The Crown Prince of Daxia

Shen Leyan ate and drank enough, and lay comfortably on the bamboo chair in the back kitchen to digest for a while.

The Jiang Xue Sword hummed twice softly, as if reminding him not to forget it.

Shen Leyan grabbed the armrest of the chair with one hand and sat up straight: “I almost forgot what I kept you for…”

He packed up a portion of ingredients that he had prepared before and put it on the Jiang Xue Sword.

“This is a new product I’m going to launch in a few days – spicy hot pot. Sect Master Lu hasn’t eaten anything today, you can send this to him. By the way, tell Sect Master Lu that I will go to Mingchan Pavilion to visit Senior Brother Chen Jing tomorrow.”

The Jiang Xue Sword nodded the tip of the sword, and rushed into the sky with a box of spicy hot pot, causing the disciples queuing outside the restaurant to exclaim.

 Qingli looked him up and down, and suddenly said, “You seem to be a little different since you came back from the Southwest Territory – before, you didn’t want to have too much relationship with the leader of the Yunxi Sect.”

“Be more confident and remove the word ‘seem’.”

“Why?” Qingli was quite curious, “You are not bewitched by some kind of poison, are you?”

“…These things are hard to explain clearly. Sometimes I can’t figure it out myself. But I am sure that I am not bewitched, and there is nothing wrong with my mind, so don’t worry.”

Qingli seemed to understand: “Then I won’t ask.”

“I have something else to ask you. What are the specific rules of the Yunxi Sect’s disciple-recruiting meeting?”

“The process… this is a bit complicated. In short, first the leader and the elders have to take their disciples to the Changsheng Hall where the ancestors of Yunxi Sect are enshrined to offer sacrifices and pray.

Then those who come from all over the nine realms of Daxia and want to become disciples must first register at the outer gate and queue up to test their spiritual roots. Those without spiritual roots will be eliminated on the spot and go back to their own homes. Those with spiritual roots can go to the martial arts training ground.

The Yunxi Sect is still good in this regard. It does not set up some fancy levels. All those who want to become disciples go directly to the martial arts training ground, draw lots to select opponents and start fighting.  

This fight… this competition, it doesn’t mean that the more people you defeat, the better. After all, many children of aristocratic families start learning martial arts at a very young age, and their cultivation and skills are mostly better than those of ordinary people’s children.

The sect leader and elders, as well as their disciples who are qualified to accept disciples, will watch at the side of the competition. If they see someone with talent, good character, who is pleasing to the eye, or even whose family is rich and powerful, they will accept him.

I heard that one year, in the first match, a guy was beaten to the ground and almost died. He was chosen by the then sect leader as his disciple.”

“What happened to that disciple later?”

Qing Li showed an unfathomable smile: “That disciple… is Lu Yuanyi.”

Shen Leyan: “◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞”

“Come to think of it, why do you ask about the disciple recruitment meeting? Could it be…”

“Well. I plan to cultivate myself.”

“…It’s probably hard to explain the reason, right?”

Shen Leyan nodded.

“Then I won’t ask. I was wondering why has the female elder of Lingxi Pavilion been secretly lighting candles in the middle of the night recently? At first I thought she was doing something shameful, but then I lay on the roof and observed for a while and found that she was practicing wind-based skills.”

“This elder also specializes in wind-attributed skills?!” Shen Leyan was delighted and thought to himself, “My master is finally found.”

Qingli glanced at him in confusion, as if not understanding what he was suddenly so excited about.

“No. That female elder has both thunder and fire spiritual roots, and has never practiced wind-based skills, and it’s not suitable! When I asked her, I found out that the elders in the sect were saying that a disciple with a wind spiritual root would participate in the disciple-recruiting conference this year, so they were all crazy about it. Whoever practices the wind-based skills well might be able to receive a disciple.”

Qingli tsked.

“So the disciple they are trying to steal is you! I was wondering how it is possible that the bad guy Lu Yuanyi, who has not done much good deeds, has two wind spirit root disciples within a year.”

Shen Leyan: “…”

The flame of joy in his heart was poured with a basin of cold water, extinguished without even a ash left.

The young man pressed his eyebrows and sighed softly.

 Qingli: “What are you worried about?”

“I am worried… It may sound a bit Versailles to say it out loud.”

“What is Versailles?”

“It probably means moaning without reason.”

Qingli had a “please tell me” expression on his face.

“I am worried about why I can’t change my spiritual root – it’s too difficult for a wind spiritual root to find a suitable master!”

Leaving the restaurant, Shen Leyan walked slowly towards his house.

After leaving the sect for so long, he has to dry his bedding tomorrow if the weather is good. He doesn’t know what his roommates are doing in the room now. Maybe they can play a game of “Dou Dizhu” together in the evening…

He walked to the gate of the house, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw that the yard was full of wooden boxes of all sizes, with almost no place for his feet to land.

Several open wooden boxes contained neat rows of glittering jewels and silver coins.

 Shen Leyan’s pupils shrank slightly. After being stunned for a few seconds, he silently took two steps back and looked at the number plate hanging beside the gate.

That’s right… this is his room.

He couldn’t be crazy about money and dreamed of a yard full of gold, silver and jewelry, right?

“Are you a disciple of Yunxi Sect? Why are you here?”

A strange voice came from behind.

Shen Leyan looked back and saw the man walking over with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was wearing ink-colored armor and a sword at his waist. He exuded a solemn and murderous aura among the troops, and looked like the uniform of the imperial army.

 “I am a disciple of Yunxi Sect… This is my room. I came back to rest, so I naturally came here.”

“This is the room of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The disciples who originally lived here have moved out. Didn’t your teacher tell you?” The tone of the imperial guards was a little more alert, “Since you are a disciple of Yunxi Sect, why don’t you wear the uniform?!”

“I–“

The sword on the other side’s waist was unsheathed and pointed at him.

Shen Leyan: “…”

He answered patiently.

“…I went on a long journey some time ago and was not in the sect. I didn’t know that the prince of Daxia was living here. Since it was approved by the sect, I naturally followed the arrangement. But I still have luggage in it. Isn’t it reasonable for me to go in and pack it up?”

The other side is the prince’s guard, and it is common sense to be more vigilant.

As for the room…changing rooms. If it really doesn’t work, he can still stay at the restaurant box for one night.

 There was no need to clash with the Imperial Guards over such a small matter.

The Imperial Guards still had some doubts in their eyes, but seeing that he had no intention of taking action and his tone was polite, they retracted their swords and shook their heads.

“His Royal Highness is resting inside. No one is allowed to enter without permission. The things inside have been packed up a few days ago. I’m afraid your luggage is no longer in the room. If you have nothing else to do, please leave.”

Shen Leyan smiled and said amiably.

“It’s not polite to dispose of the things in the room without the owner’s consent.”

The Imperial Guards’ faces turned cold: “How dare you! His Royal Highness lives here and has already informed Yunxi Sect! How dare you, an outer disciple, call yourself the ‘master’ here?!”

“The bedding, clothes, tea sets, tables, chairs, cabinets in the room… Many of them were purchased by me, so I am naturally the master. Whether these things are still in the room or not, at least let me go in and take a look. Please inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“What a big tone.”

The Imperial Guards sneered and showed disdain.

 “I’ve seen a lot of people like you. You just heard that His Royal Highness lives here, so you want to come here to see if you can be favored by His Royal Highness as a guard, and then rise step by step – I advise you not to have such daydreams! Leave quickly! Otherwise, the sword has no eyes!”

Shen Leyan was silent for a while.

“Really not allowed in?”

The imperial guard ignored him.

He lowered his eyelashes: “I actually don’t like bullying…”

The imperial guard just frowned, and before he could scold, he saw the young man in front of him take out an ancient copper token from his waist.

“Let me in, it’s late, I don’t want to go to Mingchan Pavilion again.”

The imperial guard looked closely, and his face suddenly changed when his eyes touched the ancient wood and Mingchan carved on the token.

“…So you are the disciple of Master Lu.”

The imperial guard bowed and saluted. His tone changed faster than the face-changing in Sichuan Opera.

 “Please wait a moment. I will go in and report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

After a stick of incense, the imperial guards ran out quickly: “Your Royal Highness invites you in – I was blind before, I hope you…”

Shen Leyan didn’t take it to heart, waved his hand and walked in.

Now he just wanted to take all his things away, take a comfortable hot bath, and have a good sleep.

He walked around the boxes on the ground in the yard with difficulty.

Shen Leyan couldn’t help but look back and saw the imperial guard was still bowing to him.

He hesitated: “You have time to deal with these empty things… Why don’t you sort out the boxes in the yard. Doesn’t your Royal Highness the Crown Prince need to go out these days?”

The imperial guards said “ah” and hurried into the yard to move the boxes.

 He walked to his room. The door was not closed. The plain furniture in the room was refurbished. There were pearwood chairs, coral white jade beds, sandalwood auspicious cloud cabinets, ivory hollow jade screens…

Compared with the furniture in the room, the gold and silver in the box outside were indeed insignificant.

No wonder the imperial guard thought he wanted to join the prince.

If he hadn’t traveled through time and knew that the prince of Daxia was tyrannical and seemed to have been assassinated in just a few months, he would really want to be a guard.

With free time and money, and without delaying the cultivation of immortals, who wouldn’t want to do it? !

“Your Highness, Your Highness?”

A voice that was difficult to distinguish between male and female came from the golden silk curtain covering the coral white jade bed. It was low and pleasant, lazy, and had a kind of condescending look.

 “Come in.”

Shen Leyan was not polite and stepped into the room.

There was an incense burner in the corner of the room. The faint scent of ambergris filled the room as the incense sticks flickered.

The whole room could only be described in one word: expensive.

But no matter how expensive the things were, they had nothing to do with him.

Shen Leyan scanned the room at a glance, looking for his simple belongings among the luxurious furniture and accessories.

Going around the screen, he hesitated whether to ask the prince of Daxia if he could open the closet for him to look again. While he was organizing his words, another voice came from the bed.

“Are you the new disciple of Sect Master Lu?”

Shen Leyan looked up and saw a young man in apricot-yellow clothes. His long hair was tied in a jade crown, leaning casually on the cushion of the jade bed. There were several plates of ice jars with fruits and snacks on his hands, and a crystal clear and juicy lychee on his fingertips.

 The other person had a beautiful face. His half-closed eyes stared at him like an autumn lake. There was a scarlet teardrop mole at the end of his eye, he was fair skin, and had a beautiful androgynous appearance. He looked smiling, and there was no trace of the “tyrannical and unpredictable” described in the original book.

However… there were two little servants standing by the other person’s bed, and it was also impossible to tell whether they were men or women. They were wearing cool clothes and holding delicate feather fans in their hands, fanning the person on the couch.

[…I didn’t mean to look. Don’t get stye, don’t get stye! ]

He lowered his head quickly, and answered, “Don’t look at it if it’s not appropriate.”

 “Greetings, His Royal Highness. I am not the disciple of Master Lu, but I have the token of Mingchan Pavilion. I came here to find something I left in my room before.”

The Great Xia Prince ate a lychee and said with a smile, “I don’t have what you are looking for here – come here, bring a hundred taels of silver. This hundred taels of silver will be used as compensation for those things.”

A little servant responded in a low voice, and when leaving, the feather fan accidentally touched the prince’s ankle. The prince, who was just eating lychees leisurely, suddenly looked cold.

The little servant knelt on the ground, shaking as if sifting bran.

 The prince said slowly: “Your eyes can’t see clearly. There’s no point in keeping them, why not gouge them out.”

[◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞]

The little servant cried out and begged for mercy: “Your Highness, please have mercy! Your Highness, please have mercy! I know I was wrong! I won’t dare to do it again next time——”

Two imperial guards rushed in, hit the other’s neck and knocked him unconscious. They dragged him away.

After a while, another little servant came over with a box of silver notes and continued to pick up the feather fan to serve the prince.

Shen Leyan: “…”

[No wonder the guards and attendants around the prince have high salaries. Such a high-risk profession, no one would dare to come if the salary was lower. ]

He took the banknote and tried to persuade him: “… Your Highness, the Yunxi Sect’s apprenticeship meeting is coming soon. It’s probably not auspicious to see blood now, right?”

The prince spit the lychee pit into the silk handkerchief in the servant’s hand and thought.

“Hm… I want to join the Yunxi Sect to cultivate immortality. It’s really not auspicious to see blood at this moment. Ah, give the order, don’t gouge out the eyes of that servant, just send him to the prison to wash the toilet.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shen Leyan took the banknote and calculated that he had made at least 99 taels of silver.

He didn’t want to stay with this moody Daxia prince for too long, so as not to leave any impression on him.

“Thank you, Your Highness. The apprenticeship meeting is coming soon, I won’t disturb Your Highness to rest, I’ll take my leave first!”