Chapter 96.2

Three days passed.

A luxurious carriage arrived at the border of Great Xia, and from it descended a group of people dressed in splendid garments, exuding an air of nobility.

Among them was a young man, not only handsome but also radiating an aura of aristocracy, and the others regarded him with respect.

“Your Highness, Great Xia lies ahead!”

An attendant spoke with reverence, “It is said that just half a year ago, Great Xia was but a small kingdom, weak in both nation and people. However, in the past several months since that foolish emperor ascended to the throne, the Xia Kingdom has developed by leaps and bounds. The population has been growing, military strength increasing, and the nation flourishing. Just two months ago, it was elevated to the status of a great kingdom, commanding respect from all around!”

The young man addressed as Your Highness shook his head slightly, with a hint of condescension in his tone, and proudly declared, “Even if it has become a great kingdom, in the face of Great Li, is it not still just a small kingdom?”

“His Majesty speaks the truth!” The crowd nodded in agreement, their faces showing a hint of pride…

No matter whether it’s a small kingdom or a great kingdom, none can compare to the Great Li Dynasty.

This group of people was none other than the Ninth Prince of the Great Li Dynasty, who had traveled from afar along with his personal guards and attendants.

The Ninth Prince glanced at the sky and said, “It’s getting late, let’s hurry on! I want to see for myself what kind of abilities the man who took senior sister has!”

“One foolish emperor, how can he be compared with Your Highness?” someone said, flattering him.

The Ninth Prince laughed heartily, clenched his fist confidently, and declared, “I think the same, which is why I have come personally. I will certainly crush his arrogant spirit and snatch senior sister back from his clutches!”

With that, he boarded the carriage and continued on their way.

At this moment, Lin Beifan had already taken notice of the group, a strange smile appearing on his face: “They’ve really come! Life has been a bit dull, so I shall entertain myself with them for a while!”

With that said, he employed the Hand of God, reaching towards the Empire Sandbox.

An hour passed, and finally, the sky began to darken.

The luxurious carriage continued on its way, with no villages in sight nor any signs of human habitation.

“Stop!”

The Ninth Prince lifted the carriage curtain, frowning as he spoke: “How come we haven’t seen a village after all this time?”

A follower reported: “Your Highness, we’ve been patrolling the main road straight ahead; logically, we should have encountered people or a village by now, but there’s nothing at all, which is truly strange!”

“Could we be lost? After all, we are strangers in these parts…”

The Ninth Prince hopped off the carriage and said, “You go ahead and send someone to scout the area ahead. After they find out more, they can come back! We’ll rest here and have something to eat!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

They dispatched an Innate expert to inspect.

However, two hours passed and there was still no sign of their return.

The Ninth Prince had already taken a nap and upon waking, he furrowed his brows, “Why hasn’t A-Qiang returned yet? With his speed, he should have covered more than 400 li by now; he might have even reached the capital city!” (TLN: 1 li = 0.5 km)

“Your Highness, could something have happened?” someone asked cautiously.

“What could possibly happen? This is just a small kingdom; there are no masters here capable of detaining A-Qiang.”

The Ninth Prince pondered. “Still, it’s not impossible that an accident occurred!”

Turning to the guard beside him, he commanded, “A-Xing, go and check. You must return within an hour, no matter what!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The other party quickly departed.

But an hour passed, and there was no sign of his return.

A sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of the Ninth Prince’s entourage: “Could something have happened to A-Xing as well?”

“Your Highness…” The group looked towards the Ninth Prince, waiting for him to make a decision.

The Ninth Prince felt somewhat at a loss, but seeing an elder resting with his eyes closed nearby, he felt reassured and said, “There might be trouble with the two of them. This path seems ominous; we should take another route and make haste to the Great Xia capital city! My senior sister holds some sway there; we can ask for her assistance in finding A-Xing and A-Qiang!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

By now, the sky had gradually brightened, and they took another path to continue their journey.

However, what was strange was that no matter which way they went, they still couldn’t encounter a single person, not even a house.

The surroundings were nothing but green mountains and clear waters, with no end in sight.

“Everyone, stop!”

The Ninth Prince stepped out of the carriage once again, looked at the position of the sun, which was already high in the sky, and asked, “Have we still not arrived?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, we may truly be lost! We had intended to ask a local for directions, but until now, we haven’t come across a single person, which is really troubling for us!” the guard reported.

“Never mind that, the path under our feet can’t be wrong!”

The Ninth Prince pointed to the official road beneath their feet and said, “Let’s keep moving along this road, we will eventually get there!”

The group continued on their journey, but by noon, they still hadn’t encountered a single soul.

They had no choice but to stop for a rest, to drink some water, and to eat something.

A few of them gathered together and discussed in low voices.

“Do you think we’ve encountered something evil?”

“I have that feeling too. We might have run into what’s called ‘ghost hitting the wall’ in the legends, where we can’t make out the directions and no matter how we walk, we can’t find our way out!”

“But it’s daytime now, can ghosts come out?”

“Ordinary ghosts can’t, but what about the Ghost King? I suspect A-Xing and A-Qiang might have encountered a ghost…”

“The more you say it, the more possible it seems!”

The more everyone discussed, the more uneasy they felt in their hearts.

Ninth Prince frowned and scolded, “Men should not speak of supernatural forces and chaos; how can there be ghosts in this world? It’s just going to scare oueselves! After we’ve eaten and drunk our fill, let’s continue on our way!”

The group continued on their journey, and two hours quickly passed by.

The sun was gradually setting, and the sky darkened.

At this moment, the attendants and guards outside started calling out in a fluster, “Your Highness! Your Highness… come out and see!”

“What is the reason for such clamor?”

The Ninth Prince emerged from his carriage somewhat irritated, only to have his expression turn sour at the sight before him.

For he saw a large tree.

Last night, they had rested under this very tree, and the traces they left on the ground were still visible.

“Have we… walked back to the same place?”

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