In the lavish room used to receive guests or organize solemn parties in the Eastern Palace, the center of the room was a large wooden table full of sumptuous dishes that ordinary people, even if loved, could not try. Two tall and muscular dragons, their faces already wrinkled, their hair a few strands of hair changing color, were sitting and chatting, sometimes laughing loudly.
"Ling Guang, you are a heavy person; there is no harm, the queen has passed away for so long, but you still don't go any further; you don't want to take care of your old age; you see now that you have to raise more another little dragon, maybe by the time you come back to the land, you still haven't reached the age of adulthood! Hahaha!” – Ming Shan holds a glass of wine and shakes it lightly, the sound of ice hitting the glass.
"I can't forget Liu Wu; what he knew that day was that I killed her; this hand killed Ling Tian; I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of her. atonement.” After finishing the sentence, Ling Guang drank the glass of wine in one breath, his left hand on the table tightened and turned white, his hoarse voice filled with many emotions.
"Haiz, no matter what, we've been friends for almost a lifetime; I don't want to see you so depressed; the deceased is also gone, the second son is back, don't worry." – Put the wine glass on the table, stood up, approached him, patted Ling Guang on the shoulder to comfort him, realized he had just forgotten something, said: “Those two old men are so slow, they have not come yet. Also, next time you should learn to invite them a day early!"
"Calm down, maybe—"
"Your Majesty, the Eastern King, the princess wants to open a martial arts exchange tournament with the second prince Ling Tian; I ask for your approval." – The one who reported it was none other than Ming Rui's close bodyguard, hurriedly returning from the rustic market to the East Palace, sweat dripping from his body, flowing down the carpet lined with rare fur.
"This girl, isn't it enough to practice martial arts at home? Come here; I want to cause trouble again, clean! There's no competition right now, fighting someone who doesn't fight, bullying a child." – After hearing a silly plea from the servant, Ming Shan angrily slammed the table and stood up.
“Ming Shan, calm down. Ling Tian must be teasing something again; this boy likes to make others angry and then run away; I think this is not a bad idea; I also want to see the strength of the princess of the North."
"Then I'll tell her to go easy on your youngest dragon."
"Your Majesty, the princess wants the crown prince to compete with the second prince of the East."
“WHAT…WHAT? NO!!!" – Ming Shan was angry, threw the glass on the table to the ground and broke, the pieces of glass were scattered, heard the sound of broken furniture, the maid in the palace rushed to clean up, and Ming Rui close the servant knelt on the carpet, not daring to face his angry son.
“I agree! I want to see what kind of power the Prince of the North has." – Ling Guang stood up, extinguished Ming Shan’s anger, waved his hand to tell all the servants to retreat, then looked at the North’s angry King, nodded slightly.
***
Beautiful garden full of plant varieties, stretching green with the most care, sitting and enjoying the hot, smoky, bitter tea while looking at the trees; it’s been a long time since Ming Jun has relaxed. So, temporarily avoiding the days of hard martial arts training and the days when helping the father to approve the writing of the other headache, I feel like this place is no different from heaven, rarely relaxing outside the North. Supply must take time to enjoy.
Drinking a sip of tea, getting up and stretching, he wanted to return to his body to bask in the sun and sleep comfortably when he heard hurried footsteps; he glanced at him and realized that this was his sister's close bodyguard. Himself, not bothering to care, the crown prince of the North continued to pour another cup of tea, gently blowing it to his mouth.
Hearing the news like lightning hit his ears, Minh Jun wanted to spit water out of his mouth; he felt this was crazy; was it because he spoiled Ming Rui too much, exchanging martial arts with a dragon who was still underage? As an adult, this is bullying the weaker, quickly protesting to the bodyguard, angrily turning his back to his room.
“Prince, this exchange contest… has been approved by the two kings. Prince, get ready."
Ming Jun: “…”
***
Returning from the famous market, Ling Tian was sweating profusely and saw his father talking to Ming Shan; he immediately rushed to hug him, knowing his loose temper; Ling Guang patted his head, no Let him say something; Ling Tian stuck out to Ming Shan's tongue and continued to run away, shouting:
"Father, rest assured, I will win!"
The two middle-aged dragons looked at each other, Ling Guang shook his head, not knowing how to explain, but the person opposite him laughed:
“Hahaha! Ling Guang, your youngest son, is so interesting; I can't wait to watch this match. But since it's getting dark, it's better to leave tomorrow, wait for those two slow old men to come and see."
"Okay, please, the eldest, you are a guest of the Eastern Palace. Can I do as I please?"
After being absorbed in shopping, she got lost with Ling Tian, impatiently looking everywhere; it turned out that he had met Ming Rui and left first. Si Mei was worried that the princess of the North was bullying this little dragon, so she went to the East Palace to find out about tomorrow's competition. Although he has been practicing martial arts with Ling Tian for the past year, it is just regular physical training, let alone a dragon who has not yet revealed his ability.
“No, normally he thinks about everything he does; why did he agree to fight someone this time without knowing the opponent's strength?”
Thinking for a long time, she still couldn't find the answer, so she went to his private room to ask about the matter. Walking quickly in the corridor, he saw Ling Tian holding many skillfully crafted iron weapons, made of monolithic metal with hefty weight, which a dragon who has not yet reached adulthood can Carry so much; Si Mei could not help but be surprised but still hurriedly walked over.
“Ling Tian, did you have a headache after all? Why agree with her to create this match? Do you know how powerful they are? Even you and Ling Jie are not rivals."
Ling Tian threw a bunch of weapons on the ground with a jingling sound. She didn't answer or look at her face, just looked down at a few weapons, choosing one.
“Ling Tian, you have to answer! I can't fight them!" – Si Mei was hot and shallow; he lifted his collar, forcing him to stand up to face her.
Disturbed, his irises changed from the blue of the sea to the red of blood, his aura sent her flying, his back hit the tree trunk, he fell, blood gushed out of his mouth, and he looked up—the young dragon in front.
Ling Tian stood and looked at her without asking any questions, his eyes were red and striped, and he coldly said:
“Sister, I will show them… what strength is!”
Si Mei exclaimed; the person in front of her eyes was not the innocent second prince she knew anymore but an angry dragon; his voice deepened with a roar, his fangs were exposed, and his aura radiated. Into the air:
“Your Majesty… what are you saying?”
"Relax, see you tomorrow." - Ignoring Si Mei's question, he continued to squat, tail wagging, restored to the previous state, and continued to select weapons. Realizing that there was no suitable weapon for him, he dejectedly returned to his room, slamming the door, ignoring Si Mei, who was still bewilderedly watching his every move.
Clouds obscure the moon tonight; darkness is everywhere but cannot cover the bustling atmosphere of the Eastern Palace; the lights are brightly lit because tonight is a party to welcome the visit of the Northern King; the maid is close. Busy in and out serving food, armed guards with cold faces stood guard everywhere. From the corridor, Si Mei's body ached and dragged; while the Thai doctor diagnosed that her internal organs were affected by the impact of aura just now, she approached the room’s main door where the meal was being prepared. Lavish party, she endured returning to the form of a non-dignified prince.
Gently salute and then sit at the banquet table, looking around. Everyone has gathered but still missing Ling Tian; not only does she wonder, but Ling Guang also asks:
“The second prince has not come yet? I think you two go together."
Si Mei smiled wryly and replied, "Your Majesty, the second prince returned before me, so I think the second prince came first."
King of Eastern's face narrowed, usually at every meal; he was the youngest son who was aggressive in the previous meal, also the one who finished the meal the fastest, sometimes even like an average child who used his hands to play with food and then smeared itWhenen scolded, he laughed and ran away until now he has not seen his face.
"Everybody is welcome; the second prince hasn't arrived yet; I have to see how he is." – Worried about his children, he got up and quickly walked out of the room; Si Mei was also the same, hurriedly following him.
“Your Majesty, please stop. I have something to say.” – Ling Guang walked quite fast; Si Mei had to run to catch up with him, panting.
"What? Are you two mad at each other?"
Si Mei told him about Ling Tian's strange actions; his face changed color, and he said nothing but sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. Behind him, a figure was coming; both turned around startled; Ling Tian was dressed in formal clothes, posing as an elegant second prince, his hair was neatly combed, slicked upwards, and his tail wafted. Comfortable swing.
“Ling Tian, why are you here now? Is there anything unwell?" – Ling Guang impatiently checked his body and was touched by his father's big hand; because he was tickled, he chuckled: "It's so touchy! Hahaha! You must choose your weapon for tomorrow.”
"So, have you found anything you like yet?"
Ling Tian shook his head, his face showing a depressed expression, but his nose caught the scent of food, restored to its original state, and rushed to the dining room without respecting anyone.
Ling Guang and Si Mei were helpless, only sighing, thinking back to the
story earlier; he couldn't help but worry and ordered the crown prince to return. After that, the two returned to the banquet table.
Quickly sitting at the banquet table, his position opposite the princess of the North, facing each other, made the atmosphere from fun to tenser; Ming Rui recalled his teasing times without being angry, and Ling Tian still used the same old tricks to annoy her. There was going to be a war on the dinner table; Ming Shan had to speak out to make peace:
"Wait until tomorrow if you want to hit, then hit, now eat it, don't ruin the happy atmosphere of others. As for you, the road is a princess, and everywhere you go, you ask to compete with others."
"Father~ You have to defend me; this little dragon man wants to learn our martial arts."
“Why did you let the crown prince compete? Why am I afraid?"
“Father~ You say that as if you were criticizing me. This little dragon man doesn't hit women, so he had to let his big brother give him a lesson."
Ming Shan moved his eyes to Ling Tian, coughed for an hour, and then continued to eat; the second prince of the East still peacefully ate and drank; regardless of everything around, still like every day, he was the one who ate. The fastest at the table left a greeting and sped out.
And just like that, the party went smoothly until late into the night…
***
The party ended, and Ling Guang returned to his room; although he drank a lot, he still did not feel tired; on the contrary, he was still very alert and worried about the story Si Mei told earlier, turning to his son's figure lying on the bed. Sleep well, clothes in disarray, kicking blankets and pillows to the floor. I don't know where I got my hobby of listening to ghost stories and then haunting him, clinging to him every night, determined not to sleep alone; before I could agree, I brought all the blankets and pillows to his room.
Covering the boy with blankets, arranging the pillows indiscriminately on the bed, he could not sleep, gazing at the moonless starry sky through the window, his ears ringing the advice of the first elder that day.
“Having power… but unrecognized. Ling Tian, I'm sorry..."