Chapter 823: Secret Realm Savage

The Crown Prince said, "That dragon-like creature that appeared earlier was truly terrifying. I heard it particularly likes to eat fat people, so of course, I had to run. But somehow, I kept encountering various fierce beasts along the way. Linglong, I'll never leave you again. They all lied to me; only by your side is it truly safe."

Everyone looked at him with strange expressions; this Crown Prince was truly a lost cause.

At this point, Gao Ying, unable to listen further, cleared his throat and explained, "When we saw you trapped by the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon, we couldn't get in to help, so we thought we should hurry back to fetch reinforcements."

Everyone present was an elite from their respective major families, so they naturally understood the true intention. Saying they were fetching reinforcements was merely a way to save face.

However, they also understood this course of action; had they been in the same situation, most of them would have prioritized escorting the Crown Prince to safety first.

"By the way, what about that Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon...?" Pei You asked curiously, then his gaze suddenly fell upon the massive dragon corpse not far away, and he froze.

Zhao Xi burst out laughing, "You didn't see Sir Zu's heroic struggle against the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon just now! He later jumped directly into the deep pool and killed it."

Meng Pan immediately added, "It was also thanks to the Crown Princess's help; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for Sir Zu to kill a Ninth-Rank fierce beast alone."

Zhao Xi's breath caught. He secretly cursed Meng Pan as a sycophant, while also regretting his own words. "Why didn't I think of that?" he wondered. "I mustn't offend the Crown Princess."

The surrounding group, led by Liu Xian, began excitedly describing the battle, everyone talking over each other. Despite their injuries and uncleaned bloodstains on their faces, they were all incredibly thrilled.

"Killed a Ninth-Rank fierce beast?" Gao Ying and Pei You stared at Zu An in shock. They knew the Crown Princess's cultivation was still inferior to theirs, and they themselves would have been easily defeated by a Ninth-Rank beast. Therefore, it was most likely Zu An who had single-handedly dealt with the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon.

What an incredible feat!

From now on, the capital would have another peerless genius. No one would ever consider his previous achievements mere luck again, and the major families would undoubtedly extend olive branches to him.

"Hmm, I heard the Chu family has already severed ties with him. I'll go back and ask my uncle to find a suitable young lady from our family to propose marriage to him," Gao Ying thought. But he soon became troubled again: the two most beautiful women from the Liu family had already been chosen for the palace, and the others seemed a bit too young.

Pei You was also pondering, "Which young lady from the Pei family is of marriageable age? Hmm, he seemed to have asked me about Xiao Man before. Xiao Man, in terms of beauty and talent, is no less than Chu Chuyan, so she'd be quite suitable. But I seem to recall hearing that my uncle arranged a marriage for her? I'll have to go back and inquire about the situation."

Meanwhile, Liu Xian was considering inviting Zu An to the Celestial Immortal Pavilion once they returned to the capital, to introduce him to a few courtesans. While their beauty might not rival Miss Chu, when it came to understanding and pleasing men, even noble ladies couldn't compare.

As the saying goes, there are three unbreakable bonds in life: those who studied together, those who fought together, and those who... Hahaha, I'm truly a genius!

While others were contemplating how to win him over, Zu An was examining the injuries of Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun. As the Crown Prince's personal bodyguards, they had sustained numerous injuries, but fortunately, none were fatal.

Many other guards, however, were not so lucky. He roughly observed that nearly twenty palace guards had been with the Crown Prince earlier, but now fewer than ten remained. It was likely that most of the others had perished in the jaws of those fierce beasts.

He took out the injury medicine Chu Youzhao had prepared for him, applied it to their wounds, and then asked, "Since you left, why did you come back?"

Pu Duandiao gave a wry smile, "I don't know why, but we felt incredibly unlucky. We were careful enough when we left, especially after our previous experience of stumbling into a fierce beast's lair. Yet, for some reason, even when we specifically tried to avoid them this time, we ran into them again."

"It's truly bizarre," Jiao Sigun added. "The fierce beasts in these mountains seem abnormal. Not only are their strengths generally higher than reported, but they're also not staying in their own territories; they're roaming everywhere. We were pursued relentlessly until we had no choice but to run this way, hoping the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon's powerful aura would deter those pale giant wolves."

Pu Duandiao explained, "Brother Zu, we wanted to help just now, but..."

He secretly glanced in the direction of the Crown Prince and the others, hesitating to speak further.

Zu An patted his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. I understand your difficulties; you couldn't help yourselves."

The two brothers' worries turned to joy. "Brother Zu, you're truly amazing! You can even kill a Ninth-Rank fierce beast."

Zu An smiled slightly, "It was just good luck, and also thanks to the heroic struggle of the family disciples who helped share the pressure."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding noble family disciples felt a warmth in their hearts and looked at Zu An with gratitude. "Sir Zu is handsome, and he speaks so well; we absolutely love him."

Zu An told them to rest well, then walked over to Bi Linglong. "How's the count coming along?"

Upon seeing him at that moment, Bi Linglong's expression became a little unnatural. However, in front of so many people, she couldn't show anything, so she quickly replied, "After a fierce battle with the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon just now, we suffered heavy losses. One-third of our people died on the spot, another third were severely wounded, and the remaining individuals all sustained some injuries, whether minor or major."

Meng Pan said nonchalantly, "Crown Princess, you don't need to worry. Everyone who came on this mission represents their family's honor, and each person was prepared to die in battle. Besides, no matter what, we ultimately completed the grand examination, and it was a Ninth-Rank beast at that. Prince Qi will certainly have nothing to say."

Zhao Xi also chuckled, "Exactly. After this expedition, the Crown Prince's position as heir apparent will be unshakable. I'd like to congratulate the Crown Princess in advance for her future role as Empress."

If she had heard such words before, Bi Linglong would undoubtedly have been delighted, as that was the dream she pursued. But now, her first reaction was to nervously glance at Zu An, then quickly say, "You mustn't speak so carelessly; that's overstepping."

Zhao Xi laughed heartily, "You're right. We'll save the congratulations for later then."

Bi Linglong, wanting to drop the topic, quickly said, "Hurry and extract the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon's sinews. We need to report back. These mountains are full of dangers; it's best to leave as soon as possible."

Such a massive dragon corpse was not suitable for transport. They couldn't possibly expect Zu An to carry it the whole way.

"The Crown Princess is truly thoughtful, unlike some people who get conceited when they achieve a small success," Meng Pan remarked sarcastically.

Zhao Xi grew angry. "Just speak your mind; why are you looking at me?"

Meng Pan rolled his eyes. "My eyes are on my own face; I can look at whomever I want. Can you control that?"

Bi Linglong felt a headache coming on. Those two troublemakers; try to get them to go a day without arguing.

Soon, warriors from various families ran off, intending to extract the dragon's sinews. Just then, a group of wild people suddenly charged out.

"Jili guagua!" "Abuchacha!" "Gai gai jia?"

The group of people were naked from the waist up, wearing animal skin skirts, with striped patterns painted on their bodies in various colors, and their heads adorned with feathers of different hues and flowers.

Seeing these people armed with swords, knives, and bows, the warriors from each family immediately became highly alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Protect the Crown Prince and Crown Princess!"

Zu An was bewildered. "Are there indigenous wild people in this secret realm?"

Bi Linglong also looked perplexed. "I don't know either. According to intelligence over the years, there's been no mention of people living in this secret realm."

At that moment, a tall man, who appeared to be a leader among the wild people, stepped forward. He leaped directly onto the head of the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon, pointed at it, and awkwardly declared, "This one, ours... You, leave!"

Just then, Liu Xian suddenly rubbed his eyes, leaned closer to get a better look at the man, and then burst out laughing. "I wondered who it was! Isn't that Protector Wei from Prince Qi's manor? When did you become a wild man?"

At these words, everyone present's expression drastically changed.