Bai Ran saw Murong Chen open his eyes and stare at her.
Annoyed by his gaze, she knocked him unconscious with a chop.
"Miss!"
The guard beside him was so anxious his eyes welled up with tears, almost scared out of his wits by Bai Ran's actions.
"Shut up," Bai Ran glared at the black-clothed guard.
He could only close his mouth and obediently stay by the side.
Bai Ran placed her hand on Murong Chen, slowly channeling spiritual energy into him, letting it flow through his meridians to soothe the chaotic spiritual energy within. She then took out a fifth-tier Life-extending Pill, crushed it, and poured it into his mouth.
Bai Ran clapped her hands and looked at the guard, who was weeping like a leaky faucet, "Alright, stop crying, your master is fine now."
Upon hearing this, the guard, tears still in his eyes, suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Bai Ran with a loud thud: "Thank you, Miss, for saving my master's life. I will never forget this kindness."
Wasn't this trying to pressure her?
"I have a suggestion for you," Bai Ran squatted down, looking at the guard, her eyes sparkling brilliantly: "Save your tears. Crying won't solve anything."
The guard stared blankly at Bai Ran, her face of unparalleled beauty, her dark hair stirred by the breeze.
He never expected that this sentence would influence his entire life.
"Get up," Bai Ran stood up and patted him.
The guard quickly got up, "Your subordinate's name is Bai Yang."
He hurried to Murong Chen's side, tending to his wounds.
The two chatted casually.
Murong Chen, lying unconscious nearby, never imagined that Bai Yang would spill all his information.
It turned out that the Third Prince, whom the world saw as naive and out of touch, had been tormented and poisoned by Murong Jin since childhood, causing him to constantly suffer from injuries and be unable to leave his residence.
Once, when he accidentally talked back, Murong Jin, in a fit of anger, broke his leg. Murong De, knowing the truth, did nothing, and instead, always believed that Murong Chen's incompetence was to blame.
Over the years, he had followed the Third Prince everywhere seeking medicine, but the only fifth-tier alchemist in the royal family refused to help them because he was the Emperor's private alchemist.
They hit wall after wall, and for years, both of them had lost hope, tormented by their lives.
As time passed, it was the birthday of the Third Prince's mother, Consort Xian. Murong Chen, extremely filial, brought him to the forest to search for legendary treasures, wanting to give his mother a perfect birthday.
But who knew that the news of the treasure was spread by Murong Jin, who then sent people to ambush the two in the forest, leading to their current predicament.
After hearing all this, Bai Ran truly didn't know what to say. There were too many points to complain about, and she didn't know where to start.
She could only say that these two were both naive and pitiful.
However, this was far from meeting Bai Ran's requirements. She saved Murong Chen not out of kindness.
She wanted to overthrow Emperor Murong De, topple the Vermillion Bird Kingdom, and personally enthrone a wise ruler.
And this wise ruler could only be Murong Chen.
Born into royalty, yet not craving fame or fortune; his disposition could be gentle, but not weak.
Bai Ran rubbed her temples in frustration. But Murong Chen before her, oblivious to the outside world, was an absolute beginner in imperial studies.
"Boom!" A dazzling light exploded in the sky.
It was Qingyue and the others who were in danger!
"You wait here," Bai Ran said, then quickly rushed towards the direction of the flare.
A few moments later, Bai Ran arrived.
Qingyue was covered in blood, while Qinghua, whom she was shielding, was unharmed.
Facing them, a Blazing Tiger was staring menacingly at the two.
The Blazing Tiger was a third-tier Xuan beast, equivalent to a human in the Foundation Establishment stage. It seemed to have been attracted by the scent of blood.
"Don't be afraid, Master will be here soon," Qingyue said, her hand still tightly protecting Qinghua.
"Don't push yourself!" Qinghua, unable to break free from Qingyue's arm due to the restraint, watched as Qingyue's injuries worsened and she was almost frantic.
Just as Qinghua struggled, the Blazing Tiger lunged, opening its bloody maw towards them.
Just as it was about to bite them.
Bai Ran lunged fiercely at the Blazing Tiger, severing its neck with a single sword strike.
Although she was only at the first stage of Foundation Establishment, not long ago, Bai Ran had contracted this fiery red sword, just like she had contracted the Vermillion Bird egg.
The sword body was crimson, like a phoenix reborn from fire, hence its name, the Phoenix Cry Sword.
Unexpectedly, the Phoenix Cry Sword provided Bai Ran with a boost, allowing her to possess the strength of the fifth stage of Foundation Establishment when wielding it.
"Master!" The two's eyes shone with excitement.
Their Master was so powerful, killing the Blazing Tiger with one sword strike. Their adoration for Bai Ran had reached an incurable level.
Bai Ran playfully observed their intertwined bodies, "Am I going to be an aunt soon?"
The two looked at each other in confusion, then suddenly realized they were still embracing.
They quickly let go and stood far apart, their faces turning as red as monkey bottoms.
She chuckled softly, gave them each a Rejuvenation Pill, and returned to Bai Yang, not bothering with their subsequent awkwardness.
When Bai Ran returned, Murong Chen had already woken up.
Murong Chen gazed at Bai Ran, his heart pounding.
It was the girl who saved him!
"Awake? Then let's have a good talk," Bai Ran sat down opposite Murong Chen.
This made Murong Chen's already shy handsome face even more bashful.
"Thank you, Miss, for saving my life earlier. What... what do you want to talk about?" Murong Chen asked, averting his flushed face.
"Let's talk about how to change dynasties," Bai Ran said with a carefree laugh.
Change dynasties? Isn't that rebellion!
Murong Chen suddenly turned his head to look at Bai Ran, his eyes no longer filled with shyness, but with shock and disbelief.
"Miss, this is not a joke," Murong Chen sat up straight, looking at Bai Ran sternly.
Oh? Not bad, this posture had a touch of kingly bearing.
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow and said, "It's not a joke."
"I simply cannot stand to see someone harbor greed for my Bai family and harbor murderous intent towards me, and that person happens to be the current Emperor."
A flash of killing intent flickered in Bai Ran's eyes.
"You are from the Bai family?" Murong Chen asked.
"I am Bai Ran."
"You are Bai Ran!"
Murong Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. How was this possible? Bai Ran was supposed to be an ordinary-looking woman. Had she been disguised before? That would make sense.
Murong Chen looked at the extraordinarily beautiful person before him.
What if her previous foolishness was also a pretense? How deep must her calculations be?
Pretending to be weak to hide her strength, ambitious.
A cold sweat broke out on Murong Chen's back.
"Well? Have you thought about it?" Bai Ran asked casually.
Actually, it wouldn't be a major issue without him, just a bit more troublesome.
Murong Chen lowered his head, his mind in turmoil.
But as scenes from the past flooded his mind, the grievances and anger in his heart instantly ignited.
"Miss Bai," he looked at Bai Ran with determined eyes, filled with hatred.
Bai Ran's lips curved into a smile. She knew he had accepted her invitation.