A baffled Ying Tie was curious to know why Wu Yange looked flustered when he stormed out of the establishment. He had been nibbling on a steamed bun while waiting for them to leave for the palace when he spotted Wu Yange clenching his fists and murmuring something to himself. He rushed over to check on his master but the prince only said one phrase, "Let's go," mounting his horse.
It was a short ride to the palace but the awkward silence made the journey ten times longer.
Ying Tie had not seen the eighth prince in such a state for a very long time. The only person on earth who could incite such a response from the prince was his mother and now that squeamish runt. If he didn't like him then he absolutely didn't like him now, he had earned a page in his book of mortal enemies' right next to the trolls.
The palace wasn't as lively as expected. They entered through the big iron gates but there was no welcome party for the prodigal prince which was reasonable considering they were in mourning. The whole palace was grey due to the loss of three young princes and one of them was Wu Yange's twin, Wu Qingsong. Wu Yange didn't immediately visit the emperor instead, he went to pay his respects to his deceased brother in the memorial hall.
When he got there, he unexpectedly ran into the third prince, Wu Lingdao, his elder brother also commemorating Wu Qingsong, he welcomed his company. They barely spoke to each other while burning joss sticks, joss paper, and kowtow before their deceased brothers. Wu Lingdao couldn't help but stare at his brother as they walked towards the emperor's mansion, he hadn't seen him for five years but he was an exact replica of Wu Qingsong. One would think they were the same person but Wu Yange was a bit more muscular and introverted than his twin.
"Why are you staring at me like that, did we look that much alike?" he asked in his usual cold voice but there was a hint of sadness that his brother, unfortunately, picked up.
"I know what you are thinking and don't think that way. If you hadn't left, the creatures would have caused irreparable damage to our people and the Wu Wuqing's clan would have broken out of the barrier ages ago. Even if you had stayed to be crown prince there was no guarantee that you would be strong enough to beat the death curse. With your death we wouldn't have had any hope left," said his wise brother trying to comfort him.
His brother's deliberation was sensible but Wu Yange couldn't help but feel sad, they might have not been close but growing up in the same palace for seven years seeing each other day in and day out brought about a sense of loss. He would never again bump into his three brothers in the corridors of the ginormous palace or watch them play cards cheating money out of each other. His brothers had been his only destruction from an overbearing mother and a frightening harem.
Wu Lingdao embraced his brother which made Wu Yange shrink back, he really couldn't stand being contact with people even with his twin brother. Wu Lingdao only remembered then about his brother hating being touched and so apologised as they parted ways when they reached the emperor's chambers.
As Wu Yange climbed up the flight of stairs he couldn't help but notice an increase in army security. Things had indeed changed, his father who feared nothing had all of sudden turned into a frightful man in need of numerous live body armours. It wasn't any better inside the main hall as they were plenty more armed guards everywhere shielding the emperor. Only then did Wu Yange finally figured out what was going on, the emperor was afraid of him because he thought Wu Yange blamed him for his twin's death.
Spotting his father at the end of the hall, he kowtowed before him and said, "If you want to talk, they have to go?" dictating the terms in a stern voice. There was no way they were having their first meeting in five years with one party pointing arrows at the other.
For a couple of minutes, they stared at each other in stalemate as though gazing into each other's souls. It's only when the emperor felt safe when he finally dismissed his armed guard until they were only the two of them remaining. Unexpectedly, the prince knelt again without saying anything as though searching for the right words. The emperor left his throne and walked down the stairs and knelt before his son as though seeking forgiveness. It was a voiceless way of communication, apologizing to each other for their mistakes.
"Father I have failed, you always told me I was my brothers' keeper but I failed miserably," said Wu Yange with his words carrying an indescribable emotion.
The emperor shook his head saying, "No, I failed you as a father, I took an oath to protect my children but I have lost three in one go and I am helpless in all of this," wailing as he struggled to contain his emotions. He had been strong in front of his subjects but in reality, he was crumbling from within. It pained the prince seeing his father in such a weary state because he was his role model and always wanted to be as strong as him but now he looked defeated as though he had lost the will to live.
Wu Yange helped the emperor to his study and asked for some tea to calm his father's nerves. They could now finally get to the matter at hand and solve the problem with clear minds. His father explained to him about the history of the amulet and the goddess, Guang. He also mentioned that the barrier was cracking and more of Wu Wuqing's people had been spotted hanging around various parts of Hepeng. Emphasizing the urgency of the matter, Wu Yange finally asked the important question, "Where are the three pieces, I don't know where to start looking?"
His father sighed heavily unable to find the right words, "That's the issue, there is only one person who can help you find the pieces and I don't think you will like it," he said almost feeling sorry for his son.
"Who is it?" he asked. 'As long as it's not that shameless man from today, I can work with anyone else,' he thought to himself. Since the odds of that happening were slim, he sighed in relief.
"You remember royal advisor Rong? His first son Rong Zian is the only one who can help you," he said but he realized his son had no recollection of this idiot so he further enlightened him, "the one you met today while you were stalling to come home. Before you get mad about me spying on you, I was spying on Rong Zian so I could know who I was entrusting my son to."
The prince's face quickly turned red with his nose flaring up like an enraged bull. He was angry but didn't know who to be angry at. It was as though the gods were punishing him for deserting his mother by pairing him up with someone far worse. A philanderer with no filter who cursed like a pirate all day and what's worse was that he had seen him naked and couldn't erase that image out of his head. How was he going to face him again?
***
Feeling refreshed Rong Zian woke up just as the sun rays shined through the blinds. This was the first evening since landing in this situation that he had slept so well, it felt like he was back in his residence in university. His comfort though short-lived was worth-it all thanks to that pompous freak from last night. If he knew being chased would bring him such luxury, he would love to be chased every day.
As he gathered up his strength to get dressed he couldn't help but wonder what angered that young master last night. The man stood up abruptly, surprising a naked Rong Zian, he even stubbed his toe on the table as he cursed storming out of the room. Rong Zian found it extremely hilarious, wasn't it normal undressing in front of another man, there was nothing to be ashamed of. He still found it amusing as he walked down the stairs heading towards the exit.
"Rong Zian! Where do you think you are going when you haven't paid me?" said a hoarse voice that was ever so familiar to him.
He was startled and a bit frightened when he turned to face the innkeeper who had called out his name. His fear was justified, this woman who goes by the name Da Niu was a fat giant, famous for taking on three-man at the same time. No one ever messed with her and if you owed her money, you were better off killing yourself rather than suffer humiliation at the hands of Da Niu.
She wasted no time chasing a terrified Rong Zian all over the place. "My handsome friend paid for everything last night, what do mean I haven't paid? Do you want to dupe me out more money?" he said when they both stopped to catch their breath.
"You slippery roach, he paid for nothing, and besides his not the one that spent the whole night here, it was you so pay up," she said and lunged forward grabbing Rong Zian's leg as he tumbled to the ground. They tussled a bit as he tried to free himself from her grasp but she was relentless, managing to subdue him and was now lying on top of him beating him up. He raised his hands to protect his face from Da Niu's blows and his clothes were torn up by the time she was done with him. "Wait, Madam Da Niu, I can compensate for it, just please spare me. A...beautiful woman like you shouldn't resort to violence without considering other options," he said almost pleading with her though he felt queasy when he mentioned the word beautiful.
She frowned and looked at the ambiguous position their bodies were currently in, "I am not sleeping with you Rong Zian so forget it. I want my money," she stated as she got off on top of him.
"Arghβ¦..I didn't mean that" he said now involuntarily gagging as though repulsed by the idea. He had sold fragrances, soaps, and shampoos to this lady multiple times so that should cover the cost. Placing his bag on the counter, he took out what he had to offer but a greedy Da Niu took the entire bag for herself. "Hey! My whole bag is worth more than what I owe, you can't do that," he yelled trying to grab his bag back but she was merciless.
She slapped him across the face and yelled in front of the onlookers standing by the door to watch, "I will take the rest as compensation for pain and suffering. Look what you did to such a noblewoman like me, you touched me more than I ever touched myself. Who will want to marry a tainted woman? Now get out of my inn and please do come back for future business."
Feeling cheated and furious Rong Zian dragged his feet through the streets heading home. Everyone on who crossed his path had their eyes on him and it was understandable because he looked like he had just walked out of a hurricane. There was one man he had blacklisted and didn't what to ever see again, the young master and his idiot bodyguard. They had chased him around all day and didn't even compensate him. It was too bad he didn't know his name otherwise he would buy a voodoo doll on the street torture him.