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"Alright, Empress, please wait here and I will come to fetch you immediately," said Shangguan Zifeng with a sycophantic face.
"Hmm, make it quick," the Empress replied without even lifting her eyelids, arrogantly.
Soon, Shangguan Zifeng returned driving what he referred to as a 'car.' When Shangguan Linlang saw the strange four-wheeled object, her eyes lit up. She circled the huge contraption curiously, then excitedly asked, "Is this the vehicle known as 'car'? Does it move on those four wheels below? How fast can it go compared to a horse-drawn carriage?"
"It's much faster than your horse-drawn carriages. It operates on machinery. Would you like to sit inside, Empress? We can set off right away. If we do not encounter any hold-ups on the road, we should be able to reach Demon City within a day and a night," he explained.
Shangguan Zifeng knew that the young lady before him was actually just a girl, half-grown at best. Aside from her noble status and extraordinary beauty, she was not much different from modern girls. Well, there was one other difference—her martial prowess was exceedingly formidable and her temperament seemed a bit impetuous. However, being young himself, six years older than Shangguan Linlang, he naturally treated her as if she were his younger sister. His words were thus without any awkwardness nor deliberate flattery. Such an attitude from Shangguan Zifeng made Shangguan Linlang see him in a new light, as she herself was a person of genuine nature and had no fondness for affected men.
Shangguan Linlang nodded, and Shangguan Zifeng, the gentleman, opened the car door for her and politely invited her in. Shangguan Linlang was a bit scared at first, but fortunately, Shangguan Zifeng diverted her attention with all sorts of talks, which somewhat alleviated her nervousness and unease.
Gradually, Shangguan Linlang got used to the modern means of transportation—the car. Unfortunately, an unexpected situation arose. After driving for two hours, Shangguan Linlang began to feel unwell, which in simple terms, meant she was experiencing motion sickness. Not having eaten much, the intense nausea of the motion sickness made her retch miserably. The Empress felt she might perish in this so-called 'car.' In a state of agitation, she casually slapped the car door, sending it flying off with one palm, then lightly leaped into the air, floating mid-flight.
Fortunately, the duo was navigating through the deep mountains and there were no other passersby on the road, so this off-the-rails scene was seen by no one. However, Shangguan Zifeng was scared out of his wits once more. He had never imagined this formidable ancestor possessed such excellent qinggong, capable of soaring high in the sky. It was a severe challenge to his limit of endurance.
"Empress, please come down quickly. Don't stay up there, if someone were to see you, it would scare them to death. They'd think they saw a ghost in broad daylight. People in our world cannot fly," he called out.
Stopping the car, Shangguan Zifeng didn't bother about the fate his beloved vehicle had met at the hands of Shangguan Linlang. Stepping out of the car, he shouted toward the Empress clad in a vermilion bridal gown, floating in mid-air. He even made sure to explain why she shouldn't keep hovering there; after spending some time with her, Shangguan Zifeng knew all too well that the Empress, long accustomed to high stature, was not used to being ordered around, and without a sound reason, he, the younger one, would undoubtedly be the one to suffer. In terms of seniority, he was far beneath her, and as for martial skill, it went without saying, this oddity in front of him definitely had the potential to beat any man under the heavens.
"Hmm, I will come down right away," said Shangguan Linlang, pale-faced, and then with grace, she landed steadily in front of Shangguan Zifeng.
Her figure, akin to the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven, dazzled Shangguan Zifeng until he almost lost his composure, but she quickly brought him back to reality as she slapped him in retaliation and reprimanded, "Impudent."
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Shangguan Zifeng's little bit of fantasy was shattered entirely. Indeed, this ancient lady was not to be trifled with, and he truly did not have the good fortune to endure it. A few more strikes and he was worried he would suffer a concussion.
"Empress, you've just thrown up; you must be feeling uncomfortable in your mouth. Here is some bottled water for you to rinse out your mouth, okay?" Shangguan Zifeng hurriedly fetched a bottle of water from his car and handed it to Shangguan Linlang, hoping she wouldn't hold his previous impoliteness against him.
Confronted with Shangguan Zifeng's ingratiating action, Shangguan Linlang just snorted coldly. However, she didn't refuse his kindness because the Empress herself felt truly dreadful at the moment. She had never known the cars of this world to be so powerful. Shangguan Linlang, who feared neither heaven nor earth, never flinched when going into battle, but now she was extremely fearful of these fast-moving things with four wheels.
"Zifeng, can we avoid taking the car? I'm really feeling terrible. My stomach churns when I'm in it; the experience is too painful," Shangguan Linlang said, feeling nauseous at the sight of the car. She furrowed her delicate brows and turned to Shangguan Zifeng, hoping he would come up with some other means. She really didn't want to experience motion sickness again; it was truly worse than death.
"But Demon City is so far from here, how will we get back if we don't drive?"
The problem posed by Shangguan Linlang also troubled Shangguan Zifeng. He had never anticipated that this person from ancient times would have issues with car sickness; otherwise, he would have prepared anti-motion sickness medicine in advance. But now, in these deep forests and wild lands, where could he find the medicine?
"Zifeng, how about this? If you know the general direction, you just need to tell me whether it's east, south, west, or north, and I can use Qinggong to take you out. My strength and martial abilities are quite good; flying for two hours before needing to rest is nothing to me," Shangguan Linlang suggested, determined not to sit in a car, finally coming up with this not-quite solution. Shangguan Zifeng never imagined he would ride in a human-powered aircraft in his life, and the moment he heard the Empress's proposal, he was tempted. However, he could not act on it, not wanting to be treated as a freak by his kind and captured to become a specimen.
So, he quickly refused, saying, "Absolutely not, absolutely not, Empress. Zifeng is looking out for your best interest, which is why I remind you that you should not reveal your skills, especially your Qinggong, in front of strangers. There are bad people in this world, and if they learn you are different from us, they may harbor malicious intentions toward you. Could you please bear with it a little longer? In four hours, we will have left this mountain, and then Zifeng can buy you some anti-motion sickness medicine. Once you take it, you won't feel sick in the car anymore, okay?"
Shangguan Linlang frowned deeply, very reluctant, but she was not unreasonable or obstinate, knowing there was reason in Shangguan Zifeng's words. She walked toward the car with the heavy steps of someone going to the scaffold, as if the four-wheeled contraption was a flood dragon, fierce and terrifying.
Shangguan Zifeng had thought the Empress would continue to be petulant with him, but he didn't expect the young lady to be so easy to talk to. He was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly got Shangguan Linlang on board and sped out of the mountains, hoping to shorten the Empress's ordeal with car sickness and to find her the anti-motion sickness medicine as soon as possible.