29: The little sister came out and kidnapped the ninth prince

Tai Xuan Immortal Sect Outer Sect Plaza.

A small, pink-jade-carved tot with a sky-high topknot, hands clasped behind her back, was pacing back and forth in front of a group of new, trembling Outer Sect Disciples, taking steps that were far too wide for her height.

She looked like a miniature adult, yet with a childish voice, she lectured them with a straight face:

"Ahem, since you have entered my Tai Xuan Immortal Sect, you are Immortal Disciples. You must remember the Sect Rules, Cultivate diligently, and not be negligent, understand?"

The dozen or so Outer Sect Disciples below exchanged glances, none daring to breathe loudly.

This little ancestor was none other than Lu Nuannuan, the Sect Master's second Personal Disciple!

Though her age was not great, her seniority was there; who would dare to provoke her?

Beside her, Senior Brother Lin Fan's mouth twitched involuntarily, suppressing his laughter, thinking, "Master has led another one astray! This little girl is increasingly adopting the 'expert' demeanor Master had when he used to fool... ah, no, when he taught me!"

Well, it seems the days in the Outer Sect aren't so boring after all.

Time flew by like a white steed galloping past a crack, and in a blink of an eye, five full days had passed since the third Disciple, Ling Ke'er, went into seclusion before the wu cheng stone.

That broken stone that Lu Yuchen had praised to the heavens... ahem, that Sect-Protecting Treasure, the wu cheng stone, was still that stone, and Ling Ke'er was still Ling Ke'er, with not a single peep of movement.

Clearly, trying to comprehend something from Lu Yuchen's fabricated "Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady" and "Mystic Maiden Heart Sutra" had an exceptionally high difficulty.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have experienced Dao Heart collapse and doubted life by now.

But Ling Ke'er was, after all, the Reincarnation of a former Martial Emperor; her Heart-Nature and perseverance were far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to.

She still sat before the stone every day, without fail, painstakingly trying to comprehend, seeking a trace of Opportunity from that ethereal "Legacy."

This persistence even made Lu Yuchen admire her a little.

After Nanny finished her lecture, she couldn't maintain her little adult demeanor anymore. She trotted on her short legs to Lin Fan.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!" The little girl tugged at Lin Fan's clothes, her big, dark eyes blinking, full of childish innocence and longing, "Can we sneak down the mountain to play? It's so boring on the mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan straightened his face, squatted down, and earnestly told his Junior Sister, "Junior Sister Nanny, Master said that Cultivating is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat. As Personal Disciples, we should set an example, Cultivate diligently, and not be lazy and playful."

This kid, ever since he became the Senior Brother, he's increasingly adopted the demeanor of an elder brother.

"Hmph! Senior Brother is the most annoying!" Nanny pouted her small mouth, enough to hang an oil bottle, stomped her foot angrily, and turned to leave, ignoring this blockhead.

In a corner of the plaza, a small figure furtively lingered.

Nanny's big, rolling eyes scanned the plaza, and finally, as if equipped with navigation, precisely locked onto a target in the corner.

It was a fellow sitting cross-legged in meditation, looking utterly honest and simple—Qin Jiu.

This gentleman was precisely the once incomparably noble Ninth Prince of the Great Qin Dynasty, Ying Ziliang. Now, like a tiger fallen into the plains, he had become an inconspicuous Outer Sect Disciple of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect.

"Hey! That quiet fellow over there! Yes, I'm looking at you, Qin Jiu!"

Nanny put her hands on her hips, her chin held high. Her posture and demeanor were exactly like a miniature Lu Yuchen; she had learned about seventy to eighty percent of her Master's domineering style from back then.

Heh, this little girl, of all things to learn, she learned this!

Qin Jiu shivered, almost jumping off the ground.

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see that lawless little ancestor staring at him.

In an instant, Qin Jiu felt his scalp tingle, and a chill shot up from the soles of his feet.

"Na... Nanny Senior Sister, your venerable self... no, what... what can I do for you?"

He scrambled to his feet, bowing, his posture as humble as could be, his voice trembling.

There was no other way; when under someone's roof, one had to bow one's head.

In the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect, seniority was paramount, and strength crushed people. Even if he, Ying Ziliang, was once a prince of supreme nobility, he was now just an Outer Sect Disciple. When he saw the Sect Master's Personal Disciple, he had to be as obedient as a mouse seeing a cat!

"This Senior Sister is utterly bored and fed up! You, immediately, right now, take me down the mountain to find some fun!"

Nanny waved her small hand, her tone domineering and beyond dispute, as if issuing a sacred and unchallengeable decree.

"Ah?!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiu was struck by lightning, his legs went weak, and he almost plopped back onto the ground. His face instantly drained of color, becoming ashen white.

"Senior Sister, my dear Senior Sister! This... this absolutely cannot be done! The Sect Rules are strict, the precepts like mountains. If I privately take you down the mountain to play, and the Sect Master, that old man, finds out, Disciple... Disciple's little life, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will be forfeited on the spot!"

Oh my goodness, if the Sect Master caught him, wouldn't he, Qin Jiu, be hung up and beaten, then flayed, and then have salt rubbed into his wounds?

"So much nonsense!"

Nanny's eyebrows shot up, her almond eyes wide, and she pouted, "This Senior Sister tells you to go, so you go! If the sky falls, I'll hold it up!"

The little girl patted her small chest with a "thump, thump," looking like a heroic figure of righteousness.

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiu's mouth twitched, and he felt even more bitter inside.

This little ancestor was the Sect Master's darling; how could he offend her? But going down the mountain privately was also a serious crime!

This was simply putting him on a hot grill!

Just as he was in a dilemma, so anxious he was about to wet his pants, a lazy yet undeniably authoritative voice directly resounded in his mind:

"Qin Jiu, Nanny wants to go out for a stroll, so you accompany her. Don't go too far from the Sect, and return early."

Is that... the Sect Master?!

Qin Jiu felt as if he had received a great pardon, both surprised and delighted. He quickly bowed three times towards the Void Realm: "Disciple obeys! Thank you, Sect Master, for your grace!"

His gaze towards Nanny instantly filled with... fawning and reverence.

"Nanny Senior Sister, where do you want to play? Disciple will take you there right away! Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, Disciple will not hesitate!"

"Hehe! That's more like it!" Nanny smiled triumphantly, pulling Qin Jiu's sleeve and running down the mountain. Her cheerful little appearance was like a little bird just released from its cage.

Inside the main hall, Lu Yuchen, who was lying in a rocking chair with his eyes closed, resting, curved his lips into a helpless yet doting smile.

"This little girl is truly a troublemaker. However, it's good to let her go out and see the world, lest she gets bored on the mountain."

He was not at all worried about Nanny's safety.

Are you kidding? A Chaos Body, possessing three great divine arts, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; although her Realm was not high at the moment, if she truly went wild, even an ordinary Great Grandmaster might not be her match.

What's more, wasn't Qin Jiu, that "bodyguard," following her? Although that kid was a bit weak, he was still sufficient to block petty thieves.

And before that wu cheng stone, Ling Ke'er was still painstakingly trying to comprehend. She vaguely felt that she seemed to have touched the edge of something profound, yet she always seemed to be just a hair's breadth away.