novelraw Chapter 167 : Arrival of the Heir, Old Niu's Secret Meeting
Chapter 167 : Arrival of the Heir, Old Niu's Secret Meeting
Chapter 167: Arrival of the Heir, Old Niu's Secret Meeting
Dao City, a major city closest to [Mountains Beyond Mountains].
It was named so due to its proximity to the Dao Gate.
Now, several days had passed since the conclusion of the Eastern Continent Grand Competition.
All the taverns in Dao City bustled with activity.
The reason was simple—rumors about Chu Huaixu had begun to spread throughout the world.
One storyteller after another recounted different versions of his tale in various taverns.
They praised the Eastern Continent's champion with outrageous flair!
With embellishments added at every turn, tales abounded of how Dao Gate's prodigies and the monsters of Wuyou Valley were no match for Chu Huaixu.
Given that he practiced body training and also defeated sword with no sword, his story was filled with hooks for artistic interpretation.
Such rich material had not come their way in years.
『So much room for creativity!』—each storyteller began to freely unleash their literary flair.
Of course, if a story featured only overwhelming dominance, it would lose some excitement.
Thus, the final Champion's Duel was described as a close match that lasted three hundred rounds!
None of them cared that cultivators of the First Realm couldn’t possibly sustain that many techniques, and most duels were decided swiftly.
The storytellers focused solely on embellishment.
Besides that, Han Shuangjiang likely never imagined—despite having no special relationship with Chu Huaixu—that now more than half of the Eastern Continent believed she was his Dao Companion!
What could one do? Romance had to be part of the tale!
Moreover, since they had fought during the semi-finals, the material practically begged to be spun into a tale of love and rivalry, explored to its very extremes.
At that moment, in the very tavern where Chu Huaixu had once spent an entire afternoon, a young man of noble bearing and lavish attire sat in a private booth, listening to a storytelling session.
A veiled maiden sat beside him, and two middle-aged men stood behind them.
The maiden paid little attention to the story, busily munching on fruit.
Because of her veil, eating was quite inconvenient; her small mouth never stopped moving.
The young man sat lazily, leaning into the large chair.
With sword-like brows and starry eyes, he exuded natural authority despite his youth, completely unapologetic about his status as an upper noble.
“Now this is interesting.” He smiled faintly as he listened to the storyteller's eloquence.
One of the middle-aged men behind him said, “Your Highness, these Eastern Continent storytellers truly have a flair for fiction. Even the storytellers of our Western Continent dare not praise you so extravagantly.”
“And what if it’s all true?” the young man replied with a soft chuckle, raising an eyebrow.
The other middle-aged man quickly interjected, “Your Highness, that’s impossible. There cannot exist a First Realm cultivator of such caliber—let alone two.”
This man’s voice was unusually soft and smooth, his clean-shaven face accentuating his strong eunuch air.
He said “two” because today’s story covered the Champion's Duel.
Based on what they heard, even halving the described strength of Chu Huaixu or Xu Ziqing would still leave them strong enough to defeat His Highness.
“Eunuch Li, that may not be entirely true. I’ve heard that the reason this place is called [Mountains Beyond Mountains] is precisely because ‘there’s always a higher mountain, a stronger person.’”
“So perhaps, someone stronger than me does exist. Not impossible.”
The noble-looking youth showed no change in expression.
After speaking, he glanced at the fruit-munching girl beside him and suddenly smiled.
“But a tournament match... that's another matter entirely.”
The two middle-aged men immediately understood his implication.
They knew how special the bond was between His Highness and his future consort.
In a one-on-one duel, no one could defeat him.
Because one's opponent wasn’t truly one.
In truth, it was two against one.
The eloquent storyteller came to a halt: “To find out what happens next, please tune in for the next installment!”
He deliberately stopped at the moment Chu Huaixu borrowed a sword from Han Shuangjiang.
The Heir of Prince Rui cast a mild glance at the storyteller, then lifted his hand and pointed gently, uttering just two words: “Continue on.”
“Yes, sir.” The middle-aged man to his left immediately stepped forward to pay.
Even in Moon Country, His Highness never relied on status to pressure others.
At times like this, he always employed the most straightforward method—spending extravagantly.
Once he heard the full tale of the Eastern Continent's Champion's Duel, he was the first to rise.
Seeing this, the girl who had been peeling fruit promptly stood up.
Petite in frame but with full curves, she obediently followed behind the young man.
Yet, the fruit she had been peeling? She didn’t offer him a single piece.
......
......
The group of four soon arrived at the foot of the Dao Gate.
The taller of the two attendants, named Qin Bo, was a guest elder of Prince Rui’s estate and a Sixth Realm major cultivator.
Eunuch Li, on the other hand, was dispatched from the imperial palace and had a peak Seventh Realm cultivation.
The two of them carried the Heir and the girl through the air to the protective formation of the Dao Gate.
Qin Bo began to knock on the mountain gate, channeling spiritual energy and loudly declaring, “I am Qin Bo, accompanying His Highness to visit the mountain.”
The protective array swiftly opened a corner, and Elder Nangong, gentle in demeanor, flew out to greet them.
After a few courteous exchanges, she led them to land outside an elegant courtyard.
Niu Yuanshan, responsible for internal affairs and chores, had already been waiting.
His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were tightly clenched, nails digging into flesh.
Upon seeing the descending figures, he immediately relaxed, his expression betraying no excitement—indistinguishable from his usual demeanor as a Dao Gate steward.
But in his ears echoed a deafening voice—“Loyalty!”
Niu Yuanshan had waited endlessly, through stars and moons, for this day to arrive.
Nangong Yue raised a soft-fleshed finger and pointed lightly at Old Niu. “This is our Dao Gate steward, Niu Yuanshan. If you need anything, feel free to ask him.”
“Tonight, Dao Gate is hosting a banquet to welcome you all.”
After exchanging a few more words, she took her leave.
Niu Yuanshan immediately stepped forward to receive them.
He behaved entirely as a proper Dao Gate steward should, saying nothing out of place.
His conversation with the Heir also remained perfectly normal.
This disappointed Old Niu a little.
“Could it be that before departing, the 【Organization】 didn’t inform His Highness of my identity?” he wondered silently.
If so, he certainly wouldn’t reveal himself.
Niu Yuanshan led the four into the elegant courtyard, giving them a brief tour.
He had been secretly observing the Heir of Prince Rui, and truly found him worthy of his title—dignified, noble, and radiating the air of imperial lineage!
His Highness casually glanced over the courtyard, then nodded and commented, “Quite tasteful and serene.”
Then he turned to Old Niu and asked, “Steward Niu, this prince is a bit weary. Might you show me to my bedroom?”
“Certainly, Your Highness. Please follow me,” Niu Yuanshan replied immediately, leading the way.
Upon entering the bedroom, Qin Bo and Eunuch Li remained outside, standing guard and shielding against spiritual probes.
The veiled girl didn’t go in either, curiously exploring the surroundings.
Once inside, the Heir sat down on a wooden stool, and his demeanor shifted entirely.
Or rather, the way he looked at Niu Yuanshan changed.
Gone was the earlier cordiality; it became the gaze of a superior looking down upon a subordinate.
His eyes lowered slightly, casting a glance at Old Niu.
Just that glance filled the loyal servant with an urge to kneel.
As expected, the Heir soon spoke: “Mu Bingjiu.”
This was Niu Yuanshan’s name within the 【Organization】—or rather, his code name.
Agents like him all bore surnames of “Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth,” followed by “Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu,” and finally a number.
At the sound of these three words, Niu Yuanshan immediately dropped to his knees, giving a grand salute, his face flushed with emotion as he declared, “This humble one, Mu Bingjiu, pays respects to Your Highness!”
“Rise,” the Heir replied calmly, not even glancing at him.
Niu Yuanshan, with his thick brows and square-jawed face, rose respectfully, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
So many years had passed, he no longer remembered how many.
The Heir then looked at him and said, “Before I left the imperial capital, someone from the 【Organization】 sent a secret message, informing me of your identity.”
“Who would’ve thought—you've served as a steward at Dao Gate for so many years.”
“Good. Very good. You’ve worked hard.” He smiled as he spoke.
Just that one simple sentence brought tears to Old Niu's eyes.
All he could say in the end was, “This humble one... has not worked hard.”
The Heir sighed, his gaze full of appreciation as he approached and gently patted Old Niu's shoulder.
Taller than him, he looked down and said, “You don’t need to say that. I know how hard it’s been for you. I want to hear your hardships—your grievances.”
“Because I know people like you have no outlet, bottling everything for years.”
“So what I want isn’t your 'this humble one has not worked hard.' Do you understand?”
At this, Old Niu could no longer hold back—tears streamed down his face.
“This humble one... understands!”
Yet still, he offered no complaints—only those four words.
For to him, all bitterness in his heart vanished at this very moment.
A thousand unspoken words—left unspoken.
The Heir didn’t pry further. He patted Old Niu’s shoulder again, a gesture of comfort, and returned to his seat.
After sitting down, he said, “Before I left the capital, the 【Organization】 gave me two dossiers. One was yours. The other—【Huo Dingyi】.”
“You reported that he became an enrolled disciple of Dao Gate. But he's been strange—until now, he hasn’t sent back any information. Did something happen?”
Niu Yuanshan immediately shielded Chu Huaixu, saying, “Your Highness, this was my fault. After he joined Dao Gate, I became overwhelmed with tasks and never found a safe opportunity to report back.”
“As for Huo Dingyi... his situation is inconvenient.” Old Niu added.
“Oh? Is that so?” The Heir smiled, then said, “From what I saw today, you seem well-respected at Dao Gate. The recent Eastern Continent Grand Competition must have kept you quite busy. I understand.”
He paused, then asked, “Since Huo Dingyi is now an enrolled disciple, did he participate in the Eastern Continent Grand Competition?”
......