Yang Guo travels back in time to become Duan Yu, a different kind of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Chapter 74 Elopement

A few days later, at dusk, at the post station in Bianliang City.

A messenger from the Beggars' Sect, covered in dust from his journey, rushed to the inn that very night. With a solemn expression, he handed Yang Guo a secret report.

Yang Guo unfolded the letter, his gaze quickly sweeping over it, and his expression suddenly darkened.

The secret report stated that three villains, led by Duan Yanqing (Yun Zhonghe is already dead), were plotting against Prince Zhennan, Duan Zhengchun, and attempting to force him to relinquish the throne of Dali. The situation was critical. Prince Zhennan was currently at Xiaojing Lake in Ezhou, seemingly accompanied by a beautiful woman.

Yang Guo was speechless when he saw this. His "father" really did follow his heart. When he left Dali, he said he was investigating the cause of Master Xuanbei's death, but he ended up investigating a beautiful woman.

Regardless of the circumstances, he is currently posing as "Duan Yu," and the Prince of Zhennan is his biological father. He cannot stand idly by, both morally and logically.

There was no time to lose; we had to set off south for Ezhou immediately. Fortunately, Ezhou was not far from Bianjing, and we could arrive in six or seven days at a fast pace.

Yang Guo summoned the Dali delegation to pack their belongings, and before the palace gates were locked, he entered the palace to bid farewell to the Emperor, explaining that the Prince of Zhennan was in urgent need and that he needed to go to his aid overnight.

Emperor Zhao was furious. How dare someone kill the Dali royal family within the territory of the Song Dynasty? They simply didn't respect the Song Dynasty at all. If he hadn't not yet assumed power, he would have at least sent a troop of soldiers to guard Xiaojing Lake. He would have loved to see who dared to be so bold.

Yang Guo also knew Duan Yanqing to some extent, knowing that he was also a member of the Dali royal family. To put it bluntly, this matter was just an internal dispute within the Dali Duan family, and no matter what, there was no need for the Song Dynasty government to intervene.

Fortunately, Emperor Zhao was only talking; mobilizing troops was no small matter. If he were to actually mobilize them, the Prince of Zhennan would probably already be dead. However, Emperor Zhao was quite spirited. Knowing that Yang Guo wanted to travel day and night, he specially allowed Yang Guo to select several fast horses from the Imperial Horse Stables.

Yang Guo didn't stand on ceremony and selected three fine horses from the Imperial Stables, intending to ride all the way to Little Mirror Lake.

When Yang Guo returned to the inn, all his belongings were ready. Without saying a word, Yang Guo mounted his horse and headed straight for the city gate.

About twenty or thirty miles outside the city gate, Yang Guo was surprised to find a young man in a blue robe standing by the roadside. He was slender and his features were vaguely recognizable as Princess Zhao Shuhuai.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Yang Guo was startled. He stopped his horse and lowered his voice, "Princess! What brings you here? Do you know what a grave crime it is to leave the palace without permission?"

The person who came was Zhao Shuhuai. Although she had handed over the notes left by Xiaolongnu after her conversation with Yang Guo that day, she could no longer erase the world of martial arts from her heart.

Although she was twenty-five, she was still the same twelve or thirteen-year-old girl at heart, curious about new things. She originally thought she would be like a caged bird for the rest of her life, but after hearing about the ups and downs of the martial arts world from Yang Guo, she learned that there was another way to live in this world besides the palace etiquette.

For some reason, upon hearing that Yang Guo was going to face danger alone, she felt a deep sense of worry. Staying in the palace, she could only sit idly in the Yaohua Villa day after day, unable to do anything. If Yang Guo were to encounter any accident, she would never even have the chance to see him again.

Zhao Shuhuai made up her mind. Taking advantage of the darkness of night and the change of guards, she changed into an ordinary blue men's outfit and secretly took the sword that she had always kept in her room.

Having lived in the inner palace for many years, she knew every hidden door, alley, and shift change time within the palace. Possessing the exquisite lightness skills of the Ancient Tomb Sect, she easily evaded the patrolling imperial guards, silently climbed over the back wall of Yaohua Villa, and avoided the lights all the way, heading straight towards the south gate outside the city.

She knew that Yang Guo was going to Ezhou, which was in the south, so Yang Guo would definitely go through the south gate.

As the saying goes, "Meeting Yang Guo once ruins one's life." The eldest princess of the Song Dynasty left the palace without imperial decree. If exposed, she would be confined to her quarters for life at best, and face impeachment and criticism from the entire court of civil officials at worst. But Zhao Shuhuai was no longer concerned about these things.

Zhao Shuhuai looked up at him, her eyes clear and resolute in the night: "I know the consequences. If I stay in the palace, I'll be confined to Yaohua Villa and unable to do anything. I also know the Ancient Tomb Sect's kung fu; I'm not weak. Your journey is dangerous, and the more people you have, the more help you'll have."

Yang Guo looked at her, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He could tell that the princess's mind was made up and could not be changed by a few words of persuasion.

Moreover, the matter is urgent, and the safety of the Prince of Zhennan is of paramount importance. Sending him back to the palace would inevitably cause unforeseen complications. Forcibly repatriating him would only make things more dangerous, as Zhao Shuhuai, given her personality and abilities, would likely follow him on her own.

Yang Guo remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"Alright. Since that's the case, you may come with me. However, the situation is urgent, and I need to travel day and night. It will be inevitable that we will have to endure wind and rain and sleep in the open along the way. Princess, you are of noble status. If you cannot bear it, just say so, and I will send you to the nearest prefecture. With your status, no one will dare to make things difficult for you."

"Young Master Duan underestimates me too much. If I can't endure the hardships of the martial world, I will leave on my own without you having to drive me away!" Zhao Shuhuai said arrogantly.

"In that case, we need to change how we address each other. We'll address each other as brothers in public; you call me Brother Yang, and I'll call you... By the way, your title is Princess of Yan, so let's use the alias 'Zhao Yan.'"

"Zhao Yan" sounds like a woman's name. My mother called me "Pan'er" when I was little, so why not use a homophone and call me "Zhao Pan," the "pan" in "panlong" (a type of dragon).

Yang Guo thought for a moment and said, "Very well. The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty conquered the world with a dragon-patterned staff; your alias, Zhao Pan, would be quite fitting."

Why do I call you "Brother Yang" when I'm clearly older than you?

"Don't forget you're a woman disguised as a man. With your physique, would anyone believe you're my sworn brother? Not just anyone can be my sworn brother!"

Zhao Shuhuai curled her lip, but finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll remember! You talk like you really have a brother."

"Yang does not have any elder brothers, but I have a sworn brother who is extremely wealthy and powerful. You will know once you meet him in person."

After saying this, Yang Guo took out a blue cloak from his luggage and covered her female figure. He also tidied himself up, something he had learned from watching A'Zhu disguise herself. If it weren't for someone close to him, they probably wouldn't be able to tell Yang Guo's true appearance.

The two nobles instantly transformed into wandering knights. At this moment, Yang Guo thought to himself, "If only Miss A'Zhu were here. With her disguise skills, she would definitely be unrecognizable to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. I wonder how she and my elder brother are doing."

Before long, the two riders took advantage of the deep night and left the south gate of Bianliang, speeding southwards.

The next morning, when the palace maids of Yaohua Palace entered to serve, they found the palace empty and the princess nowhere to be seen.

The news quickly spread to the inner palace. When the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager heard that the eldest princess had secretly escaped from the palace, their faces turned ashen, and chaos erupted in the palace.

An urgent report was sent out from the palace. At the same time, people were dispatched to secretly search for the whereabouts of the eldest princess, while the matter was suppressed and every effort was made to prevent the news from leaking out and avoid uproar in the court and among the people.

Meanwhile, the two had already traveled over a hundred miles along the official road.