Volume 10: Chapter 13 – The Prince Returns Home
The four warriors surrounded me before simultaneously bowing. The leader of the warriors said, “Thank you for saving our Miss. Please accept this bow from us brothers.”
I gently waved Sukrad’s staff, that was covered with some cloth, as I replied smiling, “Friends, no need to be so courteous.” A faint light was emitted from the cloth that forcefully lifted them from their bowed position. The leader asked in awe, “May I ask which division in the Kingdom of Aixia you’re in? With your magic, you should be a Magister.”
Without waiting for a reply, the girl said, “I’m Ling Ling Xin. Who are you and can you let me see your face?”
I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. We met by accident so why should we know each other’s ident.i.ty? Let us meet again in the future.”
Ling Ling Xin suddenly appeared before me, extending her hand to remove my conical hat. The few warriors shouted in unison, “Don’t do that Miss!” But how could the willful Miss listen? She stubbornly charged towards me. It seemed that she didn’t learn from her mistake and didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. An invisible, transparent boundary appeared in front of me. ‘Peng!’ Ling Ling Xin collided with the boundary and fell to the ground.
I laughed and said, “Is that any way to treat your benefactor? I’ll show you my appearance since you want to see it.” As I said, I expanded the boundary, leaving out the four warriors, who thought I was going to hurt their miss.
Ling Ling Xin’s previous fall wasn’t light, it took her a lot of effort to sit up and rub her the injured areas.
I moved in front of her and asked, “Didn’t you want to see my appearance? Look carefully then.” Upon saying that, I lifted one side of the muslin in her direction. A mournful screech sounded from her mouth that coupled with my laughter, gave the situation a sinister atmosphere.
“Everyone, your Miss has just experienced a slight shock so take care of her. I’ll be leaving.” How could I not punish this crafty and unruly girl a little?
With a flash of light, I disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Ling Xin Xin said to herself, “He…He was really ugly.”
The leader of the warriors sighed. “The person that saved you is an extremely powerful mage. We aren’t his match even if we were to team up against him. Miss, let’s head back quickly.”
Lin Xin Xin nodded, with unfocused eyes, before following the warriors.
My heart felt a little uneasy as I hid in a corner. Had I overdone it in scaring the girl into such a state?
I no longer felt like strolling after this matter, so I turned around and headed back to the manor.
……
“Zhang Gong, where did you go? I was looking for you.” Once I stepped inside the Prince’s manor, Big Brother Shan Yun came to see me.
“You were looking for me? What for?”
“For business of course. Father has already declared that my eldest brother and I will be in charge of the Allied Cavalry. He has already returned to His Majesty to discuss what we talked about that day.”
I took down the conical hat and replied smiling, “Uncle really is a impetuous person. I feel real bad in making that old man work.”
Shan Yun sighed. “Actually, even though my father didn’t mention it, I know that that old man wants to reconcile. The real warmongers are few in number. Who doesn’t want to live in peace? I’ve heard that your wounds aren’t fully recovered. I’ll help you find some doctors to see if they can cure your wounds.”
“Thank you Big Brother Shan Yun. However, it’s unnecessary as Big Brother Xiu Si’s Sky G.o.d’s horn couldn’t cure my wound. I doubt any average doctor would be able to cure it. I appreciate your good intentions, but I really don’t want to experience any more major disappointments after becoming hopeful again.”
Shan Yun replied, “Alright then. The rest have gone to rest up. You couldn’t have eaten breakfast yet and I also haven’t, so how about us brothers find a place to eat?”
I asked, puzzled, “Don’t you need to work today? How do you have time to accompany me?”
Shan Yun said, smiling, “It’s unknown why the allied Demon and Beast race retreated 15 Km. Currently, there’s eldest brother to keep watch at the frontlines so naturally, I can relax.”
As Shan Yun and I enjoyed our meal, I asked, “Big Brother Shan Yun, if your Kingdom of Xiuda agrees to partic.i.p.ate in the negotiation, what do you think our next step should be?”
Shan Yun glanced at me from the side before replying with a smile, “Brother, are you testing me? Seeing your behaviour, it seems that you should have a card up your sleeve.”
Embarra.s.sed, I scratched my head. “Even though I’ve got some thoughts on this, I want to hear your opinion first.”
Shan Yun replied, “If His Majesty really agrees to negotiate, the next step we should take is to convince the other two kingdoms. It’ll be extremely easy to convince the Kingdom of Dalu. You should also know that there’s another official name for Dalu.”
I nodded and my eyes lit up as Shan Yun and I said simultaneously, “The Peace Kingdom.”
Shan Yun replied, “Since they are a peaceful country, they shouldn’t like fighting. They’ll definitely stand on our side as long as we mediate. In that case, it’ll be easier to convince Aixia, but there’s something that you must settle as soon as possible.”
I queried, “What’s the matter?”
Shan Yun’s expression changed as he said, “That is to immediately confirm the att.i.tude of the allied Demon and Beast race forces. As the proverb says, there are times where orders, excluding their ruler’s, won’t be accepted. If the allied army of the Demon and Beast race don’t listen to the Princess and insist on attacking the Ström Fortress, what will you do then? Won’t everything be in ruin? Thus, before my father returns with the news, you must let Mu Zi to stabilize them. It’s best if we’re able to confirm their views s before the peace talks.”
I had really neglected this matter and what Shan Yun said was logical. If the allied army of the Demon and Beast races didn’t listen to their orders to move, what would I do then?
“Big Brother Shan Yun, what you’ve said is right. We’ll head there tomorrow since it’s better to settle this matter as soon as possible.”
Shan Yun nodded. “After dinner, I’ll bring you to the Eastern entrance, at that time I could make an excuse to do a patrol to bring you out. You must head back as quickly as you can, as I don’t want what repeat of what previously happened with you killing your way back in.
After quickly finis.h.i.+ng our meal, I dashed to Ke Lun Duo’s room. That fellow was in a deep slumber as he didn’t notice me, even after walking to his side. How was he an expert?
I gathered a water bullet and instantly shot his face. This was the most efficient way to wake someone up, as I had learned from experiences with my mother.
Ke Lun Duo became alert and jumped down from his bed.
“It’s raining! It can’t be! How could there be rain in the room? Ah! Zhang Gong, why are you here?”
I suppressed my laughter and replied, “It’s to wake you up, lazy b.u.m, to discuss some business.”