Slowly, one by one, the unconscious children began to wake up.
Some of the young masters and ladies found themselves far from home, bound and surrounded by fierce-looking men. The more timid ones immediately burst into tears.
"What are you crying about? Shut up! Anyone who cries, I'll kill first!"
The bearded man glared menacingly at all the children, scaring them into silence, their eyes filled with terror.
Among them, a young boy of about eight or nine, dressed in opulent sapphire robes, suppressed his fear and bravely spoke, "I-I am the young master of the Blood Sword Sect. My father is Ma Xiaotian. If you dare to harm a single hair on my head... my father will kill you all!"
The bearded man let out a laugh. "Ha, someone actually dares to threaten me?"
He strode over. The other children flinched and cowered away. He grabbed the boy and slapped him hard. "You little brat, I don't care if you're from the Blood Sword Sect or the Blood Blade Sect. You're in my hands now, so you'd better behave, or else..."
"Ah—Help! Help..."
The young boy screamed in terror, struggling frantically. The bearded man grew impatient. "Damn it, shut up! I told you to shut up!"
Too lazy to even target pressure points, he simply twisted the boy's head, snapping his neck.
All the children were stunned into silence by the gruesome sight...
Jun Mu Bai lowered his head, unable to watch further, feeling a chill run through his body. He constantly told himself not to be afraid, that his Eldest Senior Brother, Senior Sister Guoguo, and Senior Sister Luoluo would surely come to save him.
The bearded man, without any hesitation, killed a child in front of so many others. He tossed the body to his subordinates. "Go quickly and get the blood. Don't delay. Damn it... They refused the toast and opted for a banishment, seeking death!"
"Remember, keep a close watch. Not a single one is allowed to escape. These little ones are treasures. I'm going to check with Master Liu Zhen. If the master arrives and we haven't completed the task, we'll all die a terrible death."
"Yes, boss," his subordinates echoed in unison.
Soon, the door was closed. The children huddled together, trembling, and began to cry softly.
Only then did Jun Mu Bai cautiously move towards Princess Rou'er. Just as she woke up, she looked at him with her big, blinking eyes. "Huh? Brother Xiaobai, are you at the palace again? Why are you..."
Princess Rou'er saw Jun Mu Bai bound and realized she was also tied up. Looking around at the dozens of other children, she quickly sensed something was wrong. After Jun Mu Bai explained, she understood what had happened.
"So, we've all been kidnapped?"
But Princess Rou'er, far from being scared, her eyes lit up. "That's great! I've always wanted to leave the palace, but Father and Mother never let me. Now someone has kidnapped us... How interesting!"
Jun Mu Bai said with a headache, "Sister Rou'er, this isn't fun. They just killed someone."
Princess Rou'er's delicate face scrunched up, and she pouted in anger. "How detestable! They even kill children as young as us! These bad guys deserve to die! Brother Xiaobai, can you untie me?"
Jun Mu Bai looked hesitant. "Sister Rou'er, whatever you plan to do is very dangerous."
"Brother Xiaobai~!" Princess Rou'er cooed at Jun Mu Bai, as adorable as a porcelain doll.
"..." Jun Mu Bai felt a headache coming on.
Others might not know, but he certainly did.
Although Sister Rou'er was only five years old, she was incredibly clever and full of mischievous ideas, often causing the palace staff endless trouble. But these bad guys wouldn't show any mercy, they wouldn't pity her for being a child.
However, he couldn't resist Princess Rou'er's plea and finally said, "I can untie you, but you must not do anything rash. You have to listen to me."
"I know, Brother Xiaobai, hurry up."
Jun Mu Bai nodded. A ball of spiritual light appeared on his bound hands, from which a small green vine emerged.
The green vine grew, intertwining and coiling. Though very slow, it gradually untied the ropes.
Jun Mu Bai rubbed his wrists, which were sore from being bound. It was so difficult.
He had only cultivated to the fifth stage of Xuan Shi. His wood elemental power could only control the green vine to do such a trivial thing. If only he were as powerful as his Eldest Senior Brother, he wouldn't have to fear these bad guys at all.
After Princess Rou'er's ropes were untied, she quickly kissed Jun Mu Bai on the cheek, smiling sweetly. "Thank you, Brother Xiaobai!"
Jun Mu Bai blushed instantly.
The children around watched their interaction with a mixture of hope and anxiety. Although they also wanted them to untie their ropes, they remembered the fate of the boy who had died earlier and none dared to speak up.
Princess Rou'er tiptoed towards the door. Jun Mu Bai thought she was going to escape and quickly grabbed her.
"Shh!" Princess Rou'er gestured to him. A hint of cunning flashed in her watery big eyes. She took out a few small black round balls from her pearl earrings.
No one expected that her earrings were also storage artifacts.
After all, she was the fourteenth princess of the mighty Beiming Empire. Although young, she never lacked magical artifacts. Even though some were confiscated, she still had plenty that hadn't been discovered.
Princess Rou'er carefully pushed the soybean-sized round balls through the crack in the door.
The small black balls rolled on the ground. The guards at the door didn't notice a thing.
*Poof! Poof!*
A puff of smoke emerged. The two guards finally realized something was wrong, but it was too late. They soon fell to the ground.
Seeing Princess Rou'er open the door, Jun Mu Bai quickly pulled her back. "Sister Rou'er, what are you doing? There are many bad guys outside!"
"Don't worry, Brother Xiaobai, I'm not escaping."
Princess Rou'er blinked and said, "With so many bad guys outside, how can two children escape? Besides, there's them. If we're discovered, we'll definitely be killed. But we can find someone to rescue us, like informing my elder brother!"
Having said that, she opened the door and peeked out, confirming that no one was around. She then took out a firework from her storage earrings. "This is what my elder brother gave me last year. As long as I set it off in the sky, no matter how far away, my elder brother will come to save us..."
Jun Mu Bai felt a glimmer of hope. "Sister Rou'er, you're so smart."
"Of course!"
Princess Rou'er quickly lit the firework and aimed it at the sky. With a "whoosh," a dazzling red light shot into the sky with a whistling sound.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Then came green, yellow, blue... Each one exploded in the clear sky, scattering like shooting stars, visible throughout the entire city.
The bearded man had just stepped onto the street when his face changed drastically. He turned and rushed back towards the courtyard.
A group of guards also saw it and rushed towards the room where the children were held. They indeed saw a little girl in palace attire and a finely sculpted little boy standing at the door, almost escaping.
"Catch them!"
"How dare they set off signal flares! Kill these two little brats!"
"Wait, that seems to be Princess Rou'er. What if we kill her..."
Just then, the bearded man leaped down from the roof. Looking at Princess Rou'er and Jun Mu Bai, his face contorted with rage. "Good! It's you two, trying to find someone to save you? I don't care if you're a prince or princess. Since you don't behave, I'll teach you a lesson!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he ferociously lunged towards Princess Rou'er.
Jun Mu Bai exclaimed, "Rou'er!" He tightly embraced her small body.