Chapter 268: Probe (1/2)

However, trouble wasn’t the only thing that Yue Xianzi had brought to Lu Yin. For example, at this moment, Lu Yin was currently situated right behind the private carriage and was only a few meters away from Ming Yan. Yue Xianzi had purposefully arranged this placement for him since Ming Yan treated her extremely well, and she was even allowed to enter the private carriage. She had ultimately declined because of Ming Zhaoshu’s existence and was instead riding alongside the carriage by horseback.

“Is there anyone else in your family?” Yue Xianzi asked Lu Yin as she rode alongside.

Lu Yin’s face twisted into a grimace. “No, there was an epidemic in my hometown, and they all died.”

“Oh... How old are you this year?”

…

Within the private carriage, Ming Yan occasionally glanced out in astonishment. “Father, it seems that Yue’er treats that coachman pretty well.”

Ming Zhaoshu was going through his scrolls and smiled at his daughter. “Perhaps they were brought together by fate.”

Ming Yan did not really understand what was happening between the two and sneaked another glance at Lu Yin. She blinked; this man seemed quite familiar for some reason.

By this point, Lu Yin was itching to stuff Yue Xianzi’s mouth shut with a smelly sock. They were right next to the private carriage with Ming Zhaoshu inside! Lu Yin would be discovered the instant he answered incorrectly; however, this woman just kept asking questions as if they were on a blind date. She was so nosy, but he could not ignore her. It was nauseating.

“The way you steer the cart seems rather strange. You don’t seem like an ordinary person. Have you cultivated before?” Yue Xianzi asked and stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin’s heart dropped. At that moment, Tang Si happened to come over and say, “Your Highness, we’ve reached the Ming River. The boat’s been prepared for us beforehand.”

“There’s no rush. Yue’er, repeat that question again,” Ming Zhaoshu’s voice was heard from within the private carriage. At that moment, Tang Si carefully looked at Lu Yin as well.

Lu Yin’s finger twitched, and Yue Xianzi repeated herself.

All those nearby turned to look at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin calmly replied, “I haven’t cultivated. All that I’ve learned is from Qianshan village. His Majesty once passed through that village, and his entourage demonstrated a few forms to the villagers there, which I learned a bit from later.”

The drapes of the private carriage were drawn back, and Ming Zhaoshu looked at Lu Yin. He was shocked. “You’ve been to Qianshan village?”

“What did you learn? Demonstrate the forms that you learned.” Ming Zhaoshu seemed rather intrigued by Lu Yin’s supposed chance encounter.

Lu Yin did not dare to refuse and immediately displayed it in the open. It was just three simple movements that appeared to be very ordinary, but Ming Zhaoshu took on a reminiscing expression as he watched. This form had been created during Ming Zhaoshu’s youth when he collaborated with Ming Zhaotian. And now, it had spread even to that little village. Ming Zhaoshu looked at Lu Yin with a much warmer gaze after he finished demonstrating the forms. “It must be destiny that you were able to learn these forms. After His Majesty’s birthday celebration, you can remain within my household.”

Lu Yin gratefully replied, “Many thanks, Your Highness, for the offer.”

Ming Zhaoshu nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s cross the Ming River now.”

Ming Yan cast a curious look at Lu Yin with pursed lips before dropping the curtain.

Yue Xianzi frowned. This person couldn’t be a trialtaker, as why would he know about such a trivial matter if he was? Forget it, this was just a waste of my time. She thought about the matter a bit more, but then shook her head as she had no further interest in Lu Yin.

Lu Yin relaxed. Luckily, Wu Xia had seen Crown Prince Ming Hao practice and demonstrate those forms for Ming Zhaotian before. It was practically monkey see, monkey do; fortunately, he had somehow managed to hoodwink the Reverent King. If not for this, then he had no other way to bring Yue Xianzi’s meddling to an end. He looked at her and decided that she would need to be put in her place one day.

In the depths of the universe, inside the Daynight clan’s prison, a grating sound woke Zhuo Daynight up. She raised her head, her face completely drained of blood.

An elder walked in and looked down at her. “What relationship do you have with Astral-10’s Lu Yin?”

She looked at the elder and shuddered. “None.”

“Why are you helping him?”

“Because he saved me.”

“You should be aware that the Daynight clan will not allow any marriages with an outsider.”

“This junior has no such relationship with Lu Yin. We’ve only met thrice.”

“Very well, I’ll believe you. Still, he was willing to tell us the hidden location of the Third Nightking to save you, so he isn’t completely lacking in feelings for you. From today onwards, you are the disciple of me, Nightking Yuanjing.”

She raised her head, shocked. “The Third… Nightking?”

His lips quirked up in amusement. “That’s right, he provided the Third Nightking’s information to me in exchange for your release, and I agreed.”

Zhuo Daynight was stunned. The Third Nightking…

The Ming River was wide, and its surface was glimmering with light. It was divided in multiple channels, and each held boats made to transport people and goods.

The Reverent King's household alone took up five channels. The military cleared the way as they floated towards the gate of Ming Island: Antai City.

As the boat crossed the bobbing river, Lu Yin walked across the deck. To his surprise, it was very smooth and steady even as it floated across the water.

Lu Yin was a coachman and technically not important enough to be aboard the same vessel as Reverent King Ming Zhaoshu. However, since it required manual labor to move some of the valuable goods on the boat, Lu Yin had the honor of being selected for the task.