There was no visible difference that Long Chen found, but he could feel that the space varied, depending on the location and only after understanding the difference could he unlock more mysterious abilities related to space and increase his already existing abilities.
Long Chen lost himself in comprehension as he forgot about the time as well as his surroundings. He trusted in Mingyu and had faith that she would protect him from any sudden danger. Furthermore, he would be able to wake up from his comprehension if she tried to wake him up with enough force.
Long Chen felt the space around him, hidden inside every particle of the atmosphere. There were a myriad of spaces and dimensions even inside this carriage itself, that Long Chen could feel.
Mingyu and Zhiqing stayed silent for most of the journey as they occasionally talked in between.
Soon, it was night and everyone decided to set camp.
The guards set up the camp as they handled things like selecting the place, placing tents and arranging the fire and food.
"Master Chen! It's night already! Let's leave this carriage and rest in the tents. Everything is already prepared" Zhiqing called out to Long Chen as she looked at him.
She waited for a brief moment but received no response from him. With a confused look on her face, she called out again but it was the same. Even Mingyu tried calling him many times, but Long Chen didn't react to either.
"Is he sleeping? " Zhiqing asked Mingyu with a thoughtful look on her face.
"I feel like he's having an enlightenment. We shouldn't disturb him." Zhiqing let out softly as she glanced at Long Chen.
"Really? Such a sudden enlightenment? Don't you need to meditate for a long time to have a chance of achieving that?" Zhiqing asked as her eyes opened wide.
"Mostly… but not always. There are always a rare few who can achieve it" Mingyu said as she gazed at Long Chen with a bright smile on her face.
"So he can't be disturbed for a long time. How about you go eat first? I'll keep an eye on him" Zhiqing suggested as she glanced at Mingyu.
"It's fine. You can go, I'll stay here to protect him," Mingyu said to Zhiqing as she looked out the window.
" You'll spend the whole night in the carriage? " Zhiqing asked her with a dinner look on her face.
" Yea," Mingyu nodded her head without any change in her expressions.
"How about you go and eat already, As I said, I'll stay here to protect him while you eat" Zhiqing again suggested.
" It's fine. I'm not hungry" Mingyu said as she denied Zhiqing's suggestion. She kept sitting right beside Long Chen with a caring smile on her face.
"He's really lucky to have you with him" Zhiqing lowered her head as she said softly.
"Nope, I'm the one who's lucky to have him. I would have died so many times without him, but he saved me. In a world where even those with enough strength don't help others, but he... despite having enough strength, he decided to help me...I owe him so much..." Mingyu said in a somewhat emotional voice.
" You really love him, Don't you?" Zhiqing asked suddenly.
Mingyu didn't reply but she nodded her head as she looked at Long Chen.
"He is so amazing and kind... I'm sure that many girls will fall in love with him and he will fall in love with them... Are you prepared to fight for him? Can you share his love with others? " Zhiqing asked again. She didn't know why she asked this question. She wondered if she was really curious about Mingyu's nature or was she just asking for herself... All she knew was that she wanted to know.
"I've thought about this many times... And I know that I can't keep his love, all to myself, but I will try my best to become the girl who stands by his side forever. Maybe ... He will realize that he doesn't need anyone else... " Mingyu said with a somewhat emotional voice.
" If it's written in his destiny to be with more girls, or if he falls in love with another girl...I won't hate him or oppose him. Although I will feel sad, if it's for his happiness, I will bear with it. I'll make sure that there's always a place in his heart for me even in that situation" Mingyu further continued.
" You have such a pure heart...I somehow feel really bad." Zhiqing said with a depressed smile on her face.
" What are you sorry for?" Mingyu asked with a curious look on her face.
"I'll tell others to bring the food inside. You can eat it without leaving" Zhiqing said as she left the carriage.
'I'm sorry because I'm also in love with him... and I will make him mine... ' Zhiqing thought to herself as she left the carriage. She walked towards the biggest tent in the whole camp as she entered inside.
Soon, Zhiqing left the tent with a plate filled with food in her hands. She walked towards the carriage and entered inside.
"Here..." she said as she gave that plate to Mingyu.
Mingyu looked at the food carefully for a while. She brought out a tiny bottle from her spatial ring which she sparkled on top of the food. The white powdery substance evaporated in ten seconds after it fell on the food.
'There's no poison' Mingyu thought and finally began eating it.
"What was that powder?" Zhiqing asked with a curious look on her face. She had seen something like this for the first time in her life thus she had no idea about it.
" Oh, it was nothing. Just think of that as a special medicine from back home." Mingyu replied with an apologetic smile as she continued eating.
"Would you mind if I stay here as well?" Zhiqing asked Mingyu in between her eating.
" Why? Don't you want to sleep in the comfort of the tent?" Mingyu asked her as she finished eating.
" It's fine... Since both of you are staying inside the carriage, I feel like I should stay with you as well. I hope you won't mind" Zhiqing told her.
" It's not that I mind... But" Mingyu was saying but she was interrupted by Zhiqing.
" It's decided then. I'll stay here. I'll be right back" Zhiqing said as she left the carriage. She walked back to her tent.
" General Yao... I'll be staying inside the carriage for the night. Young Master Chen is going through a serious moment in his cultivation, so I'll be acting as his dharma protector." Zhiqing said as she stood in front of General Yao. Prince Estelin and Princess Maia were also there and had just finished eating.
"You don't have to do it personally. We can tell our guards to protect the carriage and guard him and if that's not enough, this old man is willing to guard him myself. You should sleep comfortably, Princess.
"It's fine General Yao, there's no need to worry, I have decided that I'll do it," Zhiqing said with a determined look on her face.
" Sigh... When you fixate on something, it's almost impossible to change your mind... Alright... You can guard him... I'll stay here to guard the Young Prince and Young Princess." General Yao said as he shook his head.
"Thank you," Zhiqing said as she left the tent and wanted back to the carriage. She entered inside.
Zhiqing and Mingyu both spent the night inside the carriage and they talked about random stuff. Some related to Long Chen and some totally different.
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Back in Shui Kingdom, the Dragon City was full of excitement as the time of Xuan Kingdom's Sect selection exam drew near. Many young Cultivators who had entered a long secluded cultivation to prepare for the exams finally came out of their cultivation with much more strength than they possessed before.
Inside the Royal Clan of Shui kingdom, the Second Prince and the Third Princess prepared for their departure to the Xuan Kingdom.
Inside a well-furnished room, a woman who looked to be in her early forties rested inside her blanket on the bed. Although she still looked beautiful, she looked quite pale. It was as if she was suffering from sickness.
On the same bed sat two people. A young boy who looked to be 17-18 years old, sat beside the woman as he looked at her with a caring gaze. He had deep blue eyes and shiny black hair which came down to his shoulders.
Right beside him sat a young girl. The girl had shiny blue hair and eyes just like the boy and the woman laying on the bed. She looked to be 15-16 years old.
"Mother, We'll leave this city tomorrow. Based on my calculation, we will be in the Xuan kingdom in about two weeks" Second Prince Yue Luan said to the woman.