BXBX NOVEL Chapter 139 - 139: I Was Terrified At That Time
In Shattered Cloud City, inside an inn room.
“It’s already the hour of Xu, what would the Crown Prince like to eat?” Elder Hai inquired.
With no outsiders present, he addressed Ao Sheng directly as the Crown Prince.
“Hmm…” Ao Sheng, the Eastern Sea Crown Prince, lay on a rattan chair, humming in response.
His face was covered with medicinal herbs, still bruised and swollen from the beating he received that morning, showing no signs of recovery yet.
“The night market in Shattered Cloud City has started,” Ao Sheng remembered, his eyes lighting up. “There will be lanterns tonight, and I heard that sometimes the Shattered Cloud Empress disguises herself as a commoner to join in. How about we…”
He was about to get up as he spoke.
“You’re in this state and still thinking of going out?” Ao Yuan, his sister, pressed him back down, clearly annoyed.
“It’s just a superficial injury. It will heal by tomorrow,” Ao Sheng tried to reassure her, pulling at his facial skin.
“A superficial injury that even the secret medicines of the Dragon Palace can’t cure?” Ao Yuan gave him a skeptical look.
“That… That senior’s methods are profound, deliberately testing me. These injuries won’t heal until tomorrow morning,” Ao Sheng waved his hand dismissively, aware of his current condition.
He knew that his injuries wouldn’t heal today, but by tomorrow, his natural regenerative abilities as a cultivator would take care of them. The only issue was the uneven beating he received, which left him with a particularly sore dragon rear.
The trio had speculated about Lu Xuan’s identity but hadn’t come to a consensus. Elder Hai believed that he was sent by Ye Banzhuang to teach the Crown Prince a lesson. Ao Yuan thought it was a passing powerful being who decided to punish her brother for some reason. As for Ao Sheng…
He believed it was a test from the Shattered Cloud Empress herself. Ideally, Ao Sheng wished the Empress would personally punish him.
“The lantern event lasts for half a month. This is just the first day. Her Majesty is so busy, she’s unlikely to be there… We can always go tomorrow night,” Ao Yuan suggested, trying to dissuade her brother from any rash actions while he was still recovering.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll go and purchase some for you,” Ao Yuan offered to go out and buy some food for Ao Sheng.
“Can I really not go out?” Ao Sheng tentatively asked.
“No, you need to wait until your injuries heal,” Ao Yuan replied firmly. “Alright then… just bring back some light snacks,” Ao Sheng conceded.
“Okay,” Ao Yuan agreed and left the room.
“Elder Hai, follow my sister. It’s late, and I don’t want anything happening to her,” Ao Sheng instructed.
“But what about you, Your Highness?” Elder Hai hesitated, suggesting, “Should
I leave a clone here…?”
“What for? I’ll be fine staying in the inn. Just go and protect my sister. Wake me up when you return with the snacks,” Ao Sheng dismissed the idea, then got up from the rattan chair and headed towards the bed.
Resigned, Elder Hai left the room after setting up a protective array to prevent any assassination attempts. The array was designed to guard against intruders, not to restrict Ao Sheng himself, as the elder wouldn’t dare to confine the Crown Prince.
Moments later, Ao Sheng, lying in bed, opened his eyes, grumbling about the overprotectiveness concerning his minor injuries. He then cautiously left his room, unimpeded by the elder’s protective array.
Meanwhile, outside the inn, in a nearby alley, two figures emerged from a distorted air space.
“He’s out,” the black-robed elder observed, watching Ao Sheng’s retreating figure.
“Is he alone?” the white-robed elder asked.
“The protector with him has left. It’s unclear if Ao Sheng is meeting him outside,” the black-robed elder replied.
“Will he have the Nine Heavens Scroll with him?” the white-robed elder inquired, focused on Ao Sheng.
“Considering it’s a precious relic meant as a gift for the Shattered Cloud Empress, he surely must be carrying it,” the black-robed elder assumed. “Shall we make our move then?” the white-robed elder suggested.
“Yes,” the black-robed elder nodded in agreement.
Walking alone on the streets, Ao Sheng cast an illusion to make his bruised face appear normal.
“Old Hai is too cautious. How many people could possibly want to harm me?” Ao Sheng mused with confidence. He had already been beaten up once; what were the chances of it happening again, especially on the night of the lantern festival?
Though the festival lasted fifteen days, Ao Sheng couldn’t help but wonder if, by some chance, the Shattered Cloud Empress might attend that very night. His mind wandered back to the morning’s events. If someone really was after him, Elder Hai wouldn’t have been able to stop them anyway.
Just then, a familiar voice called out in the distance — “Brother!” The voice was pleasant but laced with annoyance.
Startled, Ao Sheng turned around to see his sister, Ao Yuan, carrying a big bag of food, marching towards him angrily. With her cultivator’s vision and perception, she had spotted him from afar.
Realizing he was about to be caught, Ao Sheng took off running. If his sister caught up with him, he would be lectured for hours, ruining any chance of enjoying the night out.
Ao Sheng activated his escape technique, leaving a trail of afterimages in the dark. To his surprise, even with his injuries, Ao Yuan couldn’t catch up to him. He felt a sense of pride in his abilities; after all, he was also a talented individual.
This self-awareness of his talent was exactly why Ao Sheng often acted recklessly. The favored are always fearless. Knowing this, the Eastern Sea Dragon King, awaiting the growth of his other heirs, was reluctant to be too harsh on his gifted son.