The Crown Prince of Great Xia

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Leyan reclined comfortably on a bamboo chair in the kitchen, letting his meal settle.

The Jiangxue Sword he had kept beside him hummed softly twice, as though reminding him not to forget it.

Shen Leyan grabbed the armrest and sat upright, looking at the Jiangxue Sword. "I almost forgot why I asked you to stay..."

He packed up a portion of food he had prepared earlier and placed it on the Jiangxue Sword's blade.

"This is a new dish I'm planning to launch in a few days—Mala Xiangguo. Sect Master Lu hasn't eaten anything today either, so take this to him. While you're there, tell him I'll visit Senior Brother Chen Jing at the Cicada Song Pavilion tomorrow."

The Jiangxue Sword dipped its tip, then shot into the sky with a box of Mala Xiangguo, drawing startled cries from the disciples queuing outside the Restaurant.

Qingli looked him up and down several times before suddenly speaking. "You seem a little different since coming back from the Southwestern Territory. Before, you never wanted much to do with the Cloud Radiance Sect's master."

"Be more confident. Drop the 'seem.'"

"Why?" Qingli asked curiously. "You haven't been infected with some mind-controlling parasite, have you?"

"...These things are hard to explain. Sometimes I can't quite sort them out myself. But I'm certain I haven't been infected, and there's nothing wrong with my mind. Don't worry."

Qingli seemed only half convinced. "Then I won't ask."

"There's something else I'd like to ask you. How exactly does the Cloud Radiance Sect's disciple recruitment assembly work?"

"How it works... that's a bit complicated. In short, the sect master and elders first take their direct disciples to the Hall of Longevity, where the Cloud Radiance Sect's founding ancestor is enshrined, to make offerings and pray for blessings.

"Then the prospective disciples arriving from all nine territories of Great Xia register with the Outer Sect and queue up to have their spiritual roots tested. Anyone without a spiritual root is eliminated on the spot and sent home to their mother. Those with spiritual roots can go to the Martial Arts Training Ground.

"The Cloud Radiance Sect is pretty good about this. They don't set up any fancy trials. Everyone who wants to join goes straight to the Martial Arts Training Ground, draws lots for an opponent, and starts fighting.

"Now, in these fights... these matches, winning more doesn't necessarily mean you're better. After all, many children from powerful clans start learning cultivation arts very young. Their cultivation and fighting skills are usually better than those of ordinary families' children.

"The sect master, elders, and any of their direct disciples qualified to take students watch from the sidelines. If they spot someone talented, someone with good character, someone they take a liking to, or even someone with a rich and influential family, they take them in.

"I heard that one year, someone got pinned down and beaten black-eyed in the very first match, nearly dying. But the sect master at the time took a liking to him and accepted him as a disciple."

"What happened to that disciple afterward?"

Qingli gave him an inscrutable smile. "That disciple... was Lu Yuanyi."

Shen Leyan: "◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞"

"Speaking of which, why are you asking about the recruitment assembly? Could it be..."

"Yes. I'm planning to take cultivation seriously."

"...And the reasons are probably hard to explain too, right?"

Shen Leyan nodded.

"Then I won't ask. That explains why the female elder at the Spirit Perch Pavilion has been sneaking around lighting candles in the middle of the night lately. At first, I thought she was doing something shady, but after watching from the roof for a while, I discovered she was practicing a wind-type cultivation art."

"This elder specializes in wind techniques too?!" Delight surged through Shen Leyan. I've finally found my master.

Qingli glanced at him in puzzlement, seemingly unsure why he was suddenly so excited.

"No. That elder has a thunder-fire dual spiritual root. She's never practiced a wind-type cultivation art, and it doesn't suit her anyway! I only found out after asking her that all the elders have been saying a disciple with a wind spiritual root will attend this year's recruitment assembly. So now they're all furiously competing. Whoever learns Wind Arts best might get to take that disciple."

Qingli clicked their tongue.

"So you're the disciple they're fighting over! I was wondering how a scoundrel like Lu Yuanyi, who's hardly done enough good deeds to deserve it, could have such ancestral luck that the Cloud Radiance Sect would get two disciples with wind spiritual roots in one year."

Shen Leyan: "..."

A bucket of cold water doused the flames of joy in his heart, extinguishing them without even a trace of ash.

The youth pressed his brow and sighed softly.

Qingli asked, "What's troubling you?"

"I'm troubled by... this might sound like a humblebrag."

"What is a humblebrag?"

"More or less, making a fuss over nothing."

Qingli gave him a look that said, "Go on."

"I'm troubled by why I can't change my spiritual root. Finding a suitable master with a wind spiritual root is just too hard!"

Leaving the Restaurant, Shen Leyan strolled leisurely toward his quarters.

He had been away from the sect so long that he would need to air out his bedding tomorrow if the weather was good. He wondered what his roommates were doing now. Perhaps they could play a round of Fight the Landlord that evening...

He reached the courtyard gate and pushed it open, only to find wooden crates of every size piled everywhere, leaving almost nowhere to set foot.

Several open crates held neat rows of glittering jewelry and money.

Shen Leyan's pupils contracted. After staring blankly for several seconds, he silently backed up two steps and checked the numbered plaque beside the gate.

No mistake... these were definitely his quarters.

Surely he hadn't become so obsessed with money that he was dreaming of a courtyard full of gold, silver, and jewels?

"Are you a disciple of the Cloud Radiance Sect? Why have you come here?"

An unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

Shen Leyan turned to see a man approaching with thick brows and large eyes, clad in black armor with a sword at his waist. He carried the grim, imposing air of a soldier and appeared to be an imperial guard.

"I am a disciple of the Cloud Radiance Sect... These are my quarters. I've come back to rest, so naturally I'm here."

"These quarters now belong to His Highness the Crown Prince. All the disciples who lived here have moved out. Didn't your instructor tell you?" The imperial guard's tone grew more wary. "If you're a disciple of the Cloud Radiance Sect, why aren't you wearing the uniform?!"

"I—"

The sword at the man's waist flashed out of its sheath and pointed at him.

Shen Leyan: "..."

He answered patiently.

"...I went on a long trip recently and wasn't in the sect. I didn't know the crown prince of Great Xia had come to stay here. Since the sect approved it, I'll naturally follow their arrangements. But I still have belongings inside. Surely it's only reasonable to let me go in and collect them?"

The man was the crown prince's guard. A little vigilance was understandable.

As for his quarters... he could just move to another room. If all else failed, he could make do in a private room at the Restaurant for a night.

There was no need to clash with an imperial guard over something so trivial.

The imperial guard still looked somewhat suspicious, but seeing that Shen Leyan showed no intention of fighting and spoke politely, he sheathed his sword and merely shook his head.

"His Highness is resting inside. No one may enter without permission. Everything inside was cleared out several days ago. Your belongings are probably no longer there. If you have no other business, please leave."

Shen Leyan smiled, remaining perfectly amiable.

"Disposing of someone's belongings without their consent is hardly proper, is it?"

The imperial guard's expression chilled. "Insolence! The Cloud Radiance Sect was informed long ago that His Highness would be staying here! How dare an Outer Sect disciple like you call yourself the 'owner' here?!"

"The bedding, robes, tea set, tables, chairs, cabinets... I bought many of them with my own money, so naturally I'm their owner. Whether they're still inside or not, at least let me take a look. Sorry for the trouble, but please inform His Highness."

"You certainly have some nerve."

The imperial guard sneered, his face full of contempt.

"I've seen plenty of people like you. You heard His Highness was staying here and came to try your luck, hoping he'd choose you as a guard and you'd rise through the ranks. Stop dreaming! Leave at once, or don't blame my blade for what happens!"

Shen Leyan fell silent for a moment.

"You really won't let me in?"

The imperial guard ignored him.

He lowered his eyes. "I really dislike throwing my weight around..."

The imperial guard had just frowned, a reprimand on the tip of his tongue, when the youth before him took an ancient-looking bronze token from his waist.

"Let me in. It's getting late, and I don't want to make another trip to the Cicada Song Pavilion."

The imperial guard looked closely. The moment he saw the ancient tree and singing cicada engraved on the token, his expression changed drastically.

"...So you're Sect Master Lu's disciple."

The imperial guard bowed, switching tones faster than a face-changing performer, now utterly respectful.

"Please wait a moment. I'll inform His Highness right away."

An incense stick's worth of time later, the imperial guard hurried back out. "His Highness invites you inside. I failed to recognize your standing earlier. I hope you'll..."

Shen Leyan took no offense. He waved a hand and went inside.

All he wanted now was to gather his belongings quickly, soak in a hot bath, and get some sleep.

He picked his way with difficulty around the crates covering the courtyard.

Unable to help himself, Shen Leyan glanced back. The imperial guard was still bowing to him with clasped hands.

He hesitated. "If you have time for these empty formalities... why not organize the crates in the courtyard? Hasn't your crown prince needed to go outside these past few days?"

The imperial guard let out an "Ah!" and hurried into the courtyard to move the crates.

Shen Leyan reached his room. The door stood open, and all the plain furnishings inside had been replaced: pearwood chairs, a Coral-and-White-Jade Bed, a Sandalwood Auspicious-Cloud Cabinet, an Ivory Openwork Jade-Carved Screen...

Compared with the furnishings inside, the gold and silver in the crates outside really were nothing.

No wonder the imperial guard had assumed he wanted to enter the crown prince's service.

If he hadn't transmigrated here and known that this crown prince of Great Xia was cruel and tyrannical, and apparently would be assassinated in just a few months, he really would have liked to become a guard.

An easy job with plenty of money that wouldn't interfere with cultivation—who wouldn't want it?!

"Your Highness? Your Highness?"

From behind the gold-thread curtains surrounding the Coral-and-White-Jade Bed came an androgynous voice, low, melodious, and languid, with an air of lofty disdain.

"Come in."

Shen Leyan did not stand on ceremony and stepped into the room.

An incense burner stood in a corner. As the incense glowed and dimmed, a faint scent of ambergris filled the room.

At a glance, the entire room could be described in one word: expensive.

But however expensive these things were, they had nothing to do with him.

Shen Leyan scanned the room quickly, searching among the lavish furnishings and ornaments for his own simple possessions.

After walking around the screen, he hesitated over whether to ask the crown prince of Great Xia for permission to open the wardrobe and keep searching. While he was choosing his words, another voice came from the bed.

"You're Sect Master Lu's new disciple?"

Shen Leyan looked up. A young man in an apricot-yellow informal robe, his long hair secured with a jade crown, lounged against the cushions on the jade bed. Several Ice Chambers filled with fruit and snacks sat within reach, and he held a translucent, juicy Lychee between his fingertips.

He was strikingly beautiful, his shimmering, autumn-lake eyes half narrowed as he studied Shen Leyan. A crimson beauty mark sat at the outer corner of one eye, and his skin was luminous and pale. His beauty was somewhat androgynous, and his smiling expression revealed none of the "cruel, tyrannical, and unpredictable" nature described in the original novel.

Still... two young attendants stood beside his bed, their appearances equally androgynous. They wore very little and held exquisite feather fans, fanning the man reclining there.

...I wasn't looking on purpose. Please don't give me a stye, please don't give me a stye!

He promptly lowered his head, averting his eyes from anything improper, and answered.

"Greetings, Your Highness. I'm not Sect Master Lu's disciple. I simply have a token from the Cicada Song Pavilion. I came to look for the belongings I left in these quarters."

The crown prince of Great Xia ate a Lychee and smiled. "There's nothing here for you to find anymore. Someone, bring a hundred-tael banknote. Consider that hundred taels compensation for your belongings."

One young attendant answered softly. While leaving, the attendant's feather fan accidentally brushed the crown prince's ankle. The crown prince, who had been eating Lychee so leisurely a moment earlier, instantly turned cold.

The attendant dropped to their knees, trembling like a leaf.

The crown prince spoke slowly. "If your eyes can't see properly, there's no point keeping them. Why don't we gouge them out?"

◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞

The attendant burst into tears and begged repeatedly. "Mercy, Your Highness! Please have mercy, Your Highness! I know I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again—"

Two imperial guards rushed in. One blow to the back of the attendant's neck knocked them unconscious, and the guards dragged them away.

A moment later, another young attendant approached with a box of banknotes, then picked up the feather fan to continue serving the crown prince.

Shen Leyan: "..."

No wonder the crown prince's guards and attendants are so well paid. With a job this dangerous, nobody would dare come if the wages were any lower.

He accepted the banknote and ventured a word of persuasion. "...Your Highness, the Cloud Radiance Sect's Apprenticeship Ceremony is almost here. Surely shedding blood now would be inauspicious?"

The crown prince spat a Lychee pit into the silk handkerchief held by an attendant and considered this.

"Hmm... I'm going to join the Cloud Radiance Sect to cultivate. Shedding blood now would indeed be inauspicious. Very well. Pass down my orders: there's no need to gouge out that servant's eyes. Just send them back to the Servants' Laundry Bureau to wash chamber pots."

"Yes, Your Highness."

With the banknote in hand, Shen Leyan calculated that he had made a net profit of at least ninety-nine taels.

He had no desire to linger with this temperamental crown prince of Great Xia, lest he leave any impression on him.

"Thank you, Your Highness. With the Apprenticeship Ceremony approaching, I won't disturb your rest any further. I'll take my leave!"