Although Ming Lake was very wide, it was very fast to cross it. Soon, everyone saw Antai City and saw a large number of troops sealing off the shore.
"How unlucky. Ming Island has been sealed off, and no cultivators are allowed to enter. Even people from the Reverent King's Household have to wait for two days," someone said.
Lu Yin's expression changed. Ming Island had been sealed off, which meant that he now knew why Yue Xianzi had infiltrated the Reverent King's Residence. If she followed the Reverent King's Residence to Ming Island, she would not be discovered, and she would also be able to gather some information.
However, the Frostmoon Sect's influence on the Shenwu Continent had been exposed to Lu Yin. The fact that they had been able to obtain news of Ming Island being sealed so many days in advance and had even been able to fake their identities to enter the Reverent King's Residence showed that the Frostmoon Sect was quite powerful.
The caravan would have to wait on the ship for two days. The Reverent King, Ming Zhaoshu, had already left for Antai City. He didn't bring anyone with him, and even the princess, Ming Yan, was left behind on the ship.
Lu Yin leaned against the goods and looked up at the sky. He didn't know when the weather had turned gloomy, but it was about to rain!
On the deck, Ming Yan looked at the surface of the lake. Even though there was no sunlight and it was slightly gloomy, it was still better than being trapped in the cabin. She couldn't stand it either. Beside her, Yue Xianzi stood silently.
Not far away, Bei Qing walked over. When he saw Ming Yan, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly bowed. "Bei Qing greets the princess."
Ming Yan turned her head. Bei Qing's eyes lit up at the sight of her beautiful face covered by a thin veil.
Ming Yan frowned and subtly took two steps back. "So it's Brother Bei. I heard that Senior Brother has been demoted to an official position. How do you have the time to return to the capital?"
Bei Qing smiled and said, "It's His Majesty's birthday. No matter how busy I am, I still have to come back. My father has repeatedly urged me to personally congratulate His Majesty on his birthday."
"Lord Bei is too kind," Ming Yan said politely, then turned her head away and stopped talking to Bei Qing.
Bei Qing's gaze swept over Ming Yan's back. What a beautiful woman. The Empire's Twin Beauties indeed lived up to their reputation. She was much, much more beautiful than when she was young. He had to obtain this woman. He was the son of the Empire's Grand Secretary. Even the Crown Prince had to give him face. It would not be difficult to obtain this beautiful princess.
Ming Yan frowned. She could feel the fiery gaze on her back. Feeling displeased, she turned around and returned to the cabin.
Bei Qing bowed again. "Farewell, Your Highness."
Yue Xianzi glanced at Bei Qing. Coincidentally, Bei Qing also raised his head and met Yue Xianzi's gaze. Yue Xianzi smiled faintly and left with Ming Yan.
This woman was not bad either. She was very beautiful. Bei Qing was stunned by Fairy Yue's beauty, and his heart swayed.
Lu Yin stood at the corner and looked at Bei Qing with some displeasure. This guy had set his sights on Ming Yan, and the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. With a casual wave of his hand, a gust of wind generated by pure strength swept past his feet, causing Bei Qing to fall to the ground. He then turned and left.
Bei Qing cried out in alarm and fell to the ground. His expression was strange. What was going on?
Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi, who hadn't gone far, turned around and saw Bei Qing's sorry figure on the ground. They smiled at each other and whispered something to each other before returning to the cabin.
"Sir, are you alright?" Someone helped Bei Qing up and asked with concern.
Bei Qing waved his hand and looked around. What was going on?
Just now, he had been tripped by a strange gust of wind, but how come the others were fine?
There was no fluctuation of martial power, so it was not a sneak attack by a cultivator.
This was strange. Bei Qing quickly tossed this matter to the back of his mind and started thinking about how to get close to Ming Yan and Yue'er.
He had invited Ming Yan to eat at noon and in the evening, which annoyed her to no end.
Lu Yin was even more displeased now that someone else was flirting with the girl he liked. This feeling was rather uncomfortable. "No, I can't let you have so much fun." His lips curled up as a playful look flashed across his eyes.
The sky was dark, and the surface of the lake reflected the white light. From time to time, fish would leap up and splash into the water.
Bei Qing drank his wine gloomily, as he had been rejected multiple times. Ming Yan was one thing, but Yue'er was not giving him any face either. How preposterous!
"Who goes there?" a low voice came from outside the cabin.
"I'm here on Miss Yue'er's orders to deliver something to Sir Bei."
Bei Qing's eyes lit up. "Let him in."
Lu Yin walked into Bei Qing's cabin and respectfully raised his hand, revealing an exquisite sachet. "Sir Bei, Miss Yue'er asked me to give this to you."
Bei Qing was pleasantly surprised. "Yue'er?
Why didn't she give it to me herself? "
Lu Yin whispered, "I'm not sure."
Bei Qing looked at the sachet, and her lips curled up. She was just shy and embarrassed, but the empire valued a woman's reputation very much. It was already quite rare for her to give him a sachet, so she would not do anything else. "Alright, I understand. You can leave now. This is your reward." She then tossed him a martial ticket, which was a paper ticket that was specially made to be worth five fortunes.
Lu Yin was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, Sir. By the way, Miss said that you should keep this matter a secret. Even if you ask her, she won't admit it."
Bei Qing smiled. "Don't worry, I understand."
Lu Yin left.
Bei Qing took a deep whiff of the sachet with an intoxicated expression on his face. He knew how attractive he was to girls from small places like this. He was the son of one of the empire's top military officials, and his status was not something that these girls from small places could hope to match. Coupled with his handsome appearance and extraordinary manner of speech, there were too many girls in the empire who liked him. This Yue'er was quite tactful and had delivered herself to him when he was feeling lonely. As long as she performed well, it was not impossible for him to accept her.
Right, he could also use this woman to get closer to the princess. That was the main point. "Men, bring my precious wine to Miss Yue'er's room."
"Yes, Sir."
Lu Yin smiled in the distance. Yue Xianzi had caused trouble for him before, and now, he wanted to give this woman some trouble as well. The sachet was indeed hers, and there was no way it could be faked.
The next day, the sky was still gloomy, and the sky was gradually darkening. It felt like a storm was brewing.
The lake had also cooled considerably.
Ming Yan was chatting with Yue Xianzi in her cabin when Bei Qing arrived outside. "Princess, Bei Qing is here to invite you to lunch. Please don't decline."
Ming Yan frowned and helplessly replied, "Alright, thank you. I'll be right there."
Bei Qing was delighted. "I'll be waiting for you, Princess."
"Yue'er, this person is so annoying," Ming Yan complained softly.
Yue Xianzi smiled. "If you hate him, then why did you agree to eat with him?"
Ming Yan was helpless. "Father's relationship with the Crown Prince is too bad. Although this Bei Qing is annoying, his father holds great power and has a certain amount of influence. Even if I don't like him, I can't cause trouble for Father. Besides, I've already declined his invitation several times. If I decline again, I'll offend him."
Yue Xianzi looked at Ming Yan with pity. This seemingly noble and respectable princess could not even decide her own future. However, Ming Yan's words made Yue Xianzi look at her in a new light.
Yue Xianzi had originally thought that this young princess was ignorant of the ways of the world and that she was just a pretty face. Yue Xianzi's words, however, proved that this young princess had her own thoughts. Although she was very pure, it was only because she had too little contact with the outside world. She had her own determination.
"Princess, don't worry. We'll deal with him like this." Yue Xianzi held Ming Yan's hand and comforted her gently.
Ming Yan nodded and stood up. Even Yue Xianzi was amazed by her beautiful figure. Perhaps only an ancient civilization like this could give birth to such a beautiful woman. Even Yue Xianzi was envious of the person who would be able to marry this young princess in the future. He would definitely be the luckiest man in the world.
A cold wind blew from the deck. Bei Qing had arranged for the meal to be held on the deck. He talked about the various histories of Ming Lake while imagining the future. He felt like he was passing judgment on the world, especially when Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi arrived. He waved his hand and recited a poem.
"Sir's poetry has improved again. I'm sure you'll be able to amaze the entire city," a servant beside him praised.
Bei Qing smiled faintly. When he saw Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi arrive, he hurriedly stepped forward and gestured for them to sit. "Princess, Miss Yue'er, please sit."
Yue Xianzi hurriedly declined. "Sir, you're too polite. I'm just a servant, so I'll just stand to the side and wait on you."
Ming Yan hurriedly pulled Yue Xianzi aside. "Yue'er, you're not a servant." She then led Yue Xianzi to a seat.
Bei Qing had also called Lu Yin over to serve him. Bei Qing had mistakenly thought that Lu Yin was one of Yue Xianzi's trusted aides. With his experience as a womanizer, he naturally knew how to discreetly prove that he valued a woman.
He even had someone change Lu Yin's clothes so that he would look more spirited.
This meal was very important to Bei Qing, as it would determine whether or not he would be able to gain the favor of the two girls. During the meal, he tried his best to show off his erudite side, and the servants beside him would praise him from time to time. Lu Yin rolled his eyes.
What an idiot.
Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi, on the other hand, were just eating. They practically ignored Lu Yin, and at most, they would give him some face and smile so that he wouldn't feel so awkward.
Bei Qing felt that something was amiss. The meal was almost over, but there was no progress in their relationship. He clapped his hands, and a servant brought out an exquisite wooden box. Bei Qing placed it on the table and pushed it in front of Ming Yan. He said fervently, "Princess, this is a top-grade Violet Love Pearl that I found in the Endless Eastern Sea. It's very rare, and I'll give it to you."
Ming Yan was shocked. She had heard of the Violet Love Pearl before, and it was rumored that wearing it would allow one to pray for their loved ones. It was a treasure that many girls dreamed of. She slowly opened the box, and a purple light flashed past. A small round pearl appeared before her eyes, and it seemed to be translucent. There was even a mist rising from it.
"Brother, your gift is too generous. Please take it back. I cannot accept it." Ming Yan resisted the temptation and closed the box before pushing it back to Bei Qing.
Bei Qing smiled. "This pearl is very rare. I can't think of anyone else besides you who would be worthy of it."
"Sir only found this after searching the entire Endless Eastern Sea. It's rumored that His Majesty wanted to find one to give to his beloved, but he couldn't find one." The servant behind Bei Qing continued to praise the pearl, but the moment he said this, everyone's expressions changed. This person was using Ming Zhaotian as a metaphor.
Lu Yin looked at the servant with admiration.
Bei Qing was about to scold him when another servant shouted, "Shut up! Are you saying that His Majesty is inferior to Sir?
Or that His Majesty's sincerity is inferior to Sir?
Leave. "
Lu Yin was speechless. This servant was even more ruthless. He was clearly saying that Bei Qing was a genius, and every sentence he said was pushing Bei Qing to his death.