

What was going on? The Eldest Princess of the Chu Kingdom said she often met with Ning Mu in her dreams? Zhu Yaluan stood up in disbelief, looking at this scene in shock.

She simply could not believe that this overbearing General of the Zhenwu Army, a woman who was full of arrogance when conspiring with her, would reveal such gentleness the very first time she met the little Ning Zhaozhu.

As for Liu Qingmei, Tong Yuyue, Liuli, and the others, after their initial shock, looks of pleasant surprise appeared in their eyes one after another.

As expected of their husband.

Even the sister of the Chu Kingdom's Emperor had long ago secretly pledged her heart to him in her dreams.

This kind of thing sounded extremely bizarre.

But there were too many strange and grotesque things in the world.

Furthermore, since it happened to their own husband, there was nothing strange about it.

They had a natural filter for Ning Mu!

Ning Mu, meanwhile, revealed a look of slight surprise and feigned shock: "There is such a strange thing?"

"I wonder what I am like in the General's dreams? I wouldn't have done anything frivolous to the General, would I? If there really was... I ask the General to please be magnanimous; that was definitely not my intention!"

Ning Mu feigned surprise and confusion, revealing just the right amount of shame and panic.

Hearing this, Mi Zhao, who had never experienced matters of love, felt her pretty face freeze for a moment, and then a faint, charming blush rippled across it, which was truly enchanting.

"Cough... Stronghold Master Ning, do not worry. In the dream... Stronghold Master Ning was gentle and refined. You and I were merely spiritual friends in the dream, discussing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth; there was absolutely no frivolity!"

Mi Zhao hurriedly spoke to deny it.

To avoid letting people think too much.

Yet her categorical denial and firm tone only made Liu Qingmei and the others develop a strange look in their eyes.

This Eldest Princess of the Chu Kingdom... is truly shameless.

Looking at her like this, she must have been begging for her husband in every way in her dreams, wondering how she was submissively pleasing him! "So that's how it is, deep friendship as close friends!" Ning Mu feigned realization.

Mi Zhao did not detect anything wrong with this sentence.

But Liu Qingmei and the others, who were often influenced by him, all frowned strangely.

Husband is truly wicked.

【Notification: Congratulations to the Host for completing Task One. Reward: 200 Cultivation Points, 50 Heroic Couple Points! Extra recovery of 80% of Cultivation Points (total 20,480 points).】

Hearing the system's notification sound, Mi Zhao immediately let out a sigh of relief.

After sensing carefully, her Cultivation Points had indeed recovered quite a bit, but compared to before she obtained the system, her strength was still much lower.

He carefully sensed it; his Cultivation Points had indeed recovered quite a bit, but compared to before he obtained the system, his strength was still much lower.

Sure enough.

On the Cultivation Points line, the value had changed.

Cultivation Points: Sitting Reflection Realm (27080/51200) + For no reason, when she looked at Ning Mu again, she suddenly felt he looked much more pleasing to the eye.

Having set down the heavy stone in her heart, Mi Zhao's complexion also recovered quite a bit.

As for the lost Cultivation Points, she would slowly recover them in the future!

To ease the awkwardness and quickly skip this topic, she immediately spoke again: "Our two sides are not far apart; we can rely on each other in the future. If there is anything you need me to do, send someone to inform me at any time..."

To ease the awkwardness and quickly skip over this topic, she immediately spoke again: "Our two families are not far apart, so we can rely on each other in the future. If there is anything you need my help with, send someone to inform me at any time..."

Speaking to this point, Mi Zhao paused, as if remembering something, and turned to point at Mi Yue'er, who was still unconscious on the ground but had been picked up and cared for by Chunzhi and Xia Chan, saying: "She is my personal maid. If Stronghold Master Ning does not mind, she can temporarily stay in your stronghold to act as a messenger, how about that?"

She actually did not want to leave Mi Yue'er here. After all, she was a personal maid who grew up with her. To say they were like sisters was false; after all, there was a natural chasm between their statuses.

But it could not be denied that Mi Yue'er had always played a very important role in her life.

She did not even mind letting Mi Yue'er know about the mineral vein matter.

From this, one could tell how important Mi Yue'er was in her heart.

But just as she was speaking.

A new task appeared.

【Task One: As the leader of the Zhenwu Army, the Host cannot accompany the Xia Lu. To ensure constant contact with your Binding Companion, Ning Mu, leave your personal maid behind to act as a messenger and seek affection!】

【Task Completion: Reward 200 Cultivation Points, 50 Heroic Couple Points!】

【Task Failure: Deduct 30% of Cultivation Points and cause your personal maid Mi Yue'er's strength to be halved, damaging her cultivation progress!】

As for her wanting to form an alliance with Ningyang Stronghold, it was not empty talk.

It was a thought that had genuinely emerged.

Looking at this system, it was clearly impossible to deal with Ning Mu through slaughter.

Since that was the case, the only option was to win him over for her own use.

At any rate, the other side had two True Human Realm martial artists. Winning them over as allies might be of great use in the future and would facilitate her future actions.

As for the Xia Lu object Ning Mu mentioned by the system...

She thought to herself that once today's matters were finished, she would immediately return to the military tent in Hujia Town and reduce meetings with him from then on; that should be able to curb the system!

【Notification: Congratulations to the Host. The owner of the No. 4 Sub-system, Mi Zhao, has completed Task One. Feedback to the Host for the task reward: obtained 100 Cultivation Points, obtained 2% of Mi Zhao's Loyalty Value!】

【Notification: Congratulations to the Host, Mi Zhao, owner of the No. 4 Sub-system, has completed Task One. Feedback of the task reward for the Host: gained 100 Cultivation Points, gained 2% of Mi Zhao's Loyalty Value!】

With two consecutive system notifications, Mi Zhao's Loyalty Value increased by 4%.

But Ning Mu glanced at the system and felt somewhat helpless.

But Ning Mu swept a glance at the system, yet he felt somewhat helpless.

Because of Mi Zhao's Loyalty Value, even though it had already increased by 4%, it was still a negative number!

"In that case, let us follow General Mi's suggestion; our two parties shall form an alliance, and if the General's maid remains on the mountain, she shall serve as a guest advisor, how about that?"

Ning Mu looked at Mi Zhao and spoke.

Mi Zhao nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"I shall listen to Stronghold Master Ning. I have urgent matters in the army, so I will not disturb you further. After I give instructions to Yue'er, I will head down the mountain and return to camp. Stronghold Master Ning, farewell!"

Mi Zhao cupped her fists in a salute.

Then, without waiting for Ning Mu's response, she turned around, woke Mi Yue'er, gave her some instructions, and left the great hall without looking back.

Her heart felt numb.

She was worried that if she stayed any longer, this system would trigger tasks endlessly.

Meanwhile, Ning Mu sat on the tiger-skin chair, stroking his chin with an evil grin.

He was pondering how to win over this Chu Kingdom princess who commanded the border army.

The original plan was to depart at noon for Yingyue Lake Town in Huaiyang Prefecture to meet with Yang Yanqiu and take revenge for Liuli.

Because of Mi Zhao's sudden visit, it could only be delayed slightly.

After settling Mi Yue'er in.

At the Shen hour in the afternoon.

The Old Driver pulled the Lingxiao Wind-Riding Chariot and set off.

Inside the carriage.

Besides Ning Mu and Liuli, there was Wei Youqing, who was already a married woman and looked at Ning Mu with deep affection, as well as Pi Yalu, who was sitting with her eyes closed in meditation, choosing to see nothing to keep her mind pure.

Apart from these four people.

At Ning Mu's feet lay a small black fox.

It was Su Zuozuo.

Su Yueqiao was far away, yet she could send messages to her in time, which made Ning Mu very curious about how it was done.

When Su Zuozuo told him about the "Demon Hearing" tool, he immediately became curious.

Isn't this just a communication tool for long-distance contact! He decided on the spot to let Su Zuozuo stay in her original form to follow along. If anything major happened at Ningyang Stronghold, Liu Qingmei could go find Su Yueqiao immediately and then send a message to Su Zuozuo; this would save a lot of trouble! The Old Driver followed Ning Mu's wishes, galloping forward happily all the way, while the carriage remained quiet.

Liuli held her Whisk, focusing on meditation by Ning Mu's side.

With revenge imminent, and the blood feud that had left a mark on her soul since childhood about to be settled, she felt, for some reason, a sense of loss and an indescribable, uneasy feeling flowing through her heart.

Ning Mu was stroking the small fox's soft fur.

Pi Yalu sat the furthest away, almost near the door, quiet and not saying a word.

Only Wei Youqing, though sitting close to Ning Mu, could not reach him, and hindered by the presence of her disciple Pi Yalu, she could not express her love, so she could only steal glances at Ning Mu from time to time, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Suddenly.

Wei Youqing was startled.

The system suddenly sounded a notification; there was a new task! After reading the details of the new task, Wei Youqing could not help but blush, her glistening eyes filled with a mix of strangeness and shyness as she looked at her beloved disciple, Pi Yalu, who was sitting in the corner, legs crossed in meditation, her face beautiful and refined...

(End of this chapter)