Upon hearing the name "Black-and-White Twin Fiends," all the surrounding soldiers' expressions changed dramatically. Fear flashed in their eyes as they quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed over to protect Prince Daniel Jiang.
"Black-and-White Twin Fiends? Are they famous?" Ian Song tore off a golden-brown roasted rabbit leg, took a bite, and asked.
General Bruce Meng glanced around warily and said in a low voice, "Young Master Song, you may not know since you’ve just returned from overseas—the Black-and-White Twin Fiends are notorious villains in the Qi Kingdom. They’re ruthless, commit every imaginable crime, and are especially skilled with poisons. They once poisoned an entire small county in our Qi Kingdom, killing all fifty thousand inhabitants and turning it into a dead city. Their crimes are countless, and on the evil-doers ranking, they’re listed at number seven."
"Since you old man know our names, you’d better hand over the Qi Crown Prince. Otherwise, you’ll all die!"
The voices continued to drift and echo from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint their location.
"Young Master Song," General Bruce Meng suddenly turned to Ian Song and said, "I beg you to escort His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess to Edgehaven."
"What? You’re not escorting them yourself?" Ian Song asked in confusion.
A look of grim determination flashed in Bruce Meng’s eyes—he was clearly prepared to die: "Young Master Song, I’ll lead my soldiers to stall the Black-and-White Twin Fiends. You take His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess and go! The Crown Prince is the hope of the Qi Kingdom. As long as he survives, our kingdom still has a chance. So please, you must protect His Highness at all costs."
"I don’t agree!" Ian Song took another bite of rabbit leg.
With a thud, Bruce Meng knelt in front of Ian Song, his face pleading. "Young Master Song, I beg you! As long as you get His Highness the Crown Prince to Edgehaven, you’ll be the great benefactor of all Qi Kingdom people."
"General Meng, it's not as serious as you think. Get up!" Ian Song casually lifted his hand, and Bruce Meng was raised up by an invisible force. "Come, have some roast meat to calm your nerves!"
As he spoke, Ian Song tore off another piece of rabbit leg and handed it to Bruce Meng.
"Young Master Song..."
Ian Song, a bit bored, withdrew his hand. "Forget it. Since General Meng is so sincere, I'll deal with those two noisy crows first."
"Caw, caw, brat, do you know who we...!"
"Shut up!"
With a cold shout, Ian Song snapped the rabbit bone in his hand in two and flicked each piece in a different direction.
"Agh! Ah!"
In no time, two miserable screams rang out.
Ian Song clapped his hands and smiled at Bruce Meng. "It's over. Things are quiet now."
Bruce Meng was stunned—could the Black-and-White Twin Fiends really have been dealt with by Ian Song using just a rabbit bone?
"You few, go take a look."
Bruce Meng ordered several soldiers.
"Yes, General!"
The soldiers followed orders, and soon returned with two corpses—one dressed in white robes, the other in black.
"So these are the Black-and-White Twin Fiends?" Seeing the two bodies, the soldiers looked on with curiosity.
"Young Master Song is truly formidable—the Black-and-White Twin Fiends were killed by him with nothing but a rabbit bone!"
"That's right! Young Master Song is practically a divine being!"
Listening to the soldiers' chatter, Bruce Meng felt a complex mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.
"Here, General Meng, have some rabbit meat." Ian Song handed another rabbit leg to Bruce Meng, but noticed Prince Daniel Jiang watching hungrily from the side.
"Thank you, Young Master Song!" Bruce Meng accepted it with both hands, but then saw Prince Daniel Jiang's eyes locked tightly on the rabbit leg in his hand. Out of loyalty, Bruce Meng hesitated, then handed it to Daniel. "Your Highness, please."
Prince Daniel Jiang snatched the rabbit leg and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.
"So delicious!"
With just one bite, Prince Daniel Jiang was conquered by the taste of the roast meat. He'd eaten all sorts of delicacies in the palace, but never anything as delicious as this.
Very quickly, Daniel finished the rabbit leg, almost swallowing the bone as well. Then, his eyes greedily fixed on the rest of the meat in Ian Song's hand.
"Your Highness, perhaps you should return to the carriage and rest?" General Bruce Meng suggested in a low voice.
But Prince Daniel Jiang ignored him, once again marching up to Ian Song: "Hey, I, the Crown Prince, want more! If you give me your roast meat, I'll make you a high official!"
Ian Song shot him an annoyed look. "Make me an official? Your Qi Kingdom is already destroyed—what office could you possibly grant me?"
"How dare you disrespect me!" Prince Daniel Jiang fumed.
"Stop pestering me and ruining my appetite, or I'll toss you out!" Ian Song snapped.
Prince Daniel Jiang was furious, his finger trembling as he pointed at Ian Song and shouted, "You... you scoundrel! General Meng, seize him at once! I, the Crown Prince, shall see him punished for his crime!"
"Your Highness, perhaps you should return to the carriage and rest," General Bruce Meng said awkwardly.
"No! I must see him punished for his disrespect!"
At a time like this, what crime could you possibly punish him for? General Bruce Meng was at a loss for words. Helpless, he could only look to Princess Jade Fox.
Princess Jade Fox stepped forward, gently taking Daniel's hand and softly saying, "Your Highness, come back to the carriage with me."
"Hmph!"
Seeing even General Bruce Meng refuse to side with him, Daniel had no choice but to follow Princess Jade Fox back to the carriage.
"Young Master Song, please forgive His Highness, he did not mean..."
Ian Song waved his hand. "General Meng, you worry too much. How could I stoop to argue with a child? But honestly, that boy is in dire need of discipline. The Qi Kingdom is in ruins and he still acts like a crown prince—if you expect him to restore the kingdom, I have my doubts!"
"Grrr..."
At that moment, a strange sound echoed. Ian Song glanced at Princess Jade Fox's stomach; she blushed furiously, her face turning bright red—even her ears weren't spared.
"Young Master Song, I should take my leave now."
"Wait."
Ian Song stopped her.
"Do you have any instructions for me, Young Master Song?" Princess Jade Fox asked.
"Here, eat this." Ian Song took a piece of bread from his storage ring and handed it to Princess Jade Fox.
"Thank you." Princess Jade Fox accepted the bread. As soon as she held it, a sweet milky aroma wafted up, and her stomach growled again despite herself.
Seeing Princess Jade Fox was about to leave again, Ian Song stopped her once more, gesturing for her to eat here—if she took the bread back, Daniel would surely snatch it from her.
Princess Jade Fox nodded shyly, then began to eat in small, elegant bites. The bread was made from refined flour, which didn't exist in this era. To Ian Song, it was ordinary, but to her, it was an exquisite delicacy.
Although Princess Jade Fox was very hungry, she ate with refined manners.
Moved, Ian Song took out a bottle of cola, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her. "Have some water."
Princess Jade Fox looked at the black liquid inside the plastic bottle, her eyes full of confusion. "What is this?"