RPAGF Chapter 260 The 9th Princess
Chapter 260 The 9th Princess
"Seventh Brother, do you still remember how we felt when we exchanged medicinal herbs together on the Immortal Mountain?" Yue Ling asked one by one.
"I remember, it felt very similar..." the Seventh Prince nodded.
“Domain,” Yue Ling answered quickly. “That’s the Emperor’s domain. As for which one, I can’t be sure yet, but it just illustrates a point: if the Emperor could see us, why didn’t he save us?”
"Perhaps all of this is part of the Medicine-Seeking Conference, just a challenge designed by the Imperial Ancestor. Could it be that we're overthinking it?" The Seventh Prince subconsciously retorted to Yue Ling, but regretted it as soon as he said it, annoyed at himself for speaking too quickly.
The immortal mountain and the cursed land became so abnormal overnight. The ancestor who saved the world played the role of Chunling Niangzi and even secretly promoted all of this. If you say that the ancestor designed it, isn't that the same as insulting someone?
Who are you cursing?
"Fourth Sister, do you think so too?" Yue Ling asked the Fourth Princess in return.
The fourth princess remained silent; she trusted no one now.
"If Fourth Sister doesn't believe me, you can ask Ah Chong. At that time, Third Brother was about to die, and Shi Zhen was fatally wounded, but I still saved them. I didn't have to do that, but I knew that at that time, we couldn't afford to lose a single one of them."
"If nothing is happening outside and all is calm, why would the Emperor Ancestor ignore all of this?"
Upon hearing what the Ninth Princess said, Shi Zhen hesitated and looked at the Fourth Princess, intending to prove that what the Ninth Princess said was true.
I was really going to see my great-grandmother when the Ninth Princess forcibly pulled me back from the brink of death.
The Fourth Princess remained unmoved, and Ah Chong, seeing this, also pursed his lips and remained silent.
It seems we've returned to the initial stalemate.
"Heh, I should have known better. I overestimated you all," Yue Ling said with a self-deprecating laugh.
The Seventh Prince couldn't stand this provocation and immediately became unhappy, but the Fourth Princess remained calm and ignored Yue Ling.
"I'm sure Fourth Sister and Seventh Brother themselves can't even remember how many times we've tricked each other or how many rounds we've fought."
"I pride myself on understanding you all, so how could I not know what you're all thinking? Of course I understand, I'm not ignorant, because I've thought the same thing before!"
After speaking, Yue Ling tossed her hair back, revealing the restraint on her neck, displaying it to everyone: "Isn't it this thing that you're all afraid of?"
Upon seeing this restriction, the Fourth Princess's eyes flickered slightly, and the Seventh Prince subconsciously touched his neck.
"Those who fight with their own siblings are disqualified. This is a rule we cannot violate. Whoever violates this rule will forever lose the right to compete for the throne."
Hearing this, the Fourth Princess was slightly surprised. Ever since the Emperor placed this restriction on them, it had become an unspoken rule, but it had never been brought up in public.
"Of course I also have reservations about this, so I never thought about taking action myself. I always thought about how to use the rules and those uncontrollable accidents to prevent you from having the opportunity to compete with me again."
Yue Ling's self-analysis violently tore out the unspoken thoughts buried deep in everyone's hearts.
"But after so many things, I don't know if people outside can see us. Maybe they can't. Otherwise, the Buddhist bell wouldn't have rung when we were besieged by the villagers. Maybe even Master Diming couldn't see us. So he was worried that we were in danger and suppressed everyone's cultivation level indiscriminately, not even tolerating the slightest bit of profound energy."
"You must be thinking the same thing, right? You're gambling that outsiders can't know what's going on inside the secret realm, and that this is the perfect opportunity to use accidents and unforeseen circumstances to eliminate your opponents."
"But have you ever thought about it? The Lotus Secret Realm has been in ruins for so long, and even a master as powerful as Di Ming couldn't solve it. As descendants of the royal family, not only can we not share the burden of the royal family, but we also have to fight to the death inside. What if we really can't get out? What's the point of hurting each other? To be spiritual kings before we die?"
"Let me be frank: we're all in this together. If any one of us is missing, even if it's an accident, no one who gets out alive will be innocent! Instead of fighting like this, let's unite and find a solution together. Whatever you want to do to me, or whatever I want to do to you, that's something for after we get out!"
Yue Ling's voice echoed in the vast underground space, striking straight to the heart.
At this moment, the Third Prince finally woke up. He looked around in confusion and asked, "Hmm, where is this?"
"Hey, why are Seventh Brother and Ninth Sister here?"
"Damn it," he belatedly realized he was participating in the medicine-finding conference and became wary. The Fourth Princess gave him a look, telling him to be quiet.
The third prince, seemingly oblivious to the situation, did little to ease the tension. He had many questions, but dared not voice them.
The entire place was so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of tree roots moving behind them. Chu Yu then made his move. Before anyone could see how Yu drew his sword, a row of tree roots was cut in half, revealing the rocks behind them. The rustling sound finally stopped.
Everyone was used to Chu Yu's combat prowess, except for the Third Prince, who was completely unaware of the situation and was startled by Chu Yu.
But demonstrating force does seem to have some effect.
"What can we do now? We don't even know where we're going next." The Seventh Prince paced back and forth in frustration.
The Fourth Princess simply said quietly, "Ninth Sister is always good at taking the lead. You've already shouted all the slogans, and as long as we don't listen to you, you'll praise us. You'll enjoy all the credit."
The third prince was still completely confused.
Yue Ling wasn't angry; she simply asked in return, "So, Fourth Sister, you agree with what I said?"
"Hmph," the Fourth Princess snorted coldly, "Since you're so capable of handling things, then tell me, what are we going to do next?"
“I am not ordering you, I am asking my brothers and sisters to work with me.” Yue Ling picked up a burnt-out torch and used the blackened charcoal to draw on the ground: “Third Brother has just woken up, and I would like to offer three suggestions for our next steps.”
"First, all decisions will be made by the four of us together, and no one may act without authorization." After saying that, Yue Ling tore off a piece of her clothes: "The situation is special now, so we will use this piece of brocade as a log. All decisions will be recorded in it, and every step will require the consent of all four of us. After we leave, everyone must sign an oath, just to ensure that everyone can be sure of the contents of this log."
"Secondly, the four experts around us must obey unified orders and must not harm or confront each other. If any of the four of us is in danger, any one of the experts has an obligation to rescue us. Similarly, if any expert from any of our factions is infected by the villagers of the evil land, the four of us also have an obligation to treat them."
After the second point was made, no one raised any objections.
"Third, if there are differences of opinion, a vote will be held and the minority will obey the majority. If it is necessary to take risks, a lottery will be held, but before the lottery, voluntariness will be given priority."
At this moment, the Third Prince, who had been completely confused, finally spoke up: "What if the person you draw is unwilling to take the risk?"
"Or is it that no one volunteered at all?"
“Then I’ll go, but I don’t believe that any of my brothers and sisters are capable of taking responsibility. Just don’t accuse me of being ambitious.” Yue Ling replied calmly.
"I've finished making my suggestion. Do you have anything to add, brothers and sisters?" Yue Ling put down the torch in her hand and looked up.
At that moment, a slender white hand was raised.
The fourth princess hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um, about the first point, that log..."
Everyone looked at the fourth princess.
After a moment of inner turmoil, the Fourth Princess gritted her teeth and pulled out a few memory stones from her sleeve.
"How about... we don't need to keep a log anymore, let's use this instead." Yue An took out the stones, exactly four.
Yue Ling took the recording stone and asked curiously, "Why does Fourth Sister still carry this with her?"
The fourth princess coughed lightly and said, "Ahem, I'm afraid you'll frame me."
Yue Ling: ...
Seventh Prince: ...
"Moreover, I have a habit of reviewing what happened in a day, and having a recording stone makes it much more convenient." The Fourth Princess openly stated this point.
In fact, judging from the insidious methods they usually use to harm each other, the recording stone probably wouldn't record any evidence.
But Yue Ling still accepted the stone, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Fourth Sister, I have learned a lot."
The recording stone only needs to be carried on your person; everything is passively recorded, and only when playing it back does it require the activation of Xuan Qi.
In the current situation, there is nothing better than a photo stone.
The group looked at each other, bewildered.
"So what's next?" the Seventh Prince asked.
As soon as he finished asking the question, he started to feel annoyed with himself.
Why can't you just give your opinion directly? You have no opinions of your own, always asking this and that. In the end, you'll just be led by the nose by others.
Looking at the photo stone, he felt that his performance was not good enough.
“Seventh Brother, that’s a good question.” Yue Ling continued, “Before we met in the Land of Sin, the four of us had different experiences in different places. Now, each of our experiences is crucial and we need each of us to tell our stories in detail.”
“Just like Fourth Sister’s habit, let’s review the past few days. Anything that seems off must be said.”