The princess's silence lingered like mist—elegant but cold.
Then she turned, robes fluttering like starlight as she strode toward the guest courtyard without waiting for a response. Lin Yuan followed, maintaining the delicate steps of a demure "junior sister," but beneath his calm exterior, his thoughts swirled.
She noticed. Her senses are sharp—sharper than anyone I've met here. I need to be careful
In the Guest Courtyard
The stone garden was filled with pale lotus flowers and silver koi. The princess sat beneath the moon-shaped pavilion. Lin Yuan served tea with graceful, practiced movements.
She studied him without drinking.
> "Do all junior disciples here learn etiquette like this?"
Lin Yuan bowed slightly. "Sect Leader tech me"
She tapped her fingers against the table.
> "What's your cultivation stage?"
> "Late Body Refining," he replied.
> "Strange… your eyes say otherwise."
Lin Yuan kept his smile. "I am only lucky with my teachers."
The princess fell silent again, but her aura—like moonlight behind clouds—never dimmed.
Later That Night
Lin Yuan returned to his own courtyard, exhaling deeply as he shed the outer robe and sat cross-legged in the moonlight.
> *"She's dangerous. Not hostile, but… sharp. I can't make mistakes."*
Suddenly, Lady Mingyan's voice emerged in his mind.
> "You did well. She's testing you. Royals don't trust others easily."
> "She suspects," Lin Yuan replied mentally.
> "Then don't give her reason to confirm it."
> "What should I do?"
> "Sleep."
> "Sleep?"
> "Soul cultivation can continues when the mind rests. I'll help you."
Lin Yuan chuckled softly and lay back, letting the moonlight wash over him.
---
**Elsewhere, That Same Night**
The princess stood alone at her window. She held a piece of jade inscribed with an ancient formation.
She turned toward the stars.
> "No ordinary disciple could hide soul energy that well. Interesting."
---
**The Next Day**
Sect leader say ,"Today 9 princess will so you have to meet them "
Word of the princess spread through the sect like wildfire. Disciples gathered to catch glimpses of her during courtyard strolls or her elegant, effortless sword practice.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan kept a respectful distance—always present, never lingering.
That morning, the princess turned to him suddenly.
> "You're familiar with the sect's geography?"
> "Yes, Your Highness."
> "Take me to the Misty Crane Waterfalls."
Lin Yuan nodded. "As you wish."
At the Waterfalls
Mist swirled like silver feathers as the two stood atop the stone cliffs.
The princess stared down at the roaring water. "Beautiful."
Lin Yuan said nothing.
Then she turned.
> "I have a question."
> "Yes?"
> "Do you know what the penalty is… for deceiving a royal?"
His heart skipped.
> "No… Your Highness."
She stepped closer.
> "Good. Because if you're lying to me…" her voice dropped, dangerously soft, "I'll know. And I won't be merciful."
Then she smiled.
> "But you're just a gentle junior sister, aren't you?"
Lin Yuan bowed, heartbeat steady.
> "Of course.I have to accept another princess. If you need me you call me" The sun had barely cleared the eastern ridges when the first carriage arrived.
Its body was made of white jade and silver, pulled by a single spirit crane with frost-blue feathers. The gate bell chimed once.
Lin Yuan, dressed in ceremonial robes and hair pinned with a lotus hairpiece, stood alone at the sect's entrance.
From the carriage stepped a girl in a pale robe of flowing clouds. Princess Bai Ling, eldest daughter of the Liu Kingdom—graceful, cold, and elegant.
She regarded Lin Yuan with unreadable eyes.
"You are my escort?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I am Disciple Lin Yue."
"Very well. I dislike unnecessary talking."
Lin Yuan bowed. "Then allow me to lead the way—silently."
She nodded in approval.
Later that day, the second princess arrived on a fire-plumed spirit hawk.
A flash of red and gold marked her descent. She leapt off before it landed and landed in a fighting stance.
"I'm not late, am I?"
This was Princess Hong Yu, second daughter—famous for her love of battle and complete disregard for etiquette.
She clapped Lin Yuan on the shoulder (nearly dislocating it).
"You're the pretty one assigned to show us around? Good. You'll carry my sword bag."
Lin Yuan bowed again, hiding his wince.
"As Your Highness commands."
At sunset, the third princess came, this time on a sleigh pulled by snow foxes, trailing frost in her wake.
She stepped down delicately, snowflakes forming around her steps. Princess Xue Yin—soft-spoken, eyes cold as glacier springs.
"I heard this sect has moonlight fields. I want to meditate beneath them tonight."
"Arrangements are ready, Your Highness."
"You speak well for a servant," she said, as if testing him.
"I had good teachers."
By evening, a skyboat of green jade arrived with music echoing across the clouds. The fourth princess, Princess Mei Yan, stepped out in a robe filled with flower embroidery and perfume that made disciples swoon.
"Oh my, this sect is quite simple. But the flowers are charming."
She eyed Lin Yuan.
"And so are the servants."
Lin Yuan bowed low. "Welcome to Taiyin Sect, Your Highness."
The fifth came the next morning—Princess Yan'er, only six years old, escorted by ten guards and holding a plush rabbit.
"Sister Fairy! Are you really a cultivator?"
Lin Yuan knelt to meet her eye level.
"Yes, but a very junior one."
"You're so pretty. I like you. "
Shortly after, the sixth princess, Princess Qingwu—age nine—descended from a spirit goose in full armor. Scroll in one hand, sword in the other.
"I've come to study your sect's formations. Point me to the library."
"Right away, Your Highness."
She stared at Lin Yuan's face.
"You look suspicious."
"People say that about smart girls too."
She gave a reluctant nod. "Hmm. You're alright."
The seventh and eighth princesses arrived side-by-side in a double carriage. Same age thirteen. One silent, one chatty.
"Are you our guide?" the cheerful one asked.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"We'll share a room. But I want incense and honey rice."
"And I want silence," the other muttered.
Lin Yuan nodded. "One incense burner. One silence-formation."
"You're good," both said at once.
Finally, at twilight, a lone rider approached on a spirit tiger. No fanfare. No guards. No chariot.
She dismounted, tossed a golden seal at Lin Yuan, and said,
"I hate formalities. Just show me where to sleep."
This was Princess Wu Zhao—ninth and most unpredictable. Rumors said she'd once dueled her tutor for calling her 'delicate.'
Lin Yuan bowed once more. "Right this way."
She walked behind him and muttered,
"You don't walk like a woman."
"Sword training. Builds the spine."
"Hm. I'll test that someday."
Later That Night
Lin Yuan slumped into a chair in his room, exhausted. Nine princesses. Nine personalities. And one very fragile disguise.
Lady Mingyan's voice echoed in his mind.
"Well done, little tiger. You're now the most overworked guide in the realm."
"I deserve an award," Lin Yuan muttered.
"No. You deserve to survive."
"Why do I feel like this is only the beginning?"
"Because it is."