Breaking Army - Chapter 30

Xiao Chen’s inner thoughts were naturally unknown to Rong Yuan. However, Xiao Chen’s tone just now had been too earnest, and his gaze too heavy. Rong Yuan feared that if he didn’t say something, he might lose his hold on him.

Xiao Chen originally intended to let go of Rong Yuan’s hand. But as they slightly parted, he noticed the bowl of sweet soup starting to slip. He had to quickly clasp it again, laughing, “What are you doing? If this bowl breaks, there’ll be nothing left to eat.”

Rong Yuan shook his head and steadied the soup.

He told himself that it was only natural for Xiao Chen to say such things, since Xiao Chen had always felt that Rong Yuan couldn’t distinguish between admiration and love. Yet, for some reason, his heart had been racing with panic just a moment ago.

It felt as if they had reached a significant crossroads.

Seeing him frozen while holding the bowl, Xiao Chen simply took the spoon and scooped up a portion. “Shall I feed you?”

Rong Yuan instinctively opened his mouth and took it. It wasn’t until the fragrant, sweet syrup hit his tongue that he realized what he had done.

The Sovereign’s face flushed a deep crimson instantly. Any hope of continuing his “copying” task was completely gone.

Xiao Chen smiled warmly, “How does it taste?”

Rong Yuan enjoyed being fed by Xiao Chen, yet he didn’t want Xiao Chen to coax him like a child. He awkwardly reached out, intending for Xiao Chen to hand him the spoon. The glowing script appeared: “Your Highness, don’t treat me like a child.”

Since the market was crowded, he had added an extra layer of magic so that only Xiao Chen could see his words. Xiao Chen replied, “I’m not. I don’t coax children like this.”

As Xiao Chen spoke, he showed no intention of handing the spoon to Rong Yuan. He dipped it back into the bowl for another scoop. Just as Rong Yuan was pursing his lips, wondering if he should accept this next bite, he saw Xiao Chen turn his hand and bring the sweet soup to his own mouth.

Rong Yuan: “…”

Xiao Chen nodded, “Mmm, not bad. I didn’t get a chance to taste it earlier.”

Having been by Xiao Chen’s side for three years, Rong Yuan knew he was fastidious about cleanliness. On the battlefield, one sometimes had to compromise, but whenever the environment allowed for it, Xiao Chen never slighted himself, let alone touched things others had used.

But that spoon… he had just used it.

Rong Yuan felt his head spinning. He desperately replayed Xiao Chen’s words in his mind, wondering if he had misheard or if there was a deeper meaning. His brain hadn’t quite processed it, but his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might explode.

It was a sensation that was both agonizing and utterly addictive.

“If you’re not eating, give it to me. Don’t let it go to waste,” Xiao Chen began.

Before he could finish, Rong Yuan grabbed the hand holding the spoon, gently transferred the spoon to his own hand, picked up the bowl, and began eating with his head down.

Xiao Chen gave a soft laugh and put his hands behind his back. The sweetness of the soup lingered in his mouth. The soup was only garnished with osmanthus, yet a trace of a different petal’s flavor seemed to remain on his tongue.

Do Equinox Flowers have a taste too?

Back in the gambling den, Geng Xie replaced his eyepatch and placed the jade carving into Ci Shu’s hand. “Here.”

Ci Shu held the jade carving, his heart filled with joy and relief. Fortunately, Geng Xie hadn’t lost. Otherwise, if Geng Xie had lost a personal item, Ci Shu would likely have gambled until he won it back.

Cheng Feng leaned in, also wanting a look. He seemed to hope he could find some symbol of his mother in this so-called Goddess Jade Figurine, even just a small detail.

Both princes liked what they saw, but there was only one jade carving. Although Xiang Zhi disliked Cheng Feng’s dog-like temper, he had grown used to it over time. Besides, regarding the matter of their Queen Mother, he felt somewhat sympathetic. When the first Master of Taibai passed away, he himself had wailed for a long time. Xiang Zhi tucked away his melon seeds and asked the person who had produced the jade carving, “Do you have any more of these?”

Hearing this, Cheng Feng looked up at him in surprise.

“No more.”

Despite the lack of more carvings, the corners of Cheng Feng’s mouth curled up, and he actually looked quite happy. Xiang Zhi saw his smile and found it baffling, “What are you laughing at?”

Cheng Feng smiled triumphantly, “Humph!”

Xiang Zhi:  Has the Second Prince’s condition worsened?

The man who gave up the jade figurine said regretfully, “I accept my loss.” At the end, he cast a lingering, sticky gaze at Geng Xie, one so thick you could almost see invisible threads as he turned his head. Geng Xie broke out in goosebumps, but for the sake of the jade figurine, he suppressed the urge to strike.

Once the man stepped out of the gambling den, however, the infatuated look vanished. He gave a cackling laugh, “A fine man, what a pity.”

Having obtained the Goddess Jade Figurine, Ci Shu and Cheng Feng had no desire to stay in the casino. Naturally, the rest of the group followed the princes. Unlike Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie, the other two officials were very well-behaved, not daring to overstep in the slightest, acting only as dutiful subordinates.

At the entrance of the casino lay someone in tattered clothes who had lost a fight. The rips in his clothing were in very unfortunate places. Geng Xie pulled Ci Shu to the side, “Don’t look, it’ll hurt your eyes.”

It must be said that the food in the Demon Market was incredibly fragrant, enough to tempt anyone just by the scent. But who knew what was added to it? Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan, relying on the Purple Lotus, dared to eat anything, but the others couldn’t. Xiang Zhi’s melon seeds were brought from the Demon King’s palace. He leaned into a stall to sniff the food but held back, pulling out a piece of pastry to gnaw on instead to suppress his cravings.

Seeing him hanging around the food stall so longingly, Cheng Feng couldn’t help but say, “If you know you can’t eat it, don’t look. The Heavens haven’t shorted you on food or clothes. When you get back, you can eat whatever you like!”

Xiang Zhi gnawed on his biscuit and said gloomily, “Is it the same? Do you know what it means to try something fresh? Fresh! It’s only called fresh when it’s different and untasted. What’s wrong with me looking!”

The other official accompanying Cheng Feng lowered his head and tugged at Xiang Zhi’s sleeve, whispering, “You should be more polite to the Second Prince…”

Cheng Feng: “Let him talk. I want to see what kind of nonsense he can spout today!”

Xiang Zhi chuckled, “Even if flowers bloomed from my words, you wouldn’t know how to appreciate them. It would be a waste!”

Ci Shu had been examining the Goddess Jade Figurine in his hand the whole time, unable to put it down. As the group walked forward, with Xiang Zhi and Cheng Feng bickering, Geng Xie suddenly stepped forward to block Ci Shu, forcing everyone to stop. “Wait.”

Cheng Feng also stopped bickering and immediately stepped up to stand beside Geng Xie. “Something’s wrong.”

Xiang Zhi exhaled, watching his breath condense into a white mist. “It’s not my imagination, it really has grown colder.”

They hadn’t walked far from the gambling den. They were still in the Demon Market, and the surroundings were still bustling with noise and people. Yet, within the lantern light, there was a trace of eeriness, something intangible that felt both distant and near.

Geng Xie looked up at the sky. There should have been a full moon tonight, but at this moment, it was gone.

Ci Shu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. His fingers loosened, and the Goddess Jade Figurine slipped. He rushed to catch it. By all accounts, there was no reason he should have missed, yet strangely, the figurine brushed past his fingertips and hit the ground, shattering instantly.

The bustling noise around them suddenly stopped. Everyone became as still as puppets. Geng Xie and Cheng Feng immediately drew their weapons. The people on the street stiffly turned their heads toward them, many heads twisting at impossible angles with the “creak-creak” sound of wood. Every gaze was fixed on them.

Then, using their different faces, these people all broke into identical grins.

Xiang Zhi couldn’t help but shudder.

In the actual Demon Market, a female demon was running at full speed. The market had gambling dens and brothels. The Demon King, Hu Qu, was currently enjoying himself in a room specially reserved for him in a brothel, with beauties pouring wine and massaging his legs. The woman rushed in and knelt directly before Hu Qu, “King, your subordinate has failed. I lost track of the people from the Heavenly Realm!”

Hu Qu was drinking wine offered by a beauty. Hearing this, his expression didn’t change. “Did they discover you?”

The demoness bit her lip. “To be honest, someone among them likely noticed us following long ago but never called us out, tacitly allowing it. But just a moment ago, while they were clearly in the middle of the road, I watched them suddenly vanish with my own eyes! I went to investigate and only found a fragment of this.”

Wrapped in a handkerchief, she presented a tiny fragment of broken jade. Hu Qu reached out for it. Upon seeing the runes on one side of the jade piece, his pupils constricted, and his expression finally shifted. “The key to the Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto!?”

The beauty nestled in Hu Qu’s arms was also one of his subordinates. Hearing this, he sat up in great surprise. “How could they have the key to the Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto? That thing was clearly sealed in—” He quickly shut his mouth, realizing the gravity of the situation. He scrambled off the soft couch and bowed to Hu Qu, “I will go investigate immediately!”

“It was sealed in the Flame Pool. Send people to check the status of the Flame Pool. Also, find Prince Po Jun immediately.” Hu Qu clutched the jade fragment, his face darkening. “If the Heavenly Princes meet with an accident here, we’ll never be able to clear our name.”

If a Star Lord were in trouble, other Star Lords would sense it, but if they hadn’t encountered trouble yet, there was no feeling. Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan had nearly finished their walk and were preparing to leave the market when Xiao Chen suddenly halted.

Rong Yuan hadn’t recovered his composure all evening. When Xiao Chen stopped, he stopped too, not daring to look at Xiao Chen’s current expression, so he didn’t realize Xiao Chen was staring at his own toes in a daze.

Stopping for no apparent reason was a premonition, though he didn’t know if it was good or bad. Xiao Chen raised his hand, preparing to perform a divination, when suddenly a large flock of birds flew across the sky of the Demon Market. People, not knowing the cause, thought it was some kind of entertainment and stopped to watch.

A Luan bird was the first to spot Xiao Chen. It dived down, transformed into human form upon landing, and knelt at Xiao Chen’s feet. “Your Highness, my master has an urgent request. Please come with me!”

Xiao Chen lowered his hand from the divination. It seemed it wasn’t anything good.

They followed the Luan bird all the way to the fragrant Spring Scent Pavilion. Xiao Chen’s veins throbbed: if it didn’t look truly urgent, he would have liked to give Hu Qu a thorough thrashing. What a place to choose!

The front of the pavilion was still busy with guests, but the back courtyard had been cleared. When Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan arrived, there was no need for anyone to speak or exchange pleasantries. Hu Qu stepped forward directly. “Your Highness, the group from the Heavens may have accidentally entered the Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto. Please lend me your strength to bring them out!”

Xiao Chen’s expression turned serious. “The Heavens, everyone?”

Hu Qu didn’t dare hide anything. “Everyone.”

Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi were also there.

Given Geng Xie’s strength, if the souls of the dead imprisoned ten thousand years ago in the grotto had dissipated, he could protect the group. Moreover, Cheng Feng was there. But… Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. “Accidentally entered? Who could enter the Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto without a key?”

“Your Highness, someone set a trap for them. For some reason, the key ended up in their hands. I had discarded the key in the Flame Pool, but the seal there was broken. Someone pieced together the key that hadn’t been completely destroyed. This is a small piece left at the spot where the people from the Heavens vanished.”

The Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto. According to records, a great war between a demon and a devil ten thousand years ago created a secret realm. Both fell, and their souls were bound by the realm, unable to enter the Underworld. When the secret realm fractured and broke away, it swallowed many demonic and devilish beasts, hence the name. It was also rumored to hold many treasures. Zhi Luo had somehow obtained the long-lost key to the realm.

However, neither the Demon Tribe nor the Devil Tribe could enter this secret realm.

After Hu Qu found the key, he didn’t make it public. Keeping it would only bring harm to the current Demon Tribe. He had tried to destroy it but found the runes couldn’t be fully erased, so he threw it into the Flame Pool to be slowly worn down under a seal. Who would have guessed that the news would leak?

Xiao Chen was wearing a wide-sleeved robe today. He moved his hand under the sleeve, trying to send a voice transmission, but neither Xiang Zhi nor Geng Xie responded.

Not accepting a transmission and being unable to connect to one were two different things.

Xiao Chen raised his hand. “Give me the fragment.”

Hu Qu handed the fragment to him, his brow furrowed with worry. “Only these few runes remain. The key is incomplete, I fear it will be difficult to tear open an entrance to the secret realm.”

“I can do it.”

Xiao Chen raised his hand and crushed the jade into powder. The runes were stripped off and held in his palm. After starlight surged and wrapped around his hand, Xiao Chen waved his arm, directly tearing a rift in the void before him. It wasn’t large, but it was enough for one person to pass through.

Rong Yuan didn’t care about the lives of the people from the Heavens, but he also knew that if the Heavenly Princes died here, the Heavens would not let it go. Once a conflict between the two realms began, the aftermath would be an unknown variable.

Rong Yuan thought coldly: Can’t they just behave for once? The last mess was also cleaned up by Xiao Chen.

Hu Qu knew that Xiao Chen would have a way. He performed a formal, respectful bow. “I leave everything to Your Highness. As for young Master Mu Qing, we will take good care of him”

Before Hu Qu could finish, Rong Yuan moved silently closer to Xiao Chen, indicating that he intended to go as well. Hu Qu froze for a moment. Xiao Chen said, “He’s coming with me.”

Hu Qu didn’t ask further. “Very well.”

An attendant’s job was to look after a master’s daily life, yet bringing him to the Ten Thousand Beasts Grotto suggested he was no ordinary attendant. But Hu Qu couldn’t worry about that now. He only hoped that Xiao Chen would be able to bring all the people from the Heavens back alive.

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