"Miss, you should come with us and see the Emperor,"
The bell rang intermittently, and they were unsure of what to do.
"How dare you be so rude! This is Princess Bai Yue of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom!" A man resembling a guard captain strode in.
Princess Bai Yue! This ordinary-looking girl was actually a princess of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom?
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately knelt.
"Greetings, Princess."
"Princess, our treasure malfunctioned. Please forgive us," the guard captain said, bowing deeply to Bai Ran.
Since she was Princess Bai Yue of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, she could not possibly be the guardian of the Azure Dragon Kingdom.
It seemed the bell was the problem.
The guard captain insisted it was the bell, and Bai Ran did not offer much explanation.
"It's nothing. Get up."
A group of soldiers left the room in a grand procession. Qin Mubai approached, looking at Bai Ran anxiously.
"Bai Ran, did you really not contract the Azure Dragon?"
Fang Tianhui slapped the back of his head. "Sister Bai said she didn't, do you not believe her?"
Qin Mubai rubbed his head and muttered, "The treasures of the Azure Dragon Kingdom are too clever. They rang even without a contract."
Bai Ran had been certain before, but after the farce, she was no longer sure.
The Azure Dragon Secret Realm had vanished, and the Azure Dragon was nowhere to be seen.
But the Azure Dragon had explicitly said it would come to her side. The problem was, where was it currently?
Just then, Jing Feng appeared in a hurry.
"Bad news! Master is severely injured!"
Long Jinhan was in trouble! But the earring showed no unusual signs?
Bai Ran was whisked away by the suddenly appearing Jing Feng, leaving the two of them in the room.
"Where are the healers from the Nine Heavens?"
Jing Feng's eyes darted around. "Uh, His Majesty's descent to the mortal realm could not be discovered."
"Is Long Jinhan really hurt?" Bai Ran asked, looking at the uneasy Jing Feng.
"Could this be false?"
Bai Ran, half-believing, followed Jing Feng to a small courtyard.
As soon as she entered, her eyes were burned by the bloodstains covering the ground.
Bai Ran's heart pounded. Long Jinhan! He was truly in trouble!
She sprinted towards the house and flung open the door.
"Long Jinhan!"
She saw the earring removed and placed aside.
The exceptionally handsome man sat leisurely on the bed, his chiseled, cold features and deep, dark eyes gazing out the window, exuding a seductive, charming aura.
Upon seeing her, a wicked smile spread across his face, his eyes softening with gentle ripples, his entire demeanor instantly becoming incredibly tender, as if he were a different person.
"Little girl, I'm injured," he said weakly, lying back down and feigning a touch to his forehead.
Seeing the scene before her, Bai Ran's expression darkened.
She slowly walked over. "What, is this fun?"
With all the bloodstains, Bai Ran had thought he was on his deathbed. She never expected this scoundrel to be faking it.
While they were talking, Jing Feng had already slipped away.
Without warning, she pulled Long Jinhan's hand to take his pulse, but to her surprise, he pulled away.
"Worried about me so much?"
Emotions churned in Long Jinhan's eyes, as if he wanted to devour the person before him.
Bai Ran ignored him and once again pulled his hand. This time, he did not resist.
Bai Ran took his pulse, her face growing increasingly somber.
She had almost been fooled.
The cold sickness had erupted, his body was covered in wounds, and even his internal organs were severely injured. He had actually used his spiritual energy to suppress the cold sickness at the risk of his life?
Looking at Long Jinhan, who appeared to be perfectly fine, she couldn't imagine how much pain he was in at that moment.
"Are you trying to die?" Bai Ran asked deeply, gripping Long Jinhan's hand tighter.
"My hand is about to break," he said with a helpless smile, realizing he couldn't deceive her.
With a wave of his hand, he produced a pitch-black egg.
"Little girl, happy birthday."
Birthday? Today was her birthday?
She had forgotten her own birthday. How had he known?
Bai Ran clenched her fists tightly, not taking the gift. Instead, she let go of his hand.
She lowered her head, her expression hidden, but her shoulders trembled slightly.
"Lie down, I'll treat you." She tossed the egg aside and forcibly pushed Long Jinhan back onto the bed.
The fierce beast egg, obtained at great risk of life and death, was carelessly thrown to the ground. Long Jinhan, however, paid it no mind. He looked at the person before him, his eyes filled with a smile.
Bai Ran took out the Nine Bends Life-Taking Needles and jabbed one into his acupoint of numbness, rendering him unable to feel touch or pain.
The needle tip, infused with spiritual energy, sliced through Long Jinhan's skin as if it were a sharp knife.
She took out a pill, crushed it, and applied it to the wounded area before sewing it up.
The Nine Bends Life-Taking Needles were a supreme treasure for healing not only because they could accurately pierce acupoints but also because they could suture wounds without needing thread.
As each needle was inserted, the cold sickness began to be slowly suppressed.
The bleeding from the wounds stopped, and they began to recover slowly.
Bai Ran began to withdraw the needles. Long Jinhan's handsome eyes had never left her face.
Everything proceeded as planned. The only variable was the person before him.
He, the dignified Demon Lord, had also become so sentimental.
At some point, her every move had begun to tug at his heart.
He would wonder what she was doing at that moment, if she was injured, if she was eating and sleeping well.
He had even sent people to meticulously inquire about her every detail.
Today was her birthday, and he did not want her to know that he had been injured to obtain this gift.
As long as she was happy, that was enough.
After removing the needles, Bai Ran remained silent and still for a long time.
"Little girl, does your heart ache?" Long Jinhan teased.
"Mhm."
Her unhesitating answer stunned Long Jinhan for a moment, overwhelming him with boundless joy.
His gaze became fervent.
"I'm leaving." She turned around, picked up the pitch-black egg, and left.
Instantly, Long Jinhan felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
But thankfully, the little girl was slowly starting to accept him.
Bai Ran tossed the pitch-black egg into her spatial dimension.
As soon as she threw it in, Zhuque began attacking it furiously, but the egg remained unharmed.
"Little Zhu, what are you doing?" Bai Ran asked, looking at the scene before her.
"Master! This is a fierce beast's egg!"
Fierce beast?
Since the ancient era, along with the birth of the Four Great Divine Beasts, ten great fierce beasts had also emerged.
Divine beasts brought fortune to humanity, while fierce beasts harbored animosity towards humans.
Why would Long Jinhan risk his life to present her with a fierce beast's egg as a gift?
Inside the spatial dimension, the pitch-black egg stood alone in a corner. Shi Tian, Zhuque, and Fen Tian all kept their distance.
Upon returning to the inn, the Guild Master came looking for her again.
"Little Bai," the Guild Master said enthusiastically, standing up.
He knew this girl was not from their country.
But he had never expected this seemingly ordinary girl to be Princess Bai Yue of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom?
And to have befriended the Crown Prince and become his confidante?
"Guild Master, there's no need to say more," Bai Ran said, sitting down and looking at the Guild Master.
"Five hundred thousand spirit stones."