Secret Manual

Whoosh—

Chen Wu was looking at the secret manual titled Nine Chapters of Profound Origin when someone pushed open the door and came in.

No one had announced the visitor, and someone had barged right in. The heir instinctively bristled with anger!

"You—" When he saw the man's face, the heir wilted at once. "Father, Father—"

"You still have the nerve to call me Father!" Duke Chen barked, raising a hand to slap him. But at the last moment, his heart softened and his hand slowed. He merely tapped the heir on the head. "Where's my carriage clock?"

"R-right here!" The heir straightened up, losing all the swagger he'd shown in front of Old Liu.

The duke glanced sideways at the carriage clock and waved for a servant to put it away.

"When will you finally give me some peace of mind?"

"I only took it out to play around..." The heir lowered his head deeply.

"Who's that?"

Only then did Duke Chen notice the stranger in the room.

Chen Wu realized he could no longer hide, so he stepped forward to pay his respects.

The heir frantically signaled to Chen Wu, clearly not wanting him to mention repairing the carriage clock.

"My lord, I was invited here by the heir," Chen Wu replied, coming up with an explanation in an instant.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Chen Wu. The heir read about my deeds in the newspaper and grew curious, so he asked me here to make some inquiries."

Seeing Chen Wu's flawless reply, the heir nodded at him.

"Chen Wu..." Duke Chen remembered. "Oh, you're the one who killed the Jade-Faced Killing God, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, that's right!" The heir hurried behind Duke Chen and began rubbing his shoulders. "I was just curious about a young hero like him, a role model for Great Shun, so I invited Chen Yimin over."

Duke Chen's anger subsided. "You were lucky! The Jade-Faced Killing God committed so many major crimes that everyone, from top to bottom, took the case extremely seriously. Your commendation for serving the people should have gone only to the Ministry of Rites, but when the emperor heard about it, he personally approved it."

"I hardly deserve the honor."

"Ah—the great Emperor Taizong once said that luck is also a kind of strength," Duke Chen said. "During the Battle of Jingzhou, if Lekedehun hadn't underestimated his enemy and advanced recklessly, then even though Emperor Taizong was a Grandmaster, he wouldn't have had the chance to kill him in a single battle. It goes to show that anyone who achieves great things must have great fortune."

With that, he turned back to the heir. "This fellow's a lucky star. You can spend more time with him. Stop carousing with those worthless friends of yours."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm." The heir bobbed his head like a pecking chicken.

Afterward, Duke Chen asked Chen Wu about his martial arts cultivation and where he lived, among other things. He even tested his knowledge of martial arts and literature. Chen Wu answered everything according to the story he and Old Liu had worked out.

He said he was from Jiuyuan Prefecture, that his parents had died young, and that he survived entirely on the support of his maternal uncle, Old Liu. His martial arts had been passed down in his family, and he had only reached the meridian-opening stage. He also said he'd read widely, including some Western books. His answers were smooth and well-organized.

Hearing Chen Wu's tragic yet inspiring story, and seeing how clearly the young man expressed himself, Duke Chen became more and more convinced that Chen Wu was a talent.

But since it was getting late, he told Chen Wu to head back.

After Chen Wu took his leave, Duke Chen turned to the heir. "You're no good at martial arts, and you don't seem suited to literature either. All you're good at is cockfighting and dog racing. I've thought it over, and with the way you are, the only place for you is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can eat, drink, and make merry with Western nobles, build connections, and aim for no merit but no fault. When you're old enough, you can handle a few sacrificial rites for the emperor and host an Enrong Banquet or two."

The heir looked unconvinced. "Father, what's wrong with that? Didn't you get by that way yourself?"

"You little brat!" Duke Chen scolded. "Do you think you can coast through a future like that by lying around?"

"'Aim for no merit but no fault.' Your father spent his whole life thinking about those eight words," Duke Chen said gravely. "We nobles may be born with titles, but if we truly want to land safely, we need talented people to help us avoid making any major mistakes."

"Chen Wu is a talent. Get closer to him. If you ever need something done in the future, he'll come in handy."

Early the next morning, Chen Wu had an early vegetarian meal and was practicing his sword at the entrance when a crowd of people came toward him, surrounding someone and fawning over him.

Chen Wu hurriedly sheathed his sword and took a closer look. It was Duke Chen's heir.

What was going on?

While Chen Wu was still wondering, the heir of Duke Chen hurried over.

"Chen Wu—"

"Your Highness!"

Chen Wu was about to bow, but the heir stopped him.

"I didn't know you were staying here." The heir smiled. "Your maternal uncle told me you didn't like crowds. I thought he was just making excuses."

"Sorry for the trouble of coming to see me, Your Highness. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Ah, it's all because of my father!" The heir shook his head. "He said you were a talent and told me to spend more time with you."

"I'm not worthy of such praise!"

"Worthy or not, it doesn't matter!" The heir waved a hand. "I'm just playing Lord Mengchang from some book, putting on a little show of honoring worthy men for my father."

"Look what I brought you!"

A young servant suddenly handed over a parcel. Chen Wu took it and opened it at the heir's gesture.

Inside were more than twenty secret manuals!

"I didn't know which one caught your eye yesterday, so I figured I might as well bring them all!"

Father, you really are my father—

Chen Wu couldn't help shouting in his heart!

"This... Thank you, Your Highness."

"Why thank me? I can't use them anyway."

Chen Wu carried the manuals back to his room, then came out to meet the heir again. "This room is rather cramped, so I won't invite Your Highness inside."

"Fine," the heir said. "Just show me around the temple!"

"I've hardly ever visited Yan'an Prefecture, and I've never been to Lingshan Temple. I'd better have a good look around today."

"No problem. I know this place like the back of my hand." Having received the heir's secret manuals, Chen Wu readily took charge.

At Chen Wu's words, the heir suddenly put on a mysterious expression. "I heard the former abbot of this temple had three illegitimate children. Is it true?"

Chen Wu found it amusing. It seemed everyone loved gossip.

Wang Jiuyuan, who had "returned to his hometown," appeared at Jinheng Watch Shop.

Old Liu's expression was grave. "How are things over there?"

"They seem quite sincere," Wang Jiuyuan replied. "Are the people ready?"

"They can leave today."

"Good. It'll do to scout the way first."

"What?" The heir was surprised. "You're saying the current abbot was the one who exposed it?"

"I heard it from an editor at Yanhe Daily," Chen Wu said with a nod.

"I had no idea!" The heir shook his head. "Lingshan Temple is every bit as scandalous as the houses of dukes and marquises."

"Before, someone from the Duke Tang household exposed their family's private affairs in the papers. The scandal caused an uproar, and the emperor was so furious that he stripped their family of its title."

There was such a thing!

"If you ask me, what's the point?" the heir said. "No matter how hard we nobles try to climb, we can only get so far. Why make such an ugly scene over a little trouble?"

Chen Wu understood that the heir must not have any brothers competing with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made it sound so trivial—easy to talk when it wasn't his neck on the line.