The Hongchen Siblings

On the morning of the fourth day, Xu Tianming changed into a light gold martial outfit and walked out of Mo Mang Palace.

The morning fog over Mingdu had yet to fully disperse.

A silver-white soul engineering carriage stood outside the eastern gate of the imperial palace. Its body was wider than an ordinary carriage, its shell engraved with intricate soul engineering formations. Dark gold Hall of Virtue emblems adorned both doors, while a slender detection antenna on the roof slowly rotated.

A middle-aged man stood beside the carriage.

His silver-white hair fell to his waist, smooth and carrying a faint golden sheen. He looked to be around forty, with fair skin, a high nose bridge, and narrow ice-blue eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners, giving him a shrewd air.

He wore a loose, deep-purple open-front robe embroidered with dark golden-red toad patterns along the hem, fastened with a purple-gold jade belt. A ninth-grade soul engineer badge hung from his left chest.

A gold-rimmed monocle rested over his left eye. The gaze behind its lens was calm, yet edged with sharpness. He was Jing Hongchen, master of the Hall of Virtue and dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

When he saw Xu Tianming approaching, Jing Hongchen smiled warmly.

"Junior brother, you're here."

"Greetings, Senior Brother. I kept you waiting."

"Not long. I only just arrived as well."

Jing Hongchen looked Xu Tianming over.

Xu Tianming had golden hair and red eyes, with handsome features. He stood straight-backed in the morning breeze, without the slightest bit of childish restlessness. Such composure was indeed rare among children his age.

No wonder Teacher had accepted this disciple. He truly was impressive.

Jing Hongchen was about to speak when the carriage window was suddenly pushed open from within, and a fluffy white head poked out.

It was a little white-haired girl with a high side ponytail and an oversized ice-blue bow in her hair. Her large aqua-blue eyes stared curiously at Xu Tianming.

"Grandpa, is this the Seventh Prince?"

"Xiaomeng, mind your manners."

Jing Hongchen raised a hand and pressed her back inside.

The little girl ignored her grandfather. Her eyes lingered on Xu Tianming's face for several seconds before she blurted out,

"He's so handsome."

The air went silent for a moment. Jing Hongchen rubbed his forehead, while another voice came from inside the carriage, carrying a trace of helplessness.

"Meng Hongchen, could you hold your tongue?"

"I'm only telling the truth!"

"Then keep your truth to yourself."

The carriage door opened, and Meng Hongchen jumped down first.

She wore a short white shirt trimmed with ice-blue at the collar, with a large purple bow pinned to her chest. Below was a pale-blue pleated skirt, white knee-high socks, and little leather shoes that clicked crisply against the ground.

The morning sunlight fell over her, making her palm-sized face look especially fair and clean. Her aqua-blue eyes sparkled, and she resembled an icy grape freshly scooped from the water.

Xu Tianming glanced at her. Meng Hongchen smiled brightly, utterly unreserved as she walked right up to him.

Just then, the carriage door opened again, and a silver-white-haired boy stepped out. He was Meng Hongchen's older brother, Xiao Hongchen.

His hair was soft and fluffy, with side-swept bangs covering half his cheek. His face was beautiful to the point of seeming almost androgynous, while his long, narrow eyes were sharp.

Most striking of all were his eyes. His right eye was ice-blue, his left emerald-green, with faint golden lines around the edges of his pupils.

He wore a white high-collared shirt tied with a purple ribbon, layered beneath a fitted deep-purple short jacket with gilded cuffs.

After getting out, he lowered his head to straighten his cuff before raising his eyes toward Xu Tianming.

"Greetings, Seventh Prince."

His tone was perfectly proper, neither fawning nor disrespectful.

The eight-year-old boy stood before Xu Tianming with his back straight and a faint self-assurance in his eyes. He was not arrogant, but neither did he seem easy to approach.

Meng Hongchen had already spun in a circle before coming back over.

"Your Highness, how old are you?"

"Six."

"Then I'm two years older than you. I'm eight."

Meng Hongchen puffed out her chest as if she had gained some great advantage.

"Doesn't that mean you should call me big sister?"

Xu Tianming looked at her.

"Big Sister Meng."

The moment those three words left his mouth, Meng Hongchen froze where she stood.

She clearly had not expected Xu Tianming to say it so readily. Her aqua-blue eyes instantly lit up as she turned toward Xiao Hongchen.

"Brother, did you hear that? His Highness called me big sister!"

"I heard."

"He really called me that."

"My ears aren't deaf."

Xiao Hongchen had a slight headache. Meng Hongchen clearly had no intention of restraining herself. She circled halfway around Xu Tianming before asking again,

"Your Highness, what's your martial soul?"

"The sun."

"The sun? The Sun Martial Soul passed down through the imperial family?"

"Yes."

"When you cultivate, does your whole body glow?"

"A little."

"Wouldn't that be really bright? Can you put it away?"

"Yes."

"Then aren't you usually really hot?"

"A little."

"Then what do you do in summer?"

"...I haven't thought about that."

Xiao Hongchen finally could not listen any longer.

"Meng Hongchen, can you say a little less?"

"When have I said that much?"

"You haven't stopped talking since we met."

"That's because I have things to say to His Highness."

"He's His Highness. Why would he have so much to talk about with you?"

"How do you know he doesn't want to talk to me?"

Xiao Hongchen opened his mouth but could not come up with a response. After a moment of silence, he leaned back against the carriage as if resigned to his fate and looked at Xu Tianming.

"My apologies, Your Highness."

"It's fine."

Xu Tianming said, "It's quite lively."

Xiao Hongchen was slightly taken aback.

He had originally thought that all imperial children would carry themselves with airs. Especially this Seventh Prince, who was said to be Old Kong's newly accepted disciple, extraordinarily talented and the emperor's own son. When going out, he should have at least been accompanied by a squad of guards.

Yet Xu Tianming had only two ordinary attendants with him, and he spoke without much hauteur. Standing in the morning breeze while his younger sister chattered around him and asked all sorts of questions, he actually managed to keep up with her.

Xiao Hongchen looked at Xu Tianming, then at his own sister, feeling something indescribable in his heart.

This prince... seemed rather different from what he had imagined.

Jing Hongchen had not interrupted once.

He stood to the side, watching the three children converse with faint amusement on his face. Once they had talked enough, he finally said, "Get in. We can talk on the way."

The four of them entered the soul engineering carriage.

The inside was far roomier than it appeared from outside. The seats were covered in soft leather, and small tables stood by the windows, holding a pot of tea and several plates of pastries. Jing Hongchen sat in the front row with his eyes closed in rest.

Xu Tianming took a seat by the window. Meng Hongchen naturally sat opposite him, while Xiao Hongchen sat beside Meng Hongchen.

Once the carriage started moving, it traveled along Mingdu's main road toward the outskirts. Meng Hongchen's attention still had not shifted away from Xu Tianming.

"Your Highness, how did you become Old Kong's disciple?"

"After Teacher saw my martial soul, he decided to accept me himself."

"Old Kong personally took you as a disciple?"

Meng Hongchen's eyes shone even brighter.