After repeating this process a few times, Chu Nanxi had to be supported back by her maid, Hupo, when it was finally time to return. Having purged her body repeatedly, she was left utterly weak and exhausted; if an enemy were to appear right now, she probably wouldn't even have the strength to lift a sword.
By the time Chu Nanxi rejoined the group, everyone was busy cleaning up the area, and the wounded were having their injuries dressed. Seeing a stranger sitting right beside Prince Duan, Chu Nanxi's expression shifted slightly. She walked over, sat down next to Prince Duan, and watched as he tended to his wounds, anxiously asking with concern, "Brother Ying, you're hurt. Is it serious?"
Prince Duan shook his head and replied, "It's nothing. How are you? Why are you so pale?"
"I'm fine," Chu Nanxi said, glancing at the person beside Prince Duan. "Who is this?"
"Oh, his name is Yun Li," Prince Duan answered. "We owe it to him at the very last moment just now, or my injuries would certainly have been much worse." Yun Li was, of course, Chu Qinghuang. Taking advantage of a wolf's sneak attack on Prince Duan moments earlier, she had leaped down from a tree and kicked the beast away, sparing Prince Duan from severe injury.
Chu Nanxi looked Yun Li up and down. Seeing that the person, though slender and petite, was undeniably a man, she finally relaxed her guard. Pulling her pale lips into a faint smile, she said, "Thank you for saving him, Young Master Yun, or Brother Ying would have suffered greatly."
Yun Li waved a hand. "It's nothing, just a casual effort. Even without me, Young Master Beigong would have been quite fine."
Hearing this, Chu Nanxi looked at Prince Duan with a hint of surprise. Brother Ying had actually told this person his real name! Usually, everyone was mindful of Brother Ying's status and always addressed him by his title; no one dared to call him by his given name, and very few ever called him Young Master Beigong.
Chu Nanxi shifted her gaze and pretended to casually glance at Yun Li, only to find that Yun Li didn't seem surprised at all. Could it be that she didn't know "Beigong" was the imperial surname? Anyone who bore the name Beigong belonged to the royal family.
After helping tidy up the supplies, Yun Li sat down beside Beigong Ying and asked, "Are you here to gain experience, Young Master Beigong?"
Beigong Ying nodded. "Yes."
Yun Li's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise as she looked at him. "Really? I'm here for experience too, and I'm traveling alone. Can I join your group?"
Beigong Ying was momentarily stunned. He glanced around at the others in the group and smiled slightly. "I'm not the only one in this party; there are others as well. I need to consult them first."
Yun Li waved a hand generously. "That's fine, that's completely normal. It doesn't matter if they don't agree."
Beigong Ying instructed his personal guard to ask the rest of the group. Since no one had any objections to Yun Li staying, she naturally became part of the team. Sitting beside Beigong Ying, Chu Nanxi felt extremely resentful, but because it was Beigong Ying who had allowed Yun Li to stay, she didn't dare voice her discontent. Instead, she said with utmost tact, "Brother Ying, we still have to go to Kongming Palace. Bringing Young Master Yun along with us... might that be a bit inconvenient?"
Before Prince Duan could reply, Yun Li looked at him in surprise. "You're going to Kongming Palace too? The entrance examinations are next month, and I'm heading there as well."
Hearing that Yun Li was also going to Kongming Palace, Chu Nanxi felt an inexplicable wave of annoyance. Looking at Yun Li with suspicious eyes, she asked, "Young Master Yun is taking the exam too? Isn't your strength a bit too low? Will you even be able to pass?"
At that moment, a young man who had finished cleaning himself up walked over and sat down beside Yun Li. "What a coincidence that Young Master Yun is also trying for Kongming Palace?"
"Yes," Yun Li replied. "Whether I can pass or not, I have to go try! What if I actually make it? With a gate as grand as that, I'd be satisfied even just becoming an outer disciple."
"Indeed, Kongming Palace is one of the top sects on the continent. Even an outer disciple position is fought over by countless people," the young man said. "Since Young Master Yun is also heading to Kongming Palace, let's travel together—it'll be good to have company on the road. My name is Shen Huaixu."
"Right, right, just come with us! I am Yanze," chimed in another.
"Young Master Shen, Young Master Yan," Yun Li thought to herself, recalling that the Shen, Yan, and Chu families had rather good relations; she had even accompanied her father to visit the Shen and Yan estates a few times in the past.
Sitting to the side and watching Yun Li integrate into the group so quickly, Chu Nanxi clenched her fists. Didn't they realize that having one more person go for the exams meant one more competitor? Now that they knew this Yun Li was also testing, instead of trying to find a way to block her, they actually wanted to keep her company! In her view, crippling this Yun Li right now was the only sensible course of action.
Chu Nanxi bit her lip and remained silent. Shen Huaixu and Yanze glanced at Chu Nanxi and exchanged a subtle smile. They simply couldn't stand her: the Chu Family eldest miss had barely drawn her last breath before Chu Nanxi latched onto Prince Duan. Although she used to hang around Prince Duan occasionally in the past, she had never been this blatant. Now, her eyes practically grew roots on Prince Duan's body. Whenever any other girl drew close to him, trouble would invariably befall that girl before long. If the two of them hadn't grown up with Prince Duan since childhood, he probably wouldn't even be allowed to have men around him. The only reason they let Yun Li stay was purely to disgust Chu Nanxi.
Not long after the group had relocated to a new spot and sat down to rest, several wild boars came charging toward them. Seeing the beasts rush in, Yanze let out a helpless groan, "What is going on? We even moved to a new place, so why are Mystic Beasts still chasing us?"
"Enough, stop whining and deal with them quickly."
Since Beigong Ying was injured, he remained seated to rest. Only Shen Huaixu, Yanze, and Yun Li joined the fight. Seeing Yun Li step up to slash at the wild boars, Shen Huaixu remembered her low cultivation and advised, "Brother Yun, you should step back. Wild boars may be common, but they are still Level 2 Mystic Beasts."
"Thank you, Brother Shen, I'll be fine. Let's finish this quickly so we can roast some meat later."
Shen Huaixu paused slightly as he watched Yun Li's neat and decisive sword movements. He hadn't expected that even though Yun Li only possessed the strength of the Innate Stage 3, her swordsmanship was surprisingly crisp and clean, completely devoid of wasted motions. He wondered what kind of sword technique she practiced.
After a quarter of an hour, the three of them dispatched the wild boars. Yun Li dragged back a slightly smaller boar and began examining it. Yanze looked at her in curiosity and asked, "What are you dragging the boar over for, Brother Yun?"
"To eat, of course! It's already nighttime, and I haven't eaten yet. Have you guys?"
Yanze shook his head. "We haven't. We're currently practicing penance by fasting—after all, once we leave home, we won't always have food available at any time."
"I don't want to fast. I like eating meat." Yun Li set up a pot, boiled some water to clean the wild boar, and once it was prepped, mounted it on a rack to roast.
Time ticked by slowly. A rich fragrance gradually drifted into the air. Yun Li produced salt and various seasonings, sprinkling them over the meat as she continued to turn it on the fire.