Chu Feng, carrying the medicinal herbs he had purchased, made his way toward Sword King Mansion. The thought of soon being able to refine the Yang Fire within him excited even the heart of someone of Alchemy Venerate's composure.
In his past life, he had died without ever possessing an Abnormal Fire, which was his greatest lifetime regret.
Unexpectedly, after his rebirth, the first major task he undertook was to rectify the regret of his past life by refining an Abnormal Fire.
Sword King Mansion was located on Prince Manor Street in the busiest area of the Royal Capital, which was a renowned noble district. Those qualified to live here were all influential and powerful noble families of princes and dukes.
Mansion after mansion of lavish residences displayed the prestige and splendor of this place.
Even a house slave, upon exiting this street, would walk with head held high and chest out, filled with a sense of superiority.
Ever since Prince Jian encountered disaster, Sword King Mansion had steadily declined and become the most dilapidated mansion on the street. It's probably only because the current Emperor feared others' criticism that Sword King Mansion was not seized and all its inhabitants conscripted into the army or reduced to slavery.
Prince Jian's extraordinary merits eclipsed the sovereign, arousing imperial suspicion and ultimately leading to his murder.
This was virtually an open secret.
Ten years ago, the three major tribes from the Western Regions, the Qiang Clan, Tufan, and Xiongnu, suddenly joined forces to invade the Jianyun Dynasty. These tribes were already extremely powerful and included several unparalleled experts among their ranks.
Under their combined assault, the border Great Generals of the Jianyun Dynasty directly defected to the enemy.
The Emperor of the Jianyun Dynasty dispatched the invincible war demi-god, Old Marshal, leading strong soldiers and great generals to resist the enemy.
However, the Old Marshal was immediately slain by the prime warrior of the Qiang Clan.
The enemy's ferocity intensified, pressing hard on the Royal Capital, causing many of the Jianyun Dynasty's citizens to flee overnight in terror.
In this critical moment, Chu Feng's father volunteered to the Emperor to go and repel the invaders.
The young Chu Qingjian was not favored by anyone.
Yet, once on the battlefield, Chu Qingjian displayed extraordinary military genius and revealed his impressive prowess in Sword Dao. After a strenuous decade of campaigns, he not only severely defeated the three tribes,
but also beheaded the Qiang Clan's top warrior, presenting the head to the Emperor.
During the decade-long campaign on the battlefield, Chu Qingjian rose from a common junior officer, advancing through the ranks, to be ennobled as Prince Jian.
Just as the formidable enemies were on the brink of annihilation, which would have doubled the territory of the Jianyun Dynasty, the three tribes implemented a scheme of sowing discord.
First, they presented an extraordinarily beautiful foreign woman to the Emperor of the Jianyun Dynasty.
This foreign beauty was not only stunning but possessed a complexion whiter than snow and unmatched skills in playing the zither. Her dance was so graceful it was as if she was a heavenly nymph, hailed as a peerless enchantress.
Before long, the Emperor of the Jianyun Dynasty made her a Noble Concubine.
She became the most favored in the entire harem, outshining all other beauties.
This peerless enchantress, while serving the Emperor at night, did not forget to whisper insinuations, often hinting that Prince Jian harbored treasonous ambitions.
She even claimed that Prince Jian had become the second Emperor of the Jianyun Dynasty, regarded by everyone as the hero and benefactor of the dynasty. Many citizens knew of Prince Jian but not the legitimate Emperor...
Besides, the three tribes sent spies to spread rumors in several border fortresses,
claiming that Prince Jian intended to proclaim himself Emperor and hold power independently.
With attacks coming from both inside and outside, how could the Jianyun Emperor sit still?
He issued thirteen Imperial Decrees in rapid succession, demanding Prince Jian immediately lead his troops back to the Royal Capital for an audience.
At this point, with the annihilation of the foreign enemies imminent, Prince Jian was naturally unwilling to give up. Otherwise, years of bloody battles and the sacrifice of countless soldiers would have been in vain.
Urged urgently by the Emperor, Prince Jian had no choice but to risk everything, abandoning a great advantage, to launch an offensive on the enemy's fortresses and difficult passes.
His intention was to annihilate the enemy forces in the shortest time possible, and then return to court in triumph.
Prince Jian never expected that the Jianyun Emperor would be so ruthlessly harsh.
Just on the third day following the issuance of the last Imperial Decree, news of his sudden violent death spread throughout the military.
The military power was then taken over by the Great General sent by the Dynasty.
...
Unlike other Prince Manors guarded by armored guards, Sword King Mansion had only a poorly dressed lad guarding its gate.
"This servant pays his respects to the Third Prince!" The gatekeeper lad hurriedly opened the gate to welcome Chu Feng, while respectfully saluting him.
"Dispense with formalities!"
Chu Feng did not linger, passing through the courtyard and heading straight towards the house.
"Little uncle is back!" A beautiful woman with her hair in a high bun greeted Chu Feng with a smile.
Chu Feng had an elder brother named Chu Jianlan, who was already married. The woman in front of him was Chu Feng's sister-in-law. In addition, Chu Feng also had an elder sister named Chu Yun.
Who was temporarily still unwed.
"Mm!" Chu Feng glanced at his sister-in-law, then intended to bypass her and return to his own room.
"Hold on, little uncle! You've just suffered from a fire poison attack a few days ago, and I went out of my way to buy some Snow Lotus and brewed it into a soup for you to drink."
"It is said that Snow Lotus grows in the extremely cold snow mountains and has a very good effect on excessive Yang Fire."
As she spoke, the sister-in-law had already brought over the prepared medicinal soup.
Chu Feng felt a warm surge in his heart.
Just as the eldest brother is akin to a father, his brother and sister-in-law, although strict with him, treated him extremely well, playing the roles akin to parents.
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Chu Feng quickly took it, truly moved in his heart.
"Oh, the uncle and sister-in-law seem quite close! Snow Lotus is not cheap, and even with money, it's hard to buy. Miss Qiao must have gone through a lot of trouble, right?" A sharp-faced old man walked over, looking at Chu Feng's sister-in-law impolitely.
This old man was the chief steward of the Sword King Mansion, surnamed Luo, with the ill-fitting name Quede (lit. lacks virtue).
Neither his tone nor his demeanor carried a trace of the respect befitting a servant.
Rather, it was filled with lawless arrogance, almost reminiscent of an evil slave bullying the master.
"Audacious! You are a chief steward, yet you dare to speak to the Third Prince and Eldest Prince's wife in such a manner? Tired of living, are you?" A maid standing behind Miss Qiao couldn't hold back, her eyebrows inverted with anger, stepping forward to protect her master.
"Gaga... This has already happened, and you're afraid of gossip? It's not like there haven't been indecent incidents between a little uncle and his sister-in-law."
"I am merely stating the facts, as a reminder to both of you, so as not to become a laughingstock!"
The words of Chief Luo were akin to spraying filth.
Chu Feng's sister-in-law's face instantly changed, her eyes welling up with tears, and her teeth clenched with a grinding noise.
Reputation is extremely important for a woman.
She cared for Chu Feng simply out of sister-in-law's concern for her brother-in-law, without any impure thoughts. Now, she had been tarnished by Housekeeper Luo and found herself unable to defend her honor, feeling incredibly wronged and humiliated.
"Third Prince, you just recovered not long ago and are still weak! I'm afraid your body can't take such nourishing substances yet!"
"Let me taste the Snow Lotus Soup for you and see how it is!"
As he spoke, Chief Luo suddenly made a lightning-fast move, reaching for the soup bowl that Chu Feng had just placed on the table.