Chapter 73

After that hair-raising Jiaolong assembly, Daming City was put under curfew for several months, with strict checks on all those entering and leaving the city, and no celebrations or gatherings were allowed to be held by the people. Even the feast to celebrate Zong Zi Xiao's victory, which should have been organized in a big way, was put off due to the dark clouds hovering above them because of the core thieves.

Recently, life was finally restored in Daming City because of the 38th birthday of Emperor Ning Hua, Zong Ming He.

In the snowy winter, enthusiasm was high inside and outside the Wuji Palace, busy with preparations for Emperor Zong's birthday feast. In fact, in previous years, there had never been such a great deal of excitement and fanfare for the birthday feast. As an outstanding example to the world, Emperor Zong should not be wasteful for his birthday, but this time it is an unusual occasion. For one thing, the birthday banquet will rekindle the former vitality of Daming City, and for another, it is said that Emperor Zong will make an important announcement at the banquet.

It was rumored in both the immortal cultivation world and the common folk that Emperor Zong was going to choose a crown prince.

Along with such rumors, outsiders were waiting to see the excitement, but those within the Wuji Palace were on edge.

The statement that Emperor Zong wanted to make the youngest son the crown prince was widely circulated, but most people did not believe it. For thousands of years, the basic rule for crowning a prince was to choose the first son, and if there's no first son, then the eldest son will be chosen. Therefore, the youngest prince, who is not yet an adult, should not be chosen, not to mention the fact that the wife's relatives behind the first son's back are from Wuliang Sect.

It is said that the emperor and the empress had a big fight one day, and the empress even punished a few palace staff for spreading rumors, and everyone in the Wuji Palace felt insecure, afraid of touching the empress's bad luck.

Although Zong Zi Heng did not believe that Zong Ming He would make Xiao Jiu the crown prince, he was inevitably anxious about the rumors. If they were true, it would turn into a nightmare. The empress Li Xiang Tong, who would not let it go like that, Lu Zhao Feng, who was hiding in the shadows, and Xu Zhi Nan, who was waiting for an opportunity to make a move, could all do something irreversible, and on that day, the higher Xiao Jiu stood, the harder he would fall.

He had to secretly plan a way to escape from Daming, just in case.

Zong Zi Xiao, on the other hand, was oblivious to the impending calamity and came to play with his big brother as usual, carrying wine and a sword.

In the Orchid Garden, the two brothers lounged on a bamboo mat in the pavilion, watching the snow fall, drinking a cup of Xiaoyaoniang that heated up their bodies.

Zong Zi Heng used his sword scabbard to open Zong Zi Xiao’s hand to reach the wine jug: "You agreed to drink only one cup."

"What's wrong with one more cup? It's such a cold day."

"You are still young. It’s not suitable for you to drink alcohol."

"I'm not young anymore." Zong Zi Xiao jumped up from the ground and stretched his slender arms and legs, "In another year, I'll be an adult. Look, I'll soon be taller than big brother."

Zong Zi Heng snorted, "Dream on."

"Hmph, you haven't grown in the past two years and I'm growing every day. It's a matter of time before I'm taller than you."

"Who says I'm not growing?"

"You just aren't growing anymore. If you don't believe me, stand up and compare yourself to me." Zong Zi Xiao smiled and extended his hand towards his big brother.

But Zong Zi Heng didn't move, "You still think you can grow so fast year after year. When I was your age, I wasn't shorter than you. Whether you can be taller than big brother, don't brag, grow up first and then you can say."

"Then if I'm taller than big brother, then what?" Zong Zi Xiao was lying down again, only this time next to Zong Zi Heng.

"What?"

"It’ll be your turn to call me good big brother."

Zong Zi Heng scolded jokingly, "No manners, get lost."

Zong Zi Xiao grinned and hugged his big brother's waist, stretching his body straight and insisting on comparing, "Look, am I almost as big as you? My feet are here, I'm aligned with you. Look ah, big brother."

Zong Zi Heng stared at Zong Zi Xiao's face close at hand, and those bright, deep, beautiful eyes. His heart ached abruptly. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he only forced a smile.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" Zong Zi Xiao sensed something.

"Nothing, I just feel ..." Zong Zi Heng sighed, "You've really grown up so fast, you're already so big."

Zong Zi Xiao laughed, "Big brother has raised me well."

Zong Zi Heng's eyes were extremely gentle, "You are fussy and wilful. Raising you has been a great deal of work for me."

Zong Zi Xiao moved closer, his nostrils flaring, sniffing the faint orchid fragrance on his big brother's body secretly, his eyes carrying many emotions: "I won't let big brother worry anymore. When I grow up, I will take care of big brother instead."

Zong Zi Heng snorted a laugh.

"I mean what I say. I will be able to take care of big brother in the future." Zong Zi Xiao said in a tone of a standing oath, "Whatever big brother wants, I will serve it to you."

"Okay, with this word from you, big brother didn't love you for nothing." Zong Zi Heng smiled and rubbed his brother's head.

Zong Zi Xiao paused, looked around and suddenly came up to Zong Zi Heng's ear and whispered, "Big brother, do you think Father will really make me the Crown Prince?"

Zong Zi Heng stiffened as he squeezed Zong Zi Xiao's shoulder and said with a straight face, "Where did you hear that?"

"It's rumored all over the palace."

"It's being rumored around the palace, yet no one dares to rumor in front of you, who did you hear it from?" After Zong Zi Heng asked this question, he got the answer from Zong Zi Xiao's face.

It was Chu Ying Ruo.

Could it be that Chu Ying Ruo knew something?

In the past few months, every time Zong Zi Heng went to Bailu Pavilion to look for Zong Zi Xiao, he would secretly leave his spell mark, so that if a stranger with very high spiritual pressure entered Bailu Pavilion, he would be able to detect it. He thought Lu Zhao Feng would not be able to resist looking for Chu Ying Ruo sooner or later, but unfortunately nothing had been found so far.

If Chu Ying Ruo was not secretly in contact with Lu Zhao Feng, had she gotten some promise from Zong Ming He?

Zong Zi Heng felt a chill run down his back. He had a feeling that if Zong Zi Xiao was really crowned as the Crown Prince, it would definitely stir up a bloody storm.

Zong Zi Xiao observed Zong Zi Heng's fickle expression and said cautiously, "Big brother, if, hypothetically, I really became the Crown Prince, would you be unhappy?"

Zong Zi Heng froze, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

This silence made Zong Zi Xiao feel uneasy: "Big brother, you have to trust me. No matter what, nothing will change between you and me."

Zong Zi Heng let out a heavy breath, "Xiao Jiu, listen to me. Big brother does not want you to be the Crown Prince, but it is not because of jealousy, but because I don’t want you to get involved in disputes. It's true that you have supreme talent, but you don't even have the power to defend yourself in front of Wuliang Sect. You're still young and can't imagine what you'll be up against, and that's never a good thing, do you understand?"

Zong Zi Xiao said solemnly, "Big brother, I understand, and mother has also said that if I am really made the Crown Prince, we will be in a perilous situation. But ..." he pursed his lips, his pupils deep and obscure, "Big brother also knows that second brother is not fit to be a Human Emperor, right?"

Zong Zi Heng reprimanded, "What kind of talk is that? Why can't your second brother be the Human Emperor? Does the Human Emperor have to be the most profound in terms of cultivation? Moreover, father's qualifications are also not the best in his generation."

"But it is because of his mediocre qualifications that the Daming Zong clan has fallen into decline."

Zong Zi Heng said sternly, "Do you know what you are saying!?"

Zong Zi Xiao said soothingly, "Brother, don't be angry, just think of me saying harmless children words, but you know that I am telling the truth."

Zong Zi Heng pushed Zong Zi Xiao away, only to feel a headache.

"Big brother." Zong Zi Xiao took Zong Zi Heng's hand, "For so many years, the emperor and empress have always been over our heads and have made things difficult for our mothers. You are so good, but you are never valued, won't you be resentful? We two brothers are the future of the Daming Zong clan."

"... What do you know?" Zong Zi Heng said in a hoarse voice, "You know nothing."

"Big brother ..."

"If you really consider me as your big brother, such words should never be said again."

"Oh." Zong Zi Xiao hugged Zong Zi Heng from behind, rubbed his cheek against his back, and said in a tone that was both doting and loving, "If you don't like it, I won't say it again."

Even though Zong Zi Heng felt that the tone was a bit odd, he did not take it to heart.

"I will only do what big brother likes." Zong Zi Xiao secretly tightened his arms around his big brother's waist, and many hazy fantasies surfaced in his mind, "I want to make big brother happy forever."

Zong Zi Heng turned around, "Xiao Jiu, you once said that you were willing to leave Wuji Palace with big brother and live a free life, do you still think so now?"

"Mm, as long as I’m with big brother, going anywhere is fine."

Zong Zi Heng stroked his brother's cheek and said in his heart: I hope you mean what you say, because that day, I'm afraid, is not far away.

---

At Zong Ming He's birthday banquet, the emissaries of the various immortal sects who had come from all directions presented congratulatory gifts one by one. The subtle attitudes of the various sects could be seen in the value of the congratulatory gifts. For example, the Wuyun Sect offered a top-quality immortal pill as a token of their loyalty, while the Huaying Sect and the Wuliang Sect were much more perfunctory than in previous years.

Zong Ming He accepted them all without a change of expression, glowing and beaming, causing the crowd to speculate. The appointment of the crown prince is a very important matter, with all the forces in between, it is not something to be happy about, so what is the reason for this joy at the tip of the eyebrow?

Halfway through the birthday banquet, Zong Ming He raised his glass to toast, then cleared his throat and said aloud, "Today, I invite you all to gather at Wuji Palace as there is another important matter that needs to be known to the world."

The crowd tensed their nerves and waited with almost breathless anticipation.

Zong Ming He said, "Bring me my sword."

The chamberlain presented Zong Ming He's sword with both hands, and Zong Ming He held it by the hilt and unsheathed it with confidence. He looked at the gleaming silver sword. The cold, white blade reflecting his ambitious eyes.

"Since Emperor Shuang Hua, it has been three generations since the Daming Zong Clan has had a cultivator break through the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword." Zong Ming He's gaze swept over everyone present, "For more than thirty years, I have made extraordinarily painstaking efforts, lest failing to live up to the great expectations of my ancestors, and finally ..."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Emperor Ning Hua, Zong Ming He, had actually broken through to the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword!

Zong Zi Heng looked at his father in a daze, only to feel that the words in his ears and the person in front of him had all become blurred and pale, except for the puddle of blood he had found in his Uncle's seclusion place, which grew scarlet in his vision.

 

 ----

PS: Zong Ming He is 38 now. 38 reminds me of 三八 [three eight] xD 三八 is a term that is used to scold people, wondering if SQC did it on purpose xD

 

Edited on 2 Apr. 21 (Emzie)

 

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