Chapter 64
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Although only half the words were spoken, Xue Yao had already realized that the person who had helped him in the garden yesterday was actually the chubby cub!
What on earth happened?
He had only been out of the palace for two months!
How did the chubby cub become so elusive and seem to have his own radar?
He had only just unblocked his Du and Ren meridians!
In the novel, Lu Qian was ambushed by the Third Prince after accompanying the sovereign on a military campaign. It was during his period of hiding that he encountered two peerless martial arts masters who taught him their skills.
It was impossible for him to turn into Long Aotian right now, not to mention that Long Aotian didn’t have baby fat after he had matured!
“Your Highness!” Xue Yao grabbed the chubby cub’s arm and whispered, “After recovering from the Third Prince’s kick, did you feel any differences?”
“Yes,” the Seventh Prince replied with a cold expression.
“When did it start?” Xue Yao’s mood was a bit agitated. Could it be that his chubby cub was going to master extraordinary martial arts ahead of schedule?
“Last month.”
“Specifically, what feels different?” Xue Yao was curious about the world of martial arts experts.
“The milk Aunt brought in every day, it’s all spoiled,” the Seventh Prince said with a tinge of despair.
Xue Yao: “……”
The seasoned milk that was prepared before departure was all sealed and stored in the ice chamber by the palace maids. How could it go bad in just a month!
No wonder the chubby cub’s sense of security plummeted so quickly in the recent past!
Wait, he didn’t ask about that!
“Your Highness, I was asking if you felt any unusual sensations in your body,” Xue Yao returned to the main topic.
Seventh Prince: “Does diarrhea count?”
Xue Yao: “……”
Since the milk has gone bad, why drink it still!
“Oh… no wonder Your Highness has slimmed down in the past two months.” Xue Yao felt deeply responsible for the mishandled milk situation. He gently pinched the Seventh Prince’s chubby cheeks and comforted him, “Today, I’ve brought two pots of milk for Your Highness. Have one before your sword practice, and the other when you return to the palace, alright?”
【Lu Qian’s sense of security +3】
The Seventh Prince remained composed, still coldly questioning, “Will you feed it to Your Highness yourself?”
“I will, I’ll feed both pots to you!” Xue Yao immediately offered.
【Lu Qian’s sense of security +7】
“Hmph.” The Seventh Prince, though still pouting, arrogantly extended his arms and tilted his neck forward.
This was the Seventh Prince’s grand gesture of seeking a hug.
Xue Yao quickly embraced the chubby cub and smoothed his hair. “Obedient Your Highness, we’ll add a pot of milk every day this month, but we’ll have a little less meat, or else Consort Xi will scold Your Highness for getting fat again.”
The Seventh Prince immediately grumbled in discontent, nuzzling his head against Xue Yao’s shoulder.
“Alright, alright, we’ll have meat too, we’ll have meat too!” Xue Yao quickly gave in.
Well, the chubby cub would eventually slim down when learning martial arts from the master. It was better to let him stay naturally plump!
He was a servant without principles!
Unexpectedly, with just two pots of milk, he managed to restore most of the chubby cub’s sense of security.
Although the Seventh Prince’s attitude still had a mischievous edge, he no longer deliberately ignored him.
Xue Yao breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that this Long Aotian cub would remain this easy to deal with as he grew up!
He followed the three young princes to the training grounds.
In the two months when the Sixth Prince and Xue Yao accompanied the Crown Prince out of the capital, the Fifth Prince couldn’t find any brothers to practice with, so he had to drag his very tired Seventh Brother to spar on the training field every day.
What was infuriating was that this chubby little brother never practiced swordsmanship, yet he managed to humiliate the Fifth Prince in every single duel.
Now, with the return of the Sixth Prince, the Fifth Prince had regained his former glory. He could offer guidance to his sixth brother in swordsmanship and, in passing, reprimand the lazy seventh brother lounging at the teahouse.
Life was back at its peak!
On their eleventh exchange, the Fifth Prince disarmed the Sixth Prince.
It had been a long time since he felt such a sense of achievement. In a moment of excitement, the Fifth Prince dropped his longsword and hugged Sixth Brother, saying with heartfelt emotion, “Your return is truly a blessing!”
Unaware of the truth, the Sixth Prince showed a special tassel he had bought in Jinling and said to his elder brother, “Look, do you like it?”
When Xue Yao saw the craft item the Sixth Prince had purchased from out of town, he suddenly remembered that he had brought a few carefully selected pouches to give to the imperial princes.
“Your Highness, I’ve also brought gifts for you and the Fifth Prince. Let’s go and take a look.”
The Seventh Prince, who had just been fed a pot of milk, was still in a docile mood and obediently followed from a distance to the training grounds.
From his sleeve pocket, Xue Yao retrieved three delicate pouches and handed the indigo pouch embroidered with a fierce brown tiger to the Fifth Prince. He said, “This one is for you, Fifth Prince. Take a look and see if it suits your taste.”
The Fifth Prince handed his sword to his attendant and wiped the sweat from his palms on his robe. He accepted the pouch Xue Yao had given him, admired it for a moment, and said with a smile, “You have a keen eye. The tiger is embroidered vividly, quite majestic!”
Seeing that he liked it, Xue Yao couldn’t help but smile.
In order, he then presented the pouch prepared for the Sixth Prince — a pale green pouch embroidered with lotus flowers, perfectly matching his gentle and elegant demeanor.
The Sixth Prince accepted it with a smile, holding it up and tilting his head in curiosity. “It looks unique, but it’s only embroidered with lotus flowers. Is it suitable for me?”
Seeing that Silly Yaoyao had just given his big brother a pouch typically used by young ladies, the Seventh Prince couldn’t contain his amusement and mischievously reminded the Sixth Prince, “Big Brother, put on some rouge to go with it. It matches perfectly.”
“Hahahahaha!” The Fifth Prince, seeing the pouch of Sixth Brother, burst into laughter!
Xue Yao then took out the last pouch, which was pink and embroidered with a pair of chubby and adorable baby birds on both sides, and handed it to the Seventh Prince. “This one is for Your Highness. Do you like it?”
The Seventh Prince lowered his head and saw the outrageously pink pouch with cute little birds handed to him by Yaoyao. The smile on his chubby face gradually faded.
His Highness refused to accept the pouch!
“Wahahahahahaha!” The Fifth Prince was in stitches, his laughter so hard that his stomach hurt. “A’Yao, you really have a wicked sense of humor! This little pink bird suits Seventh Brother perfectly!”
Xue Yao glanced down at the small chubby birds on the pouch. It was so cute, almost like a personification of his chubby cub. Indeed, it was a perfect fit!
He looked up expectantly and asked, “Does Your Highness like it?”
The Seventh Prince quickly took the pouch and stuffed it into his arms, offering no comment, nor did he want anyone else to see it.
From his pocket, the Sixth Prince took out a lake-blue hairpin and handed it to Xue Yao. “This hairpin matches the color of your coronet, consider it my return gift.”
Xue Yao hurriedly refused, “Just a little pouch, no need for a return gift.”
The Sixth Prince smiled faintly, took a step forward, removed the pin from Xue Yao’s coronet, and replaced it with the hairpin he had prepared. After a moment’s observation, he smiled at Xue Yao and said, “It suits you very well.”
The Seventh Prince became even more upset.
The Fifth Prince, tired from laughing, looked around and noticed that their instructor were absent. Suddenly, a mischievous idea crossed his mind. He pulled the arms of his two younger brothers and whispered, “Do you want to sneak a peek at the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground?”
“Sure!”
“Not interested.”
The Sixth Prince, who always supported his Fifth Brother, and the Seventh Prince, who was perpetually unenthusiastic about such endeavors, gave contrasting responses.
The Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground was located in the southeast corner of the training grounds. It had training facilities like climbing and rope courses, specifically designed for the imperial guards.
The training facilities had some inherent risks, so the princes couldn’t take risks lightly.
The Fifth Prince had a natural inclination for challenges and had often requested the instructor to let him have a try inside, but he had been consistently denied. Today, his mischievous idea resurfaced.
Coincidentally, with the instructor absent, the Fifth Prince made a quick decision, ignoring the objections of his Seventh Brother. He grabbed his two brothers and headed towards the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground.
“Your Highness?” A group of attendants rushed forward to intervene!
“Everyone, stay where you are!” The Fifth Prince turned back and gave the order.
The Seventh Prince vigorously shook his arm, trying to shake off his Fifth Brother’s grasp. He looked at him disdainfully and warned, “Being caught results in a beating from the instructor.”
The Fifth Prince reassured his brother, “The instructor went to help the Sixth Prince choose a suitable new weapon. He’s far away from here. By the time he returns, we’ll have already completed the challenge!”
The Seventh Prince, with a stern expression, reminded the Fifth Prince, “Big Brother, you can’t even defeat a fourth-rank guard, and there, it’s the first-rank guards…”
The Fifth Prince quickly covered his chubby brother’s mouth and forcefully dragged him towards the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground!
The isolated Sixth Prince turned to Xue Yao and said, “A’Yao, you should come too!”
Xue Yao, who had been playing possum, was thunderstruck!
These rascals were absolutely mischievous to the heavens!
Princes entering the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground without permission would be punished with twenty lashes!
If their attendants accompanied them, they would also face the same punishment!
The warm baby was determined to get him into trouble!
Since the armory was quite far from their location, the Sixth Prince assumed the instructor wouldn’t return for a long time. Excited, he ran over, grabbed Xue Yao’s wrist, and ran towards the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground.
The four of them entered the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground.
As they stepped in, they were met with a large pit filled with water. Its depth was indiscernible, measuring approximately fifteen feet in both width and length. At both ends of the pit, several thick chains were tethered.
It appeared to be a site for practicing balance and light footwork.
“This looks quite dangerous!” Xue Yao exclaimed in shock.
“That’s what makes it interesting!” The Fifth Prince briskly approached the pit, wearing an excited expression. “These chains are thick enough, and they won’t pose a challenge for me.”
After saying that, he turned to the other three and asked, “Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, do you have the courage to take on this challenge?”
“Your Highness!” Xue Yao warned the chubby cub with his eyes not to take any risks.
The Seventh Prince shrugged.
There was no need for Silly Yaoyao’s threats. The Seventh Prince wouldn’t dare to venture across the pit.
What if he fell into the water? How would he explain it to the instructor later? Pretend that he sweated while practicing swordsmanship?
The Sixth Prince hesitated slightly. If it were just a short distance of one or two yards, it would be manageable, but this pit was quite long, and the chains were not taut, making it very challenging to maintain balance.
However, the expectant look in his Fifth Brother’s eyes made it impossible for him to refuse. After some hesitation, the Sixth Prince walked over to his Fifth Brother’s side and examined the chains. “I wonder how deep this water is.”
The Fifth Prince sneered. “Afraid of what? We both know how to swim.”
The Sixth Prince straightened his back and declared, “I’m not afraid!”
“Alright! That’s the spirit!” The Fifth Prince patted the Sixth Prince on the shoulder, rolled up his sleeves, and put his hands on his hips. “I’ll go first, and you wait patiently.”
The Sixth Prince nodded.
The Fifth Prince, wearing a self-assured expression, stepped onto the chain.
Meanwhile, eunuchs from the training ground had already gone to fetch the instructor, rushing towards the Seventh Defense Formation.
They had to stop the mischievous little princes from getting themselves into trouble!
In less than half an incense stick’s time, the Fifth Prince had reached the center of the chain. He turned around and shouted to his brothers waiting by the pit, “This is too easy! The chains are so thick, it’s like walking on solid ground… Aahh!”
With a scream, the Fifth Prince, standing on the chain, fell into the water pit, clutching the chain desperately and thrashing wildly.
“Fifth Brother!” The Sixth Prince shouted in shock and hurriedly stepped onto the chain, attempting to rescue his brother.
“Oh no! I said this was too dangerous!” Xue Yao thought about going outside to get help, but then he saw the Seventh Prince, who was calm and composed, walking to a corner. There, he found a lightweight small boat and calmly pushed it into the water pit.
That was when Xue Yao finally regained his composure.
True, a training ground with a water pit must have specialized rescue tools, but in the heat of the moment, it didn’t come to mind.
At times like this, one had to admire the Long Aotian cub’s overall perspective.
Before Xue Yao could finish his silent admiration, he saw the Seventh Prince retract his right foot from the small boat and turn to look at Xue Yao. “The instructor is coming!”
Xue Yao turned to look at the entrance, but he didn’t see anyone entering.
However, considering the peculiar “radar” sensing ability of the chubby cub, it was very likely that the instructor was already within a few hundred meters!
“Quick, into the side hall!” The Seventh Prince pointed to a small door, instructing Xue Yao to go ahead while he turned and stepped onto the chain, pulling the Sixth Prince to safety “for their lives.”
“Fifth Brother is still hanging there!” The Sixth Prince anxiously pointed out.
“When he counts to ten, the instructor will rush in to save him and then give him twenty lashes,” warned the Seventh Prince, extending his hand towards the Sixth Prince and raising his chin threateningly. “Sixth Brother, do you want to get whipped together?”
Due to nervousness, the Sixth Prince didn’t think too much and quickly grabbed the Seventh Prince’s hand to climb ashore, following Xue Yao as they ran into the side hall of the training ground.
“Sixth Brother! Seventh Brother!” The Fifth Prince, hanging from the chain, hadn’t heard about the instructor’s arrival. Seeing his two brothers suddenly hand in hand, running away, his emotions were on the verge of collapse!
What kind of brothers were they!
Xue Yao and the two princes hurriedly took refuge in the side hall, which was where the palace guards usually ate, drank, and changed. In the room, aside from a few tables, there was only a large cupboard.
The Sixth Prince snapped back to reality, unable to forget about his Fifth Brother. He kept looking back towards the door.
The Seventh Prince, composed as ever, pushed Xue Yao into the large cupboard on the east side and then jumped onto the Eight Immortals table near the window. He used his arm to tap the wooden window.
The window was bolted shut from the outside.
The Seventh Prince looked around, trying to find a wooden stick to break the window and escape with Xue Yao and the Sixth Prince.
Outside the door, the Fifth Prince’s desperate cries were unsettling. The Sixth Prince couldn’t stand it. “We can’t leave Fifth Brother behind!”
Xue Yao, choked by the dust in the cupboard, struggled to push open the door. He consoled the Sixth Prince, “The instructor will be here soon. The Seventh Prince can’t be mistaken!”
“Sixth Brother! Come back, at least kick that wooden boat over to me!” Outside the door, the Fifth Prince’s cries grew even more desperate.
The Sixth Prince was in a panic. “I’ll go push the boat to Fifth Brother!”
Xue Yao couldn’t bear to listen any longer. He turned to ask the Seventh Prince, “How far is the instructor from here?”
The Seventh Prince replied with a countdown, “Eight, seven, six…”
“We can’t just leave Fifth Brother!” The Sixth Prince’s conscience was on the verge of collapse. He turned, pushed the door, and ran out to the side of the water pit, then leaped onto the wooden boat.
“Bang!“
The main gate of the training ground was pushed open.
The instructor stood at the doorway, seething with anger.
Inside the cupboard in the side hall, Xue Yao shuddered, imagining the horrifying scene of the instructor tearing into the princes with his bare hands…
Missing the best opportunity to escape through the broken window, the Seventh Prince could only quietly slip into the cupboard.
The originally spacious cupboard, which was easy to fit just Xue Yao, tilted and creaked as the chubby cub squeezed in.
The Seventh Prince stood tall, minimizing the space he occupied, and finally managed to close the cupboard door!
The empty cupboard instantly turned into a solid one, teetering on the edge of bursting.
In the darkness, Xue Yao struggled for breath due to being squeezed by the chubby prince. “Your Highness, are we not going to help Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince?”
The Seventh Prince remained incredibly composed. “Fifth Brother insisted on coming.”
Xue Yao’s conscience troubled him. “What if the Fifth Prince resents us for not showing loyalty?”
The Seventh Prince did some quick math for him, “For trespassing into the Seventh Defense Formation Training Ground, they will each receive twenty strokes. If you go out, it will only add another twenty strokes. You can’t share his punishment.”
Xue Yao: “……”
The logic was hard to refute. Suddenly, his conscience didn’t weigh as heavily.
Light from outside seeped through the door crack, casting a beam onto the chubby cub’s left face. Under his long lashes, there was no trace of emotion in the Seventh Prince’s left eye.
Xue Yao had been worried that the chubby cub might resemble Lu Qian from the novel, cold and aloof.
At this moment, the constant shouts from outside the door didn’t seem to affect the prince’s expression.
This added to Xue Yao’s growing concerns.
Could it be that despite giving all his warmth, he couldn’t change this child’s cold and indifferent nature?
“Yaoyao, the instructor will be coming in shortly,” the Seventh Prince suddenly spoke, interrupting Xue Yao’s thoughts.
“How did he know that we’re hiding here?”
“This training ground only has this one side room. Do you think the instructor can guess where one less prince might be hiding?”
“…So what do we do?”
“You stay here quietly. Wait until your grandpa leaves. You can escape through the window.” With that, the Seventh Prince gently pushed open the cabinet door and walked out.
Xue Yao didn’t quite understand and hurriedly asked, “Your Highness! Can’t we leave together?”
The Seventh Prince turned to him, suddenly furrowing his brow and reaching to remove the hairpin given to him by the Sixth Prince.
“Your grandpa likes the original one,” His Highness said stubbornly.
Xue Yao had no time to respond before the cabinet door was closed by the Seventh Prince.
Soon after, there were sounds of someone kicking at the window from outside.
Xue Yao: “? ? ?”
The chubby cub seemed to be abandoning him and making a run for it!
The heartbroken old father peered through the door crack, helplessly watching his disobedient son kick open the window and climb out without a care.
Simultaneously, the door to the side room was pushed open, and the instructor, wearing a stern expression, stood at the entrance and said ominously, “Your Highness, please come with me.”
The apprehended Seventh Prince remained composed and calmly jumped down from the window, then followed the instructor out to face the punishment.
Inside the room, silence prevailed, save for the sound of the window being blown by the wind.
The Seventh Prince had anticipated that the sound of him kicking the window would surely alert the instructor, so he decided to draw the fire himself, allowing the reader-in-waiting inside to seize the opportunity to escape through the window.
As he sat alone in the cabinet, Xue Yao gradually pieced together the situation.
The old father’s heart was instantly shattered.
His emotionally challenged chubby cub… actually…
Actually had a day of “self-sacrifice to save his father”!
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