Chapter 451 - 232: Whisper

Chapter 451: Chapter 232: Whisper

"That palm strike from the Madam was terrifyingly powerful."

"The Assassin must have been turned to ash!"

"You know, something ominous dwells within the Madam’s hand..."

"Shh! The Prince is coming!"

As Zheng Xiu strode down the long corridor with his head held high, the assassins from the Brotherhood whistled one after another to greet the Prince.

Last night’s "Assassin" incident had caused a huge stir in the Red King Mansion. It had been a minor affair, but Zheng Xiu couldn’t reveal the truth. He could only let his brothers remain on edge for a while. He’d just have to treat it as a long-overdue training drill.

At breakfast, Zheng Erniang brought up the previous night’s infiltration, her face etched with worry. Feng Bei, who was sipping her tea, merely smiled to herself, lowering her head in silence. With a grand wave of his hand, Zheng Xiu reassured his family, declaring that Feng Bei had turned the Assassin to ash with a single slap, so there was nothing to worry about.

"MEOW!"

The elusive Little Feng Miao leaped down from a rafter, clutching its belly with its paws. It pointed one paw at Zheng Xiu and then began rolling on the table, meowing up a storm.

Seeing this, the women exchanged thoughtful glances. Zizi, ever the blunt one, stared dumbfounded at the strange Orange Cat before blurting out to the Red King, "My lord, I think... I think it’s laughing at you."

"Hey! It..." Zheng Xiu started to say, ’How dare it?!’ but trailed off. The thought that this peculiar Orange Cat actually *would* dare left him speechless. Zheng Xiu wasn’t foolish enough to start a fight with the cat in front of everyone, so he just said, "It likes me."

"Meow?"

’Are you dreaming?’

The Orange Cat rolled its eyes.

"Stop fooling around, Xiaofeng." Blushing, Feng Bei beckoned to the Orange Cat. The cat strode elegantly across the table, snatched a char siu bao, and then settled quietly into Feng Bei’s lap to enjoy its meal.

The others were long past being surprised by the Orange Cat’s antics. A cat so human-like... well, what else could one expect from a pet raised by the Prince? Truly a spirited creature.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiu asked curiously, "Since when did you two get so close?"

"You guess," Feng Bei said, shooting him a look that was more playful pouting than genuine anger.

Breakfast ended on a strange note. After having someone notify Ji Hong’ou to prepare another barrel of poison water for that evening, Zheng Xiu left in his carriage.

Now that he was the Red King, Zheng Xiu could no longer go about as casually as he used to. He had entrusted most of the household affairs to Zheng Erniang, freeing him up to focus on cleaning up the mess Ye Weiyang had left behind. His first stop was the Divine Doctor’s place, where he went to ask about Gu Qiutang’s injuries.

"It’s nothing serious."

After a simple exchange of pleasantries, the Divine Doctor Situ Yong told Zheng Xiu, "In the past, an injury like his would have left him dead or crippled. But now, with Miracle Techniques running rampant, he’ll be back on his feet in a few days, good as new."

Zheng Xiu recalled how his own Medical Principles, when amplified by Surprise Cage, could practically bring the dead to life and grow flesh on bone. The massive gash on the Big White Snake’s belly from Celestial Yin Mountain had healed in the blink of an eye under the soothing effect of his Sad Celestial Rain, not even leaving a scar. He didn’t doubt Situ Yong’s words. He tossed down a bag of silver, calling it a "token of appreciation," and walked out of the clinic.

The carriage ambled leisurely down the main street. The new Red King was quite popular with the common folk. When they saw him on his tour, they gathered and clamored excitedly, "Red King, give us a show! Red King, give us a show!" It was impossible to refuse such enthusiasm, so Zheng Xiu had to lift the curtain and wave to the crowd. Eventually, on a whim, he tossed a hundred or eighty-odd taels of loose silver onto the street, just for the fun of it.

’Sigh, the joys of being a rich prince.’

Just as Zheng Xiu decided to head home from his tour, the carriage gave a sudden lurch and stopped.

"Your Highness, someone is blocking the carriage."

The driver pulled up his hood, concealing his face in shadow. His entire aura shifted, becoming more elusive and inscrutable.

"Who?" the Red King asked, his expression calm and his voice unhurried.

"A blind man." The driver grinned, his hand drifting to the Sleeve Sword hidden in his sleeve. "The same blind man who gave you that pair of bed-warming maids."