Chapter 292: "King Longchuan, Pleased to Meet You.

Traveling is for your own enjoyment, not for enduring hardship.

Therefore, suffering was absolutely out of the question.

Xiao Yang had Mu Yunlian’s token, so all her food, lodging, and expenses along the way were taken care of with the finest arrangements.

All she had to do was eat, play, and be happy.

She didn’t meddle with the assessments of local officials. If an issue arose, a single glance was all it took for someone to launch an investigation and deliver the findings to the right hands.

Xiao Yang’s retinue wasn’t large. It consisted of her, Li Wei, and Xu Xingchen. Her guards were Xiao Ziling and Xiao Cheng. Xiao Hong had shamelessly tagged along, but Xiao Yang figured she might need someone to handle negotiations, so she let him stay to run errands.

In addition, there were twenty highly skilled guards, bringing their party to a total of twenty-six.

Even though Xiao Yang had been Emperor for many years, she wasn’t the helpless type who needed to be waited on hand and foot.

She could take care of her own things, and with everything on the road already arranged, there was no need for a maid. Besides, Xiao Ziling and Xu Xingchen were practically fighting to serve her.

Every single person was a martial arts expert capable of fighting ten men at once. They traveled swiftly and efficiently, with no one to slow them down.

True freedom was having enough money and the power to protect oneself.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of clashing blades startled the group picnicking on the cliff.

Xiao Yang, who had been napping on a tree branch, turned her head at the sound. She peered down from her perch to see a group of mountain bandits robbing travelers at the base of the cliff.

Dozens of vicious-looking mountain bandits.

But the travelers were no pushovers. Their party of thirty or so were all skilled fighters with excellent coordination, and they weren’t giving the bandits an inch.

The two groups were evenly matched, and the fight was intense.

“Both of these groups have been on the battlefield.”

Li Wei stated confidently, stepping up beside Xiao Yang.

They had all fought on battlefields before, which was why they were familiar with each other’s moves and coordinated so seamlessly.

Xiao Yang asked, “So, who do you think will win?”

“A draw,” Li Wei replied.

Sure enough, after half an hour of fierce fighting, both sides were heavily wounded, and it ended in a stalemate.

Finally, realizing they couldn’t win, the bandits reluctantly retreated.

The bandits retreated with caution, and the travelers didn’t dare let down their guard, afraid the bandits would circle back. Both sides backed away slowly until they were a safe distance apart.

Once mounted, the travelers ignored their injuries and fled as quickly as they could.

And so, the robbery came to an end.

But to everyone’s surprise, they appeared at the top of the mountain just a short while later.

The path was a winding mountain road; to continue onward, they had to ascend from the base and loop around.

Dragging their wounded bodies, the travelers were startled to see an intimidating group, clearly dressed as Martial Artists.

The road wasn’t very wide, and Xiao Yang’s carriage was blocking the way.

Xiao Yang had no intention of making things difficult for them. She waved her hand, had someone move the carriage, and let them pass.

A man who looked like a steward stepped forward and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. “Thank you. There are bandits lingering at the cliff base ahead. If you are heading down, I urge you to be careful.”

Xiao Hong returned the gesture. “Thanks for the warning.”

Their carriage passed slowly, then quickly accelerated. They clearly wanted to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.

But after only a few moments, the group came scrambling back in a panic.

The bandits had taken a shortcut, blocked the road ahead, and were now attacking again.

They had blocked the road with boulders and ambushed them from above, catching the travelers completely off guard. Unable to even fight back, they could only retreat in a panic.

They had retreated so decisively for two reasons: the path ahead was blocked, and they hoped to get help from the group of powerful-looking martial artists behind them.

A couple stepped down from the carriage. The man looked to be in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and a tall frame, but he was in bad shape. His arm was injured and wrapped in gauze that was steadily seeping blood. His face was deathly pale, and he could barely stand.

His eyes swept over the group, finally settling on Xiao Hong, who seemed to be the one in charge. “Young Master, we’ve been set upon by bandits and are no match for them. I implore you to save us. We will be sure to reward this great kindness.”

Xiao Hong glanced back. Seeing Xiao Yang raise her hand slightly, he then waved his own hand and led his men to charge the bandits.

Ten of his people charged forward. They were young and strong, their moves swift and ferocious, every slash drawing blood.

This wasn’t just a fight—they were fighting to kill. They were even more ruthless than the battle-hardened veterans they were defending.

Wen Yuan supported her husband’s arm, her voice trembling with excitement. “We’re saved! We’re saved!”

The man also let out a heavy sigh of relief. Seeing the tide of battle turn, his gaze shifted to the direction Xiao Hong had looked earlier.

A tree extended out over the cliff’s edge. A woman in martial attire sat on a branch as thick as a thigh, with a tall, formidable man standing beside her.

These two seemed to be the ones in charge.

He performed the salute again. “Thank you both for your help.”

At his wife’s command, the steward went to prepare a reward: silver taels and other treasures.

The man took it and presented it with both hands. “This small gift is just a token of our appreciation.”

He also took out a token and placed it on top.

“We are on our way to the Capital City. Should you ever need assistance, benefactor, you can send someone with this token to find us in Liuyun Lane.”

Xiao Hong stared at the man’s face, then at the woman beside him, and reached out to pick up the token to examine it.

Xiao Yang and Li Wei walked over. Her eyes were fixed on the man as a slight smile touched her lips. “King Longchuan. A pleasure.”

At her words, everyone’s head snapped up.

Xiao Kun hadn’t expected to be identified so directly, especially here in the territory of Da Wei.

Sizing up the stunningly beautiful and valiant woman before him, Xiao Kun said politely, “Forgive my poor eyesight, but I don’t seem to recognize you, miss. May I ask your name?”

Xiao Yang didn’t answer directly. “Your presence here tells me that Xiao Qing handled things well upon his return.”

Xiao Kun’s pupils dilated. “Could you be… Your… Your Majesty?”

Xiao Yang smiled and nodded. “I am.”

Xiao Kun immediately dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. “Your subject, Xiao Kun, kowtows before Your Majesty.”

Everyone else followed suit, kneeling to the ground.

“Rise.”

As Xiao Kun rose, Xiao Hong introduced himself. “I am Xiao Hong, of the Prince Jing Mansion.”

He then pointed to the tall man. “This is Great General Li Wei. And the one over there making soup is Xu Xingchen, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.”

‘The Emperor, two Imperial Consorts, and the second son of Prince Jing.’

Beads of sweat formed on Xiao Kun’s forehead. He was immensely relieved that he hadn’t shown any doubt or disrespect earlier. Who could have imagined they would run into the Emperor’s party in such a remote location?

He had to thank the Emperor’s extraordinary beauty and majestic aura, which had made him seventy percent certain of his guess in an instant.

“I never expected to meet Your Majesty here. Heaven is truly watching over us. It seems we were not fated to die today.”

‘What a coincidence,’ Xiao Yang thought. ‘It’s a good thing I decided to bring everyone out for fun. If Xiao Qing’s parents had died here, it wouldn’t have been my fault, but it would have been much harder to order him around with a clear conscience.’