The Inverted Dragon's Scale

Chapter 426: Prince Fu is blessed!

Prince Fu looked at Li Muyang’s angry and upset expression, and then at his son’s aggrieved and hurt appearance, and asked in a whispered tone, “What happened?”

In the past ten thousand years, there was a practice that was suddenly popular among the influential officials of the Kingdom, keeping a boy to entertain them. There were also some young people who followed the trend. Looking each other in the eye, it was not the right way, but they still embarked on the crooked path.

Prince Fu felt his heart pounding violently, fearing that his son, Chu Xun, have been seduced by the flirtatious bastard.

Looking at the appearance of these two people, one incomparably handsome, and the other charming and confident, such a thing really could happen.

“You tell him.” Li Muyang exasperated as he pointed to Chu Xun.

Prince Fu took his son’s arm, greatly repressed the anger inside and shouted, “Chu Xum, tell me, what is going on? Why did he hit you?”

“———” Chu Xun was about to cry.

Why did he hit me, how do I know?

He only said a few sarcastic remarks, and the bastard hit him without saying a word. Who should he reason things out with?

He had thought that even if Li Muyang was in a bad mood, he must suppress the resentment inside him.

“How can he not play by the rules? Beating the imperial family in public, are you not afraid that my Uncle Emperor will execute you?”

When Prince Fu saw Chu Xun’s upset expression, he was more convinced with his speculation.

But he was also worried that a big scandal will break out. At that time, he would be bringing shame to the West Wind Chu clan————no, throwing dung.

Even if Emperor Chu Xianda forgave Chu Xun, he still will behead the boy to put his household in order.

He forcibly grab Chu Xun’s arm, “Go back. Go back home and shut yourself up and ponder over your mistakes. If you do not reflect on what you did wrong then you are not allowed out the house.”

Chu Xun refused to go.

If he were unwilling to go, then Prince Fu would not be able to drag him along.

Chu Xun fiercely glowered at Li Muyang, grunted: “You dare hit me?”

“Not only do I have to hit you, I also want to break your leg.” said Li Muyang, gnashing his teeth. “What realm is Old Immortal of Still water sword school in? You’re going to take him on my behalf? You’re just going to die? Can I stand and watch you die? If you die, what face would I have to go outside in the future? I, Li Muyang——how can I stand proudly under the starry sky?”

“Right. It is my Brother’s battle, why do you have to take his place? In that case, what would the people of Tiandu think of my brother? They will think that my brother is inferior, so he had to ask for help———” Li Shinian although did not hear clearly what Chu Xun just said, she knew that it must be very bad.

So, after Li Muyang made that slap, she had already deftly readied her dagger, aiming at the face of Chu Xun.

“I see.” Prince Fu finally settled down a little.

And then wanted to slap his idiotic son too. My little brat, did you not see what level is the opponent that Li Muyang was messing with, you want to take the battle on your friend’s behalf with your mediocre martial arts? Do you know how the word ‘death’ is written?

However, Prince Fu in the end did not slap his son. Because from what he knows about his son, he shouldn’t have done something like that, should he?

He may find someone else to take a battle for him, but for him to take a battle on behalf of someone——————was the sun rising from the West?

“Muyang is right.” Chu Xianda’s expression also softened down, he shifted his eyes to Chu Xun, saying sincerely: “Chu Xun, the person that Old immortal wants to challenge is Li Muyang, the person he thinks highly of is Li Muyang. How could you take the battle on behalf of Li Muyang? You think Old immortal will agree to compare skills with you? If everyone had such a thought, wouldn’t Old immortal be too busy? He will have his hands full trying to deal with challengers who want to become famous after one battle.”

After a pause, Chu Xianda continued to say: “Not to mention that this is a written challenge that Old immortal came to personally deliver. I already said that I will personally go to the God of sword Square to watch over the battle. If you stand in the way, disturb the battle, or prevent Old immortal from testing the younger generation, and make me break my promise then———”

Prince Fu’s face turned ashen, and ‘plopped’ to his knees in front of Chu Xianda. “Brother, Chu Xun is young and wilful, and acts impulsively. Please forgive him.”

Chu Xianda stooped down to support Prince Fu up, “What are you kneeling for? He’s my nephew, would I get angry at him? As a member of the imperial family, one should be careful with his words, how can he be so reckless?”

“Yes, yes, Brother is right.” Prince Fu smacked Chu Xun in the back, urging: “Hurry, say thank you.”

Chu Xun licked the blood at the corners of the mouth, shot a piercing glare at Li Muyang, and then bowed to the West Wind Emperor Chu Xianda. “Chu Xun had said something wrong, Your Majesty please punish me accordingly.”

“Never mind.” Chu Xianda motioned with his hand. “Just a youngster, how can I really blame you?”

After all this had happened, Prince Fu had no mood to stay for dinner, and right away bid farewell to Lu Xingkong.

Lu Xingkong repeatedly urged him to stay but Prince Fu insisted, so he had no choice but to allow him to leave.

Prince Fu grabbed Chu Xun’s arm and led him away, completely ignoring the gossip and peculiar gazes of the countless people present.

Chu Xianda chuckled heartily, “Everything about my brother is good, just a little too timid.”

Everyone put on a smiling face to welcome this not funny joke.

Leaving the Lu mansion and sitting in his own carriage under the escort of several guards, Prince Fu headed in the direction of his mansion.

Prince Fu looked at the bruise on his son’s face, asking in his calm voice, “Does it hurt?”

“No.” Chu Xun shook his head.

“It really doesn’t hurt?”

“The face doesn’t hurt, just——the heart aches.” Chu Xun said fiercely. “Being hit across the face in public, this humiliation, I have suffered several times, and every time it had something to do with that Li Muyang. Every time, I do not feel the pain on my face, but a pain in the heart. My whole body is in pain.”

“There is an old grudge between you two?”

“As I have said in the letter I sent to Father before, his presence has changed things a lot.” Chu Xun once again felt the feeling of heartache, like a sharp dagger ruthlessly stabbing hard into his heart. He blankly watched the blood flowing out of the wound, but there was nothing he could do. “Lu Qiji treats him in a very special way, and the feeling at the first meeting was unusual, as if——they had known each other many years ago.”

“What’s strange is that, I later looked into the information of Li Muyang. He has never walked out of Jiangnan city, let alone came to Tiandu. Lu Qiji often travel but I have never heard of her visiting Jiangnan. If they had never seen before——how could there be such a close connection between them?

“What close connection?”

“It’s like——love and hate. I can feel that Lu Qiji really dislikes Li Muyang, and had even showed a desire to kill him several times. But when someone was really harming Li Muyang, she was the first to risk her life to save him.”

“Silly boy, that is love.” Prince Fu said with an awkward smile.

“What?”

“Love.” Prince Fu repeated in a low voice, “she wants to have it, and she wants to destroy it. Besides love, what emotion is like that?”

“——” Chu Xun felt his Father had lunged another blade into his chest.

The snow crunched under the wheels.

The father and son were silent for a moment, until Chu Xun broke the peace in a loud voice, “What Father ordered me to do, I can’t finish it.”

“It’s just a game of chess, I also don’t think there would be anything to gain.” Prince Fu’s attitude was incredibly carefree, not at all trembling with fear like he was moments before in front of the West Wind Emperor Chu Xianda. Looking at his son Chu Xun, he continued, “All that should be prepared is ready, everything is in place, and the rest shall be left to the will of the heavens.”

“Father——”

“What?”

Chu Xun wanted to say something but then hesitated. In the end he whispered: “Perhaps, I can give Father a little surprise.”

“You are my son.” Prince Fu clapped Chu Xun encouragingly on the shoulder and smiled. “The moment you were born, I realised what the feeling of surprise is.”

“Father——” “

“All right. Sort out your girly behaviour and open your eyes wide. Look at Tiandu surging like a gathering storm, the old city is about to change its face.”

“Yes. Father.”

“I am Prince Fu, of course I am blessed——”

—————————

Li Muyang drank a lot of wine.

Chu Xun had run off after being slapped across the face in public, but the second Prince Chu Jiang did not avoid Li Muyang, instead repeatedly toast to Li Muyang and said that he needs to salute the hero of Tiandu on behalf of his father. Even Chu Xianda wore a glad and smiling expression. Unable to refuse, when Second Prince toasted him, he could only drink one cup after another.

Fortunately, he had a good alcohol tolerance, and was not drunk even after drinking so much.

By the time the guests had completely dispersed, the Lu household resumed its former quietness, Lu Xingkong called Lu Qingming and Li Muyang into his study.

Uncle Lu helped serve up hot tea, then left the study on his own initiative, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

Clasping the cup of steaming hot tea, Lu Xingkong looked at Lu Qingming, then at Li Muyang. Suddenly his mouth widened in the shape of a grin.

Li Muyang’s face was crossed with puzzlement, at this time the old man still had the mood to laugh like this?

Lu Xingkong pointed to Lu Qingming, then to Li Muyang. “I don’t have a mirror in this study, otherwise you will find that———the anxious and frowning look on your faces are exactly the same.”

Lu Qingming looked at his father in surprise, thinking: “Could it be that Father is going to uncover the truth to Li Muyang?”