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

He was being reasonable; after all, Zunzon Road was a notorious bandit hotspot. Given the number of guards accompanying the woman and the two carriages Junior Edina had seen rush past with the same symbol—a golden dragon and a small golden dragon—it was clear this was a high-profile entourage, likely her advance scouting carriages.

Junior Edina, having barely managed to stand, decided it was too much of a waste of energy to bow. She met the young woman's gaze directly, knowing it would be alright to do so.

The martial artist burst into fury at Junior Edina's defiance. He drew his sword, a delicately shaped blade crafted by the most hardened weaponsmiths. With one look, it was clear it was made from pure black-red steel, one of the most sought-after metals in the eastern continent, possibly the entire world if intercontinental trade became regular.

“You dare not pay respect to the esteemed princess!” Before he could step forward, the so-called princess ordered, “Calm down, Liang. Do you think bandits would dare have bait dressed as members of one of the Nine Great Sects?” She glanced at Wei, who wore his martial uniform of the Blazing Dawn Sect, then turned her attention to Edina and her unusual red hair. “Moreover, I don’t think mere bandits could produce a lookalike of the esteemed Leonese princess.”

There was a strange spark in her eyes that Junior Edina noticed.

“That’s all the more reason to be suspicious, Your Highness! This might be a trap set up by His Majesty’s rivals!” Liang, the martial artist, was adamant, his voice tinged with concern. It was more than likely that a rival had set up a trap.

The princess, however, remained calm. “Jinhai, if this is a trap, we’ll deal with it. But right now, these children need help. Let’s not jump to conclusions.” She stepped forward, her luxurious silk robe adorned with gold and jade accents marking her high status, and addressed Junior Edina directly in broken Leonese, “Meeru Edina Princess Kada?” ("Are you Princess Edina?").

Junior Edina replied, “Avunu, nenu Princess Edina, Zhou Huangshu.” ("Yes, I am Princess Edina, Princess Zhou Huangshu."). This was a test Princess Zhou Huangshu used to determine if this was a trap or not. If rivals or other malicious entities had set up this trap, they would likely use someone with dyed red hair to bait them. However, since Junior Edina replied in Leonese, which is rare in the Eastern Continent, it served as good authentication that these were indeed people from the Blazing Dawn Sect.

Zhou Huangshu’s eyes softened as she nodded, satisfied with the response. She turned to Jinhai and said, “See? They are who they look like they are. Let’s help them.”

Junior Edina, exhausted from all that had transpired, finally felt a wave of relief wash over her. As she began to slip, Princess Huangshu moved with the grace of a 1st-grade martial artist, catching her before she could fall. “Be careful, Your Highness!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “This is the first time I’m meeting another princess! I was so excited to meet you at the Shining Blade Sect. I never imagined I’d meet you here!” Her bubbly and sunny nature was evident, surprising Junior Edina, who nodded in response.

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Princess Huangshu continued, “I can’t believe this! I also wanted—”

Jinhai interrupted with a cough. “Your Highness, we must get moving. It’s not safe here. You can discuss things during the ride.”

Huangshu nodded excitedly. With a simple footstep technique, she carried Edina into the carriage. Jinhai did the same for Wei and Lin, ensuring they were safely aboard.

As the carriage began to move, the children found themselves finally able to relax.

At the top of the forest hill,

Several figures on horseback watched as a few torch fires were lit and observed the events unfolding on Zunzon Road. It seemed their luck had run out; the young master and mistresses of the Blazing Dawn Sect had been rescued by an imperial carriage.

There was no way they could attempt to recover them now. The deadly aura they had felt earlier emanated from a Grade 7 martial artist. It was wiser to return and endure the punishment their mistress might bestow upon them rather than risk capture and torture by the imperial court.

With heavy hearts and no other options, they turned their horses around and began the ride back, preparing themselves for the inevitable consequences.

Inside the Imperial Carriage on Zunzon Road,

Lin, sitting opposite the princess, was recounting the events that led to their capture by the bandits. She spun the tale as if it were some epic adventure, trying to gain Princess Huangshu’s attention and perhaps a bit of favor. Meanwhile, Huangshu kept stealing glances at the quiet Edina sitting next to her, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"For two days, we were locked up in that forsaken cabin with nothing but bland porridge for meals! It was truly tumultuous, Your Highness Huangshu," Lin exclaimed with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

Huangshu glanced at Edina and then asked Lin, "So how did you end up on Zunzon Road all tattered and worn out?" This question also piqued Jinhai’s interest, who was sitting to the left of the princess, as his suspicions had not yet been completely dispelled.

Lin began to stammer, "I- We- used-." It was evident that Lin was struggling to praise or even acknowledge Edina's role in their escape, especially since Lin had abandoned them.

Wei chuckled at his sister's flustered expression and said, "Edina used some sort of poison to make them fall asleep, which gave us enough time to escape to Zunzon Road." Wei didn’t believe the captors were dead, as he didn’t know of any poison that could kill martial artists of the second grade within seconds.

Huangshu turned to Edina, her eyes filled with admiration. "That's incredible! How did you do it, Your Highness? I know you're not a martial artist, so what kind of poison did you use?"

Junior Edina felt embarrassed since it was Senior Edina who had executed the plan, and she had no idea how it had been done. The admiration and excitement radiating from Huangshu were overwhelming for the meek and shy Junior Edina. She replied in a low voice, "It's... a secret.Your Highness"

Huangshu’s eyes sparkled even more, intrigued by the mystery. Jinhai, still cautious, kept a watchful eye, though the princess's enthusiasm seemed to ease the tension in the carriage.

"I wanted to write you a letter after our last meeting a year ago, but since you went into mourning, I decided against it. But as soon as I heard you were coming to the coming of age ceremony of the young master of the Shining Blade Sect, I was so excited that I rushed to attend early!" Huangshu exclaimed.

Junior Edina did remember meeting Huangshu last year when she visited the imperial palace with her parents before the tragic event. However, both of them had been sitting far apart and had only greeted each other once.

"Huh... so you knew she was Young Mistress Edina, Your Highness? Why didn’t you say so then?" Jinhai asked, puzzled by the princess’s earlier actions. Then it struck him. "Your Highness! You deliberately feigned ignorance so you could talk to Young Mistress Edina in Leonese, didn't you?"

This statement made Lin and Wei give Huangshu odd looks.

Huangshu scratched her head and admitted, "I might have done that, Jinhai... he he." Jinhai palmed his face at the antics of his mistress.

Junior Edina, feeling slightly more at ease, smiled faintly at Huangshu's playful nature. "It's alright, Princess Huangshu. It’s nice to see a familiar face," she said softly.