Chapter 28

Suddenly, Long Chen grabbed Chu Yao’s delicate hand, causing her slender body to tremble slightly, and two rosy clouds appeared on her fair face.

Her beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of panic, but she did not pull her hand away. She secretly glanced at Long Chen and found that his expression was unusually serious.

Long Chen looked at Chu Yao, whose face was flushed with shyness, like a pear blossom just beginning to bloom, her eyes clear and bright. He couldn’t help but be moved, momentarily forgetting what he was supposed to do.

“Hmm.”

Seeing Long Chen staring at her blankly, Chu Yao’s face turned even redder, but her beautiful eyes were filled with joy. She softly hummed and lowered her head, not daring to look at Long Chen. The warmth from her hand made her heart race like a deer.

Long Chen took a deep breath to calm himself. Chu Yao exuded an aura that was both unattainably noble and gently virtuous, as if she were a paradoxical combination.

The Chu Yao who had caught him with a net, looking haughty, and the Chu Yao who was now shy and gentle, created a stark contrast that made Long Chen’s heart race.

“Excuse me.”

Suppressing his racing heart, Long Chen channeled his soul power through the meridians in Chu Yao’s palm, slowly probing into her dantian.

Actually, with Long Chen’s current strength, he could directly use his soul power to investigate Chu Yao from such a close distance.

But if he did that, it would be like Chu Yao standing naked before him. Long Chen wanted to do that, but he was afraid that after he did, he would face another net.

Long Chen’s soul power slowly probed into Chu Yao’s dantian. When it entered, even with Long Chen’s composure, his face couldn’t help but turn grim.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Yao, seeing Long Chen’s sudden change in expression, her eyes filled with sharpness, was startled.

Long Chen was angry because there were nine different types of spiritual energy in Chu Yao’s dantian, tightly locking her.

Those nine types of spiritual energy were like nine saplings planted in a fertile field, greedily absorbing Chu Yao’s spiritual energy.

No wonder Chu Yao’s spiritual energy was so chaotic and weak; it turned out that, like Long Chen, someone had tampered with her.

What made Long Chen even angrier was that there was a dense cluster of root qi in Chu Yao’s dantian, which was her spiritual root. Although he wasn’t sure of its grade, Long Chen knew that Chu Yao was a once-in-a-thousand-years talent.

But such a talent had been wasted. If that was all, it wouldn’t have been enough to make Long Chen’s killing intent surge.

Because Long Chen saw that those nine types of spiritual energy were connected to Chu Yao’s jade root. When Chu Yao married or lost her virginity, the spiritual energy that had been nurtured in her body for years would be silently taken away.

This was the most hateful part. A princess of unparalleled beauty had been used as a pawn, and it was all clearly planned.

And the Chu Yao before him, who was completely unaware of this, made Long Chen feel a sense of shared suffering.

“Long Chen, what’s wrong?”

Seeing Long Chen’s complex expression, Chu Yao’s face showed a hint of surprise.

“Chu Yao, can I trust you?” Long Chen hesitated slightly before asking solemnly.

Seeing Long Chen suddenly become serious, Chu Yao sensed something. Without any hesitation, she looked deeply into Long Chen’s eyes and said softly, “You are the person I trust the most now.”

Hearing Chu Yao’s words, Long Chen felt a warmth in his heart and said, “Your dantian has been tampered with.”

To Long Chen’s surprise, Chu Yao didn’t react much, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of sadness and helplessness.

Looking at the distant mountains, Chu Yao gently brushed her wind-tousled hair and said softly, “By revealing this secret, you might implicate your family. Aren’t you afraid?”

Long Chen was taken aback: “You know?”

“Can you answer my question first?” Chu Yao asked, looking into Long Chen’s eyes.

Long Chen smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, “Since we’ve chosen to trust each other, even if it costs our lives, it’s worth it.”

“Trust? Trust?”

Chu Yao murmured these two words, then suddenly threw herself into Long Chen’s arms, sobbing loudly. Her tears flowed like a flood, as if she wanted to pour out all her grievances.

Holding the softness in his arms, Long Chen felt no lust, only a sense of sorrow.

Long Chen had it even worse than Chu Yao. His spiritual root, spiritual bone, and spiritual blood had all been extracted. If it weren’t for merging with the Soul Emperor’s soul, he would still be in the dark.

His hands, without him realizing, wrapped around Chu Yao’s slender waist. The scent of her hair filled his nose as he held her tightly, as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them.

After crying for a long time, Chu Yao finally stopped sobbing. Long Chen’s chest was already soaked with her tears.

Chu Yao’s face suddenly turned bright red, and she quickly pulled away from Long Chen’s embrace, turning her body, but her beautiful eyes were now filled with joy and confusion.

“Cough, cough.”

Long Chen awkwardly coughed and asked, “Chu Yao, when did you realize that your dantian had been tampered with?”

Hearing Long Chen’s question, Chu Yao’s face gradually returned to normal. She looked at Long Chen and said, “When I was young, before my father went into seclusion, he said I was a martial genius and might one day leave the empire.

Before my father went into seclusion, he encouraged me to practice diligently, and at first, I was very hardworking.

But when I was ten, my mother suddenly fell ill with a strange disease and never recovered. Before we could invite Master Yun Qi, my mother had already passed away.”

As she spoke, tears slowly streamed down Chu Yao’s beautiful eyes, as if she was lost in distant memories.

“At that time, my brother and I were still young, but as we grew older, we gradually became familiar with the palace’s power struggles. I realized that my mother’s death was not a coincidence.

But all the evidence had long disappeared, and I was powerless. Moreover, five years ago, my cultivation began to stagnate. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make any progress, and my spiritual energy only got worse.

At that time, I understood that the same black hand that killed my mother had finally reached my brother and me.

From that day on, my brother and I became arrogant and unruly, and everything seemed to return to normal.”

Hearing Chu Yao’s story, Long Chen felt an indescribable helplessness. It seemed that life in the palace was even more cruel than he had imagined.

“Are you using this method to protect your brother?” Long Chen sighed.

Chu Yao nodded and said, “Now, my brother is the only family I have left. I don’t want anything to happen to him. Although he is annoying, at least he doesn’t pose a threat to anyone, so he should be safer.

Although I don’t know what they did to my dantian, I know they are afraid of me threatening them, so they restricted my cultivation.

As long as I show no interest in cultivation, no one will pay attention to a weak woman like me, and my brother and I will be safe.”

Long Chen sighed, “Unfortunately, you underestimated the cruelty of your enemies. They are nothing but beasts.”

After much hesitation, Long Chen still told Chu Yao about the situation in her dantian. After hearing it, Chu Yao’s eyes were filled with anger and confusion, her face pale, and her body swaying.

Long Chen’s large hand firmly supported Chu Yao and said, “But you don’t need to worry too much. Give me some time, and I can break the chains in your body.”

“Really?” Chu Yao asked, disbelieving.

“More real than gold,” Long Chen said solemnly.

For some reason, looking at Long Chen’s face, Chu Yao felt a deep sense of trust, a feeling she couldn’t explain.

Long Chen gave her a sense of security, a luxury in the palace’s cutthroat environment.

Seeing that Chu Yao didn’t doubt his words, Long Chen felt a sense of responsibility, as if another burden had been placed on his shoulders.

“Miss Chu Yao, could you show me a few more of your world-class techniques? I want to learn from you,” Long Chen, noticing the somber atmosphere, said with a smile.

“Annoying, you’re clearly mocking me,” Chu Yao’s face suddenly turned red, and she said with a hint of reproach.

“Absolutely not. Your foundation is very solid. It’s just that your dantian’s power can’t be released, which is why you’re like this. But don’t worry; I can help you solve this problem soon,” Long Chen reassured her.

Chu Yao’s expression softened, and seeing Long Chen’s sincere tone, she demonstrated a high-level human-grade combat technique—Wind-Breaking Fist.

This time, Long Chen observed very carefully. After watching, he was deeply shocked. Chu Yao’s spiritual energy, after being absorbed by the nine types of spiritual energy, was almost non-existent.

But even with such weak spiritual energy, Chu Yao’s combat technique showed no signs of weakness.

Long Chen realized that Chu Yao’s control over her spiritual energy was extremely powerful, far surpassing that of most Blood Condensation Realm experts.

Long Chen lavished praise on Chu Yao, making her face flush with joy, like peach blossoms in March, incomparably beautiful.

Long Chen thought that the nine types of spiritual energy in Chu Yao’s dantian were actually nine types of spiritual seeds. After absorbing energy for so many years, they had become very powerful.

If he simply shattered them, it would be a waste. The massive energy they contained could help Chu Yao advance to the Blood Condensation Realm, and her cultivation would continue to rise.

After learning Wind-Breaking Fist, Long Chen suddenly took out a bottle of liquid. “This is a disguise liquid. Apply it to your face, and it can change your appearance, lasting for twelve hours. It’s very convenient.”

Long Chen poured a few drops, rubbed them in his hands, and applied them to his face. Instantly, his appearance changed, his eyebrows became thicker, and his skin color changed, as if he had become a different person.

Chu Yao was delighted. “This way, I can come out and find you in disguise.”

Chu Yao also applied the liquid to her face. The liquid formed a thin film on her face, which could be shaped at will. Once she stopped, it took only a few breaths to set, very magical.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Chu Yao, now looking much more ordinary, couldn’t help but cheer.

Holding Long Chen’s arm, she said happily, “Long Chen, let’s go shopping. I’ve never been shopping before.”

Chu Yao, as a princess, although “wild and unruly,” still had to maintain a certain decorum and couldn’t be as free as commoners. Today, Long Chen gave her this opportunity, and she naturally wouldn’t let it go.

Chu Yao affectionately held Long Chen’s arm, and seeing her excited eyes, Long Chen couldn’t help but be moved and immediately agreed.

But after agreeing, Long Chen regretted it. He had clearly underestimated Chu Yao’s shopping desire.

She almost dragged him through every alley in the capital, finding everything new and exciting, pulling on Long Chen’s arm and asking endless questions.

Enjoying the unique scent of Chu Yao’s body and the tingling sensation from her hand, he was in a daze when he suddenly stopped and pulled Chu Yao to hide behind a small stall.

Long Chen pretended to look at the items on the stall, but his peripheral vision caught a few people in the distance, causing his eyes to narrow slightly.

“Xia Changfeng?”