Blue Phoenix

The following days were spent in peace and quiet within the mansion. Hui Yue decided to focus the next few days on cultivating, and he spent the daylight hours in the park doing exercises to look after his body and increase his external strength. His nights were spent cultivating within his room as he was bathed in the gentle moonlight. It was not only Hui Yue who was training hard, everyone in the mansion was focused on cultivating and improving their strength so that they could prove that even though they were a new faction, they were an outstanding group of cultivators. They were people not to be trifled with.

“I should go visit the prince and see what he has to say,” Hui Yue mumbled to himself as he finished running through the park in his wolf form. He returned to his human shape and brought out a new robe which he quickly wore before heading back to the mansion. The surroundings in the park were so calm and relaxing, a complete contrast to the rest of Muchuan City. More than a few citizens came by the mansion to see if they could get a glimpse of either Hui Yue or the two other different looking young men, but everyone was disappointed as it seemed that the experts had barricaded themselves indoors. No one from the city had any real information about these three young men and with the extra mysterious air that Gao Yan added to what he sold, everyone was very curious about what and whom this person truly was.

Arriving at the mansion, Hui Yue went to his room to get prepared to visit the third prince. He did not tell Cai Jie or Deng Wu he was leaving; instead, he silently left the mansion with no word to anyone. He headed towards the royal castle to take up the offer of the third prince to visit him. Currently, the prince should not know Hui Yue’s aim in forming a power base in Muchuan City, but he should be doing his very best to lure the young man in. To get Hui Yue to throw his support behind him and hopefully gain the upper hand against his two brothers when it came to who would become the next King of Taiyang.

“It is obvious that things will not go the way he wants them to,” Hui Yue mumbled to himself as he moved towards the castle. Everyone he met on his way was staring at him unreservedly; their eyes could not be wrested away from him in the slightest. Although Hui Yue did not seem to care, he could not help but notice how he was being stared at by one person after another. The walk to the Royal Academy was longer than it was when he stayed at the Rong twins’ mansion but Hui Yue did not mind walking far. He once more decided not to use a carriage; instead, he exposed himself for all to see not at all caring that walking was something that surprised the ones who saw him.

Reaching the castle, Hui Yue was astonished to see the guards bowing deeply to him. None blocked his way; instead, they offered to find a servant that could lead him to the chambers where the third prince resided. “It seems that everyone knows what happened during the banquet,” Hui Yue mused as he nodded his head thanking the guards for finding servants to lead the way. He had no clue how to find the third prince without help.

‘There is one thing that humans do far better than beasts, and that is gossip,’ Lan Feng said from deep within the dantian cave, but his words caused Hui Yue to chuckle. ‘I don’t agree,’ The younger man said. ‘When I lived in Shenyuan, beasts gossiped at least as much as humans do.’ He grinned and Lan Feng shrugged his shoulders. ‘They must have started gossiping in the four thousand years I’ve been away then,’ He said stubbornly, and although Hui Yue wished to continue the conversation, he saw a servant heading towards him as swiftly as his legs could carry him. Bowing to Hui Yue, the servant was gasping for air. His hands were resting on his thighs, and it took a brief moment before he could stand up once more and speak.

“Your lordship, please follow me to his highness’s quarters,” The servant said breathlessly as he took the lead and showed Hui Yue the way. His speed was no longer rushed, but he walked with a pace which was comfortable for Hui Yue. It was clear that this young man who was leading the way was not a cultivator. His level of strength was incredibly low, and Hui Yue assumed that it was intentional because cultivators brought the risk of assassination closer. The only ones who were allowed to be cultivators were the guards as when one was together with a guard they would be on alert.

Even in Hui Yue’s mansion, all the servants were experts of the lower dantian. Experts who had only achieved their level of cultivation from naturally absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth throughout their normal lives, none of them had actively cultivated. There were schools in the commoner districts of the city where young men and women could show up and learn how to cultivate. It was usually children from the age of ten to the age of fifteen who were educated at these schools because at the age of fifteen they would start taking jobs as guards or mercenaries. A small handful of the experts would set out to travel the world and become adventurers in the hopes of leaving their mark on history.

While Hui Yue was deep in thought about the guards and servants, he followed behind his guide. Suddenly the man in front of him stopped. They had moved through various parks, gardens, mansions, and halls. Right now they were standing in front of a mansion three times the size of Hui Yue’s newly purchased mansion. However the ground was far smaller, and there was not a massive park spread out behind it; instead, Hui Yue could see a small garden around the corner.

The servant did nothing apart from bowing to Hui Yue before he scurried away, rushing to leave the location instantly. A frightened gaze was thrown over his shoulder as he glanced at Hui Yue. The white-haired young man finally realized that this young servant was completely terrified of him. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head and turned his focus towards the door in front of him. Breathing out deeply, he calmed himself then he took a few steps forward and knocked on the door.

As soon as Hui Yue knocked, the door slowly opened, and an elderly man appeared behind the door. This elderly man bowed to Hui Yue, but his bow was only fractional, and he carried himself with an important air. Anyone who looked at him could tell that he was no ordinary person. He was most likely the personal butler of the prince. The one in control of all the servants at this specific mansion.

“His highness will be relieved to see that you took him up on his invitation,” The elderly man said with a trembling voice as he slowly extended his hand letting Hui Yue to enter the mansion first while he followed behind. The two moved through the mansion, and apart from the first sentence, Hui Yue and the butler did not share any words. They slowly went past one room after another until they entered into the back of the mansion. There they stepped into the garden that Hui Yue saw a tiny bit of earlier while standing outside the mansion. The garden was not as small as Hui Yue expected. It was a nice size, yet still far from being as massive as the park Hui Yue owned.

The garden had neatly trimmed grass interspersed with stones giving it a relaxing atmosphere and tall trees that surrounded the garden giving it a lot of privacy. Looking around the garden with curiosity Hui Yue’s eyes landed on a small set of chairs and a table at the far end. Seated on one of the chairs was Shiu Ye, the third prince of the Taiyang Kingdom. The man was as majestic as he had been before. He was handsome with smooth skins as white as porcelain. His hair was neat, brushed, and tied up on top of his head much like it was at Hui Yue’s lavish banquet. He was not wearing a black robe this time, but instead a white robe with black edges and a snake-like pattern. He was at least as stunning to look at as he had been before, and on his lips, a smile could be seen. His eyes were radiant, and he was clearly excited about Hui Yue’s visit. As soon as the man saw him, he stood up and spread out his arms as though he was looking at a dear friend who was returning home after a long time apart.

Looking at the friendly man, Hui Yue was completely uncertain. This prince had proven that he was smarter than the average person, and he sensed something about Hui Yue that no one else had before. For him to know that Hui Yue was not half a magical beast, he needed to have extraordinary senses which meant he was hiding a lot considering he was only a King ranked expert.

This prince was definitely someone who had collected any information that was available about Hui Yue, and it was obvious he knew Deng Wu and Wang Ju Long were a part of Hui Yue’s faction. Two people who greatly wanted to see the third prince dead. Despite him know all this, he still smiled warmly and spread his arms as though he was seeing a friend; he behaved incredibly friendly. Seeing him like this Hui Yue caused fear to rise within. It was clear that this man, although brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth, had his share of intrigues, internal struggles, and fights for survival.

‘Be careful, his aura is even sharper than Wan Qiao’s. This man is ruthless, and he reeks of blood.’ Lan Feng commented, and Hui Yue could only do an internal nod as he agreed. On the surface, he showed a brilliant smile on his face as he embraced the third prince like he was a long-lost friend. “I thank your highness for allowing me to come visit you at your personal residence.” Hui Yue said politely as he withdrew then bowed deeply towards the third prince. The action caused the smile on Shiu Ye’s face to become far brighter.

“No worries. Please do not stand on etiquette. Please call me Shiu Ye. I am very amazed by your personal accomplishments, your astonishing adventures, and your incredible battles for someone as young as you are.” The prince said as he gestured for Hui Yue to sit down on the chair. With a bow of gratitude, Hui Yue sat down in the chair.

“Your highness is too kind,” Hui Yue said smiling. “Please, Shiu Ye!” The prince insisted, and Hui Yue nodded his head in acknowledgment. ‘Keep your friends close, but keep your enemy closer,’ He said reciting an ancient proverb to Lan Feng, and the phoenix nodded his head. Both of them were extremely alert, and although they looked relaxed on the outside, Hui Yue never once let his guards down. He was certain that the prince, although friendly now, had an ulterior motive much like Hui Yue himself. Even still the young man was confident that the prince would not try to get rid of him in the middle of the day outside in a garden. While smiling on the outside, Hui Yue was waiting tentatively as he chatted with the third prince, waiting for an opportunity to learn something which would help him in his quest for revenge.