"Damn."
Wade cursed as he held onto the cliff edge while hugging the unconscious Que Ti with another.
"How did this chick even lose consciousness! That was a goddamn harmless light!"
Wade tensed every muscle in his body and threw Que Ti over. Fortunately, she wasn't one of those cultivators who focused on building pure physical strength.
The unconscious body landed on the soft grass of the illuminated clifftop, producing a scene akin to a graceful sleeping beauty.
However, the prince wasn't having an easy time waking her up as he suddenly felt a monstrous pressure descend on him.
"G-Godammit!"
The curse seemed to aggravate the situation as the weight increased further.
"This is ridiculous! This feels like a targeted attack!"
Wade gritted his teeth and barely managed to climb up. However, the pressure on his body didn't lessen one bit.
He felt frustrated by the fact that Que Ti didn't even have her hair pushed down while his buzz-cut hair seemed to be digging into his brain.
With heavy steps, he reached the beauty. He simply wanted to wake her up with a mean kick into her liver.
But the pressure quadrupled the moment he thought so, making him fall face-first into her bosom.
"Damn it! Does the universe think I can enjoy this while my body feels akin to being stomped by elephants?! This girl doesn't even show off! All the goods are wrapped under thick layers of fabric!"
Wade tried to stand up and found the pressure had disappeared. However, the moment he stepped away from unconscious Que Ti, the pressure hit him like a truck.
He was no fool and instantly understood the reason. He promptly reached out for her and took Que Ti into his embrace while trying to steady his breath.
"Damn it. I need to rest."
His eyes were almost about to close when he felt the breath of the woman that lay on top of him disappear.
Without wasting a moment, he flipped her to the side and took into a chokehold.
"Kxh-! Bastard! Unhand me!"
Que Ti screamed, hurting Wade's eardrums quite a bit.
"Just shut up for a moment!"
Wade felt his brain shake from the sheer soundwaves.
'Just what kind of voice is this?!'
"Call down lady. If you hadn't entangled me into your mess we wouldn't have been here."
Wade scoffed and took a second look at the place they had appeared.
They lay atop a grassy hilltop that overlooked vast green plains. A single river split the place into two as it stretched toward the setting sun, into the horizon.
"Bastard. The moment my father learns of this, he is going to castrate you on the spot first. Then, flay your skin!"
Que Ti spat out venomous words while trying to get out of Wade's chokehold.
"Kxh-, how are you even holding me! I am a cultivator! You are piss poor mortal!"
Wade took his attention off the surroundings and frowned. He decided to teach this girl a lesson.
He slowly started to tighten the lock on her neck as Que Ti began to suffocate.
"Look girly. I am not here by my choice nor I ever planned to entangle with you. I just happened to pass by and fall into your ploys. You have to understand me too. Moreover, I am not into flat girls like you."
Wade slowly spoke out each word, but he doubted that Que Ti could comprehend anything as her face was turning blue.
"Anyways, let's keep it peaceful and resolve it like adults."
He let her go and she finally managed to take a full breath of fresh air.
Que Ti shot at Wade a resentful glare.
"I am not flat."
She pouted, failing to appear angry.
Wade raised an eyebrow.
'Am I supposed to fall in love with her or something?'
Que Ti hurriedly turned away, her face flushed a bit red.
"Que Ti, let's start from another note and introduce ourselves."
Wade decided to go with a friendlier approach. After all, he was stuck with her here for a while.
The girl ignored him for a few minutes but eventually rolled over to face him.
"I am an heiress of the Ti Family. A merchant organization that controls the business in the ninth vassal state of the Sun Dynasty."
Wade's jaw nearly dropped on the floor.
'This girl is loaded!'
However, a question arose.
"Hey, why were you even here of all places? Deep in the forest that belongs to the infamous Blood Temple."
Wade couldn't make heads or tails of this situation.
'Did she fall victim to some kind of scheme?'
Que Ti hesitated to answer, but soon exhaled in defeat and spoke the truth.
"The family is wealthier than ever. We secured deals with many powers across the Sun Dynasty, but our focus still stayed on the ninth vassal state. The Sword Prairie."
"Being the home of Sword Sect. It is a largely contended area for all merchant organizations. Even the Imperial Sun Pavillion wants to control all the business there."
"One might wonder how a small family in comparison to the behemoth like the Sun Dynasty established a complete monopoly there. The answer is quite simple…"
"We all carry the bloodline of the Sword Ancestor. The first cultivator that took his swordsmanship beyond the skies, into the stars."
Wade knew this much. After all, the whole world knew about the Sword Ancestor. The highest concentration of those that carried his blood were in the Sword Sect. Many cultivators believed that talent was closely tied to bloodline.
"What's the problem then?"
Que Ti became visibly uncomfortable. Clearly, what she had to reveal next was very sensitive.
Wade understood this and decided to secure her trust since they were in this strange space together.
"I, Wade, swear on my Dao Soul, that whatever you speak next I shall take with me into the grave. Unless, you willingly permit me to share with others."
Que Ti was instantly taken aback. How could Wade be so decisive about something so delicate? Although swearing on Dao Soul was empty words. It still represented the other party's principles.
Even the scummiest people tended to uphold some personal code to value and going back would damage their willpower, effectively obliterating the chances of them reaching the stars.