Two days later—
On the third day, their journey finally resumed, and the group set off in grand style toward the Martial Conference.
Along the way, they kept running into groups of martial artists traveling together—mostly sects. In the martial world, if you aren't strong, it's better to join a sect. That way, just announcing your affiliation gives you some face.
“Fourth Brother, what are you up to?” Ivy asked, watching Liam Willow bent over in the carriage, scribbling nonstop in his book.
“Nothing, just reading some essays,” Liam replied without looking up, still diligently jotting things down.
Seeing this, Ivy knew it wasn’t as simple as reading. Ever since they’d returned to Ruiland City, she’d noticed Liam acting a bit off, like he was hiding something from her. But she didn’t want to pry—she trusted that whatever he was up to, he’d never hurt her.
“Alright, almost done,” Liam murmured to himself, then lightly crossed out a line with his brush, closed the book, and sat up straight. He looked at Ivy and smiled, “Xin’er, are we almost at the Martial Conference?” As he spoke, he carefully tucked the notebook into his bundle, handling it like a precious treasure.
“Yeah,” Ivy replied. Honestly, she was dying to know what he was writing, but seeing he didn’t plan to show her, she held back her curiosity.
“Hyah! Hyah!” Suddenly, the urgent sound of galloping hooves made their carriage screech to a halt. Outside, the other five frowned, glancing toward the source of the commotion.
“Don’t go out,” Liam said, seeing the carriage stop and reaching to lift the curtain, but Ivy stopped him. “Stay here. The others will handle it,” she added, looking relaxed as ever.
“Your Majesty...” Suddenly, even before the horse reached them, the respectful shout made Ivy, who’d been resting her eyes inside the carriage, open them slightly. Your Majesty? Are they looking for Ethan Chu?
“General Nee greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!” Armored General Nee dismounted and knelt, bowing deeply to Ethan.
“Rise. Did something happen in Chu Kingdom?” Ethan asked calmly, glancing at the breathless General Nee.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, all is well in Chu. Grand Master Zhang is managing things smoothly.” General Nee replied from his knees. This Grand Master Zhang was the imperial physician recommended by his own teacher—honest, diligent, and beloved by the people. That’s why Ethan promoted him to Grand Master, to govern in his absence.
“Oh? If everything’s fine, then why are you here?”
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Soaring Phoenix has arrived with a princess, supposedly for a family visit, but in reality, they want to discuss an alliance between our two countries.” General Nee reported honestly. Such a major affair was beyond Grand Master Zhang’s authority, so he sent Nee riding hard to notify the emperor.
Hearing this, Ivy lifted the curtain and hopped lightly out of the carriage, with Liam following close behind.
“Xin’er,” Ethan called softly to Ivy, knowing she really resented Song Zhijue. Now that Song wanted to ally with Chu, his motives were bound to be shady.
“He moves fast—already thinking of teaming up with you, Sixth Brother.” Ivy smiled coolly, her voice tinged with frost.
“He’s really prepared, huh?” Lucian scoffed, lips curling in disdain. Song Zhijue was thinking of roping in Chu Kingdom too—was he that scared of losing the throne, or did he want to swallow up all the small countries? If so, his ambition was way too big.
“Sixth Brother, now that you’ve suddenly become the Emperor of Chu, are you planning to accept Song Zhijue’s proposal, or...?” Ivy narrowed her eyes at Ethan, her meaning clear: Don’t forget the promise you made me. Sure, I might be ‘amnesiac’ right now, but Adrian and Lucian haven’t forgotten a thing.
“Xin’er, as your husband I’ll always stand with you!” Ethan blurted out in a panic, but when he saw the sharp glares from the other handsome men, he quickly corrected himself: “I mean, as your Sixth Brother, of course I remember the family vendetta.” Her enemies were his enemies—they were all one family!
“Sixth Brother, you’re the best.” Ivy finally smiled, and Ethan let out a breath of relief. For some reason, whenever Ivy looked cold and unsmiling, he got nervous, like he’d done something terribly wrong.
“At least you have some conscience,” Adrian muttered icily. If Ethan ever tried to help Song Zhijue, Adrian would be the first to cut him down!
“Since Song wants to meet you, why not go back to Chu and see what he’s planning?” Ivy tilted her head, looking especially innocent. Her big, sparkling eyes seemed to say, If you don’t check it out, we’ll never know what the bad guys are up to!
Seeing this, Ethan frowned in confusion. Of course he wanted to know what Song Zhijue was plotting. Adrian and Lucian hadn’t told him about Xin’er’s identity, but he guessed Song didn’t know where she was either. He’d heard rumors of a lost princess or prince in the serpent realm—so Xin’er was that princess. But why wasn’t Song looking for his own sister? Or were there still secrets left to uncover?
But he didn’t want to leave. Xin’er was perfect—lively, cute, sweet, and sexy, a total ten in every way.
Right now, she didn’t remember their ‘husband’ past, which gave him a rare chance to pursue her on equal footing with the others. But if he left and she regained her memory, what if, by the time he returned, she’d accepted the others but not him? What then?!
A whole string of worries made Ethan frown deeper and deeper. What was he supposed to do?!
“Sixth Brother, you’ll help Xin’er, right? If you don’t go, we’ll never know what the villains are plotting!” Sensing Ethan’s hesitation, Ivy pressed him again. The others immediately chimed in, “Exactly, exactly!”
Hearing that, Ethan glared at the others. These guys were all up to no good—each one hoping to shove the rest aside and have Xin’er to himself. So annoying!
“Which matters more—romance or Xin’er’s life?” Adrian quietly asked, stepping to Ethan’s side for the first time.
He was a man too, so he understood Ethan’s dilemma. If he were in Ethan’s shoes, he’d be just as torn. But he wanted Ethan to realize: love can wait, but life only happens once. If someone takes her life, what’s left to talk about love?
“Alright, I get it.” Honestly, Ethan really disliked Adrian—he couldn’t even say why, just did. But he had to admit, Adrian was right. As a king, he had to think of his people and his beloved. It was his duty to protect them. Love could wait; there was plenty of time for that!
“Old Six, come back soon!” Butterfly Rogue waved his handkerchief dramatically, reluctant to see Ethan go. With Ethan gone, who would help him when the others bullied him? Why couldn’t it be Caleb leaving instead?!
Ethan coughed lightly and called Butterfly Rogue over: “Come here, I need to talk to you.”
“Huh?” Butterfly Rogue blinked. What was there to talk about?
Pulling Butterfly Rogue aside, Ethan lowered his voice: “With me gone, you’ll be fighting solo. You gotta hold the line!”
“Oh, I thought it was something serious. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely hold the line. That’s a given!” Butterfly Rogue grinned.
Seeing this, Ethan coughed again and squeezed Butterfly Rogue’s hand, leaning in to whisper: “Remember, if anything happens, send me a message by carrier pigeon, okay? I need to know everything that’s going on.”
Butterfly Rogue caught Ethan’s eye and flashed a sly grin. “Oh, I get it—this was the main thing you wanted to tell me, right?”
“Just remember, okay?” Ethan hated that look of being seen through—it made him super uncomfortable!
“Got it, got it, don’t worry! I’ll keep you updated at all times,” Butterfly Rogue promised, thumping his chest.
Satisfied, Ethan nodded, then jumped onto his horse and called out to the group, “See you at the Martial Conference!” With a flourish of the reins, he galloped away.
They thought that was the end of the drama, but trouble always comes in bunches. Before the convoy could move, Aiden came charging up, riding like a whirlwind. He tumbled off his horse and scrambled forward, nearly tripping over himself.
“Palace Master! Palace Master!”
“Aiden?” Seeing him so flustered, Adrian’s heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition creeping in.
“Palace Master, I’ve been searching everywhere for you! You need to return to Ice Palace right away—the Old Master is gravely ill and may not make it!” Aiden blurted out, panic written all over his face.
“What?!” Everyone was shocked.
*****
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