“Easy,” said one of the monkeys to Huang’s question. “You just have to call me ‘Oh mighty respectable one’ with reverence in your voice and whatever you inquired this one will answer.” It made an exaggerated gesture of lifting one of its hands in the air. The two fellow monkeys by its side laughed, one slapping the one which talked on its shoulder for its ingenuity. Which one of them didn’t know that red little annoying bird in this wide forest? Not talking about animals with fur even those with scales and feathers got angered by it these last two years and here it came again wanting others’ help yet having this kind of overbearing attitude still.
There were other animals at the feet of the trees which were laughing too; delighting in the red bird’s humiliation.
Actually, Huang had not been as overbearing as they were saying. It even said ‘please’ –although not really thinking it, however, wishing by that to have quicker results- but it was just that, holding onto yesterday’s grudges, those monkeys were unwilling to aid. How could the little birdie tolerate being laughed at? Its humbleness flew right out of its head.
“You’re daring, you bad copies of filthy humans!”
If there was one thing hated in the reign of animals, it was to be compared to humans. So, as Huang was filling the air with curses and the other animals were now laughing at them, the monkeys’ face turned ugly. They leaped branches by branches to capture the bird which was perched on one of the higher branches, anger on their faces as they were describing how they’d pilled off its feathers one by one.
Was Huang going to wait to be captured, of course not! It flew higher chirping its anger with vehemence.
“No brain at all. Stupid as pigs. Ugliest animals of the creation!” Curses didn’t soothe its heart so Huang flung a particularly hot wind at them which turned like a tornado and had the monkeys tumbled and fell on the ground, with a great amount of pain considering the distance the branches had from the ground. The other animals scattered, leaving the place with extreme speed. At this point, Huang wasn’t interested in whoever it was whereabouts, but rather, interested in equaling scores. The bird calmly landed on a branch which wasn’t that far away from the ground, to mock them. ‘Senseless little things, who asked them to be unable to cultivate yet first to seek troubles? Forgetting the pain once the scar had healed; did they think it unable to fire them anymore? Huh, this bird was hungry no more, see how I’ll cook you.’ Without any second thought, Huang light fire one’s back. Forgetting the pain in its body from the fall, the offender wriggled and danced while the other two were slapping its back to extinguish the fire.
Birdie was quite pleased with the sight.
“Now start apologizing and this mighty one might consi…” A piercing pain shot through the feathered animal’s head stunning it into speechlessness.
Seyran, who was by the entrance of the manor saw light smoke coming from the direction taken by the little bird. Seeing this, some questions made way in her head. Was that little one actually burning the witnesses or simply interrogating them? She frowned, feeling that with this little thing’s temper, one shouldn’t be surprised if they were dead before saying anything at all.
But once she arrived at the place, contrary to her thinking, she found Huang being squeezed in the arms of a particularly ugly monkey –she never saw an orang-outang before. There were other animals around and with all their cries and gestures, even if one didn’t understand them, one was vaguely aware that they were expressing joy. From lizards to rabbits, even boars and whatnots, was this spectacle really normal?
“You, all this talking, was it for nothing?” But Huang wasn’t hearing her at all, its usually black and red eyes were blank and still very much in a daze. It didn’t even feel like it was suffering all that much actually.
Seyran snapped her fingers and all those presents were jailed, each one in its own cage. The surprised animals tried to free themselves but it was impossible to break free. Whatever they were saying in that hubbub, Seyran couldn’t understand anyway. She went to the cage holding the monkey with Huang. One of the jail’s bar dislocated and turned itself around the arm holding the feathered animal, squeezing tight until the palm opened. The orang-outang was crying in agony, as another bar lifted Huang and placed it on Seyran’s opened palm.
The usually talkative animal was still very much silent. She advised while forming mana on her palm for it to absorb.
“Don’t recklessly start a fight you can’t win.”
That’s when the red animal finally regained consciousness and greedily absorbed the offered meal. To be fair, really, this bird could have won just as smoothly as her. Even more so knowing that these monkeys were ordinary ones, neither of them could cultivate. It was just that for a moment there, it had had a flash. A vision of a battlefield. The monkeys encircling it had faded and instead, around it, were so many different animals. The battlefield was taking place in the air. And between all the shouts and cries of that place, an angry voice arrived at its ears “Dumb bird who asked for your help?”
“Shut up you ugly, if this emperor wasn’t here to help you, wouldn’t you be a carcass already?”
The voice that had been recalled, had been as aggressive as an enemy’s but Huang’s heart ached with nostalgia and melancholia. It had been a friend, a friend it longed to remember.
‘A snake’ Huang thought. The one talking with it had seemed like a big floating snake. The memory was fuzzy, it felt like it was about to be pinpointed yet still so dreamlike.
Seyran ended up splashing the absentminded bird with water, making that lingering fuzzy image disappear for good. Huang glared at Seyran but swallowed the particularly nasty words that emerged in its head in response to that particular action.
Compliantly, the bird served as translator between human and jailed animals.
Compliantly, the bird served as translator between human and jailed animals.
Turned out the damn monkeys had no clue; the rabbits were of no help only a single lizard provided the correct information. The culprits were female humans, a golden lion, and a fox. Who was going to explain the specificities of that golden lion? When Huang couldn’t even remember about itself where was it going to know the abilities of other beasts? For all it knew, it could jelly well fly, alright! Yet faced with Seyran’s question, it just chirped in her head. “No idea” all the while sulking, not liking the lingering impression it had.
“Where did they go?”
“How will we know stupid?” Huang didn’t traduce this, rather the moment the sentence was said, a fire appeared by the lizard’s tail. It cried in fright.
Her question unanswered, Seyran asked another.
“Where do lions live here?”
“Who knows, I never stepped out of this forest!” Shouted the lizard. The fire ended up burning the tail until mid before it extinguished.
“Rest your fire, you, sick little bird!” that was one of the cries of other animals. The others reproaches were swallowed in the cacophony they were making.
“Silence,” said a sharp voice cutting through the noise. It hadn’t been a shout, but qi had certainly been infused in that voice for her to be heard so loudly.
"See, see, you idiots! You angered the real demoness now! Do you all feel like forfeiting your life today? Hurry with the answers.” Huang had already seen its own death on that battlefield and wasn’t eager to die for real this time.
So, one of the animals, indicated the steppe after the desert to be a place said to be filled with lions. Maybe there would be golden ones there too. With no better answer and her mana used a little foolishly, Seyran had to rely once again on this bird to infuse its qi on the white stone to bring them to the steppe after the desert. It shouldn’t be difficult, right? It had once brought them in the middle of those heated sands a little further shouldn’t be complicated.
***
Once she entered her room, the tables had already been set, the different plates arranged. The crown princess sat and one of the servants brought a medium size bowl for her to wash her hands before eating. The four members of the ancient clans, who, since her return, had taken the role of her personal guards, stood standing, waiting on her.
When the crown princess suddenly lifted her head after washing her hands, the invisible chameleon on her shoulder which was changing position, loosed footing and almost fell. While it was dangling, the color of the princess’s face changed no longer pale but duskier. The chameleon finally stabilized itself and coiled around her neck more comfortably. The skin returned to its natural color, her face livelier than ever.
Comparing this decoy to the real Seyran, if one really did not know, one could not see fault in her. She was as beautiful as Seyran should have been, had she been nourished properly; so regarding the matter of appearance, it could be said that she was the better version. As for her speech, she spoke rarely and when she did, it was slow and always to ridicule and offense. So people really preferred to have her mute. Speaking of mannerisms, since her youth days, the second princess didn’t like being waited upon wherever she goes or in whatever she does; few could say they knew her manner of being and fewer could detect an anomaly with this princess in front of them.
Once her meal finished and after washing her hands, she got up to take a walk as she always does. The leader of her guards, Shen Ai, hesitated a little before bowing in front of the standing princess.
“Is something the matter, captain Shen?” The woman’s voice was neither warm nor cold making other unable to know if she was angry at that sudden behavior or not.
“This one begs crown princess to train today.”
Silence floated for a while before the crown princess's voice was heard.
“Hear my decree,” she said with a smile brightening her face, while the other guards followed their captain in kneeling. “Captain Shen is unwise and uncouth. Dare to defy this crown princess’s orders. Thirty lashes. Her subordinates didn’t advise. Thirty lashes.”
After she finished talking the four people bowed and thanked the princess’s magnanimity in one voice. As she was walking by their kneeling sides she said “Of course the four’s descendants are valuable and should not repeat the matter. They’re important to this crown princess and eagerly awaited tomorrow.”
Yue Meili, one of the bodyguards almost vomited blood. They were to be lashed thirty times yet she wanted them to return the next day, when will their wounds have the time to heal? And what was it with that ‘they’re important’ part, was it to say no matter how injured, be they kneeling or crawling they couldn’t use the excuse of doctor’s words to avoid coming here? In the end, the crown princess's words were the crown princess's words, she could only swallow her grievances as their better in life exited the room.
***
At another side of the palace, the anaconda which had its head raised, tasting the air finally closed its eyes and coiled around itself to rest once again.
***
As they exited the crown princess’s courtyard and walked towards the military offices, Shen Ai, the captain, couldn’t help but see the lump form of her subordinates.
“My apologies” She whispered to them.
The four of them were, as ordinary bodyguards, wearing dark clothing but the difference was that on the back of each one of them, her clan’s symbols was sewed with golden threads. They were roughly of the same height and weight, having followed the same training since youth made them developed some muscles but they were still very much feminine. Their long dark hair was tied in ponytails, two swords were dangling from each of their side and daggers were on their belt one was concealed in either of their boots.
“What apologies are there to give? Not your fault, not your fault” said Yue Meili hastily masking the wronged face she was displaying. She sighed deeply “Gotta say, when one is lazy, it is to the extreme. Even I can’t be like this!”
“Hold your tongue” Shen Ai scolded.
The one who talked just shrugged. It wasn’t like she was wrong anyway and every one of them knew that. This princess had never once practiced; she refused to go to the alliance academy, refused to go to the imperial academy, refused training at home and to think she was supposed to take the throne in one year from now! Who cared if she was lazy or not, it was just that it was on them that their matriarchs were latching their rages instead.
These four bodyguards were the most promising mistresses of the four ancient clans. Those clans were Shen, Yue, Zhang and Tian. Yande had been established by Yuuna and her allies, those four famous ancestors. When talking about the one crowning the queen, it was done by the matriarch of those families, the elite members of the assembly, usually called the four elders. They were the ones who, after the queen, had the most authority, even the queen’s sisters had to give them face.
In the olden times, the future queen was actually selected by one of the royal member’s family ability to tame Fenrir. But who knew why this tradition stopped and that affair was left in the hand of the elites of the assembly instead.
Regarding the matter of the crown princess’s laziness, Shen Ai also wouldn’t mind but it was just that, the anger of those four matriarchs befell on them. It wasn’t like they could force the crown princess to cultivate now, could they? And now on top of the punishment they’d surely received by nightfall, they had to be lashed thirty times each one.
“How am I supposed to run with wounds everywhere?” Yue Meili muttered with dissatisfaction.
“Well, those usual punishments why not treat them simply like additional training? That’s what I’ve been doing since last year” advised Tian Gu.
Yue Meili was distressed just thinking about this. At the beginning, the four of them were delighted to have been chosen to stay by the princess’s sides but they were also responsible to train her into a good fighter had said their elders. What could they do if the one they were supposed to teach was unwilling to learn? Threatened her? It was the crown princess, alright, who dared forced her to do what she didn't want? Yue Meili rather changed the topic. So she asked the one who hadn’t talked, Zhang Bei.
“Say, is there still no clue on elder Zhang’s whereabouts?”
Zhang Bei shook her head. Even she, who was the one her elder spoke to the most, didn’t know where she had disappeared to. It had been almost sixth months now.
“Lucky you, today too, you won’t be puni…” Tian Gu stepped on her feet. “No, that’s not what I mean, I mean…”
“Just shut up okay, it would be best.” Whispered Tian Gu.
Yue Meili pouted but said no more.
They arrived in the military office. Turned out the crown princess had already sent servants to notified those people, so the staves were already waiting for them. Gritting their teeth, they followed their lead in the punishment room, removed their outer garments, and the one under, only staying with their pants and their upper underwear. Their hands were bound from each side as the stave was applied on their backs. The stave was thick, hurt very much and soon it drew blood. Neither one of them cried or shouted. They had asked for some piece of wood to bite so that they wouldn’t break their teeth. After their backs were badly wounded and the thirty lashes applied, they had to be helped and escorted back home. Yue Meili was crying in her mind that she would need to be up tomorrow, she couldn’t help herself but think that tonight she’d be dreaming about shedding that crown princess in tiny little pieces!
Shen Ai had been the most silent of them all, she didn’t even grunt. It was unknown if it was because she was the one who had the higher cultivation of them all or if she was simply that insensible to pain. In term of maturity, she was by far more mature than Yue Meili who was older than her in age. Her sense of responsibility and her cultivation level were what made her captain. But, her eyes closed in her room as her servants were fussing about her wounded form and discarded clothes, she asked herself if that person she was tasked to protect, she could one day respect her. As the leader, she felt really aggravated that her subordinates were suffering for no reason at all and furthermore because of that woman. Her heart fell less and less regard for her each day.
Not ten minutes passed that she heard the rushed steps from the corridors and the servants hadn’t the time to announce the newcomer that her mother was already inside. Seeing the blood on her child’s back, mother Shen was fast to scold the servants.
“Where is the doctor? Are you blind or waiting for me to fetch her myself?” The female servant glared at bowed and rushed to the door. The male that was helping Shen Ai removed her outer garment trembled and when the garment had been taken off, he retreated to the side, letting the place for the Shen family member who came.
“Ai’er, what happened?” asked the mother, her face filled with worry. How come a perfectly fine person came back wounded to the point of being escorted home in this perfectly calm Dai capital? Not to say that her daughter was already at early adept rank, who could so easily defeat her?
“Nothing much, mother needs not worry.”
Her daughter unwilling to talk, this mother felt quite helpless. She could only lift her head to scold some more.
“Where is the doctor? Still not here?”
As she finished, a young woman hurriedly came and bowed to them.
“This one is here already.”
Seeing the youngster, Shen mother frowned.
“Where’s elder mistress Jing?”
“Replying, grandmother had already being called by the Yue family.” Seeing as the woman was going to talk again she added. “Mother and sister too. There is just this one.” Shen mother had a thundersome fiery face so she was quick to reassure. “Elder needs not worry, this young one is quite proficient and learned fast. Elder brother is here too to prevent mistakes”. The young man by her side, who had a bandage covering his right eye bowed while Shen mother glared daggers at them.
“Come here quick then, those wounds hurt,” said Shen Ai to prevent her mother from sending this girl away in her rage.
The Jing family couldn't be helped. Because they were the most notorious in term of healing, they were always the one being called first. However when the ones who called them were the four clans and all at the same time, how where they supposed to divide themselves equally? They could only go with first come, first served. But weren’t they a little daring to send a child of barely twelve here and this man, did he have just one eye?
The undergarment was taken off, the wounds washed, disinfected and a kind of green paste had been applied by the trembling hands of the little girl. The one who put the bandages had been the young man.
Seeing the wounds, Shen mother had the gist of what happened and frowned. She waved her hand for the servants to pay the doctors and dismissed them. However, contrary to her, her daughter was really unwilling to talk about this matter, so instead of answering the asked questions, she asked one of her own.
“Those people, were they here today too?”
Shen mother could only drop that matter.
“Ey” she answered in affirmative. “The matriarch called them today too and by the time they went away she was pushing everyone to double their training”. She sighed. Really even in her olden times, this grandmother was letting no one rested.
Those last forty years, their everyday training became harsher and harder. Was this woman plotting to start a war, if not, she should let people have some break! These four ancient clans, people were willing to enter here but really it was just upon entering that one clearly understood the meaning of suffering! It got even worse those last seven years and the four elders were putting pressure on everyone’s head. Even the military families were asked to train harder.
Shen Ai had a frown on her face. Regarding the matter of those oracles coming here for two weeks now, she was extremely against it and felt that not only was it a waste of money and time, it was also calling upon oneself unnecessary troubles. Really, that the four elders had that much time to actually indulge in those west cultures of foreseeing, left people speechless. No one knew what lied ahead in the future. One could only grasp and force one’s own destiny.
As her mother was rambling, a manservant came to report.
“Captain Shen, the matriarch is asking for you”
Her mother was quick to retort.
“Can’t you see she’s injured?”
“This…” The man was quite conflicted, was he supposed to return to the head of the family and told her that the captain wanted her to come here instead. Will he still have his life after that?
“I’m coming.”
Shen mother knew her words were unnecessary either way so she didn’t try to persuade as her daughter put on a coat on her shoulder and was helped by a servant out of the room.
The matriarch was an old woman that the years had bent a little. But she was a fierce one who could still give a good beating to anyone who displeased her. So it wasn’t really surprising that when she entered the room Shen Ai saw her great-grandmother swinging her sword. One could only show respect. Those four old people weren’t called head of the family for nothing! Shen Ai was just twenty-five but felt that compared to this old one, she couldn’t last fifteen minutes.
Elder Shen sheathed her sword and ordered tea to be brought as she sat at the small table at the side, gesturing for the one who just came to do the same. Shen Ai left the arm of the servant helping her and walked by herself to the elder place. Ignoring the pain, she sat up straight, the wounds on her back opening and tinting her white bandages without her knowing. Elder Shen glared at the servant who tried to move in direction of Shen Ai and she obediently stayed where she was, bowing her head to avoid troubles. Less would it be good to further annoy this matriarch who was more and more susceptible these days.
“Did the princess train with you today?” was the first question asked but was it really needed? With all her spies in the palace didn’t she already knew? Thus Shen Ai answer was a little impolite,
“Replying, this one got lashed when she proposed so”
Tea was served. Shen Ai didn’t lift her face, vaguely aware of the other’s anger but it the end she kept mute.
“If this daughter may”
“Speak”
“Regarding the matter of crowning the princess, isn’t it preferable…”
She didn’t even get to finish that sentence, that a cup of tea flew by her side and broke at her feet. Lucky it was still empty or hot tea would have spilled on her body.
“Stayed your tongue” the matriarch scolded.
Defying the pain, Shen Ai kowtowed. “This daughter was ignorant. Asking matriarch to forgive.”
There was a little silence as the elder Shen end up saying
“Try harder.”
Anger swelled in Shen Ai’s heart. How much harder was she supposed to try? Until all her limbs were broken and her flesh torn apart?
“Great-grandmother,” she said, this time around talking to her grandmother and not the head of the family. “This one fails to see…”
Sensing that she was saying unwise things again, the elder was fast to scold. Wall had ears everywhere here.
“Impudent! You’re the follower of the crown princess… What matter is it that you dare suspect her ability? Foolish child! Just try harder and make her cultivate already!”
Shen Ai felt that she was suffering a great injustice. What was there to see in that princess? Concerning who was supposed to be queen, as long as she had the surname Xian, wasn’t any woman acceptable? If they were going to choose by the previous queen’s elder daughter as in the past, wasn’t this going to be a mistake? Who needed to respect the tradition if tradition brought that kind of person as their country’s leader?
Regarding the one who should rule them, Shen Ai felt that it was better if it wasn’t the second princess; out of all of them, she was the less qualified. For having known that woman for seven years now, she could say this with certainty. Given, the woman had been a genius who formed her core by her sixth years but wasn’t that years ago? What use did she make of that? And if the reason the elders were forcing them to train that woman was that the country needed a strong leader, then out of the descendants of Yuuna, Shen Ai felt that the one who just came back, Bai Ming, could be considered. It was just that she was a little too young and the custom wanted a princess of twenty at least. So in the end, the first princess, who was twenty-three this year, Su Qiun, was just alright.
If the four elders were unwilling to consider, she could only prove them wrong. It was said that the secret of taming Fenrir was held by the four elders, Shen Ai could only think of stealing it to let the first princess have it. Let’s return to the olden days and have Fenrir, the protector, be their judge.
Shen Ai just barely listened to what the elder said afterward and went back to her room, only registering from the exchange that she was discarded for those punishments for today.
***
Meanwhile, Xian Su Qiun, the first princess, was talking privately in her mother’s room. All the servants had been shooed away from the royal advisor’s place as those two were talking. The access had even being refused to the third princess who came earlier. Only in presence of her mother, Su Qiun could finally let the twin chameleon leave her shoulder and stayed on her thighs as she gently caressed its head.
“How did it go this morning?” She asked her mother who was sipping tea. The royal advisor frowned and said frostily,
“They wouldn’t even hear about it!”
After court, Shanlin had called the elders to have a private talk with them but even now, they were unwilling to change their position. Su Qiun only smiled in the wake of her mother’s anger and contrary to her stayed calm.
“Rumors has it that the Zhang’s family is going to elect a new matriarch.” Her other hand stretched as she poured more tea into her mother’s cup. “Did they stop searching for the last one?”
Her mother’s anger fueled again.
“Who knows how real that matter is? You should have seen these decrepit’ faces, as though I kidnapped their senile companion myself. Who knows if she grew foolish and died somewhere?”
In the matter of trying to use force, Shanlin really did once tried to threaten those people years back; but it was just that in the end, the four of them were more powerful than she had been.
“Mother shouldn’t lose her temper” Su Qiun reminded gently, laying the teapot down.
‘It’s still Qiun’er who knows best.” Sighed Shanlin, softly blowing on her heated cup. “In the end, their opinion, since they won’t reconsider, then that’s fine. At this point, staging that decoy’s death would resolve everything.”
Su Qiun’s hands stilled. This plan, wasn’t it supposed to be the last one? What were they going to do if by then the real one came back?
“That…”
Shanlin caressed her snake’s head, which by that point crawled to her side. “Everything would go smoothly. Li’s spell, who could break it? If we can’t force them to renounce then just staging her death is also enough.”
Su Qiun stared at the scaled animal and in the end, the smile on her face returned, her features that of a gentle person.
“Mother’s plan is fine but why not hear this daughter once more. Since they won’t help then going by the olden times is fine too. The protector, in the end, still hasn't left this country and whoever he decided shall be queen.”
Shanlin waved her hands.
“The ones who know how to tame that beast are the fours elders. No matter how much I tried when I was younger they refused it to me and in the end made that foolish woman queen. You must not count on that.”
“Maybe one elder would be willing to help. After all, aren’t they angry that the crown princess is unwilling to cultivate?”
“That matter, Qiun'er should lay it to rest.”
The first princess made a gesture with her head but in the end, spoke no more about Fenrir. Instead, she asked.
“Where is fourth? I thought I’d be seeing her with you?”
Concerning Bai Ming disappearing then being brought back, the first princess had no idea and Shanlin felt that she shouldn’t let her daughters quarreled so early when the other one just returned recently. So she only said?
“She should be sleeping by now, after all, the travel was tiresome.”
“Ey” approved Su Qiun. “In the end, her coming home using teleportation stones shouldn’t be said to the population. Let us tell the news about Bai Ming’s return tomorrow instead as it was planned.
Concerning that, Shanlin was already planning to do it like that. After all the festive preparations weren’t over, how could she let down her daughter and not prepare fireworks and a feast for her official return?
“She has just shown herself to her sisters and brother. Worry not, no one will talk”
Their matter finished, they called the servants to fetch their dishes. And while she was eating, Su Qiu had in mind that white beast, protector of their country. Just a little more time and she’d have the information she needed. Let’s see then by that time who dared defy her.
***
Jun Lin, who was still in Xue Zhi’s courtyard, shamelessly invited himself to her afternoon’s meal. This man was really persistent today, thought Xue Zhi with a glare, still refusing to acknowledge him. Faced with her silence, he stopped talking, pouting a little. Between those two twins, what were frighteningly similar were their faces; the two of them even had that same red beauty mark on their forehead between their brows. It was just that in the end, men and women’s bodies were different and this difference was accentuated by the fact that Jun Lin, other than swords also liked training for hand to hand fights, so his muscles were a bit more developed than his sister.
“Aren’t you too cold to me today? How did I wrong you now?”
Xue Zhi kept on eating as though he was but air. He put down his chopstick, made a motion of moving a little from the small table to place himself in front of his sister. He placed his hands together and still kneeling, bowed lowly to her.
“With this bow, I apologized for everything. So whatever it is, forgive me already right?”
Xue Zhi’s lips twitched. Why was his voice more laughing than apologizing? This man was really infuriating!
“Are you hiding here?” She finally said, placing down her chopsticks once she was done. “Didn’t you hear fourth words? Wasn’t she saying that she would be greeting everyone? Won’t she be annoyed to find no one in your courtyard then?”
He resumed his position and lifted his chopstick.
“And so what? Annoyed then annoyed! I can’t remember being said goodbye to, how am I then supposed to say welcome?”
‘Can you please spare me from your pettiness?’ thought Xue Zhi unhappily. In the end, wasn’t he just jealous? No matter how much he begged Jun Lin had been refused the attendance of the alliance academy and could only, just like her, go to the imperial one. It was a sore point for him still and she could, somehow, understand him. Her twin could actually be considered a genius in his own right. Not only was he the only prince who could cultivate in their generation, he was also someone who was already in mid medium level.
For average people, upon finishing the academy, they’d be at most at late novice. But this brother finished a step ahead at early medium and was now mid medium. One couldn’t help but think if he had gone to the alliance academy which was rumored to have better teaching, he’d have higher cultivation now. She, Xue Zhi finished at mid novice, so having this person bragged and whined to her had the effect of further angering her and displeasing her.
The royal advisor’s treatment towards her different children was really partial, extremely so. In their early years, between the two of them, the one doted upon was her, Xue Zhi and Jun Lin was not only neglected but also easily insulted. That was almost an everyday occurrence. He was, after all a boy and no one really thought he could cultivate; even the queen’s first child had been unable to cultivate so no one really thought he could be any different. However, by their tenth years, everything changed. Jun Lin had formed a core while she, the girl between them, had been unable to.
Their situation now reversed, it was difficult to tell if he didn’t like spending time with her just to rub it in as to say, look the wheel of fate really turned.
“Anyway isn’t the feast supposed to be tomorrow? Mother won’t blame me as that young sister still hadn’t officially arrived”
Using mother as a shield, are you here to brag about that possibility? Thought Xue Zhi grudgingly. Anger rising she asked
“This brother really has lots of time. Shouldn’t it be used to court those mistresses you feel like marrying?”
Jun Lin swallowed what was in his mouth and with the brightest smile that showed his dimples, he said.
“Isn’t the most beautiful one still my other half?”
Xue Zhi’s lips twitched. By that was he saying that he was the most beautiful one since everyone was going on about how alike they were? 'Do you think me your mirror?' Xue Zhi felt that talking to this one was really a waste of saliva so she ordered for the servants to clean the table even though he hadn’t finished.
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