Chapter 114: The Princess’s Thoughts

“Princess Aida, do you… do you know him?” The woman’s unusual behavior and appearance puzzled the guards nearby. Hearing her muttering to herself, they couldn’t make out what she was saying. The middle-aged man who had escaped from Rod asked her.
“No, you don’t need to chase after him. He’s no match for them! His speed isn’t any worse than Uncle Dor’s. He must be a god-tier warrior. There’s no point in chasing him. Let’s go!” Only upon hearing the man’s question did the woman snap out of her daze. She withdrew her lingering gaze and sighed softly before turning to walk back toward the lake.
“Sis, are you… are you okay?” Eirwen also rushed over, asking Aida, who seemed a bit off. Her face was filled with confusion. Her sister’s behavior today was extremely strange—she had never seen her like this before, except during the brief period after she returned. This made her suspicious, as she knew her sister best.
“I’m fine, Eirwen. Have you packed everything? We’ll stop here for today. Let’s head back quickly!” After glancing at her sister, Aida replied calmly after a moment. At that instant, her expression returned to its usual composure. She no longer resembled the alluring woman Rod had met earlier—there was no trace of charm, only a chilling coldness that reached deep into one’s bones.
“Oh, I’ve packed everything. Let’s go!” Staring at Aida in bewilderment, Eirwen’s confusion grew even more. Seeing that Aida had started walking, she hurried after her.
The group slowly moved forward along the path leading to Dark Moon City. The atmosphere was somewhat strange and gloomy. Glancing back at the direction Rod had fled, Aida’s heart was in turmoil!
How could he be here? Had he reached such a level in just two years since they last met? God-tier—a realm that so many dreamed of. He had achieved it, and it seemed he wasn’t even inferior to Karl and the others; in fact, he might even have the upper hand. What was going on? Even if he were from that clan, it shouldn’t be like this! Her doubts grew deeper, her expression turning icy, to the point where she ignored Eirwen’s constant observations of her.

What is he doing here? Does he already know everything? Yes, that must be it. This time, those from the pro-war faction joined forces with a large army to attack the continent, and it is said they achieved remarkable success. He must know everything; otherwise, he wouldn’t be here! As she walked forward, Aida’s mood grew even heavier. She wished so much that she had misseen things earlier.

She had originally just come out to bathe. When she sensed someone behind her, she first thought it was her sister Eileen. But the next moment, she realized something was wrong. She called out tentatively a few times, but no response confirmed her suspicion. Then Eileen appeared. To avoid alerting anyone, she acted calm and composed until she was fully prepared to take action. She had intended to kill this man who had desecrated her, but who would have thought it would be this familiar face standing before her, the face she had missed for so long? At that moment, she thought she had misseen things; she truly wished she was hallucinating. But everything proved she wasn’t wrong—it really was him. He had come.

“Sister… what… what’s wrong?” Seeing her sister in silence, unlike her usual self, Eileen couldn’t help but ask.

“Princess Aida, are you… are you alright? Did that boy hurt you?” Karl and the others, who also noticed something was wrong with Aida, asked anxiously. The two princesses were the master’s treasures; nothing bad could happen to them—something the guards like them couldn’t afford to handle.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Let’s pretend this never happened, understand? I don’t want anyone else to know about this. Do you get it?” Taking a deep breath, Aida was pulled back from her thoughts once again. Her expression turned cold as she glanced at them and spoke in a low voice.

“But sister…” Eileen, utterly confused by Aida’s words, looked at her sister anxiously. It was obvious to anyone that her sister was in distress, and naturally, she was extremely worried.

“Yes! Princess!” The guards hurriedly responded. The way Aida had looked at them earlier had chilled their hearts—those icy gazes served as a tangible warning. As guards, they knew well what to say and what not to say; the more they knew, the worse for them. They understood exactly what Aida meant. They were all too aware of this princess, who usually appeared extremely charming. She might be easy to talk to about certain things, but her methods for dealing with those who defied her were terrifying.

“Alright, Eileen, remember my words—this never happened, understand?” With a cold snap, Aida said those words to Eileen before turning away and continuing on.

“Hmph, there’s clearly a problem, yet she won’t let anyone ask!” Eileen seemed extremely aggrieved by Aida’s outburst, her face filled with resentment as she muttered complaints to herself.

Seemingly hearing Eileen’s words behind her, Aida paused briefly, sighed, and then continued walking. Yet no one noticed a flash of coldness in her eyes—she knew her sister better than anyone else! Others might be deceived by her innocent and cute appearance, but not her!

Beneath that innocent facade lay terrifying scheming. Although she hadn’t done anything since returning these past few years, and Eileen seemed honest and harmless, Aida was well aware of the petty tricks she played in secret. She simply didn’t want to mention them. After all, since they were twin sisters, it was better not to dwell too much on certain things.

In the oppressive atmosphere, the group quickly left the lake and disappeared. Moments after they left, Rod reappeared by the lake.

At this time, Rod’s face was pale, and he appeared extremely weak. He hadn’t chosen to flee far away; instead, he had used an illusion to hide somewhere after escaping. Although the power of that punch had been weakened, it was still the attack of a god-tier powerhouse. Even a thin camel is bigger than a horse—he had suffered severe injuries from that single punch! His body also wouldn’t allow him to run long distances. Fortunately, the opponent hadn’t searched; otherwise, his chances of survival would have been slim.

Sitting slumped by the small lake, he panted heavily, with a trickle of blood flowing down from the corner of his mouth. “Damn it, it seems I’ll need some time to recover!” Wiping the blood away, Rod muttered to himself. His condition didn’t allow him to move on, and this injury would likely take days to heal. He never expected to die before even starting his mission—before reaching Dark Moon City, he encountered such a tricky problem that nearly cost him his life! Frowning deeply, Rod wondered why that charming girl gave him a familiar feeling, as if he’d seen her before, though he couldn’t recall where. One thing was certain: he had definitely met her before! Over the years, he had met quite a few people, but recalling them all at once was quite difficult. With a sigh, he put the matter aside for now, finding a quiet place to focus on his cultivation, as his injuries needed to heal as quickly as possible. With great effort, he finally found a spot between two rocks not far from the lake that was safe enough for him to enter and begin cultivating. As his combat energy purified his meridians, his internal injuries gradually healed over the course of two days. As the days passed, Rod’s injuries recovered rapidly. By the second day, they had healed to about 80-90%. Reaching his peak condition wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a short time. Fortunately, no magical beasts came to disturb him during his recovery. Although a few tried to approach, they eventually retreated under the threat of his power and Ferntian’s defense. Standing up, he looked at the clear lake, its surface shimmering like a mirror under the sunlight, breathtakingly beautiful. His body was covered in a thin layer of black dirt from cultivation—waste products expelled from his body. Seeing no one around, he jumped into the lake to enjoy the beauty of nature. The cool water made Rod feel refreshed, as if all his frustration and fatigue from those days vanished in an instant, leaving him full of energy. After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, he narrowed his eyes ahead. “Dark Moon City, Rod is coming!”

That’s right. Less than a kilometer in front of Rod lies Dark Moon City, one of the four major cities in the demon race’s habitat. It is a city belonging to the opposition. Rod’s target this time is that place. As agreed, he will live there for a while, integrate into the demon race’s lifestyle, and gather some information to prepare for the upcoming action. Of course, the most important thing is to train, aiming to reach the intermediate level of the divine tier within a year. Otherwise, it might really be as Xuanfeng and the others said—going there won’t achieve anything.