She immediately recognized the Qi aura—it was her eldest cousin! Just as the realization hit her, she heard a familiar voice say, "What are you doing here, Edina?" Senior Edina turned her head to meet his gaze. Standing before her, in the martial arts uniform of the Blazing Dawn Sect, was Lu Shun Cha Ling, her eldest cousin and the son of Lu Mingfe Cha Ling, elder brother of Edina’s father.

Unlike Aunt Li Mei and her family, Lu Mingfe and the other families of the sect did not torment or look down on Edina. They gave her the respect she deserved. Lu Shun and Edina had been very close when her parents were alive. Senior Edina suddenly reminisced about the time when Lu Shun tried to help her escape the marriage that Aunt Li Mei forced upon her in her past life. He was punished for disgracing the sect by the Sect Elders, a scheme orchestrated by Aunt Li Mei.

"This is a long way from Jinwei Mansion! Did you walk all the way here, Edina?" Lu Shun asked, clearly worried. His concern brought Senior Edina back to her senses.

"Yeah, Brother Shun," she replied, using the nickname that suggested their close bond. "I wanted to see the dresses made by Jade Grass Commerce. I remembered Mother liked one of their dresses, so I wanted to see it before class."

Senior Edina wanted to act meek and sad like her younger self, but she decided against it since she was not a great actor. She instantly made up the lie and used the name of the store she was here to check, hoping that Brother Shun would look into it for her.

Lu Shun's expression changed from surprise to happiness, then to sadness. He was surprised to see Edina speak up, happy that she seemed interested in something, and sad because of the mention of her mother. He said, "Even so, you shouldn’t have come alone. It must have been very discomforting to walk all the way here." Without even asking, he picked her up and added, "I will carry you from here onwards, no excuses."

The reason Senior Edina was surprised to see Lu Shun was because he had gone to participate in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament held at the Mount Hua Sect every year. Senior Edina clearly remembered that Lu Shun was at Mount Hua when Keith Maxism visited the Blazing Dawn Sect. He only returned to the sect around the time of her 14th birthday. He had won the title of Blazing Blade Dragon, which was celebrated for three whole days in her past life. Seeing him still here was very strange.

As he held her up in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck, Senior Edina asked, "Brother Shun, weren't you gone to participate in the Mount Hua tournament? What are you doing here?" Lu Shun smiled down at her and replied, "I was, but on the way grandfather sent a message insisting I come back to handle some urgent matters here at the sect. I'll be leaving for Mount Hua tonight"

This answer only deepened Edina’s curiosity. Why has this change occurred? However, she kept her thoughts to herself for the moment, deciding to ponder over this new development later. When the disciples, martial artists, and Lu Shun’s subordinates in uniform approached them, they greeted Edina in unison, "Good morning, Young Mistress Edina." One of the disciples then said, "Young Master, we need to hurry and report to the sect leader so we can depart before sunset if we wish to reach Mount Hua by next month."

Lu Shun nodded and said, "You all go ahead and report to the Blazing Sun Mansion. I'll join you after I drop Edina off at the Mu Mansion." With that, he continued walking towards the Mu Mansion with Edina in his arms.

As they walked, Lu Shun said, "I will look into this Jade Grass Commerce for you, but you must promise not to travel long distances without someone's help, okay?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Senior Edina shook her head. "If I don't practice walking, how do you expect me to learn to walk properly with my cane? Huh, Brother Shun?"

Lu Shun chuckled in a playful tone "Well, you are the Young Mistress of the Blazing Dawn Sect and a princess. Your Highness, Why do you insist on troubling yourself with these insignificant things?"

With a playful pout, Edina lightly hit Lu Shun on the shoulder. "What? I was just stating the fact," he said, still smiling.

A few hours later in the Blazing Sun Mansion,

Lu Shun entered the meeting hall after dropping Edina off at her class in the Mu Mansion. The announcer announced his arrival, and Lu Shun saw his grandfather sitting at a table, reading a letter and deep in thought. Lu Shun glanced to his left and saw his subordinates sitting in the waiting chairs. They nodded at him as he acknowledged them. Lu Shun greeted his grandfather, "This grandson greets the Sect Leader." Liang Feng slowly looked up and gave a slight nod. "You all go ahead and take a rest. You must be tired from your travel."

With that, Lu Shun’s subordinates gave a brief greeting and left, leaving Liang Feng and Lu Shun alone in the office. After verifying that everyone had left by spreading his Qi across the room, Lu Shun asked, "So, what is the urgent matter that caused you to summon me midway through my travel? It must be very important, right?"

Liang Feng nodded with a solemn expression. "The Leon Empire knows about your aunt's treatment of Edina. I don't know how much they know, but they have some understanding of the situation."

Lu Shun was shocked and wore a complicated expression. For the past year, he, his mother Qin Cha Ling, and Liang Feng had been trying to find ways to revoke Li Mei's custody of Edina. However, due to Li Mei's support within the sect and her ability to conceal her torment of Edina, it had been a troubling matter for them. Initially, Lu Shun’s father, Lu Mingfe, had also tried to help, seeing it as a chance for political leverage, but he gave up after a year of trying. Now, only the three of them and some high-ranking administrative officials in the sect were actively trying to help Edina. Despite the lack of widespread active support, everyone had superficially agreed to never let the Leon Empire become aware of the situation, as it was beyond their control.

“What’s their response? Is it serious?” Lu Shun asked, dread filling his heart. The Leon Empire was a powerful empire in the western continent, owning more than half of it as their domain and possessing one of the largest mage armies. The Leon Empire had signed a nonaggression pact with the eastern continent because their princess had fallen in love with an eastern continent noble and wanted to marry him.This agreement was the basis for the current intercontinental peace, even after her death. Since Edina was living here, the situation had remained friendly. However, now that they knew Edina wasn’t living the best life as they had expected, the Leon Empire could easily pressure the imperial family of the Central Plains to impose severe punishment on the Blazing Dawn Sect. The most horrifying outcome would be an all-out war. Liang Feng replied, “I don’t think they know the full extent of the problem. They've proposed hiring a Leonese teacher for Edina, paid for by the Leon Empire.”

Lu Shun instantly understood the intention. The Leon Empire had no spies or intelligence network in the Central Plains due to the nonaggression pact, so they were opting to send a merchant disguised as a teacher to relay information back to them.“I see. We need to get Edina out of Aunt Li Mei’s custody before the teacher can report anything negative about her situation,” Lu Shun said.

Liang Feng nodded. “Precisely. My reason for summoning you is to escort the teacher hired by the Leon Empire. They’re currently in Mount Hua, so you can bring them back with you on your return. We need to show that we care about Edina and make sure this situation doesn’t escalate any further.”

Lu Shun understood the gravity of the task. “I will do as you command, Grandfather.”

With that, Lu Shun exited the office, determined to handle the situation delicately and protect Edina from further harm.