The plan was to abduct them from the small party and then stage a rescue.

By "rescuing" Edina, the Shining Blade Sect would earn the favor of the Leon Empire, which would be indebted to them. This, in turn, would open a door for Xu Lian to join the second prince’s faction. The second prince, not wanting to lose the support of the Leon Empire, would undoubtedly accept them instantly.

Xu Lian cursed at the moon, "Why the hell is my luck always so bad?" With that she decided to ride back to the sect and wait for the news of their capture.

Somewhere northwards from the cabin,

As the night raged on, the quiet forest near the Zunzon road was teeming with activity. Two figures could be seen running through the dense trees; one was carrying the other and exuding the Qi of a half-step martial artist. These figures were Wei and Junior Edina. The reason for Wei carrying Edina was because they heard the distant sound of horses from the direction of the cabin. Realizing it would be impossible to escape if they were spotted, Wei decided to carry Edina and make a dash for the road, hoping to find help from the carriages they could hear in the distance. With the coming-of-age ceremony for the young master of the Shining Blade Sect approaching, many guests from martial families were traveling that way and could offer protection.

“I told you I can walk! Put me down; you’re already exhausted! You’ll collapse at this rate!” Junior Edina protested.

“Shut up! I can just leave you here! But—” Wei’s retort was cut short as he slipped, sending both Junior Edina and himself tumbling down a small hill leading to the road. They rolled and stumbled, finally landing.

Somewhere near the bottom of the forest hill,

Lin, with her hands still tied behind her, had just reached the Zunzon road. She was desperately looking around, trying to stop any passing carriages when she heard a loud scream followed by a thud. Turning towards the sound, she saw a familiar outfit and realized who it was. Worry surged through her as she ran towards the boy. “Wei! Wei! Are you alright?” she called out, scanning his body as he groaned and slowly sat up, clearly battered by the fall.

“Will you shut your trap? I just fell from a hill; of course, I’m not alright!” Wei snapped, dusting himself off. “And couldn’t you have waited for me? How could you leave your brother behind?!”

Lin retorted, “What do you mean? You went back for the cripple and wasted your energy! We could have already been here if we both used our Qi! I had to wait and shout for you for minutes.”

Wei fired back, “She helped us; we could at least try to be nice!”

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“As if! She just put them to sleep with some sort of poison and told us to run north! And nice? Are you hearing yourself?” Lin was not having it.

Junior Edina, still dazed from the fall, slowly woke up and saw the two bickering. She knew it wasn’t in their nature to help her, so she checked herself for injuries. Her knee was bleeding, but it wasn’t major. Most of the blunt force had been absorbed by Wei, who was carrying her. He must have shielded himself with whatever Qi he could muster after running, which seemed to have helped somewhat since he had the energy to argue with his sister.

As Wei and Lin continued arguing, two carriages rushed past them. Wei and Lin were too engrossed in their quarrel to notice, but Junior Edina saw them. The carriages appeared to be luxurious, likely from one of the nine great sects. Determined to take action since Wei and Lin weren't keen on stopping any carriages, Junior Edina found a branch nearby and used it to stand. As she heard Wei and Lin arguing.

Wei, face flushed with anger, shouted, "You always think you're better than me just because you're a Grade 1 martial artist! Well, get real, Lin! That doesn’t give you the right to boss me around!"

Lin's eyes blazed with fury. "Oh, really, Wei? And what have you ever done except cause trouble? If I hadn't stepped in so many times, you’d probably be dead by now!"

Wei scoffed, pushing her again. "You think you're so special? You're just as helpless as I am without your hands free! At least I’m trying to do something useful!"

Lin’s voice rose to a piercing scream, filled with frustration and rage. "Useful? You call running back for that crippled girl useful? We could have been miles away by now! But no, you had to play the hero!"

Their argument continued, words flying back and forth like sharp daggers. Wei's accusations about Lin’s arrogance clashed with her claims of his recklessness. Each sibling blamed the other for their dire situation, their voices growing louder and more desperate with each passing moment.

Watching this, Junior Edina finally managed to stand using the branch she found.

Suddenly, a carriage dashed towards them at full speed. Both Wei and Lin froze, realizing they were standing in the middle of the road. The horses approached rapidly, and it seemed inevitable they would be hit. At the last moment, the driver expertly pulled back on the reins, shaking the entire carriage but somehow managing to stop it just before hitting them.

Wei and Lin, hugging each other in fear, fell to the ground. The driver, visibly shaken and clearly furious, yelled, “What in the ancestral land’s name are you kids doing?!”

Before they could respond, an oppressive aura enveloped the area, as the intense aura of murderous Qi filled the air, a martial artist appeared out of nowhere, exclaiming, “You dare stop our carriage! You must be punished in the most brutal manner!” Both Wei and Lin were terrified.

When the carriage door opened, revealing a young woman around their age. She had long, flowing black hair, piercing dark gray eyes, and wore an intricately embroidered, luxurious silk robe adorned with gold and jade accents, symbolizing her high status. She walked out with grace and elegance. One could easily tell she must be of a really esteemed family.

The martial artist immediately stopped his aura and said, “Your Highness! This might be a trap! Please don’t come out!”

Hearing the words "Your Highness" and finally seeing the symbol on the carriage, both Wei and Lin bowed their heads instantly.

Junior Edina, however, already had struggled to stand, barely managing to stay upright so she decided it was too much of a waste of energy to bow again and meet the young woman's gaze directly.

The martial artist burst into fury, seeing Junior Edina's defiance. He took out his blade, a delicately shaped sword crafted by most hardened weaponsmith since with one look and you can tell it was made with pure black red steel one of the most sought-after steel in the eastern continent, might even be most sort after in the whole world if the trade between continents becomes regular.

“You dare not pay respect to the esteemed princess!”