Chapter 678: Princess Only In Name

“Little princess went missing!!!!”

Chu Mu stared at the bounty for a while without being able to process it!

Princess Jin Rou’s absence was a huge event. In reality, this bounty had been posted two months ago, and had long since caused a huge commotion throughout the city.

However, Chu Mu had always lived a life somewhat isolated from the world, so he didn't even know about little princess disappearing.

Because of the princess’s strange absence as well as the huge bounty, countless experts were looking for him.

However, this beautiful princess seemed to have evaporated from mankind, leaving no hints at all.

Some top tier searching experts were looking for the princess using items that the princess had used before, and still had no traces of her. This caused nightmare palace’s elders and palace masters to be especially worried, scared that little princess had had something happen to her.

Finding out about princess Jin Rou’s absence, Chu Mu’s first reaction was related to the defector young woman.

The defector young woman had had the intention of controlling princess Jin Rou multiple times, but never truly succeeded. This time her disappearing was very likely due to the work of the defector young woman.

Chu Mu and Princess Jin Rou had some relationship, so Chu Mu couldn’t just ignore her. Immediately, he found where Nightmare palace people were staying at great chu family.

Chu Mu originally wanted to use his identity as Nightmare Prince to ask Nightmare Palace people if they knew anything more. It just so happened that Qian Qing had arrived at Wogu City too.

Chu Mu could guess that Qian Qing was a highly statused girl in Nightmare Palace. Presumably, she recognized Princess Jin Rou, so she might know more about her disappearance.

……

Nearing dawn, Chu Mu waited in the tea building.

Qian Qing came as expected. With her also came a thirty or so year old man. What made Chu Mu surprised was that the accompanying person was also a spirit emperor.

“Once my rank is higher, why are there spirit emperors everywhere, where were they before……” Chu Mu muttered.

However, Chu Mu knew that he was in a different realm now. Mainly before, even if an expert like that walked right up to him, he wouldn’t be able to detect it.

When Qian Qing walked into the tea room, she told the man to wait aside. The young spirit emperor didn’t say much, only glancing at Chu Mu specially, before sitting aside alone and asking for some tea.

“Bringing along a spirit emperor whenever you go out, I’m truly sorry for bringing you to barbarian valley like that.” Chu Mu was the first to speak.

Qian Qing shook her head, “I was not born under an emperor.... It’s just that a teacher had favored my talent as a soul teacher, and has taken me as an apprentice. In reality, he isn’t this careful usually……”

At this time, Qian Qing spit her tongue out and said in a small voice, “When princess went missing, I went unannounced to barbarian valley. My teacher thought I went missing too. It was good that he discovered a little late and that I returned soon, or else I would have had a bounty on me too……”

“Eh……” Chu Mu laughed awkwardly. Speaking of which, Chu Mu indeed didn’t care much back then before pulling a young woman to barbarian valley with him like that. Thinking back on it, it indeed wasn’t the best move.

“En, did you say the same time? Wasn’t that five months ago? Didn’t the princess go missing around two months back?” Chu Mu suddenly put things together, and asked quickly.

“The news outside is two months. In reality, the princess’s guards, subordinates, and female servants hadn’t seen her for five months.” Qian Qing said to Chu Mu.

The princess went missing for this long, yet nightmare palace never noticed. This was a mistake on the higher levels of nightmare palace. They didn’t dare announce that the princess had been gone for five months, so after confirming the absence of the princess and setting the bounty, they said two months, even though no one has seen her for around five months.

“This long……” Chu Mu immediately furrowed his brows.

If it were five months back, then he had only left Tianxia City for around four to five months. The defector young woman’s influence should have been undermined by Palace master Yu after Chu Mu killed the defector young woman puppet.

The defector young woman couldn’t possibly have regathered her forces this quickly and stolen princess Jin Rou unless there was someone the defector young woman hid in tianxia city…...

No matter what, if it were five months back, with Palace master Yu actively blocking any attempts for the puppet to regather forces, the chances the princess was taken by the defector young woman was much lower.

However, eliminating the possibility that it was the defector young woman, then where did the little princess go?

“Why did nightmare palace only notice after three months? At least she’s a princess. If she didn’t appear in any public setting for this long, wouldn’t you realize something is wrong?” Chu Mu asked.

“This……” Qian Qing hesitated, and stole a glance at her senior male fellow student and said in a lower voice, “Our generation may see her as the golden branch, a princess high up, protected with many experts and have many loyal followers and admirers. In reality, this is all just on the surface.”

“All just on the surface? What does this mean? Is she not as outstanding as we all think?” Chu Mu raised an eyebrow.

Qian QIng’s words confused Chu Mu. Princess Jin Rou’s fame was uncontested. At any occasion, she was the spotlight. The mysterious face under the veil, the gentle yet refined mannerisms, all could leave a very deep impression on people. After this many years, in young generation females, her influence was almost immovable.

It was this faint, noble, gorgeous quality that caused Chu Mu to be wary of her, as he had a poor impression of perfect looking women since a young age. He lumped her with the defector young woman. Of course, now Chu Mu knew they were completely different people.

“Princess Jin Rou is our symbolic female goddess. Of course, this is just the euphemistic way of saying it.” At this moment, the person drinking tea beside Qian Qing slowly opened his mouth.

He specially glanced at Qian Qing and laughed apologetically, signaling that he didn’t eavesdrop intentionally.

However, he walked over himself and sat down beside Qian Qing, smiling very officially while continuing, “More colloquially, she’s just a pretty decoration. It’s just like how some churches have a sacred lady to make followers feel the church is pure and sacred. In reality, the church high level people all know that the sacred lady is just a flower pot. Without her, they could just find a prettier flower pot; it is that simple. Only fools believe that the sacred lady is holy and uncontaminated……”

Qian Qing’s senior male fellow student clearly saw the nightmare palace seventh level title on Chu Mu’s waist. Seeing Qian Qing not stopping him, he continued to explain.

“You are also a member of Nightmare Palace, and should know that we nightmare palace have a lot of shady sections. Our name in the past hasn’t been great, and it is detrimental to the growth of our organization. So, we indeed had to build up someone who could win the people’s hearts and remove the misunderstanding people have of nightmare palace. Princess Jin Rou was raised for this position.

Chu Mu gazed at Qian Qing’s senior male fellow student. Though this man seemed to just be relaying a reality, if you listened closely, one could hear a little bit of belittlement of little princess, along with an even more complicated emotion tied within.

“Princess Jin Rou is the daughter of the last generation Nightmare Emperor. With Emperor Jiang having taken over, her identity as a princess was indeed only in name……” Qian Qing actually didn’t want to reveal the tragedy of princess Jin Rou’s identity like this, but since her fellow student said it, she could only clarify.

Qian Qing and her fellow student’s words caused a large ripple in Chu Mu’s heart. He indeed didn’t know that under the countless dazzling halos, princess Jin Rou was, in reality, powerless and only had the name.

“So, you’re saying the nightmare palace high level people didn’t care at all when no one saw here for three months……” Chu Mu slowly said.

Qian Qing could only nod carefully. She knew Chu Mu and Princess Jin Rou had some relationship, or else they wouldn’t team up in the seventh and ninth realm.

“Then who issued the bounty?” Chu Mu continued.

“Elder Ye Tao. Elder Ye Tao was little princess’s uncle and her only reliance. I thought Princess Jin Rou would have told you about her identity before……” Qian Qing said.

Chu Mu shook his head. Princess Jin Rou indeed had never mentioned this to Chu Mu. In a moment, Chu Mu felt a little helpless. He still had some misunderstandings with her.

Maybe, the calm and refined yet depressed girl staring at the water is her true self.

“Do you know where she is?” Qian Qing asked in a low voice.

Chu Mu shook her head. He wasn’t sure it was the defector young woman’s actions anymore.

“Maybe she couldn’t handle the pressure and left herself.” Qian Qing’s follower said lightly.

Chu Mu didn’t mind the fellow student’s mocking towards Princess Jin Rou and instead started asking for more details on princess Jin Rou’s missing from Qian Qing.

It was a pity that with such an early event, even princess Jin Rou’s closest servants didn’t have any accurate information.

……

Chu Mu had nowhere to start. If no one could find princess Jin Rou, then this woman may truly evaporate from mankind. When people spoke of her, they would only speak of regrets of not being able to see her true appearance under the veil.

The princess’s absence was something Chu Mu had no power to change. Only in Wanxiang City could he confirm with the defector young girl whether the princess was in her hands.

If the princess wasn’t, then such a strange disappearance for over five months could mean a later story for the princess…...