Chapter 457: Ming Dong Pays a Visit
The two soldiers didn’t anticipate that Jian Chen would actually fight back, and the azure and violet Sword Qi was extremely fast as well. They had no time to dodge at all, so their palms were instantly skewered through with the Sword Qi, staining the area with blood.
The two men instantly looked shocked as the sudden pain in their palms caused them to cry out involuntarily. They couldn’t believe what had happened as they looked down at their own hands in surprise. Neither of them had expected the fourth master to be so capable.
Although they were shocked, they weren’t yet afraid of him. Even after taking the first loss, they didn’t have any desire to retreat just yet. A large amount of Saint Force flowed out from the both of them to form their Saint Weapons. Grabbing them, they stabbed out at Jian Chen.
The instant the two guards formed their Saint Weapons, the second prince quickly retreated back in fright. He clearly understood their strengths, and he didn’t think that the fourth master of the Changyang clan would be able to force them to bring out their Saint Weapons. This event to him only served to scare him.
Still sitting in the stone chair, Jian Chen’s eyes showed contempt as he looked at the two guards striking at him. His hand waved gently, causing Sword Qi to shoot out from his fingers, slamming into the two Saint Weapons.
When the azure and violet Sword Qi made contact, the two guards shook from the blow as a tremendous energy vibrated through their Saint Weapons and made their entire right arm go numb. Their arms felt heavy as they tried to hold their Saint Weapon and their feet were dragged back away from the pavilion.
The second prince looked at the two guards in shock. His expression revealed his astonishment. While he expected Jian Chen to react, he hadn’t expected to see such a result like this. His two guards were both Earth Saint Masters, so none of the three had expected any resistance.
The sounds of battle had been heard by the princess who was appreciating the flowers from some distance away. Quickly hurrying on over, her eyes hovered over the broken stone table and asked, “What has happened for a fight to suddenly take place?”
Standing up from his chair, Jian Chen walked to the side of the pavilion with his arms by his side. Looking at the second prince, Jian Chen spoke calmly, “Your Highness, you should understand that a loose tongue invites trouble. I hope that you will take notice of what you say. This world is not the world of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom.”
The second prince’s face grew extremely dark as he listened to Jian Chen, “A loose tongue invites trouble, those are smart words. Changyang Xiangtian, this prince will remember those words. The future is long, we will wait and see what happens next.” After those words, the second prince and his two guards left the place in a saddened state.
Looking at the second prince retreat, Jian Chen had a faint cold smile on his face. The Heavenly Eagle Kingdom was not something he could bother with.
The princess had a complicated stare as she looked at Jian Chen before walking to his side, “Changyang Xiangtian, he is the prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom and this is the imperial palace of the Gesun Kingdom. Would this not attract trouble?”
“There’s no need to worry, I know what the appropriate behavior will be. If trouble truly does come, I will bear responsibility.” Jian Chen spoke flatly.
“That wasn’t my intention…” The princess tried to explain but was then interrupted by Jian Chen, “Princess You Yue, we should return now.”
The second prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom was without a doubt one of the most heavily watched people within the imperial palace. Not too long after Jian Chen and the princess had left, the news that the second prince had suffered a loss in the flower garden had made its way to the ears of those people with influence. Even Changyang Ba and Bi Yuntian who were chatting with the king had heard the news along with the other officials and the princes of the imperial palace.
Within a splendid and luxuriously decorated palace room, three youths in their twenties sat by each other and were eating merrily. On the table, all sorts of exotic delicacies could be seen.
Suddenly, a soldier came running into the room and spoke several words into the ears of two of the youths.
Straight away, the two youths had shocked expressions flash over their faces. With a wave of their hand to dismiss the guard, they grew even more serious.
“Princes, what has happened?” The other youth asked in confusion.
“The guards just sent us news that the fourth master of the Changyang clan has offended the second prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom. This isn’t good, the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom isn’t a kingdom we can stand to offend.” One of the princes spoke.
“What? Changyang Xiangtian?” The third youth spoke in surprise before revealing a happy smile, “Could it be that the fourth master, Changyang Xiangtian has returned?’
“That’s correct. Changyang Xiangtian has only just returned, we only just received information of that not too long ago. Seeing brother Ming Dong’s expression, could it be that you know him?” The other prince spoke.
Ming Dong nodded his head, “I didn’t think he would return that quickly, and to the imperial palace no less. Fellow princes, I will be taking my leave first then.” With that, Ming Dong quickly left the two princes sitting by the table with looks of surprise and disbelief.
“Changyang Xiangtian knows brother Ming Dong?” A prince muttered in surprise.
The second prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom looked furious as he and his bodyguards stormed back into his resting room. As soon as he entered the room, he slammed a palm onto a nearby table, causing the pricy wooden table to split in two.
“Changyang Xiangtian, I will make you regret this. The disgrace you’ve brought me today, I will definitely return this favor back to you a thousand-fold.” The second prince’s eyes held a ferocious glare. As a prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom, no matter where he went, he had never been so humiliated before.
By that time, the prime minister had come back with an unhappy face. When he saw the furious look on the second prince, he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Second prince, what has happened to make you so angry?”
“The men of the Changyang clan are far too unbridled!” After saying those words, the second prince recounted his tale of what had transpired in the flower garden. After hearing it, even the prime minister’s face had grown serious as he spoke, “To be able to push back two Earth Saint Masters at the age of twenty, that sort of talent is terrifying. It is no wonder the Gesun Kingdom’s king specifically chose the Changyang clan. It was because of Changyang Xiangtian.”
The second prince turned to look at the prime minister, “Prime minister, could it be that your discussion with the king failed as well?”
The prime minister nodded his head, “That’s correct. The king is adamant on having the princess marry Changyang Xiangtian. Even if I were to move the entire Heavenly Eagle Kingdom here, he would not budge an inch.”
“However, the king is in his right to do as he does. If I were him, I would act in the same manner. I never imagined that Changyang Xiangtian had such a strength like this. If a talent like this is given time to grow, his future will hold no barriers. It is possible that he may usher the Gesun Kingdom into a golden age.”
The second prince’s eyes flashed with a fierce killing intent before speaking, “He is a threat to the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom. In the case that the Gesun Kingdom grows strong, they will endanger our kingdom. Changyang Xiangtian cannot be left to live.” With each word he spoke, his voice grew progressively colder.
The prime minister nodded, “That’s correct, I have the same sentiments as well. With Changyang Xiangtian speaking such outrageous words, this gives us an excuse to act.”
“Then I will bring some experts to take down Changyang Xiangtian.” Unable to wait for even another moment, the second prince began to move.
“Wait a moment!” The prime minister spoke. “Your Highness, this servant has two ways to solve this.” Then, he began to whisper into the second prince’s ear.
Jian Chen and the princess returned to the imperial palace where the king and his parents were still chatting to each other.
“Ah, my son-in-law, your timing is impeccable. Since you and Yue’er are no longer young, I believe that it would be a fine time to quickly wed the two of you.” The king laughed as if he was in a hurry to quickly wed his daughter.
Changyang Ba and Bi Yuntian both had smiles on their faces as well as clear indications that they stood with the king.
Hearing this, Jian Chen hesitated for a moment, “Your Majesty, there is still some matters I need to take care of in the near future. I do not have time to consider a relationship at this moment, so we should postpone this wedding for now.”
The king narrowed his eyebrows and shared a look with Changyang Ba with an awkward expression.
“Father, your daughter also wishes to postpone the marriage for a later date.” The princess suddenly spoke with a face that betrayed no emotion at all.
Hearing that Jian Chen and the princess both wished to postpone the marriage, the king had no other choice. With a sigh, he replied, “Fine then, since you two both wish to postpone it, then we shall postpone it.” The king’s face could barely hide his disappointment. Now that the fourth master of the Changyang clan had a status far unlike the one before, the king could only go along with him and feared to go against him.
“Xiang’er, why are you doing this?” Bi Yuntian had a reproachful look.
“Mother, your son still has many things to do. There is no time at the moment for a marriage.” Jian Chen had a bitter smile on his face. To the others, he was an Imperial Protector of the Qinhuang Kingdom with the strength of a Heaven Saint Master. But only he himself know the extent of his strength.
The wedding being postponed indefinitely had caused Changyang Ba, Bi Yuntian, and the king to all feel disappointed. As parents, they had naturally want to see their own child start a family, especially to a person that was superior in their traits.
Everyone left soon afterward with Jian Chen and his parents heading to the room allocated for them. It was one of the more expensive palace rooms that was specifically made to receive such guests.
At that moment, a guard came running in with a message. “A report for the fourth master Changyang Xiangtian. There is a man named Ming Dong seeking audience.”