Chapter 279: Better To Bear A Wolf Than A Sheep
The Black Feathered Eagle squatted on the rammed earth courtyard wall of the crude Changsha King’s Mansion, watching those humans with bizarre behavior in the courtyard. Seeing no sign of Liu Changsheng from the Divine Dragon Hall side, it jumped down from the wall and hopped slowly toward the Divine Dragon Hall.
After it jumped onto the window and looked around left, right, front, and back to confirm no one was there, it spread its wings and fiercely pounced toward the Ancestral Fire.
A golden fire dragon burst out from the Ancestral Fire, reaching the Black Feathered Eagle’s face in the next instant. The flames wrapped around the eagle like viscous mud.
“Gua, gua…”
The Black Feathered Eagle let out a few miserable cries and flew out of the Divine Dragon Hall like a fireball.
Its two claws flailed like wheels as it drilled into the Changsha King’s Mansion, found an empty water bucket with water, and plunged its head in. After a puff of green smoke, the flames on the Black Feathered Eagle’s body finally extinguished.
When it struggled out of the water bucket, it fell to the ground with a smack, feet up in the air, and barely any black feathers left on its body.
E Ji and the others were already used to the Black Feathered Eagle always going for the Ancestral Fire and then being tormented by it. Liu Changsheng was almost used to it too, and perhaps the Ancestral Fire was almost used to it, even feeling some joy—each time perfectly burning off the Black Feathered Eagle’s feathers without killing it.
Fortunately, the Black Feathered Eagle’s feather regrowth was fast. Lying on the ground for one night, it would have a new coat of feathers the next day.
Lei Ming climbed out of the water bucket. Before the water could slide off his body, he threw a heavy punch. This punch was very powerful, producing the sound of ripping silk—this was the phenomenon of a fist tearing through the air.
1 Zhang Min laughed, “You have the strength of a Hundred-man General now, Lei Ming. You are currently the third best martial artist under the Yun Clan.”
1 Lei Ming lifted his bruised face and grinned, “I’m going again tonight.”
1 Liu Changsheng walked out from behind and said, “Going again? If I hadn’t appeased the Ancestral Fire last night, you all would have been burned to ashes. Truly insatiable.”
1 E Ji, holding Yun Shuo, sidled up to Liu Changsheng and said, “How about…”
1 Liu Changsheng waved his hand, “The growth of internal breath is actually an evolution process. There are no shortcuts. Last night’s fire just burned away the impurities in your bodies. Your internal breath growth didn’t come from the Ancestral Fire—it was your own wasted internal breath.”
1 Seeing Liu Changsheng unwilling, E Ji pouted, “You’re over a hundred years old and won’t leave any benefits for your grandchildren, just watching us farm in the wilderness.”
1 Liu Changsheng laughed, “At my age, it’s time to enjoy filial piety from my grandchildren. If descendants need elders to look after everything, better not to have such descendants.
1 Alright, in five days, you, the Wife of the Crown Prince of Changsha, will formally meet people. Prepare well.”
1 E Ji said, “The Palace Banquet?”
1 Liu Changsheng said, “The Palace Banquet.”
2 E Ji said, “Will He Junnian come?”
2 Liu Changsheng shook his head, “He won’t come.”
2 “In that case, won’t Wu Tong and the others be very disappointed?”
2 Liu Changsheng laughed, “No, they just hope for such a Palace Banquet to prove to the world that I stand on their side.”
2 E Ji laughed, “In that case, shouldn’t we collect some gifts?”
2 Liu Changsheng laughed, “Naturally, there’s no harm in it.”
2 Hearing the old Divine Official agree, E Ji said to Zhang Min, “Go prepare. Tell Wu Tong that without a gift of two thousand taels of gold, don’t attend the Wife of the Crown Prince of Changsha’s Palace Banquet.”
2 After Zhang Min took Lei Ming and the others—who had been soaked—away.
2 Liu Changsheng laughed heartily, “You’re one who knows how to hold a Palace Banquet. But is there something in this I don’t know about?”
2 E Ji frowned, “Back then, when my young master came to Chang’an, he didn’t even get the chance to enter Chang’an City and was humiliated in the rundown town outside. You don’t know, old Divine Official—Heng Ji collects no less than ten thousand taels of gold every time she meets someone.
3 I’m asking for two thousand taels now, and it feels like too little.”
3 “What do you need so much money for?”
3 “To build Yun City. My husband wants to build a Yun City that rivals Chang’an.”
3 “Why build a city?”
3 “My husband said that throughout the Great Han, there’s no clean place amid all the petty scheming. He wants to build a brand new, spotless city. He also said, new city, new atmosphere.”
3 Hearing E Ji say this, Liu Changsheng felt his blood surging fiercely for some reason. A candle flame flew out from the Divine Dragon Hall, landed on his fingertip, and burst into two sparks that drilled into his body, finally calming this palpitation.
3 “These days, Chang’an is in decline. Not many can afford two thousand taels of gold to attend the Palace Banquet.”
3 E Ji laughed, “Even if only one comes, it’s two thousand taels of gold. If no one comes, we’ll enjoy ourselves.”
3 Liu Changsheng sighed, “How little you think of the people of Chang’an to set such harsh entry conditions.”
3 E Ji sighed too, waved her sleeve, and An Ji and the other maids, who had been waiting for the summons, carried out many books from the room and placed them in front of Liu Changsheng.
4 Liu Changsheng flipped through the top Historical Records《》, then quickly closed the book and said, “After King Huo, the History Books of the Ancestral Land?”
4 E Ji said, “After King Huo, two thousand years of history books from the ancestral land. Now, old Divine Official, do you still think I’m asking for too much?”
4 Liu Changsheng reopened the《Historical Records》, reading while saying, “Not too much.”
4 E Ji continued, “My young master said that the people of the Great Han read too few books and have too little experience. Protected too well by Shehuo, they haven’t even found the path to evolution to this day. Truly pitiful.”
4 Liu Changsheng said, “With such a treasure, holding a Palace Banquet in five days is too rushed. Those far away won’t make it in time. Also, bringing out these books means laying bare your husband’s origins.”
4 E Ji shrieked, “How is that possible? I’ll just say these are old books from the Changsha King’s Mansion. You wouldn’t lack even this bit of responsibility, would you, elder?”
4 Liu Changsheng frowned, “You want to say these books were obtained by me?”
4 E Ji smilingly took Liu Changsheng’s arm and acted coquettishly, “Aside from you, elder, even if we say someone else got them, who would believe it?”
4 Liu Changsheng looked up at the sky and said, “Indeed. Sitting idly in the Divine Dragon Hall for a century, only I have the ability. Only I can bring out such things to share with the world.”
4 After speaking, he raised his hand and gently patted E Ji’s back three times.
5 E Ji looked at Liu Changsheng’s departing figure with a face full of disdain.
5 Zhang Min sidled over and said, “Don’t secretly criticize the elder. He might see it.”
5 E Ji huffed, “I don’t know if all experts are like this. He could have told me directly, but no—he wants me to hold the child and go find him at the third watch at night, making me guess from three pats on my back.”
5 Zhang Min widened her eyes and said, “It’s not affection toward you, but for you to hold Shuo’er and go find him at the third watch?”
5 E Ji sneered, “Most likely.”
5 Zhang Min knocked her forehead, “Why couldn’t I figure it out?”
5 E Ji gave Zhang Min a white-eyed look, “If you could figure it out, you’d be the Yun Clan’s First Wife. Come with me tonight, bring Tui’er. Whatever benefits my husband provides, exchange them for as many benefits as possible.”
5 Zhang Min looked at E Ji with near reverence for the first time, unable to speak for a long time.
5 E Ji walked into the room with hands behind her back. The Black Feathered Eagle blocked the way; E Ji kicked it. The eagle croaked but didn’t move. Zhang Min hurriedly stepped forward, kicked the eagle away, allowing E Ji to smoothly return to the bedroom.
5 Back in the bedroom, E Ji took her son from An Ji’s hands, affectionately touched foreheads with him, and started babbling baby talk. Perhaps the son complained about something; E Ji suddenly looked up at Zhang Min standing nearby and said, “The old guy won’t use the Ancestral Fire to burn my son, will he…”
6 Zhang Min was stunned for a moment before laboriously saying, “Probably not?”
6 E Ji frowned, “This child’s father even discarded the dragon on his arm. Our pure, innocent child—don’t let the old guy put some strange thing on him.”
6 Zhang Min gritted her teeth, “Probably not.”
6 E Ji thought for a moment and said to Zhang Min, who was still gnashing her teeth, “Tonight we’ll watch carefully. Don’t let the old guy roast and eat my son.”
6 Zhang Min said, “Alright, sister.”
6 After speaking, E Ji picked up her son again, opened her collar to breastfeed. Glancing at Zhang Min’s increasingly prominent chest, she pointed at the gate. Zhang Min immediately hunched over to make her chest look less imposing, slowly retreating and proactively closing the gate.
6 After feeding the child, he immediately turned his head away, lay facing the other side, hummed twice, and fell asleep.
6 “Just like your dad, both thick-skinned. Once full, you ignore people.”
6 While thinking of Yun Ce, E Ji gently patted her son’s buttocks. As the sun was about to set, she unknowingly fell asleep.
6 At the third watch of the second period, Zhang Min, holding Yun Tui, woke E Ji. E Ji picked up her son, checked his buttocks, changed the diaper, wrapped the child in swaddling clothes, casually pinned up her hair into a bun, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and carried the child to the Divine Dragon Hall.
7 Liu Changsheng was dozing by the fire pit. Seeing E Ji enter, he was about to speak when he saw Zhang Min follow. He frowned at E Ji.
7 E Ji said, “The Yun Clan has no such messy affairs. They are all my husband’s sons. My husband has only these two bloodlines now. Though the Patriarch position will surely be my child’s—he’s the Eldest Legitimate Son and deserves it—my son only wants these things. As for the rest, it’s all the same; no need to favor one and step on another.
7 Any opportunity for advancement should be given equally.”
7 Liu Changsheng lay back down and looked at E Ji with interest, “This is the way to invite chaos.”
7 E Ji glanced back at Yun Tui in Zhang Min’s arms and giggled, “That’s still competition between two capable children. My husband said, better to raise sons like wolves than like sheep.”
