Chapter 28: Meeting the Crown Prince

The next morning, just as usual, Summer Qingfeng took Xu Xiaoxiao for their morning run, this time on the back mountain, where the garden was filled with blooming gardenias.

Ever since the two young women—Yin Xing and Xiaohuo—had started serving them, they had witnessed countless things they had never encountered before. Their worldviews had been completely overturned, especially when it came to their mistresses’ exercise routines. After all, what kind of lady runs and jumps like this every day? It was something they had never imagined, but they had grown fond of it. 

The most amusing part for them, however, was the martial arts practice. Xiaohuo and Yin Xing had secretly tried a few moves themselves. They could tell that the techniques were very practical. Summer Qingfeng didn’t have internal energy, but she could hold her own against a few ordinary men with these moves. As for Xu Xiaoxiao—ha! They both found it downright adorable. Every day, Summer Qingfeng would wrap a rectangular cotton pad around her arm for Xu Xiaoxiao to kick, which made for hilarious training sessions.

Today, Xu Xiaoxiao was wearing a white practice outfit with her hair tied into a ponytail, executing each move with a surprisingly serious look. Her tiny voice, full of determination, shouted, “Ha!” “Ha!”—a feisty little spirit. 

The commotion caught the attention of a small monk practicing nearby, who appeared dressed in a white practice outfit as well.

“Ha ha ha!” His loud laughter cut through the air, interrupting Xu Xiaoxiao’s focus.

Turning to look, the group saw a large monk sitting on a branch of a tree, laughing uproariously. 

One of the young monks immediately stood at attention and clasped his palms together. “Master!”

The boy in white, who appeared to be around eight or nine years old, stepped forward to bow. “Master!”

The large monk leapt effortlessly from the branch and landed lightly in front of Xu Xiaoxiao and Summer Qingfeng. He reached out, casually lifting Xu Xiaoxiao by the armpits and inspecting her from side to side. “Hmm, your muscles and bones seem fine. Little girl, would you like to learn martial arts?”

“No!” Xu Xiaoxiao refused with a firm shake of her head, her face scrunched in a pout.

The large monk froze, clearly caught off guard by her refusal.

“Pfft!” The little boy, who had been standing off to the side, stifled a laugh and quickly coughed into his fist, pretending to clear his throat. “Master, she’s just a girl, she doesn’t want to learn,” he said, as if trying to cover for the awkwardness of the situation.

Xu Xiaoxiao’s eyes were focused on the boy, and her body suddenly stiffened. She stared at him for a moment, her face paling. A strange sensation washed over her, and her eyes began to redden.

Summer Qingfeng looked at the boy, suddenly feeling that something wasn’t right. He was undeniably handsome, but there was something about him that seemed so familiar. Then she noticed the small red dot near his eye—was that a tear mole?

Xu Xiaoxiao’s heart ached as she gazed at the boy, the same tear mole that she had once seen in a dream. She felt as though she recognized him, but she couldn’t explain why. Her heart fluttered painfully, and before she knew it, tears began to well up in her eyes.

The large monk, noticing that Xu Xiaoxiao was on the verge of crying, hastily put her down.

Xu Xiaoxiao immediately rushed toward the boy, but as she got closer, she stopped in her tracks, unable to move any further. She didn’t know what to say, and words caught in her throat.

Summer Qingfeng had only thought the boy was cute at first, but seeing Xu Xiaoxiao’s reaction made her feel uneasy. There was an odd familiarity between the two of them that Summer Qingfeng couldn’t quite place.

The boy, seeing the little girl who had just been so fierce and determined now reduced to tears, felt a sharp pang in his chest. His heart softened with compassion, and he couldn’t help but step forward. He crouched down in front of her, gently asking, “Little sister, what’s wrong?”

This only caused Xu Xiaoxiao to cry even harder, and the boy, startled, quickly used his sleeve to wipe away her tears.

Without warning, Xu Xiaoxiao flung herself into the boy’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Summer Qingfeng, watching the scene unfold, felt a deep sorrow stir within her as she too noticed the tear mole by the boy’s eye. Her heart clenched with empathy for Xu Xiaoxiao, who seemed to have found some kind of deep connection to the boy.

The large monk, who had been laughing just moments before, was taken aback by the scene unfolding in front of him. He hurriedly circled the two children, trying to console them, “Don’t cry, don’t cry! If you don’t want to learn martial arts, you don’t have to! Just stop crying!”

But Xu Xiaoxiao wasn’t listening. Her cries grew louder and more uncontrollable. The monk, flustered, rubbed his bald head and quickly jumped away.

The shadow guards perched in the trees were unsure whether they should intervene, perhaps take the sobbing little girl and remove her from the crown prince’s arms. But to their surprise, their usually cold and detached master did not seem to mind. Instead, he gently patted the little girl’s back, comforting her. It was a rare sight to see him show such patience.

For a long while, Xu Xiaoxiao’s cries echoed, her little face red and swollen from tears, hiccupping between sobs.

Eventually, the large monk, along with the abbot, hurriedly arrived. Master Kongzhi, too, trailed behind them. When they saw the scene, the abbot’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a pang of worry for the little girl. Just as he was about to step forward, Master Kongzhi cleared his throat softly and gave him a subtle shake of the head.

Summer Qingfeng quickly went over and scooped Xu Xiaoxiao into her arms. “This young master, I apologize for the trouble. My daughter is just overwhelmed with emotion today. She’s missing her family.” She then glanced at the boy, her voice softening, and whispered, “By any chance, what’s the emergency services number here?”

The boy looked confused at her question. “Madam, I didn’t quite catch that?”

“Fire… fire… forget it. Never mind.” Summer Qingfeng suddenly realized her mistake. It seemed she had confused him with someone else. “I’m sorry. I’ll take my leave now.” With that, she held Xu Xiaoxiao tightly and turned to leave.

As Summer Qingfeng walked away, Xu Xiaoxiao, still in her arms, turned and stared at the boy with a deep gaze. Her eyes were filled with both sadness and something more—longing, perhaps, or an unspoken connection.

The boy’s heart clenched painfully as he watched her, and he instinctively placed a hand over his chest. One of his shadow guards leapt down from the tree to check on him. “Your Highness, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” the boy replied absently, then turned his gaze back in the direction the mother and daughter had left. “Shadow, go investigate the identities of those two.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” With a swift nod, the shadow guard disappeared into the air.

The boy stood there, his gaze lingering, lost in thought. Something about that little girl had struck a deep chord in him. It was as if he had known her for much longer than just a few minutes. But the emotions it stirred in him were unfamiliar, almost as though they belonged to someone else.

As the boy stood still, Master Kongzhi approached, his palms pressed together in a prayer gesture. “Amitabha.”

The boy quickly returned the gesture. “Master, why does that little girl seem so familiar to me? When I saw her crying, it felt like a sharp pain in my chest.”

“Do you believe in fate, in the idea of past and present lives?” Master Kongzhi’s voice was soft, and his expression serene. “Some things come to us because of karma, and some things are meant to leave, just as the wind blows and the leaves fall. Life works in mysterious ways, young one.”

The boy lowered his gaze, the long lashes of his eyes fluttering lightly. He seemed deep in thought, as though the monk’s words stirred something within him.

Meanwhile, Summer Qingfeng had returned to her small courtyard. After closing the door behind her, she called out to the higher ground. “Cang Qiang, Cang Ji, come down!”

“Madam!” The two figures leaped down from above and landed in front of her, bowing deeply.

After the mother and daughter left, Summer Qingfeng turned to the two shadow guards standing nearby and asked, “Who was that young master?”

Cang Qiang and Cang Ji exchanged a glance before Cang Qiang replied, “That was the Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Prince!” Summer Qingfeng was taken aback, her voice filled with surprise.

“Yes,” Cang Qiang confirmed. “Master Yuan Yin from Chongfu Temple is his martial arts teacher. The Crown Prince comes here to stay every month for a few days.”

“Do you know his name?” Xu Xiaoxiao asked in a muffled voice, still sniffling from her tears.

“I’ve heard the master mention it once, it’s Ling Xiaoyu,” Cang Qiang responded.

Upon hearing the name, Xu Xiaoxiao froze for a moment. Her eyes filled with fresh tears, which spilled down her cheeks. Summer Qingfeng, startled by her reaction, quickly hugged her daughter tightly, trying to comfort her. After a moment of silence, she said, “Alright, thank you for the information.”

With that, the two shadow guards disappeared into the shadows, leaving Summer Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao alone in the courtyard.

As Summer Qingfeng walked back into the Zen room, she was met by Xia He, who had brought in a basin of water and a cloth. Xia He handed it to her and quietly stepped back.

Summer Qingfeng took the cloth and gently wiped Xu Xiaoxiao’s face as she spoke softly, “You should rest for now. I need to talk to you, but you don’t have to stay here. Go ahead and have your meal.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Xia He left quietly, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Xu Xiaoxiao sat up straight. “Mother, I think he is Ling Xiaoyu.”

Summer Qingfeng, still feeling unsettled by the whole situation, nodded. “Don’t be too hasty. We only have the resemblance of the tear mole for now. There’s no other proof yet.”

“But… but the name!” Xu Xiaoxiao interjected, her voice trembling. “They are only one character apart.”

Summer Qingfeng could see the pain in her daughter’s eyes and the fresh tears welling up, so she quickly hugged her tighter, trying to offer comfort. “It’s possible, I know. He might very well be the Ling Xiaoyu we’re looking for. After all, both of us are also from another world, so there’s a chance he could be the same. Let’s go find Space Spirit. Maybe we can learn more.”

With a determined nod, Summer Qingfeng took Xu Xiaoxiao’s hand and led her into the space.