RMWDS -Chapter 253 A Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed

“You don’t understand, Cult Leader.”

Shen Yan suddenly spoke.

His tone was calm, but full of confidence.

“Based on our experience last time, with the equipment we have now, dealing with the people from the Han Yue Sword Sect would practically be a one-sided crush.”

“It’s really no different from going on a trip.”

Miao Yunyou was still a little worried.

After thinking for a moment, she said:

“How about Xinglan comes along too?”

The moment the words left her mouth, everyone shook their heads in unison.

“No, no!”

Su Qingyu was the first to object.

His tone was resolute.

“Lord Left Protector’s martial arts are unmatched. She is the number one combat force of Xuanwushan.”

“She absolutely must stay behind to protect the Cult Leader.”

“Exactly!”

Wei Zijun quickly agreed.

“The Cult Leader’s safety is the most important thing.”

“There absolutely cannot be even the slightest mistake!”

Even Ling Nianci spoke up:

“Sister Luo should stay by the Cult Leader’s side.”

Shen Yan nodded as well.

“The Left Protector should remain here to protect the Cult Leader.”

“As for me, I’ll be enough.”

“The Han Yue Sword Sect has a black-clad swordsman.”

“He injured Lin Zhao during the last encounter.”

“I’ve been wanting to meet him myself.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In their eyes, it was only natural that the strongest fighter should remain beside the Cult Leader.

That was simply common sense.

Miao Yunyou collapsed back onto the sofa with a thump.

Looking utterly defeated, she said:

“What dangers could there possibly be in the twenty-first century?”

It’s been so long already.

How could they still have such a misunderstanding about the safety level of modern China?

Yet not even Luo Xinglan paid attention to her complaint.

She merely nodded slightly and said firmly to the others:

“Don’t worry.”

“I will protect the Cult Leader.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Lord Left Protector!”

everyone responded in unison.

Their voices were filled with admiration.

Miao Yunyou:

“…”

This was ridiculous.

In the end, the chosen team consisted of:

Shen Yan

Hua Ying

Su Wangkui

Wei Zhuoshan

Wei Zijun

After the decision was made, Hua Ying was still thinking about souvenirs.

She asked:

“Cult Leader, is there anything you’d like us to bring back?”

Su Wangkui nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s true.”

“Since we’re going anyway, we should bring something back.”

Miao Yunyou:

“…”

Since we’re going anyway.

We’re already there anyway.

What wonderfully persuasive words.

Yet for some reason, four golden characters suddenly appeared in her mind:

“A thief never leaves empty-handed.”

Wei Zhuoshan said:

“I heard the envoy’s party traveled from the imperial capital by carriage.”

“Do you think there might be anything valuable inside those carriages?”

Wei Zijun scratched his head.

“Probably not.”

“They’re coming here to cause trouble, aren’t they?”

“They wouldn’t be carrying valuables.”

“At most, they’d have spare clothes and travel rations.”

Hearing that, Miao Yunyou’s eyes suddenly lit up.

She slapped the table and sprang to her feet.

“I know what souvenir I want!”

she declared excitedly.

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

Everyone immediately turned toward her.

Curiosity filled their expressions.

They stretched their necks forward, eager to hear her brilliant idea.

Miao Yunyou spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.

Her tone was full of satisfaction.

“Take every single horse and carriage they brought from the imperial palace.”

“Rob them all.”

“Don’t leave a single horse.”

“Don’t leave a single carriage.”

“Make that guy walk all the way back to the capital on foot!”

Those were horses from the Imperial Palace!

Whether they were legendary Ferghana horses or not, they were certainly valuable!

They absolutely had to be brought back to the resort!

Everyone:

“…”

A brief silence fell over the room.

Two seconds later, everyone simultaneously lowered their heads and cupped their hands in salute.

Their voices were filled with sincere admiration and praise.

“Wise indeed, Cult Leader!”

Three Days Later

Early in the morning, the imperial envoy’s party arrived in Nánxiāng Prefecture right on schedule.

The first order of business was naturally to pay a visit to Princess Ningyu’s residence.

The carriages waited outside for quite some time.

Yet the gates of the Princess’s manor remained firmly shut.

One of the accompanying guards stepped forward and knocked.

He knocked for a long while before a sleepy gatekeeper finally opened a side door.

Yawning, the man poked his head out.

“We are imperial envoys sent by the court,” the guard announced.

“We have come under His Majesty’s orders to meet Her Highness the Princess.”

The gatekeeper casually picked at his ear and glanced at them indifferently.

“Oh, imperial envoys?”

“Our Princess spent half the night praying for His Majesty’s blessings yesterday.”

“She only went to bed very late and hasn’t woken up yet.”

“If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait in the side hall.”

“If you are in a hurry, then come back another day.”

Having said that, he didn’t wait for a response.

He simply turned around and walked away.

All that remained was the half-open side door—and a group of people whose faces had turned dark with anger.

Liang Chen’s expression became so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it.

He had never expected Princess Ningyu to snub him so openly.

This clearly wasn’t because she was still asleep.

She was deliberately making them wait in order to undermine his authority.

At the same time, she was stalling for time.

As a member of the Su family, Liang Chen possessed genuine abilities of his own.

He had long ago predicted that heavy rain would strike Nánxiāng Prefecture during these days.

He had calculated everything in advance.

He knew that the once-in-a-century storm would certainly destroy much of the Blessing Temple’s construction.

No matter how capable Princess Ningyu might be, there was no way she could rebuild the damaged structures within only three days.

This imperial inspection would undoubtedly catch her red-handed.

And he would be able to present the Eighth Prince with a highly satisfactory result.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Liang Chen sneered inwardly.

The more she’s acting like this, the more it proves that something is seriously wrong with the temple project.

Fine.

I’ll wait.

Let’s see how long she can keep hiding.

With no other choice, the group followed the gatekeeper into the side hall.

The furnishings were plain and unimpressive.

Even the tea served by the attendants was cold.

Tea stems floated on the surface.

The pastries were so hard that they hurt one’s teeth when bitten.

The disciples of the Han Yue Sword Sect wore obvious expressions of anger.

Yet none dared voice their complaints.

The Nameless Swordsman stood alone by a window.

His fingers absently stroked the ordinary standardized sword at his waist.

His gaze rested calmly upon the courtyard outside.

Everything happening around him seemed completely unrelated to him.

Nearby, the one-eyed Vice Sect Leader sat in a chair with a dark expression.

His fingers continuously tapped the tabletop.

Inwardly, he cursed both Liang Chen and Princess Ningyu countless times.

The sun gradually climbed toward its zenith.

It was nearly noon.

Yet there was still no movement whatsoever.

Liang Chen’s patience was finally exhausted.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, the gatekeeper from earlier slowly wandered into the room.

Wearing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he said:

“My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“Her Highness has awakened.”

“She is currently dining in the flower hall and has invited Lord Liang to join her for the meal.”

Liang Chen took a deep breath and forced down his anger.

After straightening his official robes, he strode out first.

He wanted to see what new trick Princess Ningyu was planning.

After passing through several courtyards, they arrived at the flower hall.

The hall was extravagantly decorated.

Incense smoke drifted through the air.

The sounds of stringed instruments and bamboo flutes flowed continuously.

Princess Ningyu reclined lazily upon a luxurious couch at the head of the room.

She wore a rose-red palace gown.

Her dark hair was loosely gathered and adorned with a pearl hair ornament.

Her skin was as white as snow.

Her features were exquisite, like a painting.

Standing behind her were four handsome young men.

Each was elegant and striking in appearance.

One held a jade bowl and carefully fed her spoonfuls of lotus seed soup with a silver spoon.

Another gently fanned her with a round silk fan.

The remaining two stood on either side.

One peeled grapes for her.

The other massaged her legs.

The entire flower hall was filled with an atmosphere of indulgent luxury and leisurely decadence.

There was absolutely no sign that she had recently suffered a devastating flood disaster or was worried about a troubled construction project.

Liang Chen stared at the scene before him.

He froze on the spot.

For a moment, he was so stunned that he completely forgot to bow in greeting.