Chapter 61

While Mendu was preparing the carriage, Shen Yian returned to his room to change into the robe Ye Liyan had made for him.

He wasn’t foolish enough to practice swordsmanship in new clothes – what if he accidentally tore them?

Looking around his room, Shen Yian immediately decided to have Mendu find a carpenter tomorrow to make a clothes rack.

“Your Highness, the carriage is ready.”

Imperial Palace – Imperial Study.

Seeing the brightly lit Imperial Study from afar, Shen Yian couldn’t help but sigh. Fortunately, this world had a cultivation system, otherwise, emperors like the old man who worked diligently every day would have likely worn out their bodies long ago.

“Greetings to His Highness, the King of Chu!”

Zhao Hai was standing outside the Imperial Study, instructing two eunuchs to find someone to move the local specialties Shen Yian had brought.

“Eunuch Zhao! Has Father Emperor not rested yet?” Shen Yian asked.

“In response to Your Highness, His Majesty is still reviewing memorials,” Zhao Hai replied with a slight bow.

Shen Yian didn’t respond, and the two just silently looked at each other.

“Your Highness, these new clothes suit you well,” Zhao Hai said with a smile after a few seconds.

“Mm, I think so too,” Shen Yian replied.@@novelbin@@

Zhao Hai lowered his voice intentionally: “This old servant dares to ask, were they made for Your Highness by the Princess Consort?”

With only a few days left, addressing her as such in private didn’t seem inappropriate to Zhao Hai, especially since the person before him seemed pleased to hear it.

Mm!

Old Zhao still had a good eye!

Reward!

A silver note worth one thousand taels fell into Zhao Hai’s arms. Shen Yian didn’t speak, but the smile on his face said everything.

“Sixth Son!” Emperor Wu’s voice called out.

“Your son is here!” Shen Yian quickly entered the Imperial Study.

Emperor Wu asked coldly from his elevated position: “Were these clothes made for you by that little girl of the Ye family?”

He had heard the conversation outside clearly.

“In response to Father Emperor, yes,” Shen Yian replied with a bow.

“There are still some days until the grand wedding. Don’t be too hasty.”

“Your son will remember Father Emperor’s teachings!”

Looking at Shen Yian’s face, Emperor Wu couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.

This child’s sword strike that killed the Barbarian Lord must have had some of “her” style from that one sword strike that saved him years ago.

Emperor Wu then asked about the recent northern expedition to slay the barbarians.

Through Shen Yian’s narration, Emperor Wu gained a more detailed understanding of the Barbarian Nation’s strength.

The father and son chatted for a while. Emperor Wu had long since figured out why Shen Yian had come to the palace tonight.

“Go on, get some rest early.”

“I request that Father Emperor also rest early.”

“Mm.” Emperor Wu nodded, signaling Zhao Hai to summon a red-robed eunuch.

Led by the red-robed eunuch, Shen Yian arrived at a solitary ancient pavilion.

[Great Qing Martial Pavilion]

“Your Highness, you’ll have to walk the rest of the way yourself,” the red-robed eunuch said respectfully.

“Mm.” Shen Yian nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor beneath his feet.

Within ten steps of entering the Martial Pavilion, Shen Yian’s form began to visibly distort.

This was the maze formation encompassing the entire Martial Pavilion. If one entered without the proper token, they would become lost within, and if unlucky, might trigger the killing formation, leaving no trace of their remains.

After two steps, Shen Yian suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, as if in a glass maze.

Two more steps, and a blinding light instinctively made him close his eyes.

Opening them, he found himself surrounded by stacks of rolled bamboo scrolls. He had entered the interior of the Martial Pavilion.

“Hm? Someone’s come in.” A man’s deep, slightly hoarse voice came through, reminiscent of a smoker’s voice from his past life.

Shen Yian turned towards the sound and bowed respectfully, “Fifth Uncle.”

A middle-aged man with a scholarly air emerged from behind a mountain of scrolls, his long robes trailing behind him.

“Oh! Little An!” Seeing it was Shen Yian, Shen Lingxiu’s tone immediately became frivolous.

“Fifth Uncle!” Shen Yian replied, his mouth twitching slightly as he steeled himself.

The middle-aged man before him was Emperor Wu’s younger brother, the former Fifth Prince, now King of Langya and guardian of the Martial Pavilion – Shen Lingxiu.

In the original story, Sanqing Mountain was attacked by unknown forces and was in a dire situation. National Master Lu Wenxuan was forced to leave Tianwu City and never returned. It was also during this time that Emperor Wu suddenly passed away, and chaos began to spread across the land.

This King of Langya left the Martial Pavilion to save Great Qing from the brink of collapse. The two Heavenly Martial Realm protectors and four Heavenly Martial Realm elders of the Demonic Sect came prepared to storm the Martial Pavilion.

To protect the Martial Pavilion, Shen Lingxiu fought one against six, burning his entire life force to kill three Demonic Sect elders. The remaining three, severely injured, fled in panic, unable to break the formation.

Whether due to plot design or some other reason, in the original story, there wasn’t a single expert in this vast imperial palace or Tianwu City to help Shen Lingxiu, who ultimately died as a tragic hero.

Shen Yian frowned, choosing to stop thinking about it. Any more thought and he’d start growing extra brain cells.

“Little An, what brings you here so late?” Shen Lingxiu tossed aside the bamboo scroll in his hand and reached out to pinch Shen Yian’s cheek.

“Tsk, not as soft as when you were little.”

Shen Yian felt that Shen Tengfeng might be like this when he got old. They were both Fifth Princes – the coincidence was truly frightening.

“Fifth Uncle, I’ve come to find a sword technique,” Shen Yian stated his purpose directly.

“A sword technique?” Shen Lingxiu was surprised.

“Fifth Uncle.” Shen Yian took out a black jade token.

“Good lad, did Second Brother give you this?” Shen Lingxiu laughed heartily upon seeing the token.

“It was Father Emperor who gave it to me.”

“Alright, alright, come with me then.”

Shen Lingxiu didn’t waste time and led Shen Yian through piles of scrolls before suddenly stopping.

“It’s here.”

“Come, Little An, give me a hand.”

Shen Yian was startled and some unpleasant memories resurfaced.

Together, they lifted two extremely heavy floor tiles to the side.

Indeed, the mechanisms of the old Shen Family were this simple and unadorned, relying purely on manpower to open. Non-Shen Family members truly wouldn’t be able to find it.

As for the rumors that the highest level of the Martial Pavilion hid world-shaking, peerless martial arts – that was all to fool outsiders.

The old Shen Family wasn’t stupid. The truly good stuff was definitely hidden deep enough. There was still a vast underground palace beneath the imperial palace.

The Martial Pavilion and the Armory were connected through this underground palace. Through it, Shen Yian could also take a detour to visit the Armory.

Beneath the floor tiles was a totem of a golden crow embracing the sun. Shen Lingxiu placed his large hand on the totem, continuously infusing it with crimson-gold true qi.

“Click!”

The totem dissipated, revealing a deep staircase before their eyes.

Shen Lingxiu waved his sleeve, and white orbs on both sides of the wall lit up with a warm orange glow.

“Let’s go, Little An. You should be familiar with the way.”

Shen Yian nodded, following behind Shen Lingxiu down the stairs step by step.

The stone door at the end of the staircase still needed Shen Lingxiu to open it.

A real human key?

This thought popped up in Shen Yian’s mind again.

Why “again”?

He had the same thought the first time he came here years ago!

As the stone door opened, a gust of wind made their hair dance wildly.

“Go make your choice, Little An. I’ll wait for you here. Better be quick, I’m getting a bit sleepy.” Shen Lingxiu yawned widely on the spot.

“Thank you, Fifth Uncle.”

“Why are you being so polite to me? Just bring me some interesting books next time, preferably ones with pictures.”

Shen Lingxiu patted the back of Shen Yian’s head, and his smile suddenly became a little obscene.

Shen Yian laughed awkwardly.

Suddenly, he somewhat regretted not buying Shan Yue’s treasured book.