Chapter 202: An Invitation from Crown Prince Hua Xu

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: An Invitation from Crown Prince Hua Xu

Hearing the shout, Chu Fan raised his head and looked toward the window of the loft.

An old man in an ocher robe stood at the window, smiling and stroking his beard as he looked down at Chu Fan.

Chu Fan looked up at him but was completely unable to discern the old man’s Cultivation.

As for the old man’s identity, Chu Fan had even less of a clue, as he knew very little about the Central Domain.

"Thank you for the invitation, Elder, but my wife is unwell and needs my care. I won’t come up and disturb you," Chu Fan said, clasping his fists toward the old man.

"If you’re unwilling to come up, then I’ll just bring the wine down to you. How about right here at your door? It won’t delay you from taking care of your wife."

Chu Fan hadn’t expected the old man to be so enthusiastic.

Although he didn’t know what the old man’s true intentions were, he couldn’t be so rude as to turn him away completely while traveling. Otherwise, he might easily offend someone he couldn’t afford to.

In truth, ever since arriving in the Central Domain, Chu Fan had been deliberately suppressing his temper.

Back in the Eastern Domain, if people like the Heir of Liao had come looking for trouble time and again, and had even insulted Yun Xi with their words, Chu Fan would have killed them long ago.

Here in the Central Domain, his sole purpose was to find the Hundred Flowers Wanderer and cure Yun Xi.

’What was so wrong with enduring it and reining in his temper?’

Chu Fan nodded at the old man. "In that case, I will humbly accept."

The old man smiled and leaped straight down from the window.

He landed in front of Chu Fan, sat right down on the steps of the doorway, pulled two wine bowls from his robes, and filled them to the brim.

"My name is Yue Nantian, from the Mo Yun Sword Sect. Those two sword strikes of yours just now truly astounded me, young friend. May I ask who your master is?" the old man said, raising a bowl of wine and offering it to the standing Chu Fan.

Chu Fan squatted to take the wine bowl, then sat on the ground opposite the old man.

"My master once warned me not to mention his name without his permission. His reasoning was that he feared a disciple like me might tarnish his esteemed reputation." Chu Fan told this little lie without so much as a blush.

He said this for a reason. After all, in the Central Domain, the Divine Separation Realm wasn’t anything extraordinary.

By saying this, even if the old man harbored any ill intentions, he would have to consider if making a move was worth the risk.

’What kind of being could produce a thirty-year-old cultivator at the Divine Separation Realm?’

Chu Fan was confident that upon hearing this, the old man’s imagination would fill in the rest.

Sure enough, after hearing his explanation, the old man nodded silently. "It seems your master must be one of the great figures of the Central Domain, then?"

Chu Fan simply smiled without replying. He raised the bowl to his lips, took a gentle sip, and praised, "Excellent wine."

"Did you come to He Yi State to celebrate Duke Chen’s birthday as well, young friend?"

"No. My wife is unwell, so I’m taking her out to relax and clear her mind. We were also thinking of heading to the Hundred Flowers Valley to try our luck," Chu Fan said, mixing truth with falsehood.

"Oh? May I ask what illness your wife is suffering from? The Hundred Flowers Wanderer’s movements are erratic; a trip to the Hundred Flowers Valley will indeed depend on luck."

Chu Fan nodded and took another light sip of his wine.

Yue Nantian laughed heartily. "Young friend, you’re not drinking with any gusto! How can we cultivators drink in such a reserved manner?"

With that, he drained his bowl in a single gulp, then poured another. He kept his hand on the wine jar, waiting, clearly signaling for Chu Fan to finish his drink so he could pour him a refill.

Chu Fan didn’t hesitate, downing his wine in one go as well. Yue Nantian refilled his bowl and asked, "Those two sword strikes you used earlier, they come from two different Sword Techniques, correct?"

Chu Fan nodded. "That’s right. The first technique is the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword, and the second is the Walking Dragon Sword Shadow."

"To think that such exquisite Sword Techniques exist in this world—and two of them, at that! It truly makes this old man envious!"

As he said this, Yue Nantian added in a self-reproachful tone, "Young friend, please don’t misunderstand. I have been obsessed with the Sword Dao my entire life and get excited whenever I see exquisite Sword Techniques. I have no intention of coveting your Sword Technique!"

Chu Fan smiled. "Elder Yue, you worry too much. A man of your character would naturally never do such a thing."

"Hahaha, I suppose you could say we’re like old friends at first sight, wouldn’t you? In the future, once your wife’s illness is cured, I welcome the two of you to visit our Mo Yun Sword Sect."

"If the opportunity arises, I will certainly pay a visit," Chu Fan said.

Yue Nantian likely noticed Chu Fan’s wariness. After sharing just three bowls of wine and chatting about some trivial matters, he took his leave.

As soon as Yue Nantian was gone, Chu Fan returned to their room.

Yun Xi, of course, was not asleep. Chu Fan spoke with her for a while, and after she drifted off, he once again sat cross-legged on the floor to begin his Meditation on the Dao of Cause and Effect.

’But how could the Enlightenment Realm be so easy to enter?’

Even though he replayed all his previous thoughts and realizations over and over in his mind, it was utterly useless.

The more he tried, the more agitated he became.

’Damn it, if this wasn’t the Central Domain, I’d have killed that bastard Heir with a single slash.’

He made no further progress that night.

After daybreak, he first helped Yun Xi wash up and change into a fresh set of clothes before getting himself ready.

Afterward, they prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, just as they stepped out of the inn, their path was blocked by several approaching men from the Governmental Sect.

"Excuse me, are you Chu Fan?" the man in the lead asked, clasping his fists.

"I am. For what reason do you seek me?"

"I am here on the Crown Prince’s verbal command to invite you to the Duke’s Mansion for a meeting."

’Damn it. Speak of the devil.’

In fact, after hearing the gossip last night, he had wondered if the Crown Prince might actually try to recruit him.

It now seemed the Crown Prince was already aware of the commotion at the inn last night.

’Now that they’ve sent people for me, how can I refuse?’

’I might as well meet him and see what happens. I’ll get a measure of this Crown Prince’s character. If he’s a decent person, it might not be impossible to get him to use his resources to help me find the Hundred Flowers Wanderer.’

"Please lead the way, Officer," Chu Fan said to the leader with a cupped-fist salute.

They walked in silence as the men led them toward the Duke’s Mansion. ℴ

The gatehouse of the Duke’s Mansion was magnificent. The two Qilin statues flanking the entrance alone were a testament to the Duke’s status.

Of course, Chu Fan wasn’t qualified to enter through the main gate, not even with an invitation from the Crown Prince.

This indirectly showed that while the Crown Prince was interested in him, it wasn’t to the extent that he would go out of his way to welcome him with honors.

The men led Chu Fan and Yun Xi to a side gate on the eastern wall and into the Duke’s Mansion.

Upon entering the Duke’s Mansion, Chu Fan’s eyes couldn’t take it all in; he felt just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

’Chu Fan couldn’t help but wonder if the amount of silver taels required to construct such a massive estate was an astronomical figure.’

They passed through a long, covered walkway and a paved path that seemed to stretch for miles before arriving in a particularly elegant little courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments, a scene of peaceful revelry with song and dance.

A middle-aged man with a debauched and unrestrained air, his long hair unbound, reclined on a bench in a pavilion. Two jade-like, beautiful maids knelt beside him, holding fruit platters and attending to him.

Outside the pavilion, several gorgeous women played the Pipa, Guqin, and a bamboo flute. Amidst the flowerbeds, eight scantily clad dancers moved gracefully, their long silk sleeves fluttering in the air.

"Reporting to the Crown Prince, Chu Fan has been brought here."

Clearly, the dissolute-looking middle-aged man in the pavilion was none other than the current Crown Prince of the Hua Xu Empire.

This image was a far cry from what Chu Fan had imagined.

"I hear his wife is unwell. Go prepare a soft chair for her so she can rest. Bring Chu Fan into the pavilion."

The Crown Prince spoke, but he never once glanced toward the courtyard entrance where Chu Fan stood.