Chapter 185: First Prince Ye Dai Seeks an Audience?
Although the Long family had been thoroughly cowed and suppressed, Gouyu still held deep enmity towards the Long family. The existence of Long Juxue was absolutely a thorn in the side of the headstrong Gouyu.
This thorn had always made she who possesses proud self esteem feel ill at ease.
Although Gouyu had never mentioned it, she’d never been willing to accept and concede defeat in the face of Long Juxue’s const.i.tution. What kind of basis was that for the sects to look at Long Juxue with different eyes?
She was going to prove that she, Gouyu, was just as good!
She didn’t have abnormal potential, but she had an even more resolute heart of martial dao that would make up for it.
Jiang Chen looked at this serious woman and suddenly felt a few stabs of being unable to look on further. This woman was a princess and could’ve stayed within the Eastern Kingdom to continue and enjoy the lofty and luxurious treatment provided to the royal family.
However, she had followed him without hesitation and become his follower.
What did she want? Breakthroughs in martial dao, naturally.
Jiang Chen wouldn’t deny that Gouyu felt dependence, grat.i.tude, and even some vague emotions between man and woman towards him. However, Jiang Chen had never wanted things to go down that path.
It wasn’t that Jiang Chen didn’t think much of Gouyu, but that he knew that they would eventually walk separate paths and were destined to be unable to fly together as a pair.
This was a woman that he was destined to let down. Therefore, his heart softened when Jiang Chen looked at Gouyu and her resolute demeanor.
“Even if she’s not my woman, I’m going to at least let her live a life that is even more glorious and brilliant than she would’ve ever thought.”
When Jiang Chen’s thoughts travelled here, he suddenly smiled, “You’re right, you can still enter the spirit realm even without a sect. Now, I’ll give you a chance to enter the spirit realm.”
“What did you say?” Astonishment shot out from Gouyu’s beautiful eyes. She had thought that she’d misheard.
“Do you want to enter the spirit realm?”
“Yes.” Gouyu nodded her head without hesitation.
Jiang Chen flicked his finger and a middle rank Five Dragons Opening Heavens Pill landed in her hand. “This pill is called the Five Dragons Opening Heavens Pill, and will give you a 90% chance of entering the spirit realm. This pill can also shape your spirit ocean, crafting it into one with unparalleled potential. Remember, I haven’t given even Xue Tong this pill yet, so you must keep it a secret.”
Gouyu’s face was filled with shocked surprise as she stared dumbly at the pill in her hand. Her eyes suddenly grew red.
This feeling of being helped by Jiang Chen, being given pointers by him and being taken care by him, suddenly sent her memories back a few months, back to when they were all residing in the Eastern Kingdom.
“Jiang Chen, you…”
“Stop. I don’t like a fussy or dithering woman. You’re my follower and it’s a natural course of action for me to give you a pill.” Jiang Chen was unable to stand it when women cried.
Gouyu bravely wiped away at her eyes. She was disappointed to realize today that she seemed to have grown used to Jiang Chen’s aid, used to his pointers, and accustomed to receiving benefits from Jiang Chen.
“This pill will a.s.sault your entire physical body and will reforge your body, forming the spirit ocean within it. This process will be very painful. Remember, you must hold up beneath it. If you do, the sky will be the limit. You’ll set foot into the spirit realm and soar as you wish from henceforth.”
Gouyu lightly puckered her lips as she could no longer find the appropriate words suitable for expressing her current emotions.
“Jiang Chen, it looks like I, Gouyu, am destined to owe you during this life. My life is yours whenever you want to call in these bestowments.”
“I don’t want your life, I only hope that you will always remain that tenacious and unyielding Eastern Gouyu who has her sights set only on martial dao!”
Gouyu started as Jiang Chen brushed past her and walked out.
“Jiang Chen…. You, you really are a devil. You have me, Eastern Gouyu, falling so helplessly into the deep abyss that is you…” Gouyu murmured to herself. “Forget it, forget it. I’ve done all of this voluntarily. Jiang Chen, do you know? Your excellence has spoiled my worldview. I would rather willingly and happily lose myself in your abyss than while away the rest of my life amongst mediocrity. I know… I’m not worthy of you, and that a great distance separates us. However, even if I am a slave or a servant, I am still willing to follow you for the rest of my life. Do you know? The splendor that you so carelessly radiate is enough to light up my entire world…”
Gouyu was almost raving in agitated silliness. She stood there in the secret chamber, both happy and sad.
“Young master, first prince Ye Dai is outside seeking an audience.” Someone quickly delivered this report when Jiang Chen walked out.
“Ye Dai?” Jiang Chen was startled and then waved his hand. “Denied!”
“Young master, this prince Ye Dai has a thick face and refuses to leave. He says that if the young master doesn’t receive him, you will be sure to regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Regret? Because of him?” Jiang Chen laughed coldly and thought that his underlings were probably unable to shoo Ye Dai away. “Ignore him, I’ll go chase him away.”
When he walked to the door, he indeed saw Ye Dai standing there. His tall and fit body was like a willow tree swaying in the wind. His demeanor was sophisticated and graceful. He presented a rather pleasing view if one only considered his looks.
“Jiang Chen, I’d planned on standing here and not leaving until I’ve seen you.” Ye Dai smiled faintly, as if the two weren’t rivals who’d had some friction between them, and were rather old acquaintances.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, “First prince, relations between the two of us don’t seem to be familiar enough for such boring jokes to be cracked?”
Ye Dai thought nothing of it as he maintained his graceful manner, “Jiang Chen, I admit that I was a bit unhappy and even a bit envious of you the day of the honored tutor’s birthday banquet. However, when I returned home, I felt that this wasn’t the way to approach things. To be honest there’s no death feud between the two of us. You’re now the holder of a Skylaurel Kingdom Medallion, and I am the most supported and loved prince in the Skylaurel Kingdom. Why must the two of us be engaged in compet.i.tion against each other instead of cooperation?”
“Cooperation? Ye Dai, are you drunk? What is there to cooperate between the two of us?”
“That’s not necessarily the case!” Ye Dai shook his head and spoke seriously. “You can cooperate with number four of my house, so you can definitely cooperate with me.”
“Do you think I, Jiang Chen, is someone who will become a turncoat and change who I support?” Jiang Chen smiled coldly.
“Jiang Chen, you can think on it. I can even be the mediator and have you make up with the Northern Palace if you nod your head. The matter of you killing their disciples can be resolved with a smile. Dead people are already dead, those alive surely can’t embroil themselves in endless conflict because of a dead person. And you see, I have many contacts within the Precious Tree Sect. With your potential, you’re sure to enter the Precious Tree Sect in the future. I can absolutely pave the way for you and make it smoother for you to receive an even higher position. In addition…”
“Stop.” Jiang Chen was impatient. “Ye Dai, just what do you want to say? You want to recruit me? I can tell you clearly, I’m not interested.”
“Just because number four was one step ahead of me and made a trip to the Eastern Kingdom?” Ye Dai was unwilling to accept this. “He’s just an opportunistic fellow. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was busy then, I definitely would’ve made a trip to the Eastern Kingdom as well if I’d know such a person as you existed. You don’t believe me Jiang Chen? Do you think number four can really fight me for the position of Crown Prince? Are you really willing to hang around a prince with no background and make a blunder that will affect the rest of your life?”
Jiang Chen laughed, “Ye Dai, you speak with great gusto, but I’m completely uninterested in this struggle for Crown Prince and this so-called grand royal endeavor. I help Ye Rong because he’s my friend, and you, Ye Dai, are not my friend. It’s that simple.”
“Then we can also be friends.” Ye Dai hastily said.
“The moment that I entered the Black Dungeons destined that the two of us would not be friends.” Jiang Chen waved his hands and frowned, “I’ll ask you one thing, are you getting the h.e.l.l out of here or not?”
Ye Dai’s face grew frosty and knew that he couldn’t keep up the act. He spoke harshly, “Jiang Chen, are you determined to pursue your mistaken beliefs and oppose me to the end?”
“Oppose you? You think too much. Go back and look at your reflection in a puddle of your own pee. Is something like you worthy of me, Jiang Chen, opposing you?”
“Alright, very good! Jiang Chen, you’ll pay a great price one day for your stubborness and ego. Then, you’ll be crying, shouting, and kneeling in front of me, begging for forgiveness.”
Ye Dai left these vicious words behind and left with a flourish of his sleeves.
He had held great hope this time and forcefully restrained his disgust as he put on the act of a someone kind and considerate to men of talent, hoping to eventually recruit Jiang Chen.
He also knew that it would be difficult for him to publicly oppress Jiang Chen once he had the medallion.
Since he couldn’t publicly oppress him, why not recruit him? Ye Dai discovered that the advantages of recruiting Jiang Chen greatly outnumbered the disadvantages.
There was only one drawback in that he’d have to smooth over things with the Northern Palace and Lu Wuji.
But the benefits would be innumerable.
However, he discovered that his carefully laid out plans had all been for naught. Although he had all sorts of advantages and an impressive background, so what of that? Jiang Chen paid no attention to any of that at all.
Jiang Chen shook his head, “He has no idea what he should be doing.”
He was about to go back inside when the clatter of hooves suddenly sounded from the other end of the street. A man on a horse was swiftly approaching Jiang Chen.
“Younger brother Jiang, I’ve heard that you’ve been in closed door cultivation. Did you emerge today?” The person on the horse had seen Jiang Chen from afar and raised his hand, calling out in greeting.
“General Tian?” Jiang Chen was surprised to see that that person was Tian Shao of the Dragonteeth Guard.
The horse galloped straight up to the door before Tian Shao suddenly hauled back on the reins, making it come to a complete stop. Tian Shao jumped down and wrapped Jiang Chen in a huge bear hug.
“Younger brother, we haven’t seen you in a month. The fourth prince rather misses you.”
“General Tian has a spring in his step. Looks like you’ve had quite some gains recently.” Jiang Chen chuckled.
“And it’s all thanks to you. You gave me the chance to ask a question of Tutor Ye last time. After his pointers, I feel that I’ve progressed on that path of martial dao again and have already felt the edge of the half step spirit realm.
Tian Shao had been at the peak of the true qi realm so it was an incredible breakthrough that he’d reached half step spirit realm.
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Lin Qianli has already thrown off the mortal shackles and risen to the first level of the spirit realm. All of a sudden, he’s become one of the most accomplished disciples in the Southern Palace. His chances of entering the Precious Tree Sect in their next open recruitment are very high.
Tian Shao also felt slight awe towards Lin Qianli when he thought of him.
“Lin Qianli’s heart of martial dao is quite resolute. I’m not surprised that he broke though.” Jiang Chen smiled. “I must congratulate him next time I see him.”
Tian Shao smiled, “I told you that once you spend some time with him, you’ll discover that he’s absolutely a friend worth having. He sings your praises now, and gets up in people’s faces if they even hint at anything bad about you. You two have had your friends.h.i.+p grow from an exchange of blows.”
Jiang Chen smiled, nodded, and then asked, “Oh right, old Tian, have you come looking for me because of anything in particular?”
Tian Shao smacked his forehead, “Ai, look at me. I almost forgot the official purpose of my visit. The Maze Realm Autumn Hunt that’s held once every five years will be taking place in ten days. Are you interested in partic.i.p.ating?”
“Maze Realm Autumn Hunt?” Jiang Chen stared. What was that?