Feng Yu Jiu Tian

FENG YU JIU TIAN VOLUME 10

 CHAPTER 1

(Drifting with Wild Rapids)

XFENGYUJIUTIAN.TUMBLR.COM TRANSLATOR: CHRISTY EDITORS: FERN & SZARA

Lie Er’s voice rang from outside the tent, “Your Majesty, the traitor—General Tong Jian Min—has arrived.”

With that announcement, the three people inside immediately paused their discussion. RT: Bring him in.

The curtain of the tent was lifted as Tong Jian Min was escorted inside with his hands tied behind his back.

Ever since Lu Dan had lured Feng Ming from Xi Lei, he did not have a chance to establish contact with the general. It was imperative for Feng Ming to be cautious in his judgment of the man standing before him. In the period of time that they have known one another, it could be believed that he and Tong Jian Min were acquaintances, who had previously left on amicable terms. The first time Feng Ming had journeyed to Fan Jia, Tong Jian Min had been by his side to protect him. Who would have thought that when they met again, the general would be placed in such a pitiful position.

“Kneel down!” Lie Er pushed Tong Jian Min forward, kicking the general and forcing him to bend his knees.

RT: Lie Er, bring the other chair over here and allow the general to sit.

Lie Er was stunned. He looked at Rong Tian’s impa.s.sive face, which held no signs of mockery. The king did not appear to be joking. True to his orders, Lie Er had brought the chair over although he was reluctant to treat a traitor with such courtesy. He turned to address Tong Jian Min, forcing his voice to be calm as he softly said “Hey, sit.”

Tong Jian Min’s expression had not changed as he stared at Rong Tian. “I’ve lost, what’s the point of sitting? I’m already your prisoner. Just deal with me however you see fit, do not hesitate.”

This person has betrayed his country and his rightful king, yet he still displays some sense of honor. Feng Ming felt a strange admiration for the man and was no less impressed by him.

A Great General indeed.

If Tong Er had been the one captured, he would have already begged for mercy. Judging from Tong Jian Min’s att.i.tude, it would not be an easy task to convince him to speak of the current situation in Xi Lei.

In a defiant demeanor, Tong Jian Min puffed up his chest and said, “The news within the palace of Xi Lei, only I clearly know of. The capital’s military strength and its divisions, and the changes to the departments were all taken care of by myself. However, if you want me to reveal this information to help you destroy the capital, then I’m afraid that you will not get your wish.

Lie Er chuckled coldly. “How funny! That night when you were captured by His Majesty and had a sword pressed against your throat, didn’t you immediately tell us the whereabouts of Ruo Yan? Why are you acting all high and mighty now?”

Tong Jian Min turned his head to glare at Lie Er, his gaze full of scorn and condescension. “What an ignorant brat. Li Kingdom’s Ruo Yan is Xi Lei’s enemy—a hated adversary I want to eliminate. I will gladly tell you his whereabouts if it means that you will kill him for me. However, if you want me to betray my Great King, then keep dreaming!”

LE: Traitor! You had brought troops to ambush His Majesty while swearing allegiance to a pretender. His Majesty is in front of you, what do you have to say for yourself?

TJM: My Great King of Xi Lei is of young age, currently residing in the inner palace of Xi Lei, governing political affairs. How can he be in front of me right now?

It was preposterous. An an old veteran like Tong Jian Ming still refused to abandon his loyalties. Bound and captured, his devotion remained strong as ever. After each word and sentence, Lie Er’s temper was reaching a boiling point, ready to explode. He wanted to shout in anger but was interrupted by Rong Tian.

RT: Lie Er, you can go outside for now. LE: But Your Majesty, he....

His sentence was abruptly cut off by Rong Tian’s warning glance. Lie Er released an exasperated breath, shooting a fierce look at Tong Jian Min before heading outside.

Everyone inside the tent was suddenly silent. Tong Jian Min continued to be persistent, stating that he would rather die than be persuaded otherwise, truly believing that Rong Tian was the one who had betrayed his kingdom.

FM: General Tong, we have brought you here today to have a discussion. You are injured, so it’s not advisable for you to remain standing. Please sit down.

Tong Jian Min pretended not to hear and was resistant to reason. Feng Ming was embarra.s.sed so he turned his head to look at Rong Tian.

RT: Tong Jian Min, I request that you sit down.

Tong Jian Min remained standing at the center of the tent, both hands bound behind his back. “I am Tong Jian Min, a Great General of Xi Lei. I only answer to the great king of Xi Lei and n.o.body else.”

This person had been very loyal to Rong Tian in the past. No one knew what kind of wrong medication he had been taking to have such a change of heart. Not only did he swore loyalty to Tong Er, but he also viewed Rong Tian as a complete stranger. It’s unclear whether one should laugh or cry in this kind of situation.

Feng Ming and Rong Tian glanced at each other and both felt an oncoming headache.

"Tong Jian Min," a clear voice sounded out. The Empress Dowager, who had been sitting silently to the side, suddenly opened her mouth. "Why did you not greet me when you saw I was present?"

Her cold voice chilled to the bones, causing even Tong Jian Min to be alarmed.

ED: I am the wife of the Late King and Xi Lei’s Great Empress. Even though Tong Er is enthroned, he would still have to kneel down to greet me. Are you belittling me so, no longer acknowledging me as Xi Lei’s royalty?

TJM: This, I....

ED: You are a traitor if you refuse to recognize the mother of a kingdom. Branded as a traitor, how can I allow you to stand in front of me and speak in this manner? It’s a pity that the Tong family has been loyal to the royal family of Xi Lei for many generations, and yet they have the ill-fortune of having an unfilial child like you. Such a traitor of high status deserves capital punishment. I believe that in the future, you won’t have the opportunity of being buried in the Tong Family’s gravesite.

Empress Dowager is indeed Empress Dowager. A single threat of hers could brand the word ‘traitor’ on Tong Jian Min’s head.

Tong Jian Ming idiotically stood still for a moment. With Empress Dowager berating him, he didn’t know what to do. He finally let out a long sigh and bowed down to greet her, “Tong Jian Min greets Empress Dowager.”

Empress Dowager had resided within the inner palace for so many years, and was closely acquainted with courtly etiquette. Neither giving a cold nor soft response, she gave her acknowledgement. The tension in her face had eased somewhat as she ordered, “Sit down and let’s have a talk.”

This time, Tong Jian Min obediently sat down.

Rong Tian saw how she had easily subdued the proud general while his own efforts had been in vain. Not caring to repeat the spectacle, he decided to give Empress Dowager the sole power in leading the discussion. As for himself, he played the role of a filial child and brought a cup of tea to his royal mother.

Empress Dowager accepted the tea, took a sip and lifted her head to stare at the general in front of her. “Remember those years... how our ancestors had shed blood and fought bravely to establish Xi Lei. The Tong Family had followed behind and aided them in the conquest. They were granted with

important status, receiving power to command the army and were betrothed to the royal family throughout multiple generations. Not only were they court officials, but they can also be considered as family. Whenever the Tong family was mentioned, all eleven kingdoms were aware of their achievements on the battlefields in helping Xi Lei. In the past, as the Late King had taken his final breath, he told me, ‘The Crown Prince is young, but he will have Duke Rong to guide him within the inner court, and there’s Tong Jian Min who will protect the royal family from outside threats, so there is no need to worry.’ Those words are still remembered, but you dare to point your sword at the Late King’s son. How can I not feel disappointed?”

As she spoke of the Late King, Empress Dowager’s eyes became reddened. Old memories had resurfaced, and she could no longer hold back the tears as they fell down.

Tong Jian Min was seated, but after listening to Empress Dowager, he wanted to stand up. Seeing the mother of a kingdom cry had hurt him deeply.

“Empress, I....” He knelt in front of her and lifted his head to speak, “The Late King was a benefactor of the Tong Family and we will never forget his benevolence. If I had ever been a traitor to the royal family of Xi Lei, then let lightning strike me and turn me to dust!”

Feng Ming was surprised by his answer. “Tong Er had stolen the throne and you tried to harm Rong Tian. If this isn’t considered treason, then what is?”

Tong Jian Min stared at Feng Ming, his eyes were filled with anger. “Tong Er is of royal bloodline— he fits every requirement necessary to become king. This is something Empress Dowager is aware of. How can you say that the throne was stolen?”

The length of time in which they have known each other had not been short. Feng Ming knew Tong Jian Min was an honest general, but never before had he seen this fierce glare of his.

FM: For Tong Er to ascend the throne, Rong Tian would first have to abdicate. The rightful king is clearly here, yet you have allowed another to usurp the throne. You are Tong Er’s uncle, so it is natural that you would want your own nephew to become king.

Tong Jian Min’s face grew bright red. His eyes widened as he angrily shouted, “If it weren’t for you—persuading Rong Tian to change the national policy and degrading the important figures within court who have served Xi Lei for many years—then the situation would not have come to this. Rong Tian is the successor of the Late King, but the old laws of the Late King have been ignored as our traditions have been uprooted. With such a ruler, how can you blame us for turning our backs? All that Tong Jian Min has done was in service to the will of the Late King and to protect the interests of Xi Lei. The one who has betrayed Xi Lei is not me, it’s him!”

His eyes rested upon Rong Tian as if his words were set in stone.

Feng Ming was startled. Tong Jian Min’s argument was powerful, and if someone didn’t know better, he would have thought Rong Tian was the traitor.

Feng Ming turned to Rong Tian and asked, “Did I really persuade you to change the Late King’s national policy of Xi Lei? Is there something like this?”

Why didn’t he have any recollection of this?

Rong Tian shrugged. He had meant to say something further but was interrupted by Empress Dowager.

ED: ( to TJM ) I understand what you said. Forget it. Stand up and speak later. In this situation, we can’t blame you. His Majesty is the one at fault.

Ever since Empress Dowager returned from the capital of Xi Lei, her stance was rather unclear. In front of a traitor, she had seemed to be sympathetic to his plight.

Tong Jian Min thought he was going to be executed, and never had he imagined that the Empress Dowager would speak to him warmly. He became emotional at her display of kindness and started crying like a child.

Feng Ming leaned back in bed, disbelieving that the words of the Empress Dowager could turn the tough general into a soft dough that can be kneaded.

Rong Tian saw his reaction. He leaned back and asked. “Are you thirsty? Tired? This might take some time.” As he spoke, his hands glided underneath the covers to ma.s.sage Feng Ming’s thighs, trying to enjoying the feel of his skin.

Being teased in front of Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min, who was crying, Feng Ming wanted to scream out. He bit the tip of his tongue to prevent any sound from escaping as he pressed down on the roaming, perverted hands of Rong Tian and warned, “You...you...don’t you dare to do anything inappropriate.”

RT: Let me touch you. To check if your injured area is any better. FM: Can that even be checked?

By this time, Tong Jian Min’s crying had broken out into heavy sobs. Empress Dowager ordered him to stand up and sit back down onto the chair.

ED: Rong Tian, go and remove the ropes for him. I’m not accustomed with talking to a wrapped piece of cake.

RT: Alright.

Rong Tian pulled at the knot and used a knife to cut the ropes tying Tong Jian Min’s hands. He then returned back to the bed and casually sat down.

After causing havoc, the sobbing stopped and Tong Jian Min began to report the situation in Xi Lei.

CHAPTER 2

"Life is hard to figure..." Tong Jian Min’s hands were untied. The words of Empress Dowager have broken down his defenses; thus, he was finally willing to speak frankly about the current situation in Xi Lei.

While rubbing his wrists to let the blood flow through his veins, he recounted his story, "That day, Tong Er’s actions were impulsive. He had taken advantage of Duke Ming’s kidnapping and the Great King’s distraction to forge the royal edict to take control of the army. While the Great King was looking for Duke Ming with only a small number of men, the battle erupted along the riverside of Aman. I was ordered to guard the capital and did not come along. When I knew what had happened, it was too late.”

After finis.h.i.+ng, he let out a long sigh. Everyone knew he had many things to say, so they waited quietly for him to continue.

Tong Jian Min smiled hesitantly and continued, “In fact, what Empress Dowager said about me being in league with Xi Lei’s usurper is not untrue. When I learned that Tong Er would dare to start a battle against the Great King, my first thought was to gather the troops to kill the audacious Tong Er to avenge him. But later, the news of the Great King’s death at Aman River was heard and the only one left who can inherit the throne was Tong Er. This...what can I do? If I don’t kill him, then I’ve disappointed the Great King. But if I kill him...then I, Tong Jian Min, would be responsible for killing off the last generation of the royal family, whom the Tong family had vowed to protect. Not to mention...I have looked after this child ever since he was young. My older brother had died at a young age and my sister-in-law did not live long after that. I am the last of Tong Er’s closest family...”

He cried for a long moment, letting down his guard in front of Rong Tian and Feng Ming. Whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, he continued to address Rong Tian by his t.i.tle and was now immersed in the past.

Seeing his despondent expression, Empress Dowager softly said, “I understand your pain. You are not alone in this, as I have also watched after Tong Er since the time he was born until he had grown up. Life is unpredictable; it is difficult to know anything beforehand. For you to believe that the King had died and crowned Tong Er to protect the surviving royal bloodline of Xi Lei is excusable. But after you heard the news of the Great King’s return, what audacity possessed you to lead an ambush against him?”

Although Empress Dowager was asking a question, it seemed that she already knew the answer and only wanted Tong Jian Min to say it aloud. While speaking, her eyes had glanced over at Rong Tian and Feng Ming.

Feng Ming thought, as of right now, I still don’t know what Rong Tian did to the national policy because of me. This is no small matter, I have to open up my senses and listen closely to Tong Jian Min’s answer.

Tong Jian Min’s att.i.tude towards Empress Dowager was more respectful as he lowered his voice, “If it was still the past and I knew the Great King is returning, I would be overjoyed. I would

immediately tie up Tong Er and lead all the officials to open the gates to welcome the Great King’s return. However, that Great King had created the Grace’s Order, which was not in the interests of the loyal n.o.ble officials who have served and fought for Xi Lei. If we were to listen to his edict, then centuries of Xi Lei’s establishment would immediately fall apart. Because of this, the Great King cannot return home to retake the throne. In order to save the foundation that the Late King had built, the best method was to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Great King on his journey back. This is something I, Tong Jian Min, will not regret. Even if I’m sent to h.e.l.l after death, I will not be afraid of greeting the Late King and my ancestors.”

He slightly raised his chin. There was no trace of remorse in his expression, as if his face was cast of iron and steel.

Feng Ming listened to what he said, but the main topic was still not clearly explained. He furrowed his eyebrows and gently elbowed Rong Tian, who was sitting nearby. Feng Ming whispered, “Hey, what is this Grace’s Order?”

Although Feng Ming had asked the question as quietly as possible, the tent contained only a small number of people, so both Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min overheard him. Looking over in Feng Ming’s direction, they were both surprised and felt it strange that he did not even know that the Grace’s Order existed.

Rong Tian understood the meaning behind their gaze. He smiled and explained to his Royal Mother, “I already said earlier that Duke Ming was not involved in this matter, but you didn’t believe me. The Grace’s Order decision was something that I’ve made on my own. You do not have to unjustly blame Duke Ming because of it, he is completely innocent.”

After finis.h.i.+ng, he turned to the patient Feng Ming and explained, “The Grace’s Order is a new policy I’ve been planning to implement and is still in its development phase. Several revisions are required before it will be pa.s.sed. The draft’s ma.n.u.scripts are placed inside the palace. I did not expect for Lu Dan to appear, requesting food supply and luring us outside the capital. As for the rest of what happened, you already know. Anyhow, the ma.n.u.scripts have landed in Tong Er’s hands and he used it to incite some of the n.o.bility against me.”

Tong Jian Min shook his head and said, “Your Majesty controls all national affairs. You have always been wise and intelligent, winning everyone’s support. However, I really don’t understand why you intend on making a decision that would destroy Xi Lei? If Tong Er did not bring out the ma.n.u.script with your handwriting, I would have thought that Tong Er had acted according to his own interest in the throne and fabricated lies.”

Empress Dowager was annoyed about the Grace’s Order earlier so she interrupted, “Right now within the capital, all of the n.o.bility are anxious about this policy. A vast majority are still loyal to the king, but what reason do they have to ignore the situation in Xi Lei and—without any pity— abandon their true sovereign? What made them support Tong Er willingly?”

Ever since Empress Dowager was “persuaded” by Feng Ming, she had never forced Rong Tian to marry a wife. Her relations.h.i.+p with Feng Ming was quite close. Whenever she met him, she would smile kindly. But because of this situation, she was displeased, a rare thing to see.

Noticing that the situation had grown tense, Feng Ming felt a bit precarious. He stood up carefully, facing Rong Tian as he asked again, “Hey hey, what exactly is this Grace’s Order?”

RT: This Grace’s Order is a national policy, giving a portion of the land and distributing it fairly to the people of Xi Lei. Do you understand?

Feng Ming seemed to understand and nodded in reply. His face changed again and immediately frowned as he asked, “So that is what it means?”

“Allow me to explain to Duke Ming a bit about the Grace’s Order,” Tong Jian Min finished his thoughts and continued, “This policy will change the selection process of generals and officials in Xi Lei. The current selection among the n.o.bility will be removed and a new selection system will be implemented in its place. Not only that, the frightening thing is that His Majesty is allowing both commoners and slaves to partic.i.p.ate in the selection. If commoners and slaves could become officials in our nation, wouldn’t that create chaos? Within the eleven countries, there are none that allow commoners and slaves to govern a kingdom.”

So far, after listening to the words of Tong Jian Min, Feng Ming finally understood a portion of the contents in the policy. Feng Ming nodded twice.

FM: So it is an open system of selecting new officials and generals. Not bad, this is indeed something that I’ve mentioned when I first came to Xi Lei... oh! That hurts!

Without finis.h.i.+ng, Feng Ming had let out a sudden scream. He stared angrily at Rong Tian who was pinching him from below.

Rong Tian appeared angry and was staring fiercely at him.

This little fool, he had to put in much effort to stand up for Feng Ming and didn’t want him to endure the hostility of Empress Dowager and all of Xi Lei’s n.o.bles. However, he was foolish enough to readily admit everything was his doing.

Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min revealed a disapproving look.

Feng Ming was a straight-forward person. After admitting, he recognized the present situation.

FM: So because of this, the n.o.bles would oppose of Rong Tian’s return? Is this what you call loyalty to your king? Rong Tian just wants to give others a chance to improve their lives, but you all would have him killed for this instead. What great loyalty, I’m impressed, very impressed.

While mocking non-stop with a lively and lovely face, Tong Jian Min, who had always been loyal to the royalty of Xi Lei, was not pleased.

Tong Jian Min’s facial expression changed as he said, “If the policy was only just that, then it would not be enough for all the n.o.bles to have a change of heart. The deciding factor which incited a revolt was the second law within the policy.”

“Ah?” Feng Ming scratched his head. “There’s a second law?”

“The second law would dissolve the power currently held by the aristocrats. It would remove the t.i.tles that would have been inherited by the later generations. The children and grandchildren of the n.o.bility would be demoted to commoner status.” Empress Dowager answered Feng Ming’s question in place of Tong Jian Min.

She was of Xi Lei n.o.bility herself; otherwise, she wouldn’t have married the Late King. Therefore, if Rong Tian were to pa.s.s the Grace’s Order as national policy, then he would have severed her own family’s influence.

Traditionally, all eleven kingdoms have followed the primogeniture system of inheritance. Once a t.i.tle has been bestowed, it is pa.s.sed down for generations. Not only did the descendants of n.o.bility receive the t.i.tle, but they also obtained land, owned slaves, and were granted imperial posts. For centuries, they have enjoyed privileges that a commoner can never have.

Under this rule, unless the descendants of an aristocratic family committed a great crime, they would enjoy a lifetime of luxury. Even an idiot who can’t expend all wealth would not have to worry about making a living. It was such a great deal—who would not be loyal to the royal family?

But Rong Tian decided to change this policy, leaving their children at risk of losing n.o.ble status. If one had lost their n.o.ble t.i.tle, it meant losing everything. It was no wonder that they wanted to rebel...

Feng Ming thought for a moment and nervously asked Rong Tian, “That policy of yours only have a total of two laws? There won’t be a third or fourth one, right?”

Just two laws were already enough to provoke the n.o.bles. If there were a third or fourth, wouldn’t they all faint?

Rong Tian sat comfortably beside Feng Ming. He laughed and said, “There are only two, but they are just drafts. I haven’t thought of the details.”

“You’re still laughing!” Feng Ming stared at him. “You are a king. If you want to reform, then you should first antic.i.p.ate the consequences. Small changes are understandable, but you decided to poke the hornet’s nest. Wouldn’t everyone be infuriated and rebel against you?”

Rong Tian smiled, “What they described is just the general concept. The fine details have about a hundred more rules. At the moment, I can’t explain it clearly to you. That draft ma.n.u.script was hidden inside the palace. It still needs to be looked over thoroughly before it can be issued. I didn’t expect that when Tong Er took over the palace, the ma.n.u.script would fall into his hands. Ah, this matter is really my fault.”

Empress Dowager let out a sigh of relief and said, “You are finally willing to admit your fault. The n.o.bles are fundamental to one’s nation. They are the elite talent from which officials and generals are carefully selected from. Not only that, they have been loyal to the royal family for hundreds of years. I believe that if you have a change of heart, revoke the Grace’s Orders and no longer mention them, then those n.o.bles who have pledged allegiance to Tong Er will surely return to your side.”

TJM: If that’s the case, then I am willing to head back to the capital, open up the gates to welcome Your Majesty along with Tong Er. We will kneel in front of you and await your punishment.

“Will Tong Er truly be fine with that?” Empress Dowager asked with suspicion.

Tong Jian Min knew that Tong Er will not surrender so easily. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and replied, “With eleven kingdoms in strife and Li Kingdom eyeing our own, how can Xi Lei withstand the chaos? National crisis takes priority, I cannot focus on personal sentiments. If Tong Er is reluctant to surrender, then as his uncle, I will capture him and hand him over for His Majesty to dispose of. And after I die, I will come down to h.e.l.l to receive punishment from my brother and sister-in-law.”

He raised his head, looking at Rong Tian in a complex way.

TJM: Frankly speaking, if there wasn’t the Grace’s Order, Your Majesty is indeed a competent monarch, worth more than a hundred Tong Er’s. Ever since Tong Er had heard that Your Majesty was still alive, he was restless day and night. Even in spite of my discouragement, he insisted on allying with Li Kingdom’s Ruo Yan. My disappointment in him is profound..

For Tong Jian Min to say these words, it meant that he was still loyal to Rong Tian. Using the general as an example, if Rong Tian would rescind his prior policy and pardon the crimes of the aristocrats who are following Tong Er, then 80% of them would gladly beat their drums and open the gates to welcome Rong Tian back.

It was unexpected that things had swerved another 180 degrees, the darkness has opened up with a great outcome.

For Rong Tian to reclaim his rightful position seemed to be an easy task. Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min were intently waiting for Rong Tian’s reply. Feng Ming was in favor of the new policy and it made him feel uneasy if it were rejected. He wanted to open his mouth, but after seeing Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Ming, he decided against it.

The situation was delicate. One decision made by Rong Tian would forever change the future of Xi Lei. All the words that Rong Hu had previously said to Feng Ming suddenly rang out in his mind.

Rong Tian seemed to be deeply lost in his thoughts.

Feng Ming was like Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min, who both focused on Rong Tian with rapt attention, desperately trying to control their rapidly beating hearts.

After thinking for a moment, a gleaming light shone shone in Rong Tian’s eyes as he slowly said, “Unless I die on the way back to the capital, the Grace’s Order will be my most important policy for Xi Lei. Starting today, I will order someone to transcribe the orders a hundred times and exhaust all resources to have them posted throughout the towns. I want to let everyone know: I must do something that the King of Xi Lei needs to do.”

Dead silence permeated in all four directions.

Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min could not believe that Rong Tian would make such a decision. Their entire bodies were transfixed in one spot as the antic.i.p.ation on their faces faded into a stiff expression.

Only Feng Ming, although shocked, still had the ability to speak up. “Rong Tian....”

Rong Tian looked back at Feng Ming. With a smile, he said, “To create something that is radical and to govern a country is like going into battle. You need to be crafty by using the soldiers properly. You don’t need to worry or persuade me.”

“No.” Feng Ming raised his head. His eyes s.h.i.+mmered as he can’t help but reveal a smile. “I just wanted to say, you are really awesome.”

One hand holding onto Rong Tian’s belt, Feng Ming gave Rong Tian a kiss with his small mouth to show his encouragement.

Chapter 3

Feng Ming declared his support directly, of course, giving Rong Tian a satisfactory response.

Rong Tian had never refused a tasty meal brought to him. It was rare for Feng Ming to take the initiative so Rong Tian did not hesitate to receive it all. Pulling his lover closer, he stuck his tongue inside while teasing Feng Ming’s lips to satisfy his appet.i.te. While doing so, he heard a sound of exhalation behind him. Knowing that Empress Dowager and Tong Jian Min were gradually recovering from the shock, Rong Tian reluctantly let go of Feng Ming who was in a daze after being kissed by him.

Rong Tian turned around, revealing a very helpless but unrestrained expression toward Empress Dowager, "Please don’t be angry. I understand your difficulty, but this Grace’s Order was not written on impulse by me. This King’s order was prepared before my ascension to the throne. But I have made my decision a long time ago. While governing state affairs in these recent years, I have sent men to various places in Xi Lei and observed the other kingdoms. Regarding this national policy, no one can persuade me otherwise—no matter who they may be.”

It was unclear whether the shock had been too much to bear, but the Empress Dowager remained still as a stone statue, not displaying any reaction to Rong Tian’s words.

Tong Jian Min was disgusted as he said, "Then, is Your Majesty insistent on abandoning the legacy of Late King?"

"You’re mistaken, General Tong." Feng Ming, rubbed the temples of his head as he sat up from the bed. A moment ago when he was kissed by Rong Tian, his head was filled with confusion and a bit of excitement. Rong Tian’s resolution in refusing to revoke the Grace’s Order was really astounding that it even awoke Feng Ming’s ambition. Naturally, he was duty-bound to help Rong Tian refute Tong Jian Min. “The Grace Order is a great policy. It will make Xi Lei into a great country within a short amount of time. All eleven kingdoms and Li Kingdom will not be able to stand on par with the

courageous and bold Rong Tian. Those who think the Grace’s Order will destroy Xi Lei are short- sighted.”

Rong Tian’s refusal to rescind the Grace’s Order made Tong Jian Min disheartened. He was a.s.sured that this "suicidal policy" was definitely one of Feng Ming’s tricks. His opinion of Feng Ming reached a record low.

Tong Jian Min snorted contemptuously, “Even with my decades of experience as one of Xi Lei’s generals, I am counted among those short-sighted people? As for Duke Ming—who is constantly captured and is need of rescuing by Xi Lei’s army—you have excellent foresight?”

These fiery words of his had stabbed at Feng Ming’s weak point.

Within the eleven kingdoms, the person who is captured and kidnapped the most is Feng Ming.

Feng Ming’s face grew bright red. He began his habit of scratching his head. After a while, he finally remembered that he was shouldering the task of defending Rong Tian’s policy. Once again, he revealed a serious expression, “The one with excellent foresight is not me, it’s Rong Tian.”

"Well, what a sharp tongue you have..."

"Tong Jian Min," Empress Dowager had been silent for awhile and decided to speak up. In a dignified manner, she said, “Let Duke Ming finished his words."

Right now, Tong Jian Min understood Empress Dowager was on his side so he followed her order and quieted himself.

Rong Tian saw Feng Ming courageously speaking out on his behalf, he felt fascinated. Using his hand to prop his chin, he attentively watch how Feng Ming explained himself.

Feng Ming continued, "Rong Tian has excellent foresight from the time he intended to execute these orders."

"Please explain it a bit more, Duke Ming." Empress Dowager requested.

"Not only is Rong Tian seeing this matter from the point of view of Xi Lei, but also from the viewpoint of someone standing in front of all eleven kingdoms, in search of raw talent."

As the words came out, Empress Dowager was thinking of something, she was slightly moved.

"Excellent!" Rong Tian suddenly burst out laughing loudly, his hand hit the bed as he praised, "This one sentence is really right on: The words from the viewpoint of someone standing in front of all eleven kingdoms, in search of raw talent. Haha, Feng Ming, only you can say such wonderful words. I"ve always wanted to use one sentence to describe the Grace’s Order, but I don’t want to use words that are hard to understand or wordy sentences. It’s rare for you to come up with a wonderful line like that." He looked at Feng Ming lovingly.

Feng Ming was embarra.s.sed by his praise that he smiled brightly, “I just casually said it without thinking much about it.” Withdrawing his smile, he put on a serious face, “Talented people are a nation’s important resources. To govern a nation requires great talent, improving a nation requires talent, battling and commanding an army requires talent, the person with ability...”

“Ahem...” Empress Dowager cough twice and softly said, “Duke Ming just has to say that ‘those with talent are very important to one nation’ is enough.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.” Feng Ming quickly agreed and continued on with the topic. “Extending the scope of electing officials to civilians and slaves will increase the country chances of discovering more talent...”

“This is the flaw of the Grace’s Order.” Tong Jian Min was very opposed to the policy that he cannot retort from giving his opinion. “All the talent are within the n.o.bility realm, civilians and slaves belong to the inferiority, how can they have talent? This is like finding a general from a group of monkeys, it’s all wishful thinking.”

Before he finished, Rong Tian, who was leaning against the bed, furrowed his brow and immediately stood up. With two steps, he stood in front of Tong Jian Min just like a huge mountain almost suffocating Tong Jian Min.

Rong Tian motioned his hands toward his waist. Clang! He pulled out his sword from his scabbard, gleaming brightly in his hand.

Empress Dowager and Feng Ming thought Rong Tian was moving in for the kill. Both were shock as they suddenly jumped out of their chair and bed to shout out.

“Rong Tian!”

"Your Majesty, you can’t!"

Within the panicked screams, Rong Tian already held the sword outward. During the route of striking forward, the sword switch direction midway, suddenly turned in mid air and fell within Tong Jian Min’s hand.

Rong Tian looked at the stunned Tong Jian Min. His voice loudly shouted out, “Is Zi Yan out there?” "Zi Yan is here!" A sonorous voice responded from outside the tent.

Rong Tian didn’t ask him to come in; instead, asked him from behind the curtains, “Zi Yan, you have self-taught yourself martial arts for ten years. Do you dare to duel Tong Jian Min in a one-on-one battle? He is famed for his martial arts skills among the veteran generals in Xi Lei.“

"Of course I dare," Zi Yan answered without a bit of hesitation.

Rong Tian had guessed earlier that he would agree, his cold pupils glanced over at Tong Jian Min, “If you win against him, I will immediately free you.”

Tong Jian Min did not think that he would have a way of walking freely, he was emotional.

The Tong Family had been loyal to Xi Lei for many generations. They were brave and resolute; many famous generals were from their lineage. It can be said that since Tong Jian Min was born, he was raised to be become a general. He was under the guidance of the elder generals and his father and was also sent to other teachers skilled in swordsmans.h.i.+p. He had considerable confidence in his skills.

Zi Yan is a general who Rong Tian keeps by his side. During critical times, he was brought forth. Tong Jian Min never saw him within the inner palace of Xi Lei, but listening to his voice from across the curtains, he could tell that that person was in his twenties, so his years of mastering his skills cannot be compared to Tong Jian Min.

The advantage of a young swordsman is his age and health. The more they are in battle, the stronger they become. For a veteran general, the longer the battle, the more he’ll suffer. But a sword battle is not a tug-of-war—you cannot win with strength alone. Victory is determined by the skills and experience that a person has acc.u.mulated through the years. A person’s skill could determine whether he has the advantage by quickly knocking down his opponent’s sword in hand.

Tong Jian Min accepted the duel between Zi Yan and himself. He told Rong Tian that if in the future, if he were to capture Rong Tian, he will also give him the same opportunity. After saying that, Tong Jian Min went outside to start his duel.

At this time, Feng Ming let out a sigh of relief. He gently leaned back onto the soft bed. Just when he touched the mattress, he immediately screamed out, “Ah...it hurts!”

Rong Tian hurried over to help him, “I already told you to lie down, why did you have to jump up?”

A moment ago, Feng Ming thought that Rong Tian wanted to kill Tong Jian Min. Due to shock, he didn’t remember that his body had gone through an intense “lovemaking” by Rong Tian which prevented him from freely moving around. Grimacing in pain, he had to endure the consequences of “indulgence”.

Hearing Rong Tian’s complaint, Feng Ming stared at him, “If it weren’t because of you, I wouldn’t be laying here.” Since Empress Dowager was still here, he lowered his voice.

Clang !

While listening to the battle outside, Feng Ming couldn’t figure out what was happening and who had the upper hand. Rong Tian asked Feng Ming if he would like to have a bet with him since he truly believed that Zi Yan will win against Tong Jian Min. Feng Ming refuses to bet since he believed that every time he bet against Rong Tian, he ended up becoming the unfortunate one.

While they were talking for a bit, the sound from outside gradually stopped. Rong Tian called the person inside. Zi Yan stepped inside, still breathing heavily after the fierce battle. His sword was placed back within the sheath hanging on his waist. He saw Rong Tian and gave him a respectful bow.

“Did you win?” Feng Ming stuck his head out from behind Rong Tian.

Zi Yan faced him and gently smiled, showing his white teeth, indicating his answer.

Following behind Zi Yan was Tong Jian Min. The sword Rong Tian handed to him was no longer in his hands. His defeated face made him seemed a lot older.

TJM: I’ve lost.

RT: Do you know who you have lost to?

TJM: Yes, a commoner.

RT: He is also the monkey, who can’t be chosen as a general according to your words.

TJM: Even if a monkey has talent, he is still a monkey. No matter how skillful the monkey is, for him to be a commander of an army, it will only arouse ridicule. According to hierarchy, for generations the aristocrats have been loyal to the royal family. They are the main support of a strong country. You can kill me, but to have me change my views, it cannot happen. But I don’t want to die under the hands of lowly people. I ask Empress Dowager to give me a sword so I can commit suicide.

Even at this time, his att.i.tude was still very firm.

Feng Ming was very surprised. He turned towards Zi Yan to ask, “You don’t have anything else to say?”

Zi Yan shook his head.

His unaffected att.i.tude made Feng Ming feel even more strange.

FM: He insulted you, you’re not angry?

Zi Yan lowered his eyes, thought for a moment before replying, “He can’t escape and can’t win against me. Right now, he’s pitiful to the point of resorting to insults. Why would I be angry?”

For a decent-looking and well-mannered man, Zi Yan’s words were harsh, contrary to his appearance. Tong Jian Min immediately stared at him, his face turned bright red in anger.

RT: Hahaha....Tong Jian Min you can go back. Though you are a bit old-fas.h.i.+oned, you have always been a loyal general. However, Tong Er is different. He dares to band together with Ruo Yan and betray Xi Lei. I will not spare him so easily. When you return, please send him this message. Zi Yan, prepare a horse for Tong Jian Min, along with a sword and a bag of food. Bring him twenty miles from here and release him.

Feng Ming was surprised with Rong Tian’s order. Zi Yan brought Tong Jian Min outside of the tent. Empress Dowager was slightly pleased with the outcome and told them that she will leave to rest a bit. She also asked Rong Tian when he is planning on resuming their journey.

Rong Tian respectfully said, “I was planning on leaving tomorrow to quickly join up with Royal Mother in Xi Qin (capital). But right now, I would like to discuss with you about the decision of our departure.”

Empress Dowager slightly smiled, “No need. Every important matter is all decided to by Your Majesty, isn’t that so?” She sighed and continued to leave. Lie Er had quickly opened the curtains and respectfully escorted her out.

Feng Ming saw that Empress Dowager was upset with Rong Tian and asked Rong Tian if he wanted to explain himself to her regarding the Grace’s Order.

Rong Tian shook his head, “Even if she is dissatisfied, I cannot go along with her decision this time. In this world, there are eleven kingdoms and numerous strong minority groups with different customs. If you want to unify the world under one rule, you have to stabilize the hearts of the people, so I can’t reject the Grace’s Order. This is not an easy task, you have to find the person who is capable enough to withstand it and won’t give up till the end.”

Rong Tian also wanted to reward Feng Ming for his supportive words when he was replying to Tong Jian Min. Feng Ming just told him he didn’t want anything, as long as Rong Tian could cherish him more. Feng Ming also proudly stated that he has talent in communication and he was planning on majoring in it in college, but it required English....

Hearing this, Rong Tian requested Feng Ming to appease Empress Dowager for him and for her to accept the Grace’s Order.

FM: I....I....

RT: Empress Dowager seems to like you a lot and you often said that she is very easy to get along with, just like a mother?

FM: But when she gets mad, it’s also scary. RT: Ah, that I also know.

FM: Then why are you still telling me to? RT: Fine, I won’t force you to.

FM: You’ve decided to go by yourself? That’s right, you’re still her son, you can easily talk to her, I’ll lend my support.

RT: I think we should avoid her, the longer the better.

FM: You want to avoid her? And I thought you’re not afraid of anyone. RT: Aren’t all sons afraid of their angry mother?

Feng Ming eventually agreed to help Rong Tian in appeasing his mother. As for Rong Tian, he volunteered to drag Tong Er off his throne and spank him.

The next morning, the group departed. Feng Ming was inside the carriage along with Chiu Lan and the other maids. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only man in the carriage to receive their loving care. Rong Hu was ordered by Rong Tian to rest because of his injury and was allowed to ride in the carriage with Feng Ming instead of riding a horse. The carriage was lively with the group, along with Lie Er riding beside to give his input. Hearing all the laughter and sounds coming from Feng Ming’s carriage, Rong Tian would smile every so often as he rode in the front.

Zi Yan brought a group of people to the front to investigate if there was any ambush up ahead on the road. Yong Yi led his troops behind the rest, which was very convenient since he could move out of sight from the crowd without them noticing. Upon meeting with a great scenery, Yong Yi would take Lie Er aside and disappear for a while before catching up to the group again.

Since yesterday, Empress Dowager’s att.i.tude became very cold. She hardly smiled at anyone, but she was not angry. She got her own troops; Yong Yi was very gracious and had prepared a rather ornate carriage for this high status woman of Xi Lei. She had several bodyguards surrounding her and was traveling in the middle of the brigade. Feng Ming’s carriage was separated from hers by only ten meters.

Since Feng Ming had promised Rong Tian to appease Empress Dowager, he tried asking for an audience when they paused for a rest. However, Empress Dowager made it clear that she had nothing to discuss with him regarding the Grace’s Order. Feng Ming ended up heading back to his carriage where Rong Tian then asked if he would like to go horseback riding with him. Rong Hu was envious of them and asked Rong Tian if he could also ride a horse. Rong Tian was adamant about Rong Hu resting inside the carriage while letting the maids take care of him.

Chiu Lan saw Rong Hu’s pitiful face and scooted next to him to remind him about Lady Yao Ye’s words of taking good care of the wound and not letting it reopen. She also asked him if he really did not want to be inside the carriage with the rest of them. Rong Hu’s ears grew bright red.

RH: Of course I’m willing to be with you.

Zi Yan was leading in the front. When he saw Feng Ming and Rong Tian catching up from behind, he pointed out and reported to them, “Your Majesty, the harbor is in front of us.”

Feng Ming asked excitedly, “Are we going to travel aboard a s.h.i.+p?”

RT: Yes, it’s safe and we can spare the horses. Everyone could also have a good rest to restore their spirits.

FM: (pulling onto Rong Tian’s sleeves) Hurry, hurry! I want to be the first person on the large s.h.i.+p! Rong Tian, you’re so smart, where did you find this s.h.i.+p?

Rong Tian sighed, “Did you forget that you are the world’s most powerful s.h.i.+pping owner?”

Feng Ming was stunned for a moment. He finally remembered that he had inherited his strange father’s s.h.i.+pping business, along with the valuable sea trading map. For Rong Tian to say that he was the world’s most powerful s.h.i.+pping owner was not just bragging.

Hehe, it seems that having a fortune is not so bad.

“No need to sigh, what is mine is yours.” Feng Ming patted Rong Tian’s shoulder to comfort him, “It’s not a big deal, I can give you two of the best wars.h.i.+ps.”

Rong Tian was dumbfounded. Grabbing Feng Ming’s waist, he said, “Sit tight, I’ll show you your s.h.i.+ps.”

As they rode near the harbor, Feng Ming asked Rong Tian about the Grace’s Order.

RT: I already sent several people to go to all the cities and towns to post up the Grace’s Order. You don’t have to worry, even if we don’t spread the news, Tong Er will help us spread it. He’s probably even afraid that not all the aristocrats are aware of this.

Feng Ming was still worried about Empress Dowager being upset over the whole ordeal, in which Rong Tian rea.s.sured him that she will eventually come to understand with time, so they didn’t need to worry.

While leaning against Rong Tian and staring out at the sh.o.r.eline, Feng Ming saw someone and shouted out, “Look! There’s a dead body floating!”

Rong Tian looked in the direction Feng Ming was pointing and there was indeed a person floating in the river, facing the sky.

Rong Tian shouted once. Zi Yan along with several other men removed their clothes and jumped into the river to drag that person out. Within a short moment, he came to report to Rong Tian.

ZY: Your Majesty, that person isn’t dead. He’s still alive after coughing up two mouthfuls of river water. The person floating in the river smelled of alcohol, he must not have drunk a small portion. It seems that he’s a drunkard who slipped and fell into the river.

RT: After saving him, tell him to leave. Tell him that next time if he’s drunk, be sure to avoid the sh.o.r.e a bit.

Zi Yan went off after receiving the order.

RT: (looking down at Feng Ming) You have saved a drunkard.

FM: Drunkards are people too. Saving a life is more impressive than building a seven story paG.o.da, it’s a good thing.

RT: I didn’t say it was a bad thing. What is a paG.o.da?

Feng Ming didn’t even know what a paG.o.da was, but when he watched TV series, he often heard that phrase and just used it without thinking too much.

Feng Ming just briefly answered, “Overall, it’s something that is admired. Anyhow, since this is a good thing, that’s what matters.”

Rong Tian understood that Feng Ming knew very little so he didn’t bother to ask further. As they started to move a bit, the sound of horse hoofs rang out. Zi Yan caught up from behind them. He had a strange expression on his face.

ZY: Your Majesty, that person who we just saved— we wanted him to go, but instead he....

RT: What about him?

ZY: He jumped into the river again.

FM: What? Didn’t he drink too much and fell into the river? So he wanted to kill himself? Why does he want to kill himself?

RT: It seems that your paG.o.da can’t be built. This person doesn’t even have the courage to live. Why are you wasting your time on him? Let us go on our way.

Feng Ming elbowed Rong Tian and turned back to stare at him. “Someone is committing suicide and moreover, it’s someone I just saved.”

ZY: Duke Ming does not need to worry. When he jumped into the river, we pulled him out. However, he still wants to jump into the river and is currently arguing loudly over there.

"Go, go and see."

The person that was rescued still wanted to commit suicide but was stopped by Zi Yan’s subordinates. Because of that, he was wailing endlessly, “Hu...Hu...Hu... repay me, repay me! Hu...repay me...”

The subordinates of Zi Yan were all brave and talented soldiers who had never shed tears, even in bloodshed. They had never met a man who cried like that, so they were all surprised.

“Repay what?”

“Hu...hu...I want to commit suicide, just one time is enough...Hu...hu...hu...all of you, one time after the other keep stopping me...Right now, I really want to jump again, hu..hu...repay me...”

“Saving you is considered a wrong thing?”

"I am so unfortunate, it’s better to die. Why do you people pull me back? Let me die in peace, hu...hu...”

Feng Ming wanted to dismount to come closer but Rong Tian’s arms were like iron, which he could not escape from. He turned his head and saw Rong Tian’s disapproving look so he had to sit right there to talk.

FM: Hey, hey, let’s talk it out slowly. Everything can be negotiable, you don’t need to commit suicide. The man continued to cry, “I’m so unfortunate.”

FM: Why are you unfortunate?

“I...”

Rong Tian coldly looked down from above. “First report your name, place of birth, and background.”

Feng Ming frowned and whispered to Rong Tian, “That person is so sad that he wants to commit suicide. You shouldn’t be rude like that.”

The man was very cooperative. While choking back his tears, he replied and said, “My name is Lie Zhong Liu. I’m from Yong Yin, a painter. I sometimes help people write letters and such.”

FM: Then why do you want to commit suicide?

LZL: It’s because no one wants to hire me to draw, hu...hu...someone who cannot work is better dead...hu...hu...Ever since I was young, my father always told me...hu...you have to strive in life...you can’t just do nothing...hu...hu... My father...I’ve let him down...hu...hu...

As he talked, he cried. It was hard to listen clearly. After finis.h.i.+ng, everyone had a headache.

Rong Tian coldly shouted, “Stop! A strong, upright man crying like that is unacceptable. If there’s no work, then put in the effort to look for one. Dying like that would only bring shame to your father.”

Rong Tian’s words seemed to have stopped Lie Zhong Liu from crying as he used his sleeve to wipe his tears.

LZL: Do you think that it is easy to find work? There are people who did give me work but I quit. Only a talented person who understands me will come looking for me. If they are fools, then they don’t have the qualification to hire me. Ah, but it’s a pity that talented people are rarer each day. It seems that they are nowhere to be found.

A moment ago, he was crying his heart out with a runny nose and now he has became so arrogant that everyone felt it was astonis.h.i.+ng.

Since the group had stopped for awhile, the brigade had caught up. The carriage with Chiu Lan also came, sitting in one place to observe the development. Chiu Yue heard Lie Zhong Liu’s conversation. She laughed and jumped down from the carriage.

CY: I also don’t believe that you are that impressive. You so-called artist, draw me a painting and let me see if you’re not just bragging.

Lie Zhong Liu looked up at Chiu Yue, his eyes lit up and he revealed a flattering smile.

LZL: If you want to have a painting, that can be arranged. I can help paint for you, little Miss Beautiful. I’ve never asked for any payment.

As he spoke those words, everyone was looking at him in contempt.

Chiu Xing and Chiu Lan also stepped out of the carriage and stood behind Chiu Yue. Chiu Xing stuck out her tongue and whispered, “So this person is not only a drunkard, he is also a pervert.”

Since Lie Er happened to be standing next to her, he also unhesitatingly added, “He is a pervert without good taste...Ah! Chiu Xing, you’re stepping on my feet!”

Chiu Lan asked, “You paint for beautiful women and never received compensation for it?”

Lie Zhong Liu’s eyes switched over to Chiu Lan and his eyes lit up as well, just like a hungry person seeing delicious food.

LZL: Compensation is always welcome, but it’s not money. As long as you let me touch your delicate hands and kiss you, then it’s enough. I have talent and looks, so if I kiss and touch you, it won’t be a problem, will it?

His last words “will it?" were more flirtatious than when he spoke to Chiu Xing. Chiu Xing rolled her eyes and ferociously stared at him.

At this moment, even the most sympathetic person of the bunch, Feng Ming, felt powerless against this Lie Zhong Liu. He turned his head to face Rong Tian.

FM: It seems like rotten apples do grow on trees. Let’s not worry about him, we are wasting our time. It’s best to hurry and board the s.h.i.+p.

Rong Tian still looked wistfully at Lie Zhong Liu. Hearing Feng Ming, he nodded, but did not immediately turn his horse around. Instead, he led the horse in front of Lie Zhong Liu, looked down at him condescendingly and in a split moment, raised his foot and kicked him.

Lie Zhong Liu did not expect that Rong Tian would not say anything and kick him. Unguarded, he was kicked and fell into the river again.

Feng Ming was shocked for a moment and anxiously said, “Rong Tian, what are you doing?” RT: Didn"t you say he was a rotten apple?

FM: I told you to not worry about him; I didn’t tell you to kick him into the river!

Rong Tian was staring fiercely at the struggling Lie Zhong Liu treading in the river. His face was relaxed but a trace of smile appeared, “This person came here because of us.”

FM: How do you know?

RT: Because he can swim.

Rong Tian withdrew his gaze from Lie Zhong Liu and turned his horse around. RT: Zi Yan, pull him out of there and bring him on board with us.

The yellow dust by the riverside flew up into the sky.

CHAPTER 4

Soon the group was able to see the flying flags at the harbor from afar, four s.h.i.+ps were docked at the sh.o.r.e, awaiting for their new owner.

Upon spotting the s.h.i.+ps Feng Ming let out a loud cry of amazement.

“Are these really my s.h.i.+ps?” He turned around to ask Rong Tian, his face still filled with disbelief.

The s.h.i.+ps were impressive, the two sides had exquisite carvings of birds and the floor of the s.h.i.+p had s.h.i.+ny glossy wooden boards.

If the ancient world used the star system, this s.h.i.+p in front of their eyes could belong to a six star rating.

The most amazing part is that there was not only one of this six-star s.h.i.+p, but four of them. Four impressive s.h.i.+ps!

“These are just a small number of the thirty three s.h.i.+ps.” Rong Tian saw that Feng Ming’s chin seemed to almost fall to the ground. He smiled and said, “Of course there are countless small s.h.i.+ps since the larger s.h.i.+ps have deep drafts and can only travel in places like the Aman River. If we meet with shallow rivers then it’s best to use the smaller s.h.i.+ps.”

Feng Ming finally realized how amazing it was having the wealthiest father in the world.

FM: It seems like my father’s s.h.i.+pping business is not so bad...Is the s.h.i.+pping business an easy way to make money?

The crew onboard the s.h.i.+ps consisted of really talented sailors. All of these people were once subordinates of the Holy Master Xiao and now they will be under Feng Ming’s command. Within those men there was a specially short person who seems to be their head leader, Luo Deng. When Feng Ming and the others boarded the s.h.i.+p, he was also the one responsible for orienting Feng Ming to the s.h.i.+p.

After hearing Feng Ming’s question, Luo Deng replied: “Young Master, the s.h.i.+pping business is really good.”

FM: The compet.i.tion must be fierce, right? LD: The compet.i.tion?

FM: The other s.h.i.+pping business.

LD: The s.h.i.+pping business is ours alone. There is no other s.h.i.+pping business. Besides us, there are s.h.i.+ps from the royal families or other dignitaries. Unfortunately, those s.h.i.+ps are not for trading business, they are only used for patrolling. Merchants everywhere will come to us if they need to s.h.i.+p their cargo by the riverway. Of course there are also small s.h.i.+pping boats and ferries that are not mentioned, but we are not stingy to the point of competing with those who make their living off of it.

Feng Ming was very surprised. Is this what being “exclusive” meant? Monopolizing the whole s.h.i.+pping business, no wonder it pays a lot.

It’s strange that no one wants a piece of it.

Rong Tian saw Feng Ming’s puzzled face and already guessed the question he had on his mind. Rong Tian proudly smiled and said, “You should be aware of the owner of this s.h.i.+pping business. Even the royal families do not dare to provoke my master so who else would be brave enough to steal his business?”

Feng Ming finally understood. Not only was his father the richest person in the world, he is also the biggest tyrant.

If it was modern days, his father would be considered a Mafia leader.

After getting a tour of the s.h.i.+p, Feng Ming asked Rong Tian if Empress Dowager would be boarding the same s.h.i.+p as them since she still seemed angry. Rong Tian just called Chiu Xing to have her ask Empress Dowager for them.

As for Lie Er, when they first boarded the s.h.i.+p, he and Yong Yi had their own personal tour and came back informing Feng Ming and the others that they’ve found the perfect room with a large bed for his brother and Chiu Lan.

Everyone laughed after understanding what Lie Er was hinting at.

Chiu Lan was so angry that she cursed at him, “Lie Er, I never offended you in any way, why do you always use me as a joke?”

Rong Tian was also laughing, but then he put on a serious face to ask Rong Hu, “What do you think?”

Rong Hu suddenly became the center of attention, all eyes were on him just waiting to hear his answer.

Rong Hu wasn’t as thick skinned as Lie Er so whenever he sees Chiu Lan, he would always be nervous and stiff like a wooden block while standing next to her. He was quiet for a long time before muttering, “I think...that’s...good...”

“What is good?”

“I think that’s good...” Rong Hu continued muttering for some time before finally taking a deep breath and courageously forcing himself to talk, “There are less rooms on this s.h.i.+p so it’s better to have two people share a room to prevent the case of not enough rooms.”

Lie Er burst out laughing; he didn’t even look at his brother and was the first person to start laughing.

Chiu Lan was terribly embarra.s.sed, standing beside Rong Hu, she couldn’t sit or stand still and could only pull at Rong Hu’s sleeves.

Feng Ming was rubbing his trembling stomach, while panting he said, “Chiu Lan, you don’t need to pull at his sleeves, we already have the solution for this. There really are not enough rooms on board, so you two can stay in one room and can save a room for me to use as a recreation room...Oi, Rong Tian, I’m tired of laughing, catch me.” Laughing until he was weak to stand, he leaned against Rong Tian.

RT: I will be your Master of Ceremony. The sky is cloudless, the moon must be beautiful tonight, perfect for consummation. No need for it to be extravagant, so let’s make it quickly.

Chiu Lan was still shy, Rong Hu seemed a bit uneasy. He looked at Chiu Lan and carefully told her, “If you don’t want to, then I will tell His Majesty...”

“How could she not want to? Chiu Lan had longed to marry you that even her saliva is dripping down!” Chiu Yue jumped in between the two of them, holding Chiu Lan by the hand, she excitedly said, “Come, I’ll help you dress up. Master Xiao’s s.h.i.+p is really impressive; there is a special room with silk and jewelry. Duke Ming will not mind if we use a bit of them to wear.”

Chiu Lan whined at the accusation, “Chiu Yue, don’t be troublesome...I wasn’t dripping saliva....” While complaining, she was involuntarily taken away by Chiu Yue.

After Chiu Lan left, the new groom Rong Hu was even more embarra.s.sed. He glanced over at the grin on Lie Er’s face, then over to Rong Tian. He humbly asked, “Your Majesty...I...I will go prepare myself as well.”

Just when he was about to sneak away, he was caught by Lie Er.

LE: Regarding this matter , I have the most experience, so follow me. Yong Yi has many pills in hand, I’ll take you to pick one.

Rong Tian was holding Feng Ming’s waist with one hand and casually told Lie Er, “Grab me two more pills.”

Feng Ming was so scared he almost fell and quickly shouted out threats, “Lie Er, if you dare to bring them, I’ll stuff all the pills down your throat!”

“I’m alright with that, but the person who will be crying non stop will be Yong Yi, isn’t that right?” Lie Er smirked as he dragged Rong Hu away.

Chiu Xing happened to come back and reported to them: “Empress Dowager said that she’d like some quiet and wants to sit alone in the back of the s.h.i.+p...Ah, how come I don’t see the others? Where is Chiu Yue?”

Feng Ming laughed and told her what had just happened.

Chiu Xing was excited, she thought that being on the s.h.i.+p would be boring but now that there’s an opportunity to tease Chiu Lan and Rong Hu, it will be more lively. She excused herself to go help Chiu Lan and Chiu Yue.

It was Feng Ming’s first time being a very rich and powerful person so he was generous and told Chiu Xing that she and the others can wear and take whatever silk and jewelry they want.

Luo Deng also excused himself to make preparations and decorate the s.h.i.+p for the wedding.

Feng Ming asked Rong Tian what they should do at the meantime. Rong Tian suggested to go see the largest room in the s.h.i.+p since it has a large bed and they should test how comfortable it is.

FM: Let’s go, then. Either way, you already promised me, during this time, I get to make the decision on the bed. Also, since I’m currently injured, you have to take good care of me.

While the two of them were goofing off and exchanging loving glances, Zi Yan came to disturb their sweet time.

ZY: Your Majesty, what arrangements do you have for the person we just saved? FM: We didn’t really save him. Rong Tian said that person knew how to swim.

RT: That’s right. I kicked him into the river while he was unprepared. Even though he kept it well hidden, but because of being caught off guard he exposed himself.

ZY: If that is the case, so he has been pretending all along, actually deceiving me and my subordinates. Could he be an a.s.sa.s.sin?

RT: If he is an a.s.sa.s.sin, then he would not pretend and deliberately disturb us. He speaks nonsense but there seems to be a hidden meaning behind his words. I have to think of the best way to deal with him.

FM: Yes, a good way, however, he could be a talented person. RT: How do you know he is a talented person?

FM: A guess? Can’t I make a guess?

ZY: If this person is targeting His Majesty then he is not a normal person because he not only knows from which way we are heading back to Xi Lei, but has also mastered His Majesty and Duke Ming’s characters. If the two of you were someone else, if they saw someone drowning in the river, they wouldn’t even bother with him.

RT: We can slowly observe him, this matter is not urgent. If he is a fox, he will expose his tail. However, it’s always necessary to be careful. Zi Yan, while Lie Zhong Liu is on the s.h.i.+p, allow him to walk around if he wants, just secretly monitor him a bit.

Rong Tian also ordered Zi Yan to send his words to the other guards as well, to neither offend or loosen up their vigilance towards the strange behavior of Lie Zhong Liu.

During the night, just like Rong Tian had said, the moon was very beautiful, both round and big, s.h.i.+ning in the night sky.

Within two hours effort, Luo Deng had decorated almost every wooden pillar with red ribbons. Even along the sides of the s.h.i.+p ribbons were tied, filling the air with festivity.

Seeing the decorations, Feng Ming suggested that they should create a new business:model design for wedding ceremonies on s.h.i.+ps, including the option of traveling through the 11 kingdoms as this will guarantee lots of revenue.

Luo Deng was surprised with the idea and praised Feng Ming for having business talent. He pulled out his book and jotted down a few words.

Suddenly, an unexpected burst of yelling came from behind them. Feng Ming turned to see, the groom had made his appearance. Lie Er proudly led the way in front, while Mian Ya and the other guards who were familiar with Rong Hu tightly surrounded him in fear that he might flee halfway through.

Rong Hu apparently was teased by them for a long time. He didn’t know what the guards said to him, but his face was bright red with a touch of spring.

Feng Ming ran up and yelled out, “Move aside, move aside. Let me take a good look at the groom to see if he’s handsome. If he’s too ugly, don’t expect to marry my precious maid, Chiu Lan.”

Mian Ya and the others loudly protested, “Duke Ming is being unreasonable. If Chiu Lan is your precious maid, then isn’t Rong Hu your precious bodyguard as well?”

Rong Hu was embarra.s.sed as he pushed Mian Ya aside, “You are the precious one!”

The groom’s outfit was prepared by Lie Er. It had bright colors and the ensemble was very intricate. The waist was drawn in a bit to highlight Rong Hu’s broad shoulders and long legs, emphasizing his handsome features.

LE: Duke Ming, this outfit belonged to Yong Yi. I found someone to have it slightly modified, but either way, my brother looks very handsome in it, right?

Mian Ya added, “Even though the outfit looks very complicated, the pants can easily came off.”

This guy’s language was rather explicit, even Feng Ming couldn’t stand it. Luckily, Chiu Lan was not standing here at the moment.

Rong Hu was so fl.u.s.tered that he wanted to punch Mian Ya in the face. Everyone burst out laughing.

Feng Ming felt that something was missing. He usually watched many ancient series on TV and all the grooms always have a big red flower bow on their chest.

Luo Deng said he prepared it already and ordered people to bring it out. When the big red flower bow was carried out, Feng Ming started laughing since it was a very huge bow around 1.2 meters big. Everyone was wondering why Feng Ming would be laughing at a huge bow, which Feng Ming explained that that bow can’t possibly be given to Rong Hu to wear.

Luo Deng told Feng Ming that he is mistaken. The flower bow is brought out to be hang up on the mast.

Feng Ming realized his mistake, looking embarra.s.sed, he told Rong Tian that where he was from, the groom wears it on his chest.

Lie Er volunteered to hang the bow up on the mast.

The bride finally appeared with Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing. When they arrived, Mian Ya and the other guards decided to tease a little bit.

MY: Chiu Lan, we are selling our Rong Hu to you. This person has firm muscles, his bones are also really strong. Haha, he is a first cla.s.s cattle!

They pushed Rong Hu forward, even Feng Ming felt elated as he cheered and applause.

The bride and groom were pushed and pulled into one place. They stood together feeling rather shy. Chiu Lan was very nervous and was embarra.s.sed to hold Rong Hu’s hands so she instead kept pulling Chiu Yue’s hand.

Mian Ya and the rest wanted to continue their teasing, but Chiu Xing turned around and fiercely stared at them, “I’ll never forgive the person who dares to bully Chiu Lan!”

Other than Zi Yan and his subordinates, there was also a man standing quietly watching the uproar in the crowd.

That person’s eyes were clear, his face a little pale, he had broad shoulders, giving off a very distant impression. His medium-length hair hang over his shoulders, but he did not look feminine.

Feng Ming was wondering who this person might be.

RT: I wouldn’t imagine that a sloppy guy would turn into a normal person after taking a bath and having a change of clothes.

After hearing that, Feng Ming suddenly remembered and said aloud: “So it’s actually Lie Zhong Liu, the one who cried his heart out, right?” He took a closer look and indeed there was a bit of a resemblance.

Luo Deng ordered several people to bring the big wooden table onto the deck and covered it with a colorful tablecloth. Several maids also brought over tableware and dishes and placed them on the table.

Feng Ming noticed that his father’s collection of tableware was ma.s.sive and of high quality. One small bowl caught Feng Ming’s eyes, in which Luo Deng explained to Feng Ming that that item was also cherished by Master Xiao. It was carved out of black jade, an extremely precious and treasured item from Piao Rong.

FM: So it’s Black Jade. No wonder it’s so beautiful. I can’t afford it if it’s broken. When Rong Hu lectured him awhile back, he told him that Black Jade is a rare treasure that even the royalty of Piao Rong has never used before.

Rong Tian reluctantly shook his head with a wry smile. Apparently Feng Ming remembered his lessons, but this fool seemed to forget that all these things now belong to him. Don’t even mention breaking one of them, it was not a big deal even if he breaks all of them.

Everyone thought that since Empress Dowager was upset with Rong Tian, she would not come to the ceremony. Unexpectedly, she arrived to give her respects to Chiu Lan and Rong Hu. She sacrificed her peace to come over to the large s.h.i.+p by riding a small boat over there.

Feng Ming and Rong Tian helped Empress Dowager to sit down on the main seat as the new bride and groom gave their respectful bows to her.

ED: Live well together. If the two of you have a quarrel, Chiu Lan can come and complain to me.

Empress Dowager gently clapped her hands and a maid brought over a gift that had been prepared earlier. It was a ruby silver necklace, along with a beautiful silk ribbon.

Empress Dowager tied the ribbon on top of Chiu Lan’s head and placed the necklace on Chiu Lan’s neck.

ED: Being a wife is not an easy task.

Chiu Lan slowly bowed to show her appreciation. After bowing to Empress Dowager, they bowed to Rong Tian and then Feng Ming to thank them.

Rong Tian was very familiar with this kind of event and gave his two pertinent words of encouragement to Rong Hu. When it was Feng Ming’s turn, he had never gone through this situation before and was nervously wringing his hands.

FM: Oh gosh, what should I say? I’ve never been a special guest during a wedding before.

While scratching his head, Lie Er put in some words for him.

LE: Duke Ming does not need to be nervous. I can help speak for you.

The guards along with Chiu Yue laughed together and told Lie Er to not cause trouble.

Lie Er ignored them and began imitating Feng Ming’s voice, he looked over at Chiu Lan, “Chiu Lan, there’s no need to worry.”

Saying about halfway, he didn’t continue and everyone accused him for ruining their fun. That’s when Lie Er continued what he was planning on saying.

LE: Chiu Lan, you don’t need to worry. Today, my brother has taken three pills, he will definitely satisfy you.

After finis.h.i.+ng, Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue were blus.h.i.+ng a deep shade of red and yelled out at Lie Er, “You’re dead meat, Lie Er! What nonsense are you talking about? Watch out, Duke Ming might give you a spanking!”

LE: Duke Ming will not spank me!

Empress Dowager decided to join in the fun, “If Duke Ming does not punish you, I will punish you. Someone, throw Lie Er off the s.h.i.+p so the new bride can vent her anger.”

“What?” Lie Er screamed out. The crowd applauded loudly.

Mian Ya, who was enjoying it to the fullest, was the first person to stand up and “follow the orders.” He led several guards to catch hold of Lie Er and throw him down into a nearby small river.

Splas.h.!.+ Everyone standing on the deck laughed as they watched below.

The long awaited wedding officially started. Empress Dowager drank a small cup and ate a bit of food before excusing herself back onto the other s.h.i.+p. Feng Ming wanted to help escort her to the other s.h.i.+p, but Empress Dowager refused his good intentions stating that Duke Ming will only disturb her peaceful rest.

Rong Tian tried to comfort him stating that Empress Dowager seemed to have lightened up a bit and everything would be better soon.

After Empress Dowager left, Rong Hu became the target of attention again and was offered wine nonstop. Once Mian Ya was done toasting him, the young general Zi Yan added his congratulations. Even Lie Zhong Liu came to offer his wishes and gave Rong Hu a toast.

LZL: Congratulations, congratulations. The new groom gets to hug a beautiful woman in the bridal chamber. I’m so envious. You must drink up this bottle of wine for punishment. Drink it to apologize to all the men in the world who does not have a beautiful woman to hold.

A while ago, this person was standing aside quietly and had a enchanting demeanor. However, once this person spoke, his words were slick, his smile was both mischievous and perverted, worsening everyone’s impression of him.

Because Rong Tian had talked to him about this person, Zi Yan wanted to test his motives. He stopped the wine toasting in place of Rong Hu and chuckled, “If you want the groom to drink wine, you have to prepare a gift. Where is your gift?”

Lie Zhong Liu did not hesitate at all and replied: “Of course I have a gift. How can anyone come to the ceremony without preparing a gift?”

Feng Ming didn’t know what kind of gift Lie Zhong Liu will give to the newlyweds.

LZL: My gift is one of the most precious things in the world. It is a painting by the famous Lie Zhong Liu! Ah, but this gift can not be abused of. I’ll only gift one painting, either to the groom or the bride, please make your decision quickly.

Lie Er had just changed into dry clothes and at that moment, he gave his input after hearing Lie Zhong Liu’s reply.

LE: With that ‘hard to find a job’ artistic talent of yours that caused you to desperately jump into the river to commit suicide? I say just forget it.

The contempt meaning of his words were so obvious that Lie Zhong Liu felt it was a huge insult. He was filled with anger as he yelled out.

LZL: You...you...you... If you belittle my paintings, I will...I will...

LE: What will you do?

“I will...” Lie Zhong Liu was so mad he stomped his feet several times before finally coming up with a possible threat. “I will jump into the river to commit suicide!” Such a handsome guy and yet when he’s in an argument with others, he behaves exactly like a child.

Chiu Lan told Lie Er that he was being rude to someone who wishes to show his good intentions and give a gift. She then asked Lie Zhong Liu to draw a painting for her.

Lie Zhing Liu was deeply moved by her words and quickly nodded: “Good! Good! I’ll do a very good job! “

Seeing Chiu Lan, he held her hands and burst into tears. Everyone looked at each other, even Chiu Lan was stunned. It was a long while before she asked, “What are you crying about? Did you remember something depressing?”

“Something depressing...something depressing...Hu...” Lie Zhong Liu rubbed his eyes with one hand, while the other tightly held onto Chiu Lan’s hand. After crying for awhile, he continued: “This...a beauty like you...is actually...taken by someone else....I...I...I...hu...hu....I’m so pitiful....”

He was crying pitifully, speaking in broken sentences, it was so confusing that the whole crowd rolled their eyes after listening to him.

Rong Hu quickly removed Chiu Lan’s hands from Lie Zhing Liu’s grasp.

After the main dishes were done eating, the desserts were brought out. Lie Zhong Liu did not head back to his room; instead, he stood to one side leisurely watching everyone and kept stuffing his mouth with snacks.

Feng Ming drank so much wine that he was drunk.

FM: Scatter, scatter! Rong Hu wants to consummate the marriage, let the newlywed couple head back to their room. Oi, Chiu Lan is finally married, she won’t be able to care for my daily activities anymore like bathing and all the other things, right?

Feng Ming didn’t want that to happen and was a bit depressed.

RT: The person that has been caring for you regarding your bathing and other things has been me, none of them are related to Chiu Lan.

He carried Feng Ming up and told everyone to scatter and head back to their places.

Feng Ming had a couple drinks and while being carried by Rong Tian, he continued to remind Rong Tian, “You promised me already, you promised me, you can’t go back on your words...”

RT: Understood. I won’t go back on my words.

FM: You can’t lie to me, don’t think that just because I’m drunk you can bully me. RT: You’re not drunk, you’re still alert.

When they went back to their room, it was already late at night. Perhaps Feng Ming had drank too much that he couldn’t keep still and was constantly rolling back and forth on the bed until the next morning, when he opened his eyes. He had an aching headache and was moaning incessantly, lying in bed and refusing to move an inch. During that time, he also interrogated Rong Tian who was lying beside him, “What did you do to me yesterday?”

“I didn’t do anything.” Rong Tian gave him an innocent look.

FM: Didn’t do anything? Then why does my whole body ache like this?”

RT: It seems like Duke Ming forgot that he drank a lot of wine yesterday.

FM: It does seem like I drank a lot last night; unfortunately, I wanted to hold you yesterday...

Feng Ming told Rong Tian to come closer so he could touch him. However, not sure if it was the influence of alcohol that hadn’t subside yet, Feng Ming got up from the bed and sat down next to Rong Tian, trying to pull Rong Tian’s clothes apart.

Feng Ming was still in a drowsy state and his fingers were not following his orders. Still fiddling with Rong Tian’s belt buckle, he couldn’t untie the complex knot. Seeing how pitiful he looked trying to fight with the knot, Rong Tian let out a sigh before untying the knot himself.

RT: I’ll take the initiative to present my body to you, are you satisfied?

The clothes were finally pulled apart, from his broad shoulders down to both sides, revealing his s.e.xy collarbone.

With the beautiful display in front his eyes, it didn’t matter how many times Feng Ming saw him, he was still completely in awe. His eyes stared at Rong Tian for a long time before happily stretching out his arms to cling to Rong Tian.

FM: You must be the most handsome man in the whole world.

Feng Ming apparently hadn’t sobered up yet. He couldn’t sit still on the bed and ended up sliding down, his head comfortably resting on Rong Tian’s thighs. Feng Ming casually kissed Rong Tian all over his stomach, his warm, wet lips distributing kisses just around Rong Tian’s navel.

Rong Tian silently lamented.

Feng Ming’s behavior was just like moths flying towards a flame, there’s really no difference in courting death. He could have chosen anywhere else to kiss, instead he chose the most dangerous place.

This little fool didn’t realize his imminent death, he thought it was fun and continued giggling at Rong Tian as if teasing him.

Although Rong Tian had extraordinary self-control, he was not made of stone. If a firewood encountered fire, how can it not immediately burn? He wrinkled his handsome black eyebrows as he stared at the reckless Feng Ming who can’t grasp the gravity of the situation. Rong Tian finally made his decision, he sighed and then removed his belt.

“Fine.” He touched Feng Ming’s head. “You can kiss all you want, however, kiss a little down below. Not only can you kiss it, you can also lick, but remember not to bite, okay...”

On that handsome face that was always filled with dignity, a slight smirk appeared.

CHAPTER 5

Both of them were fooling around for some time until they hugged each other contentedly while sleeping.

This time Feng Ming was able to toss and turn freely in his sleep and obediently rested in Rong Tian’s arms. He slept until noontime. Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing came to help him dress, they were laughing and whispering.

CX: I wonder how Chiu Lan’s night went yesterday.

CY: Wait until your consummation night and you’ll know. CX: Chiu Yue, watch as I hit you!

Feng Ming watched the two sisters as he placed the jade ornaments around his waist. He began muttering, “Next time, I will not drink a lot of wine. Every time I wake up, I have a ma.s.sive headache. This time, it’s even worse. Not only does my head hurts, but my jaw is aching as well.”

He had a strange feeling about this, Feng Ming looked up at Rong Tian in puzzlement. “Why are you laughing so suspiciously?”

RT: Laughing is laughing, what’s so suspicious about it?

Of course Rong Tian would not tell him what happened last night. While sneaking a laughter, he turned his head as if pretending to look at the scenic riverside.

Just then, a knock was heard coming from outside the door.

CY: It must be Lie Er, this guy refuses to walk normally and will always jump up and down.

She was right indeed, it was Lie Er outside the door. It seems that he has something interesting to tell them as he let out a mischievous smile.

LE: That Lie Zhong Liu is stirring up trouble, it’s still early in the morning and he already went to bully the bride.

FM: How’s that?

LE: Yesterday, Lie Zhong Liu promised to draw a painting for Chiu Lan. Today, he went to knock on her door, saying that he wants to draw a painting.

CY: Is the painting very ugly?

No one knows what Lie Zhong Liu drew, but it caused Lie Er to laugh out while clutching his stomach.

RT: Stop laughing and clearly tell us what happened.

LE: It’s not that his painting is ugly, but it’s very realistic. Even the small pimple on Chiu Lan’s face and the bite mark Rong Hu left on her earlobe were drawn. A portrait artist would usually modify a few things. Chiu Lan’s nose is a bit flat, but any artist would deliberately paint it a bit straighter. That arrogant Lie Zhong Liu drew everything. After Chiu Lan finished looking at it, she almost cried out.

Now everyone was finally able to understand the situation.

CY: Of course, that’s obvious! Every female wants to look beautiful in a portrait. This Lie Zhong Liu deserves to be punished; he dares to draw Chiu Lan’s flat nose and pimples.

RT: Is the painting still in Chiu Lan’s hands?

LE: I took the painting before Chiu Lan agreed to it, just in time to show it to Your Majesty and Duke Ming.

Reaching inside his clothes, he took out the painting. Everyone took a look at it. Once Feng Ming glanced at it, he exclaimed with appreciation.

FM: This is just like a photo, it looks exactly like the real person!

CX: But the little zits are drawn, it really doesn’t look good...No wonder no one is willing to hire him. Judging by his work, it’ll be a surprise if he doesn’t get beaten up all day.

Rong Tian was quiet for a while before saying, “Ask Zi Yan to come here.”

Zi Yan soon followed Lie Er in.

RT: What is Lie Zhong Liu doing right now?

ZY: Since he painted a picture like that, he was lambasted by everyone so he ran to the deck to lie down. Does Your Majesty want me to call him here?

RT: Where is he sleeping?

ZY: He and my subordinates share a small room in the lower deck. With so many people on board, that room could hold the majority of them.

Not sure what Rong Tian had in mind, but he glanced around the room and seemed to have come to a decision. He turned around towards Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing, “You two go and prepare a different room.”

“For Lie Zhong Liu to stay in?”

RT: No, Duke Ming and I will stay there. Lie Zhong Liu will stay in this room. “What?”

“Your Majesty...”

RT: Don’t say anything more, this is the King’s order. Send the order down, everyone should be absolutely respectful of Lie Zhong Liu. Do not be even slightly rude to him; anyone who does not listen will be executed. Zi Yan, prepare an outfit for him. As long as it is something Lie Zhong Liu wants, then give it to him.

ZY: (frowning) Yesterday, he spotted the Black Jade Bowl...but I think he was 80% drunk at that time.

FM: The Black Jade Bowl?

This man sure has great taste.

Not even the royalties would dream about that item.

Rong Tian was speechless for a moment until he clenched his teeth to say, “Tell Luo Deng to take it out and give it to him.” He looked over at Feng Ming and whispered, “Feng Ming...”

Feng Ming placed his hand out to stop him from further saying anything.

FM: You don’t have to say anything, what’s mine is yours, just take it.

RT: You’re really considerate.

Feng Ming made a face at him, “I just know that you never a made a bad business choice.”

That same day when the King’s order was pa.s.sed down, the room exchange was done, with the new bedspread in place, the maids were urgently called out to sew clothes for Lie Zhong Liu. However, that Lie Zhong Liu was not appreciative about all the new gifts and privileges; he just felt that they were all things he deserved.

When he found out that he could freely request for treasures, he went as far as ordering a number of guards to follow him into the treasure storage room and spent half an hour selecting various valuable items to place in his new room.

Along with that, he also wanted to eat a variety of dishes, the cook on board must follow strict instructions in accordance to his written recipes to make his meals.

Less than a day and he made the men on the whole s.h.i.+p hustle about. Even Rong Tian’s bodyguard, Mian Ya, who pa.s.sed in front of him was called on to demonstrate some moves to help relieve his boredom.

At around three in the morning, Lie Zhong Liu found a broken-stringed qin and began playing it like a mournful ghost, making tons of noise, not allowing anyone to have a peaceful sleep.

Feng Ming was completely horrified, even with the doors and windows closed he could still hear the annoying sound of Lie Zhong Liu’s playing. Half laughing, half crying, he exhaled a long breath, “Luckily, Empress Dowager is not on the same s.h.i.+p as us. Otherwise, even she would not be at peace.”

Rong Tian couldn’t sleep because of the noise but he continued to endure the suffering as he sat up in bed. He leaned in behind Feng Ming who was lying next to the window.

RT: Your patience has grown a bit. I thought that before three, you would not endure it anymore and would have asked me why I wanted to please Lie Zhong Liu.

Feng Ming wrinkled his nose, “Well, why do I have to ask you? Can’t I figure the answer myself?” RT: Oh? You found out the answer?

FM: You want to please Lie Zhong Liu because he can draw very well. He’s like a manual camera; anything he sees can be re-draw onto a painting. This is a very essential skill to have. If you can appease him and win him over, you can easily track down a prime suspect without being mistaken. How is that, did I guess it right? Don’t think that you’re the only one who knows how to identify a talent. I, Duke Ming, am not just here for fun.

Rong Tian looked at the triumphant look on Feng Ming’s face, he couldn’t help but give him a kiss. RT: I did want to appease him because of his painting but what you guessed is not completely right. FM: Ha? Where am I wrong?

Rong Tian is so hateful, he refused to give an immediate answer and deliberately changed the subject. Looking out the window, he frowned, “Lie Zhong Liu’s playing is really terrible, it seems that no one will be able to sleep tonight.”

FM: Rong Tian, you still haven’t answered my question.

RT: Come, lie down and I’ll answer you.

Rong Tian recaptured Feng Ming back onto the bed; the two of them snuggled under the blankets.

RT: I’ll satisfy your curiosity but I have to receive something in return.

Feng Ming did not fully understand. His hand was held by Rong Tian and was led down below.

The waist belt was untied and the hot object was placed in Feng Ming’s hand, with the sudden intense pulsation Feng Ming could feel his heartbeat at that time.

“Pervert!” Feng Ming scolded him in embarra.s.sment.

RT: Use your pretty hands to stroke it gently and as you caress it, I’ll answer you.

Rong Tian brazenly laughed, “Xi Lei King’s manhood is both thick and large, this toy is not only a great pastime but it is also Duke Ming’s favorite item.”

Feng Ming could not stand his poker face, he almost jumped up and hid under the bed. Still blus.h.i.+ng, he said, “Who said it is Duke Ming’s favorite item?”

In the middle of his talking, the manhood in his hand suddenly stood up as if about to pop out of it. A shocked Feng Ming hastily wrapped both hands around it.

Being exposed to this burning and pulsating object, his body, which often accepted this part of Rong Tian could not help but erupt in a tingling sensation. Feng Ming’s breathing became irregular, he leaned his head against Rong Tian’s chest, refusing to let Rong Tian see his face.

While enjoying the subtle pleasure provided by the slow pace of Feng Ming’s hands, Rong Tian exposed a content grin and whispered, “When looking at the painting by Lie Zhong Liu closely, you will notice that he is a superb painter. Every stroke he painted, there was no hesitation in them and yet all of them were accurate.”

Feng Ming focused all his energy on the burning erection and it seemed to grow larger under his ministrations. Not having the energy to care about other things, his face was a nice shade of red and his heart was pounding fast as he answered casually, “I already said that he is a very good painter.”

Seeing Feng Ming in that state, Rong Tian couldn’t hold back his laughter as he finally pulled Feng Ming closer.

RT: Let’s not worry about Lie Zhong Liu anymore, let us start doing more enjoyable things. Rong Tian’s fingers made their way into Feng Ming’s pants.

Feng Ming had secretly reached a state of arousal under Rong Tian’s skillful caresses. His fingertip gently sc.r.a.ped the tip causing a wave of pleasure to travel from Feng Ming’s waist towards his spine.

Feng Ming released a low groan.

Being disturbed by Lie Zhong Liu’s playing, Rong Tian had already realized that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight and he still wanted Feng Ming to stroke his lower half. Even though he’s busy on the other end, he still continued to fondle Feng Ming’s arousal.

RT: How many times should I hold Duke Ming? If it’s too few, then Duke Ming won’t be satisfied. If it’s too much, then I’m afraid Duke Ming’s injury hasn’t fully recovered.

Feng Ming’s body started heating up under Rong Tian’s touch, his breathing uneven as he resisted, “I should be the one holding you.”

“Your back is not even healed, how can you hold me?” Rong Tian looked at him, revealing a coaxing smile, “Come here, let me see how warm your body is inside.”

Under the moonlight, Feng Ming’s long black hair was blown by the wind outside. Rong Tian’s eyes sparkled like the stars, his laughter was alluring.

After seeing that, Feng Ming was ecstatic as if he was drunk. His whole body was burning hot as it loosened up. He really didn’t have much energy to take the initiative. Also, Rong Tian’s intense lovemaking is not bad, without been able to hold back anymore, he whispered, “Don’t hurt me...”

RT: I will definitely make Duke Ming satisfied!

Rong Tian was extremely aroused, he was about to enjoy a great meal when footsteps were suddenly heard outside the room, interrupting the wonderful atmosphere.

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.” Outside the room, Zi Yan’s serious voice could be heard. This was like a cold bucket of water suddenly poured onto the two lovers.

This person, why does he always choose the most crucial moment to appear?

Feng Ming and Rong Tian’s expressions were the same, in pain and helpless.

Rong Tian’s erection was throbbing painfully, he wanted to quickly send Zi Yan away and said, “Lie Zhong Liu can do whatever he likes, just listen to him. If there’s anything else, just take care of it. If there’s nothing else, don’t come and bother me.”

ZY: Replying to Your Majesty, this matter is not related to Lie Zhong Liu. The Aman River seems to haves obstacles up ahead. The s.h.i.+p in front ran aground.

RT: What?

Rong Tian realized that he had guessed wrong. Glancing at Feng Ming, they both knew that tonight’s entertainment is over. They had to fasten their belts and put on a cloak.

RT: Zi Yan, come in.

Hearing the order, Zi Yan pushed the door open and walked in.

ZY: It’s very strange, it is now spring and the snow has already melted. Aman River should be deep enough for a large s.h.i.+p like ours to pa.s.s through. In my opinion, I believe that someone is secretly using underhanded methods.

While thinking about what to do, several footsteps were heard outside the door. Lie Er, Rong Hu, and Luo Deng all received the news and came awaiting for orders.

LD: I just heard that the riverway up front has met with resistance, we have immediately dispatched two of the most experienced sailors to check upon the matter. They reported that a section of Aman River is filled with huge stones. The draft of the s.h.i.+p is deep so the stones sc.r.a.ped the bottom and there is no way of sailing across it.

RT:How long will it take to clean up the river stones?

LD: It should take at least two to three days. Clearing the river underneath is not the same as on sh.o.r.e. The sailors must hold their breath to swim underwater to do the work. The entire bottom of the river is filled with rocks. If it wasn’t there, then the s.h.i.+p wouldn’t have run aground.

LE: This must be the doings of the new Yong Yin Prince – that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Yong Quan must have done it. He has always been on good terms with Tong Er. When Tong Er ascended to throne, he even ordered people to send special gifts to him. It seems that he is worried that if Your Majesty is

restored to your position, you will resolve the matter with him. Therefore, he united with Tong Er in order to prevent Your Majesty from returning home.

RT: First off all, let’s not worry about Yong Quan. Feng Ming, what do you think we should do now?

FM: The river is really deep, cleaning it up will not be an easy task. Ah, it’s so troublesome with underdeveloped transportation, if there was air...ahem, this...Are we going to abandon the s.h.i.+p and continue on the road instead?

Feng Ming felt a bit disappointed as he sighed loudly. They have finally boarded a s.h.i.+p and he thought he would be able to enjoy a few days of comfort, but he didn’t expect it to end so soon.

Zi Yan thought for a moment before respectfully answering, “I don’t want to refute Duke Ming but there are large mountains and tall trees on both sides. The morning route will be extremely difficult.”

RT: Bring the map here.

Lie Er quickly brought the map over and spread it out on the table for everyone to see.

“We are right here, if we follow straight along the Aman River and disembark here, we will reach Xi Qin (capital of Xi Lei) very easily. But if we disembark right here, the two sides of Aman River are an inaccessible barren land with not many people pa.s.sing by. We might even encounter checkpoints in Yong Yin along the way, it will be troublesome.”

“Your Majesty, how about we temporarily stop for three days and wait until the the stones are cleared?”

Everyone looked at Rong Tian to see if he had come to a decision.

Rong Tian had already made his decision, revealing a sly smile he ordered someone to bring over a brush and ink. He called Feng Ming over and wrote a few strokes on his soft palm. Besides Feng Ming, no one knew what he had written.

Lie Er was curious and stretched his neck out to take a peek. Instead, Rong Tian wanted Feng Ming to hide his hand. Looking around the room, he chuckled.

RT: I already wrote my decision on Feng Ming’s hand, but before I say it, I want to hear the opinion of another person. Zi Yan, go and tell Lie Zhong Liu about this situation, ask him what his decision is.

Upon hearing Lie Zhong Liu’s name, Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing rolled their eyes, but because they were in front of Rong Tian they didn’t dare to say a word.

After receiving the order, Zi Yan left. A short while later, he came back to report, “When Lie Zhong Liu finished hearing about the situation, he didn’t think too much and said to come ash.o.r.e. He also said that if Your Majesty doesn’t want to come ash.o.r.e, then let him disembark.”

After Rong Tian finished listening, he smiled brightly.

FM: Sure enough, he has the same thought as you.

Feng Ming opened up his palm to reveal to everyone the two words Rong Tian wrote – come ash.o.r.e.

RT: Cleaning up the river channel is futile. Aman River is very long and throwing boulders is easy, but for us to retrieve them we will waste a lot of energy. It’s not wise in case we encounter enemies. Even if we clean up the river this time, there will probably be similar obstacles up ahead. Because of that, our whereabouts would be fully exposed and our enemies will know which direction we will be headed. That would be a huge disadvantage for us.

Feng Ming finally understood his reasoning.

Rong Hu was still puzzled. “If Your Majesty has already reached a decision, you could have ordered everyone come ash.o.r.e. Why do you have to take Lie Zhong Liu’s opinion into account?”

Everyone on board the s.h.i.+p had been disturbed by Lie Zhong Liu’s terrible playing. Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing’s eyes were bright red. They did not know why Rong Tian valued Lie Zhong Liu so much. It was rare for Rong Hu to have the audacity to question him. Everyone gave their utmost attention to listen to Rong Tian’s reply.

Before Rong Tian answer, he asked Lie Er, “Do you still have the painting of Chiu Lan on you?” “I do.” Lie Er pulled out the painting of Chiu Lan.

This painting can be called “a masterpiece,” but Chiu Lan was determined to not accept it. Instead, the painting fell into the hands of the naughty Lie Er and was brought out for everyone to admire earlier.

RT: Feng Ming, do you remember what I told you earlier?

FM: Ah. You said that his painting skill is superb. Every stroke he painted is made without hesitation and yet very accurate.

Zi Yan came in to take a closer look, he also admitted, “You’re right. Looking at his strokes, they indeed show no signs of hesitation, without the slightest alteration. It is very rare to find someone with such a vision.

LE: This person does have a gifted talent in drawing.

RT: Lie Er, you are wrong. This type of skill does not rely on gifted talent alone, it’s not easily acquired. Lie Zhong Liu must have gone through a huge amount of training to sharpen his skills. Not only does he keeps drawing, he trained himself over the years to finally draw a precious painting like this.

LE: Even if the result is just like the real thing, not many people would like these kind of paintings. Even Chiu Lan cried over it.

“Your Majesty, I’m still not clear. Why does Your Majesty think that this painting of Lie Zhong Liu is precious?”

Rong Tian was about to open his mouth when he heard a heavy gasp right beside his ear as if someone suddenly thought of something and got very shocked.

He turned around and saw Feng Ming’s strange expression.

RT: It seems that our Duke Ming has figured it out.

Everyone’s attention suddenly concentrated on Feng Ming.

FM: Because Lie Zhong Liu’s talent is not in portraits, but in topographic maps.

“That’s right!” Zi Yan is a general so he’s very familiar with topographic maps. He was the first to react as he clapped his hands in excitement.

ZY: Only drawing topographic maps would require such detail and accuracy. Mountains, cliffs, quicksand pits, etc... During wartime, generals have to make their decision by relying on topographic maps. If the maps are not accurate, it will lead to a lot of deaths.

FM: So if we want to have a topographic map drawn, we need to find Lie Zhong Liu. It seems like my gift of the Black Jade bowl was worth it.

Rong Tian shook his head, “If he only had a little talent like that, it is not enough to be given the Black Jade bowl. The reason why I valued him is because he already possessed a huge amount of information on the geography of every kingdom.”

FM: How do you know?

This time, it was Rong Hu who reacted first, “Because His Majesty noticed that Lie Zhong Liu is a seasoned artist in drawing maps. In order to have this kind of skill, he must have painted numerous topographic maps. In other words, he must have traveled to many different countries and memorized the location of everything by heart. G.o.d, if this is the case, this person is more precious than a whole city.”

Just thinking about it can make anyone’s blood boil in excitement.

Li Kingdom, Fan Jia, Yong Yin...knowing the suitable location to place a trap, the suitable place to order an a.s.sa.s.sination, the best place to overtake, the place with fast flowing water with quicksand...All of these are valuable information during times of war.

In an era where transportation is undeveloped, enemy information is more important than anything else. Every country is also very careful in protecting their territory. Having a complete topographic map of other kingdoms requires the need to secretly dispatch numerous spies and acc.u.mulate the information after several long years. Even though Rong Tian was currently using his map, it was due to the hard work of the Late Xi Lei King who completed majority of it after many years.

FM: I knew you won’t do business without gain. Congratulations, you got another effective right hand man.

Rong Tian quietly looked at him, but was not as jubilant as the others. He smiled faintly.

RT: It’s too early to say if this person is willing to be under my command. This is still a problem. When he said that, everyone’s high spirits subsided.

ZY: Your Majesty gave your room to him, all the valuable treasure for him to choose, everyone respected him, would he get better treatment than this in other places? If Lie Zhong Liu doesn’t choose Your Majesty, then he can’t be considered an intelligent person.

RT: Let us put this aside for the time being. Zi Yan, please pa.s.s this message, have the crew prepare to disembark early in the morning.

LD: Young Master, how about me...

FM: You and your subordinates don’t need to follow us. All four s.h.i.+ps can continue onto the original path that’s been decided. If you come across stones in the river along the way, just slowly clean them up. View it as a trip to enjoy the Aman River scenery. If you run across someone blocking the way, do not try to be brave. Just tell them that Rong Tian and I are not on board. If they don’t believe you, then let them search the s.h.i.+p.

LD: Young Master, rest a.s.sured. Master Xiao’s s.h.i.+ps have never been intercepted. We are honest s.h.i.+p merchants, as long as there are no one involved with court affairs, no one would deliberately make things difficult for us.

CHAPTER 6

In the morning of the same day, the troops were ready.

Feng Ming knew that he had to travel through mountains and cliffs so he deliberately picked out a short coat on the outside, sky blue satin pants, a belt was tied tightly, revealing his beautiful slender waist. He wore a pair of sheepskin boots high up to his knees, making him appear even more slender in figure.

Rong Tian couldn’t divert his eyes away from Feng Ming.

They originally wanted all the female maids to stay behind on the s.h.i.+p and travel with Luo Deng since it would be safer that way for them. However, Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue were complaining and begging Feng Ming to take them with him.

As for Chiu Lan, she was also complaining that being a newlywed, Feng Ming and Rong Tian shouldn’t separate Rong Hu from her. If she were to be left behind on the s.h.i.+p then Rong Hu had to stay with her as well – causing Rong Hu to break into a cold sweat from behind her and he told Duke Ming not to listen to her.

CL: You told Duke Ming to not listen to who?

Chiu Lan turned around and stared fiercely at Rong Hu. Her stare caused Rong Hu to be even more fearful. The words he wanted to say suddenly had to be held back in, he obediently closed his mouth. (Well, we know who wears the pants in this relations.h.i.+p).

They all continued to cry in front of Feng Ming so he decided to transfer the decision making to Rong Tian, but he pushed back the responsibility to Feng Ming. Feng Ming decided that Chiu Lan will stay behind and he’ll leave Rong Hu with her. As for Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue – who were grinning – they will also stay behind to accompany Chiu Lan.

Just when this decision was made and the maids were drowning out Feng Ming with their tears, Zi Yan came to tell them that Lie Zhong Liu made a condition to them if he were to travel with them.

“What are the conditions?”

ZY: He said that he is used to enjoyment. Having to climb through mountains is very exhausting, if there are no beautiful women to come along, he will not come with us.

Zi Yan secretly glanced over at the maids who were crying their eyes out until they were red and swollen.

ZY: He wants Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing to come along with us.

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing were surprised after hearing that.

FM: Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing absolutely hate him, they won’t agree...

CX: We Agree! We Agree! How can we not be willing? We admired Lie Zhong Liu the most! CY: As long as we’re not left behind that’s good enough.

Chiu Lan was frantic and begged Feng Ming for her to come along as well, convincing Duke Ming that she was his first maid who served him and that he shouldn’t leave her behind just because she got married and didn’t want her to serve him anymore.

As result, Feng Ming couldn’t win against the three maids and they all eventually went along on the trip.

True to what Lie Er said, after they left the s.h.i.+p, there were mountains and trees along the way.

With the eleven countries constantly fighting, it seems that almost every one of them recruited soldiers to protect their country; therefore, many villages only had elderly, women, and children.

Many of the fields and lands didn’t have enough manpower. The barren hills along the river banks of Aman River didn’t have anyone to look after anymore.

While walking through the mountains for two to three days, they would occasionally encounter other people hunting. Since the area was less populated, there were many rare wild animals in the forest. Rong Hu even personally hunted a leopard late at night. He peeled off the leopard’s skin and gifted it to Rong Tian, but Rong Tian awarded it to Chiu Lan instead.

Feng Ming had never experienced the wild with Rong Tian so he is extremely interested in everything he sees. Rong Tian was worried that Feng Ming might be scared of snakes, the muddy swamp or the cold forest dew, but Feng Ming was very open-minded stating that he always liked camping but never had an opportunity to do so.

After entering through the mountains, Lie Zhong Liu followed along with Zi Yan. Zi Yan’s responsibility was to clear the way and inquire about the situation in front of them. This work inadvertently became Lie Zhong Liu’s responsibility as well.

Zi Yan understood that Lie Zhong Liu is familiar with the terrain around the area so he often listened to his opinion. However, Lie Zhong Liu hasn’t officially declared his loyalty to Rong Tian, so Zi Yan was still a little worried. He would find time to discuss with Rong Hu, Lie Er, and they would quietly asked for Rong Tian’s opinion.

LE: This Lie Zhong Liu is very mysterious. If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s intellect in figuring out his ident.i.ty, maybe we would just think that he was a freelancer mediocre painter. I’m just worried that if this person was sent here by our enemy, what will we do? If he isn’t then it’s fine, but right now we are in the middle of nowhere, deep within the forest, if he were to lead us to a dead end or a place of an enemy ambush, then that would be bad. Your Majesty, are we really going to follow his directions and go wherever he directs us to?

RT: Feng Ming had once said, if you don’t trust the person, then don’t use him. If you use the person, then trust him. I really want to see where he is planning on leading us.

Lie Er had no choice but to relay Rong Tian’s words to Zi Yan.

Lie Zhong Liu never noticed this little action of Lie Er and continued to lead the way with Zi Yan. He was very knowledgeable of the whole area, where there is river, where there is a shortcut, and even where there is dangerous slippery mud – all of them were pointed out without mistakes.

That night they rested around the campfire. During the lively conversation, Lie Zhong Liu jumped without warning and started laughing.

LZL: After a long hard day, it would be nice to eat some wild game.

He squeezed in the between Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing to sit down, prompting them to whine out, unfortunately they couldn’t kick him away.

Feng Ming knew he was the one who lead the way for them, glancing over at the grumpy twin sisters, he smiled and gave Lie Zhong Lie a toast.

Lie Zhong Liu looked at Feng Ming for quite awhile before smiling and shaking his head.

LZL: Duke Ming should never be too good to me, a beautiful person like you smiling like that can cause anyone to be seduced.

Everyone who saw him teasing Duke Ming all looked at each other. Did this guy have a death wish? Was Rong Tian invisible to him?

Rong Tian noticed that the crowd was uneasy, and so he took the cup from Feng Ming’s hand and drank it. He then looked at Lie Zhong Liu and kindly asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

LZL: Please go ahead.

Lie Zhong Liu, without noticing the tension in the air, was still absent-mindedly entertaining himself with the sisters on both his sides.

RT: I’d like to ask, who is the person you most admire in the world? “Absolutely not Xi Lei King,” Lie Zhong Liu replied casually.

Rong Tian was very accommodating to him, but he was not appreciative and bluntly showed disrespect in front of Rong Tian’s face. Everyone was very surprised.

However, Rong Tian was smiling as usual, he picked up a jug and poured a cup for himself. Playing with the jade cup filled with wine, he suddenly said, “Since it’s a long night, why don’t we play a game and guess who is the person Mister Lie admires most, shall we?”

ZY: Good! I’ll guess first. Um, the person that can stand on par against our Great King is only Rou Yan from Li Kingdom. Since the person you admire the most is not our Great King, then it must be Ruo Yan, right?

LZL: Wrong. (shook his head in disdain) Ruo Yan is a cruel ruler. He loves to use poison and he’s narrow-minded. What is there to admire about him?

CX: (grimaced at him) You’re so arrogant, perhaps the person you admire most is yourself.

LZL: Of course I admire myself, but I’m not the person I admire most. Hehe, Little Beauty, since you guessed wrong, give me a kiss and I’ll tell you the answer, okay?

CX: In your dreams!

Chiu Lan, who was sitting next to Rong Hu, thought for a bit.

CL: The person you admire the most is our Duke Ming. Duke Ming is kind, clever, everyone knows how amazing he is.

LZL: (laughing) Everyone knows how amazing Duke Ming is? He was imprisoned in Bo Jian, then was kidnapped by Ruo Yan, was lured to Dong Fan, causing Xi Lei King to hastily give chase back and forth. He can’t care for himself or be ambitious enough to seize the world, of course he’s really amazing.

Lie Er, who was constantly suspicious of him, could not bear it any longer after hearing his insolent laughter. He jumped up, “Outrageous! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you dare...”

“Lie Er!” Feng Ming suddenly opened his mouth and used his eyes to stop Lie Er from speaking further.

FM: It’s my turn to guess, right?

Lie Zhong Liu probably knew that what he said was a little too much. Seeing that Feng Ming’s demeanor remained unchanged and he was still pleasant, he felt troubled. He clapped his hand and said, “I’m listening carefully.”

Feng Ming’s face became serious.

Although he wasn’t sure to what point Lie Zhong Liu’s skill are, but he had much faith in Rong Tian’s ability of recognizing talented people. Only a promising monarch can distinguish a talent and put them to good use. Rong Tian’s patience with Lie Zhong Liu was very rare thing to see. Feng Ming really hoped that he can be of help for Rong Tian. But how can he help him?

FM: Judging from your looks, it seems that Mister Lie has traveled to many places. LZL: That’s right.

FM: Have you been to all eleven countries?

LZL: I have.

Feng Ming never looked at Lie Zhong Liu during the conversation, he only stared at the bonfire burning in front of him. His face revealed an expression of loneliness as he reminisced about the past. He whispered, “I’m not smart enough, so I can’t guess who is the person that Mister Lie admires most. However, do you want to know who is the person I admire the most?”

LZL: Then I’d like to ask Duke Ming, who is the person you admire the most? Feng Ming was silent, his face showed a deep despair.

“It’s Lu Dan.” Feng Ming sighed.

Rong Tian pulled his hand out and gently held on Feng Ming’s soft hands. Feng Ming also held onto Rong Tian’s hand in return.

“Lu Dan....” Lie Zhong Liu whispered as he sighed.

This man was slovenly, an unruly romantic, with only one sigh he exuded a sadness that made everyone very shocked.

LZL: Which Lu Dan is Duke Ming talking about?

FM: Is there...another Lu Dan?

It seemed as if this was the first time Lie Zhong Liu saw Feng Ming, his facial expression was very serious, examining Feng Ming carefully. Quite awhile later, a trace of bitterness escaped from his lips .

LZL: Lu Dan, Lu Dan, did you hear that? Besides myself, Lie Zhong Liu, there is also someone who remembers you. Everyone in the world sees you as a traitor who betrayed Dong Fan. You’re an idiot, you are an idiot!

In a maniacal laughter, tears rolled down his cheeks. He continued to laugh and cry hysterically as if all the suppressed pain he held inside can finally be vented and emptied out.

From the first moment, everyone only knew him to be a comical, greedy, pervert. They did not think that he also had painful emotions inside him...(that was quite shocking).

After a long laugh, he took his sleeve and wiped away his tears, he also poured himself a cup of wine.

LZL: Does Duke Ming still want to know who I admire the most?

Feng Ming nodded.

At this moment, everyone gave their attention to listen to Lie Zhong Liu’s answer.

LZL: (with a sly smile) The person I admire the most is you, Duke Ming.

Everyone thought he was joking around so they were frozen in place, even Feng Ming thought he was joking.

Didn’t he just tease Feng Ming for being a mouse – getting kidnapped by different people around him?

Lie Zhong Liu knew what everyone was thinking as he said, “A moment ago, I just said that Duke Ming usually gets kidnapped, but I didn’t say that I didn’t admire him.” He chuckled twice before abruptly continuing with a stern face, “Being kidnapped by different enemies many times and yet still return home unharmed. Within the eleven kingdoms, how many people can do that? In this world, besides Duke Ming, who can escape from the hands of Lu Dan? Before his death, who can make Lu Dan relay the responsibility of a.s.sisting Dong Fan King and Dong Fan’s future to him?”

He looked at Feng Ming, his bright black pupils, unfathomable. Feng Ming was shocked by his gaze that he was temporarily unable to move.

After voicing his opinion, Lie Zhong Liu left without saying a word and disappeared into the forest.

Everyone held their breaths until a moment later when Lie Er disrupted the silent atmosphere, “So who exactly is this Lie Zhong Liu?”

“Now I’m a bit worried.” Rong Hu’s face became serious. “If he is a friend of Lu Dan or even a relative, then he could easily harm us to get revenge for Lu Dan.”

RT: He will not.

Everyone’s puzzled eyes fell onto their Great King.

Rong Tian looked intensely at the direction where Lie Zhong Liu disappeared to and said, “Before Lu Dan died, he had used the rest of his years to exchange for Feng Ming’s health. This person will never let Feng Ming be harmed in any way.” He turned his head towards Feng Ming, “This person is here because of you.”

Rong Hu was still worried so he discreetly asked, “So we still need him to lead the way. Has Your Majesty truly decided to place complete trust in him?”

RT: Even though on the surface, this person is comical and greedy, he is not treacherous. If he wants to harm us, he will never use such despicable means. Continue to let him lead the way.

“Understood.”

The maids left to set up the sleeping area and Zi Yan and the rest continued patrolling the area, leaving Rong Tian and Feng Ming by the bonfire.

Rong Tian told Feng Ming to come closer and lean against him since the night will be cold. As Feng Ming obediently rested in Rong Tian’s arms, Rong Tian asked him why he suddenly brought up Lu Dan?

Feng Ming said he didn’t know why, but the presence of Lie Zhong Liu reminded him of Lu Dan. Rong Tian then asked why he admired Lu Dan.

FM: Because I think Lu Dan is amazing. He has the ability to a.s.sist Dong Fan King and is also the King’s best lover.

Rong Tian slowly stroked his hair.

Rong Tian’s slender fingers pa.s.sed over his black hair and touched the soft skin on Feng Ming’s neck.

RT: Feng Ming, Lu Dan is not someone you should admire. He is not the King’s best lover. Feng Ming was curled up in Rong Tian’s embrace and did not make a sound.

Rong Tian gently stroked his back. FM: Then who should I admire instead? Feng Ming probed his head out to look at Rong Tian.

RT: You should admire yourself.

FM: Why?

RT: Because you are Xi Lei King’s best lover.

Feng Ming shook his head.

RT: Am I wrong?

FM: I should admire you...because you are Xi Lei Duke Ming’s best lover. He held out his hand to give Rong Tian a big hug.

FM: Why isn’t Lu Dan a good lover?

RT: Because even at the time of his death, he still didn’t know what Dong Fan King really wanted.

FM: I know what you want.

RT: You do?

FM: Yes.

RT: Then let me make sure if you really do know.

FM: That tickles, stop it, Rong Tian! Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing will come here once they place the mat...

RT: So what if they get to see a bit? They will eventually do this sooner or later with their lover. FM: Hey...oh...you...

RT: What?

FM: ...pervert.

Chapter 7

After what happened last night, everyone’s impression of Lie Zhong Liu changed slightly.

But the change only lasted until the next day at noon when Chiu Xing angrily rushed in front of Feng Ming to vent her grievances.

She told Duke Ming that while she was handing a jug of water to Lie Zhong Liu, he took the opportunity to touch her hand. Chiu Xing desperately wiped the back of her left hand.

Needless to say, that was the hand that the perverted Lie Zhong Liu had grabbed a hold of.

Chiu Yue grumbled on the sideline, “I already told you not to go, but you wanted to go, saying that last night he was pitiful. Well, now you’re the pitiful one, right?”

CX: Chiu Yue! Are you still trying to make me angry? I didn’t want to go, but Chiu Lan refused to leave Rong Hu’s side, not even an inch, practically forcing me into it.

CL: Chiu Xing, why are you putting the blame on me?

Lie Er decided to add oil to the fire and scowled Chiu Xing, “Chiu Xing, you are not allowed to bully my sister-in-law. She belongs to my brother now.”

FM: Chiu Lan is mine!

While he was unprepared, Feng Ming knocked Lie Er on the head, smiled and said, “Alright, alright. Don’t stir up trouble anymore. We still need to continue on our way. Lie Zhong Liu’s personality is abnormal. Chiu Xing, if you don’t want him to touch you then distance yourself from him. Don’t hold any grudges.”

They soon continued on their way. The road ahead was just like a few days ago, still filled with trees and difficult terrains. Rong Tian’s generals and guards were used to it, but Feng Ming’s maids, their hands and feet were sc.r.a.pped in several places due to their tender skin but they kept silent. They knew that if they whined and Feng Ming knew about it, then they won’t be able to come along next time.

That afternoon, Lie Er ran back with Zi Yan to report the good news, “Lie Zhong Liu said that once we pa.s.s the mountain up ahead, we’ll come to a city not far away, located near the border of Xi Lei.”

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing were gleefully cheering.

FM: I also can’t stand it anymore. We can finally sleep in a bed tonight. What is the name of the city up ahead?

“It is called Yue Zhong, a small and less populated city at the border of Yong Yin.”

Feng Ming let out a “Hey,” turned back to Rong Tian and said, “When Rong Hu was teaching me, he never mentioned a place with that name.”

RH: His Majesty wanted me to choose all the important cities and towns to teach Duke Ming. As for the smaller cities, we can always discuss them later. However, this city, Yue Zhong, even I have not heard of it.

RT: There are not many people who reside within the barren lands. Perhaps the former Yong Yin King wanted to protect the border back then and built that city there.

LE: Your Majesty is correct. Lie Zhong Liu also said the same thing. At first, this city was very important, but every since Yong Yin formed an alliance with Xi Lei, the borders between Yong Yin and Xi Lei have been peaceful. Therefore, not many people travel through there. This is a shortcut that not many people know of and the troops stationed within the city are not much. There is probably just a small number of people pa.s.sing through.

Rong Tian told them that they should head there and continue their talk.

Just like what Lie Zhong Liu said, there was a small city up ahead once they pa.s.sed through the mountains. Rong Tian was surprised since this place was never marked on their map.

Zi Yan fully understood why Rong Tian had a slight change in expression.

ZY: The location of this city is very shocking, both sides are towering cliffs with the city located on the only path through. The walls are several feet high, the same with the terrains. It’s easy to defend, but hard to attack.

Rong Hu asked Rong Tian what he planned on doing and Rong Tian told them to keep going towards the gates. He said that Yong Yin and Xi Lei are allies, so as long as they stated his name, then they would be able to pa.s.s through without any problems.

So far, when Tong Er had ascended the throne, Yong Yin Prince sent gifts to him believing that Rong Tian was dead.

Since Rong Tian is most likely to restore his position as King, Yong Yin did not have the audacity to order other cities and towns to confront Rong Tian. Otherwise, at Aman River, they wouldn’t have just encountered a bunch of boulders thrown into the river, but it should be a large army from Yong Yin.

Of course, the new Crown Prince of Yong Yin, Yong Quan, wished that Tong Er was the only person to sit on the throne of Xi Lei. He and Tong Er could’ve been considered as old friends.

LE: It’s unfortunate that Yong Yi did not come along with us after we left the s.h.i.+p.. If he did and gave the order, then they would obediently open the gates for us.

FM: You should feel pity for your Prince Yong Yi a bit. Anyhow, he was a former Crown Prince and now he’s being ordered around by you. He has his own things to do. That’s right, have you two discussed plans on where you’ll be secretly residing at in the future yet?

LE: Who said that I want to secretly reside with him in the future? Once His Majesty unifies the world, I’ll travel all around it and come back after having my share of fun to serve Duke Ming. Yong Yi can come along too if he likes.

RH: Don’t believe him. Once this brat sees Yong Yi, he’ll forget everything and won’t remember about Duke Ming.

While joking around for a bit, they found themselves at the front gates.

Zi Yan yelled out for the people inside to open the gates.

All the guards on top of the gate tower were shocked to find that a great figure like Rong Tian had stumbled across their city. The chubby general, Zhang Huan, was breaking into cold sweat as he didn’t know what to do. If he didn’t open the gates, then he would have created an offense against Rong Tian. However, if he did open the gates for Rong Tian and the new Crown Prince of Yong Yin knew about it, then he wouldn’t be pardoned easily.

His subordinates suggested Zhang Huan to open the gates for Rong Tian, since Rong Tian had a high chance of restoring his position and reclaim the throne. Just as he was about to make his order to open the gates, Lieutenant Wei came to stop him.

“Hold on!” Lieutenant Wei suddenly shouted out, stopping the guards from sending down the order. She said to Zhang Huan, “The General cannot open the gates. This is a city of Yong Yin, without orders by the King, we cannot let anyone pa.s.s.”

Before Zhang Huan had time to speak, Lieutenant Wei turned to face the people down below, “Who is Rong Tian?”

Rong Tian lifted his head up to reply, “I am Rong Tian.”

“Rong Tian, I heard that on your coronation day, you vowed to unify the world in front of your officials.”

“That’s right.”

The Lieutenant sneered, “If that is so, then if I released you to restore your kingdom, then sooner or later you will become a threat to Yong Yin. Taste my arrows!”

After finis.h.i.+ng, she pulled the bow strings and an arrow came flying, aiming for the middle of Rong Tian’s eyes.

Rong Tian reacted quickly and sliced the arrow in half with his sword. Everyone was shocked and started cursing the people standing on the tower.

FM: Rong Tian, are you okay?

RT: Although the arrow was fast, it was lacking in strength. It’s not that easy to hurt me.

RH: Your Majesty, should we put up an attack?

RT: Yue Zhong is a dangerous location with tall walls. It’s not wise to attack hastily. It’s getting dark, so let’s return temporarily to the forest and slowly think of a plan.

Everyone returned to the forest and chose a place to set camp. Rong Tian sent Zi Yan with his subordinates to investigate the nearby vicinity.

Rong Hu and Lie Er retold the events that happened to Chiu Lan and the other maids. Lie Er vowed that he will shoot that female lieutenant into a hornet’s nest.

Chiu Lan was surprised that it was a woman.

RH: Although she was dressed in armor and stood far on top of the tower, her voice was very crisp like a woman.

CX: There is a ferocious woman like that?

LE: There are many ferocious women like that, we also have a few here. Lie Er immediately fell into the fierce glare of Chiu Yue.

FM: (asking Rong Tian) Are we really going to attack tomorrow? The walls are high and the terrains are dangerous. It’s really hard to attack, right?

RT: I’m also thinking about this. The most important thing is that our troops are less than two thousand. If we break down the walls of Yue Zhong, I’m afraid we have to sacrifice a lot of people. Feng Ming voiced his understanding. Rong Tian felt it would be a shame to use his valuable elite soldiers to attack a small city like Yue Zhong.

Lie Er was still upset that Rong Tian had an arrow shot at him.

LE: It’s all because of that lieutenant and her dirty tricks. Maybe she even banded together with Tong Er. The general intended to open the gates too.

“To be honest, this lieutenant has some backbone. Unlike that general, just hearing His Majesty’s name, his legs grew weak.”

RT: This lieutenant is very courageous, she seems interesting. We must pa.s.s through Yue Zhong, but to attack it would be a loss on both ends, so it’s best to create a strategy to overtake the city. Rong Hu, you go and find Lie Zhong Liu, ask him about the details of the nearby terrains. Lie Er, since there is a city, there must be people living nearby. Go and search around, you can coax, threaten, or bribe to find out a bit a more about news within Yue Zhong. Where is Mian Ya?

“I’m here!” Mian Ya just brought back a pile of firewood and quickly approached the group.

RT: Go and capture a guard of Yong Yin, question him about how the city forage supply, the number of city guards, the time of s.h.i.+ft change, the more details the better.

FM: Also, ask about the name and origins of that Lieutenant.

As they were about to leave after receiving the orders, Lie Zhong Liu showed up.

Sure enough, Lie Zhong Liu squeezed in between Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue, “Why do you need to find me?”

Rong Hu retold him of the matter.

LZL: (laughing) Does Xi Lei King truly want to attack Yue Zhong?

FM: The road ahead is blocked, we must attack. Unless... you can find another way to pa.s.s.

LZL: Duke Ming is not smart enough? What kind of person is Lie Zhong Liu? Why would I lead Duke Ming to a place where he has to attack, leaving a trail of blood?

Hearing him say that, everyone was roused. “Does that mean...”

LZL: The City of Yue Zhong does not have many guards and only rely on the tall walls. As long as the gates are opened and Xi Lei’s troops enter the city, you can control the situation.

CL: But who will be the one to open the gates?

LZL: Me, of course!

Lie Zhong Liu proudly point a finger towards his own nose.

RH: I know! Is there a secret tunnel leading to the city?

LZL: Wrong!

Lie Zhong Liu looked arrogantly at Rong Hu, then s.h.i.+fted his glance to Chiu Lan who was sitting next to Rong Hu. He immediately put on a smile, “If I tell you the answer, you’ll...”

CL: I will not let you touch my hand.

Feng Ming was curious and continued to humbly ask, “How will Mister Lie make the guards open the gates?”

This time, Lie Zhong Liu spread his hands out and openly replied, “It’s very simple, I just need to cry.”

Cry?

Everyone looked at each other .

Feng Ming thought to himself: “This guy isn’t planning on following the footsteps of Lady Meng Jiang who cried and caused the Great Wall of China to fall, is he?”

CHAPTER 8

At around 2 am there were several furtive shadows sneaking around in the forest below the city of Yue Zhong.

Lie Er whispered as he reported, “There are guards on the city towers, all are holding a bow and arrow.”

“Probably ever since the Great King appeared, everyone within the city of Yue Zhong are on high alert.” Rong Hu made his a.n.a.lysis while watching the moonlight s.h.i.+ning across the tall towers.

“Mister Lie...”

“Watch me.” Without the slightest fear, Lie Zhong Liu fixed his clothes and came out from behind the trees.

There was an open s.p.a.ce under the city. From the tower, one could see the entire surrounding. No matter what kind of figure appears, it would be difficult for him to escape from the guards’ attention.

Feng Ming and the rest of the group were hiding within the forest and felt a bit worried for Lie Zhong Liu, who was gradually walking towards the gates.

“Who’s there? Give the pa.s.sword!” The guards shouted out abruptly on the city wall.

Almost instantly, the tower guards were all alarmed as they quickly prepared their bows. More than a dozen arrows were shot towards Lie Zhong Liu’s direction.

Feng Ming almost had a heart attack.

“Who’s there? Stop! If you dare to step any further, we will shoot!”

The guards’ warning were exceptionally clear within the night sky, but the oblivious Lie Zhong Liu continued to march forward.

“If you continue to move, we will shoot!”

Lie Zhong Liu’s pace never stopped. He continued to walk on and then suddenly burst into tears, “wuah...”

His sobbing never ceased as his annoying cries rang through everyone’s ears.

Not only the tower guards, but even Lie Er and the rest hiding in the forest were scared of his terrible cries.

“Wuah!...Wuah....!” No one knew where Lie Zhong Liu learned this ability, but every time he starts crying, it’s earth shattering.

He’s a big and tall man and yet here he was, crying at night without any embarra.s.sment. While crying, he eventually walked up to the front gates.

He didn’t even bother to knock on the door and just kept crying, wiping away the tears with his sleeves, which were now full of snot.

The bows and arrows above the city walls surprisingly withdrew without shooting. “It’s Young Master Lie.”

“How do you know?”

“Nonsense, anyone would recognize his crying.”

“No wonder his stature looks familiar.”

Lie Zhong Liu’s crying must be top notch since his tears never stopped and he continued to his endless “Wuah!”,no matter how humiliating it looked.

After crying for some time, he finally sat down on the ground and continued to burst into tears. The guards on the gate walls shook their heads, “What a pity.”

“He must have been driven out by Lieutenant Wei.”

“How many times this year is it already?”

“Who would remember? Anyhow, no less than 10 times...”

Within the forest, Feng Ming and the rest were whispering.

“Do you think his crying will be useful?”

“I don’t know, but the tower guards haven’t shot their arrows, so there must be a reason.” “If the gates don’t open, will he cry until dawn?”

Lie Er laughed, “That would be great! Disturbing them with all the noise and racket until they can’t take it anymore!”

RH: Don’t joke around. Look, the gates are opening.

From afar, the gates did crack open.

Two guards opened the gates and walked sympathetically next to Lie Zhong Liu who was crying fiercely on the ground. They patted his shoulders and advised: “Young Master Lie, don’t cry anymore, come inside.”

Lie Zhong Liu continued to cry, ignoring them.

The guards reluctantly said: “Your crying is useless, Lieutenant Wei will not hear it, but we have to suffer. Come inside, in case there’s anything to discuss. Lieutenant has ordered us to guard the gates tightly today. Did you know that Rong Tian of Xi Lei have come today to frighten us?”

He winked at the other guard and together they carried Lie Zhong Liu inside the city gates. Lie Er was excited: “Hey, he really went inside.”

“Now, we’ll wait for Lie Zhong Liu. Half an hour is not much time, I don’t know if he can really make the city gates be opened wide for us.”

Rong Hu commanded Lie Er, “You stay here to follow up and pay attention to the movements of the gates. Duke Ming, please follow me back to report the matter to the King. His Majesty said you can’t leave my sight.”

Feng Ming let out a distressed sigh, but he had to follow Rong Hu back.

Everyone knew that they would take action tonight and had already made preparations. Less than half an hour, the troops prepared their ambush in the forest near Yue Zhong. This elite group of soldiers were specially trained that during their set up, they did not make any loud sounds.

Rong Tian was worried that Feng Ming might run about and stir up trouble so he tightly monitored him, not allowing him to leave his side.

Feng Ming obediently stayed by his side in close proximity. He looked at the closed gates and whispered, “Today, when you appeared at the city gates and told them you’ll attack the city, the people within the city will certainly increase their vigilance. Do you think that when Lie Zhong Liu went inside to sabotage, he might be captured and locked up?”

RT: No. Lie Zhong Liu is more impressive than you imagine. If he has the courage and determination to open the gates, then his ability is greater than an average person.

FM: I don’t understand. Lie Zhong Liu does not want to swear loyalty to you, but he is helping us during this critical moment. Tell me, why is willing to help you like this?

RT: He’s not helping me, he is helping you.

Feng Ming still couldn’t understand, he furrowed his handsome brows, still pondering.

Rong Tian gently elbowed him, “The gates are opening.” He pointed his chin slightly towards the direction of the gates.

Rong Tian ordered his troops to take action. Like an arrow, the soldiers rushed out from the forest and quickly charged forward onto their horses towards the entrance gates. Feng Ming didn’t have enough time to react before he was already grabbed by the waist and tosses onto the horse by Rong Tian.

Lie Zhong Liu was leaning on the city gate lazily, he waved towards the troops that were rus.h.i.+ng in, “Remember what I am saying, don’t kill innocent people. There are few people here without any strength since they took my sleeping pill.”

Once he finished, all of Rong Tian’s men had entered the city. This was a siege, but not a typical one.

The city guards on top and below the towers were asleep, but after hearing the noise they woke up and quickly grabbed their weapons. However, they found out that everyone’s arms and legs were weak, without any strength. Once they found out Rong Tian’s troops had entered the city of Yue Zhong, there were no stupid Yong Yin soldiers who dared to put up a fight.

Everyone understood that once the city gates were breached then Yue Zhong would be like a soldier without any armor or weapon, it had no chance of winning.

The walls and terrain were the important defense of this city.

Rong Hu and Zi Yan followed Rong Tian’s order of not killing any generals or soldiers once they entered the city. All the people had already rushed home. In fact, in the dead of night, there was no one loitering outside. When they heard the loud noise, they were even more afraid of coming outside.

General Zhang Huan did not resist and cooperated with being tied up. He shook his head with a wry smile, “I knew we should have opened the gates, would those who offend Rong Tian get a good ending? But...in what way did you all come in?”

While holding a dagger, Lie Er kicked the door open. He searched up and down all over the Lieutenant’s estate in Yue Zhong. A look of frustration came over him as he went back to report, “I can’t find that evil woman, she must have ran off after hearing the strange noises.”

The buildings in Yue Zhong were not many, the General’s estate seems pleasant so Rong Tian made it his temporary place to rest.

Zi Yan said: “When we entered the city, we’ve ordered men to guard both ends of the city gates. She must not have run very far, it’s a possibility that she might still be hiding somewhere inside the city. “

LE: That’s right! Tomorrow morning, we’ll search every house and post up reward notices. Well, I don’t believe that we can’t capture her alive. Zi Yan, how’s the interrogation with the prisoner so far? What is that woman’s name anyways?

Lie Er was gearing up, immediately wanting to write out the reward notice. ZY: Wei Chiu Niang, Yue Zhong’s Defense Lieutenant.

LE: Well, that sword-wielding woman, just one look and you know she’s one vicious woman. She must also be very ugly.

RT: Before she shot the arrow, she did give a verbal warning so she is somewhat considered an honest person. If we capture her, don’t hurt her. It’s rare for Yong Yin to have a fierce female commander like her.

FM: What is our next plan?

Rong Tian thought about the issue, “After pa.s.sing through here and continuing on for half a day, we will reach the borders of Xi Lei. The beauty of this city is that very few people pay attention to it. It’s a terrific place to hide away troops. We should send orders for the other troops to gather here.”

This approach was really good, even Feng Ming nodded in agreement.

However, Zi Yan thought of a problem, “But the city fell. To ensure that our troops are to gather here, the news of the fallen city cannot be known to the royal family of Yong Yin and Tong Er. I’m afraid this will not be easy.”

Feng Ming was yawning and feeling tired.

Seeing this, Rong Tian calmly smiled and said: “It’s really late, we’ll discuss this tomorrow morning. Right now, we should ensure that all the people inside the city cannot ran out and report the news.”

ZY: I a.s.sured Your Majesty that the gates are under strict supervision by the guards, all of us are on the lookout.

RH: I’ve also sent some men to patrol the outside of the city walls. If there are those who live within the vicinity of Yue Zhong, they will be brought inside the city.

After discussing the plan, they all eventually left to take care of the matter. Feng Ming was curious, “How come I don’t see Lie Zhong Liu?”

Rong Tian answered: “His personality is bizarre, if there’s nothing going on, there’s no need for him to appear. Are you tired? Go and take a bath, once you come back, I have something interesting to show you.”

FM: Something interesting?

RT: The most interesting thing you’ll ever see.

No matter how much Feng Ming asked, he just chuckled in a strange manner.

Feng Ming was so curious, he ordered Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing to quickly lead him to the bathtub, change his clothes and ran back after smelling all nice and clean.

FM: I just finished taking a bath, hurry and tell me.

Rong Tian ordered the maids to leave, he pulled Feng Ming onto the bed and while the two of them nested on the bed, he lowered his voice to speak.

RT: Do you still remember that time when I was poisoned with the Lover’s Blood?

Rong Tian stuck his lips near Feng Ming’s ear and asked him intimately. Feng Ming shuddered, “Are you still interested in my mother’s poison?” RT: I’m not interested in that.

Rong Tian embraced Feng Ming and placed a kiss on his lips. He revealed a strange smile, “That time, when we couldn’t be intimate with each other, didn’t I present an extremely wonderful solution?”

FM: An extremely wonderful solution?

Feng Ming looked suspiciously at Rong Tian.

RT: It is this!

Feng Ming opened his mouth wide; his chin almost fell to the ground. He was in shock.

How could Feng Ming not remember what earth-shattering approach Rong Tian came up with? This person isn’t the one who first invented the condom, is he? (Oh, so condoms were invented during this time?)

What kind of extremely wonderful solution is this, more like extremely perverted that is! “You...what you said....is...” Feng Ming wanted some clarification once more.

RT: That time, I had ordered some people to create it. Unfortunately, with all the things that happened recently, I had no chance to use it. When we were on the s.h.i.+p, I wanted to use it, but that brat Zi Yan kept on coming by and disturbing us.

Rong Tian opened up his palm and gave it to Feng Ming like he’s presenting a valuable treasure. Not just that, he is also smirking like a fox ready to enjoy a delicious meal.

RT: It’s made from the softest part of the sheep’s intestine, it’s very flexible. Once this is worn, it must create an exciting feeling. What do you think, very interesting, right?

Feng Ming’s eyes grew bigger than a bell.

Like h.e.l.l it’s interesting!

Feng Ming helplessly grabbed his own head with both hands and desperately shook it.

RT: Feng Ming, no need to get too excited. Once we try it, it’s not too late to feel more excitement. The one in absolute excitement is this unreasonable perverted s.e.x addict person here!

Oh G.o.d! I am really destined to be together with this shameless pervert?

RT: Feng Ming, you are excited to the point of trembling! That’s great; I know that there needs to be something fresh to make things interesting. Skin contact is a type of pleasure, being separated by a layer of sheepskin will be another type of pleasure.

“I don’t need it!” Feng Ming protested loudly.

However, his protest was useless in front of a satyr player. Not only that, his body was extremely sensitive. As Rong Tian lightly kissed him, he also cleanly disrobed the layers of clothes off Feng Ming. The areas his fingers touched sent a shockwave of pleasure through Feng Ming’s body.

The s.e.x organ that longed for Rong Tian’s love and care, suddenly awakened.

The kiss or the light touch of the fingertips, as long as it was Rong Tian, every movement paralyzed Feng Ming’s senses.

The gentle touch made its way closer and was more intense as it reached between his legs. That man, with his well-experienced fingers, seemed to use unique pa.s.sword to open the door that is filled with sweetness.

“Don’t...”

His knees were opened up to their limit, his lower bottom was met with cold air, but it suddenly became aware of the fiery genital approaching.

The outer covering enclosing it created a nice smooth feeling. After Rong Tian wore it, he rubbed his erect manhood against the area, awaiting for entry.

Although he had not entered yet, the internal lining felt the impact in advance, contracting in fear and panic as it recalled the distinctive piercing experience.

The sweet numbness still lingering at the lower bottom as it contracted, the wait becoming another kind of torture.

“No...” Feng Ming struggled underneath him, moaning in a deep, repressed tone.

“Do you really don’t want it?” Rong Tian lifted his waist higher so that the wrapped member continued to rub against the outer opening, allowing Feng Ming to feel its hotness and stimulation.

“If you really don’t want it, I can remove it.”

Feng Ming bit his lower lip in a way that can melt anyone’s heart.

The sheep gut skin brought a different kind of excitement. Separated by a layer, Rong Tian’s s.e.xual weapon was more fanatical, almost burning him up inside.

I am also a pervert as well? Feng Ming reluctantly thought to himself.

His spine was eagerly squirming even though the formal insertion had yet to begun. The luscious feeling was like an anesthetic flooding throughout his body. Perhaps Rong Tian was right, maybe having a change will make the s.e.x a little more exciting.

“Alright, I’m going in.”

Feng Ming pleaded in a low voice, his st.u.r.dy legs clamped around Rong Tian’s waist and his half- opened eyes looked seductively at Rong Tian.

This was undoubtedly a clear answer.

The smirk “I’ve succeed” expanded across Rong Tian’s face.

“I knew you would like it.”

Planning on reaching the inner depths and expanding it to the maximum, Feng Ming forcefully tilted his head back, broken moans escaping from his moist lips.

“Your inside is grabbing onto me tighter.”

The feeling was extraordinary, the soft elastic layer fully wrapped around Rong Tian’s manhood; stretching as it was lodged deep into the narrow pa.s.sage.

Fluids were forming within the inner folds as the sensual sounds became louder than usual.

Rong Tian pulled the beautiful white thighs farther apart and turned at an angle to deliberately increase the friction inside. The sensitive Feng Ming screamed out.

“It’s very hot, right?”

"Ah......"

“The feeling is amazing inside, right?”

Rong Tian chuckled as he asked, slowing the pace of his movements.

After slowing down, the feeling was even more intense.

Feng Ming groaned in pleasure; feeling shameful, he covered his face with his hands. Rong Tian chuckled and placed his hands down. Using his tongue, he licked Feng Ming’s straight nose.

“Silly, are you still shy?” He whispered fondly.

The frequency and acceleration of the thrusts began to increase.

The insertion and extraction movements continued going deeper and increasing in strength. Rong Tian switched on a serious expression, his erect organ was repeatedly entering his lover’s lower bottom. Feng Ming’s breathing increased along with each accelerated thrust.

“Rong Tian! Rong Tian! Ah...a little deeper...”

By this time, Feng Ming couldn’t think at all. He was desperately writhing his body, his bangs were glistening on his forehead as they swing in the air.

His body was stretched to its limit, his toes already curled up in arousal.

As if the whole world was shaking, the intense intercourse and viscous sounds were enough to make anyone blush.

All the senses gathered at that small area that is withstanding the intrusion of a foreign object.

At last, Feng Ming gave out a scream filled with bitter sweetness.

“Ah...Rong...no...I’m coming.!”

The trembling excitement ran through his sweat-stained back, warm fluids suddenly sprouted out, wetting Rong Tian’s belly.

Rong Tian also reached his climax, he let out a long breath and without extracting himself, he lied down beside Feng Ming, hugging him from behind.

Feeling as if they were riding on Cloud Nine, the notion of the s.e.xual intercourse still lingered in the air.

Feng Ming was lost for a moment.

"Did you like it?" Rong Tian whispered in his ear.

A moment later, Feng Ming gave an “ah” in a low inaudible sound. He turned around and placed his face against Rong Tian’s chest. The strong heartbeat pa.s.sed through his ears as if to declare that it was keen on continuing.

Sure enough, Rong Tian bit his ear and chuckled softly, “One more time, alright?”

Feng Ming was about to speak when a voice was suddenly heard from outside the room, “Your Majesty, Duke Ming!”

Impossible...

Why is it that every time there is someone coming by to interrupt them?

Not just Feng Ming, Rong Tian was also rolling his eyes.

Lie Er’s footsteps could be heard at the front of the door, “Your Majesty, are you already asleep?” Feng Ming elbowed Rong Tian, “It must be politics, I won’t let you pretend to be sleeping.”

Perhaps the entrance was swelling after the intercourse, because when Rong Tian withdrew himself, fresh white fluids slid out.

Rong Tian lamented as he got up from the bed, “What’s wrong?” He took the clean towel that was prepared at the head of the bed and gently helped Feng Ming wipe his lower half. He took another one and wiped himself.

“That’s great, Your Majesty is not asleep. Is Duke Ming also not asleep?” Lie Er’s voice was very excited.

LE: I wanted to tell Duke Ming to come see the main event! Lie Zhong Liu is being beaten up into a pulp.”

“What?” Feng Ming sat up in bed, taking some clothes and covering himself. He stuck his head outside the window, “Who did you say is being beaten up into a pulp?”

“Lie Zhong Liu!” Lie Er’s face was enthralled as he gesticulated with his hands and legs. “I only took a glance and excitedly rushed over here to report this to Duke Ming. This is a rare thing to see, it would be a pity to miss it!”

FM: Where? Who’s beating him up?

LE: He’s being beaten up in his room. As for the person beating him up, I’m not quite sure. I only took a glance and came here to look for Duke Ming. You don’t have to worry, having a woman throw a few punches will not kill him.

No need to guess, Lie Er’s motto is “if there’s a lively event then everyone should come and see.” FM: No, we must go there and see a bit. Lie Er, you should have tried to go in there and stop them.

He quickly put on an outer coat and dragged Rong Tian towards the temporary room that Lie Zhong Liu was staying at.

Since Lie Zhong Liu earned credit for the siege, Rong Tian a.s.signed him a room in the north wing, very elegant and comfortable.

All three of them ran towards Lie Zhong Liu’s room and in fact, sounds could be heard from afar.

Lie Zhong Liu’s cries and constant screams for mercy rang out from that room, “Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me! Oh, you’ve hit my face again, wah...wah...”

He didn’t know how Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing received the message, but they were there before them and were smiling, peeking through the window.

Even Rong Hu was there.

They were all surprised and elated.

Feng Ming ran towards the entrance door, but found a bra.s.s lock on it So it seems that he was locked in there for a vicious beating.

Just like Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing, Feng Ming and Lie Er peeked through the window. Looking inside, besides Lie Zhong Liu, there was a beautiful woman wearing a white outfit. She didn’t have enough time to tie her long hair and her sleeves were pulled up high. With an angry expression on her face, she continued to beat Lie Zhong Liu until he was covering his head and screaming loudly.

LZL: I won’t do it again! Ah! I won’t! I promise I will listen to you from now on, alright? Don’t hit me, wah...”

Before he could finish crying, he was kicked in the abdomen and flung to the corner of the wall.

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing had been molested by Lie Zhong Liu several times so they were watching in satisfaction, giggling about. “He must have messed with someone’s daughter when he entered the city and now he’s got his retribution. Haha, the G.o.ds have eyes!”

Feng Ming couldn’t help but secretly laugh. However, he still got a bit of conscience and seeing that Lie Zhong Liu was being hit badly, he turned to Rong Tian and said, “Hurry and find someone to open the door, we’ll tried to mediate.”

LE: I’ll do it!

Lie Zhong Liu was inside the room trying to dodge right and left, and crawl onto the bed, but after hearing Feng Ming talking outside the room, he shouted out in shock, “Don’t! Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door!”

He spoke a little too late. Lie Er was sly and experienced with lock-picking, so with the rather simple lock hanging on the outside, he got it open with a thin rod he had on hand.

Feng Ming was about to open the door, when unexpectedly a strong burst come rus.h.i.+ng out from the other side of the door. Feng Ming was pushed aside and thankfully Rong Tian was there to prevent him from falling onto the ground.

The young woman who rushed out the door was in front of them. During that encounter did they realized that she had a beautiful face, surprisingly delicate, a smaller face than Chiu Lan, as if it was specially crafted by the heavens. Just one look can make anyone feel love and affection for her.

But her actions were the complete opposite of her appearance. With one rudely kick, she flung open the door.

Not caring for Feng Ming, who almost fell, she took advantage of Lie Er who didn’t have enough time to react.

“No!”

She grabbed Lie Er’s waist knife, turned and rushed back inside the room.

Everyone knew something major was about to happen, they all exclaimed in unison: “Be careful!” They all clamored to get inside the room.

That woman didn’t seem to hear them as she aimed the knife at Lie Zhong Liu’s head. Rong Tian managed to chase after her and knocked the knife out of her hand. Rong Hu also took the opportunity to drag Lie Zhong Liu, who was beaten up into a pulp, out of harms way.

Lie Er stepped forward and regained his knife.

Lie Zhong Liu who had just escaped death, panted and said, “I...I...already said not to open the door.”

After being beaten up, he didn’t dare to take anymore risks and stuck behind Feng Ming. Showing half of his swollen face and afraid to look at the beautiful woman, he spoke in a half-pleasing semi mercy manner, “Darl...darling, don’t hit me anymore. I have thick skin and tough meat, but your hands...they will hurt, right? Sweet...sweetheart...I’m talking to you.”

That woman seemed to have vented all her anger, her face showed a trace of helplessness. Her cat- like round eyes stared coldly at Lie Zhong Liu. After a long moment, her thick eyelashes trembled and two drops of tears fell from her eyes. She didn’t cry aloud, only sighed and whispered in a cold and arrogant tone, “Just kill me.”

Lie Zhong Liu was shocked, he suddenly jumped up and said, “I don’t want to kill you! I don’t want to kill you! You can’t commit suicide, if you die, then I will die too!”

Lie Er also jumped up, “It’s her, it’s her! She’s that Lieutenant! I recognize her voice! She is the one who shot the arrow at His Majesty. Brother, hurry and tie her up!” He pointed at Lie Zhong Liu’s woman.

“Who dares to tie her up, I will take him down!” Lie Zhong Liu snarled at Lie Er.

Lie Er’s gaze collided fiercely with Lie Zhong Liu’s as sparks erupted in all directions.

The atmosphere within the room became serious.

Headache...

Feng Ming turned around to look at Lie Zhong Liu and turned back to look at the heartless Wei Chiu Niang. His head felt a faint aching pain.

Well, that’s great! First, he “cried until the walls fall” and now he is “searching for his wife.” Lie Zhong Liu’s life is rather colorful, isn’t it?

However, the most important thing right now is...why does something not feel right?

Feng Ming silently thought to himself and then suddenly remembered something. He let out a sudden scream, “Oh no!” He turned around to give Rong Tian an angry look, expressing his need to commit suicide, but yet cannot do so.

Rong Tian had seen countless times in which Feng Ming was angry, but this time with his large wide eyes staring fiercely at him, he knew something major had happened.

RT: (whispering) Feng Ming, what’s wrong?

Everyone was shocked, they switched their attention from Lie Zhong Liu and Wei Chiu Niang to Feng Ming. “Duke Ming, what’s the problem?”

Feng Ming’s face was similar to someone who had been poured with paint, turning from green to red to purple, every color in existent. He was stiff for a moment until he suddenly grabbed Rong Tian’s sleeves. With the fastest speed ever, he pulled Rong Tian back to their room. Seeing that no one was around, he carefully closed the window. After doing so, he turned around and angrily asked Rong Tian, “When you wiped yourself awhile ago, wasn’t something out of the ordinary?”

Rong Tian frowned: “Nothing, it’s been the same as always...ah...”

He suddenly realized the problem as he glanced curiously at Feng Ming’s lower half, revealing a “not okay” expression.

RT: Oh no...when I wiped myself, I didn’t seem to see that ...probably I used too much force and it slipped inside.

Feng Ming’s face was exactly the same as his, but even worse.

“How can that be?” Feng Ming really wanted to bang his head against the wall.

No wonder he felt something strange lingering down there.

So the first time, the improper usage of the condom, it actually slipped inside his body....

This fact is something that is much worse than death.

This is the result of living together with a shameless pervert!

It’s retribution!

Rong Tian frowned, “Perhaps it was the first time and it wasn’t tight enough; therefore, when I came, it slipped inside. Don’t worry, I’ll help you get it out.”

“Rong Tian.” Feng Ming rubbed his moist eyes, staring fiercely at Rong Tian and clenching his teeth in warning, “If you dare laugh, I will never forgive you!”

“Why would I laugh at you? Here, let me help you take it out.”

“No! I will not let you come near me, even if I die!”

“Be good, Feng Ming. Open your legs.” “No! No! No! You go away!”

“Alright, you said you have it inside, then would the feeling be different if I insert inside. Since we still have a long night ahead of us....”

“Rong Tian, you.... Help! Help! Chiu Xing, Chiu Yue, Chiu Lan, Rong Hu, Lie Er, everyone come here quickly!”

The shrill cry for help of Duke Ming once again echoed in the night sky.

Everyone was worried when Feng Ming dragged Rong Tian away, but after hearing his screams, they were all relieved, “Don’t worry, for Duke Ming to scream like that means he’s still mentally alright. There shouldn’t be anything serious.”

“Ah, when Duke Ming screams for help, no one should go and disturb him.”

Lie Er’s fingers were still pointing at Wei Chiu Niang, “But how will we deal with this woman who shot at our Great King?”

While Lie Er wasn’t aware, Rong Hu knocked him on the back of the head, “Why bother asking? Just call for a group of guards to guard outside the room. As for the rest of the matter, His Majesty will take care of it tomorrow. You sure are daring, you clearly knew that His Majesty and Duke Ming were resting, and yet forcibly pulled Feng Ming out to watch the commotion. Watch out, His Majesty might order a dozen whipping for you. When will you change your edgy temper to set an example for your subordinates, huh?”

Lie Er rubbed his head, feeling dissatisfied, he said, “Brother, since you have a wife, you don’t care about our brotherly relations.h.i.+p anymore? You have Chiu Lan so now you will beat me?”

Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing saw that and started giggling.

As for Feng Ming, his cry for help continued to ring out in the night, another occasional slapping sound was heard from another room nearby.

The first night in the city of Yue Zhong was filled with excitement and tenderness...

CHAPTER 9

The next day, the sun was particularly bright.

In the morning, a variety of different birds were chirping merrily, waking everyone up from their beautiful dreams.

The light wind blew across the leaves covered with dewdrops, bringing along a cool breeze in the air.

The only person who woke up with dark eyes was the clever and widely known Duke Ming.

Inside the room, behind the wooden screen, there were two people on the bed. Feng Ming was holding his knees with his back against the head of the bed. He kept staring at the other person for a long while.

The person he was staring at was of course Rong Tian, who enjoyed his night of l.u.s.t, and was now feeling refreshed.

As for the ‘condom’, well that had already disappeared into dust. “Feng Ming, listen here.” Rong Tian suddenly smiled.

“Listen to what?” In fact, his little forbidden area was still swollen from the suffering it had to endure last night. Feng Ming’s voice sounded a bit harsh.

“My heart is beating very fast.”

“It was just fine, why is it beating faster?” Having a guilty conscience? Hmph!

Rong Tian’s smile grew even wider. “Of course, it’s because you keep staring at me like that.”

“Rong Tian!” Feng Ming couldn’t tolerate it again, he roared, “I am staring at you because I’m angry, it’s not because I’m trying to seduce you!”

Rong Tian burst out laughing. Taking advantage of Feng Ming’s raised fist, he quickly leaned forward and stole a kiss.

“Last night, weren’t you also enjoying yourself?”

“Yeah, right.”

“Then who was in my arms crying non-stop in excitement?”

Recalling the final scene, Feng Ming’s handsome face blushed red. But...

“But at the beginning, I have been protesting!” Under Rong Tian’s sparkling eyes, his protest gradually lessened.

Rong Tian used his large palm to gently caress Feng Ming’s lovely collarbone, “Last night, did I really go overboard?”

Feng Ming lowered his head, he hesitated a bit and softly replied, “Next time, don’t do it, it’s...too intense.”

This kind of intense love making, if experienced a few more times, he might really drop dead in bed.

Before, he knew that Rong Tian was crazy in bed, but he never expected him to reach another level. Luckily, this Xi Lei King is not a modern person and is not quite familiar with all those SM stuff. Otherwise, every night he will have to die and relive again eight to ten times.

Rong Tian laughed once again.

He placed Feng Ming against his broad chest for awhile, seeing the suns.h.i.+ne outside the window, he tenderly said to Feng Ming, “Let’s get up, I’ll help you get dressed, alright?”

“I don’t need your help!” Feng Ming sat straight up, he pushed the shoulder that was embracing him away, and made a face at Rong Tian. “I’m not going to believe you easily anymore.”

Rong Tian ignored him and picked himself off the bed and put on his white trousers. RT: Come in.

The door opened a small crack.

Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue ran in happily after they were given permission. Carrying the hot pot of water and towels, they asked, “Is Duke Ming awake? Don’t rush out of bed, use the hot water and towel to wash your face first.”

Chiu Lan brought another hot pot of water over to Rong Tian and helped him wash his face. Lie Er came in to help dress Rong Tian.

After dressing, Zi Yan also came to make his greeting.

Feng Ming remembered about the incident with Lie Zhong Liu and asked about it, “So how are things with Lie Zhong Liu and his wife right now?”

“Lie Zhong Liu is a hopeless romantic, I thought he didn’t have a wife yet. Who would have thought he had such a beautiful wife.”

Zi Yan remembered about Lie Zhong Liu’s swollen and bruised face, he couldn’t help but had a slight grin, “Right now, Wei Chiu Niang is being confined in her room. According to His Majesty’s order, we didn’t make things difficult for her. Lie Zhong Liu was worried that his wife might commit suicide so he stayed outside all night checking up on her.”

“That’s right, I don’t even know how many times he tried to peek inside.” Chiu Yue added.

Chiu Lan kneeled down to help tie the sword around Rong Tian’s waist. She smiled, “I see that Lie Zhong Liu treats his wife very well.”

Lie Er said, “I see that my brother treats sister-in-law very well too.”

Chiu Lan retorted and teased Lie Er, “The best person is your Prince Yong Yi, huh? I remember there was this one time when he took you away for an hour, and upon returning you couldn’t even mount a horse, am I right?”

Understanding the meaning behind it, everyone laughed. Zi Yan followed along and laughed with them before turning to Rong Tian and asked for his advice, “I have investigated and according to the directory that was seized, all the soldiers within Yue Zhong have been captured, no one was able to escape. At least for a short period of time, the royalty of Yong Yin will not know that something has happened here. All the others are easy to handle, just follow through as prisoners of war. But Wei Chiu Niang is the wife of Lie Zhong Liu, what is the best way to deal with her?”

Rong Tian asked, ”Wei Chiu Niang is still within the north wing room of Lie Zhong Liu?” “Yes.”

RT: Then let us pay a visit to this beautiful female commander. He led the crowd and calmly walked out of the room.

Reaching the north wing room of Lie Zhong Liu, from the outside courtyard, they could see the guards Rong Tian had a.s.signed to guard the room. However, Lie Zhong Liu, who was reported to be monitoring outside overnight, was nowhere to be seen.

After seeing the appearance of Rong Tian, the guards wanted to give their greeting, but were stopped by Rong Tian’s gentle wave. He ordered Chiu Lan and the rest to not follow. Bringing only Feng Ming along, the two of them stood quietly outside the window and looked inside.

“You don’t need to say anymore.” The cold voice of Wei Chiu Niang was heard from inside. “You betrayed me, betrayed the city of Yue Zhong, betrayed Yong Yin. I really hate my father for forcing me to marry a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like you!”

She sat on the bed with both her hands tied behind her back by a rope, no longer having the ability to hit Lie Zhong Liu as she pleases.

Rong Tian and Feng Ming were now clear and thought silently to themselves: no wonder Lie Zhong Liu dares to wander into the room, it seems that the tigress is tied up.

Lie Zhong Liu’s face had suffered an overnight blow and was still badly swollen. His forehead and chin still had traces of a fist punch. The handsome face that was originally there looked very comical now.

He tried to come near beside the tied down Wei Chiu Niang and said, “Sweetheart, don’t be angry...”

“How can I not be angry?” Wei Chiu Niang shouted out loudly, frightening Lie Zhong Liu ,causing him to retreat a few steps back.

“Alright, alright. If you like to be angry, then go ahead and be angry. But please don’t harm your body...”

Wei Chiu Niang was indifferent to his pleasing, her beautiful face became cold once again, filled with disdain. “Lie Zhong Liu, please stop your foolish tricks with me. This matter is not something I’ll lessen my anger by just punching you or kicking you out of the house. This is treason! This whole life, don’t ever think that I will forgive you! Get the **** out! You dare step a foot forward, I will kill you!”

“Honey, please listen to me.”

“I won’t listen! I will no longer listen to whatever you say about strategies for unifying a nation anymore...”

“Lu Dan is dead.”

The commotion in the room suddenly died down.

Wei Chiu Niang’s extreme anger ceased as if she was being poured with a pail of ice water. Her whole body in shock.

A moment later, a weak voice asked, “What did you just say?”

“Lu Dan is dead.” The smile on Lie Zhong Liu disappeared, his eyes were slightly depressed, “This news has gradually spread throughout the eleven kingdoms. Soon, even this small and less populated city of Yue Zhong will also received this news.”

“He is dead.” Wei Chiu Niang’s eyes felt empty, as if they sank into a distant memory for a long time and cannot extricate themselves from it. She had been silent for a long time before she slowly let out a long sigh. “He still couldn’t handle it. Well, dying is good, living in pain like that, what’s the point of it? You don’t need to be too sad about it.”

Just awhile ago, she was still yelling at Lie Zhong Liu mercilessly, but when she whispered softly to him the words “you don’t need to be too sad about it” were filled with great affection.

Outside the room, Feng Ming and Rong Tian exchanged a wink. It seems that this couple has a deep relations.h.i.+p with Lu Dan.

They are both Yong Yin people, why do they have connection with an Advisor of Dong Fan?

They only heard Lie Zhong Liu say, “Ever since I heard the news of his death, I couldn’t help but think about the words he had said to us. Chiu Niang, on our wedding day, Lu Dan secretly came by to celebrate. He also drank with us and discussed a few things; do you remember what he said to you?”

Wei Chiu Niang thought about the bad things he just did and didn’t want to answer him. She bit her lips without saying a word and just looked at him with a crestfallen gaze.

Lie Zhong Liu didn’t expect her to answer him as he recalled the event, “He said that if the eleven kingdoms continue their battles for more than a century, no one can stop the inevitable event of the unification of the world. Dong Fan will be destroyed sooner or later, just like the old saying, knowing that an arrow is coming your way, but yet you don’t have the ability to dodge it. That was a

lengthy painful despair he had foreseen. From the moment he decided to stay beside Dong Fan King, his predicted outcome of despair had never spared him....I heard that before he died, he persuaded Dong Fan King to hand over Dong Fan to Rong Tian. Lu Dan, Lu Dan, only you have such wisdom in the world, and such courage. Unfortunately, the heavens have treated you so unjustly.”

Wei Chiu Niang was silent.

The two people in the room were silent for a long time. Wei Chiu Niang spoke out, “Even if what he said is true, that the world will be unified sooner or later, then what about it? Should everyone follow in his footsteps and hand over their kingdom over to Rong Tian? Or give it to Ruo Yan of Li Kingdom? If their kingdoms are so powerful, should we just cowardly kneel down and surrender? What meaning would that have? Yong Yin is our homeland, I will not allow it to be threatened by other kingdoms. If Rong Tian wants to annex it, then I will pull out my sword against Rong Tian. If Ruo Yan dares to covet it, then I will also point my sword at him. Even if I lose this life, it will be worth it.”

Ever since she heard of Lu Dan’s death, her angered expression subsided, but every word she just said was clear and firm.

Lie Zhong Liu sighed loudly before lifting the hem of his robes as if he was planning on sitting down beside Wei Chiu Niang.

Wei Chiu Niang turned her head and glared at him, “How dare you come near!”

Lie Zhong Liu stopped in his tracks and let go of his hem. “Alright, I won’t come closer. It’s just I want to ask you a question.”

WCN: Don’t you dare impress me with those eloquent words you use. You colluded with the enemy, and handed Yue Zhong over to Rong Tian. You think that a few words of yours can flatter me?

Hearing this, Feng Ming and Rong Tian, who were eavesdropping outside, finally came to understand a little bit of the situation.

Needless to say, this couple must have debated about the world’s outcome many times before.

Lie Zhong Liu believed that the world should be unified as soon as possible, creating a nation of unity, without having long battles of fighting.

Wei Chiu Niang was dead-set on protecting the independence of Yong Yin and was persistent in keeping it that way for as long as possible. No wonder she didn’t hesitate to shoot the arrow at Rong Tian since he had the power to make Yong Yin disappear forever.

Perhaps Lie Zhong Liu had an eloquent style of debating and would always win against Wei Chiu Niang. Therefore, every time they had an argument, she would often get angry and kick him outside the house.

At this time, Lie Zhong Liu didn’t care if Wei Chiu Niang was listening to him or not. He asked his question, “For whom do you guard this city of Yue Zhong night and day for?”

Wei Chiu Niang made up her mind that she will not be tricked by him again, she bit her lower lip and kept staring at him.

Lie Zhong Liu asked, “Is it because of our Great King? Oh, but the Great King is old, maybe next year he might abdicate the throne over to the new Crown Prince. Then would it be for Yong Quan, the man who once molested you?”

“Shut up!” Wei Chiu Niang couldn’t help but shout, “No matter what you say, drugging your people and opening the gates, bringing Rong Tian inside Yue Zhong is treason! You’re a traitor!”

“Yes, I’m a traitor! So what?” A sudden loud sound burst out, causing the dust on the roof to rustle.

Not only was Wei Chiu Niang startled, even Feng Ming, who was eavesdropping outside, had his ears buzzing.

Aiya, Lie Zhong Liu had showed some backbone.

LZL: This small kingdom of Yong Yin has prolonged itself for centuries under many powerful nations. In order to protect the royal family of Yong Yin, many young men were recruited annually, leaving their homes, and being deployed thousands of miles away to a remote and isolated city on the border. They live there, grow old there, and die there. These people could have live better, have wives, have children, tend to fields, be filial to their parents, plant and harvest. But because of these useless cities needing guards, their lives are meaningless, and their deaths are more meaningless!

WCN: They are all protecting their motherland...

LZL: Shut up! What’s the point of protecting their motherland? They are only protecting the heartless royalty of Yong Yin. Regardless of the annexation, Yong Yin will always be like that. Aman River will always be Aman River. When a nation is bigger, its people will increase. Only when the world is unified as one strong nation will the borders be at peace, more people could live freely, and live the life they wish for, instead of being recruited and collected like pigs, year after year, to guard, be stationed, and deployed for war and die.

Wei Chiu Niang rarely was strongly opposed by Lie Zhong Liu, not to mention being scolded by him. She was stunned for a while before she angrily looked up at him, “What are you getting all worked up for? Unifying the world, unifying the world, you’ve been living at Heaven and Earth Palace with Lu Dan for a few years and now you’re carried away in delusion. Unifying the world, if Yong Yin is to be annexed, we will also become subjugated people, becoming people of lower status, falling into slavery, would you be alright with that? Well, what is that freedom you were talking about? Living the life they always wanted, is that so?”

Lie Zhong Liu listened to her argument; he wasn’t angry but instead smiled. He started giggling as he rubbed his palms together, “If your arrow truly struck Rong Tian and he was killed, not more than 20 years from now, the entire nations in the world would be annexed by Ruo Yan of Li Kingdom. Once that happened, then the situation will become just like you said. Ruo Yan, this tyrant, will always place the winner on top. If he unifies the world, he will place all the people of Li Kingdom as the n.o.blest and the other people of lost nations will be treated as trash and he will step all over them.”

“Pst, then is Rong Tian such a good person?”

“You’re right, Rong Tian is not a good person. Just seeing how he dealt with Lu Dan, spreading plague to the entire capital is evidence that he is also not a good person.”

Because Rong Tian wanted to rescue Feng Ming from the palace of Dong Fan, he had took Feng Ming’s knowledge of viruses and used it for wrongdoing, paralyzing Dong Fan’s military strength and eventually claimed Dong Fan into his hands.

Other people might not have guessed that the plague was due to Rong Tian’s doing. But with Lie Zhong Liu’s amazing a.n.a.lytical ability, with just a little bit of news, he could guess the overall picture of the situation.

When hearing Lie Zhong Liu’s line insisting that Rong Tian was “not a good person,” Feng Ming turned his head and glanced over at Rong Tian.

Rong Tian lifted his finger and made a gesture, motioning for Feng Ming to continue listening to the conversation.

WCN: You knew he wasn’t a good person, then why did you open the gates for him? Well, I don’t want to continue this argument with you. If you know your mistake and wish to redeem yourself, then find an opportunity to kill him. At least you’ll help Yong Yin get rid of a huge threat.

LZL: Rong Tian is not a good person, but he has two good things around him.

Wei Chiu Niang knew he was tricking her, she coldly grumbled at him and refused to speak again.

Lie Zhong Liu saw that Wei Chiu Niang was not easily convinced, but he continued, “The first good thing is Duke Ming, who looks like a complete fool at first glance. Why is he a good thing? It’s a long story, but I will tell you in detail at a much later time.”

When Feng Ming heard that, he thought it was funny and was curious at the same time.

Lie Zhong Liu just called him both stupid and good, could it be because he is stupid that’s why that’s a good thing?

This person did not know him for two days and yet he was very certain in his judgment of him. However, what exactly is the second good thing around Rong Tian?

Could it be Lie Er? Rong Hu or maybe Zi Yan?

It can’t be Chiu Yue and Chiu Xing, could it?

LZL: The second good thing, if you wait a few days you will probably know because Rong Tian had ordered people to quietly post it up in various places. That is the Grace’s Order. Although Rong Tian is not a good person, he’s a visionary ruler. A mere order and yet the effectiveness of it can be compared with a nation’s powerful troops. From just this one point, Ruo Yan cannot compare to Rong Tian.

Feng Ming was surprised.

He couldn’t believe that Lie Zhong Liu would value the importance of the Grace’s Order.

While listening from the outside, Rong Tian who had been smiling until now, suddenly became pale. He stood up, pulled Feng Ming along and went inside the room. He glanced at Wei Chiu Niang who was sitting on the bed and switched his glance over to Lie Zhong Liu, who was standing to one side. Rong Tian straightened himself up.

RT: I feel ashamed for I have underestimated you in the past. I’m willing to give the t.i.tle of Xi Lei’s Prime Minister as an invitation for your aid.

Lie Er who was impatient earlier saw Rong Tian suddenly stood up and pushed open the door, he thought that there was an urgent matter. The whole lot rushed in after them and stood frozen in place after hearing Rong Tian’s words that could decide the future of Xi Lei. They didn’t know what was so great about Lie Zhong Liu that made their Great King be overly excited like this.

Lie Zhong Liu was trying to persuade his wife about him “betraying” her that he didn’t realized his conversation was overheard. He was a bit surprised for a moment.

His quick wit was no less than Lu Dan, after being stunned for a bit, he figured that Feng Ming and Rong Tian were eavesdropping on the outside. Changing his expression, he chuckled coldly.

LZL: Even though the t.i.tle of Xi Lei’s Prime Minister sounds rather prestigious, it is still a difficult role to uphold. I don’t have that kind of ability; please find a more qualified person instead.

He turned around facing a different direction.

Rong Tian had always been influential throughout; his orders could make anyone frightful. It’s very rare for him to be gentle and polite like this, offering a high status position as Prime Minister and adding in his deepest respect. No one would have guessed Lie Zhong Liu would put on an insensible expression like that.

Lie Er was extremely angry, his teeth were grinding hard.

In his eyes, Rong Tian was being so courteous, even the most arrogant person in the world would dance in joy and immediately kneel down and cheer for the Great King’s generous bestowment.

“Mister Lie.” Feng Ming was the only person beside Rong Tian who overheard the conversation between the couple. He knew what Rong Tian was thinking inside. “If you are in favor that the world should be unified, then you should understand the need of choosing a qualified ruler to unite the eleven nations. Rong Tian is the best candidate, why don’t you agree to his offer? If you have any condition, then feel free to make them.”

LZL: There are many powerful warlords who want to unify the world, why is Rong Tian the best candidate?

FM: Didn’t you said that Rong Tian is much better than Ruo Yan?

After Feng Ming finished, he had a rude awakening. Didn’t he just simply admit that he overheard their conversation?

Lie Zhong Liu saw how cute his frankness was and couldn’t help but smile. After considering for a moment, he asked Feng Ming, “Does Feng Ming really think that Rong Tian is the best candidate in unifying the world?”

FM: Of course.

LZL: In other words, Duke Ming believes that Rong Tian has the ability to unify the world?

FM: Most definitely.

LZL: In other words, with or without my a.s.sistance, Rong Tian will still eventually unify the world.

FM: This....

LZL: Then why do you still need to request for my a.s.sistance?

Feng Ming was tongue-tied.

So much for his attempted persuasion.

Lie Zhong Liu smiled at Feng Ming’s embarra.s.sed look. Didn’t know what come up in his mind, but he said, “Alright, because of Lu Dan’s sake, I will give Duke Ming a chance.”

Feng Ming quickly asked, “What is it?”

“It’s a chance that will make Lie Zhong Liu, myself, be under Duke Ming’s command forever.”

Lie Zhong Liu stood upright, though his face was still black and blue, but his eyes were warm and gentle with a added manliness to them.

LZL: In order to gain talented people for your usage, you must first touch their hearts. Alright, as long as Duke Ming can impress me with a reason, Lie Zhong Liu will abandon this laziness of mine. From then on, I will be under Duke Ming’s command, and will give my a.s.sistance for Duke Ming, what do you think?

He spoke so easily, but in fact, this abnormal proposal was very tricky.

Lie Zhong Liu had traveled through all the nations, he was knowledgeable, and had an extremely eccentric personality and temper. Who could impress him within a short amount of time?

Such a difficult task, could it be that even the world-famous Duke Ming cannot even fulfilled it? Chiu Lan’s eyes even held some skepticism about Feng Ming.

Only Rong Tian smiled indifferently, stood quietly awaiting for Feng Ming’s response.

Even Feng Ming was a little dumbfounded.

Although he was stupid in a sense, he still understood that Lie Zhong Liu’s so-called opportunity of convincing him was very slim indeed.

What kind of reason can impress Lie Zhong Liu and let him swear his allegiance to Rong Tian?

Continue to convince him of Rong Tian’s positive points? But he already said that Rong Tian was not a good person.

It seems that Rong Tian isn’t someone who the whole world wors.h.i.+ps.

“This...” Feng Ming was tense and started scratching his head. “Thinking of a reason is not that easy, at least give me some time, right?”

Doesn’t matter what kind of situation this is, first off, he needs to delay the matter, finding some time to discuss and talk to Rong Tian would be better.

Maybe if their intelligence were put together, it will increase the chances of coming up with a good reason.

LZL: Fine, I’ll give you some time to think.

Just when Feng Ming was about to thank him, Lie Zhong Liu pointed his finger at a crescent flower outside the door and said, “I will walk from here to that flower, and from there back here. That will be the time Duke Ming must give his answer.”

“Ha? What? That’s too short...”

Without finis.h.i.+ng, Lie Zhong Liu turned around and took his first step.

Oh G.o.d, he’s really serious...

Feng Ming nervously widen his eyes, his brain cells running wild, while not forgetting to plead the surrounding people for help. “What should I say? What reason? Hurry and help me think!”

Everyone’s heart also jumped out of their chests as they immediately rushed to give their reply. “If he a.s.sists the King, then His Majesty will bestow lots of grace upon the people of Yong Yin.” “According to his personality, wealth and fortune will be limitless.”

“His wife and children will live very well.”

“This guy is so arrogant, he must care about fame. If he a.s.sists His Majesty, then his name will forever last through the centuries!”

Lie Er’s reason was not very constructive and was filled with self-confidence, “Sooner or later, our Great King will unify the world. If he doesn’t agree to help a.s.sisting then we can a.s.sure that he will die a painful death.”

“Oh no! Oh no! He’s turning around!” Chiu Xing was so nervous she was pinching her handkerchief into a ball.

Feng Ming looked up and true enough, Lie Zhong Liu came in front of the flower and is intending on turning back.

Oh mother! Why do ancient people also have nerve-racking impromptu quizzes like this? And even using the world’s future as a bet...

Feng Ming was so anxious he started stamping his feet, “Rong Tian, why are you silent? Hurry and give me some advice, if not, your Prime Minister will slip out of your hands.”

Just awhile ago, Rong Tian was the one who gave the invitation of making Lie Zhong Liu his Prime Minister, but now he had the most laid-back demeanor among the rest of them. Seeing Feng Ming anxious to the point his forehead was filled with sweat, he lightly chuckled, “He just want to know Duke Ming’s response. If you were to use any suggestions from any one of us then he will not give you his full respect.”

The clamor of the crowd quieted down. Feng Ming suddenly realized it.

Yes, this is the best time to show his ability as Duke Ming! Didn’t he always want to help a.s.sist Rong Tian, well, this is the most critical moment to do so.

Helping Rong Tian in gaining a talented person like Lie Zhong Liu is the responsible of Duke Ming. But.... his mind just went blank, even a blade of gra.s.s was not found...

This Lie Zhong Liu was one of those crazy, clever geeks that no one knows what he’s thinking inside, just like Lu Dan?

It seems that geniuses have a way of thinking that ordinary people cannot simply understand.

Feng Ming’s heart was like being scratched madly by the claws of a crazy cat, he secretly peered outside the door.

He’s dead meat, Lie Zhong Liu was now coming in between the flower and the room, only ten more steps before he will be standing in front of him!

Why do they need Lie Zhong Liu?

If Rong Tian has enough confidence in unifying the world, why would they still need Lie Zhong Liu’s a.s.sistance?

Lie Zhong Liu doesn’t admire Rong Tian, wealth and status meant nothing to him, even his homeland isn’t something he cared about. Otherwise, he wouldn’t easily sell out Yue Zhong. What exactly does he care about?

One foot of Lie Zhong Liu had slowly entered the door.

Feng Ming’s brain was functioning at high speed; hundred of millions of neurons were releasing their synapses like crazy.

What exactly does Lie Zhong Liu care about? What similarity does he and Lu Dan have, this similarity is not only present in their fickle and graceful demeanor, but also in a deeper place.

Lu Dan...

Lu Dan and Lie Zhong Liu are similar; both are not persistent about the survival of their homeland.

The Advisor of Dong Fan before pa.s.sing away had surrendered Dong Fan to Rong Tian. He didn’t care about the fact he will bear the name of a traitor.

“Duke Ming.” Lie Zhong Liu’s shoes appeared within Feng Ming’s line of vision, who was looking down.“The time has come, has Duke Ming thought of a reason yet?”

Feng Ming breathed heavily, he slowly raised his head, his beautiful black eyes s.h.i.+ning, “I have.” The tension in the air has finally reached its highest point.

===

SIDE CHAPTER – I’ll make you mine one day

(He Di & Zi Yan"s First Encounter)

At night, the sea and the sky’s horizon seemed to blur into one.

The dark sea swaying underneath the moonlight, the quiet waves striking on the outer edge of the s.h.i.+p created a mild and yet rhythmic ba.s.s.

A shadow, quietly emerging from the water, with slender eyes that sparkled in a way that can cause a person’s hair to stand on end.

"Royal Prince, that’s the guy." Another person emerged from underwater; he motioned to his master to look in the direction he was pointing.

There was a young general in military uniform standing on deck. Even in the misty moonlight, the youthful aura he exuded couldn’t be hidden. This person had a youthful face, but his figure and stern aura did not fit such a young man.

Following his subordinate’s report, He Di skillfully treaded into the water, he looked up towards the direction of the young man who had killed his beloved concubine.

He secretly coveted the person who seemed oblivious to the crisis lurking underwater. Zi Yan was leaning on the deck and comfortably enjoying the cool breeze.

He Di had trained for many years and developed excellent night vision; therefore, he could clearly see his opponent"s Adam"s apple and his somewhat serious chin.

This was the opponent he had been waiting for all night.

He Di has many concubines, but Jin Meng Jiao was a special one among them. Not only did she have a beautiful, soft and smooth body, she was also a useful p.a.w.n in his hands.

Whenever He Di wanted to deal with those unscrupulous vessels appearing in his territory on the sea, or when he doesn’t want to use his 2nd Prince t.i.tle of Dan Lin to deal with the matter, he would send Jin Meng Jiao in his place.

His favorite concubine had a resounding nickname - Siren . The s.h.i.+p merchants within the area are all aware of her; the person they are most afraid of among the pirates is the beautiful woman called Siren. Once someone meets her, not only will their cargo be stolen, but their lives will also be in jeopardy.

But this young man had killed Jin Meng Jiao. It’s rumored that he only used one strike.

“What’s his name?” He Di tilted his head, looking at his enemy like he is a prey who is about to fall into a trap.

The cool wind swept across that person’s calm and serene face. This kind of expression appearing on the young man’s face and the masculine body seemed to form a strange tightness in his throat, an urge to quench the thirst.

“We have investigated, the person who killed Siren is Zi Yan, he is the commander of these unknown origin soldiers. They had a very strict routine and are very wary of strangers. It’s very difficult to find any information about them.”

“Why have they appeared in this area? Are they doing business?”

“It doesn’t seem like it. Their s.h.i.+p would venture between small islands. The draft is not too deep; therefore, there’s not much room to hold cargo. Everyday the s.h.i.+p would come and go repeatedly

between other s.h.i.+ps. There would be interaction between them, mutual signal communication, and transformation coordination. I suspect that they are practicing for Naval Battles.”

He Di’s eyes suddenly narrowed, “Naval Battles?”

If that’s the case, this Zi Yan is not an ordinary person.

“Royal Prince, Xi Lei and Tong Kingdom are closest to this sea border. Do you think one of those kingdoms is secretly training their troops here?”

“The number of troops is not many, yet they are secretly training, then it must be to train elite soldiers.”

It’s rumored that Qing Ding of Tong Kingdom is cruel and immersed in self pleasure. He doesn’t seem to be someone who would secretly train his henchmen. Rong Tian of Xi Lei is very ambitious; this kind of action is something within his style.

Is Zi Yan an elite soldier that Rong Tian is hiding?

In order to secretly train them, he sent them to the vagaries of the sea? “Royal Prince, our people are already in position.”

The whole s.h.i.+p had been secretly siege up, people with their faces covered in a black mask emerged from underwater without a sound. They hid their weapons underneath the dark water.

Not caring whether their opponent is a subordinate of the great Rong Tian or not, he who dared to kill his woman in his territory must pay the price in blood.

He Di’s lips formed a cruel smile, "Action."

At the same time, dozens of root hooks with ropes flew through the air, aiming towards the side of the s.h.i.+p.

The men who threw the hook ropes were experts in secret attack, the sound of the hooks striking against the wooden s.h.i.+p was imperceptible. However, Zi Yan who had his eyes closed, enjoying the sea breeze was immediately alerted. He opened his eyes and shouted out: “Pirates!”

Not even showing a slight hint of hesitation, Zi Yan pulled out his sword hanging beside his waist and struck his opponent down as he cut off the thick ropes attached to the hooks.

Those that were using the ropes to climb up let out a shout before falling into the water below.

“Ah! Pirates?”

“Someone, come quickly! Help!”

The people in the cabin heard Zi Yan’s shout and brought their swords as they quickly rushed out. Seeing countless dark shadows climbing up onto the s.h.i.+p in all directions, they inhaled a deep breath.

Zi Yan looked around, following the edge of the s.h.i.+p, he swooped and precisely struck down the ropes. Several splashes were heard from down below as the men fell.

But it was too late.

Several opponents had climbed up onto the s.h.i.+p’s deck. Zi Yan didn’t have time to cut the seventh rope when a sound of a weapon came from behind him. Zi Yan shouted, dodged the sword as it swiftly pa.s.sed below his neck. He turned around as he noticed a glimpse of the weapon. Not feeling frightened by it, he raised his sword just in time to block the one strike that could have sliced him in two.

Clang !

The clash of metal echoed out into the night sky.

Looking up at the spark igniting from the sword’s blade, a pair of sharp eyes pierced deep into Zi Yan’s own. The dark pupils filled with dangerous intent coveted him.

This man with dark pupils also has a pair of strong arms, a trait that cannot be disregarded.

"Who are you?"

"Dan Lin’s He Di."

"The second Prince of Dan Lin?"

During the dialogue between them, they have already exchanged several strokes. The contact of their weapons gave off sparks within the night. Zi Yan shoved his way pa.s.s He Di, they turned to face each other. “Well, it seems that Dan Lin Kingdom and Pirates are the same."

Zi Yan calmly adjusted his breathing, the opponent’s skill caught him off-guard.

He Di’s skills were intense, with each strike, Zi Yan had to spend a lot of his strength. Even holding such a heavy sword, this Dan Lin Prince did not show a slight weakness in his defense.

A highly skilled swordsman.

As he slowly backed away, Zi Yan looked for the most favorable terrain for self-defense as he glanced around in all directions.

It was a very bad situation.

More and more enemies have jumped onto the deck. Today, he had just received the order of the King to mobilize the men. The majority of them who accepted a short-term training in naval battle have been ordered to go to the designated place to join. As of now, the most skilled person on the s.h.i.+p is him.

Besides the sailors and cook, the others had fled with their weapons, facing this group of pirates was like a sheep facing a pack of hungry wolves. Wearing a black mask underneath the moonlight made them look as if they were the incarnation of the devil, waving their weapons and striking their opponents.

"Put your weapon down and surrender." He Di stepped forward, his lips suddenly revealed a smile, "and I will spare you."

Zi Yan sneered, "No way!"

Desperate screams echoed in the vicinity and a sailor fell heavily off the deck .

On the deck, a pool of blood slowly formed.

"All your people have died, even if your skills are ten times better, it’s still useless." He Di took a step closer, "You can’t kill all of us."

His sword hadn’t been stained with blood, the s.h.i.+ny metal of the sword flas.h.i.+ng in the moonlight.

"I just need to kill you." Zi Yan calmly watched him.

Their skills were evenly matched, holding their swords in hand they carefully watched each other, subtly moving like a pair of snakes waiting to bite the other.

He Di tentatively took the first step. He stepped out with his left foot and just a moment before his right foot was off the ground, Zi Yan suddenly lifted his sword.

He Di’s focus s.h.i.+fted, Zi Yan took the opportunity to pierce He Di with his sword. Within the night sky, a scream was heard along with the sound of a sword piercing into flesh. Finally, his opponent fell. Everything went silent, it seemed like the whole s.h.i.+p had frozen.

Zi Yan’s black pupils suddenly contracted.

His wrist was struck with a blow and the sword fell from his hand.

He Di held his injured right shoulder as blood gushed from between his fingers. As for his other hand, it was still firmly holding a sword. He raised his sword and pointed it against Zi Yan’s throat.

"You’ve lost."

"We did not offend Dan Lin, why did you set up a night attack against us?"

He Di smiled slightly, "You killed my woman."

Zi Yan now understood.

It was because of that woman who robbed them the other day. That woman must have thought they were sheep, preparing a meal, but did not realize that this normal looking s.h.i.+p was filled with Xi Lei King’s carefully selected secret elite troops. Therefore, all the pirates were killed.

At this point, the b.l.o.o.d.y fighting on the deck had ended.

Everyone"s attention was transferred to the only opponent still standing. They all gradually came closer, interested in seeing how their prince will handle this young general.

Even though Zi Yan was surrounded by the enemy, he undauntedly and calmly said:"If you want revenge, then do it. Don’t blame me for not warning you beforehand that there will be people to avenge for me."

"It was the first time I’ve fought someone that caused me to shed blood." He Di licked the warm liquid on his fingers, laughing as he tasted his own blood. He looked over at Zi Yan carrying an frightening aura, "This really makes me a bit reluctant to kill you."

His eyes slowly glanced up towards the prisoner"s face.

The prisoner"s face was not very outstanding, but it carried a manly vibe. Several strands of hair were hanging on his forehead, dripping wet because of the earlier battles, highlighting his cute naivety.

Starting from the chin down to the neck, a firm and smooth textured skin, without a trace of excess fat. His s.h.i.+rt was buckled meticulously, preventing He Di’s eyes from exploring further.

He Di suddenly laughed with evil intentions; the tip of his sword approaching a little closer: "Don’t struggle or else I’ll accidentally hurt you." With a slight movement of his wrist, from top to bottom, Zi Yan’s s.h.i.+rt was torn into two halves.

His flat, lean chest was bared to the sea breeze.

He Di stared at the young man’s body, which apparently went through a long time of training. One subtle s.e.xual fire began to spread slowly from an undisclosed location.

Zi Yan remained stubborn and arrogant. His face was pale with such a serious expression, it made He Di crave to touch him.

He Di has had numerous women and also had his share of beautiful man. But for the first time ever, the view of this man"s collarbone was so s.e.xy that it filled him with a burning pa.s.sion.

On that bare chest were dotted two flower bud-like nipples, so different from the plump b.r.e.a.s.t.s of women. Of course, there was nothing to see, but at that moment, He Di found it filled him with a surprisingly fresh and fiery feeling.

If he used his tongue to lick and suck on them or used his teeth to leave bite marks, what kind of expression would this young man make?

He Di felt a slightly tightness in his throat. He followed his own mind, his wrist slightly pointing downwards, moving from Zi Yan’s throat and stopping in front of his chest. The icy tip continued to move and finally rested on the little bud that his mouth had been yearning for.

He used the cold tip to carefully caress the sensitive area.

"Oh...." His subordinates suddenly understood the intention of their prince, they wickedly snickered.

Zi Yan felt like he was exposed to a group of vicious wolves.

He stood still with a straight face showing no fear or embarra.s.sment, even slowly raising his lips in a subtle arc, causing He Di’s hand to pause the motion.

Taking advantage of this lifesaving movement, Zi Yan immediately took action. Zi Yan puffed his chest outward. He Di did not expect him to commit suicide; therefore, he was surprised. Without thinking his sword retracted half an inch. But half an inch was not enough as the tip lodged into Zi Yan’s chest.

"Ah ! " The subordinates cried out in surprise.

But Zi Yan did not plan on killing himself, his goal was the sword of He Di’s subordinate who was standing behind He Di.

Taking the risk and enduring the pain, despite the risk of death, his strategy finally worked. The moment He Di’s sword pierced his chest; his hands had already grabbed hold of the sword he was aiming for.

Clang!

With the weapon in hand, Zi Yan’s spirit lifted, neglecting the chest that was flowing with blood. He suddenly turned and charged forward. He blocked the first one, but was then under attack by five or six more men. He killed one enemy from the left, his body immediately turned around, staggering a few steps back. As he finally reached the back side of the s.h.i.+p, his heart beat became regular.

If Zi Yan could jump off the s.h.i.+p and swim for two miles east then he can reach the sh.o.r.e. Although he was injured, he believed his strength is enough to do so.

At this time, He Di was standing in front of him, holding a sword in hand. Watching Zi Yan fight even though he was outnumbered made him very impressed.

"Even if you jump off the s.h.i.+p, you cannot escape death." He Di reminded him.

Behind him, his subordinates already had bows and arrows in their hands. The tip of the arrows revealed a blue s.h.i.+ning light of poison.

Once Zi Yan tries to jump into the sea, the arrows will immediately aim at him. Even if someone is excellent at swimming, he will not be able to escape.

Zi Yan’s chest was flowing with blood. Luckily, He Di had retracted his sword and did not pierce into his heart. Right now, it was just a flesh wound.

With a sword in hand, he listened to He Di’s threat. Looking straight at He Di, Zi Yan’s eyes sparkled brilliantly: "Is it really hard to escape death?" He let out a contemptuous smile.

This smile in He Di’s eyes was like the sunlight s.h.i.+ning onto the snow, so dazzling and too thrilling. While he was bewildered, Zi Yan jumped off the s.h.i.+p without hesitation.

Splash.

Everyone rushed forward, aiming towards the water.

"Don’t shoot! Whoever shoots will be executed!" He Di shouted as he rushed forward. His hands pressed against the wooden edge. He overlooked the water below, focused on searching for the target.

The deep black sea in the moonlight became quiet and gentle, the water sparkling.

He couldn’t find the figure that disappeared.

His heart was still pounding rapidly because of the smile that Zi Yan gave before he jumped.

That smile caused him to lose his soul.

He Di finally remembered his injury as the pain from his shoulder resurfaced.

The feeling of being injured was both painful and arousing, along with the fresh blood that tasted both hot and sweet reminded him of the young strong man.

"Royal Prince, that man escaped!"

"Escape?" He Di gazed beyond the calm sea, slowly flas.h.i.+ng a smile, "What if he escaped."

He will catch him again.

But this time, he will not give him a chance to escape.

However, He Di did not expect that he had to wait a very long time before meeting him again.

In Dan Lin Kingdom across the sea, he had indulged himself in wasted extravagant luxury. Whenever he embraced those delicate beauties and handsome men, his mind cannot help but think of another face.

Why didn’t Zi Yan appear again in the sea after he jumped off the s.h.i.+p?

Did he suffer a mishap or did His King summon him back?

The other side of the sea is filled with land disputes and wars. Was that man, whom he is constantly thinking of and obsessed over, involved with that and something happened to him?

He Di had all sorts of unquenchable speculations.

He found it increasingly difficult to hide his inner thoughts because he began to lose interest in women. He didn’t like the soft body of women, without any muscles and not even their charming voices.

He longed to touch Zi Yan’s body, his lean smooth chest, s.e.xy collarbone, overflowing with graceful strength.

He wanted to use his tongue to taste the lips that gave that G.o.dly smile.

Time slowly consumed his patience to the point that he had almost gone crazy because of that man who disappeared. The G.o.ds however had mercy and brought that man into his hands again.

"Royal Prince, there seems to be a new merchant s.h.i.+p that is preparing to cross the Strait of Dan Lin . Not only that, we heard news that they want to develop a stable route from Xi Lei to Dan Lin, in order to transport and purchase our luminescent sand."

"Well , a big appet.i.te." He Di leaned comfortably against a high brocade pillow and sneered, "The Dan Lin Strait is my territory, do they really think they can just cross it? That luminescent sand is something that money can’t buy."

"Does your Royal Prince remember... that man who jumped off the s.h.i.+p to escape that year?”

He Di"s eyes suddenly flashed a sharp light as his mouth asked indifferently, "Which one?"

"That person called Zi Yan ." his subordinate reported: "He is also within the group."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed, I"m positive it’s him."

"Oh?"

His piercing eyes were sharp; he slowly narrowed them as if prepared to catch a prey.

Finally that man, who is destined to become his property, has appeared again.

This time, I will not let you escape.

One day, I’ll catch you ......

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END OF VOLUME

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