With a snap of her fingers, the dozen Imperial Sentinels from outside stormed into the room and defended the door. Much like the Imperial Sentinels that kidnapped Elizabeth in Port Silic, they could transform their timid aura into a ferocious blade. Multiplied several times over by the number of sentinels, they gave off a horrifying pressure that bore down on Xiuying and Ming. Xiuying was visibly shaken and reflexively reached for her sabre. Ming, for better or for worse, was unarmed. She was not as good as a fighter as her sister, so she had to rely on her mind instead. Ming held Xiuying's arm to calm her down, as her gaze turned cold.
"Don't go too far, Minister Linshi!" Xiuying roared.
Linshi crossed her legs and chuckled, "If that is all, then would you mind surrendering? I wouldn't want to hurt the Imperial Princesses after all."
"Tell me one thing, Minister Linshi," Ming coldly said. "As the Minister of Information, you should know better than anyone else. Why did the emperor assume that the Alzar Kingdom assassinated the empress?"
"You are still curious about such a trifling thing?" She shook her head. "The answer is simple. He assumed it without proof."
Ming frowned. "Are you saying that the emperor decided to start the war without reason?"
"That's correct in a way."
"There's no way that our father would do such a thing!" Xiuying shouted. "You must have tricked or forced him into doing such a thing!"
"How could I possibly control the Emperor of the Xingyuu Empire? You must be kidding yourselves," Linshi laughed.
Ming observed Linshi's every reaction, trying to gleam any sense of truth out of her actions. However, Linshi was impossible to read. She got the faint feeling that Linshi was partially telling the truth, but also telling a lie at the same time. It was impossible to figure out which was which.
"Don't worry though," Linshi continued. "What caused the war is irrelevant now. Now that the heir of the Alzar Kingdom has been captured, the only bastion of hope for them is Queen Bethnal and Lord Korogin. Fortunately for us, Queen Bethnal is old, far too old to reign as queen again. And the emperor will be seeing to Lord Korogin soon enough. This war is coming to an end!"
"What do you mean? I haven't heard about this," Ming's face darkened.
"You don't expect me to explain everything neat and tidy, do you?" Linshi sneered. "Now then, we've spoken for long enough. Arrest them!" she ordered.
"Stand down! That is an order from an Imperial Princess!" Ming demanded, but the sentinels paid her words no heed. She realized this was a trap carefully planned by Linshi!
Xiuying instantly bolted to her feet, pulled Ming behind her, and drew her sabre out in one smooth motion. From this, anyone could tell she was well trained and experienced. Naturally, the rumors of her being at Half-Perception Realm were not baseless! The emperor was a very capable swordsman in his youth and passed on his teachings to his two daughters. Given enough time, Xiuying making that final step into Perception Realm was not unthinkable! Unfortunately, the divide between realms was immense. A Half-Perception Realm was, in the end, not a true bona-fide Perception Realm. There was no way she could match up to ten true Perception Realms in a one-on-one fight!
Therefore, she was looking for a way out. Inadvertently, her eyes wandered to Linshi who was still watching the scene like she was unrelated to anything happening. Xiuying thought, If I take her hostage, we should be able to get out of here… But much like how Ming could not read Linshi, Xiuying found Linshi's unshakable confidence and attitude disturbing! As if everything was in her grasp, Xiuying and Ming were merely children playing in front of her! Despite being powerless, the minister felt strangely the most dangerous! Xiuying gave up on the idea immediately.
The sentinels closed in on the two princesses, as they constantly backed up. Yet, another unexpected development occurred. Several people rushed through the doors and engaged the sentinels. Xiuying and Ming were stunned. Only then did Linshi finally raise her eyes to glare at the intruders. They were oddly enough Perception Realms as well, capable enough to fend off the sentinels while the princesses were escorted to their side. The princesses and Linshi recognized them. They were quite famous after all. The Imperial Sentinels and Grand Knights were not the only Perception Realms in the world. The world was vast and boundless! In fact, there were far more lurking masters than publicly known, like the legendary Sword King!
Meanwhile, the ones before them were none other than the top experts under the Li Family! As the most powerful nobility family in the known world, the strength the Li Family possessed was mindboggling. Xiuying and Ming had no doubts that their uncle was behind this. Their uncle was the younger brother of the late Empress Mei Li, Imperian Qiang Li! As if to confirm their thoughts, three sets of footsteps approached from outside to reveal three very different figures.
The first was a young man with a gentle face. It was clear he was kind-hearted and innocent from a single glance. He wore a tight white innerwear that covered him from head-to-toe, a golden silk vest, with a fancy long blue robe overall. His long black hair was tied back and formed the appearance of a very affluent noble. If it were not for the two long straight swords hanging off his waist, people would be misled into thinking he was merely a pretty rich boy. But people would be even more shocked to realize how sharp his aura could be! He was an Imperial Sentinel, a Perception Realm! Chang Jian let out a breath of turbid air after seeing Ming was okay. As her Protector, keeping the princess safe was his highest priority.
The second was a wilder counterpart to Chang. Without the slightest refined air about him, the man wore a highly arrogant and proud face and a wide grin. Wearing a standard simple martial arts outfit, his figure was toned and muscular, far different from Chang's slim and agile body. His body was like a bound spring, ready to pounce at any moment! Wearing a pair of leather and metal gauntlets on both arms, his fists were his weapons! Laughing carefreely, Tai Shui glared at the Imperial Sentinels like prey. After all, what he liked most was to exchange blows! Xiuying sighed. How this hotheaded fellow became her Protector was confusing.
The last was a tall, older gentleman. His clothes were plain, such that he stood out. However, everyone held their breath in astonishment while those from the Li Family bowed in respect. Strength was defined in countless ways. He was clearly weaker than Chang and Tai, but his mere presence was enough to leave people scared! Xiuying and Ming were ecstatic to see this man was their uncle, Qiang Li himself! As the current eighth head of the Li Family, Qiang's influence was second to the emperor. However, Linshi was unfazed by this man's abrupt appearance. Qiang glanced in Linshi's direction, wearing a complicated expression.