They then met and introduced themselves.
Although Liu Jinyuan said he couldn't make decisions for the Lin Family Fort, Elder Shi was grateful for his generous assistance.
Then, Alex and Liu Jinyuan temporarily put aside their search for the snake demon and returned to Lin Family Fort.
"Young Master Liu is truly kindhearted. I just happened to witness your swordsmanship. It's truly exquisite. I bet you've been practicing diligently for over a decade?" Elder Shi exclaimed in admiration as they walked along the road.
"Elder Shi, you've misunderstood. I've only been practicing swordsmanship for seven days. Before that, I had never even touched a sword," Liu Jinyuan said, shaking his head.
"Huh? Just seven days, and you've achieved such proficiency? I wonder who taught you this?"
It was undeniable that Liu Jinyuan's skills were impressive, and the fact that he had only trained for seven days was astonishing to anyone who heard it.
"Jinyuan became Master Alex's disciple seven days ago. All my swordsmanship is from him," Liu Jinyuan said, pointing to Alex beside him.
"Young Master Alex? I didn't expect you to be Young Master Liu's master. To train a beginner to such proficiency in just seven days… I truly underestimated you," Elder Shi said, turning to Alex with a look of shock.
Throughout the journey, Elder Shi's attention had been mainly on Liu Jinyuan, and he had somewhat overlooked Alex. He had never imagined that Alex was someone who deliberately concealed his true ability. Even he had misjudged him.
Alex simply smiled faintly at Elder Shi's astonishment, offering no further explanation.
Whether copying techniques or passing on his own knowledge, the results Alex produced were simply extraordinary.
Elder Shi gave Alex a long, thoughtful look.
If Liu Jinyuan's rapid progress was astonishing, then Alex was truly mysterious.
Lin Yueru, walking beside them, stole a few more glances at Alex. She had long known he possessed remarkable martial skill—so much so that even her own father, the leader of the martial world, had been unable to subdue him.
But she hadn't expected Alex's abilities to be even more impressive than before.
Although she had witnessed it firsthand, the thought of her cousin surpassing her in just seven days left her completely stunned.
Soon, the group returned to the Lin Family Fort.
Seeing Alex and his companions return with so many strangers, Lin Tiannan was stunned. Then, hearing Liu Jinyuan say that he wanted the Lin Family Fort's people to help Elder Shi and his group find the princess, he hesitated.
"Elder Shi, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but we don't even know who your princess is. Even if we were to search, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Lin Tiannan said after a moment of silence, his face full of embarrassment.
That was the truth. If helping the princess could create a good connection, it would certainly be worthwhile. But the real problem was simple: who exactly was this princess? What did she look like? Without even a portrait, even with the strength of the Lin Family Fort, finding her would be like chasing shadows.
And more importantly, after Lin Tiannan inquired further, he realized that Elder Shi and his group had never even seen the princess themselves.
"Well…" Elder Shi and the others exchanged awkward looks.
Indeed, even if the Lin Family Fort's people were willing to help, not knowing her appearance made the search nearly impossible.
"Actually, I might know something about the person you're looking for…"
Breaking the silence, Alex finally spoke, ready to share what he knew about Zhao Linger.
Alex had originally intended to visit Mount Shushan, curious about the skills of Li Xiaoyao and his companions. And now, since Elder Shi and his people were searching for them too, it made sense to join forces. Besides, judging by the timing, it wouldn't be long before Li Xiaoyao and the others made their way to the mountain.
"Ah? You know?" Alex's words caught everyone off guard, and all eyes turned toward him in surprise.
To Liu Jinyuan and Lin Tiannan, this was supposed to be a matter only concerning Elder Shi's homeland. Elder Shi himself didn't know what the princess looked like or where she was, yet Alex claimed he knew?
Even Elder Shi and his companions stared at him in shock.
Who exactly was Alex? How could he know anything about the princess?
"Back then, when the Witch Queen was killed, she entrusted someone to take the princess far away to escape her pursuers. Tell me, is that correct?"
Alex knew that if he mentioned Zhao Linger outright, Elder Shi might not believe him. So instead, he began by recounting the past, showing that his knowledge wasn't baseless.
"Yes, that's true. I heard it was the swordsmen of Mount Shushan who came to our aid back then. By the way, could it be that you, Young Master Alex, are one of them?" Elder Shi asked, nodding in agreement after hearing Alex's accurate account of events.
The more Elder Shi thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Only the swordsmen of Mount Shushan knew the details of that tragedy. And since Alex himself was clearly a skilled swordsman, the guess seemed natural.