Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Leaving the Royal City
Half a month later, a troop gathered outside the Royal City.
Beside the carriage, Ye Xuan was attending to the crowd that had come to see him off.
"Master Ye Xuan, I will be here in the Royal City waiting for your return. Don’t lose track of the time," Master Kuchen said with a smile.
After emerging from seclusion not long ago, Ye Xuan had agreed to his request to represent the Liuyun Kingdom at the Floating Light Assembly held by the Thirteen Nations Alliance.
The Floating Light Assembly was still over four months away, and Ye Xuan, who hadn’t been home in over a year, decided to take this opportunity to head back first.
After all, once he left for the Floating Light Assembly, he didn’t know how long he would be away.
Kuchen and the others were here to see him off.
Besides Master Kuchen, Hua Luoxuan, Luo Zhan, Yun Aoxue, and the Eighth Prince were all there as well—not one was absent.
Suddenly, with a clatter of hooves, a group of armored guards emerged from the city gates. In their midst was none other than His Majesty, Zhao Jing, along with Chu Yunfei and others.
"Master Ye Xuan, my apologies for the wait," Zhao Jing said with a smile. "The Royal City is a long way from Blue Moon City, and the journey is bound to be dangerous. Let these guards accompany you. They can protect you and ensure your safety."
"Greetings, Master Ye Xuan."
Behind him, a group of Imperial Guards bowed in salute. Every one of them had an imposing bearing, their eyes gleaming with sharp-witted vigor.
The weakest of these Imperial Guards was a Tier Three Earth Martial Artist, and they were led by a squad of Tier Four Celestial Martial Artists. It was an incredibly formidable lineup.
"Master Ye Xuan, this is Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan. He is exceptionally strong. I’m sure he can save you a great deal of trouble on the road."
"Ouyang Xiaoshan, Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, greets Master Ye Xuan."
Following the resonant voice, a dashing, middle-aged man stepped out from the ranks. He was clad in silver armor, and beneath his heavy brows, his eyes shone with spirit. His entire being radiated a fierce and valiant aura.
"Master Ye Xuan, with Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan and his men accompanying you, I can finally rest easy. On this journey, besides protecting you, they also carry my royal decree to enfeoff your grandfather, Ye Batian, as King Ye, a first-rank Duke of the Kingdom, with Tianxu Province as his fief. With them there, it will be more convenient for the Ye family to govern the province." Zhao Jing then looked at Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others. "From this day forward, you are Master Ye Xuan’s retinue. In all matters, you will obey Master Ye Xuan’s commands, and Master Ye Xuan’s commands alone—and that includes mine. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others shouted in response, though their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.
The Emperor’s declaration was tantamount to transferring their troop of Imperial Guards directly to Ye Xuan, turning them into his private army. The mix of feelings this inspired was hard to put into words.
Some of the Imperial Guards had originally thought this was just another mission. Hearing the Emperor speak, however, their hearts were thrown into turmoil. To go from being the high and mighty Imperial Guard to the private army of a family—or worse, a single youth—left a bitter taste in their mouths. Though many showed no expression, they were all seething with indignation.
"Master Ye Xuan, Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan is a First Layer Martial Sect. He used to train the Imperial Guards for me; he’s a real powerhouse among them. It truly pains my heart to see you take him away,"
Chu Yunfei said with a wry smile from the side.
He understood in his heart that His Majesty had assigned Ouyang Xiaoshan to Ye Xuan precisely because of the last incident with the Shadow Killing Sect. He feared Ye Xuan might encounter danger again.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "If it pains you that much, you can always come yourself."
Chu Yunfei gave a helpless smile. "Honestly, Master Ye Xuan, I would love to follow you to Tianxu Province and learn a thing or two from you. It’s just a shame His Majesty won’t let me go."
His expression was so sincere, completely without pretense, that it left Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others momentarily stunned.
"Haha," Zhao Jing laughed. "Master Ye Xuan, Chu Yunfei actually did suggest that, but I had to refuse. The Royal City is in turmoil at the moment, and I can’t do without him by my side. I hope you’ll forgive me, Master Ye Xuan."
Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others gave Ye Xuan an incredibly strange look. ’Is this man really just a genius Alchemist? Why do both His Majesty and Lord Chu seem so deferential in his presence?’
’And Lord Chu even said he wanted to learn from this young man. That’s just unbelievable.’
Harboring these doubts, the procession set off.
The massive procession soon disappeared from sight.
In the crowd, watching Ye Xuan’s disappearing figure, Yun Aoxue felt a whirlwind of emotions and didn’t know what to think.
Over the past two years, she had witnessed his growth from a mere Martial Artist of the Same Lineage into a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist, a level not inferior to her own. This both thrilled Yun Aoxue and sparked a secret rivalry within her heart.
She couldn’t quite put a name to her own feelings for Ye Xuan.
’Ye Xuan, by the next time we meet, I swear I’ll have become a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist.’
Yun Aoxue silently swore in her heart.
"Young Lord Xuan, I heard what His Majesty said earlier. I can’t believe the Ye family now has a King Ye and is the lord of Tianxu Province! Tsk tsk... In that case, how about you give me a city to manage? Let me have a taste of what it’s like to be a City Lord."
Chen Xing said with a crafty grin inside the carriage.
Chen Xing, Leng Yingying, and Feng Rouyi were also accompanying him on this trip home. It had been over a year since they had all come to the Royal City together, and none of them had returned in that time.
"Sure," Ye Xuan said, giving Chen Xing a faint smile. "But if you want to be a City Lord, while you don’t need to be strong enough to crush all competition, you can’t be too far behind, right? How about this: if you can become a Tier Three Earth Martial Artist within a year, I’ll make you a City Lord."
"What? A Tier Three Earth Martial Artist?" Chen Xing’s eyes went wide, and his face soured. He was speechless. "Young Lord Xuan, are you trying to kill me? How is that possible? I’m only seventeen this year! An Earth Martial Artist at eighteen... that talent would definitely be number one in the kingdom, right?"
"What’s so impossible about it? Look at you, you’re already a First Layer Martial Artist, aren’t you? It only took you a little over a year to go from a First Layer Samurai to a Tier One Martial Artist."
"That’s different. How can you compare going from Tier One to Tier Two with going from Tier Two to Tier Three?" Chen Xing grumbled.
"What’s there to compare? It took me less than a year to go from Tier Two to Tier Three," Ye Xuan said blandly.
Chen Xing’s expression immediately fell. "Young Lord Xuan, can you please not compare me to yourself? You’re a monster; I’m just a normal person."
Leng Yingying and Feng Rouyi, who were sitting to the side, both burst out laughing.
However, Chen Xing’s words resonated with them. Over the past year, under Ye Xuan’s guidance and with the resources of the Profound Spirit Academy, they had all broken through from being Samurai of the Spirit Martial Realm to Martial Artists of the Xuanwu Realm, even reaching the Second Layer Martial Artist level.
Even at the Profound Spirit Academy, a gathering place for geniuses, they could be considered stunningly brilliant, a rarity seen once in a century. It was foreseeable that with another half a year, both of them would become experts on the Prominence Rankings.
But compared to Ye Xuan, they felt as if they had instantly become ordinary people, qualified only to gaze up at him in awe.
They tried with all their might to catch up, but could only watch as he grew more and more distant. That feeling of powerlessness left them both with a sense of bitterness.
After traveling for half a day, the carriage stopped in a small grove for a rest.
"Master Ye Xuan, here is the route map I just drafted. Please take a look."
Just then, Ouyang Xiaoshan approached Ye Xuan and handed him the return route map he had planned.
Ye Xuan didn’t even look at it, simply placing it aside. "There’s no need to trouble me with such minor matters. Commander Ouyang, you can decide for yourself. Also, you don’t need to call me Master Ye Xuan anymore."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Call him Young Lord Xuan, of course! Just like I do!" Chen Xing chimed in.
Ouyang Xiaoshan paused, stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Young Lord Xuan."
"Let’s go. Take me to meet the others."
Ye Xuan walked to the front of the procession and looked at the men standing guard in the grove.
The Imperial Guard contingent assigned to him by His Majesty Zhao Jing numbered almost one hundred men. Among them, Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan was a Tier Five First Layer Martial Sect. There were also ten leader-level Tier Four Celestial Martial Artists. All the rest were formidable Earth Martial Artists, each holding the rank of captain within the Imperial Guard.
The men were currently standing guard around the grove. Although their movements were meticulous, their morale was clearly not high.
"Sigh... so according to His Majesty’s orders, we’ve become Master Ye Xuan’s private army?"
"Yeah. We’ll probably be stationed in Tianxu Province permanently and never be Imperial Guards again."
"What am I supposed to do? I told my wife I was just leaving for a mission. If she finds out I’m not an Imperial Guard anymore and will be permanently stationed in Tianxu Province, she’ll have my hide."
"My wife and children are in the Royal City, too. I don’t know what I’m going to do."
Several of the off-duty Imperial Guards sat together under a large tree, exchanging worried comments.
Their voices weren’t loud, but Ye Xuan’s keen hearing picked up their conversation nonetheless.
Ye Xuan frowned. "Commander Ouyang Xiaoshan, is this the standard of the Royal City’s Imperial Guard? They seem no different from the City Guard of an ordinary city."
Ouyang Xiaoshan’s heart went cold. He immediately roared, "You lot, what are you talking about? Loafing around like this! Even when resting, you must remain vigilant! Have I not taught you this before?"
The Imperial Guards immediately fell silent, their expressions turning serious as they once again exuded a fierce aura.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Witnessing this transformation, Ye Xuan nodded. He then clapped his hands, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
"Everyone, over here," Ye Xuan said calmly.
Some of the resting Imperial Guards exchanged glances, and all but the few standing watch in the distance walked forward.
"You few on watch, come over as well," Ye Xuan said to them.
The Imperial Guards keeping watch in the distance heard him and hesitated for a moment before one called out loudly, "Master Ye Xuan, we are maintaining the perimeter! If we abandon our posts and an enemy sneaks in, I fear we won’t be able to react in time!"
