Chapter 9: Prince Beijing (IV)

As time passed, Jingri Guming did not engage in any untoward behavior, and Haoqiong Guming gradually let down his guard.

Jingri Guming spent his days sequestered at home, reading books and playing games of chess against himself.

Secretly, he diligently practiced a brand-new martial arts scripture. Backed by his formidable spiritual soul, multitasking was by no means a difficult feat for him.

Another two years passed in this manner. Perhaps because Xuehui Guming was too mischievous and refused to study diligently, or perhaps because the Mian King felt Jingri Guming had too much idle time on his hands, he had Xuehui Guming thrown into the Prince Beijing Manor, ostensibly ordering Jingri Guming to tutor the boy in his studies.

Without Jingri Guming keeping him company in the imperial palace, Xuehui Guming's days were far from lonely.

Perhaps out of a sense of guilt, both the Mian King and Haoqiong Guming lavished exceptional affection on Xuehui Guming.

Perhaps it was precisely this excessive pampering by both of them that made Xuehui Guming difficult to discipline, and since neither could bear to be stern with him, they simply packed him off to Jingri Guming.

With the addition of little Xuehui, Prince Beijing's manor gained a new lease of life and an air of bustling liveliness.

Jingri Guming simply acquired an extra daily chore: disciplining Xuehui Guming.

As for Xuehui Guming's mischievous antics, Jingri Guming could care less; whatever the boy broke, Jingri Guming would simply send the bill to the Mian Palace for reimbursement.

Under these circumstances, the once-forgotten Prince Beijing seemed to make a reappearance within the Mian Palace.

The Mian King and Haoqiong Guming would also occasionally drop by Prince Beijing's manor to check on the prince and little Xuehui when they were in the neighborhood.

In this year, Jingri Guming was twelve years old, and Xuehui Guming was eight.

"Little Xuehui, since His Majesty the King has tasked me with your discipline, you must obey my instructions!"

Jingri Guming said while holding a book, reading and speaking to Xuehui Guming at the same time.

"I won't listen, I won't listen..."

Making a funny face, Xuehui Guming climbed onto the chair opposite Jingri Guming, picked up Jingri Guming's teacup, and drank straight from it.

Holding his book, Jingri Guming gently patted little Xuehui's head and told him that if he wanted tea, he should simply have a servant pour him a cup.

"Did you not see that our little Prince Xuehui is thirsty? Why haven't you poured tea yet!"

Jingri Guming scolded the household servants, though his eyes gleamed with the anticipation of watching Xuehui Guming make a fool of himself.

The servant hurriedly scurried off to prepare tea for Xuehui Guming.

"Glug, glug... Pfft..."

Xuehui Guming had barely taken two sips before spitting it right back out.

"What is this? Uncle, is this really what you drink?"

"Hahaha..."

Jingri Guming laughed heartily, then adopted a desolate expression as he said:

"Your uncle's ambitions were too grand, foolishly attempting to cultivate all three volumes of the Imperial Hegemony Scripture simultaneously, which injured my heart meridians. From now on, I am nothing more than a sickly invalid!"

Jingri Guming rubbed little Xuehui's head.

"In the future, your uncle will have to rely on little Xuehui for protection!"

"Mm! From now on, I will definitely practice martial arts hard to protect my uncle!"

Seeing little Xuehui's earnest expression, Jingri Guming laughed again.

"Hahaha..."

Yet the laughter carried a hint of unnaturalness, though young Xuehui was naturally incapable of noticing it.

"Sigh!"

Deep within his heart, Jingri Guming heaved a profound sigh. Such was the helplessness inherent in the royal family!

"Little Xuehui, seeing as you treat your uncle so well, I have decided: from now on, you will follow me in reading books every morning, and practice martial arts every afternoon! It is happily settled just like that!"

"No way! I'm still young, I want to go out and play!"

Little Xuehui wailed in despair.

"You're committing child abuse!"

From then on, Prince Beijing executed his plan strictly as stated. No matter how mischievously Xuehui Guming acted or how he tried to slack off and dodge work, Jingri Guming saw right through it all, forcing the boy to obediently toe the line.

This was the daily routine of Prince Beijing's manor, and this was Jingri Guming as seen through the eyes of the world.

However, by nightfall in Prince Beijing's manor, Jingri Guming assumed an entirely different persona.

"Zhan Bingwei, how did the task I assigned you go?"

Zhan Bingwei remained as silent as ever, yet Jingri Guming knew the task had already been accomplished.

Had it not been done, Zhan Bingwei would not have returned so swiftly.

Over the past year or two, the task Jingri Guming had given Zhan Bingwei was to search for orphaned children with exceptional bone structure who were well-suited for practicing martial arts.

Jingri Guming slipped out quietly, with Zhan Bingwei silently trailing behind him in the shadows.

It was only then that Zhan Bingwei discovered Jingri Guming actually possessed martial arts cultivation. Zhan Bingwei thought to himself in silence:

The story about his injured heart meridians and inability to practice martial arts must be a fabrication as well! But I wonder why he chose to reveal this to me. Does he trust me to this extent?

Or perhaps, having survived the upheaval of the Heavenly Peak, could Jingri Guming ever truly trust anyone again?

A peculiar flash of light crossed Zhan Bingwei's eyes.

Soon, Jingri Guming arrived at his destination—a nameless, barren mountain.

Approaching the temple on the mountain, the long-neglected shrine exuded an aura of decay everywhere, and even though it had been cleaned, it still could not conceal its dilapidated state.

The moment Jingri Guming drew near, the people inside detected his presence.

Seeing this, Jingri Guming merely smiled. It seemed Zhan Bingwei had put these children through basic paramilitary training, which was why there were still sentries on duty at night.

The sentry woke those who had already fallen asleep, and soon a group of people emerged.

As Zhan Bingwei appeared from the shadows and stood behind Jingri Guming, they all understood Jingri Guming's identity.

"Who is in charge among you?"

Jingri Guming asked with keen interest. Based on collective behavior, there was always a leader.

Naturally, the leader was somewhat clever; failing to understand Jingri Guming's intentions, he was initially reluctant to step forward. Unfortunately, the glances of the others quickly betrayed him.

Realizing this, he took two steps forward, followed by two others who were likely friends he had made during his days here.

Huddling together for warmth was the same everywhere. Jingri Guming asked with a smile:

"Do not be afraid. The fact that you could become their leader is a testament to your ability!"

Although Jingri Guming was still just a half-grown child at this moment, he possessed a rare, graceful composure.

As soon as Jingri Guming spoke, the tension in the hearts of the three leading youths visibly eased, and the wariness and fear in their eyes gradually dissipated.

"Do you have names?"

Jingri Guming asked casually, as if making small talk.

"This subordinate has no name. I beg the master to bestow one!"

The leader was a clever fellow. Having likely struggled to survive in the martial world from a young age, he was quite adept at reading people's expressions.

All three of them dropped to one knee, awaiting Jingri Guming's decree.

"Hm, very well!"

Jingri Guming pondered for a moment. Remembering that he was terrible at naming things, he decided to carry on the style of the Heaven's Will Sect and spoke:

"You shall be called Xiong Da, Xiong Er, and Xiong San respectively!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Xiong Da, Xiong Er, and Xiong San shouted in unison.

"Xiong Da, I have a task for you. I will return in three days. During this time, the daily lives, meals, and training of these people are all under your charge!"

"Over these three days, divide them by age and have them spar against one another. Whosoever achieves the top three places in their respective age group shall receive a reward from me!"

With that, Jingri Guming turned and left. As for money, supporting a hundred or so people was far too simple a matter for Prince Beijing's manor.

As for the possibility of them running away, there was simply no need for concern. These individuals had been handpicked by Zhan Bingwei from all corners of the realm; strangers in a strange land, where could they possibly run to?

Moreover, Jingri Guming was not abusing them; they were well-fed, well-housed, and only required to undergo some daily training.