The Grand Princess said helplessly, "Am I really that fierce?"
Qin Ming thought to himself, "Ha! You're certainly fierce! You're even fiercer than a mother tiger by dozens of times!"
Of course, he didn't dare to say it out loud.
"The Grand Princess isn't fierce. It's just that I look ugly. Every time I appear before you, I make you angry. And when you're angry, you want to chop me. That's why I'm afraid!" Qin Ming replied.
The Grand Princess took a bite of her food, not looking at Qin Ming, and said indifferently, "You're not ugly."
Qin Ming felt a little happy inside. I knew it. I'm handsome after all. Finally, you've noticed my good looks.
"Xiao Qinzi, tell me about your hometown," she said.
Qin Ming's heart sank. My hometown is in Earth. I've never been to this Cold Night City!
Ah, how should I explain this?
But Qin Ming quickly thought of something. Since Cold Night City was all dark and perpetually frozen, he could just lean into the cold. That should work.
After all, the Grand Princess would never send the Demon Sealing Guards to investigate Cold Night City.
Qin Ming put his creativity to use.
"Grand Princess, I have six brothers, and I'm the sixth."
"Oh, the sixth one."
"Grand Princess, it's the sixth, not the 'little sixth.'"
The Grand Princess put down her chopsticks and said with interest, "Many wealthy families in the Ying Stone Imperial City wouldn't dare to have so many children. But your parents, in a place like Cold Night City, actually had six sons?"
Qin Ming thought to himself, This Grand Princess is so sharp-tongued. Just listen to the story, why do you always rebut me? How am I supposed to continue telling the story?
"Actually, Grand Princess, there's a reason for this. My father has a strong body. Specifically, his waist is strong. And since it's always dark where we live, you can't do much else, so my father sleeps early. Also, it's cold there, so my parents usually go to bed early."
The Grand Princess chuckled, "So what you mean is your parents enjoy…"
She paused suddenly, took out a handkerchief to wipe her slightly oily lips, trying to cover her momentary slip.
"Go on."
Qin Ming thought to himself, Grand Princess, can we sleep? It's late, I can't keep this up anymore!
But he quickly thought of a way to end the story right there. He needed a reason for it to stop without being too awkward.
Qin Ming's expression deliberately grew sad. "But, things didn't last. The food ran out at home, and several children were starving. My father went hunting but was bitten to death by a snow beast. My eldest, second, and third brothers went searching for him and disappeared as well!"
The Grand Princess furrowed her brows. "Then what happened?"
"Then, without any labor at home, my mother got sick and died shortly after. My fourth and fifth brothers went begging, but they too disappeared."
The Grand Princess was surprised. She looked at Qin Ming's sorrowful face, realizing that his life was truly tragic. No wonder he cherished the opportunity to come to the Taiyin Palace so much and was so loyal.
"So what happened next?" she asked.
"Then I wandered off and followed others, eventually arriving at Ying Stone Imperial City."
The Grand Princess was moved. "I didn't expect your background to be so pitiful."
"Grand Princess, that's why when I came to the palace and saw these dishes, it felt like a celebration every day," Qin Ming said, gesturing at the food on the table.
"You should eat too," she said, pushing the dishes toward him. "Eat, I won't let you starve now."
"Thank you, Grand Princess!"
Qin Ming tried a piece of tofu with fish. His eyes widened. My god, the imperial chefs should be shot for this. How can they make the food so awful?!
He tried a bite of stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms. Bland! He tried the other dishes—everything was terrible.
None of these dishes could compare to the food from Earth.
Though Qin Ming was a bit hungry earlier, after tasting these dishes, he was suddenly full.
"Grand Princess, you eat. I'm not hungry anymore."
"How could you not be hungry? You just told me about your family starving to death. For you, these dishes must feel like a feast. Eat well!" The Grand Princess pushed four dishes and a bowl of soup in front of him. "Don't be polite. You've done well today. You can eat it all!"
Qin Ming was speechless. What have I gotten myself into?
...
Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Qin Ming checked his "luck points" and saw that he only had 30, not enough to draw from.
He took his "Blooddrop Sword" and headed to the western courtyard to practice.
Not long after, the bell-ringing bunny and the cute bunny came to find him.
"Qin Ming, hurry up! Eunuch Zhou Chang from the Ministry of Ceremonies is looking for you."
"Zhou Chang? What does he want with me?"
Qin Ming put away his sword, draped his long robe over his shoulders, and started buttoning it as he walked.
The cute bunny smiled. "What else could he want? It's to reward you! I heard you uncovered the explosives news yesterday, and the Emperor was very pleased, so he sent Eunuch Zhou Chang over."
"Qin Ming, Eunuch Zhou Chang is very powerful. Many people in the palace are afraid of him."
The bell-ringing bunny nodded seriously. "I heard Eunuch Zhou used to clean toilets in the Laundry Hall. But later, through a twist of fate, he suddenly gained enlightenment and quickly improved in cultivation. He's now at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining and was promoted to the Fire Hall!"
Qin Ming nodded and soon spotted Eunuch Zhou Chang under the red maple tree at the courtyard. Zhou Chang was tall with graying hair, exuding a powerful aura of someone at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining.
"Good morning, Eunuch Zhou," Qin Ming greeted.
"Morning, Captain of Qin!" Zhou Chang smiled and pulled out an imperial edict from his sleeve, announcing loudly, "Captain of Qin, I heard you were attacked by a time traveler recently. The Emperor has graciously permitted you to receive the edict without kneeling!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"By the Emperor's command, the Emperor decrees: Qin Ming, a small officer of Taiyin Palace, has made meritorious contributions by uncovering the explosives danger. I grant him 500 taels of silver and a copy of Xuan-tier martial arts technique. This is the imperial edict."
Qin Ming felt pleased upon receiving the edict. Though he already had a Xuan-tier martial arts technique, the more the better.
The 500 taels of silver still held significant purchasing power in this world. Having money meant peace of mind.
"Let's go!" Zhou Chang gestured for Qin Ming to follow.
"Captain of Qin, the Xuan-tier technique given by the Emperor, you can pick it yourself at Tianyi Academy."
"Pick it myself?"
"Of course," Zhou Chang replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Tianyi Academy has many martial arts techniques and skills. You can choose one according to your interests, but only one."
"Great! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Eunuch Zhou!" Qin Ming followed Zhou Chang to Tianyi Academy.