Chapter 399: Hanging on the Princess’s Neck

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Traveling from the frigid northlands of Londom to Xifeng Holy Sanctuary in the far west, crossing the entire League of Blades—this was clearly going to be another long-ass journey. Honestly, if you were looking for the shortest route, Old Wang’s challenge wouldn’t have been planned this way.

A lot of people thought it was Rose chasing some kind of psychological perfection—challenging the sanctuaries in the exact order they’d posted their taunts on the Holy Sanctuary’s Light. It came off as obsessive perfectionism at its worst. Even Winnie had initially given Old Wang shit for his rigid approach, calling him stubborn and inflexible. But eventually, she got it—this was exactly why Old Wang was so brilliant.

The longer journey and extended time frame gave Rose a few major advantages, most importantly giving everyone time to grow.

Like with Wu Di—his Behemoth bloodline awakened during battle, but he only truly mastered it after all this time, with Old Wang constantly coaching him along the way. The Old Wang Squad had crazy potential, and the longer the delay, the more they could level up, getting stronger every step of the way.

Plus, the long trip also gave them the perfect chance to heal. You can’t fight eight holy sanctuaries back-to-back without getting hurt. Take that last fight in Londom—Wu Di was bled damn near dry. If Rose had gone straight into the next match the next day, they’d have been short a man. But after half a month on that brutal Magic Rail Train, with Old Wang dishing out potions like candy, Wu Di was back in fighting form, better than before—and even locked down that new move “Heaven’s Fall and Earth’s Split,” sharpening it until it felt like second nature.

This breathing room made the so-called “challenge of eight consecutive matches” way easier.

Here’s the kicker: Old Wang was gaming the system hard, yet somehow the whole League couldn’t say a word against him. Everyone just assumed it was his obsessive need for perfection. Some even pitied or laughed at his so-called “perfectionist mindset,” thinking Rose was at a disadvantage dragging themselves across the continent while the other sanctuaries sat around waiting fresh and rested.

Holy shit…

Even someone as proud as Winnie suddenly felt like Wang Feng’s IQ was on a completely different level. This guy was a fucking genius!

The Magic Rail Train had entered the Xixibi Peaks region—the largest mountainous area within the League of Blades.

Jagged peaks and endless ranges stretched as far as the eye could see. Deep within these mountains were countless legends of magical beasts, making it the Holy Sanctuary’s western stronghold and a prime training ground for sanctuary disciples.

Xishen Peak was the tallest summit in these western mountains, where Xifeng Holy Sanctuary stood like a secluded sacred land, founded by one of the Eight Sages, the Exorcist Sage. Of course, the current leader wasn’t a descendant of the sage, but rather the Zhao family—the same Zhao Ziyue who had crossed paths with Rose back in Dragon City.

There were no cities here, only countless small towns blooming along the Magic Rail tracks, encircling the sanctuary like a sacred fortress. The train had stopped at several of these towns along the way, passing directly through their centers. The locals wore distinct ethnic attire, wildly different from mainstream Blade fashion, giving off serious mountain folk energy.

The final stop was Xifeng Town, nestled at the foot of Xifeng Holy Sanctuary. Way livelier than those podunk towns before, it had tons of inns. As soon as Old Wang and his crew stepped off the train, they were greeted by representatives from the sanctuary.

“Esteemed members of Rose, I am Liu Yishou, sent by Senior Brother Zhao Ziyue to welcome you.” The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, good-looking with a practiced, polite smile. “Senior Brother Zhao said your team includes beastmen, who ain't welcome at Xifeng Holy Sanctuary. But we’ve already arranged accommodations for you here in Xifeng Town. The match is tomorrow at noon, and I’ll escort you up the mountain in the morning. No need to worry.”

Straight to the point—and openly discriminating against Kela and Wu Di. Winnie’s eye started twitching, ready to blow. Like we give a shit about their charity? But Old Wang was already grinning. “Senior Brother Zhao sure thinks ahead! Though I gotta apologize—my brothers do eat quite a bit…”

Liu Yishou had braced himself for Wang Feng to either refuse proudly or accept calmly. He never expected the guy to nitpick over something so petty! You’re supposed to be leading a team called Rose, and you’re stressing over how much food they eat? What the hell kind of leader are you?

Fucking hick! Beastmen might eat a lot, but how much could they possibly consume? Did he think Xifeng Holy Sanctuary couldn’t afford it? What a fucking joke!

A flicker of disdain flashed in Liu Yishou’s eyes, though his smile didn’t waver. He replied half-jokingly, “Captain Wang, you worry too much. Senior Brother Zhao already talked to the innkeeper—all your expenses tonight will be covered by Xifeng Holy Sanctuary. Spend as you please, as long as you don’t throw money into the street.”

Enjoy it—it’ll be your last night of happiness anyway.

Liu Yishou finally managed a slightly genuine smile.

Meanwhile, Old Wang slapped his hands together—*smack!*—today was gonna be good!

Xifeng Town wasn’t big. The place Liu Yishou booked for Rose was right in the town center—a ridiculously fancy eight-story joint, towering over the rest of the town like a landmark.

Inside, the decor was modern and luxurious, service matching five-star city hotels. Not some backhanded insult, either. Even Winnie, who had suspected Zhao Ziyue was pulling some sneaky trick, found herself speechless. She’d been expecting some shady move, but maybe she’d overthought it.

Tomorrow’s match at Xifeng was being watched by the entire League. Even Zhao Ziyue wouldn’t be dumb enough to pull anything shady now. Any slip-up would end up embarrassing Xifeng itself—not Rose.

As Liu Yishou helped them check in, Old Wang yawned—he’d been stuck on that Magic Rail Train for two weeks straight. Suddenly, a delighted voice rang out from deep inside the lobby: “Wang Feng!”

Winnie’s ears perked up. She turned her head—only to find it wasn’t a girl, but a fair-skinned little boy with a buzz cut, no older than thirteen or fourteen. His snow-white complexion and bright, eager eyes radiated joy. But… why did his voice sound so girlish? Oh right—still too young for his voice to change.

Winnie shook her head, convinced she’d cracked the mystery. Still, the kid was undeniably cute, delicate features and skin smoother than most girls’. Wang Feng’s twin brother? Pfft! That lazy-ass sloth? No way he has such a pretty sibling. Probably some distant cousin. Whatever—she was definitely gonna flirt with him later.

Old Wang, meanwhile, squinted at the boy, puzzled. After staring for a while, his eyes suddenly went wide. “Holy crap! Xuecai?!”

The 'so-called tomboy' turned out to be none other than Xuecai.

Xuecai laughed heartily and swooped in like a whirlwind, immediately wrapping herself around Old Wang’s neck. “Tch! It's only been a few months—how could you not recognize me?!”

Old Wang coughed repeatedly. This girl was way too wild, and the pose was rather unseemly. “Why did you cut your hair?”

“All so I could come see you!” Xuecai pouted indignantly.

“What does cutting your hair have to do with seeing me?”

“My governess didn’t keep a proper watch on me, so I got into a bit of trouble. Father got angry and wouldn’t let me come with my sister, so I had to sneak out!” Xuecai declared matter-of-factly. “But the guards in Ice Spirit City all know me—they’d never let me slip through. Then I remembered that trick you mentioned last time about cutting your hair, so I just cut it short! Heh, guess what? When Father went to see my sister off at the city gates, he didn’t even realize the little attendant tagging along behind her was me! Hahaha! He probably thought I was just some pageboy!”

Xuecai spoke at lightning speed, her words tumbling out in a jumble—chaotic and disjointed.

Old Wang managed to catch about three-quarters of what she said. The others around them were left gaping, utterly bewildered by her rambling. Then they heard Xue Zhiyu’s amusedly exasperated voice chime in: “Oh, you! And you still have the nerve to brag about it! I left a letter for Father—he knows you're with me, but he has no idea about the haircut… Wait till we get back—you’re in for it.”

“Tsk! Why bring that up now when we're having such a good time?” Xuecai clung to Old Wang’s neck, refusing to let go, her legs wrapped around his waist like a monkey. “We’ll deal with going back when the time comes. Wang Feng, Wang Feng, why did you take so long to get here? We left after you but arrived two days earlier! It’s so boring here—waiting for you was making me antsy!”

As she spoke, Xue Zhiyu emerged from the depths of the lobby, leading the Frost Spirits with a smile.

“Big Bro!”

“Brother Wang!”

“Wang Feng!”

“Hey, Kela!”

The three Aota brothers, the Tatashi siblings… these were all familiar faces—not just to Old Wang, but also to Winnie and the others. Badeluo, in particular, strode straight over to Kela with shining eyes, greeting her first.

It was only then that Winnie suddenly realized what was going on. The person currently hanging off Wang Feng’s neck wasn’t his little brother or some pretty boy—it was the little princess of the Ice Spirit Kingdom? Holy shit, this was a girl? And a minor at that? And here *she* was thinking about hitting on her earlier… This guy Wang Feng is such a beast—he really isn’t picky at all!