Chapter 535: Chapter 535 : (Extra) Jiang Muchen’s Love Story (19)
It was remarkable how quick blood drained off Liu Chengjiu’s face.
Panic-stricken, he dropped to his knees again.
"This servant didn’t mean to deceive the Heavenly Emperor! This servant...!"
Xie Jianyu shook his head slightly as he attempted to pull Liu Chengjiu to his feet again, but this time the omega wolf was determined to kneel to death.
"Please, Your Highness!" He begged pitifully. "Please do not report this matter to the Golden Dragon Palace. If you must, I am willing to take all that blame!"
"Oh, shush."
Xie Jianyu gently patted Liu Chengjiu on the back.
"Why would you pile an unbelievable lie on top of the severe deception? Aren’t you afraid of being cut into a thousand pieces?"
Liu Chengjiu lifted his head and gave Xie Jianyu a miserable look.
"Everyone will die eventually. The manner of death is inconsequential."
"..."
Xie Jianyu sighed.
"I am sorry for giving you a scare. Rest assured, I will not say anything to His Majesty."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!!"
Liu Chengjiu bumped his forehead against the carpeted floor many times.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Xie Jianyu hurriedly stopped him.
"Enough now, if you hurt your head, you won’t be able to take lessons."
Liu Chengjiu finally agreed to rise, and Xie Jianyu guided him to the Bell Tower.
Once they were both seated on the pavilion’s floor, Xie Jianyu began speaking.
"The art of cultivation takes a long time to master, with each level characterized by a breakthrough. The higher you climb, the more difficult it will be to break to the next level.
Before we begin, I need to assess your innate talent. Give me your hands."
Liu Chengjiu gingerly placed his hands in Xie Jianyu’s.
Xie Jianyu closed his eyes, and bluish tendrils of energy snaked out of his hands, engulfing Liu Chengjiu’s hands in warmth.
Those who possessed innate talent for cultivation would respond with their own unique kind of energy.
Unfortunately, in Liu Chengjiu’s case, the energy Xie Jianyu poured into him failed to evoke a reaction. It disappeared into the younger omega’s hands just like that.
"..."
Sensing that something was wrong, Liu Chengjiu raised his head and shot Xie Jianyu a quizzical look.
"Your Majesty? Is something wrong?"
"... No."
Xie Jianyu broke their connection and rubbed away the creases forming between his brows.
"For starters, I am going to teach you the art of meditation."
Meditation was something everyone could do, yet its impact was deeply personal and varied greatly from one individual to another.
At the very least, it brought great health benefits for non-cultivators.
While Liu Chengjiu fell into a meditative trance, Xie Jianyu stepped lightly off the pavilion floor and headed toward his study.
As soon as he arrived, he drew a spell on an empty talisman paper.
A simple incantation transformed the talisman paper into an ethereal dragon the size of a lizard. It shone with a resplendent, golden color.
"Muchen, Liu Chengjiu does not possess any drop of innate talent for cultivation," Xie Jianyu said. "Come by whenever you have time. We should discuss."
At the end of Xie Jianyu’s message, the golden dragon rose into the air and disappeared through the open window.
It traveled all the way from Fuxi Palace, but it was not heading toward Shuiran Palace.
It instead traversed the sky until it caught up with the intended recipient, Jiang Muchen.
The dragon landed softly on Jiang Muchen’s shoulder before nudging the latter’s cheek for attention.
Jiang Muchen’s fingers barely touched it before it unraveled into a cloud of golden dust.
At the same time, Xie Jianyu’s voice reverberated in his ear.
"..."
No innate talent, huh?
Now that’s a problem.
He pulled at Hongzhen’s reins, prompting the lion to roar in confusion.
"To Fuxi Palace," Jiang Muchen curtly said, upon which command the lion changed the direction of their flight on the spot.
Xie Jianyu was in the middle of selecting useful spiritual stones for Liu Chengjiu when he sensed Jiang Muchen’s arrival.
Having known Jiang Muchen for decades, the guards did not hesitate to let him in.
Thus as soon as Xie Jianyu stepped out of the spiritual stone storage, he immediately come across Jiang Muchen atop his spiritual lion.
"Little Uncle!"
Jiang Muchen climbed off Hongzhen and strode toward Xie Jianyu.
"Not a drop of innate talent?" He repeated a part of Xie Jianyu’s previous message in disbelief. "How can that be?"
Xie Jianyu shook his head.
"Each individual is born to the world with their own sets of blessings and curses. Cultivation is simply not his path. Unfortunately, without innate talent, even if he insists on becoming a cultivator, he might never be able to form a spiritual core."
Without a spiritual core, there was no need to refer to oneself as a cultivator.
Jiang Muchen pursed his lips in displeasure.
All of a sudden, his optimism and self-confidence, akin to a towering wall made of pure concrete, crashed and burned before his eyes. He could literally see his mother sneer at him in mockery.
Victory, eh?
Freedom, eh?
Everything he had might as well be given to dogs to eat!
Jiang Muchen’s thoughts were written all over his sour face. Xie Jianyu couldn’t help but sympathize with his nephew.
"Muchen, your mother is not as strict as he appears. Just apologize, and he shall show you utmost leniency."
It’s not like Xie Jianshen would execute Jiang Muchen for lying to his face.
"Little Uncle, you don’t understand."
Jiang Muchen sighed.
"I wish to marry him because I don’t want to be pressured into marrying any other omega and ruin their lives in turn. Liu Chengjiu is indebted to me. He will not expect anything from me in return. I don’t even have to bed him!"
Xie Jianyu arched his brow at the unreasonable alpha standing before him.
"Muchen, the union between alphas and omegas is supposed to bring happiness to both sides," he pointed out.
Jiang Muchen wrinkled his face in disgust.
"Little Uncle, thanks to this union, you died twice and had your stomach cut open twice. Were you deliriously happy then?"
Xie Jianyu let out a hollow laughter when he recalled the specific memories.
"I didn’t enjoy those particular events, no. But other than that, I am happy with my husband. Very happy."
"Zhang Fengxi, that lucky bastard," Jiang Muchen cursed under his breath.
Xie Jianyu smiled.
"Well, Liu Chengjiu seems determined to repay you. If you do not wish to bow your head before your mother, there is one more method you can utilize in order to stimulate his spiritual roots."
"And that is...?"
Xie Jianyu shot Jiang Muchen a cryptic smile.
"Dual cultivation."
