Forging a Bond

Seeing no quick way to clear away these shattered Magic Rune Corridors, Chen Cheng slowly opened his closed eyes.

Before him was a red tent roof. He was lying on a wooden bed made from some unknown tree, covered by a thin blanket, sleeping on the bed in complete peace.

He could tell this was not his tent, because he clearly remembered that his tent was white, and his sleeping place was not a bed but something more like a sleeping bag.

He could hear the clamor outside the tent. When he prepared to rise, he discovered another wooden bed beside his. A man no older than twenty-five, dressed in an undershirt, leaned against its headboard and watched him.

Suddenly seeing someone in the quiet tent nearly made Chen Cheng cry out in fright. Yet the despondent sorrow on that man's handsome face made him sense that this person was far from ordinary.

He was simply too clean. Even sitting there, he naturally gave off an air of nobility.

Most importantly, Chen Cheng had never seen him in this camp before.

When Wisdom Shield saw the little fellow opposite him awaken, he noticed the collar around Chen Cheng's neck beneath the slipped blanket and understood his identity.

In the past, if he had seen a slave sharing a tent with him, he would have considered it an utter humiliation.

But now, because of his greed, recklessness, and stupidity, because the knights and teachers loyal to him had died, his proud noble heart had already fallen to rock bottom.

"Which family are you from?"

In the past, he would not even have spared Chen Cheng a glance. But now, seeing Chen Cheng's somewhat restless manner and the curiosity in his eyes, he found himself mildly interested and quietly asked.

Chen Cheng had only just woken up and was still groggy, so he did not hear him clearly. Seeing his lips move, he thought the man was greeting him.

Chen Cheng immediately threw off the blanket, sat cross-legged on the bed, looked at Wisdom Shield, and smiled.

"Hello, my name is Brown. I'm an auditing student at Huidun Academy. I still don't know your name.

"I've been in this camp for several days now. How come I've never seen you before, brother?"

Wisdom Shield had not expected Chen Cheng to answer like that. He became curious about this rather strange slave.

He truly could not imagine that an academy in his territory would have a student with the status of a slave.

"You wouldn't want to know my name."

Seeing Wisdom Shield answer so arrogantly, Chen Cheng curled his lip in disdain. Then he spotted a soaring dragon embroidered in gold thread on Wisdom Shield's lapel. Forgetting his current identity entirely, he teased, "A flying dragon on your lapel—don't tell me you're some King?

"No, you're still so young. If you aren't a King, then you must be a prince.

"But so what if you're a prince? There are only the two of us here. You look as if your father just died. Shouldn't you be happy? Unless you have an elder royal brother above you, and the throne won't be yours?"

Chen Cheng immediately imagined a bloody saga of nine dragons fighting for the throne, princes battling one another for the crown.

He could not help clicking his tongue, then gave Wisdom Shield a sympathetic look.

The veins on Wisdom Shield's forehead bulged. If his magic power had not been exhausted and his body so weak, he would definitely have thrown a Chaos Magic spell at the slave before him, letting him know what should and should not be said.

Moreover, Chen Cheng's final sympathetic expression stirred up the unpleasant memories of the past few days.

Seeing him like this, Chen Cheng thought the fellow had recalled the rage of fighting for the throne. He changed his tone and said, "But you don't need to worry. Look at me. I used to be... used to be the sole future heir of my tribe. Now I'm a slave too, but aren't I still living just fine?"

Chen Cheng nearly let something slip and hurriedly corrected himself.

"And judging from your state, you were probably only exiled. At least you still have your status as a prince. Even if your elder brother takes the throne, you can still secretly build up your strength, then give him a little Remove the Ruler's Evil Advisors. Back then, Zhu Di—"

Chen Cheng suddenly felt that he had gone a little off track. Seeing the curiosity mixed with anger in Wisdom Shield's eyes, he promptly changed his words and coughed. "Uh, what I mean is, don't give up. As long as you're alive, there's hope of turning things around. I believe you can do it. Really."

At that moment, Wisdom Shield truly wanted nothing more than to strangle Chen Cheng. How could a tiny tribe compare to his kingdom?

But what Chen Cheng said afterward seemed to mean that someone had once been in the same situation as him, yet that person had ultimately ascended the throne.

Wisdom Shield did not suspect Chen Cheng of lying, because he knew that some of those savage mountain tribes passed down secret histories from ancient times. Perhaps what Chen Cheng had almost said was the tale of some ancient king.

Seeing Wisdom Shield's gaze shift from fury to calm, then grow somewhat excited, Chen Cheng hastily left behind one last sentence before lying down and turning his back.

He could not help it. He had just dreamed of returning to his previous life, and upon waking, he had forgotten his identity. If the man opposite truly was some exiled prince and really rebelled after hearing those words, would he and Fini still survive?

Across Huaxia's five thousand years of history, only Zhu Di had truly entered the throne room under the banner of Remove the Ruler's Evil Advisors. And the kid opposite him clearly did not look like Zhu Di.

He was skinny as a rake, with none of Zhu Di's kingly bearing—though Chen Cheng did not actually know what Zhu Di looked like.

And Chen Cheng, this slave, was even less likely to be Yao Guangxiao at Zhu Di's side, urging him to rebel and devising strategies for him.

Wisdom Shield stared at Chen Cheng's back, turned away beneath a green blanket, while his thoughts drifted back to Chen Cheng's words.

He truly wanted to know what Chen Cheng meant by Remove the Ruler's Evil Advisors, and who this Zhu Di was.

Because his own situation now was so strikingly similar to what Chen Cheng had described.

The only loyal strength left at his side was Torey, and he himself was an illegitimate product, a royal scandal from the moment of his birth.

Fortunately, the current King remembered the bond between father and son and had not killed him at birth. His mother also controlled the kingdom's finances and could offer him some protection.

But when the King truly died, this royal scandal would become the first problem the new King needed to resolve after ascending the throne.

For so many years, he had recruited knights in his territory, established an academy, and accepted noble students, all to amass enough strength to contend for that throne.

Because he knew that his only path to survival led down the thorn-covered road to the throne. Yet now, all those he had recruited to cut through the thorns for him had died, and that thorn-filled road to the throne had grown ever farther away.

But today, the words of this tiny slave reignited his fighting spirit.

Even a slave had the confidence to say that he could succeed, so why should Wisdom Shield sit here sighing and lamenting?

Remembering his teacher's earnest teachings before death, a little light returned to Wisdom Shield's nearly lifeless heart.

But when he thought of the hardships surrounding him, once the new King took the throne, where would he find the time to develop his strength?

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Wisdom Shield lay down as well.

Hearing that dejected sigh, Chen Cheng silently mourned for this prince whose name he did not even know.

He sincerely hoped this prince could live well, because he suddenly realized that, if he was not mistaken, this man's circumstances were actually vastly different from his own current identity.

At the same time, he was glad he had not brought up his bullshit identity as an emperor. Otherwise, the one sitting there sighing would have been him, surrounded by all the armies under heaven.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng could not help remembering Samlet. He sincerely wished that Samlet would find the pursuit he had sought all his life.

Soon, the tent flap was lifted, and the one-armed Torey came to Wisdom Shield's bedside. "My lord Count, the Knights of Light sent by the bishop are already outside. We should leave."

Hearing him addressed as "my lord Count," Chen Cheng finally relaxed about Wisdom Shield. To still retain a title after failing to fight for the throne, this young man would not suffer any great disaster in this life as long as he lived peacefully.

But then Chen Cheng wondered whether his earlier sadness for him had been unnecessary. His own background was that of a rat crossing the street, despised by all. What Count's title? He was worth less than a dog. Even after losing, that man still had a Count's title to live off in idle comfort.

Several soldiers then entered to help Wisdom Shield put on his armor.

Although nearly all the knights at Wisdom Shield's side had perished this time, the majesty required of a lord over a territory still had to be displayed.

When he was about to leave the camp, he paused for a moment before lifting the tent flap and walking out.

Only after the footsteps faded away did Chen Cheng turn over to look at the bed beside him and the tent curtain. Then he gave a bitter laugh. "Are you cheap or what? No matter what, he still has a Count's title. Yet you, a little slave, are grieving for a Count. Fucking cheap."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng slapped himself, reminding himself of the era he was in and his current identity.