Sovereign Of The Three Realms Chapter 16-20

 

Sovereign Of The Three Realms

(SOTR)

Chapter 16: Entering the Palace, Diagnosis  

Even if the subject in question was a method from the heavens, there was nothing he could not understand, not with his breadth of knowledge. To him, a foundational method from the common world was as simple as a child reading the “Three Character Classics” or the “Hundred Family Names”1.  

After running the method through his mind, its peculiarities, pros, and cons, were all unabashedly revealed to him.  

What made Jiang Chen both furious and amused was, that in his memories, the past Jiang Chen had only practiced the Eastern Amethyst Qi six times in the past two and a half years.  

And of those times, two sessions had lasted not even ten minutes before some of his friends dragged him out for some fun.  

What was really infuriating was that a practitioner had to be the pinnacle and epitome of laziness in order to fail so hard.  

The only silver lining and source of some amusement was that the less the former Jiang Chen had trained, the better it was for Jiang Chen now.  

This way, he could spend less time correcting the mistakes that the prior Jiang Chen had made when practicing. Still, he really had only practiced the method on and off for six times.  

This was basically starting from scratch.  

Practicing such a method as basic as this one didn’t require any particular thought on Jiang Chen’s behalf. Not only could he easily understand many martial dao mysteries that would even occur to others, but could improve upon, in spades, any flawed or incomplete methods.  

Of course, Jiang Chen did not bother with undue reflection, since such a foundational method wasn’t worth him spending too much time over.  

He had fully digested the foundational theories in an hour.  

It would be easy to practice once he had fully digested it.  

He was a bit hesitant and unfamiliar the first time through, but became much more at ease and confident the second time around.  

The third time, his execution was as pure as the fires of a forge.  

The fourth time, fifth time…  

If the Eastern royal ancestor had been able to witness Jiang Chen’s sixth deployment of the method, his jaw would have surely dropped in shock and perhaps even wanted to hail Jiang Chen as his master.  

This was because he had already gone through more than ten derivations of the foundational method, and this was when Jiang Chen was holding himself back. If it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t want to unnecessarily waste brain cells, he’d actually easily derive more than a hundred permutations.  

His curiosity satisfied after a few more times, Jiang Chen grew bored and stopped practicing. Wasting too much time in studying such a basic tactic was akin to strangling the prime of his life.  

He decided to revisit the third exam.  

“The Articles of Martial Arts”, “The Articles of Spirit Medicine”, “The Papers of Power and Influence”, and “The Papers of Military Strategy”.  

The third exam mostly encompassed the above content, which just needed to be committed to memory. Of course, there was also some room for creativity.  

For the creative portions, one could receive passing marks even if they didn’t fill it in. It was just something used to separate geniuses from the mediocre.  

Jiang Chen took a half hearted glance through it, it was a crude and simple collection of items. With his experiences and knowledge bank, it was as if an adult was answering questions written for kids. It couldn’t get much easier than this.  

“Alright, no need to waste too much time on small fry like the Hidden Dragon Trials. The task at hand is to find a method suitable for this body. It can’t be too good, but must possess unlimited potential.”  

Grand, heavenly methods spanning everything in the world were as common as the hairs on a cow in Jiang Chen’s memories. But to find one that was suitable wasn’t that easy.  

Firstly, this body would simply be unable to practice any methods that were too extraordinary and went against the course of nature. It would be like someone used to eating light, simple food suddenly devouring delicacies from the land and sea. It was bound to cause indigestion.  

Of course, the method couldn’t be too subpar either. If it was subpar, then his starting point would be lower than others and greatly limit himself in the future.  

Jiang Chen had no desire to make his path of cultivation unnecessarily rough and jagged just because he had started off on the wrong foot.  

This was also something that couldn’t be rushed. With his current state, Jiang Chen was not fully familiarized with his body yet, and naturally could not customize a method most suited for himself.  

Oh well, the new and improved Eastern Amethyst Qi was enough for him now.  

The task at hand was to appropriately handle Eastern Lu.  

The third day, Jiang Chen hunkered down with the book collection in the manor instead of going out. He knew almost nothing about this world since his arrival. Apart from a bunch of crazy, ridiculous and pointless acts committed by his past self, there weren’t many memories worth much at all.  

Jiang Chen did not intend to live out his days in ignorance. To know one’s enemy as well as one knew himself was the way to constantly emerge victorious from battle.  

Although he was the reincarnated son of the Celestial Emperor, he now occupied an ordinary position, and his past life’s memories could only support him theoretically. He would still have to rely on his current body in terms of actual training.  

Theory could save him a lot of effort by avoiding winding paths, and could help him grow much faster than others, but it couldn’t turn him into a peerless master in a short time.  

If he rested on his laurels because of memories from his past self and became supercilous, then he just might die one day without even knowing how.  

After all, the level of his martial strength ranked amongst the lowest of the low in this world. There were simply too many people who could crush him to death with one finger.  

Jiang Chen’s understanding of his current world were greatly deepened after a night of reading, and he felt quite productive. When night fell, he entered the secret room again and was hard at practice.  

After a night of training, he had further consolidated his control over his four levels of true qi. The four cleared meridians were noticeably stronger after he’d put them through the wringer a few times.  

“Judging from this tempo and speed, my meridians will be able to support clearing the fifth acupoint in five or six days time.”  

In the realm of true qi, each successive step would become harder than the last.  

The difficulty of opening up each consecutive meridian would be many times greater than the previous one. If the beginning foundations were not firmly set in stone, and the practitioner started opening up meridians willy nilly, then it was very likely that he would cause friction between the meridians. The best case scenario was that the meridians were damaged, and the practitioner was forever halted on the path of training. The worst case scenario was that the meridians exploded and the practitioner died immediately.  

The path of cultivation was fraught with peril. This was not an empty line out of nowhere.  

Of course, Jiang Chen had his advantages as well. There were many ways to toughen the meridians in his memory banks, and many approaches to strengthen them. Add a certain amount of spirit medicine in support, and he would be able to drastically cut down the time he needed.  

Usually, those with high potential would use three months to ascend from four meridians to five meridians. Those were at the pinnacle. Six months was considered excellent, and nine months average. Those taking longer than a year were mediocre.  

Of course, there were also those who struggled all their life and never made it. They were outside the realm of consideration.  

But with Jiang Chen, through the use of certain techniques and the support of spirit medicine, he was confident that he could breakthrough four meridians to five meridians true qi in just seven days.  

There was one process in particular that he did not need to spend time on, and that was to locate his true qi acupoint.  

In this world, exploration and reflection were needed to locate and clear every acupoint.  

But Jiang Chen was equipped with the location method of True Acupoint Resonance.  

Jiang Chen was quite satisfied with the lifestyle of continuous training.  

The next morning, Jiang Chen rose early when the first ray of light had peeked out from the east. He moved to the training field in the manor and ran through the entire Eastern Amethyst Qi method, as well as the two martial arts tactics contained within it.  

“Amethyst Cloud Palm” was graceful and elegant. It was a gust of falling leaves and flowers one second, and rainbow clouds chasing after the moon the next. Both insubstantial and tangible, it emphasized being ethereal.  

“Eastern King Point” on the other hand, emphasized unpredictability. It was as sudden as thunder, but also like the shooting stars. A fleeting glimpse of a divine dragon would abruptly materialize, catching one off guard.  

Jiang Chen fully went through both of them and loosened his limbs. In his hands, many details not contained in the original instructions were demonstrated, drawn out of a method to develop the mind along with the accompaniment of two martial arts techniques.  

It was a pity that not a single audience member was present then, otherwise Jiang Chen surely would have brought the crowd to its feet.  

Jiang Chen had eaten breakfast an hour later and sent Jiang Zheng to boss Song, ordering the former to personally deliver the shipment of crouching yang stones into the palace.  

The past Jiang Chen had followed the duke of Jiang Han into the palace a few times, so the route to the palace was not unfamiliar in his mind. He was also quite versed in the customs that must be observed.  

Armed with the engraved dragon medallion, he faced no obstacles along the way.  

Although the palace was a hundred times more impressive than the temporary household the duke of Jiang Han had set up in the capital, it still stirred absolutely no interest in Jiang Chen.  

Compared to the great scenes he had seen in his prior life, the assorted splendor of this palace seemed a bit wanting in comparison.  

“Jiang Chen pays his respects to Your Majesty.” They had agreed on not bowing in front of the king, so Jiang Chen merely inclined his body slightly when he saw Eastern Lu.  

Eastern Lu naturally was not in the mood to make a fuss over such a small things like manners, not to mention this was an honor he had personally bestowed. There was simply nothing to become upset about.  

“Jiang Chen, I am pleased by your presence today. Let’s forget about what happened before between you and I, and look forward. What do you say to that?”  

“What happened before? Your Majesty, the best trait I have is my poor memory. Heh heh.” Jiang Chen didn’t feel like mincing words and so simply decided to play dumb.  

“Good, I like a smart man. Xia Ting, take Jiang Chen to the inner courtyard to diagnose Princess Zhiruo.”  

“Yes, your servant obeys.” Xia Ting was an eunuch. The rank of a eunuch who could attend at the side of a king was naturally not low.  

Xia Ting was a clever one, and didn’t look down on Jiang Chen because of his rapscallion past. On the contrary, he was pleasant and polite, and smiled in an easy going way, “Young duke, please follow me.”  

Jiang Chen nodded, “My steward bodyservant Jiang Zheng will deliver a shipment of stones later, please send them to the princess’ chambers.”  

The palace was quite vast, and it took them a while of walking to reach the imperial harem.  

Jiang Chen shook his head slightly when walking down the quiet path in the flower gardens.  

In terms of surroundings, there was nothing to criticize about this location. Tree-lined shade, clusters of flowers, a peaceful terrain, corridors to pavilions, and various garden decorations lined the walkways.  

A green expanse was revealed after passing through a walkway and an arched door. Xia Ting led Jiang Chen to a halt in front of a wooden frame filled with flowers.  

“Young duke, we stop here.”  

There were two people in the field. Two girls, to be more exact. Youthful innocence still remained on one of the girl’s faces, and her body was in between fully developed and yet unformed. The girl in question was Eastern Zhiruo.  

She was wielding a wooden sword at the moment, parrying the other girl’s advances with strained effort.  

The other girl was just past twenty years old with an exceedingly well developed body. She wore a suit of form fitting leather armor, further accentuating her exquisite curves.  

The girl had a dashingly spirited face, and appeared quite serious in between yells. A heroic, unyielding air emanated from her gestures.  

“Hit!”  

A light yell sounded as the wooden sword in Eastern Zhiruo’s hand clattered to the ground. In turn, the sexy lady’s wooden sword was resting on Eastern Zhiruo’s dainty neck.  

Jiang Chen shook his heads without words. Who is this woman? She has some guts, resting the wooden sword on the princess’ neck. Doesn’t she understand the meaning of holding back in educational sparring matches?  

And, hadn’t I repeatedly advised last time for Eastern Zhiruo to stop practicing martial dao?  

“Idiot woman.” Jiang Chen thinned his lips slightly as he took quite an exception to the scene. “A brainless bimbo indeed, the ancients were right when they coined this phrase.”  

But who knew that the shake of his head and the thinning of his lips would happen to fall into the sexy lady’s line of vision, and cause no end of trouble.  

1) Basic ancient Chinese that all children would learn

Chapter 17: Princess? I’ll Still Lecture You Without Fail  

“Where did this lecher come from? How dare he behave atrociously in the imperial harem?” The sexy lady had already been in a bad mood when she was surprised by the sight of a stranger. Wasn’t this the perfect target to vent her frustrations since he had had the gall to shake his head and quirk his lips?  

Jiang Chen frowned and turned his head to ask Xia Ting, “Who is this idiotic woman?”  

It was as if someone had shoved a goose egg into Xia Ting’s mouth when he heard this. He wore a stunned expression and a wry smile, as no words came out of his open mouth, unable to respond for the moment.  

“You lecher, alright, who are you calling an idiotic woman?”  

“Who else but you?” Jiang Chen had also been enraged by two repeated labels of “lecher”. “If I recall correctly, I gave the order last time for Eastern Zhiruo to stop practicing!”  

“And I’d like to ask who decided to appoint such an idiot by the princess’ side?”  

“If I have to continuously answer such basic, idiotic questions, then I’ll ask you to find another expert for this diagnosis!  

And, you idiot woman, don’t rest your sword on the princess’ neck whenever you feel like it. The mind wavers when the heart palpitates, and qi is lost when the mind wavers. The princess’ life qi was already weak to begin with, are you complaining that she’s not dying quickly enough?  

And the most idiotic thing of all is that the wooden swords you’re using are made from enigmatic cloud wood. The wood possesses a yin character, and will trigger the yin humours in the princess’ body. Are you all idiots in this vast palace?”  

The woman had been working herself up into a temper when she was halted in her tracks by Jiang Chen’s direct harangue. She was also slightly surprised that he had recognized the enigmatic cloud wood with one glance.  

As for Eastern Zhiruo, she ran over laughing with an air of shyness from a young girl. She tugged at Jiang Chen’s sleeve, “Alright brother Jiang Chen, aunt Gouyu just returned today from an adventure outside. She doesn’t know anything about Zhiruo’s matters, so please forgive her.”  

“Wait a second!” The woman called Gouyu had regained her senses. “Zhiruo you give me an explanation right this second. Who wants this... this darned brat’s forgiveness? How am I wrong? And who is this brat? How can he access the imperial harem?”  

“And you don’t admit that you’re an idiot. You think I care about entering some imperial harem?”  

“Brat, if you call me idiot one more time I’m going to beat you so hard that you can’t feed yourself or even relieve yourself!”  

“Psht! A threat? From the likes of you? Save it.” Jiang Chen was contemptuous.  

Off on the sidelines, the eunuch Xia Ting had wanted found a moment to surreptitiously slip away, because he’d discovered that things were not what he’d imagined. He did not wish to be awkwardly caught in the middle.  

He’d brought the person here; it was out of his control if things devolved into a ruckus of chickens flying and dogs jumping.  

Poor Eastern Zhiruo had to put out the fire on both sides.  

Jiang Chen grabbed her, “Come, girl, show me your chambers.”  

These words thoroughly enraged Gouyu. She shook her wooden sword and exhorted, “Lecher! You really think I won’t dare cleave you?”  

“You crazy woman, you really took the wrong medicine this morning. I came to diagnose Princess Zhiruo out of the goodness of my heart, and you create trouble not once, but multiple times. Do you believe that…”  

“Do I believe what?” Gouyu laughed coldly.  

“Forget it. Good men do not fight with woman. Princess Zhiruo, is she your martial dao teacher? Fire her at the earliest opportunity. You won’t live past 16 with her at your side.”  

The translucent skin on Gouyu’s face was covered by thunderclouds in an instant. She focused her voice and yelled, “Brat, I dare you to say that one more time!”  

By the sight of her expression, Eastern Zhiruo knew that Gouyu was truly enraged. She hurriedly said, “Alright auntie. Both of you stop talking. Listen to Zhiruo’s explanation. This is Jiang Chen, father has employed him as my royal physician. Auntie, don’t underestimate Jiang Chen! He’s really amazing, he could tell that I wasn’t sick, but that I was born with a yin constitution and thus cannot cultivate. Cultivating will increase the burden on my meridians and deplete my life qi.”  

“Royal physician? This brat?” Skepticism was written all over Gouyu’s proud face.  

“Auntie, his name is Jiang Chen, not ‘this brat’.” Eastern Zhiruo responded merrily. “Brother Jiang Chen, this is my aunt, and the sister of my father. Call her Princess Gouyu and not idiot or crazy woman. That doesn’t sound nice!”  

“Aunt?” Jiang Chen was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this at all. He had assumed that this violent woman was a female martial dao teacher of some sort.  

But she still had to be lectured, and even more so, if she was Zhiruo’s aunt. “Aunt? Is there any aunt in the world who would treat her own niece in this way? Do you know that everything you’ve just done was pushing her down the road of death? Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you have the right to be a self righteous moron.”  

Rage and killing intent boiled in Princess Gouyu’s eyes as her beautiful hands unconsciously groped for the handle of her sword.  

Their eyes met. Jiang Chen’s look was open - calm and pure. His heart was selfless and encompassed the world, and did not fear killing looks like the one Princess Gouyu was sending his way.  

“Brat, I don’t care who you are. You’ve called me idiot five times. and crazy woman once today. Remember this, women carry grudges.”  

“Jiang Chen is it? Young duke is it?” A strange smile suddenly tugged at Gouyu’s lips, as if she had gotten hold of one of Jiang Chen’s secrets.  

Jiang Chen shrugged, “I’m afraid of everything but a woman’s threats. Alright, I’m going to diagnose Princess Zhiruo now. You aren’t welcome here.”  

“I’m not welcome? Says who?” Gouyu grew even more displeased. “This is my home, get it?”  

“What? You mean to tell me that you haven’t gotten married off yet? Please, how old are you? Even your niece is about to marry someone, and you still have the nerve to call this your home? Do you hate marriage that much? Is it really that much fun to be a leftover woman1?”  

If it wasn’t for Eastern Zhiruo’s illness, Gouyu would have definitely cut Jiang Chen down with one swing and dragged his corpse out to feed the dogs.  

Her ferocious gaze completely illustrated her thoughts at that moment.  

“Okay, brat. Congratulations. You have been successfully remembered by this princess. I’m going to go back and change. If I find out that diagnosing Zhiruo is a false pretense, you’ll find out that you’ll die a horrible death.”  

Jiang Chen was derisive. “Hurry up and scram! Remember to close the blinds when you change to avoid scaring anyone. Even if you don’t manage to scare people, it’s still wrong to scare people of small importance.”  

“Alright brother Jiang Chen, Auntie has left already! Stop being so sharp tongued. Auntie is actually a good person, there must have been a misunderstanding between you two today.”  

A charming smile blossomed on Eastern Zhiruo’s face, projecting an air of naive innocence. This smile somewhat alleviated Jiang Chen’s mood. He had been truly maddened by that woman to the point of losing his wits.  

He didn’t mind the idiotic gestures. What got to him was that the woman had immediately started off with “lecher” as soon as she’d opened her mouth.  

“To think that I, Jiang Chen, have been insulted by a brainless bimbo! Sigh!”  

Jiang Chen came to Eastern Zhiruo’s quarters under her guidance, and he spent some time wandering around them.  

“Brother Jiang Chen, what do you think? My place is pretty nice, right?”  

Jiang Chen smiled lightly. “It’s passable, but it’s extremely inappropriate for you to live here. Whether in terms of the greater environment, or in terms of the design of the details -- they are all pushing you further towards death.”  

Eastern Zhiruo’s composure was greatly ruffled. “Brother Jiang Chen, don’t scare me.”  

“The imperial harem is a great compound within the palace, and is already a place of strong yin qi. The design of this imperial harem garden is overly quiet, with no concentrations of yang qi, making it easier to attract yin things. If you had not practiced martial dao when you were born and didn’t live here, your lifespan would be about the same as ordinary folk. It was a pity that you were born into the royal family.”  

“Ah? Brother Jiang Chen, you’re scaring me. Will Zhiruo really not make it past sixteen?”  

“If you hadn’t met me, you may not have even made it beyond this year.”  

Jiang Chen wasn’t being an alarmist. This environment was a natural yin focal point. How could the ill humors within a yin constitution not have been worsened?  

Ignoring Eastern Zhiruo’s look of worry, Jiang Chen took a quick walk. He lifted his head; at times climbing onto the wall, and at times walking upstairs.  

He returned to Eastern Zhiruo’s side after a while and asked, “If I were to demolish this imperial harem compound and redesign it, would your father the king agree to it?”  

“Brother Jiang Chen, you’re… you’re kidding right? There are three thousand in the imperial harem, not just an abode for Zhiruo alone.”  

“So, this proposal wouldn’t work?”  

“No, no.” Eastern Zhiruo spread out her delicate hands. “Zhiruo cannot impact the daily lives of the entire imperial harem just for herself.”  

What a girl to be pitied and to be respected. She was facing her death, but still thought of the greater picture. The very definition of an expendable royal life!  

“Then you must move out, the earlier the better. The longer you live here, means the closer you are to death.”  

“That is also undoable. Zhiruo is a royal princess, and cannot leave the imperial harem for the outside world before her marriage.” Eastern Zhiruo’s voice was as low as a mosquito, like a child who had done wrong. Her head was so low because she didn’t dare look up at Jiang Chen.  

As if this was all her fault.  

“I say, are these damn rules important, or your life important?” Jiang Chen was a bit at a loss for words.  

“Brother Jiang Chen, do you have any other ways? My life and the rules are both important. But Zhiruo is afraid that breaking the rules will cause others to be unhappy.”  

“Who? Who dares to be unhappy? Tell your old man to execute him.” Jiang Chen’s majestic demeanor was evident.  

“Pfft…” Eastern Zhiruo was amused by Jiang Chen’s seriousness. “Brother Jiang Chen, you like to joke! It’s so interesting being around you.”  

The girl wove her arms lightly around his upper arm and said sweetly, “I know brother Jiang Chen will come up with a better idea.”  

The mild fragrance of a maiden wafted leisurely into Jiang Chen’s nostrils, making him feel from the depths of his heart that it was good to be young.  

He laughed, “I’ve got ideas already, but you really can’t practice anymore. Ai, that idiot woman, you say she’s your aunt?”  

“Hehe, you’re insulting auntie again.” Eastern Zhiruo blinked a pair of lively, spirited eyes. “Brother Jiang Chen, Zhiruo will tell you a secret. You can’t insult my auntie anymore.”  

“Why not? She’s such an idiot, and yet I can’t lecture her? I insult her to help her become smarter. My intentions are good and kind.”  

“Hehe, but my auntie is a princess. She’s also the number one organizer of the Hidden Dragon Trials. Don’t you need to participate in them?”  

“What?” Jiang Chen leapt up upon hearing these words. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?  

“Because both of you didn’t give me a chance to earlier.” Eastern Zhiruo felt a bit aggrieved.  

Jiang Chen was quite depressed. He’d just offended Du Ruhai, but the latter was just second in command. But now, that Princess Gouyu was the primary person in charge!  

The Hidden Dragon Trials…  

Jiang Chen could see many flaming and spiked obstacles flying his way. The main organizer and her right hand man both hate him. How was it not possible that life wouldn’t be easy for him in the Hidden Dragon Trials?  

1. Leftover woman is modern Chinese slang indicating a spinster not by choice

Chapter 18: Princess Gouyu’s Internal Dilemma  

After a bout of depression, Jiang Chen finally asked apprehensively, “Your aunt isn’t the type to carry a grudge is she?”  

“Hehe, she dotes on me a lot. As for whether or not she carries a grudge, Zhiruo doesn’t know! Brother Jiang Chen, don’t be afraid. I’ll speak to her on your behalf when I have time.”  

“Hmph. It doesn’t matter who begs on your behalf, Jiang Chen! Heir to the Jiang Han duchy, ranked dead last in the pre exams, and yet to pass any of the three foundational exams”  

By the artificial mountain, Princess Gouyu had reappeared unbeknownst to anyone, dressed in a downy yellow light robe.  

There were some traces of a cold smile on her face, “Jiang Chen, you have some courage in walking in here.”  

Some said that a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water. Since matters stood the way they were, Jiang Chen could only see them through to the end. “What, you want to get revenge on me?”  

“Get revenge?” A hint of a cold smile tugged at Gouyu’s lips. “The current you isn’t even worth getting revenge on. Worry about that if you make it into the final examination.”  

True, as the main organizer, Princess Gouyu could not bear to demean herself and harass someone who couldn’t even make it past a single one of the foundational exams.  

Heh heh, idiotic woman. You think far too little of me. Jiang Chen knew that in Gouyu’s heart, he was most likely equated with the words of “ignorant and incompetent”.  

He was about to say something when a loud pattering of footsteps sounded from the outside. The shipment of crouching yang stones had arrived.  

Jiang Chen beckoned and said to Princess Gouyu, “What’s your name, Gouyu is it? Princess Zhiruo says that you dote on her. I ask only this, do you have any authority in the imperial harem?”  

“Why?” Gouyu asked coldly.  

“If you have authority, then demolish all the buildings within a hundred feet of Princess Zhiruo’s quarters. Demolish any mountain, fill in any water.”  

“Also, hire the best artisan to hew the largest piece of crouching yang stone into a stone bed. Let Princess Zhiruo sleep on it. It’s best if she sleeps nude.”  

Jiang Chen did not care at all that a black line had slowly formed on Princess Gouyu’s beautiful forehead, and continued speaking.  

“Arrange the rest of the eight crouching yang stones according to the diagram on my paper. I’ll come back with more tasks next time.”  

“And, little Zhiruo, I’ve commissioned these sachets for you. I’ve broken the Dragonbone Sun Grass into nine pieces and put them into nine sachets. Keep one on you at all times, and place the others in places you often visit. Although this Dragonbone Sun Grass is a slight bit of trash, it’ll do for now. The yang qi that it produces will nourish your meridians.”  

“In addition, this is a hand sketch of the ‘Sun God Spirit Diagram’, along with an accompanying incantation. Meditate and contemplate with your heart. This will help your body produce yang qi.”  

“This is a temporary fix, we need to stabilize your condition first. Remember, do as I say. In particular, do not train anymore, or the circumstances will be bad beyond comprehension.”  

Jiang Chen’s words of guidance had quite the air of a master. His demeanor and delivery stunned even Princess Gouyu silent for a moment.  

He didn’t give Gouyu the chance to speak after he finished speaking. He dusted off his sleeves and started swaggering off.  

Gouyu regained her senses just as Jiang Chen was about to leave. She snorted, “Jiang Chen, you’re a person who couldn’t even pass the three foundational exams. Why should we listen to you?”  

Jiang Chen’s gaze was cold as his body halted, but he didn’t turn around. “If you truly love your niece, you will do as I say. If you want her to die earlier, then continue practicing with her like you were just doing.”  

One had to say, Jiang Chen had the potential to be a master bluffer. His awe-inspiring words accompanied by a quietly dignified aura, were enough to cause the preeminent Princess Gouyu, the powerful figure in charge of the fates of all the dukedoms through the Hidden Dragon Trials, to be at a temporary loss for words.  

It was only when his shadow had disappeared that Gouyu recovered, “That insolent upstart! He makes me so mad!”  

Eastern Zhiruo laughed, “Auntie, brother Jiang Chen is actually quite kind. Listen, that day at the Heavenly Rites of Worship…”  

When Eastern Zhiruo had finished conveying the happenings of the recent days, Princess Gouyu’s face underwent a variety of expressions.  

“Who would’ve thought that so much would happen in the time capital during the time that I was gone? I left for not even a month!” Gouyu’s expression became complicated upon hearing that Jiang Chen had risen from the dead after being caned to death, and actually gained divine patronage because of his misfortunes.  

Princess Gouyu had been born into a royal family, and had one of the highest standards in the entire capital. Her ambitions and worldview had never stopped at a mere kingdom.  

Thus, she committed herself to training and set herself the goal of exploring the wider, more exciting world, through the path of martial dao.  

It was because she had her eyes set high, that she knew a bit more than the average person about divine patronage. If an ordinary person was wavering between skepticism and belief, then she believed about 70% after listening to Zhiruo.  

“It’s impossible for a teenage youth to fabricate so much in the heat of the moment. Particularly that Zhiruo and her mother had been born under a solar eclipse. This kind of royal secret has never been disclosed. Yin constitution, yin humors?”  

Princess Gouyu was feeling a mixture of feelings. Eastern Zhiruo was one of her most beloved nieces, and she had watched her grow up.  

She had always insisted that Eastern Zhiruo was weak and frail, and thus had insisted the latter to train and practice. Even if she didn’t achieve any accomplishments, strengthening her body was still a good thing, no?  

But, Jiang Chen’s overwhelming and harsh lecture today had caused her convictions of many years to falter, just that little bit.  

“Have I really been wrong? All that I’ve been doing for Zhiruo hasn’t helped her, but in fact harmed her?”  

“Divine patronage? Should I believe in something like this?”  

Princess Gouyu struggled with an internal dilemma. She naturally wanted Eastern Zhiruo to be well, but if she continued to insist that Jiang Chen was a charlatan, wouldn’t that be harming Zhiruo?  

At this moment, eunuch Xia Ting had led a crowd of people nearby.  

“Princesses, do we demolish this area? Your servant begs royal guidance.”  

Princess Gouyu surveyed the surroundings, a few hints of apprehension in her exquisite eyes. She took another glance at Eastern Zhiruo and noted the eagerness in the girl’s eyes. It was obvious that she was full of confidence in Jiang Chen.  

“Demolish it!”  

Gouyu herself found it hard to believe that she had said those words. Why demolish it? Why should she listen to that damned brat? Had she really fallen for his act?  

No no, I’m thinking of Zhiruo. If it makes her happy, then we demolish this area! The proud Princess Gouyu quickly found a palatable excuse for herself.  

When he left the imperial harem, Jiang Chen paid another visit to Eastern Lu. He was the king of a nation after all, the common courtesies had to be observed. Jiang Chen was a smart person and didn’t want to supply any fodder for the gossip mill.  

Eastern Lu was quite satisfied with Jiang Chen’s report. “Jiang Chen, I can see that you are much better than all those royal physicians.”  

“Your Majesty, there is an overabundance of yin qi in the imperial harem. It is not a suitable place of residence for someone with the Princess’ constitution. Your subject’s actions are merely to counteract the yin qi. In order for the Princess to be just like an ordinary person, she needs to move out from the imperial harem and settle down in a place that gathers yang qi.”  

“Mm. Your suggestion has been noted. But this matter is of great importance and needs some deliberation.” This was an action that was at obvious odds with royal tradition. Even Eastern Lu could not easily agree to it.  

“With that said, your subject requests his leave. I will enter the palace to renew my diagnosis each month and discern the Princess’ condition. If there are no accidents, her condition can be stabilized. As for whether it can be effective beyond expectation, that will depend on the Princess’ karma.”  

There were many things that Jiang Chen did not need to explain in too much detail, such as that “Sun God Spirit Diagram”. That was actually quite a life changing stroke of luck for the Princess. It was something that the Celestial Emperor had prepared for Jiang Chen back in the day.  

Jiang Chen naturally did not have the ability to replicate the Sun God Spirit Diagram, but had no issues in simulating a simplified version.  

If Princess Zhiruo really did meditate upon it daily, over the course of time, the effect of this single diagram would be enough to allow her to life a normal life.  

But Jiang Chen would never voice this. Playing this hand close to his heart would prevent Eastern Lu from burning bridges.  

Discarding someone after they had outlived their usefulness; Jiang Chen had been born into a royal household in his past life, how could he not know of this?  

When he left the palace, he didn’t go to his usual haunts to drink and whore, nor did he call upon his friends. Rather, he went straight back to the manor.  

His best friends had all been grounded by their respective old men because of the furor they caused at the Jiang Han manor a few days ago, not to mention the fact that the month end exams were fast approaching.  

A sense of urgency had filled the hearts of all the dukes. The second half of the year would herald the arrival of the final examinations of the Hidden Dragon Trials. Their sons’ performance at this stage was the key to determining if they could keep their positions for the next twenty years.  

Those who knew for certain that their positions would be kept still had to worry if their ranking would change.  

All in all, the harsh competition of the Hidden Dragon Trial caused all the dukes to be on their guard.  

On the contrary, the Jiang Han household actually had a more relaxed atmosphere.  

Jiang Feng, the duke of Jiang Han, had no lofty expectations to begin with. He had already mentally prepared himself to hang up his armor and return to the fields.  

As for the Jiang Chen of now, the mere dukedom of a kingdom did not even register on his radar.  

He was participating because he didn’t want the outside world to think that the Jiang family was full of cowards and didn’t even have the courage to show up at the Trials.  

The greater picture of fierce competition amongst the dukes had long since formed, and Jiang Chen had no choice but to go with the flow.  

Otherwise, to avoid the first battle after his reincarnation would leave a shadow in his heart, undoubtedly affecting his path of training in the future.  

The biggest piece of gossip these days in the Jiang Han household was none other than Jiang Chen. That was because the servants had made the startling discovery that the young duke had stayed home for a full five days.  

This was a heaven defying piece of news. One had to know that the young duke was a restless master before. He had not even previously set a record of staying home for ten hours, not to mention five entire days.  

Even Jiang Feng was astonished and he kept muttering, “What is this kid up to? This isn’t his style?”  

Jiang Feng’s child rearing philosophy was encompassed by four words, “Do as he will”.  

As for the protagonist of the rumors, Jiang Chen made no response to the reactions of the outside world. He had not wasted a single moment in the past five days.  

Training, strengthening his meridians, fortifying his body -- all final preparations for clearing the fifth acupoint.  

Reading to understand and assimilate as much of this world as possible through perusing various volumes - these two items almost became Jiang Chen’s entire life over the past few days.  

When dawn broke on the sixth day, his four strands of true qi were as full of vitality as the dawn, and as full of vigor like the rising sun.

Chapter 19: Jiang Family’s Concealed Danger  

After a few determined days of tough training and the support of medicine, Jiang Chen had finally strengthened his four meridians to a satisfactory level.  

“The four meridians are the same, as if they are a blossoming flower with four petals; neither too fragile nor too hard, and they act almost in unison. The meridians have now increased in pliability and strength more than ten times compared to the first time I trained it.”  

Jiang Chen was quite satisfied with this progress, even though he knew that compared to the training of others, the previous Jiang Chen was still many steps behind them.  

But this wasn’t an excuse to proceed in haste, Jiang Chen still moved according to his tempo. Fine products come from slow work, and all would fall into place at the right time.  

Finally, on the sixth morning, Jiang Chen welcomed his peak condition.  

The four meridians true qi were like dragons, full of wild, explosive power. They formed an unpremeditated consensus, one that was aimed at clearing the fifth acupoint.  

A doughty and extremely rhythmic true qi flow filled Jiang Chen’s entire body with a sense of calm.  

Exhale, circulate qi!  

Four meridians true qi were like four carps about to leap upstream. They were in fine fighting spirit and full of vitality. Under Jiang Chen’s guidance, they took the same action and coalesced as one, and as swift as a meteor, shot towards Jiang Chen’s long located fifth acupoint!  

A feeling of warm agitation, similar to the sublime joy of a man and woman becoming one, filled every pore when the acupoint was cleared.  

The acupoint was broken through like cracking an eggshell. The strong qi current rushed through the acupoint and thundered along the preset path, clearing the fifth meridian!  

Fifth acupoint, breakthrough!  

Fifth meridian, clear!  

Fifth level of true qi, perfection!  

As he welcomed the light of the dawning sun, Jiang Chen smiled his first heartfelt smile since reincarnation.  

Five meridians true qi did not surprise him. What gave him happiness was the sense of achievement gained from training, from breaking through.  

This feeling of accomplishment was something that his exalted past self, the son of the Celestial Emperor, had never enjoyed.  

“Five meridians true qi is surely enough to not place me at the bottom of all the heirs anymore? And with my experience and potential, there shouldn’t be anyone within the realm of true qi, even the advanced realm of true qi, that can win out over me.”  

Jiang Chen still possessed this little bit of confidence.  

With his insights, and a foundational knowledge of this world, he could absolutely see through to the true essence of things with one glance. He would be able to fully read all of an opponent’s strategies before they even attempted a single technique. This was a huge advantage in this sort of competition.  

When Jiang Chen walked out of the secret training room, he realized that it had been many days since he had called on his old man.  

Since he had arrived on this world, the duke of Jiang Han had been Jiang Chen’s mental support, whether in terms of blood ties or first impressions.  

From this man, Jiang Chen could experience what it meant to have love in this world.  

Although he did not verbally express it, he placed great importance on this familial tie.  

When he saw his father, the duke of Jiang Han was holding an invitation in his hand. His brow was slightly creased, and it was obvious that something was troubling him.  

“Father.” Jiang Chen walked in.  

“Haha, Chen’er, you’re here!” Jiang Feng’s mood was always exceptionally well when he saw his son, and he skillfully concealed the shadows overhanging his forehead. “How goes things? I’ve heard that you haven’t set foot outside in days. Have you truly hardened your heart this time and will pass the three foundational exams no matter what?”  

Jiang Feng’s tone was half joking, but it caused Jiang Chen to be at a loss for words. This old man seriously had a positive attitude. He could still find it within himself to crack a joke at this time.  

“The foundational exams aren’t important. Father, what were you looking at just now? I saw that you seemed to be worrying about something.” Jiang Chen asked decisively, seeing that his father would not bring it up.  

“Ah, this. Haha! Chen’er, you’ve never expressed an interest in household affairs before. Don’t worry about these kinds of matters.” Jiang Feng bypassed the question and attempted to change the subject.  

“Father, although I am your son, there should be a limit to the extent of your protection? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll spoil me into a worthless good-for-nothing?”  

“Heh heh, Chen’er, what are you saying. An old man protecting his son is only just and proper! It’s actually nothing major, just that the duke of Soaring Dragon sent over an invitation, welcoming all the dukes to a reception in celebration of a major event of joyous tidings at his manor.”  

“Soaring Dragon dukedom?” The first person that Jiang Chen thought of was that Long Juxue.  

“Our relationship with the Soaring Dragon dukedom isn’t deep enough to be invited to a banquet, is it?” Jiang Chen asked probingly.  

“Ai, duke of Soaring Dragon! This is a barely veiled display of power to run roughshod over the Jiang family. Chen’er, since you ask, I will tell you. Keep your wits about you when you’re out and about, and don’t offend anyone from the Soaring Dragon duchy. The land of our Jiang Han territory is rich and fertile because it’s in the southern part of the kingdom. We even discovered a piece of land with a spirit vein running through it. Thus, our family has always had a large business deal cultivating spirit ingredients for the Pill King Garden.”  

Discovering a piece of land with a spirit vein naturally made it have fertile soil for planting spirit ingredients. It was also quite normal to have business relations with the Pill King Garden, a place that specialized in pill medicine.  

Jiang Chen listened quietly because he knew there was more to it.  

“But recently, the duke of Soaring Dragon has approached me many times to rent the piece of land with the spirit ingredients garden.”  

“Rent? It’s not as if renting property doesn’t exist between the dukedoms. What was his offered rental price?” Jiang Chen seemed to be slowly forming the picture.  

“When I say the Soaring Dragon duchy is bullying us, this is what I mean. Based on our business with the Pill King Garden, this piece of land brings us five million silver in profit every year. But the duke of Soaring Dragon offered three hundred thousand silver to rent our land.”  

Cultivating ingredients for the Pill King Garden resulted in revenues of roughly five million a year!  

But renting it out to the duke of Soaring Dragon would directly shrink revenues to three hundred thousand!  

Robbery, highway robbery through sheer display of power!  

Jiang Chen understood everything at once. This duke of Soaring Dragon was playing on his power as the first duke of the kingdom. The so called banquet was one of false pretenses. Inviting the duke of Jiang Han was undoubtedly to pressure him in person and force him to acquiesce.  

If pressure only came from the duke of Soaring Dragon, that would be simple. We’re all dukes of Eastern Kingdom; if you pressure me, then I will just simply ignore you.  

It would be a violation of ancestral code of conduct and a huge taboo if dukes easily warred with each other.  

Seeing as his father was so troubled, Jiang Chen felt that the pressure must not only come from the duke of Soaring Dragon.  

“Is it that the Pill King Garden has secretly made a deal with the Soaring Dragon dukedom?” Jiang Chen asked.  

Jiang Feng thought it was a bit odd and looked at Jiang Chen. “Well Chen’er, you normally don’t ask after these matters, but you’ve identified the hidden currents within this one. That is indeed the case, Pill King Garden has let out hints that even if we don’t rent to the Soaring Dragon dukedom, they plan on terminating the relationship after the Hidden Dragon Trials.”  

Jiang Chen finally fully understood the situation. This was adding insult to injury.  

The two sides had teamed up to sideline the owner of the land with the spirit vein.  

This duke of Soaring Dragon was too scheming, this was conducting business without any skin in the game.  

When faced with a choice between the Soaring Dragon dukedom and the Jiang Hang dukedom, the Pill King Garden naturally fawned on the former. After all, that was the first duke in the kingdom.  

“Then, tonight’s banquet is a dinner where treachery is planned?” Jiang Chen toyed with the invitation with some interest. The duke of Soaring Dragon’s arrogance, and a sense of a petty villain winning the day emanated between the lines of text.  

The crucial point was, the invitation took particular pains to remind the duke of Jiang Han to bring Jiang Chen as well.  

Was this to create a package out of father and son for joint bitter humiliation?  

“Chen’er, I’m thinking that I should go alone. You…”  

“Go of course! Why not. I really want to open my eyes.” Jiang Chen laughed heartily. “I’d like to see if this duke of Soaring Dragon really has three heads and six arms.”  

After his father’s explanation of this matter and the combination of all that had happened before, Jiang Chen had full reason to suspect that the duke of Soaring Dragon was involved in the fart that the previous Jiang Chen had released during the Rites.  

Even if he was not directly involved, he must be indirectly involved.  

Plus, how could a mere duke of Soaring Dragon make Jiang Chen call for retreat?  

Halting progress due to fear? Avoiding conflict and provocation? Those were the actions of the weak.  

In this life, Jiang Chen would only be one of the strong!  

Plus, Jiang Chen also wanted to see just what kind of fortuitous circumstances had happened to that upstart duke for him to bluster that it was a major event of joyous tidings.  

The next day, the palace.  

After a few days of busy activity, Eastern Zhiruo’s quarters had been remodeled according to Jiang Chen’s blueprints.  

Eastern Zhiruo’s quarters were now clearly not as delicate and exquisite as before, but had a few traces of masculine lines.  

Eastern Lu had also heard of this matter, and had come for a personal inspection today, accompanied by princess Gouyu.  

“Haha, this Jiang Chen knows how to stir up something alright, how does this look like a princess’ quarters!” Although Eastern Lu said this, it was obvious to see that he did not really mind.  

“Gouyu, what do you think about this Jiang Chen?” Eastern Lu smiled merrily and asked the princess next to him.  

“Royal brother, if Jiang Chen can cure Zhiruo, then we can naturally allow his horseplay. But if this is all a sleight of hand, I will be the first to punish him!”  

Eastern Zhiruo came bouncing over like a little deer as they were speaking.  

“Father, auntie, you’ve come to see Ruo’er?”  

“Yes, Ruo’er, how have you felt these past couple of days?” Eastern Lu felt a bit guilt ridden as he looked at the daughter who had weathered many hardships since childhood.  

Zhiruo had been dealt an unfortunate fate since she was a child, but had never complained. On the contrary, she was very mature and always thought of others when doing anything.  

Even with an illness ridden body, even knowing that she did not have long to live, she had always lived optimistically.  

“Father, Ruo’er has been quite happy these days. Look at Ruo’er’s face, doesn’t it look much better than before? And, Ruo’er is no longer so afraid of the cold when it gets to midnight. I feel wonderful everyday and sleep much better than before.”  

It was indeed apparent from Eastern Zhiruo’s spirit and complexion that her condition was much better these days. She also did not look as listless as before.  

“Ruo’er, this means that Jiang Chen’s treatment is having effect?” Eastern Lu’s eyes gleamed.  

“Yes, it must be credited to brother Jiang Chen. I keep two of the satchels he gave me on my body, and don’t feel that I get tired as easily as I did before. I don’t get woken up by cold air in the middle of the night either. Father, auntie, I contemplate everyday the diagram that brother Jiang Chen gave to me. I think it works really well!”  

Hearing Eastern Zhiruo’s words and seeing that her body had taken an obvious turn for the better, Eastern Lu and Gouyu looked at each other, a meaningful expression on both their faces.

Chapter 20: Banquet is a Trap? I’m Not Afraid!  

“That brat, that brat, is he that good?” Gouyu was averse to accepting the situation. She still felt particularly awkward whenever she thought of being lectured by Jiang Chen. It was a bit hard for her to let go of face and admit Jiang Chen’s superiority.  

Eastern Lu lightly pulled Eastern Zhiruo into a one armed hug, sighing softly. “Who would have thought that after what happened at the Rites of Heavenly worship, fortune has befallen us in the wake of disaster. Is it the will of the heavens to use Jiang Chen’s hand as a vessel to ease Ruo’er’s suffering?”  

The more he thought about it, the more that this explanation became the only possible one.  

“Oh right, Gouyu, Jiang Chen is in the capital to participate in the Hidden Dragon Trials, how are his grades?” Eastern Lu suddenly remembered this matter.  

“Royal brother, out of the 108 heirs, this Jiang Chen’s grades are without a doubt the last in his class. And up until now, he hasn’t passed a single one of the three foundational exams. There are only three or four more days until the final deadline at the end of the month. If he still can’t pass them then, then he won’t even have the qualifications to participate in the final exams of the Hidden Dragon Trials.” Gouyu could only answer honestly.  

“That bad?” Eastern Lu was also quite surprised. “This puts me in a difficult position. If this kid cannot pass even the foundational exams and lose his family’s duchy as a result. Then my intentions to award honors and riches…”  

“You reap what you sow. He didn’t try before, it wouldn’t be an injustice for his family to lose their dukedom. Royal brother, I’m saying this first. Since you’ve put me in charge of the Hidden Dragon Trials, I will not be going easy on anyone.” Gouyu still kept a stiff upper lip.  

“Haha, how would I put you in a difficult position. If being a duke truly isn’t written in his stars, then being a powerless official in the capital is just as good. No power or influence, or wealth and riches. That’d be quite a carefree life as well.”  

This was actually Eastern Lu’s preferred conclusion to the matter. Otherwise, all the various dukes would return to their territories after the Hidden Dragon Trials, and who then would treat Eastern Zhiruo’s illness?  

“Oh right, royal brother, speaking of the Hidden Dragon Trials, Gouyu received an invitation today. It came from the Soaring Dragon duchy.”  

“Soaring Dragon duchy?” Eastern Lu vaguely creased his brow, obviously quite sensitive to these three words.  

“Yes, it says that there will be a banquet tonight, and invites me to attend. Apparently, an incredible event of joyous tidings has occurred in the Soaring Dragon household.”  

“Joyous event?” Eastern Lu’s expression became even more complicated. As the exalted ruler of a kingdom, by all rights he should have absolute control over all in the capital.  

But what event of great happiness had occurred in the Soaring Dragon household? Eastern Lu had no clue.  

Of course, the duke of Soaring Dragon would have never invited the king to the banquet. Firstly, dukes did not command such respect, and secondly, custom laid down by the forefathers did not permit such an act.  

“He didn’t elaborate in the invitation, and only said that it had something to do with his youngest daughter Long Juxue. Can it be that Long Juxue has had some breakthrough on her path of martial dao?”  

Eastern Lu actually didn’t mind if it was truly such a small matter. He spread his hands, “You might as well attend since you’ve been invited. This duke of Soaring Dragon, heh heh.”  

Gouyu’s expression was also a bit complicated, and she understood her royal brother’s reservations towards the duke of Soaring Dragon. He was the first duke under heaven, and of preeminent position and power. His influence almost rivaled his liege’s.  

The Soaring Dragon manor was located in the southeast district of the capital. Its location was superior with prosperous streets and magnificent buildings. The Jiang Han manor was absolutely incomparable.  

Of course, even though it was called the Soaring Dragon manor, it was but a temporary housing site for when the duke was in the capital. Each duke’s true manor was still situated in their respective territories.  

Jiang Feng had meant to prepare a handsome gift since he was attending a banquet, but had been vetoed by Jiang Chen. Since they were sure to declare a feud, why bother? Just bring some random items, and the Soaring Dragon household could accept them if it wished.  

Besides, it was a sure bet that this invitation did not care for gifts carried in by hand. What the duke of Soaring Dragon wanted was the Jiang Han parcel of land that contained the spirit vein, and to cut off the largest source of income for the Jiang Han duchy.  

To seize someone’s food was to start a blood feud. Jiang Chen clearly understood that this matter would not be settled easily.  

Jiang Chen plodded out of the secret training room when it was dusk. In his words, they would be subjected to cold looks even if they arrived early, so why not wait until everyone was present?  

Jiang Feng thought this made a lot of sense and thus accepted Jiang Chen’s suggestion.  

Most of the invited guests had already arrived when the father son duo had arrived at the Soaring Dragon manor.  

The scene in front of him was completely within Jiang Chen’s expectations. Whether by previous accord or coincidence, several dukes had formed an agreement with the Soaring Dragon duchy and purposefully snubbed the father son duo.  

It was a good thing that Jiang Feng usually conducted himself in a good manner and had made a few friends with some of the dukes. Some familiar peers came to greet Jiang Feng.  

So things were not too ugly.  

“Old brother Jiang, this duke has been pining an eternity for your arrival. You are finally here!” A hearty laugh suddenly sounded from the front, and a man dressed in luxurious robes strode towards Jiang Feng with large steps.  

This man had a sturdy frame and walked with the poise and energy of a tiger. A domineering aura punctuated his every gesture. He was the duke of Soaring Dragon, Long Zhaofeng.  

“This is too much, brother Long is too polite.”  

“Come come come. Old brother Jiang you are my esteemed guest today, and must sit next to me at the high table.”  

It was not easy to obtain a seat at the high table. A household such as a duchy’s was most particular about seating arrangement. Although the duke of Jiang Han’s position was good, it was not good enough to warrant a seat at the high table.  

“How can I accept this? Brother Long please continue to go about your business, I will sit with this band of brothers.” Jiang Feng still wished to sit with his crew of brothers.  

However, he had apparently underestimated Long Zhaofeng’s determination.  

“A guest has to follow his host’s wishes. Old brother Jiang must listen to this duke’s words today.” Long Zhaofeng had an air of I-will-not-rest-until-you-sit-at-the-high-table.  

Off to the side, Jiang Chen said lightly. “Father, it is rare that the duke of Soaring Dragon favors us so greatly. Since there is a seat for you at the high table, why not sit? Go ahead and sit.”  

“Hahaha, and this must be…? Oh right, you must be dear nephew Jiang Chen. Good good, a tiger father will not beget a dog son. Dear nephew, the younger generation can have fun elsewhere. I will not greet you all separately.” The duke of Soaring Dragon laughed and cast a slightly meaningful look, spending a quick moment on Jiang Chen.  

“Heh heh, please help yourself, your Grace.” Jiang Chen gestured randomly with his hands and turned to leave.  

“Brother Chen, over here.”  

Jiang Chen saw a large mound of a figure waved excitedly to him from a table not too far away as soon as he had turned.  

Only one person in the entire Eastern Kingdom had such a large volume of stature. There was no other. It was naturally that fatty Xuan.  

Sitting with fatty Xuan was the heir to the Hubing dukedom, Hubing Yue. These two fellows were Jiang Chen’s best friends who happened to be in the capital.  

As for the other, Yang Zong, he was hiding at another table, and did not even dare look over at fatty Xuan and the others. It was obvious that he wanted no part of anything.  

“Brother Chen, these few days have been such an agony for your younger brother!” Fatty Xuan was quite coarse as he used his sleeve, made from the finest silks, to wipe off a chair. “Brother Chen, this is the seat that I’ve occupied for you since early in the evening. Haha, having tonnage is an advantage in grabbing seats!”  

“Brother Chen, haven’t seen you in a while, I’ve rather missed you.” A surge of enthusiasm also emanated from Hubing Yue’s eyes. This fellow did not talk much, but was real and direct.  

Jiang Chen was more or less touched that these two would act this way at such a gathering, particularly with the duke of Jiang Han’s precarious position.  

There was a reason why these guys were called best friends.  

Jiang Chen ignored the looks coming from all directions and was about to take his seat when a figure flashed by the side of the chair, and sat firmly in the chair that fatty Xuan had just wiped off.  

“Fatty Xuan, thanks for saving me a seat.”  

This man wore black robes and had a nose prominently red from rosacea. A few hints of mockery dripped out from the sharp edges of his lips as he brazenly took over the chair.  

“Yan monkey, what’s the meaning of this?” Fatty Xuan was immediately outraged.  

“Fatty Xuan, I’d like to ask you the same, what do you mean by this? Can I not sit in this seat?” This person was naturally the heir to Yanmen dukedom, Yan Yiming. He was also the same person who had voluntarily identified himself when threatening Jiang Chen at the Hall of Healing.  

“This is a seat that I reserved for my brother Chen!” Fatty Xuan wanted to haul Yan Yiming off the chair.  

“Brother Chen? You mean him?” Yan Yiming smiled superciliously. “Fatty Xuan are you blind? This is the intermediate realm area. Only those with at least four levels of true qi have the right to sit here.”  

He flicked a glance at Jiang Chen and said in an exceedingly mocking tone while pointing to a lonely table for one in the corner, “Jiang Chen, that table for specially prepared for the initial realm.”  

Raucous laughter sounded from all sides as soon as Yan Yiming had delivered his words. It was obvious that this was a play that had been long since planned, and was just waiting for Jiang Chen and fatty Xuan to come along and play the fool.  

Fatty Xuan was infuriated. “Yan monkey, don’t you know to pick better times when you need to be slapped?”  

Yan Yiming smiled faintly. “fatty Xuan, you’re a mere five levels of true qi. When did you have the ability to slap a better of six levels?”  

Yan Yiming’s six meridians true qi surged as he spoke, directly sending out an imposing aura.  

The sabers were rattling, and it seemed extremely likely that a fight would soon break out.  

All of a sudden, a crisp and toe curling voice came from a nearby table. “Brother Jiang Chen, sit here. I saved you a seat.”  

The voice was naive and clear. Jiang Chen knew without turning his head that it was Princess Eastern Zhiruo.  

A faint smile at his lips, Jiang Chen suddenly reached out his hand and patted Yan Yiming’s shoulder. “This young duke has fine bone structure with a handsome face, and even steals seats with such personality! You have a bright future ahead of you. Your master must admire you? Yan Yiming is it? I will remember you.”  

With that, Jiang Chen completed ignored the jeering looks around him and waltzed towards Eastern Zhiruo with a peaceful face.  

“You silly girl, what are you doing at such a filthy place instead of staying at your quarters?”  

The assembled crowd was shell shocked, as if lightning had burnt them all to a crisp after Jiang Chen had spoken. This was the princess! Jiang Chen had been caned by the king last time and narrowly escaped death, but his behavior had worsened and now dared to speak to even the king’s most beloved princess with this kind of tone.  

This sounded like someone lecturing his own sister?  

And to say that this was a filthy place in front of the banquet host, was not this a verbal slap?  

The scene’s atmosphere took on strange overtones in the blink of an eye.  

Everyone tilted their heads and thought that had this young Jiang duke, one with a penchant of not stopping until he had said something completely outrageous, spontaneously gone crazy because of all the pressure?