Chapter 28: The Primordial Spirit Body

In the shadowed corner opposite the archway of Rising Dragon Martial Academy, an unpleasant conversation was unfolding.

The Fifth Prince, Tie Renhao, glared viciously at Deng Duojie, enunciating each word with cold precision: “Deng Duojie, I’ve always treated you like my own sister, and yet you used me?!”

“Your Highness… how could you wound my heart so?” Deng Duojie’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “We share the same family name, and you are my aunt’s flesh and blood. My family has ever followed you without question. Where you go, we go. Should misfortune befall you, where then would the Deng family find refuge? Without the skin, how can the fur attach?”

“What do you mean?” Tie Renhao was puzzled.

“She means, if you fall, the Deng family falls with you,” Tie Huizhen explained quietly at his side. “If Lord Tieshu Deng ascends the throne, he will never spare the Deng family.”

“And you know this?” Tie Renhao barked. “If you understand, then why did you use me?”

“Your Highness, you do not know… After Ye Xin returned, my mother and I visited him out of kindness. Yet his wickedness remained—he tried to take advantage of me again. Fortunately, I am not as weak as I was before. I kicked him away and escaped!” Deng Duojie’s voice trembled. “No matter how I try, I cannot let this insult go. Complaining to my mother is useless; after all, Wolf Commander has shown my family great favor—they would only scold me for inviting trouble with my loose behavior. When I thought about it, in all of Nine Cauldrons City, only you, Your Highness, have the courage to uphold justice and defy the strong. Who else could I turn to? Who would help me?”

By the end, Deng Duojie’s words dissolved into sobs. Tie Renhao’s expression eased somewhat; she was right—when had he ever bowed to Ye Xin’s tyranny? Even when Ye Guanhai was alive, he had not feared Ye Xin, let alone now.

“Your Highness, I never expected Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei to be so arrogant!” Deng Duojie wailed. “Do they respect neither law nor heaven? How could they—how could they—”

“Enough...” Tie Renhao sighed heavily. “When I return, I’ll report this to Father. Such lawless villains cannot be tolerated. Deng Jie, if you need my help again, just ask me directly. How could I ever abandon you?”

“I understand. It was all my fault…” Deng Duojie murmured.

Tie Renhao gave Deng Duojie a deep look, then strode toward the academy.

Tie Huizhen did not follow. Only after Tie Renhao had gone some distance did she suddenly say, “Deng Jie, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Deng Duojie replied quickly.

“Why do you hate Ye Xin?” Tie Huizhen asked.

“All my life, Ye Xin has bullied me whenever he had the chance. I—”

“If you don’t want to tell me, forget it.” Tie Huizhen cut her off, then hurried after Tie Renhao.

“Seventh Princess, Seventh Princess…” Seeing Tie Huizhen’s apparent anger, Deng Duojie anxiously chased after her.

“You needn’t worry about me,” Tie Huizhen said as she walked. “At least what you said earlier is true—our fortunes rise and fall together. But… I hope you won’t use my fifth brother again as you did this time. If you need something, just say it. Of course we’ll help you.”

“I understand…” Deng Duojie replied meekly.

****

Within the Rising Dragon Martial Academy, the conversation between Ye Xin and Tieshu Deng was far more cordial.

“Little Xin, try to avoid conflict with the Fifth Prince in the future. If you can stay out of his way, do so,” Tieshu Deng advised softly. “If it were anyone else, I would certainly stand up for you. But with Tie Renhao… it puts me in a difficult position. If I truly disciplined him, people would recall the dispute between Mother and Consort Deng. The gossips would seize on it, which would not benefit me.”

“I never wanted trouble with him; he’s the one who insists on making things difficult,” Ye Xin replied.

“I know.” Tieshu Deng nodded. “I’ll report everything to Father when I return to the palace. He will naturally restrain Tie Renhao. Just be cautious in the days to come.”

“Damn it… it’s so frustrating…” Ye Xin gritted his teeth.

“You’re discouraged already? Honestly, you lack experience,” Tieshu Deng chuckled. “By the way, where have you been these past years?”

“Wandering all over,” Ye Xin grimaced. “Third Brother, only after leaving home did I realize how easy life was here, and how hard it is out there. If not for a stroke of luck, I would never have made it back!”

“What kind of luck?” Tieshu Deng asked curiously.

Ye Xin hesitated, then shook his head. “I can’t say—it’s a secret.”

“Oh?” Tieshu Deng was surprised. “You won’t even tell me?”

“It’s not for my sake—I just don’t want to bring you trouble,” Ye Xin said. At that moment, he’d already decided to change his original plan. If Xiao Mozhi was as vicious as he suspected, and if there really were traitors among the old generals of the Sirius Army, then the Sovereign Tie Xinsheng would know the army’s command token had fallen into his hands.

Therefore, continuing to play the wastrel served no purpose. And since Aunt Deng Qiaoying worked so hard to get him into the academy, he now saw a new opportunity.

Thus Ye Xin fabricated a nonexistent benefactor, knowing full well that Tieshu Deng would repeat this verbatim to Tie Xinsheng.

What Ye Xin needed was time. Tie Xinsheng was indecisive by nature; the identity of this “benefactor” was far too vague—it could be a Grand Marshal, a Supreme Marshal, the sovereign of another duchy, or a wandering cultivator. By the time Tie Xinsheng exhausted all possibilities and finally steeled himself to act, Wei Juan would have already lost the war.

“All right, I won’t ask,” Tieshu Deng said after a pause. “By the way, Wang Meng has also returned. He’s been talking about you nonstop.”

“When did he arrive?” Ye Xin asked.

“He’s about three days behind me. I hurried back alone to deliver news of our great victory at the front,” Tieshu Deng explained, then considered, “I won’t be free today, and tomorrow I have to visit the Han family. The day after…”

“I know. The day after, you’ll be off pursuing Wen Rong again,” Ye Xin interrupted.

“Heh… I’ve never denied that I value beauty over friendship,” Tieshu Deng laughed. “So, the day after tomorrow, I’ll find you, and we’ll go out for a drink—no stopping till we drop!”

“You’re the one who always boasts about not stopping, but you’re also the first to start foaming at the mouth,” Ye Xin said with disdain. “Aren’t you ashamed? Third Brother, you ‘stop’ far too quickly—like a flash of lightning…”

“Things are different now,” Tieshu Deng retorted. “You have any idea how long I’ve been at the front? A whole year! My drinking prowess is not something a lightweight like you can match!”

“Challenging me again?” Ye Xin asked.

“A challenge it is,” Tieshu Deng replied. “So, what’s the wager?”

“It’s still a few days away—too soon to say. But… I’ll give you some time to prepare. After wandering for years, I’ve picked up some new tricks. Let’s bet on a naked run!”

“What does that mean?” Tieshu Deng looked baffled.

“It means running down the street with your bare backside,” Ye Xin explained.

Tieshu Deng’s eyes widened, fixing on Ye Xin. If anyone else had suggested this, he would have exploded in anger, demanding to know their intentions. After all, everything Tie Shudeng did was for the throne. If he was seen running naked in public, what face would he have left to compete for the title?

But Ye Xin’s gaze was utterly clear, and Tie Shudeng sighed inwardly. The boy… still hadn’t grown up.

“Well… I’d better get to the palace. I can’t delay,” Tieshu Deng said, and without another word to Ye Xin, strode toward the academy’s archway. As fate would have it, Tie Renhao was approaching from the opposite direction, with Tie Huizhen in tow.

The two half-brothers acknowledged each other with cool nods and passed by without a word.

Tie Huizhen, however, was much more courteous. She paused and said to Tieshu Deng, “Third Brother, off to the palace?”

“Yes,” he replied with a smile. But when his eyes landed on Deng Duojie, he snorted coldly.

At that moment, Wen Rong and her group were also approaching. Ye Ling called out, “Brother, over here! The Fifth Battalion is heading this way.”

Tie Renhao hesitated, looking vexed. He’d been so focused on how to deal with Ye Xin that he’d forgotten Wen Rong’s presence until Ye Ling’s voice reminded him.

In truth, Tie Renhao had little genuine affection for Wen Rong; he pursued her primarily because Tieshu Deng liked her, so she became a target of rivalry. Second, Consort Deng had repeatedly reminded him that among the young women of his generation, only a handful possessed true talent, with Wen Rong at the forefront. Winning her would bolster his chances.

He considered turning back to exchange a few words with Wen Rong, but when he caught sight of Ye Ling standing beside her, he gave up. Trying to cozy up now would only give Ye Ling an opportunity to mock him—why invite humiliation?

“Young Master Ye, our Instructor Xie is an excellent teacher, but her training is strict—she spares no one. Do you think you can endure it?” Shen Miao asked Ye Xin.

Such a transparent provocation was easily seen through. Ye Xin understood Shen Miao meant well, hoping he would persevere.

“If you girls can persist, of course I can too,” Ye Xin replied.

“My brother can do it!” Ye Ling suddenly piped up. “Just this morning I learned that my brother possesses a Primordial Spirit Body!”

“What?” Wen Rong was startled. “Who said that?”

“My uncle told me long ago,” Ye Ling replied.

“Primordial Spirit Body… I think I’ve heard of that somewhere,” Shen Miao murmured.

“Let’s not talk about it here,” Wen Rong glanced around. “We’ll discuss it tonight.”