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Volume 1 Chapter 7: Taking Liberties with the Princess
This astonishing new development caused everyone present to turn pale in fright. The princess was left wide-eyed as she muttered, “How can this be? Didn’t old fogey say that Houyi Bow could only be used once a year? I already used it once, even old fogey couldn’t pull it apart again, but this degenerate actually…”
An intense uneasiness surged in the Third Prince’s heart. He never expected that this lowly prisoner would be able to break the seal placed on Houyi Bow.
Chen Nan shot another arrow. With another thundering of the wind, a sparkling golden ray shot forth from Chen Nan towards another guard. The guard looked utterly startled as the shining arrow gouged a sizable, bloody hole into his stomach. Blood bubbled out. A bloody mist diffused from the corpse.
Again, Chen Nan nocked a dried stick into the bowstring. Everyone on the battlefield had discoloured expressions. No one knew whose life would be seized by the next arrow. The originally insignificant character had transformed into the beholder of everyone’s fates.
Chen Nan nearly collapsed from exhaustion after firing two arrows. Although those two arrows had removed the immediate dangers adjacent to him, the crisis in front of him was still left unresolved. He barely had enough power to fire another arrow, let alone the other six enemies on the battlefield. Which one should he shoot?
Whenever the stick was aimed at someone else, everyone present turned more and more fearful. In their eyes, the tiny, dried stick was as heavy as Mount Tai.
Chen Nan finally aimed the stick in the direction of the Third Prince Ren Jian. Ren Jian’s face changed slightly, but he quickly calmed down.
“Chen Nan, think clearly. The one you want to kill is a prince. If you kill me, it’ll be equivalent to offending the entire Empire of Baiyue. Can you by yourself fight against a whole nation? Although the world is large, I’m afraid you won’t be able to find a place to call your own afterwards.” The Third Prince’s tone relaxed as he said, “If you agree to surrender and pay allegiance to me, I won’t only forget about the disrespect you’ve shown me today, but I’ll also guarantee that you’ll rapidly move up in the world; I’ll give you a high official post with a generous salary.”
“Do you think I’m a three year old? If I let you go today, forget about a high post and a generous salary, my corpse might not even be left intact. What I loathe most is others threatening me. Today, I will kill you, you cheap prince.”
The princess laughed, “Haha, Ren Jian is ‘cheap’.”
Chen Nan inhaled a deep gulp of air. He exhausted all the remaining energy in his body to fire one more arrow. The faint golden ray seemed to be a divine punishment from the heavens. With the rumbling of thunder, it swiftly shot towards Ren Jian.
The Third Prince Ren Jian’s face abruptly changed. He dragged a nearby guard and threw him in front of the arrow’s trajectory. The guard’s blood sprayed everywhere. The guard had an unreconciled expression as he toppled over into a pool of his own blood. After the golden ray pierced through the guard’s chest, although its colour darkened quite a bit, its velocity didn’t diminish at all as it continued to fly towards the Third Prince.
A resplendent radiance flashed from the Third Prince’s waist. A one chi long, brightly dazzling dagger collided with the golden ray.
“A flying sword! Don’t tell me he’s a Daoist?!” Chen Nan cried out, alarmed.
Every successful Daoist has several magical weapons that they bind to their lives, most of which are flying swords. Not only can Daoists telepathically send our their flying swords to kill someone from over a thousand steps away, but at the very peak of their swordplay, they can also attain total control of their sword, riding upon it to escape from the ground. But there weren’t many successful Daoists. Akin to the rarity of phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, there were even fewer who reached such a high level in their swordplay.
When Chen Nan was young, he took an exceptional liking towards cultivating Dao, but the profound words of his father Chen Zhan had dispelled his feelings on the matter. Chen Zhan had said, “Cultivating martial arts is not necessarily inferior to cultivating Dao. If you cultivate to the level of true martial arts and comprehend the true essence of the martial way, then you’ll realize that cultivation has many different routes leading to the same direction. The pinnacle of the martial way and the pinnacle of Dao coincide a little…”
Although Chen Zhan hadn’t finished speaking, Chen Nan had already understood his meaning. Henceforth, he cultivated diligently. In the end, when he was sixteen years old, he became known as ‘the best’ among his peers. But then what? His cultivation had declined instead of improving and he had descended into the nadir of his life.
Thinking back to the present, Chen Nan realized that the Third Prince was indeed a Daoist, but he must have only recently started cultivating. It is said that the flying swords of successful Daoists are rarely on their persons. Instead, they’re often concealed and absorbed into their bodies.
The magnificently resplendent sword collided with the golden ray. The sound of metal striking metal roared through the air. The dagger’s splendour was completely repelled back, and it shattered into innumerable fragments, falling onto the ground. A jolt shot through the Third Prince’s body. He repeatedly vomited mouthfuls of blood, his complexion deathly pale.
Chen Nan understood that flying swords were closely bound to their Daoist. If a flying sword were to suffer damage, their Daoist would also suffer severe injuries, if not outright killed.
Although the golden arrow had darkened substantially, it still continued on its trajectory towards the Third Prince. Currently, there were two men standing protectively in front of the Third Prince. Yang Chong, the commander of the guards, had sealed their acupoints and had thrown them in front of the Third Prince.
Yang Chong loudly shouted, “Your Highness, I once heard my teacher say that arrows shot by the Godly Bow will not stop until it comes into contact with the blood of its target. Your Highness, please excuse me.”
The instant the golden arrow pierced through the two guards, Yang Chong arrived at the Third Prince’s side. He wrapped his arms around the seriously injured Third Prince and lifted him up into the air. Meanwhile, the stick, which only had a faint golden glow remaining, failed to penetrate into Ren Jian’s body. The arrow disintegrated upon hitting him.
“Ah~!” the Third Prince Ren Jian miserably shrieked. Then, he indignantly cursed, “Yang Chong you idiot, I’ve already thrown up so much blood that my clothes are already dripping with it. You… If you cause even a single rip, you…”
The Third Prince angrily threw up another mouthful of blood, scaring Yang Chong into a cold sweat.
The princess burst into laughter, “Haha~! So hilarious! The cheap prince’s ass is about to burst open, haha~!”
Chen Nan already completely exhausted the energy in his body. Without the strength to shoot a fourth arrow, his confidence plummeted. He fiercely inhaled a mouthful of air and, with great difficulty, put together one last tiny bit of strength. He stood up and walked forward a few steps, putting on an act like he was about to collect another dried stick.
Seeing this, the Third Prince, Yang Chong, and the princess stirred. Yang Chong piggybacked the Third Prince Ren Jian and fled. Currently, his qinggong was of the grandmaster level. In a flash, he disappeared into the forest.
The princess had exhausted her stamina from her fierce fighting. Currently, her waist was aching and her legs were soft. When she tried to get up to run a few steps in pursuit, she wound up taking a tumble. Watching the Third Prince and Yang Chang successfully escape frustrated her to the point of tears.
Chen Nan didn’t think his feint would achieve such a great result. The Third Prince of Baiyue and his stray dog had anxiously fled. The little demonic princess of Chu was so scared she blessed the pear blossoms with her rain of tears. It was lovely and pitiful. He didn’t dare to be so pleased as to lose his own sense of measure. He nocked a dry stick into his bowstring and strenuously aimed Houyi Bow at the princess as we walked towards her. He wanted the princess to experience what he had previously gone through when his acupoint was sealed.
Seeing Chen Nan take step after step towards her, the princess’s face lost its flowery countenance. The tears in her eyes danced. She hadn’t forgotten how she had treated Chen Nan before.
“Degenerate… smelly thief… you… don’t come over.”
Chen Nan nearly let out a laugh. Chen Nan didn’t think the little demonic princess had the ability to display such a weak, feeble look. But soon after, he inwardly muttered, “When she was confronting the Third Prince Ren Jian, she didn’t look this afraid. Don’t tell me that I’m more terrifying than him? En! That’s wrong!”
“Little demon, take out what you have hidden under your sleeves. If you don’t, I’ll shoot.”
“Dang!”
The princess helplessly threw away the dagger concealed up her sleeves onto the ground.
“Hmph, how can your eyes be so malicious.”
Chen Nan expended a great deal of effort in walking to the princess. With the dried stick, he hit a few points on her body, sealing eight or nine major acupoints.
“Haha, success.” Pleased with himself, Chen Nan heartily laughed. With both his legs weak, he fell onto the ground.
“Ah~! Degenerate, smelly thief, f*ck off… Hurry and f*ck off…” the princess fearfully cried, over and over.
Chen Nan lied across the princess’s thighs and exhaled, saying, “I’m so tired, I’ll die, ai! Little demon, do you still have the qualifications to order me around right now?”
“You’re shameless… obscene… Hurry and f*ck off degenerate, smelly thief…”
“So noisy. If you keep clamouring, I can’t stop what will happen next.” Chen Nan aimed towards the princess’s towering chest.
“Ah~! Degenerate… smelly thief… bastard…” the princess cried out in fear, but the sound gradually decreased in volume. At the moment, she was scared out of her wits. She was truly afraid of Chen Nan’s evil desires.
Chen Nan couldn’t endure his exhaustion a moment longer. With the princess’s thighs as his pillow, he rested and taunted her. “So comfortable. The royal princess’s legs are really out of the ordinary. Meditation, cultivation, can’t your legs also help with treating high blood pressure? Wow, this is ironic.”
The princess was ashamed and angry. Her eyes were gleaming with tears.
“Degenerate… release me. If you let me go, I’ll tell my father the emperor to promote you to a high official.”
“I’m quite lazy; I don’t want to be an official. Besides, I don’t believe you. Just now, the Third Prince wanted to use crafty plots and deceitful stratagems against me, so I shot him in the ass. Do you want to be shot as well?” Chen Nan stretched out his arm and with a bang, he slapped the princess’s charming bottom. Previously, she had trampled all over him. To vent his anger, he was making her ashamed and angry.
“Ah~! You…” The princess was incomparably ashamed and indignant. Her tears streamed down her face.
“Smelly thief, if… you… let me go, I’ll… be good to my word, I’ll… definitely give you… many rewards,” the princess choked with sobs.
“Ai, to date, you either call me a degenerate or a smelly thief. I really can’t tell if you’re begging me for something or trying to anger me.”
“Chen Nan… Chen-gongzi, let me go… wuwu…” Feeling wronged, the princess burst into tears. She was the Emperor of Chu’s most doted upon little daughter. When had she ever yielded to someone and spoken to them with such a low voice? The more she cried, the more upset she became. The more she cried, the more wronged she felt. Her tears were like a broken line of pearls that, once broken, couldn’t be put back together.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry.”
“Wuwu…” The princess ignored him. Her crying became even louder.
“If you keep crying, I’ll immediately strip off your clothes,” Chen Nan said as he firmly grasped the princess’s sleeves.
The princess was so scared that she immediately stopped weeping. Sparkling teardrops clung to her long eyelashes. Her face was covered in tear stains. Her appearance was incredibly lovely and pitiful, like a delicate little angel.
Chen Nan inwardly sighed, “She’s still just a little girl after all.” He gently said, “Ai, stop crying.” But he inadvertently saw a sudden flash of happiness in the princess’s eyes. He came to a sudden realization and gave the princess’s thighs a big slap and said, “You almost deceived me.”
“Ah~! You…” With her thighs receiving punishment, the princess gave out a fearful cry. She didn’t think that Chen Nan would undergo a change like this so quickly.
“Little demon, you don’t have to keep pretending. How can demons become angels? Throughout the whole journey, your demonic nature was apparent. Recalling your conduct and deeds, it was like I was living a nightmare. I won’t forget the things you did. It’s already too late to pretend to be pitiful now, you’ve already let me see your true nature.”
“Chen-gongzi… you’ve misunderstood me. Actually, I’m very kind-hearted and honest, not one bit vicious. Last time… last time who told you to peep at me while I was bathing? I’m a princess; it’s only natural that I have the dignity and honour of one. I had no alternative but to treat you in that way.”
Chen Nan said, “You’re kind-hearted and honest and not vicious? How kind-hearted of you to almost castrate me. Also, every time you were overly happy, you’d find me and make me ‘convey’ the ‘happiness’ in my heart. I usually couldn’t even get up off the ground after, and you call this having no alternative?”
The princess pitifully said, “Chen-gongzi… Chen-dage… I was wrong, please forgive me… Let me go, wuwu…”
“Little demon, don’t keep pretending. To tell you the truth, ever since I grabbed you that time, I’ve never planned on letting you go.”
“Chen Nan-dage, let me go. Whatever you want, I’ll make my father the emperor give to you. You can be rewarded with a lot of gold, silver, and jewels, or even many gorgeous women.” With that said, the princess looked at him hopefully.
“Gold, silver, and jewels are mere worldly possessions, what will I do with them? As for beautiful women, is there a need for me to get another one from so far away? Heihei…” Deciding that the princess was still putting on an act, Chen Nan gave her a smile filled with malicious intent.
“You… I’m begging you, let me go.”
“Give up, I definitely won’t release you.”
The princess lowered herself so much and spoke so well of him. Seeing Chen Nan so resolute, her expression turned cold. Her tone abruptly changed as she screamed, “Audacious! Do you know who you’re talking to? I am the Empire of Chu’s princess. You’re nothing but a mere commoner of my Empire of Chu. Treating me like this, aren’t you afraid of provoking the wrong people and getting yourself killed? Aren’t you afraid that my royal father will execute you and nine generations of your family?”
The princess was furious. Just now, she had seemed so delicate.
“If I were afraid, I wouldn’t be doing this. Little demon, are you finally revealing your true colours?”
With an icy expression, she coldly said, “Chen Nan, you better hope for the best. Everywhere beneath the sky is royal territory. All the land including the seas belongs to the imperial family. Today, you’ve already committed an offense against the Third Prince. If you continue to disrespect me, then that’s tantamount to offending two nations. There won’t be a single place in the world that you can call your home.”
She took a glance at Chen Nan and continued, “Don’t think that your actions aren’t known by gods and aren’t felt by ghosts. The Third Prince Ren Jian already escaped. If I don’t return to the imperial palace safely, Ren Jian will definitely expose you. At that time, he’ll do everything he can to pin all the blame onto your shoulders. At that time you’ll… heihei.”
“If I let you go back, I’d still find it hard to avoid death. Ai, it seems like my best option is to find a place with verdant hills and limpid water and live a life in seclusion. But I have a royal princess with me; although it’s difficult, I can accept it. In the future, we can have a bunch of kids. Now that I think about it, this kind of life doesn’t sound too bad.” Chen Nan deliberately showed a longing expression on his face.
After hearing this, the princess’s face paled beyond comparison. Her voice trembled as she said, “You’re shameless, vulgar, despicable…”
Chen Nan calmly let her finish her cursing and continued, “After ten or eight years, we can bring a huge group of kids to go see your father. I think at that time, he won’t wish to kill me anymore.”
The princess was so angry that she was quickly becoming wild. She cursed, “You’re a devil.”
“Haha, I’m a devil, you’re a little demon; we’re a couple who were made for each other. Indeed, fate worked over a great distance to bring us together!” Chen Nan took the princess’s right hand in his, fiddling with her slim, jade finger.
“You… let go of me.” Her face blushed a deep red. The princess was ashamed and angry.
“Even demons have times when they’re embarrassed. It’s a true marvel. I remember that time you were going to castrate me with your own hands. Now, you’ve suddenly become such an embarrassed and bashful young lady.”
“You… hmph! It feels like a cockroach crawled onto my hand. It makes me sick.” After having said that, the princess shut her eyes and ignored him.
Chen Nan smiled. “Alright, since it’s like this, I’ll be like a cockroach and sleep with you in my embrace.”
With that, he sat up, embraced the princess into his arms, and reclined on the ground.
“Ah~! Let go. Take your filthy hands off me. Ah~! You hoodlum, scoundrel…” The princess was beyond ashamed and angered. She very fiercely gazed at Chen Nan, gnashing her teeth in fury. She was itching to take a bite of Chen Nan.
Chen Nan held the warm and soft body of the princess against him. Seeing her jade-like complexion, he felt his heartbeat somewhat speed up. He couldn’t deny that the princess had an appearance capable of destroying a nation. He had used Houyi Bow three times consecutively, exhausting the stores of energy is his body. Because of that, along with his previous sleepless night, drowsiness began to sweep through him. With the intoxicating smell of the princess’s delicate fragrance, he felt his body was as light as a feather. He slowly fell asleep.
From the beginning, the princess had cursed nonstop at Chen Nan. After seeing Chen Nan unexpectedly fall asleep with her in his embrace, she hurriedly stopped her cursing. After all, a sleeping enemy is much safer than a conscious enemy. The princess didn’t know the own feelings in her heart; never before had she lied down in a man’s embrace before, let alone an unfamiliar one. Usually, she was the one giving others a hard time. Today, an average-looking degenerate would unexpectedly be so disrespectful to her. She constantly pondered countermeasures, from gentle persuasion to violent means, to deal with the current situation. She even thought of trying to seduce him, but she discarded every plan. The guy in front of her was unmoved by force or persuasion.
While she was reflecting on countermeasures, she also concentrated the remaining vital qi in her body to attack her sealed acupoints, but every attack failed to release her acupoints the slightest. She finally gave up, discouraged.
Seeing Chen Nan sleeping so soundly, the princess was very annoyed. Chen Nan’s arms were wrapped around her soft, slender waist, making her breasts snug against his chest. This intimate contact made the princess go mad. Sensing Chen Nan’s body temperature, the princess cursed over and over, “Wind, please rise up with force and blow down a tree to squish him; rain, thunder, please burn him to a crisp; darkness, stars, please send a meteor to crush him…”
But the wind didn’t rise, the rain didn’t fall, and the sky didn’t darken. The trace of a smile formed at the corner of Chen Nan’s mouth repeatedly as he had good dreams.
“This damned guy, how can he still smile so wantonly in his sleep? Degenerate, smelly thief, shameless loser…” Another round of cursing came from the princess’s mouth. Gradually, she could no longer endure. She, too, had had a sleepless night, Not only that, but she had fiercely battled hand-to-hand earlier. She was just as exhausted as Chen Nan. Slowly, she also shut her eyes. Lying on Chen Nan’s stomach, she fell asleep as well.
At noon, Chen Nan awoke from his slumber. A thread of sunshine shone through a small chink in the trees. The light shone on his body, giving him a sense of warmth and comfort, free from worries.
At this time, the princess was still in a deep sleep. Her chin fit snugly against Chen Nan’s shoulder. It pressed down against him, giving him somewhat of an ache, but he didn’t move. He silently admired the princess’s peaceful sleeping posture. Suddenly, the princess mumbled to herself, “Degenerate, smelly thief… don’t run… I need to kill you…”
Chen Nan muttered, “Even in your dreams you want to kill me. You really are too vicious.”
Not too long later, the princess’s long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked. She woke up, but was still drowsy-eyed and a little dazed.
Chen Nan said, “Little demon, your sleeping is very sound!”
The princess blinked her two eyes and thoroughly woke up. As the two of them were in such an intimate position, she became incredibly embarrassed, but her appearance quickly cooled.
“Seeing this princess in this condition, you better not talk about it.”
“Why can’t I talk about it? You drooled a ton while you were sleeping on my stomach! You almost drowned me.”
“Drivel. That’s just dew,” the princess embarrassingly quibbled. Her face was red.
“Haha, your sincere appearance is really too cute. If you kept your demonic nature hidden and was always like this, everyone would treat you as an irreplaceable treasure.”
The princess angrily rebuked, “Degenerate, smelly thief, don’t appraise the head and discuss the feet when this princess is like this.”
“Become my wife right away. Can’t a husband nitpick at his wife? Also, you don’t always have to refer to yourself as ‘this princess’. I’ll also stop calling you a little demon. I’ll just call you Yu’er.”
“Outrageous! You’re disgusting. Is ‘Yu’er’ something ordinary people can call me?” reproved the princess.
“Why can you call me outrageous then?” With that said, Chen Nan got up off the ground, carrying the princess with him.
“Outrageous! Degenerate, smelly thief, let me down…”
Chen Nan carried the princess on his shoulders. Picking up Houyi Bow, he took great strides away towards the exit of the forest.
The weather was exceptionally blistering hot. Noon’s scorching sunshine made the princess, being carried on the shoulders of Chen Nan, feel awfully uncomfortable. She angrily said, “You lunatic, where are you bringing me? Hurry and let me down.”
“I’m looking for a place with verdant hills and limpid water to live a life in seclusion. Once I find it, we can kneel to heaven and earth as a bride and groom and get married,” Chen Nan said, smiling.
“Ah! You’re shameless. Hurry and let me down. It’s so hot, I’m going to die.”
Just then, a wild animal came running out from the depths of the mountainous forest, panic-stricken. All sorts of little animals that were usually hidden came running out as well, escaping into the distance. Various large carnivores were following closely behind them, also fearful. The running animals carried with them a fishy-smelling wind.
Chen Nan hastily let the princess off his shoulders, embraced her, and jumped up into a tree. Her eyes didn’t show a trace of fear. Instead, her two eyes looked curiously at the various animals running all over the place. The earth suddenly trembled. The forest began to sway back and forth. From the distance, a tall figure was moving towards them.
“My god! What a big prize! We’ve unexpectedly come across an ancient giant. Weren’t the chances of seeing such a big guy in this mountain range stupidly low?” Chen Nan’s head began to ache.
The princess was just as endlessly excited, seemingly forgetting about the loss of her body’s freedom.
“Wow! An ancient giant! Not only have I seen a flying dragon, but I’ve also seen an ancient giant! This has been a worthwhile trip.”
“Of course you’d think it’s been a worthwhile trip—the most important part is you’ve found a good husband.” One sentence from Chen Nan smacked the princess back to reality.
“You degenerate, don’t talk, no one will think you’re a mute,” the princess angrily said.
Chen Nan said, “Don’t talk. We’ll hide here and wait for him to pass us.” He saw the princess’s crafty eyes and said with a low voice, “If you want to alert that big guy, don’t hesitate, just do it. But the first thing I’ll do is throw you at his feet.”
“Why don’t you simply seal my mute acupoint?”
“So you’ll slowly learn to be obedient.”
“You’re dreaming. Wretched guy!” the princess indignantly cursed.
“Hong!”, “Hong!”, “Hong!”…
Step by step, the ancient giant drew closer and closer. With every step, the mountainous forest swayed. The violent shaking caused the leaves of trees to be sent flying.
Chen Nan reached out and hugged the princess sitting on a different branch closer. He placed one of his hands closely behind her lower back. He lowly said, “He’s about to come over. If you want to cry out, then be prepared. I’m already set to throw you over there.”
The princess angrily said, “Take your filthy hands off, or else I’ll really shout. Don’t think I don’t dare.”
“I want to hug you close. It’d be a wonder if you somehow don’t fall down. If you do, would you break your ass into pieces like the Third Prince?”
“You…”
The lofty ancient giant arrived only ten or so meters away from them. The giant was over thirty meters tall. The hair on his body was as thick and long as a beast’s. Other than its exceptional height and thick body hair, its appearance was the same as that of a regular human.
A strong, rancid smell came from the giant, nearly causing Chen Nan and the princess to vomit. Chen Nan hastily buried his face in his sleeve, covering his mouth and nose. Seeing the princess’s suffering and hopeful face, he removed the hand at her waist. He wrapped his arm around her neck, covering her mouth and nose with his hand.
At first, the giant walked in a straight line vacantly, but when he passed the location of the two of them, his nostrils suddenly flared. He turned and walked straight towards the area of the mountainous forest they were in.
“Sure enough, he found us.” Chen Nan hugged the little witch and jumped down from the tree. He swiftly pushed his way deeper into the forest.
“Hou!”
The giant’s roar was like a sudden clap of thunder surging across the sky. He took massive strides and in only three steps, he overtook them.
“Honglonglong!”
Trees, six or seven meters in height, were like rice straws as they were trampled by the giant. A large tree collapsed in front of the two of them, inciting the princess to cry fearfully, “Degenerate, you’re a dumbass! Hurry the hell up, he’s closing in on us! Ah~! Hurry up a bit you moron~!”
Leave her to die or rape her!