The angry fluttering of wings was briefly heard before an aggrieved voice bellowed, “if it weren’t because of that wicked son of a bi—” he paused, deciding not to mention the person he was angrily rebuking. A flash of curiosity entered Baihe’s eyes. Could this person be the same one who trapped this arrogant bird inside the guqin? She mentally gave the anonymous deity a thumbs-up and received a disdainful gaze from Qian in return.

“Little monkey girl, your heart is truly black!” he chided, those phoenix eyes brimming with dissatisfaction over her inner-thoughts. “Right now, I only have about 20% of my true strength. It will be…a while until I fully restore my power, but even the lowest level of cultivators in the heavenly realm are more formidable than the strongest of the strongest in the moral realm. Speaking to a human like you about it will only waste my saliva. Just know that this grandpa here, is top-tier from the heavenly realm!” Qian boasted.

His small figure appeared to have grown a few inches taller as if waiting for her to admire his strength and kneel in worship over his might, except he was doomed for disappointment. Baihe didn’t take his self-evaluation to heart, but knowing he was from the heavenly realm meant his true strength would be stronger than a Xiantian stage 5 expert. That little piece of knowledge had hardened her resolve to release him from his entrapment. She had a weapon of mass destruction lying dormant inside her.

“So what’s this deal of only if you permit it?” she asked, her voice cold as she looked at the deflated body of the phoenix, who suddenly perked up at her question.

“This grandpa here is a HEAVENLY DIVINE beast! A contract with a heavenly divine creature such as myself is not one of master and servant, but one of equals. Establishing a link with me only meant that you will be able to use my powers when I permit it.” He raised his chin, immensely proud of himself.

Baihe’s face darkened as black lines appeared on her forehead. “Then wouldn’t that mean once I’ve released you, not only will you sit back and watch me fight alone, but you’ll also cheer on the sideline wishing for me to die sooner? Till death-do-us-part right birdy?”

Qian stiffened, surprised that this monkey wasn’t as stupid as most of the other ones. He had indeed wanted to grab some popcorn, then sit back and enjoy the show. A contract between them also meant that he was forbidden to kill her personally, but he could only return home if she were gone. It was a good thing she couldn’t read his mind; otherwise, the little phoenix would have turned into fried chicken already.

Adopting the most amicable smile, Qian persuaded: “Silly girl, we’re stranded on the same ship. By helping me, you’ll only be helping yourself. Rest assured, this grandpa will definitely lend you his strength as long as you know how to treat me well!”

She stared at the phoenix with a frosty smile on her beautiful face. Did he really think I’m a fool?

“Okay, I’ll break into the treasury vault of the Feng Empire Palace, but first I’ll need to train for a few months to regain my former physique.” With those words, she turned her full attention to training her physical body while Qian waited impatiently for the next few months to go by, wishing he had the power to speed up time.

♦

Fei Fei took a refreshing stroll in the garden as she leisurely picked up a pair of scissors and began to prune the bonsai tree. The slut Baihe was finally dead and gone; the position of the crown princess was soon to be hers. Three months had passed by since the funeral incident and the day of the royal wedding ceremony was set to take place after the Feng Martial Tournament, only one week away.

One week- the world would be hers!

By then, which person wouldn’t bow down to her; which female wouldn’t look at her with envy; and which male wouldn’t secretly covet her in their hearts?

She breathed in the fresh air, her body feeling so light to the point she thought she was floating on clouds. Everything looked beautiful when your future was lit with bright prospects.

“Second Miss! Second Miss! Young Master Ming has returned home, arriving together with Prince Zhao!” head-maid Lin announced, out of breath from rushing over.

Throwing down the scissors, Fei Fei eagerly dashed toward the main hall, halting only when she was almost outside the door to tidy up her appearance. With small lotus flower steps, she elegantly walked into the room, her eyes bashfully glancing toward Prince Zhao.

“Fei Fei pays respect to father, mother, brother and Prince Zhao,” her knees bent slightly as she performed a curtsy, displaying the noble countenance of a well-bred lady.

Huang Gui looked at his daughter approvingly, very pleased with this daughter of his. His concubine, Huang Mei, walked toward her daughter Fei Fei and pulled her closer lovingly. “Silly girl, quickly go show Prince Zhao and your brother the new painting you’ve drawn!”

This was just an excuse her mother made for her to spend time with Prince Zhao and mend the bridge between them. Fei Fei blushed as she glanced shyly toward him. Seeing her delicate and docile behavior softened his heart and lessened the misgiving he had of her previous conduct during Baihe’s funeral. With a warm smile, Zhao nodded his head before striding toward her bedchamber with her brother Ming following close behind.

Relieved that he had forgiven her, Fei Fei happily trotted after them. Her father had managed to secure the marriage with a royal edict from the Emperor, but without Prince Zhao’s forgiveness, her days would only be miserable. Now, her anxious heart was finally able to calm down.

Outside the door, Ming looked at the couple with a shrewd smile and said: “Brother-in-law, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. I still have other important matters to attend to,” he tactfully bid his farewell and retreated.

This wasn’t the first time it’d happened and everyone in the household was in silent agreement over their affair, even when he was still engaged to Huang Baihe. Her face blushed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the room to enjoy her sweet fragrance.

♦

In the quiet night, a slim figure lurked outside the Feng Empire Palace, scaling the walls with swift movements. Her presence was concealed so well to the point that she nearly blended together with the darkness. This thief was no stranger to the layout of the palace. The blueprint of the place was fresh in her mind, almost like a second home.

Baihe inwardly sighed, the obsession her predecessor had with Prince Zhao finally bore fruit. At last, it could become beneficial, blessing her with an impressive blueprint in her memory from all the times her predecessor entered the palace.

She leaped down without a sound, employing the diligence of her former career as an assassin and skillfully masked her presence in the night. She had trained hard in these past three months to regain the glory of her past physique. In her previous world, three months simply weren’t enough time for such a miracle to happen, but this world defied logic and embraced miracles.