684: The Prince and Princess

The Prince and Princess

There was a curious tone to her voice as this young girl emerged from behind his back. She had large eyes and a small button nose. In some ways, she resembled a rabbit, having large cheeks and a rather innocent look. 

But contrary to her face, her body was similar to Xing Juren's, muscular and well-built. 

"Oh, Hou'er, this is Ming Yue, an acquaintance from Heaven's Gate."

After telling her this, he turned to the young cultivator. 

"Ming Yue, this is Xing Hou, my younger sister", he introduced. 

The young girl then walked forward, cupping her fists and bowing.

"As my older brother said, I am Xing Hou, princess of the Endless Peak Kingdom. It is my pleasure to meet a hero of your caliber."

Compared to her previous behavior, she introduced herself in a formal manner, befitting that of royalty. 

Ming Yue soon followed, cupping her fists and bowing. 

"It is an honor to meet the prince and princess of the Endless Peak Kingdom", she responded.

As they both lifted their heads and straightened up, Xing Juren stood between them. 

"Alright then, enough with the formalities. Ming Yue, it is good to see you. I was bothered when news of your death had spread but to see you in the flesh. It is good to know that someone as strong as you did not die."

His gaze turned elsewhere, looking down at Xiao Yin and Hei Yue with a rare smile. 

"To see these two again, they've grown much stronger."

Just as he knelt down to scratch their necks, he suddenly bent over as his younger sister leaned over him, looking at the trio. 

"Wow", she said, "When I found out that my brother had been beaten by someone, I couldn't believe it. My training nut of a brother actually lost to someone. I find out your name and then the news of your deeds comes pouring in."

Xing Hou just stared at Ming Yue, perhaps studying her or trying to burn her image into memory. In any case, the young cultivator felt a bit strange with the attention. 

"So... so then, what are the two of you doing here? Is it really because of me?" she asked the pair. 

Xing Juren stood back up, taking his sister off his back and placing her next to him. 

"No actually, we came out here for some training", he explained. 

"Well, he wanted to go out for some training but I wanted to get out of the palace for a while", said Xing Hou, who idled for a bit before playing with the snow. 

Kneeling down, she looked up at the two before eyeing her Ming Yue

"In any case, what are you doing here?" she asked her. 

"I'm the same, I suppose, mainly here to train and find a few treasures if I am lucky." 

Ming Yue said just this. 

Now that she learned more about it, revealing the Abyssal Ice didn't seem like a wise choice at the moment. Even if she knew Xing Juren, he was royalty. 

What would happen if someone else were to find out? Perhaps, someone with ill intentions. 

"It was fortunate that Yuan and Wo Long were good people but I should be more careful", she thought to herself. 

"Mm, I see. Would you like to accompany us then?" Xing Hou asked, " After all, these mountains are our home, we know this place like the back of our hands. You'd never be lost with us here." 

"Hou'er, what are you doing? Don't impose on her like that!"

Her brother looked at her with a stern look to which she shook off quite easily.

"What? We're all here for experiential training, no? Besides, I'd like to hear some stories from the person herself instead of rumors."

"I..."

Xing Juren turned to Ming Yue with an apologetic face before she could speak.

"I'm sorry for my sister's behavior. She has just begun her ten-year trials and hasn't been humbled yet. You don't have to accept it and entertain her."

But then his sister glared at him. 

"Hey! I was being serious you know! It's not like we are going to be playing all the time. Besides, you told me that you wanted to take me to a dangerous part of these mountains. I'm sure that someone as great as her would want to challenge herself, right?" 

"Stop it, I'm sure that she'd like to go off on her own." 

As he said this, Ming Yue opened her mouth. 

"I mean, I've been using the map constantly so it would be helpful to have someone who knows where they're going. However, would you be fine with this? I'll be doing what I've been doing before, hunting beasts and harvesting plants. I'm afraid that I would be slowing you two down", she said. 

Xing Juren had a somewhat surprised look and he was about to respond before his sister acted first. Xing Hou smiled before running up to Ming Yue with big eyes, no doubt excited. 

"Of course not! If anything, I might be the one lagging behind. Unlike my brother here, I have not been training as much as him. He's already at the Sky Realm unlike me, I'm still in the early stages of the Earth Realm." 

And then her brother stepped forward, saying his piece. 

"She's right, I doubt you'll ever drag us down. And for you to want to join us, I can't help but feel honored to have someone as strong as you with us."

Ming Yue smiled, putting her swords away before walking beside them. 

"In that case, please lead the way,"

With that, the trio started hiking through the mountains. 

While she had a barrier set to protect her and the two beasts, the sibling duo walked through the snowy landscape with ease. In fact, Xing Hou was having quite a spirited discussion with Ming Yue despite the howling wind beating down on her. 

She had stopped speaking formally long ago. 

"Ming Yue, how old are you anyway?"

"I believe that I'm about to be twenty-three soon."

"Really? My brother is twenty-seven and I'm soon to be twenty years old", Xing Hou revealed. 

"I see, so this ten-year trial I hear of, it starts at the age of twenty?" the cultivator asked. 

Then Xing Juren answered as he glanced behind him. 

"Yes, the ten-year trial begins when a member of the royal family turns twenty and finishes at thirty. After that, we are deemed worthy enough to take on the responsibilities given to us by our elders. Before that, we are trained and taught from the moment we can walk."

His sister leaned over to Ming Yue, whispering into her ears with a playful grin. 

"You wouldn't guess it but aside from training all the time, he likes to sew."

However, he didn't hear her say anything, too focused on explaining everything. 

"To initiate the trial, we must experience a life or death experience in these mountains first. Hence, I'll be leading her to a more dangerous part of the Xue Mountains. The first beast we encounter there will be the one she must kill alone."

"And if she doesn't?" Ming Yue asked. 

The prince was silent but his face was solemn. 2

"Failure... it is not acceptable."

She held her questions then, knowing that his answer was enough for her to understand. 

The tense atmosphere lasted just a few seconds before Xing Hou burst out laughing. 

"I doubt something like that will happen, you came back with a Snow Ferret! And barely a scratch at that! You know it's the 'first' beast that we encounter so chances are, it won't be anything dangerous. If anything, we should go take on a Frostflame Bear!" 

With the look on her face, it seemed like she really did want to challenge one. 

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