Chapter 524: Chapter 524 : (Extra) Jiang Muchen’s Love Story (8)
Jiang Muchen, thirty years old, was the only son of the current Heavenly Emperor.
Although he did not mind ceding the Dragon Throne to his Little Uncle, Xie Jianyu the Crown Prince, he was still the renowned and respected master of Shuiran Palace, the highest rank person in the lion clan, a proficient swordsman and staff wielder at the same time, and the Fire Guardian of the Heavenly Realm.
Tales of Jiang Muchen’s many accomplishments since young age followed him wherever he went, akin to fragrant flowers blooming from his steps.
The very Jiang Muchen stood in front of Qifeng Palace’s gate today to pick up his date.
Judging from his sour face, one might think that he was there to pick a fight.
One needed to mention that Qin Yanmei was by no means an ugly omega. Neither was he possessed of any unfavorable traits that deterred any alpha from courting him.
His one and only flaw was the fact that he was not Xie Jianyu.
"Shuiran Palace Master, good day," Qin Yanmei bowed slightly in deference.
Behind him, his anxious parents sweated a lot like death row prisoners.
Such was always the case when a prominent alpha called upon them.
A blessing, yes, because who would not want to welcome the son of the Heavenly Emperor into the family?
But it was a curse as well, because if they failed to impress Jiang Muchen, heaven knew what the Heavenly Emperor might do to them!
"Good day."
Jiang Muchen offered Qin Yanmei his hand. The omega, blushing slightly, placed his hand on top of Jiang Muchen’s.
"I shall bring him back as soon as possible," Jiang Muchen told Qin Yanmei’s long-suffering parents.
That sounded both reassuring and unreasonable at the same time.
Reassuring because which parents did not rejoice at the thought of receiving their son back as soon as possible, preferably in one piece?
Unreasonable because why did it sound like they were not going on a date but Jiang Muchen was dragging Qin Yanmei to the Golden Dragon Palace for a thorough hearing, possibly one involving a lot of torture methods...?
Goodness, was it all a ruse to kidnap Qin Yanmei to Golden Dragon Palace’s dungeon?
What offense had Qifeng Palace committed again???
Before Qin Yanmei’s parents changed their mind about allowing their son to leave with Jiang Muchen, they already left. Only a tiny black dot remained in the sky for some time before it disappeared for good.
For once, Jiang Muchen did not ride his spiritual lion and opted to travel with a cloud carriage instead.
He leaned at one side while Qin Yanmei sat with a rigid back on the other side.
The omega pressed his lips together in concern.
Should he say something?
Should he not?
Should he wait?
His parents told him that most alphas did not like chatty omegas.
Very few chatty omegas earned themselves a fortuitous union with a high-ranking alpha.
One of them was the current Longjing Palace Mistress, Lady Song.
Upon hearing that Qin Yanmei might just marry into the lion clan and became its next Shuiran Palace Mistress, Lady Song was quick to offer some valuable advice and assistance, such as :
"There is no need to worry about not getting pregnant soon enough. Look at my son. His techniques in bed are so awful, but he still managed to impregnate his wife twice and sire three cute children!"
"It is important to keep your alpha distressed and destabilized at all times, because alert alphas are easier to wrap around your fingers."
"Particularly when you want to gauge your alpha’s affection for you, you should select the perfect time to swoon and faint. Always pick a spot with a lot of cushions or soft surface. Some alphas are stupid enough that they fail to catch omegas... This was a hard-learned lesson, Yanmei..."
"So..."
Qin Yanmei’s soul almost flew out of his body when Jiang Muchen suddenly spoke up.
He whipped his head in Jiang Muchen’s direction, trying his best to hide the trepidation in his eyes.
"Y-yes, Your Highness?"
Jiang Muchen flicked his eyes and stared at Qin Yanmei.
"Do you like lions?"
"... Eh?"
Three hours later, Xie Jianshen personally made his appearance at Shuiran Palace.
His son was happily playing with the lions at the lions’ enclosure.
"Oh, Mother," he said with a smile when the Heavenly Emperor approached. "Fancy seeing you here."
Xie Jianshen grabbed the whip in Jiang Muchen’s hand and swiftly proceeded to smack the hell out of his son.
"Ouch! Ouch, Mother! What the hell???" Jiang Muchen had to shield his head from the leather whip.
"You still have the guts to ask!" Xie Jianshen howled. "How dared you make Qin Yanmei walk through the lions’ enclosure???"
Jiang Muchen pursed his lips.
"If he’s to become the next Shuiran Palace Mistress, I expect him to be at ease with the lions. I was simply assessing his suitability for the role."
Xie Jianshen’s eyes bulged from fury.
"And that is the only method you can think of???"
Jiang Muchen shrugged.
"Little Uncle would have performed splendidly."
Xie Jianshen exploded like a grenade.
"He is a bird! A freaking phoenix! A lion can catch him mid-air and rip him into shreds in a blink of an eye! Your Little Uncle is a dragon! The strongest swordsman across the Heavenly Realm!"
Xie Jianshen slapped a hand against his face and sighed heavily.
"Muchen, I know that you idolize your Little Uncle, but you share his blood and he’s married. If you continue measuring other prospective partners against him, you will never find a suitable partner for yourself."
Jiang Muchen grunted. It sounded like he couldn’t care less.
Xie Jianshen’s eyes narrowed into slits.
"Since you are so capable," the omega’s voice went a pitch lower, sounding rather ominous and overflowing with threat. "I am going to send you out on a critical mission."
Any mission was better than another date with an omega.
Jiang Muchen whipped up a bright smile on his face.
"What is it?"
"You will oversee the election of the new Wuyang Palace Master."
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Author’s note :
After that one disastrous date, Qin Yanmei refused to leave Qifeng Palace for a whole month.
And from then on, whenever he saw Jiang Muchen, he would shriek and run away.
Lady Song : I said, swoon and faint! Not shriek! Oh, youngsters these days never listen to the elders! ( ಠ︵ಠ )
