Translation Checker: Lunite
Editor: Lunite
Proofreader: PrinceSofuto
The room was very quiet.
Lu Xingwang had been silent ever since he had come back from the palace.
Indeed, he had his own guesses and speculations. If his own divine power had returned, it must be connected to the other party. So, either the other person had done something or he had something that had led to the establishment of this connection. From a more profound angle, the other person might even know him.
A person that was neither on this planet nor someone he knew. Excluding all that, there was only one person left. The child he least wanted to be involved—Jian Mei.
Dingdong.
While he was thinking, he received a message.
Lu Xingwang was sitting on the roof of the highest building in the underground city. From this height, he could see the busiest streets, with crowds of people bustling with excitement and activity. In the past, he would’ve disliked such a noisy environment, but after everything that had happened, he now felt the desire to sit in a place like this and watch the fireworks and city life from a distance. He clicked on the message and saw that it was from Jian Mei: [Good evening, I just arrived home from school.]
Lu Xingwang replied, [Good evening.]
He was used to hiding his emotions and therefore didn’t reveal anything to Jian Mei, which would’ve made the child panic.
Jian Mei didn’t notice anything. As usual, he rambled to Lu Xingwang about what had happened at school that day. He said: [I went out to dinner together with my friends.]
Lu Xingwang: [Friends?]
Had he made good friends already?
His thoughts ran wild, a layer of gloom adding to his already heavy emotions. They were filled with a kind of unexplainable and undefinable feeling.
Jian Mei: [Yeah, I had dinner with them. They helped me solve some problems while I was studying in the library today, so I treated them to dinner at a few street stalls.]
So there was someone who would actively help him solve problems too.
Then there was nothing he was lacking now, right? Jian Mei had loving parents and now he had friends as well. As for himself…he should be unneeded. He should have understood it a long time ago. Compared to an online friend whom you had never met, wasn’t it more realistic to have a friend who could accompany and help you out in critical moments?
However…
Ding!
[Allow transfer access?]
Lu Xingwang hesitated but still chose to accept the transfer. The preinstalled transfer tool lit up and then—a roasted sweet potato nicely wrapped in a bag was transferred over, and that wasn’t all… there were takoyaki neatly arranged in a box, fried skewers tightly sealed in a carton, and… many, many more.
Lu Xingwang raised his brows in surprise and sent a message to Jian Mei to ask, [What’s all this?]
Jian Mei then sent him a voice message, sounding a bit excited. “This is what I ate at the street stalls today with my friends. I treated them to some of the tastier snacks, and since they were delicious, I bought more because I wanted you to try them too.”
Like a child who didn’t get a share of candy and was left excluded in the corner, but was then found by someone.
This bright sunshine spilled over the world, spreading warmth everywhere and leaving no dark corners behind.
Jian Mei said softly, “I don’t know if you’ll like them, but I’ve tasted all of them and they’re delicious. If you’re not full from dinner, you can give them a try.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lu Xingwang looked at the pile of things around him and bowed his head, obscuring his face. He said, “I’ve already eaten. Next time, don’t trouble yourself like this.”
“Pa’r cba j qgbyifw. P pera kjcafv ab rtjgf atf ajras atlcur P’nf fjafc klat sbe.” Aljc Zfl’r fsfr kfgf ufcaif. Llr nblmf agjnfifv atgbeut atf wlmgbqtbcf jcv gfjmtfv Oe Wlcukjcu’r fjgr, “Snfc atbeut P tjv j iba bo oec ktfc P kjr klat ws oglfcvr, fnfgs alwf P ybeuta rbwfatlcu, P mbeivc’a tfiq yea atlcx: lo bcis sbe kfgf tfgf abb, atfc la kbeiv’nf yffc qfgofma… lo bcis sbe mbeiv’nf aglfv fnfgsatlcu abb… lo bcis…”
His voice weakened as he spoke.
Lu Xingwang’’s eyes darkened. The young man’s hem was blown upward by the wind and his originally frigid face softened. After those words, he couldn’t remain indifferent.
Jian Mei smiled and whispered, “I couldn’t help it, so I bought more.
“It’s really no trouble. I brought a small school bag and put it all inside and carried it back.” He seemed to be afraid that Lu Xingwang would misunderstand. “Really not a problem.”
Lu Xingwang quietly listened until the end. He looked at the food around him and touched it. There was still some residual warmth. Just how far was it to get back home from the street stalls? Did you need to be in such a rush to protect the food inside your bag? Even when he went out with his real-life friends, how come Jian Mei still didn’t forget about him?
He took a bite of the takoyaki and said in a low voice, “Thank you, it’s delicious.”
Jian Mei paused in his actions, and then a smile blossomed on his face. He was really happy. “Is it? That’s great, then it wasn’t a waste—protecting it on my way back home.”
Lu Xingwang hummed in assent.
“That’s good, I was afraid you wouldn’t like it.” Jian Mei was relieved. “You seem to be very busy recently. I’m really worried that you’re not able to eat well…Your medicine will be ready soon. When it’s done, I’ll send it to you, but make sure to drink it on time. Do you think the medicine is effective? Has your health improved recently?”
The moment medicine was mentioned, Lu Xingwang’s movements paused.
The night was as dark as a thick black fog. Half of the young man’s face was covered with a silver mask. The poison in his body would still flare up lately and Lan Chang also used a sorcerer’s technique to help him suppress it a little bit. Recently, however, he had felt that his body was less fatigued. Still, whether this medicine really worked or not couldn’t be determined right away.
Nevertheless…
Lu Xingwang still decided to ask, “Jian Mei, I have some questions for you.”
This was a rare serious moment. Jian Mei’s expression tensed unconsciously. He said, “Okay, you can ask.”
“When you picked up your phone, aside from the several high-tech features, was there anything else that was unusual?” Lu Xingwang knew his divine power well. “Did you feel any changes in your body?”
Jian Mei was stunned. “Huh?”
Lu Xingwang said, “For example, some abilities that you didn’t have before?”
Jian Mei’s pea-sized brain couldn’t understand what he meant. He thought for a long time before he gave a reply, “There is.”
Lu Xingwang’s brows furrowed unconsciously and he solemnly asked, “Such as?”
“My grades have improved,” said Jian Mei. “It’s easy to watch online lessons with this phone and it’s also easy to search for information. After we met, you also taught me how to study. Ever since I’ve had this phone, I feel like I’ve become so much smarter.”
It was dead silent on the other end of the phone.
One would really shed tears to hear that the five-element divine power which hadn’t been seen for a thousand years was only a studying tool for Jian Mei.
Feeling the tension in his heart melt, Lu Xinwang just asked, “So there are no abnormalities in your body?”
Jian Mei racked his brains thinking about it. He felt very well these days and his parents said that the hospital test results were also good, so he replied, “Nothing.”
Lu Xingwang was silent for a moment before nodding. “That’s good.”
If a person really possessed his divine power, it was impossible for the body not to change. That kind of power was powerful enough to change a person, but he believed in Jian Mei. If the boy said there was nothing, then there was nothing. This was for the best. And if the person with his divine powers was really not Jian Mei, then Lu Xingwang would feel more at ease.
Only…
He still couldn’t disregard it completely as this child could be a little slow sometimes. Perhaps his divine power was indeed somewhere in Jian Mei, but this child was just entirely oblivious to it. For now, he had to investigate further.
He was still thinking when another person sat down next to him.
Lu Xingwang threw him a sideways glance. “What brought the major general here?”
“After talking to Patriarch Lan, Your Highness is allowed to sit here and brood. Am I not allowed to brood here as well?” Zuo Qingshan looked at the box of takoyaki on the ground next to him and ate it. “Shh, say no more, this is delicious.”
Lu Xingwang looked at him expressionlessly. “What is it? Did you receive bad news?”
Zuo Qingshan swallowed the words he wanted to say and let out a long sigh. “I can’t say that they’re bad. Patriarch Lan said that there are some signs that my father is alive. However, since the item I brought to him wasn’t enough for him to set up the searching formation and the distance was very far, he said I needed to get some items from my father’s hometown to make the zhenyan of the array.
Lu Xingwang said, “Being alive is more important than anything else.”
“Yeah, I’m just worried. If he’s alive, why didn’t he contact us?” Zuo Qingshan felt it was very odd. “Did something happen to him?”
Lu Xingwang said frankly, “Maybe he’s experiencing some difficulties.”
Zuo Qingshan sighed. “Who isn’t, these days?”
But now that this had been decided, their original plan to go back straight to the imperial city was shelved. Lu Xingwang chose to accompany Zuo Qingshan back to his hometown, but not as an act of kindness: if two people left and only one returned, it would certainly arouse the suspicion of other people. So to keep out of the public eye, he chose to go along.
Their next itinerary would be unknown to many people. Lu Xingwang and Zuo Qingshan acted low-key—fewer people could guess that they would go to the south since their original plan was to go to the north to investigate. As both of them were men of action, after they determined their route, they quickly decided when to leave as well.
At the time of departure, to everyone’s surprise, Lan Chang personally went out to see them off. He handed Lu Xingwang a bag of pills which was the Lan family’s secret recipe. Although it couldn’t remove the poison, it could help him relieve the pain from the poison attack.
Lan Chang said, “I once told your mother that under no circumstance will the Lan family participate in imperial government and political disputes.”
Surprised, Lu Xingwang said, “You can rest assured, the purpose of my visit here isn’t to form a faction.”
“Hm.” Lan Chang nodded. The middle-aged man seemed to have aged a lot after learning about his daughter’s death. He said, “The Lan family has many side branches; I can’t just think of myself. And the politics of the imperial court are too complex. If you’re not careful, there could be very serious consequences, but I can’t risk the lives of the whole clan to help you. Do you understand?”
Lu Xingwang nodded. “I understand.”
The other princes were more or less supported by their mothers’ families. Even the second prince, who was the least talented, had his mother by his side. Only Lu Xingwang was alone, facing tremendous pressure. He was still young, but he always stood upright and never showed any weaknesses. Even at this moment, he didn’t reveal any hurt or disappointment. He had no expectations, so he wasn’t very disheartened. He had long been used to having no one beside him, so he wasn’t upset.
Lu Xingwang bowed deeply to Lan Chang. “Take care of yourself.”
Lan Chang looked at the child in front of him. Though he was very moved, he felt complicated.
His daughter had been deep in the palace and eventually lost her life. He couldn’t protect her then, and now he couldn’t even protect his daughter’s only child; what a wretched life he led.
“Although I can’t assist you in the imperial court, you can contact me if you ever need help.” Lan Chang took out a token from his pocket. “This is the Lan family’s heirloom token. As long as there are Lan family stores around you, you can mobilize some funds. This token also allows you to freely access the Sorcerer’s Street, so keep it.”
Lu Xingwang looked at the token in Lan Chang’s hand and suddenly remembered that the painting above his concubine mother’s table had the same design as this token, so he reached out and took it. When Lan Chang turned around, he said, “I’ve seen this design before at my mother’s palace.”
Lan Chang paused in his steps.
The middle-aged man, who had always appeared calm and collected, didn’t dare to turn around then. He took a deep breath before saying, “This was once her token before she left it behind.”
Lu Xingwang touched the somewhat smooth surface of the token. After a moment of silence, he said, “She said she didn’t blame you.”
Lan Chang froze; his black eyes slowly became red. He took a step forward, then walked away…waving his hand twice to show that he heard Lu Xingwang. He acted very calmly, only his slightly uneven steps revealed that he was agitated inside.
After settling their affairs in the Sorcerer’s City, Lu Xingwang and Zuo Qingshan went south towards the general’s hometown. Along the way, they observed the situation of the places they passed.
While walking, Zuo Qingshan said, “I’ll tell you something strange.”
It was a topic that, in the past, he wouldn’t have discussed with Lu Xingwang.
Lu Xingwang said, “Yes?”
“I just took office this year and don’t know about a lot of things. However, while I was free two days ago, I talked to some villagers. I heard them say that many people from the north are heading to the south to apply for public and military exams.” Zuo Qingshan looked at Lu Xingwang and said, “Let me give you the simplest example. When I first took office last year, the military issued new rules stipulating that people without divine powers can also join the army. The number of people who signed up on the internet and the number of people who met the conditions for joining the army accounted for 80%. However, after the army selection, the number of people without divine power actually only accounted for 1.2%.”
Zuo Qingshan continued, “I thought that maybe the difficulty of screening and training was too high, so I adjusted it down this year. I asked the adjutant the night before last and found that the number of people without divine power in this selection still only accounted for 1.3%.”
Lu Xingwang asked, “Did you let your subordinates investigate it?”
“Of course. They reported that it was because the ordinary people couldn’t withstand the difficulty of the training and voluntarily withdrew themselves from the camp.” Zuo Qingshan said, “But there’s a very strange thing.”
Lu Xingwang said, “What is it?”
“The north has a 50% selection rate.” Zuo Qingshan’s expression gradually became serious. “One villager said that people now want to come to the north to sign up and participate in training, but the difficulty of training in both places is obviously the same.”
There’s something amiss here and it’s a major thing.
If it wasn’t for the reminder of the old villager, Zuo Qingshan wouldn’t have thought to pay attention to such a problem. He had just taken office and thus was very busy, so how could he have the time to pay attention to that?
Lu Xingwang told him, “If you have doubts, why not go to the camp in person? Since you can’t see the truth from a high position, you may as well go down and check the situation yourself.”
Zuo Qingshan’s eyes brightened. “Is that okay?”
Lu Xingwang raised his brows. “Why not?”
Zuo Qingshan replied, “But I have divine power, so I won’t be able to pass when they check. I can’t enter the camp either since only people without divine power can. I’m afraid this matter will be laid aside.”
Lu Xingwang looked at him silently, his expression saying: What are you dreaming about?
Zuo Qingshan took out his own exclusive weapon. “In regards to Your Highness’ face, I have a face-changing potion that the sorcerer sent me. It can last for ten days and I guarantee that no one will find out your identity. For the sake of the future of Stan Star, in spite of your reluctance, I ask Your Highness to please help me.”
Lu Xingwang remained silent.
Zuo Qingshan gritted his teeth. “If you help me, I’ll accept one unconditional thing afterwards.”
Lu Xingwang didn’t react at all, he was obviously unmoved.
“Two… three!” Zuo Qingshan bitterly and weakly stretched out his finger. “Okay, okay. I’ll give you the latest mecha in the army to play with! Don’t go too far!”
“Deal.”
Lu Xingwang used the potion that Zuo Qingshan gave him. The sorcerer’s creation was of fine quality. The young man’s original appearance slowly began to change and his handsome face gradually became mediocre. His eyes were so small they looked as if they weren’t open. The bridge of his nose was very low and there were even little freckles on his face. The effect of the potion was to turn one into the opposite of their original appearance.
The major general sucked a breath and turned his face away in embarrassment.
Lu Xingwang raised his head and asked, “Do I look ugly?”
The major general couldn’t speak. He thought of the child who had been in a video call with Lu Xingwang and said to His Highness, “How should I say this… with this appearance, not just me, but even your friends, family, and the people you’re close to will dislike you for three days. Fortunately, you’re not on video right now. Let’s just pray no one asks you for a video call in the next ten days.”
Lu Xingwang barely reacted to his confession. He just looked at himself in the mirror and asked, “Is it that ugly?”
The author has something to say:
Dazhuang-ge wants to feel the joy of meeting face-to-face?
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Ahahahaha, I really want to see a before and after comparison to see what made the general say that! 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the chapter.
jianjian is slow but if you change your face he’ll notice xD
#prayfornotgettingavideocall
Thanks for the chapter 🍩
Thank you for the translation.
You don’t have to worry and think badly about yourself LXW, Meimei won’t let you down :3
LXW getting the latest mecha, and my brain was just thinking that it would end as a nice gift for Meimei xDD But how to explain that a mecha destroyed your home with its delivery and where it came from? Hahaha.
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶
Thanks for the chapter ~
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
thank you
Thank you for this chapter!
Hope Lu XInglan won’t get a video call XD
Thanks for the update! 🤣❤️
Thanks for the update!^^
I feel like grandpa Jian is the one who had LXW divine power, because if i remember correctly his the one who found the cellphone, anyways it’s just a theory, maybe I’m wrong ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Wow least we know our meimei was chosen for his pure heart (naivety) . So cute that he wants to share all the good an bad with his prince holding nothin back. As for the camp the divine users are prolly sabotaging them or torturing them ten times worse so they don’t pass
💜💜💜
The young general’s guide to burying flags