Chapter 45 - The Bloody Royal Feast (II)
Under the escort of the Crown Prince and the Royal Guards, Ling Chen and Fang Lan entered the Royal place of the Fire Crow Kingdom.
Though the Royal palace of the Fire Crow Kingdom couldn't be compared to the magnificence and grandeur of the Heavenly Demon Palace, it wasn't half bad.
As they moved forward, the scenery continuously changed, and there were pavilions and buildings everywhere. Everything was unspeakably beautiful
After walking forward for a bit
A beautiful garden appeared ahead of them.
On both sides of the winding path were flowers blooming in bright purples and brilliant reds, and a few beautiful butterflies fluttering in the burst of aroma, adding a hint of liveliness.
" Not bad" Ling Chen murmured to himself as he was looking at the surrounding.
Soon, they made it in front of a huge beautiful villa.
Within one of the quiet, private courtyards.
" Young Lord, I know that you've traveled a long way to come here. You can rest here for a while and I will report to my father the king of your arrival." Said the Crown prince respectfully as he brought both Ling Chen and Fang Lan into a luxurious residence within the Royal Palace.
" Thank you for your hospitality. I really needed that. I haven't had a nice bath in a while." Ling Che answered with slight on his face.
" Nice place by the way." He added.
Though Ling Chen looked sincere, the Crown Prince felt as though his smile appeared sinister and evil. As the crown prince and the future ruler of the kingdom, he has done a lot of research about the direct descendant of the Ling Family who was the true ruler of all the lands within the Heavenly Demon Sect Domain.
And from all of them, he was more afraid of Ling Chen than anybody else due to his reputation and his odd personality.
" I am glad you find the place to your liking. Alright, I won't disturb you any further. If there's anything you need, just instruct the servants. I will leave now, Young Lord." Said the Crown prince In a respectful tone before he left the residence, leaving Ling Chen and Fang Lan alone.
…...
This residence given to Ling Chen and Fang Lan by the crown prince to stay was clearly meant for entertaining guests. It was like a small place. It was quite large and quite roomy, along with fifteen servants that could be summoned at any time. All of them were young girls around the age of eighteen with peerless beauty.
"Young master." The fifteen maidservants all bowed to Ling Chen and Fang Lan.
Their leader was a tall girl around the age of twenty and possessed an extreme beauty. She was the most beautiful and mature of them all
"Prepare a nice hot bath for me," Ling Chen instructed.
"when bathing, I do not wish to be disturbed, and you guys could withdraw after that." Ling Chen added.
" Yes." The tall peerless beauty acknowledged his commands.
Ling Chen was raised and grew up in the Heavenly Demon Palace. As such,
he had many beautiful servants like them until he accidentally killed them by using his right eye power and put a death curse on all of them.
Because he was used to this type of beautiful girl, he didn't feel flustered or lustful when he saw them. Putting aside he was still a kid, they were nothing but nutrient in his eyes.
Due to his eyes power, Ling Chen didn't really get attracted to this sort of external beauty. He was able to see through someone's very soul and energy. He could determine whether one was evil or good just from the color of their soul.
He had an X-ray vision that was able to see through even concrete. Because of all this, his idea and perception of beauty weren't the same as the others.
" Young Master, aren't we going to make our move now." Asked Fang Lan after all the maids have left.
Just like Ling Chen, Fang Lan didn't seem to be interested in the maids either.
"It's not the right time yet. Like I said earlier, I want to catch all of them at the same time. They have so many princes and princess, we have to wait until all of them are in the same place and proceed." Answered Ling Chen.
"Don't worry, we won't need to do anything, they'll deliver themselves to us and prepare the perfect stage for their death without even knowing." Added Ling Chen with a devilish smile on his face.
Though Fang Lan didn't understand what his young master was talking about, he didn't question any further and remained silent.
After talking to Fang Lan, Ling Chen went to his room in order to get ready for his bath. He hadn't taken a nice bath ever since he left the Heavenly Demon Sect. Most of the Inn he stayed in were all third rate places and couldn't compare with the Heavenly Demon Palace.
However, the Royal Palace seemed to be way better than any of them. As such Ling Chen didn't want to waste that chance because it might be his last time in a nice place such as this for a long time.
Once he got to his room, Ling Chen put the little black fox on top of the bed. It's been five days and the little black fox still hasn't woken up since the last time he ate all those medicinal pills.
While Ling Chen was about to change into his bathrobe, the little black fox finally awoke. Both of its eyes began to flicker open. As it was surveying its surroundings, it took notice of Ling Chen in the room.
The moment it saw him, the little black fox was stunned before it began to cry happily and leaped from the bed toward Ling Chen.
Upon hearing the little black fox's cry of happiness, Ling Chen couldn't help but smile before he caught the little black fox in his embrace.
"Mrrr…" The little black fox cub was exceedingly happy and continued to purr into Ling Chen's chest as it rubbed its head against Ling Chen's chin.
At the same one, it was licking Ling Chen with its tiny tongue non-stop which was like a clear indication of its joy.
Ling Chen had no idea why the little black fox suddenly became so close and attached to him. Furthermore, it would be a big lie to say that he didn't like that feeling of being loved and wanted, even if it came from a little demon beast.
" Little Foxy, it seems like you've become bigger and stronger." Ling Chen said as he was looking at the little black fox in his embrace.
He could clearly feel that the little black fox had grown bigger and heavier since the last time. Its fur has become darker and smoother. Even its tail has become longer. More importantly, it has evolved into an early 2nd rank demon beast which was comparable to a Martial Master realm warrior.
" Alright, I was about to take a bath, come with me. You haven't taken a bath since the day you were born." Ling Chen said jokingly as he carried the little black fox into the bathtub.
A short time later, Within an enormous bathtub from Ling Chen's new residence, hot air streamed everywhere. Ling Chen lay there within the bathtub while washing and playing with the little black fox.
They both seemed very happy as they were enjoying their hot steamy bath together.
"Ohh yeah, little foxy. I still haven't given you a name yet. What do you think I should call you."Ling Chen said as he was rubbing the little black fox's head.
.....
While Ling Chen was enjoying his hot bath along with the little black fox, the royal court of the Fire Crow Kingdom was filled with intense disputes from the various groups. The scene was akin to a group of merchants and customers arguing at the marketplace.
Those present were all heavyweights in the Fire Crow Kingdom.
On the dragon throne, the King sat with a grave expression on his face as his ministers debated among themselves.
"Your Majesty, we cannot afford to wait any longer, the generals in the south desire for battle grows stronger by the day, if we keep ignoring the RedBud Kingdom, it would dampen the morale of these patriotic generals."
"No, I disagree with Duke Meng, Your Majesty. Once the fighting starts, it won't end without massive deaths among the citizens. Besides, with the resurgence of the remnant Jiang Family, we would face a war on two fronts if they decided to take advantage of this moment."
" We should first take care of Jiang Family before we can engage in a war with the Redbud Kingdom."
"Hmph, abiding by their actions would only embolden the Redbud kingdom. Also, our valorous subjects would never lose to a mere remnant of the Jiang Family."
" They are nothing but a bunch of defeated dogs clinging to their old glory."
"-----"
The debate raged on, as no one wanted to compromise, only the Marshal kept quiet.
The Marshal rarely participated in
government affairs since he took his post. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to but he didn't want to. Unless the situation was truly dire and the kingdom was in grave danger, he refrained from expressing his opinion. It was common knowledge so no one heeded him or minded him as they debated.
The King was wracked with indecision as he sat atop the dragon throne, to deploy the troops or not, it was a tough decision.
Crack!!!
Suddenly, a cracking noise could be heard as the main door of the royal court was pushed open.
The ministers didn't even hear the door as they were still heated in the debate. Soon, the crown prince walked in. And without saying anything, he quickly walked towards his father with an anxious look on his face.
His sudden arrival caught everyone by surprise as they fixated their gazes onto him.
" Han Long pays his respect to his majesty." The crown prince looked at the king as he lightly bowed in salute. Even though he was the crown prince and the king was his father, he still had to follow the proper etiquette.
The King lightly frowned. He was having an important meeting with his ministers and unless there was something urgent, Han Long wouldn't dare to disturb him.
" What is it." Asked the king in a commanding voice filled with nobility.
"Ling Chen, the third son of the Heavenly Demon Venerable requested your presence." The crown prince said in a low voice.
However, the moment his voice fell. The entire royal court suddenly fell into a state of stillness. It was so silent that even the sound of a pin drop could be heard clearly.