by Tinalynge
Although Xue Wei usually was quite vigilant, he seemed to trust these multi-eyed experts from Yan Dalu a little too easily, and it had caused the other three to be worried.
Now that he had said what they wanted to hear, they felt much better. There was truly no harm in being cautious and they were not willing to risk anything just when they had escaped Chang’an.
“When we reach the school, we have to decide whether or not we wish to be low-key or if we wish to cause a ruckus,” Xue Wei suddenly said with a smile on his face, stunning the other three.
“Well, we have never been good at being low-key,” Hei Gou said while scratching his head embarrassedly. He remembered all the people who had chased them from one end of Chang’an to the other in an attempt to catch them, and how they ended up killing them all along the way.
Now they had finally found some peace and quiet, but it was too good to be true. It was likely that these people wanted something from them.
“You are right. It is not in our nature to be silent,” Xue Wei snickered. “So I suggest we cause a great change to the continent.”
“A great change to the continent?” Lin Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard this. He was unable to comprehend what Xue Wei wanted to accomplish with this.
Bai Tianyi was also slightly startled. “Why would we bother with this continent? It is just a stop on our way towards the Demon Phoenix Continent.”
“Do not forget that if we want to make it to the Demon Phoenix Continent, we need a lot of merit points. They are not easy to gather, but I do have an idea.”
Hearing Xue Wei’s words, the other three looked with a glint in their eyes as they leaned forward, ready to hear the next words spoken from Xue Wei’s mouth.
Like this, the night passed. They ordered a few dishes after discussing their strategy and spent the rest of the night chatting and having a small party with just the four of them.
The following morning everyone from the academy woke up early and gathered on the road outside the inn. They continued their advance deeper into the city, their speed neither too fast nor too slow.
The city was getting more and more lavish the further in they came. It was like a country within a country, a kingdom dotted with proudly towering buildings everywhere.
The further into the city they came, the cleaner it was. Guards were patrolling the streets; gardens, parks, and squares were everywhere, but the bustling atmosphere of the outskirts was not seen.
There were still many people on the street, but you did not see kids running around playing. Instead, it was rich people hurrying from one place to another or servants on errands for their masters.
But everyone was dressed in fine clothes. Even the servants had, albeit of very common make, clothes that were of good quality.
There was a dignified air the further into the city they came.
Soon, they saw a palace that was stretching towards the heavens. Xue Wei had to take a step back and almost bend his back and his neck as far back as they could go to see the top of the palace.
It was made from some kind of white stone, and it was adorned with a lot of gold that shone in the sunlight. It was incredibly stunning, built in a style quite different from the palaces that could be found on Chang’an.
It did not take long before Xue Wei realized that they were walking towards this palace and he could not help but frown.
Were they not heading to the Garden of Shadows? Why were they going towards the palace?
Even without thinking too much, it was obvious that this palace was the place where the royals lived.
Was the Garden of Shadows attached to the royal palace, or was there some other reason?
Xue Wei did not hide the frown that formed between his brows and Elder Sun instantly noticed it, smiling dejectedly and shook his head.
He could easily guess what was on Xue Wei’s mind and he was quick to assure him.
“Young Wei, do not mind. We need to announce your arrival to the King before we can return to the academy,” he explained quickly, his heart beating rapidly. He was worried about Xue Wei’s reaction.
Xue Wei’s face turned dark when he heard it. “Why so?” he asked rather curtly.
“It is rare we get visitors from outside the continent. The King is very interested in these things, and thus I am afraid he will be very displeased if we do not go straight away.”
Xue Wei’s frown deepened.
He was not sure what he felt about this. Was he willing to meet the King? He felt that it was likely that he would land himself and his friends in even more danger if he was exposed to the King, but after considering the plan they had made earlier, it might not be such a bad idea to meet the King first.
As such he gestured for the tensed Hei Gou, Bai Tianyi, and Lin Xiao to relax, and he then nodded his head to Elder Sun.
“I only hope that the King will see kindly to us,” Xue Wei said to Elder Sun, who nodded his head vigorously.
“The King is a five-eyed genius. He is only a mere twenty years old, but he has already become a Heavenly Knight!”
Xue Wei raised an eyebrow in surprise. When he heard that they would be meeting a King, he had expected it to be an old man, but it seemed that the King was merely a young man, one not much older than he himself.
Thinking like this, he also calmed down a bit more. He did not belittle the King, but he imagined that, being a young man, what he found was curiosity towards the outside world rather than some old wily fox that was willing to get rid of all things that might pose as a threat to his continent.
Lin Xiao’s face also turned slightly odd when he heard the age of the King, but he said nothing.
Finally, the group arrived at the gates of the palace. A big row of guards adorned in golden armor was standing outside, all of them carrying long spears in their hands and swords by their waists.
“Greetings Elder Sun!” they all called out in unison, once again showing that they were expecting Elder Sun to appear.
Elder Sun cupped his hands and bowed to them before he turned around and looked at his students.
“Tu Long, take the students back to the academy,” he ordered, “I will personally lead the four experts to see the King.”
Having been given an order, the man called Tu Long cupped his hands and bowed deeply before he assumed the leading position and ordered the others to follow him in a stern voice.
Chapter 3 - The King
Xue Wei was rather curious about this one person who was known as the King. If he was as young as they said, he was quite accomplished—even more so when he saw the entire continent that was neatly under control of the sovereign. He could not help but feel astounded.
Seeing the previously hesitant expression on Xue Wei’s face turn into a slightly excited smile, Elder Sun heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
He was sure that the King would not cause problems for them. However, if they were too alert and hostile towards the King, it was hard to tell if he would feel insulted and as a result return the favor by locking them up in prison.
From behind the group of guards came a gaudily clad woman. Her voluptuous figure bounced with every step she took, causing many of the guards to swallow hard.
Although her body was incredibly alluring, Xue Wei only glanced down at it briefly before his eyes went to the face.
Although he had a hard time finding these experts with multiple eyes aesthetically pleasing, he had to admit that this woman was a rarely seen beauty.
She had four eyes, and all of them were phoenix eyes, slanting upwards, the pupils and irides as dark as midnight. Her red lips were plump and when she saw the young men she could not help but lick her lips slightly, leaving them moist and shining.
Her skin was pale like jade, her demeanor fiery. When looking at her, one could easily guess that this woman immense strength and authority.
Xue Wei cupped his hands and bowed to the woman. His three friends behind him copied the gesture. Seeing this, all of the peo
ple present were surprised.
A pearl-like laughter erupted from the lips of the woman as she hid her mouth behind her hand.
“Please, rise,” the woman said with a laugh, her eyes displaying mirth and her lips hooked up in a smile.
“How can I accept the bow of such esteemed guests such as yourselves?” she continued on as she stepped forward. Xue Wei and the others rose as requested, and they looked at the woman in front of them.
“I am but merely His Highness’ loyal subject who has been tasked with guiding you through the palace.”
Although the woman was downplaying her own ability, Xue Wei just smiled at her. Despite her alleged friendliness, he felt that she held great secrets and power. Upsetting her would be quite troublesome.
“Well then, follow me,” she said as she gestured for them to follow behind her. Without further ado, the rest of them followed behind her with a smile on their faces.
When they were following behind the beauty, all of them spent the short trip marveling at the overwhelming luxury of the palace. It was much more lavish than what they had previously expected.
Not only was everything decorated with gemstones, gold, jade, and other rare materials, but the floor was also made from the same kind of marble as the walls, shining beautifully in the light that shone through the massive windows.
As they entered the palace, they walked through halls, hallways, corridors, gardens, and even roads. And eventually, they reached the inner part of the palace where a large building was climbing high into the sky, the towers trying to stretch towards the heaven above.
Xue Wei was astounded when he saw the building. This place had a completely different style of architecture from Chang’an, and it was extremely beautiful.
It seemed that these multi-eyed experts truly valued beauty and luxury.
“Please wait here while I go inform his Highness of your arrival,” the beauty said before she started swaggering into the palace herself. Elder Sun stood outside with a slightly embarrassed look on his face as he looked at her hips that swayed from one side to another.
He knew Mu Bing’Er from long ago, and although she was rather old, her appearance was still quite young and her behavior only became more and more brazen as the years went by.
He remembered the time she was an innocent young woman who dreamt about doing great things for Yan Dalu, but in the blink of an eye she had grown up and grown accustomed to the scheming and planning that plagued the turbulent royal court.
Sighing while thinking about the past, Elder Sun said nothing. He felt guilty towards Mu Bing’Er for bringing her to this kind of life, but as a four-eyed expert, there were really only two options open for them; one was to enter the royal court and the other was to become a teacher at the Garden of Shadows.
Although the Garden of Shadows was quite a renowned place, if someone truly wished to make a difference in the continent, it was obviously not as a teacher, and thus he had helped her enter the royal court. Unfortunately, he had also sent her to the wolves himself, and seen the once innocent and hopeful girl become black-bellied and frivolous.
Xue Wei, Hei Gou, Bai Tianyi, and Lin Xiao were unaware of the internal sadness that Elder Sun was experiencing at that particular moment. All they knew was that they would soon meet the most revered expert in Yan Dalu. Although they were not ones to be easily nervous, they still felt a bit of apprehension alongside some excitement.
Not long after her entrance, Mu Bing’Er came back outside with an alluring smile on her red lips.
“His Highness would love to see you,” she said with a giggle before gesturing for them to follow her.
Seeing her enthusiasm, they also felt greatly relieved, and all of them followed her past the guards into a great entrance hall where a magnificent set of stairs on each side of a doorway were leading to the upper levels.
The doorway was open, and leading into a great hall. In the hall, Xue Wei could vaguely see a massive throne, upon which sat a figure.
The closer they got to this person, the more Xue Wei had a hard time hiding the smile on his face.
This person had to be their King, no? But if he was their king, why was it that no matter how he looked at this figure, it was a woman dressed in male clothing? There were even two lumps protruding on the chest. Clearly, this was a woman!
Xue Wei was not the only to notice this; Hei Gou, Lin Xiao, and Bai Tianyi all had odd expressions on their faces.
Was the rest of Yan Dalu aware that their most revered King was actually a woman, or was this some sort of highly confidential national secret?
Xue Wei cleared his throat as they arrived in front of the woman. Smiling wryly, he cupped his fists and bowed to her.
“Xue Wei greets His Highness,” he said with laughter in his voice, clearly finding it hilarious to call this woman ‘His Highness’. However, he was also sure that if he did not do so, there might be problems in the long run.
Seeing Xue Wei’s attitude, the three friends by his side quickly greeted the king, but they did so with dignity. They cupped their fists and bowed to her. “Greetings to His Highness!” they called out.
“Atrocious!” someone yelled from the side of the room. Xue Wei straightened his back and glanced to the side.
When he entered, he had already noticed that there were a thousand seats on each side of the walkway up to the King’s seat. At the moment, around hundred experts were currently sitting in some of them, most of them rather close to the throne.
These experts were all four-eyed, and the one who called out was a fat man with four eyes, long black but greasy hair, and a very colorful robe on his body.
Xue Wei raised an eyebrow when he heard the man’s yell, but he held up a hand to placate his friends from doing anything for the moment. He was curious as to what this man would say to him.
“You atrocious barbaric beast! You are in the presence of His Royal Highness and you only bow slightly? This is His Royal Highness. You have to get on your knees in worship!” he exclaimed. His words caused Xue Wei to frown.
Xue Wei had never been on his knees for anyone in his whole life, and there were only a few people alive who he felt deserved such respect. This King, who he did not know, definitely did not.
“You call me atrocious, but who are you to decide whether or not my greeting is correct? His Highness has yet to speak up, but you have started yelling in the presence of His Highness. Is this not already a great show of disrespect?” Xue Wei asked with a mild expression on his face as if the words said by the man did not bother him, but the truth was that he was rather annoyed with him.
When the words came out of his mouth, everyone within the hall had a shift of expressions on their faces. Although they had not expected much from Xue Wei, they still thought he would save some face for this official who had yelled at him, but as the official gave him no face, Xue Wei retaliated just as viciously.
“I am protecting the honor of His Majesty!” the man continued to shout, while Xue Wei stood completely unperturbed and looked at him as if he was watching a dancing clown.
“The honor of His Majesty? This is a great saying. I already showed my sincerity to His Majesty, but you not only interrupted but also shouted in the face of His Highness. I wonder who it is that is currently disrespecting His Highness?”
The more Xue Wei spoke, the darker the faces of many of the officials became.
This young man came from across the sea, from a continent they had never even heard about before, and he was so ruthless towards their compatriot, not giving him a chance to save even a shred of his dignity.
“Enough,” the melodious, clearly female, voice drifted out from the mouth of the King. Xue Wei, who had been sneering in his mind, quickly turned back to face the King, his face tranquil and showing no turmoil or traces of the verbal fight that just appeared.
Seeing this calm exterior, the King was highly surprised. Had he not cared about this debate at all?
While Xue Wei seemed completel
y dismissive of the previous matter, the official looked as though he had swallowed a fly.
The last words had been spoken by Xue Wei, and now that His Highness had ordered them to stop, he had no way of refuting them. If these words were to spread throughout Yan Dalu, would he really have any face left?
The King was contemplating for a short while before she looked at the man who had raised his voice in court and been swearing at Xue Wei.
“Elder Gao, these people are the guests of our Yan Dalu. Please refrain from losing your temper in the future while they are visiting us,” she said smoothly while leaning back against the back of her throne.
Although she could see that the many officials in the courtroom looked ugly from the words she said, she did not care.
She was the King. What she said was the law. If they had a problem, they could always just replace her with another King and then hope that that King could serve as a puppet. She refused to be one.
Seeing her attitude and stance, Xue Wei was slightly surprised, but after a moment a genuine smile started spreading on his lips as he took an extra glance at the woman in front of him.
It seemed that this woman was not ordinary. He had a feeling that in the future, he and her would manage to become friends just fine.
Chapter 4 - A Strange Existence
An awkward silence descended over the hall. No one knew what to say, and only five people seemed completely unaffected. These people were Xue Wei, Hei Gou, Bai Tianyi, Lin Xiao, and the King.
The King leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table in front of her. She propped her chin up on the palms of her hands and narrowed her five eyes into a curious expression.
Xue Wei was also curious about this woman whose title was a misnomer.
He glanced at her before cupping his hands and once more bowing to the woman. “Thank you for straightening out the disagreement,” he said with a friendly voice and a smile.
The King just waved her hand dismissively and smiled at Xue Wei. “I am quite curious about you foreigners,” she said as she leaned slightly forward, her half-lidded eyes sparkling with curiosity.
