Chapter 07: Teasing the Princess

---

The astonishing transformation left everyone present speechless. The young princess’s eyes widened as she murmured, “How is this possible? Didn’t the old man say the Houyi Bow could only be used once a year? I’ve already used it once—even the old man couldn’t draw it again. How dare this scoundrel…”

Prince Renjian felt a wave of intense unease wash over him. He never imagined this prisoner could draw the sealed Houyi Bow.

At that moment, Chen Nan’s second arrow shot forth. Thunder roared, golden light blazed, and another guard pursuing Chen Nan collapsed in a pool of blood, his face frozen in disbelief and terror. The light arrow exploded in his chest, tearing open a wound as wide as a bowl. Blood gushed out, a mist of crimson rising above his lifeless body.

Chen Nan once again placed a withered branch on the bowstring. Everyone present paled. No one knew whose life this arrow would claim. A once-insignificant minor character had become the arbiter of their fates.

Firing two arrows in succession had nearly drained Chen Nan of strength. Though these shots had averted his own death, they did little to resolve his immediate predicament. With his remaining power, he could barely muster one more arrow. Yet six others remained on the field—which target should he choose?

Each shift of the withered branch sent shivers through the crowd. To their eyes, that slender twig weighed as heavily as a mountain.

Chen Nan finally aimed the branch at the Third Prince, Ren Jian. Ren Jian’s expression flickered, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Chen Nan, think carefully. You are targeting a prince of this nation. Killing me means you offend the entire Moon-Worshipping Kingdom. Can one man stand against an entire nation? The world may be vast, but afterward, there will likely be no place for you to hide.” The Third Prince softened his tone slightly and added, “If you choose to submit to me, not only will I overlook your disrespect today, but I will ensure your swift rise to power. You shall enjoy high office and generous rewards.”

“Do you take me for a three-year-old child? If I spare you today, I won’t just lose my high office and generous rewards someday—I might not even have a whole corpse left. I detest being threatened. Today, I shall shoot you, you worthless prince, dead.”

The young princess laughed, “Ha! Renjian, you worthless scum!”

Chen Nan drew a deep breath, summoning every ounce of his power to launch the third arrow. A faint golden light, like divine punishment from the heavens, thundered toward Renjian with a roaring clap of thunder.

Third Prince Renjian’s face paled. He yanked a guard in front of him. Blood spattered as the guard fell, his face twisted in bitter resignation, into a pool of his own blood. Though dimmed after piercing the guard’s chest, the golden light lost none of its speed as it continued chasing the prince.

A dazzling flash erupted from the Third Prince’s waist, a foot-long short sword blazing with brilliant light as it charged toward the golden beam.

“A flying sword! Could he be a cultivator?!” Chen Nan exclaimed in shock.

Every accomplished cultivator possessed several treasures bound to their very life force, most commonly flying swords. Cultivators could not only remotely command these blades to slay foes from a hundred paces away, but upon reaching the pinnacle of their art, they could ride the swords themselves, soaring through the heavens and traversing the earth. Yet truly accomplished cultivators were rare, and those who attained the ultimate realm were as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns.

As a child, Chen Nan yearned intensely for the path of cultivation. Yet his father, Chen Zhan, extinguished that desire with a single, profoundly meaningful remark: “The way of martial arts need not be inferior to the way of cultivation. If you enter the realm of True Martial Arts and grasp the true essence of martial arts, you will discover that cultivation follows different paths yet converges at the same destination. The ultimate pinnacle of martial arts and the ultimate pinnacle of cultivation intersect at a single point…”

Though Chen Zhan left his words unfinished, the meaning was clear. From that day forward, Chen Nan trained with relentless dedication. By sixteen, he had become the undisputed “first among his peers.” Yet after that age, his cultivation stagnated and even regressed, plunging him into a profound personal low.

In an instant, Chen Nan realized the Third Prince was indeed a cultivator, though merely a novice. It was said that the flying swords of accomplished cultivators were no larger than a palm and remained concealed within the body.

The brilliant flying sword collided with the golden light. A metallic clang echoed through the air. The short sword’s radiance faded completely, shattering into several pieces that fell to the ground. The Third Prince’s body shook violently. He opened his mouth and spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Chen Nan understood that flying swords were inextricably linked to their cultivators. If the sword were destroyed, the cultivator would either die or suffer severe injury.

Though the golden arrow had dimmed considerably, it continued its pursuit of the Third Prince. At that moment, two figures stepped in front of him—guards whose pressure points had been sealed by Yang Chong, the guard captain, who then hurled them forward.

Yang Chong shouted, “Your Highness! My master taught me that an arrow shot from the Divine Bow will not cease until it touches its target’s blood! Forgive me, Your Highness!”

The moment the golden arrow pierced through the two guards, Yang Chong reached the Third Prince’s side. He scooped up the gravely wounded prince in one swift motion. Simultaneously, the withered branch, now almost devoid of its golden aura, instantly plunged into Renjian’s thigh and shattered.

“Ah…” Third Prince Renjian let out an agonized scream, then cursed furiously, “You fool, Yang Chong! I’ve coughed up so much blood, my clothes are still soaked in it! You… couldn’t you just tear off a piece? You…”

The Third Prince coughed up another large mouthful of blood in his rage, sending cold sweat pouring down Yang Chong’s back.

The young princess burst into laughter. “Ha ha… I’m dying of laughter! The lowly prince’s butt is split wide open, ha ha…”

---

Escape and Deception

Chen Nan had exhausted every ounce of his energy and lacked the strength for a fourth arrow. A pang of guilt washed over him. He drew a sharp breath, mustering the last of his strength to stand. He feigned picking up a branch a few steps away.

The Third Prince, Yang Chong, and the little princess watched with bated breath. Yang Chong hoisted the Third Prince Ren Jian onto his back and turned to flee. In that moment, his lightness kung fu reached master-level prowess, vanishing into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye.

The young princess, drained of energy from the fierce struggle, felt her legs buckling beneath her. She managed only a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Seeing the Third Prince and Yang Chong escape successfully, she was so distraught that she nearly wept.

Chen Nan never imagined his theatrical display would achieve such an effect. The Third Prince of the Moon Worshiping Kingdom fled in panic like a stray dog, while the Little Devil Princess of Chu was reduced to tears, looking pitifully vulnerable. He dared not let triumph cloud his judgment. He placed a dry branch on his bowstring, hoisting the Houyi Bow as he laboriously approached the young princess. He intended to seal her pressure points before she could discern his true intentions.

Watching Chen Nan advance step by step, the young princess paled with terror, her eyes brimming with tears. She hadn’t forgotten how she had treated Chen Nan earlier.

“Scum… filthy thief… don’t… don’t come any closer.”

Chen Nan nearly laughed out loud. He hadn’t expected the little devil to have such a vulnerable side. But then a thought crossed his mind: Earlier, when facing the Third Prince Renjian, she hadn’t shown a trace of fear. Could it be that I’m more terrifying than Renjian? Hmm, no!

“Little devil, take out whatever’s in your sleeve, or I’ll shoot an arrow.”

Clang!

The little princess reluctantly tossed a short sword hidden in her sleeve onto the ground.

“Hmph, sharp eyes indeed.”

Chen Nan finally struggled to his feet and reached the little princess. He swiftly tapped her body with a dry branch, sealing seven or eight major acupoints.

“Ha! Mission accomplished!” Chen Nan laughed triumphantly, then collapsed as his legs gave way.

“Ah… Scum! Get off me, you filthy thief… Get off me now…” The little princess screamed in terror.

Chen Nan lay sprawled across her thighs, exhaling deeply. “That nearly killed me. Hmph! Little devil, do you still have the right to give me orders?”

“You shameless… filthy… get away, scum, stinking thief…”

“Enough noise. Keep this up, and I can’t guarantee what I might do.” Chen Nan glanced at the princess’s ample bosom.

“Ah… scum… filthy thief… bastard…” The princess shrieked in terror, her voice gradually fading. She was now terrified beyond measure, dreading that Chen Nan might harbor wicked intentions.

---

Teasing and Taunting

Chen Nan was utterly exhausted. Resting his head on the princess’s thigh, he spoke tauntingly while catching his breath: “This feels amazing. Royal princess legs really are something else, huh? Calming the mind, nurturing the spirit… Could they even cure high blood pressure? Oh, wait, I think I got that backwards.”

The little princess was both ashamed and furious, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Scum… let me go! If you release me, I’ll have Father the Emperor grant you a high official position.”

“I’m a lazy sort who dislikes officialdom. Besides, I don’t believe your promises. Earlier, the Third Prince tried to scheme against me, and I shot him in the butt with an arrow. You don’t want the same fate, do you?” Chen Nan reached out and smacked the princess’s ample buttocks with a loud slap. Having been humiliated earlier, he now took pleasure in shaming her.

“Ah… you…” The princess was overcome with shame and fury, tears streaming down her face.

“You filthy scoundrel… If… you spare me, I… I swear it, I… I’ll give you… many rewards.” The princess choked out.

“Ah, even now you keep calling me scum and a filthy scoundrel. I can’t tell if you’re begging me or just trying to piss me off.”

“Chen Nan… Young Master Chen, please spare me… Waaah…” The princess burst into heartbroken sobs. As the most cherished youngest daughter of the Chu Emperor, she had never humbled herself like this before. The more she cried, the more wounded and wronged she felt, her tears streaming like pearls from a broken string, utterly uncontrollable.

“Stop crying. Stop it.”

“Waaah…” The little princess ignored him, her sobs only growing louder.

“Cry any louder, and I’ll strip you naked right now.” Chen Nan grabbed the princess’s sleeve.

The little princess stopped crying immediately, terrified. A crystal-clear tear hung from her long lashes, her face streaked with tears, looking utterly pitiful, like a fragile little angel.

Chen Nan sighed inwardly. She really was just a little girl after all. He whispered, “Ah, don’t cry.” But suddenly, he caught a fleeting spark of joy in her eyes. Realizing what had happened, he smacked her thigh hard and declared, “Almost fell for your trick!”

“Ah… you…” The unexpected blow to her thigh made the little princess yelp in surprise. She clearly hadn’t anticipated Chen Nan’s swift change of heart.

“Stop playing games, little devil. How could a demon turn into an angel? You’ve exposed your true nature all along. Thinking back to your actions feels like a nightmare. You haven’t forgotten what you did, have you? Playing the victim now is too late. I saw through you long ago.”

“Young Master Chen… you misunderstand me. I’m actually kind-hearted, not fierce at all. Last time… last time, who told you to peek at me bathing? I’m a princess—I must uphold a princess’s dignity. I had no choice but to act that way toward you.”

Chen Nan retorted, “Not fierce? Kind-hearted? Kind enough to nearly castrate me. And every day when you get overly excited, you seek me out to express your joy, often leaving me flat on my back. Was all that ‘unavoidable’ too?”

The little princess pouted pitifully, “Young Master Chen… Brother Chen… I was wrong. Please forgive me. Spare me, waaah…”

“Stop playing the innocent, little devil. Let me be honest—since I captured you, I never intended to let you go.”

“Brother Chen Nan, please spare me! Whatever you desire, I’ll have Father the Emperor bestow it upon you—vast treasures of gold and jewels, countless exquisite beauties.” She gazed at him hopefully.

“Gold and jewels are mere worldly possessions. What use are they to me? As for beauties… why seek them far when they’re right here? Heh heh…” Chen Nan chuckled maliciously, determined to play the villain to the end.

“You… I beg you, please spare me.”

“Give up that hope. I will never let you go.”

The young princess humbled herself, pleading with every word she could muster. Seeing Chen Nan’s face remain resolute, her expression turned cold, and her tone abruptly changed. She snapped, “How dare you! Do you know who you’re speaking to? I am the young princess of Chu! You are merely a commoner of my Chu Kingdom! Don’t you fear bringing about your own death? Don’t you fear my father, the Emperor, exterminating your entire clan?”

Her face now flushed with fury, the earlier vulnerability vanished.

“If I feared you, I wouldn’t have done it. So the little devil finally shows his true colors, huh?”

The princess’s face grew icy as she coldly declared, “Chen Nan, think carefully. Under heaven, no land is not the king’s; along the shores, no subject is not the king’s. Today, you have already offended the Third Prince of Baiyue. If you show me disrespect as well, you will have offended two nations. There will be no place left for you in this world.”

She glanced at Chen Nan and continued, “Don’t think you can slip away unnoticed. The Third Prince Renjian has already fled. If I cannot return safely to the palace, Renjian will expose you. Everything he has done will be pinned on you. Then you… Heh heh.”

“If I let you go, I’ll surely face death too. Alas, it seems we’ll have to find some scenic mountain retreat to hide away. But with a princess by my side, it might just be bearable. We’ll have a whole brood of children then. Hmm, come to think of it, that life isn’t so bad after all.” Chen Nan deliberately wore a look of longing.

The young princess turned deathly pale upon hearing this. Her voice trembled as she spat, “You’re shameless, depraved, despicable…”

Chen Nan waited quietly for her tirade to end before continuing, “After ten or eight years, when we bring a whole brood of children to meet your father, I doubt he’ll kill me then.”

The young princess was nearly mad with fury. “You devil!” she cursed.

“Ha! I’m the devil, and you’re the little demon. Aren’t we a perfect match? Truly destined to meet across a thousand miles!” With that, Chen Nan seized the princess’s right hand, playing with her slender, jade-like fingers.

“You… let go!” The princess was both ashamed and furious, her face flushing crimson.

“Even demons blush sometimes. How peculiar. I recall you were eager to personally perform my castration. Now you’ve suddenly turned into a shy, bashful little girl.”

“You… Hmph! I’ll just pretend a cockroach crawled onto my hand. Consider it a moment of disgust.” With that, the princess closed her eyes and ignored him.

Chen Nan chuckled. “Fine. Since that’s how you feel, sleep with the cockroach then.”

With that, he sat up from the ground, scooped the little princess into his arms, and lay down on the floor with her.

“Ah… Let go! Take your filthy hands off me! Ah… You scoundrel, you rogue…” The little princess was overcome with shame and fury, glaring at Chen Nan with venom. She gritted her teeth, wishing she could bite him right then and there.

Holding the little princess’s soft, warm body, Chen Nan gazed at her jade-like, peerless beauty. He felt his heartbeat quicken. There was no denying it—the little princess truly possessed a beauty that could topple cities and nations. Having summoned Hou Yi three times in succession, he had exhausted all his energy. Coupled with a sleepless night, waves of exhaustion washed over him. Breathing in the princess’s intoxicating fragrance, he felt his body grow light and drifted slowly into a dream.

---

A Troubled Slumber

The little princess initially cursed Chen Nan incessantly, but when she saw him actually holding her as he fell asleep, she quickly stopped her tirade. After all, a sleeping enemy was far safer than a conscious one. She couldn’t quite place the emotions churning within her. She’d never imagined herself lying in the arms of a stranger. Usually, she was the one playing tricks on others, yet today she’d been so lightly handled by this plain-looking scoundrel. She racked her brain for countermeasures—from bribes to threats to seduction—but rejected each plan. This fellow before her seemed impervious to both soft and hard tactics.

While strategizing, she relentlessly gathered her remaining true qi to assault the sealed acupoints. Yet wave after wave of energy failed to budge them an inch. Finally, she gave up in frustration.

Gazing at the sleeping Chen Nan, the young princess seethed with hatred. His arms encircled her supple waist, pressing her ample bosom tightly against his chest. Such intimate contact drove her to the brink of madness. Feeling his warmth, she cursed over and over: “Rise, wind! Gather, clouds! Knock down a tree to crush him! Let rain fall, let thunder roar, let black lightning strike him dead; let darkness fall, let stars appear, let a meteor crash and kill him…”

The wind did not rise, the rain did not fall, the sky did not darken. Chen Nan slept soundly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“That damned scoundrel, even sleeping with such a lecherous grin—scum, filthy thief, shameless bastard…” the little princess cursed him silently once more. Gradually, she too could hold on no longer. After relentless fighting and a sleepless night, she felt even more exhausted than Chen Nan. Slowly, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest.

By noon, Chen Nan awoke from his deep slumber. A ray of sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, warming his body and filling him with a profound sense of comfort.

The little princess still slept soundly, her chin resting on his shoulder, pressing against him slightly painfully. Yet he remained still, quietly admiring her serene sleeping form. Suddenly, the little princess mumbled, “Scum, stinking thief… don’t run… I’ll kill you…”

Chen Nan muttered, “Even in your dreams, you want to kill me. You really are fierce.”

Before long, the little princess’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she awoke too, though her eyes were heavy and she was still drowsy.

Chen Nan remarked, “You sleep like a little devil, don’t you?”

The little princess blinked her eyes, fully waking up. The intimate position they shared made her intensely embarrassed, but her expression quickly turned cold.

“How this princess behaves is none of your concern.”

“How is it not my place? You drooled all over my chest—I nearly drowned in it!”

“Nonsense! It was dew!” The little princess flushed, stammering an awkward defense.

“Ha! Your innocence is utterly charming. If you never revealed your devilish nature and stayed this way forever, anyone would treasure you beyond measure.”

The little princess snapped, “Scum! Thief! How this princess behaves is none of your business!”

“You’re about to become my wife. Can’t a husband point out his wife’s flaws? Also, stop with the ‘this princess’ nonsense. I won’t call you ‘little demon’ either. I’ll just call you Yu’er.”

“How dare you! You disgust me! How dare you call me Yu’er, you commoner?” the princess snapped.

“So what if I’m bold? What can you do about it?” Chen Nan stood up, lifting the princess into his arms.

“How dare you! Scum, filthy thief, put me down…”

Chen Nan hoisted the princess onto his shoulder, grabbed Hou Yi’s bow, and strode purposefully toward the forest’s edge.

The midday sun blazed fiercely, the heat unbearable. Perched on Chen Nan’s shoulder, the little princess felt utterly miserable. “Where do you think you’re taking me, you madman? Put me down this instant!” she raged.

“To a place of mountain streams and clear waters, where we’ll live in seclusion and marry,” Chen Nan replied with a laugh.

“Ah… You shameless scoundrel! Put me down! I’m suffocating!”

---

The Ancient Giant

Just then, the beasts of the forest suddenly fell into panic. Small creatures hidden among the trees swarmed out, fleeing toward the distance. Next came the large carnivores, their running stirs up waves of foul wind.

Chen Nan hurriedly set the little princess down from his shoulder, then scooped her up and flew toward a large tree. The little princess showed no trace of fear, her wide eyes curiously watching the opposite direction the beasts fled. Suddenly, the earth trembled, and the mountains began to shake. In the distance, a towering figure approached.

“Good heavens! I’ve hit the jackpot—encountering an ancient giant! Isn’t the chance of seeing such a colossus in these mountains one in ten thousand?” Chen Nan’s head pounded.

The little princess, however, was utterly thrilled, seemingly forgetting she’d lost her freedom.

“Wow, an ancient giant! Not only did I see a flying dragon, but now an ancient giant too. This trip was totally worth it!”

“Of course it was worth it—most importantly, you found yourself a good husband.” Chen Nan’s words abruptly brought the little princess back to reality.

“You good-for-nothing! If you don’t speak, no one will mistake you for a mute!” the little princess snapped.

Chen Nan said, “Enough talk. We’ll hide here and wait for him to pass before moving.” He met the princess’s sly eyes and added calmly, “If you want to alert that big guy, feel free to scream later. But I’ll toss you right at his feet the moment you do.”

“Why not just seal my speech acupoint?”

“So you’ll learn to obey slowly.”

“Dream on, you damned bastard!” the little princess cursed furiously.

Boom… Boom… Boom…

The ancient giant approached step by step, causing the entire mountain forest to sway with each footfall. The violent tremors sent fallen leaves flying through the trees.

Chen Nan reached out, scooped the little princess from a nearby tree branch, and pulled her close with one arm tightly around her waist. He whispered, “He’ll be here any moment. If you plan to scream, be prepared—I’m ready to toss you out.”

The young princess hissed, “Take your filthy hands off me, or I will scream. Don’t think I won’t.”

“If I don’t hold you tight, you’ll fall for sure. Then you’ll break your backside and go compete with the Third Prince for attention?”

“You…”

The towering ancient giant approached from afar, stopping about ten meters away. Standing a full thirty meters tall, its body was covered in thick, long hair as dense as an animal’s fur. Aside from its extraordinary height and thick coat, the giant’s appearance was otherwise indistinguishable from a human’s.

A pungent, foul stench emanated from the giant, nearly making Chen Nan and the little princess vomit. Chen Nan hastily covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. Seeing the pained yet hopeful look in the little princess’s eyes, he freed the arm around her waist and wrapped it around her neck, shielding her face.

The giant had been traversing the open terrain, but as it passed by them, its nostrils suddenly flared. It headed straight for their patch of forest.

“He’s found us,” Chen Nan muttered, scooping the little witch into his arms and leaping from the tree. They dashed through the forest at breakneck speed.

“Roar!”

The giant’s thunderous roar echoed through the air. With three massive strides, he closed the distance between them.

“CRASH!”

Trees six or seven meters tall snapped like straw beneath the giant’s trampling feet. As a massive trunk toppled toward the fleeing pair, the little princess shrieked, “You idiot! Run! He’s catching up! Ah… Hurry up, you fool…”