Chapter 165: Chapter 90: The Sea-Sealing Mountain Demon Toad, Twin Phoenixes Vying for the Dragon

The way home.

The carriage rolled along with the desolate autumn wind, crushing the increasingly barren wilderness.

Li Xuan lifted the curtain and saw the setting sun along the ancient road.

The darkened horizon was showing a suppressive hue, the heavy clouds dimming, and soon this world would be swallowed by night.

The Little Princess drowsily opened her eyes, her head nestled in Prince Qing’s arms.

Prince Qing’s bent arm served as her pillow, while his fingers wrapped around her neck, gently resting on her other shoulder.

Her beautiful eyes naturally revealed despair, and when reflecting the sunset, they displayed an indescribable poignant beauty.

This made Li Xuan can’t help but feel like "the heroine of a cartoon suddenly appeared in a war disaster movie."

He lowered the curtain.

By now, the autumn wind was cold enough.

The Little Princess’ fever had not subsided, and she surely could not endure even a bit more chill.

Then, he picked up the travel journal "Six Tombs Resplendent Continent Expedition," supporting it with one hand, flipping through the pages with his fingertips.

The Little Princess slightly raised her head.

The sound of the turning pages became the only thing in her empty mind.

Suddenly, her complexion turned pale, like gold paper.

"When the orange grows south of the Huai River, it is an orange; north of the river, it becomes a trifoliate orange. The leaves look similar, but the taste is different. Why? Because the soil and water differ."

Away from the capital, the Little Princess suffered from acclimatization issues, compounded by the betrayal of her family, and this fever.

"Stop the carriage."

Li Xuan shouted directly outside.

At his command, the massive caravan came to a complete halt.

Then, he took a blanket, wrapped Zhao Qingxue snugly, and stepped out of the carriage.

The wind blew, making the air slightly fresher.

Li Xuan asked softly, "Feeling any better?"

The Little Princess weakly nodded, looking left and right, but none of it was familiar to her.

She could no longer enjoy the delicacies of Wufeng Street, nor play with her girlfriends, nor see her mother, brother, or relatives... She was all alone as if the whole world had abandoned her.

Her eyes reddened, she turned her head, and tears streamed down.

Sorrow penetrated her heart, hurting her organs and triggering a series of coughs.

In all his life, Li Xuan had never seen such a vulnerable and fragile girl.

Just leaving home seemed like a matter of life and death to her.

And this girl happened to be his wife.

He carried the blanket-wrapped princess in his arms, walking on the wilderness.

No companions needed to ask—they already knew why Prince Qing had ordered the halt.

For the ordinary entourage, if Prince Qing wanted to stop, they would stop; there was nothing more to say.

But the secret martial artists accompanying the Prime Minister were silent out of awe.

While they were still struggling with Dual and Triple Cultivation, that man had already reached the terrifying "Double Demon Form."

The Prime Minister sensed the stop of the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked far into the distance.

Nearby, a secret martial artist on horseback immediately rode over to report: "Prime Minister, Prince Qing was worried about the princess, so he had the carriage stop."

The words were unbiased, just a factual report.

But it still carried a trace of minor dissatisfaction.

Even if you’re Prince Qing, even if you’re the Prime Minister’s successor, even if everyone is willing to obey you, is it not too arrogant to stop the entire caravan just because a lady was uncomfortable in the carriage?

However, the Prime Minister merely glanced and softly replied, "A short stop is fine; it’s getting dark. We might as well set up camp here."

"Yes!"

The secret martial artist respectfully acknowledged, then began to relay the Prime Minister’s orders throughout the entire caravan.

...

...

The carriages and supplies were arranged in a circle on the outside, while campfires burned inside.

Further away, armored soldiers and secret martial artists patrolled.

The Little Princess tightly wrapped herself in the blanket, her face pale, truly like a porcelain doll.

Li Xuan called a traveling cook to specially prepare a dish suitable for her to eat, unlike the others who settled for staples and meat.

Afterward, he glanced at the Little Princess again, reaching out to poke her cheek.

The Little Princess didn’t resist, letting him poke.

Laughter came from behind the two of them.

"Prince Qing, you and the Princess Consort seem quite affectionate."

Li Xuan turned around and saw it was Yan Fujing.

He smiled and stood up, only to be gently pushed back down.

Yan Fujing sat directly next to him, taking out a small green jade bottle from his pocket and handed it to Li Xuan, saying, "The princess is weak and physically and mentally exhausted; she should replenish her energy to fend off misfortune.

This is the Three Spirits Jade Dew Pill, just to be taken orally. When I feel exhausted or on the brink of illness, I take one, and it’s immediately effective."

"Thank you, father-in-law." Li Xuan took it directly, removed the stopper, poured out a round translucent green pill, and then took a water bag to have the Little Princess swallow it.

Shortly after taking it, the Little Princess felt a warmth welling up throughout her body, a comfortable sensation bringing back long-lost drowsiness.

She softly slumped over to one side, falling asleep on Li Xuan’s lap.

The campfire crackled and popped.

Li Xuan casually picked up cold branches and tossed them in.

Sensing the Prime Minister’s silence beside him, Li Xuan said, "Rest assured, father-in-law, Xuan’Er knows what to do."

Yan Fujing said, "I know you are deeply attached and righteous, but throughout this journey, you’ve tended to the princess excessively. Today, you’ve even halted the caravan before dark for her sake, which delayed our original schedule.

Do you truly like her?"

As the Prime Minister, Yan Fujing had seen numerous arranged marriages, and naturally, many "appearances and hearts disagreeing."

When a marriage is arranged for interests, it’s okay if both families match in status and share the same interests.

But if there’s even the slightest discrepancy, more often than not, it results in "bedfellows in name only," or even a "nominal couple."