A short while later, at the Prince's Manor.
Led by Steward Hou, Xie Jinhuan strode through corridors and buildings toward the Dan King Pavilion at the center of the grounds.
Steward Hou looked the same as ever. Though he only came up to Xie Jinhuan's chin, his earth-shaking, ghost-weeping looks managed to make even Xie Jinhuan seem rather ordinary. He was sighing now:
"Each new generation replaces the old. Twenty years ago, I nursed the Prince through piss and shit and helped him onto his throne. Now that I'm getting on in years, I'll leave the rest of the road to you, lad."
Walking beside him, Xie Jinhuan looked a little puzzled.
"The Prince already holds a single-character princely title and stands shoulder to shoulder with the emperor. Where else is he supposed to go?"
Steward Hou waved his little fan, his shifty eyes narrowing in thought.
"One step beyond a prince of the blood would naturally be..."
"Hey, hey, hey?!"
Xie Jinhuan only had twenty-odd days left as it was. He had no wish to meet an even earlier death and hurriedly cut off this invitation to usurp the throne.
After they walked on like this for a while, the seven-story Dan King Pavilion came into view.
Learning that Xie Jinhuan had returned had finally allowed the Pill King to breathe a long sigh of relief. He had brought Zhu Wenyuan straight outside to welcome him. At the sight of Xie Jinhuan, that look of "the imperial uncle meeting Zilong" surfaced again. He raised both hands and hurried down the steps.
"Jinhuan, honestly! You're injured. Why did you go out alone? Even if you wanted to slay demons, you should have taken a few attendants..."
Faced with such courtesy, Xie Jinhuan stepped forward and cupped his hands.
"You honor