Chapter 95 93- Arranged Marriage
After that was settled, Xi Shen said, “It’s not good to delay much longer, if we are going to go to the Bai Clan then it’s best to head out now before it’s too late to recover Fei Yin’s family.”
Fei Yin had a solemn expression on his face.
Yang Su, who was still helping him stand, asked worriedly, “Isn’t it better for junior brother Fei Yin to stay behind and rest? His injuries might be too severe.”
Fei Yin shook his head vehemently and said, “No, I want to see my family’s coffins and make sure nothing has happened to them. I won’t be able to rest easy just waiting here.”
“Don’t worry brother Fei Yin, I have some pills here that can help with your injuries. Take it as me further apologizing to you.”
Bai Xiaofung said as he pulled out a small storage bag, and Yang Su took it for Fei Yin.
With that, Xi Shen turn around, while saying, “Since that’s settled let’s head out.”
The group of six then went to leave the Celestial Academy.
The entrance of the Celestial Academy was a valley between two large mountains. The Academy was also surrounded by a mountain chain called the Ten Thousand Valley Creations.
Between the two mountains, there was Pavilion that was responsible for checking disciples entering and exiting the Academy.
It was forbidden for disciples to fly into the Academy without checking past this guard station. But for exiting, it was normal to see groups of disciples on flying swords or Spirit Artifacts leaving the Academy in droves. Either heading out for personal business or on missions.
Due to Xi Shen only carrying a small boat, it wasn’t enough space for everyone so Bai Xiaofung took out a thirty-meter boat-like Spirit Artifact from his high-grade storage ring. After everyone piled on, they left the Academy and head for the Bai Clan, which was on the eastern side of the Continent a few hours away with the speed at which they were going.
However, unbeknownst to the group, a common Inner Disciple saw them leaving the Academy, and he didn’t hesitate to take out a pink jade slip, and after saying the words, “Young Master, the person you instructed us to watch has left the academy with a group of people. However, the second prince, as well as the Bai Clan's second son is among those people.”
After that he crushed the one-time use jade slip, sending the message to another jade slip several thousand kilometers away in a mansion within the Capital City.
Within this luxurious mansion, a boy around the age of twelve who was clad in fur clothing was seated in a training chamber cross-legged with his eyes closed.
As he cultivated in silence, he suddenly open his eyes due to the jade slip in his robes that was flashing brightly.
Taking out the red jade slip, the youth placed it on his forehead to read the contents, since he was only in the Blood Purifying Realm and hadn’t developed his Soul Sense to read it with another method.
After a moment of listening to the message, the youth's eyes flashed with thought.
Placing back the jade slip into his robes, he got up and exited the room.
Coming into a small lounge, the boy sat down on a cushion sofa that was made from an exquisite and comfortable material.
Leaning his head back his expression was casual, but his eyes gave away the fact that he was in deep thought, presumingly from the message he had just read.
Placing his two hands on the back of the cushion sofa the youth then kicked up his legs onto the table in front of him to get into a more comfortable position.
His gaze then rested on the well-crafted images on the roof of the room, and his eyes would trace them as he continue to think.
After what felt like forever, the youth’s voice softly spoke up, “Zen Li.”
As soon as the name left the youth’s mouth, a figure of a middle-aged man suddenly appeared behind the sofa.
“Yes, young master?”
The voice of the middle-aged man echoed out in a questioning tone.
The youth then said in a flat voice, “I want that commoner's village to be destroyed. Make it look like an accident and leave nothing to trace it back to us. Use some bandits or a local gang in the area.”
When the middle-aged man heard the youth's words he frowned and then said, “Young master, I had advised you before that it was unwise to go after his family. This type of thing is frowned upon in the cultivation world, only the vermins of the Demonic Cult would resort to such despicable acts.”
When the youth heard that, his once calm expression became annoyed, and he tilted back his head to look at the middle-aged man before saying in a freezing cold tone, “That’s what you said previously, and I decided to listen to you and instead send three rogue Sea Expansion Realm cultivators after him. But no news came of them since, meaning they are either dead, or they have run off with my Spirit Stones.”
The youth’s eyes narrowed, and even though he didn’t display his anger through his body language, his voice made the middle-aged man know he was extremely angry.
The youth continued after narrowing his eyes, “He’s leaving with that trashy second prince and the Bai Clan’s disgrace. I deduce they are headed for the Bai Clan. It would be perfect since his family is on that path, if I timed it right by the time they return to the Academy he would witness his village destruction.”
The middle-aged man let out a sigh in his heart before he said, “Young master, I implore you to avoid getting into an indirect conflict with the second prince. You already target his assistant's life, if you went and do something so unforgivable, you’ll paint a target on your back. The Li Clan’s power is not to be underestimated. They would surely discover your involvement if you destroy his village. Our family is loyal to the crown, so if it was discovered that the youngest son of one of the top Noble Families did something like that, it would cause disaster to not only befall you but our entire family.”
The youth’s expression didn’t change upon hearing that, but he did lower his gaze to the table in front of him.
His heart was burning with indignation and rage.
Why did that lonely commoner become a Celestial Academy disciple when he didn’t? At first, he was only slightly angered that the second prince took him as an assistant, and he would have forgotten about that whole situation if he hadn’t heard that the same commoner he had looked down on had become an Inner Disciple and had even reached the Meridian Opening Realm, as well as winning the Freshmen competition.
And where was he now? He was merely an outer disciple in the Imperial Academy. He had even become a laughing stock for going against the norm and then failing to enter the Celestial Academy because of his Earth-grade Foundation. Even if his two other attributes had reached the Sky-grade, the Academy had still refused to take him in as an Inner Disciple, or even an Outer Disciple, not that he even wanted to mingle with those lowly commoners anyway.
The whole situation made him come to a breaking point where he wanted Yang Su dead. He felt that if he wasn’t dead he could never truly move on from the Celestial Academy rejecting him.
It was even affecting his cultivation, even after four months, he was still in the Blood Purifying Realm. Even with his Earth-grade foundation, with the resources at his disposal, he should have been further in his cultivation
Each time he cultivated he couldn’t help but compare his progress with that commoner, making him angry beyond any reason or logic.
The youth clenched his fist, and his breathing became slightly ragged.
The middle-aged man behind him upon seeing the youth like this shook his head internally.
‘A heart devil.’ The middle-aged man thought.
‘Young master is developing a heart devil so soon in his cultivation. I have never heard of a case like this. If he doesn’t come to terms with his current situation this could become a major hindrance in his cultivation or even his life. Luckily it hasn’t developed fully and is only just starting to form. If it is treated at this stage he might have a chance to overcome it before it becomes a problem.”
The middle-aged man let out a sigh in his heart.
‘If it was someone else this would be easily resolved with their death, but this youth is unfortunately tied with the second prince. I would have to find a method to resolve his inner turmoil somehow.’
This middle-age was someone assigned to protect the youth, as well as instruct him in his cultivation. This was a practice that almost every large and small aristocratic and Noble Family did for their children. These types of people were called Dao Protectors.
As the middle-aged man thought about resolving the young man's heart devil, the sound of a knock could be heard on the room door.
The youth unfurled his fist and then said, “Enter.”
The door was then pushed open by a servant, and upon entering the room he bowed his head and said, “I apologize for disturbing young master, but there is a visitor for you.”
The youth leaned forward and poured tea from a kettle on the table into a cup, after, he placed it to his lips but not before asking, “Who is it? I’m not expecting any visitors today.”
The servant lifted his head and slowly said, “Young master, the visitor is a representative from the Li Royal Family...”
Hearing that caused the youth’s eyebrows to lift in surprise, but then he frowned. He was thinking about what the powerful Royal Family wanted with someone like him, but as he heard the next words of the servant he almost choke on the tea.
“...And he says the third concubine of the Emperor is willing to arrange a marriage between the princess and the young master.”
The middle-aged man who had already disappeared, had his eyes flicker with thoughts from his hidden position in the room.
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Word Count: 1744
See ya!! ~waves gb~