Chapter 25: The Prince's Gift

  Xiao Qiu recently became obsessed with reading books. Although the books in the study were just ordinary books introducing Taoist principles, which Mei Chuan'an considered useless, he still read them with great interest and gained a lot of knowledge. When he encountered unfamiliar characters or didn't understand certain passages, he could ask his most patient teacher for help.

  "Do you know? The Nine Great Dao Circles surround the Sacred Symbol Dynasty, constantly fighting against demons and monsters. It's because of the protection of the Daoists that humans can enjoy a peaceful life. I always thought it was the Xuanfu Armies of the various vassal states that were protecting the borders." Xia Qiu felt surprised by this record.

  It was just after noon, and the sunlight shone obliquely into the study, not dazzling. Xiao Qiu sat cross-legged on the floor, while Fangfang sat behind the desk. When she heard Xiao Qiu speak, she put down the book in her hand, thought for a moment, "It should be said that each has their own duties, and the Fu Lu masters are also defending the border, fighting against evil spirits. Our Wild Forest Town is too small, we've only had contact with the Xuanfu Army, and don't know much about others."

  "Daoists should come out and take a walk from time to time, just like Li Yuichi, so that ordinary people can also know the truth, so that everyone will be on guard beforehand, and Ye Lin Town won't be unprepared when facing the demon species."

  "The Taoist priests did not like to show their faces, it seemed to be a rule set very early on."

  "This rule is no good." Xia Qiu immediately made a judgment.

  The relationship between the Nine Great Paths and the Sacred Symbol Dynasty is very complicated, with each rule having its own reason. Fangfang didn't understand much either, so she smiled with a hint of mischief, immediately holding up her book to cover her mouth.

  Fang Fang.

  "Huh?"

  "There's something... don't you think it's strange?"

  "What's with the incantation?"

  "That's right, Lin Du said it was nonsense, a mere delirium, but I always felt that those five words... seemed to have some effect on me."

  "What's the impact?"

  "I couldn't forget these five words, sometimes I even recite them in my dreams. Then I found it easier to recognize characters than before, and practicing boxing became more smooth."

  "After the Dao Gen is ignited, everyone's learning of boxing and literacy will become very fast, but if you don't work hard, it's still useless. You are more diligent than others, I have seen you practicing boxing alone in the yard at night, and only you are willing to stay behind to read a few more books."

  Praised, Xiao Qiu smiled, he had to work harder than others, he wanted to become a Wu Xing master like Li Yuechi, most importantly, he wanted to find his relatives in Ye Lin Town and challenge the demon species personally.

  "But I understand how you feel." Fangfang tilted her head to look at the front right, as if there was an invisible book placed there. "I often think of those five words too, and sometimes I accidentally say them out loud. Twice, after saying it, I really felt like there was a slight strange change in front of me, but when I looked closer, nothing had changed."

  To verify her words, Fangfang stretched out her right arm, her fingers stopping at a 45-degree angle in front of her, and softly chanted: "Wrong or weak, Mo."

  Since Lindu, the master of Yangshen Peak, claimed that these five words were meaningless, no one was afraid of them anymore. However, no one dared to listen to it with their own ears, and even when there were no outsiders in the study, Fangfang still didn't dare raise her voice.

  Xiao Qiu stared at Fang Fang's palm with wide eyes, holding his breath and remaining still, every hair on his body standing upright as he sensed a miracle was about to occur before him. He even felt the stagnant air in the room move without reason, stirring up an extremely faint breeze, as if it were a sign of an impending storm.

  "Little Autumn brother, come out quickly!" Er Liang Shen Youwei rushed in, the door of the study was not closed, and he jumped to Little Autumn's side in one step.

  Fang Fang's body trembled and she quickly withdrew her arm. Xia Qiu almost fell backwards, got up and asked: "What happened?"

  Shen Xiuyi had only run a few steps, but was already panting and gasping for breath, her face bright red. "Xuan San'er has arrived, standing right at the gate, Zhang Daoshi is forcing everyone..."

  The young man with the Taoist root must be taken directly to the guest house by the Taoist priest, and his family members are not allowed to enter Jinghu Village, even if they are princes of other countries. However, Prince Xintao of Western Intermediary Country has a way to show off his noble status.

  Three days in advance, a large number of goods were delivered, which was one of the methods. Now, he wants to establish his position as a new generation of disciples in the Pongshan Taoist tradition.

  Er Lang Shen Xiu had only been delayed for a while, so when he brought Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang to the front yard, the yard was already packed with people. All the children were curiously and reverently looking at the newcomers. What surprised Xiao Qiu was that several children from Ye Lin Town were standing honestly on the steps below, lowering their heads and hanging their hands, as if they had committed a serious mistake and were apologizing to the parties involved. Only Shen Hua stood far away in another part of the courtyard, his face pale and red.

  Shen Xiuyi whispered: "I couldn't hold back my brother."

  It soon became clear why Ta Liang Shen Xiu Ming and others had surrendered and yielded before the prince.

  "Put everything here." Zhang Lingsheng stood beside Xin Yutao, trying to appear nonchalant, but whenever his gaze turned to Prince Xi Jiekou, anyone could see the gratitude and fawning in his eyes.

  A dozen or so children, each carrying a different number of boxes and bundles, ran out of a room, placing their things on the steps below, next to those mistaken boys.

  "Are they all moved out?" Zhang Lingsheng asked in a low voice, and unconsciously stooped half a foot to match Xin Youtao's height.

  Xin Yutao nodded slightly, "Mm, they're all moved out. This is a gift I want to give everyone."

  When it comes to gifts, Zhang Lingsheng's gratitude is even more overflowing, and he said loudly: "Everyone listen up, Prince Xijiekou from a distant land has prepared some gifts for everyone, these boxes and packages are just that. Each person can only take one thing, don't grab randomly. Now go move everything out of the house."

  A group of kids in the courtyard rushed into the room where luggage was stored, excitedly moving things out, with only a few people standing still on the spot.

  Zhang Lingsheng had already received his own gift, which was why he was grateful to the prince and even forced several children to admit their mistakes without asking about the situation. He didn't think it was excessive at all, and instead thought he owed Xin Youtao a debt of gratitude. He couldn't help but pull out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and gently stroke the wooden pattern on it, saying "A bottle of five-sectioned green wood fragrance, Your Highness, this gift is too heavy."

  "I've entered the Taoist sect, don't ask about my background. Please don't call me 'Your Highness', I'm just like everyone else here, an ordinary person with a foundation in the Tao. As for the ointment, it's not some rare item either. Zhang Daoshi likes it, and I'll have someone bring more to you later."

  Zhang Lingsheng was almost moved to tears, if there weren't other children around, he really wanted to kowtow in gratitude. After ten years of managing the guest house, he finally got his reward.

  "What's gotten Zhang Daoshi so excited?" Shen Hao had walked up to Xiao Qiu's side and asked in a low voice.

  Fang Fang replied, "Wu Jie Qing Mu Xiang Gao is a very precious medicinal fragrance. It's said that applying some to the philtrum before practicing qigong can be of great benefit to one's cultivation."

  Zhang Lingsheng was born with a Taoist root, but after passing the initial stage of Tong Qi Kao, he stopped making progress. As a disciple of Pang Shan, this is his greatest shame and heart disease. Being able to obtain the Five-Sectioned Qingmu Xiang Gao is, of course, a source of gratitude that brings tears to his eyes.

  Zhang Lingsheng felt that he had been repaid too little, and his gaze turned to the young man from Yelin Town below the steps. He scolded angrily: "From the moment I saw you, I knew something was off. It turns out you're a gang of petty thieves who have taken advantage of others' misfortunes to steal their property. Tell me, after Xindao risked his life to defeat the snake demon and save your lives, how could you be so ungrateful?"

  The forest and human settlements are two completely different worlds. The prince's identity is worthless in the former, but priceless in the latter.

  The young man under the stairs hung his head even lower, not daring to make a sound. The disappearance of Wild Lin Town had a huge impact on them, and they had no intention of resisting the scolding of adults.

  The little autumn at the other end of the courtyard was so angry that her lungs were about to explode. This Xin Yu Tao was timid and cowardly, as a military officer he abandoned his subordinates and escaped by himself, and in the end he even took away the only oil lamp that could counter the demon species. Now he actually reversed black and white through Zhang Ling Sheng, and at this moment she stepped forward to expose the true face of this prince.

  Shen Hao tightly grabbed Xiao Qiu's arm, he had once fiercely beaten Xin Yutao in the forest, but now he didn't have any courage at all. "Forget it, we can't win."

  Shen Hao's expression was disheartened, without a hint of fighting spirit. His so-called "can't compete" had nothing to do with eloquence, but rather wealth. Just three days ago, he was the richest kid in the dormitory, with many people following him. Now, compared to Wang Zixin and Yu Tao, he was like heaven and earth, watching his best friend, Ruan Zi Mu Fei Huang, also go downstairs to apologize. Shen Hao had completely admitted defeat.

  Xiao Qiu forcibly endured it and also warned herself in her heart that this was not the Wild Forest Village, so it's better to avoid trouble.

  The children had already moved all the boxes into the courtyard, and Xin Yutao deliberately said in a tired tone: "One piece per person, the rest will be left there for later people."

  The children rushed in a frenzy, and many people eagerly opened their boxes, which were filled with clothes, gold and silver items, although there was no treasure like the Five-Sectioned Qingmu Fragrant Ointment, it was enough to make the poor children from remote areas extremely satisfied and grateful.

  Xin Yutao lowered his eyelids, glanced at the five young men from Ye Lin Town below the platform, and said, "If you are willing to plead guilty, I will pardon you. Now go get the gifts."

  Dah Lian Shen Xiu Ming, Deng Zi Mu Fei Huang and others felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. Unlike other children, they didn't pick and choose gifts, but instead grabbed one that was nearby, holding it in their arms, not daring to open it immediately.

  Xin Youtao's first battle at the temple was almost a complete victory, with only one last step remaining: there were still four children from Ye Lin Town standing in the distance, refusing to bow their heads.

  This won't do.

  Xin Yutao raised his eyes and looked away, with a face full of majesty that seemed to look down on the world.

  The role of gifts is not just to buy people's hearts. From Zhang Lingsheng onwards, everyone in the courtyard understood that they had to give something back. Even the most innocent child put down their luggage and followed the gaze of their benefactor under the guidance of friends.

  Xiao Qiu, Fang Fang, Shen Hao and Er Liang Shen Xiuwei became the target of public criticism, it was an invisible and silent arrow, but its lethality was not reduced at all.

  Da Liang Shen Xiuhui stared intensely at his younger brother, making eye contact. Shen Xiuhui felt a slight panic, the pressure from dozens of gazes was not something a teenager could withstand. He took a step forward, but turned his head to glance at Xiao Qiu, then retreated back to his original position.

  Shen Hao had no choice, he knew he was the one Prince Xin Yu Tao hated the most. He would have to pay several times more than others to gain forgiveness. As the second young master of the Shen family, he had never done anything servile since childhood, so standing there without moving, he also glanced at Xiao Qiu and slightly calmed down in his heart.

  Fang Fang stood behind the boys, slightly lowering her head to avoid other people's gaze, but she didn't hesitate at all. This wasn't her first time facing a public test. At the entrance of the Shen family home, she had once torn off her veil and jumped onto Xiao Qiu's sorrel horse under the watchful eyes of the entire town.

  Xin Yutao quickly made adjustments, the person he most wanted to avenge was Shen Hao, but now he understood that he had to defeat this opponent called Xiao Qiu in order to make today's victory complete.

  Zhang Lingsheng was getting impatient and was about to give orders as the only adult and person in charge in the inn, when Xiao Qiu spoke up.

  "Hey, Xiao San, I didn't expect to run into you here."

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)