CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

654 To The Capital

Xiao Ye looked at Luo Xiang and Bai Ying alternately. Not understanding what the two strangers were telling him.

“Eh, I, don’t understand what Young Masters mean.”

Bai Ying turned to Luo Xiang. It seemed that they couldn’t possibly surpass the fate of the young man in front of them now, things were not necessarily what they thought because the Du Gu family was their enemy all along and they clueless about what happened before the Wah Ye Kindom rules by King Yen Hui.

When the three of them were talking quite seriously, there was a knock on the door from outside.

“Eh, Ye er, young master, may we come in?” old man Wang’s voice.

Luo Xiang looked at the tightly closed door. Don’t the two old men know that if the door is closed it means their conversation may be confidential and they don’t want to be disturbed?

Luo Xiang pulled his lips as young master Xiao Ye seemed to be asking permission from him to open the door.

“Father, Mother, what’s wrong? Ye er there is an important discussion here” asked Xiao Ye widening the door for his two parents who seemed to be trying to see what was going on inside. Old man Wang checked on his son’s body, the black colour as if rot on his skin had started to disappear, and he look fine.

“Eh Ye er, are you alright? Your skin is back to normal, what exactly happened?”

.....

Xiao Ye looked at his hands and feet, he himself couldn’t explain it in words, but when he saw the young man’s beautiful face slowly all the pain and heat in his body disappeared, and also the black colour on his skin. Everything slowly disappeared and finally, it was as if nothing had happened before. Perhaps because he was able to control his fear and act a lot calmer, the young man’s face somehow made him very calm.

“Eh this”

Xi Niang saw Luo Xiang and Bai Ying in the room.

“Eh hehe, forgive us for disturbing you in the middle of the conversation, Young Masters, we were just worried because you haven’t left the room in a long time. Eh, breakfast was ready a long time ago, we better enjoy it before it gets cold.”

Bai Ying widened his eyes, sure enough, he had been starving since earlier. Without waiting for the Crown Prince who seemed unfinished with his words he passed him to the door.

“Wow breakfast, I’ve been really hungry since earlier” Bai Ying stopped his steps forgetting to invite Luo Xiang who was standing behind him, he stretched out his hand.

“Come on Your Ma-…, uh, big brother” Bai Ying said with a big smile.

Luo Xiang looked at Bai Ying for a long time, and looked at the young man Xiao Ye with a sharp look, he will continue their conversation later. Looks like now is not the right time.

Luo Xiang took Bai Ying’s hand and led him towards the door.

“Come on, my Ying Ying, you must be very hungry”

Bai Ying nodded.

“Yes Your Majesty, I’m so hungry”

Late afternoon. Bai Ying and Luo Xiang had already continued on their way towards the capital city of Pai Hua. Of course, without young master Xiao Ye with them.

Luo Xiang led Bai Ying’s thin horse by the reins behind. The two of them covered their beautiful clothes with the simple but clean robes that old man Wang gave him to change into their shabby and smelly robes.

In accordance with the advice of the lady of the house, Xi Niang, Bai Ying wore a wooden bird-shaped face mask made by old man Wang during his leisure time, and the half-face mask that covered the nose up really suited Bai Ying’s face as if it really was made especially for him.

Two skinny horses that had been fresher since being fed well by the Wang household’s housekeeper walked steadily along the sandy path towards the next town, the massive city of Pai Hua.

“Your Highness, are we really not going to force young master Xiao Ye to come with us? If it’s true that he is Du Gu Ye Hua, that means we need him more than anything right now.”

The sound of hoofs of horses walking leisurely fills the void between the sound of the wind and the rush of broad leaves on the trees that grow on either side of the road. Several merchants were also seen passing by with their freight carriages, coming and going from the city.

“We can’t do much Ying, it’s not us who need him, but Prince Yen Hui, just let fate bring him together with that Prince, not because we asked him to.”

Bai Ying pursed his mouth, thinking until his forehead wrinkled. He raised his hand to look at his palm for a moment.

“But Your Highness, this is very strange, if it’s true that young master Xiao Ye has never felt such a strange thing before, is there a possibility that our arrival caused him to gain his powers? Does that mean the other three pillars are also like this? I’m confused, Your Highness, shouldn’t their strength appear when they meet His Highness, Prince Yen Hui? Why did it appear now?”

Bai Ying’s question made Luo Xiang think. He also found it very strange.

“This, maybe everything we know about your grandfather, not all of it is true, Ying, it seems that we are indeed fated to enter this world, indirectly helping your grandfather reach his greatness.”

Luo Xiang’s words made Bai Ying pull the reins of his horse to stop his path, it made Luo Xiang somewhat surprised as well.

“Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this? If we, maybe have changed history? That’s It?”

Luo Xiang looked at Bai Ying for a moment, then shifted his horse’s head towards Bai Ying who was staring at him with big round eyes. Stared at him for a long time.

“For this, we’d better meet the others soon, who knows if Elder Yi or Lord Shin Ya can answer our questions,” Luo Xiang said while stroking Bai Ying’s cheek getting rid of the hair that fell to the front because of the wind that blew.

“Um, that’s right, heh, it’s a shame that young master Xiao Ye doesn’t want to come with us, otherwise maybe we can quickly meet Grandfather.”

It was a while ago in the front courtyard of the Wang residence as Luo Xiang and Bai Ying were preparing to depart. Bai Ying was already dressed in an exquisite dress made of Xue Yang silk in delicate light blue and pink colours, with a gorgeous blue jade hairpin that Master Wang had purposely chosen for the handsome and beautiful young man.

The two of them waited for Xiao Ye who had the will to accompany them to the capital, that was the original plan. Until the young man bowed his head in front of Luo Xiang and said he couldn’t join them and leave his parents who expected enough from him. Also, he can’t leave his childhood girlfriend, Mei Hua who he has liked since they were kids. They will get married soon.

“Please forgive me, unable to come along with Young Master to the capital, please understand,” said the young man bowing his head in front of Luo Xiang.

Luo Xiang lifted his sleeves and placed them in front of his stomach, looking at the young man Xiao Ye, and his parents who were standing at the door with expectant faces. He could understand what was going through the young man’s mind. How could he throw away his peaceful life here and choose to follow two strangers to an uncertain place with an unclear future?

He just took a deep breath. He himself didn’t understand what was happening, and they shouldn’t have existed in this era and this shouldn’t suppose to happen.

....

The sound of night birds can be heard in the distance. The journey to Pai Hua City turned out to be much longer than the two of them had expected. Just like what Old Man Wang had previously told them that the Valley of Clouds, during Bai Ying’s time, became a forest because no one had lived there for eighty years since the Palace collapse. The valley was indeed very wide, it would take about a day to pass through.

The sky was already dark when Luo Xiang and Bai Ying decided to tie their horses to a tree and rest on the flat land by the road to Pai Hua town. They lit a bonfire to burn the sweet potatoes they got as provisions from the hostess, Madam Xi Niang.

“Wow, Your Majesty, it smells good, is this ready to eat?” asked Bai Ying who had been impatient to stuff the roasted red sweet potato into his stomach since earlier.

Luo Xiang twirled the long twig that he used to burn the sweet potatoes.

“Not yet, Ying, in a moment, it’s still undone yet, are you already hungry?” he asked.

Bai Ying who was sitting very close to the Crown Prince nodded. The cold air made the two of them sit close together and share the blankets they also got from the hostess Xi Niang, which was very useful.

Luo Xiang smiled. Unable to take his eyes off Bai Ying’s gentle face which looked so beautiful in the light from the bonfire.

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