Chapter 67

“Bang!”

Another muffled sound rang out, causing ripples to spread across the water’s surface.

Mendu instinctively turned around, holding his fishing rod across his chest like a weapon.

Shen Yian turned his head and saw a giant black tiger twice as big as a bison lying on the ground not far behind him. It had no signs of life and looked like a corpse.

Both of them were stunned.

The black tiger’s corpse twitched a couple of times, and E Lai’s tall figure emerged from underneath, laughing loudly: “Your Highness! This is the congratulatory gift I’ve brought for you!”

When he had jumped down from the rooftop earlier, he had deliberately reduced much of his force, but he had underestimated the combined weight of himself and the giant tiger. Upon landing, his entire lower leg sank into the soft, wet soil.

From the shadows, Fu Sheng sighed lightly: “Mr. E Lai is still as bold as ever.”

“He’s actually restrained himself quite a bit,” Yin Hai shook his head. If it were any other place, this guy’s loud laughter would have attracted the attention of every expert in the city.

By the pond, Shen Yian put down his fishing rod and stood up: “It’s good that you’ve come, but why bring such an expensive gift?”

This black tiger had clearly gained sentience and become the ruler of who knows how many miles of mountains. Even in death, the fierce aura emanating from its corpse was enough to make ordinary people shudder.

For E Lai to kill such a creature, he must have gone through a fierce battle.

“I didn’t know what Your Highness needed, so I thought I’d go into the mountains to look. If I happened to come across any spiritual treasures, I could present them to Your Highness. I didn’t expect to encounter this giant beast that had gained intelligence.”

As he spoke, E Lai scratched his head awkwardly and said: “I had intended to subdue this beast and present it to Your Highness as a mount, but I accidentally used too much force and killed it.”

“Fortunately, this beast is male, and every part of its body is a treasure! Especially… it’s this long! It’s definitely great for nourishment, I guarantee Your Highness will display great virility after consuming it!”

E Lai’s eyes shone as he gestured to indicate the length.

Shen Yian was stunned. That length was indeed impressive for a nourishing ingredient.

However, a real man doesn’t need any supplements!

“Senior E Lai,” Mendu finally spoke after being dazed for a while.@@novelbin@@

“You are… Mendu?” E Lai stared at Mendu for a few seconds before remembering who he was.

“Yes, it’s me. I had the fortune of following Senior E Lai to train in the mountains for some time.”

“Hahaha, I never thought I’d see you here.”

The two large men standing there gave off a comical vibe, like Li Kui meeting Li Gui.

However, compared to E Lai, Mendu suddenly seemed much more simple and honest.

“Your Highness.”

Cheng Hai, hearing the commotion, hurried over. He was startled at first by the sight of the black tiger, then turned to see Mendu and E Lai standing face to face.

“Ah, Cheng Hai, you’ve come at the right time. Later, you and Mendu go and skin this tiger carcass, process it, and store it in the cold cellar,” Shen Yian said, turning to give instructions.

“Yes, Your Highness!” Cheng Hai snapped back to attention.

After Mendu and E Lai finished exchanging greetings, Shen Yian took the opportunity to introduce Cheng Hai to E Lai.

“Senior E Lai.”

Cheng Hai’s breathing suddenly stopped when he stood in front of E’lai, as if there was a towering mountain standing in front of him, making him feel awe.

“Hmm, you have good aptitude. If you follow His Highness, you will surely become a world-famous swordsman in the future.”

E Lai squeezed Cheng Hai’s shoulder approvingly.

“Senior E Lai is too kind,” Cheng Hai replied.

After chatting idly for a while, Cheng Hai and Mendu dragged the giant tiger away to process it in the side courtyard.

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

After Mendu and Cheng Hai left, Fu Sheng and Yin Hai appeared.

“Your Highness, Mr. E Lai.”

“Your Highness.”

Shen Yian asked curiously, “When will Shen Jun arrive?”

If E Lai had arrived, Shen Jun shouldn’t be far behind.

“In response to Your Highness, I asked him. He said he’d be two days late, as he’s preparing a

congratulatory gift for Your Highness,” E Lai replied after some thought.

A gift from Shen Jun?

He won’t be making some large-scale siege weapon using his mechanical arts, will he?

Shen Yian suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Yin Hai, when will Zhu Long and the others arrive?”

Yin Hai pulled out a note: “In response to Your Highness, they will arrive within five days.”

“Good, and the Twelve Hours should be arriving soon too, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It’s about to get lively, and lively is good!”

Shen Yian laughed heartily. This was the first time things had been so bustling since moving into the king’s mansion. Fortunately, the mansion was large enough; otherwise, it would be difficult to hide so many people.

“Yin Hai, take E Lai on a tour of the mansion. Fu Sheng, accompany me for a game of chess.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As the sun set, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion had been booked exclusively by the Duke of State’s mansion for the night, making for quite a lively scene.

The innkeeper of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion had put on his best clothes and stood at the entrance with butler Ah Fu to welcome guests. All the guests coming in were dignitaries in the city, and he was afraid of neglecting them.

“Greetings to His Highness, the King of Chu,” Ah Fu hurried forward as Shen Yian alighted from his carriage.

“At ease.”

Shen Yian handed over the invitation and beckoned the innkeeper of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

“Have you encountered any problems?”

“Your Highness, please rest assured! I’ve called in staff from the teahouse, guaranteeing everything will go smoothly.”

“Good. Thank you for your hard work tonight.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Your Highness. This is our duty!”

Inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, the dignitaries gathered in small groups, exchanging pleasantries and engaging in mutual flattery.

Some were chatting idly, some seeking cooperation, and others trying to curry favor with more powerful figures, following them around with fawning expressions.

“Greetings to His Highness, the King of Chu!”

A chorus of salutations rang out as Shen Yian entered.

Shen Yian nodded slightly: “No need for formalities.”

Heading up to the second floor, Ye Feng, as the guest of honor, was surrounded by a group of old generals, engaged in lively conversation.

“Hahaha! Well done! That’s how you should kill those barbarians! Worthy of old Ye’s bloodline!”

“Nephew Ye, what do you think about sending my good-for-nothing son to train under you for a few years?”

“Your Highness, King of Chu.” Ye Tiance had sharp eyes and immediately noticed Shen Yian coming up the stairs, and quickly walked up to him.

“Duke Ye.” Shen Yian smiled.

Hearing this, Ye Feng and several old generals also gathered around.

“Greetings to Your Highness, King of Chu.”

“No need for formalities, venerable generals. Thanks to you all, Great Qing enjoys such stability both internally and externally.”

“Your Highness is too kind. Protecting our country is our duty!”

“With young talents like Your Highness leading Great Qing’s future, we old fellows can truly rest easy.”

After the exchange of pleasantries, Shen Yian was led by Ye Tiance to the private room where the younger generation was gathered.

“Your Highness, please forgive any shortcomings in today’s hospitality.”

“Duke Ye, you’re too modest.”

As Ye Tiance returned to continue chatting with the old men, Shen Yian entered the private room.

Inside, the young masters and misses sat in their seats, notably restrained. Unlike their usual gatherings of a dozen or so friends without elders present, where they could speak freely, this was different. Many barely knew each other, and with the elders nearby, they didn’t dare speak loudly.

“Greetings to Your Highness, King of Chu!”

Everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed as Shen Yian entered.

“At ease.” Shen Yian smiled and gestured, his gaze sweeping across the room before locking onto Ye Liyan, who wore a gauze hat.

The room had three tables. Ye Liyan sat at the innermost table, next to Qiu Lanlan and Lu Lingyao, with the Du brothers also seated there.

“Sister Ye, it’s His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu. He’s here to see you.” Seeing Shen Yian coming over, Qiu Lanlan was even more excited than Ye Liyan.

“Yao Yao, quick.”

Qiu Lanlan perceptively stood up with Lu Lingyao, making room.

“Brother An!” The Du brothers stood up and called out.

“Dunming, who hit you?” Shen Yian asked, surprised to see bruises on Du Dunming’s face.

“It’s nothing, Brother An… I just… accidentally fell when going out,” Du Dunming said with an awkward smile.

“The prince’s mansion has some medicine for injuries. I’ll have someone send you some tomorrow.”

“No need to trouble yourself, Brother An! It’ll be fine in a couple of days.” Du Dunming quickly waved his hands in refusal.

If he used the medicine and the injury healed in a couple of days, he might accidentally anger his father again if he wasn’t careful, and that would mean another beating.

Hearing this, Shen Yian didn’t insist. Ignoring the focused gazes of others, he took Ye Liyan’s small hand and smiled, “Why is everyone standing? Please, sit down!”

“Your Highness.”

Ye Liyan lowered her slightly reddened face, using her other hand to remove her gauze hat, revealing her breathtaking beauty.

Knowing that His Highness would remove her hat again, she decided to take the initiative.

Shen Yian smiled silently at this, his large hand gently squeezing her small one, causing her ears to start burning.

Hiss!

As the white gauze danced, many present saw Ye Liyan’s true face for the first time.

This beauty was almost indistinguishable from the legendary fairies descending from heaven!

Those azure blue eyes were truly beautiful, seeming to possess a magic that drew people in deeply at first glance.

“Ahem.” Shen Yian coughed dryly a couple of times, snapping many out of their daze.

It’s fine to look once, but staring is going too far.

This king will be honest: this king is a jealous person!