Chapter 35#

The Innocent and Naive Fool#

Central Planet, within the Imperial Palace.

The banquet had just begun. Glamorous noble men and women held champagne, gathering in small groups around the dining tables, chatting about recent interesting events in high society, and occasionally teasing a lady dressed inappropriately.

The life of a noble was extravagant and dull. For them, the only pleasure lay in discussing these gossips and privacies, as well as some novelties that could showcase their noble status—

For example, Count Lian had brought a humanoid creature today that grew on an unknown planet.

It had no limbs but possessed two long, vine-like tentacles. It should have been rooted in the soil to absorb nutrients, but to fully show the entirety of his “little pet” to other nobles, Count Lian had ordered its roots to be uprooted and placed in an exhibition cabinet similar to a transparent fish tank for observation.

This creature, like humans, possessed basic joys and sorrows, and a certain degree of language and communication ability. However, humans could not understand its language, nor did they know that its desperate waving of tentacles in the water was not a performance, but because of hunger and fear.

But even if they knew, they wouldn’t care.

“Novel it is,” a lady said with a smile, fan covering her face, “it’s just that this thing’s looks are truly nothing to admire. Not aesthetic at all.”

“Exactly. Count Lian actually didn’t even trim it; these tentacles are truly disgusting to look at.”

Another person said longingly: “When it comes to art and charm, it still has to be the merfolk.”

The words fell, and silence lasted for a second.

The nobles remembered the graceful figures of merfolk swimming in the water and the legendary ethereal voices comparable to celestial music. They all nodded in agreement: “Exactly. A pity, they were just too disobedient, impossible to train.”

The old King walked over cheerfully. He liked nothing more than stepping onto the floor during banquets to interact with other nobles, hearing people flatter him, even priding himself on being “close to the people.” Hearing this sentence, he smiled at the Prince: “Tonight the Crown Prince will present a mysterious surprise to everyone. Guess what it is?”

The Prince said in shock: “It couldn’t be a merman, could it?!”

“Correct!” The old King looked at the amazed eyes of those around him, both triumphant and a bit bitter.

Having a son who was capable and handled things perfectly was of course a good thing, but being born into the royal family, especially when his own body began to decline with the passage of time… it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“His Highness the Crown Prince arrives—”

Perfect timing—the summons of an attendant came from outside. The nobles turned their heads toward the banquet entrance in unison. The doors opened slowly, and Lu Xing walked into the hall with a composed smile, wearing a black tuxedo.

But all the nobles’ eyes were gathered on Lin Xiaodong beside him. The little merman sat on a cloud-shaped domestic aircraft, his large silver-white tail sunk into the fluffy soft white cotton. Seeing so many humans, the tip of his tail twitched nervously.

His upper body was covered by a long shawl reaching down to his tail. It was unknown what thread this shawl was woven with; the material, originally transparent like flowing water, actually refracted brilliant light under the lamps, as if a segment of starlight had been tailored and draped over his body.

The room was pin-drop silent.

Lu Xing led the cloud through the dumbfounded nobles in the banquet hall, coming before the old King and bowing impeccably: “Father, the task you assigned me has been accomplished ahead of schedule.”

But the old King didn’t even look at him.

He was only staring obsessively at Lin Xiaodong, saying repeatedly: “Good, good, good!”

Saying so, he reached out to grab the merman’s arm, but was intercepted halfway by a water film.

“What is this?” The old King finally reacted. He was somewhat annoyed by his own loss of composure and glared at his son standing quietly nearby. “Everyone here is one of our own. Why did you turn on the shielding system?”

“Please understand,” Lu Xing said neither humbly nor overbearingly, “I am considering the safety of you and the other nobles present. He just arrived here from an outer planet; who knows what germs his body might carry? He must be kept under observation for a period of time.”

But the old King was very dissatisfied with this explanation: “What about the previous batch? There were so many merfolk then, and you didn’t do this?”

“And so they all died,” Lu Xing said indifferently, “and from unknown causes. Father, repeating old mistakes is to be avoided.”

The old King’s face turned shades of blue and white from being rebuffed. Finally, he gave a cold huff and left in a huff.

Once he was gone, the nobles who had only dared to watch the father-son dispute from a distance dared to step forward. Countless flatteries pelted Lu Xing like raindrops: “His Highness truly is young and promising, with extraordinary methods…”

“Actually managing to snatch the merman from Gu Xi’s hands, impressive!”

“But that guy Gu deserved it. Heard he died in space, without even anyone to collect his body.”

Hearing Gu Xi’s name, the little merman sitting on the cloud turned his head to look over there.

Lin Xiaodong had lost all expression since entering the palace. Lu Xing was well aware of his behavior and had even cautioned him softly before entering: “I know you don’t like those nobles, but you must believe me. No matter what I say at the banquet, it certainly won’t be the truth. Just endure tonight, and I’ll take you back and tell you where your clansmen are buried, alright?”

He had agreed.

But that didn’t mean Lin Xiaodong would give these people a good face.

Lu Xing gave a light cough, using his eyes to remind him to pay a little attention, at least not to make it too obvious.

“System,” being the focus of everyone, Lin Xiaodong swung his tail nonchalantly and asked, “what do you think Lu Xing’s goal is in dressing me up like this and bringing me here?”

System: “Showing off his ability to other nobles?”

“That’s only one aspect.”

Then what else? The System couldn’t think of anything.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed Lu Xing’s gaze toward those nobles when no one is paying attention.” A playful smile curled the corners of Lin Xiaodong’s lips. “Do you know what kind of feeling he gives me?”

The System asked instinctively: “What?”

“A sane lunatic,” Lin Xiaodong said word by word.

Moving through the magnificent imperial court, chatting and laughing with nobles who stood above hundreds of millions of ordinary people, being praised by both princes and viscounts, yet Lu Xing’s eyes remained icy from beginning to end.

Lin Xiaodong thought the youth’s acting in front of him was half-hearted enough, but he didn’t expect that for these people, Lu Xing wouldn’t even bother to act. Sometimes when truly disgusted to the extreme, he would just hold his champagne and smile while ignoring them.

The parties involved were extremely embarrassed, yet others still thought Lu Xing was “very full of character” and possessed the “reserve of a great noble.”

“Your Highness, can you have him sing for us?” It was that woman with the fan again. She looked at Lu Xing with a gaze of adoration mixed with longing. But the youth only shook his head, gazing tenderly at the little merman who was stuffing his cheeks full like a hamster: “It’s not up to me. You have to ask him yourself.”

“Why?” the woman was puzzled. “But isn’t he your pet now?”

“Not a pet.”

“What?”

“I said, not a pet.” Lu Xing lifted his eyelids, tilted his head, and gave her a smiling look. The woman, whose face had been smiling, instantly broke out in a cold sweat: “S-sorry, Your Highness. I have offended you.”

“Hmph!”

Suddenly a heavy cold huff came from the crowd. At the same time, the cloud floating in mid-air was kicked hard from behind, losing its balance. The little merman gave a cry of surprise, seeing he was about to fall to the floor.

Lu Xing lunged forward, catching him in his arms at the last moment.

“Who did it?” He turned his head, his gaze turning fierce in an instant. “Step out yourself!”

“Me. What about it?”

A middle-aged man said loudly with a face full of disdain.

He was Count Lian, also a die-hard loyalist of the old King. Because the old King had been very dissatisfied with the Crown Prince lately, he had been fanning the flames from the side, betting on the recently born second prince.

The “little pet” he brought today hadn’t received the expected acclaim and had its thunder completely stolen by Lu Xing. Whether to show his loyalty to the old King or to suppress Lu Xing, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with his kick.

“Truly pathetic,” he shook his head, looking down at the little merman sheltered in Lu Xing’s arms, his tone carrying a hint of contemptuous pity. “You don’t even know you’ve been abandoned by him, do you? Your clansmen were all killed clean by him, even made into specimens and placed in the palace to never know peace day or night. And here you are, treating a thief as your father?”

“I did not kill them!” Lu Xing roared. “It was clearly you—”

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression contorted, looking completely like a loss of composure unbecoming of a noble.

The nobles’ gazes toward him began to change, and the smile on Count Lian’s face grew brighter. He wished for Lu Xing to completely lose his mind in front of everyone, as he had already seen the old King’s figure appearing in the distance—make it bigger! If it got bigger, Lu Xing’s position as Crown Prince would be forfeit!

“Stop talking.”

Suddenly, a soft call interrupted Count Lian’s delusions.

The little merman reached out and touched the veins that had suddenly bulged on Lu Xing’s neck from emotion, saying softly: “I believe you.”

Lu Xing was stunned.

He slowly lowered his head and made eye contact with Lin Xiaodong.

The little merman’s eyes held total trust, clear to the bottom, without a trace of shadow.

The memory of that person’s appearance flashed by. Lu Xing closed his eyes and regained his reason.

“Sorry,” he picked Lin Xiaodong up, carefully placing him back on the cloud, and gave a slight nod to the nobles gathered around watching the show. “I lost my composure.”

“Ding! Good Person Card fragment +1.”

“Truly, too difficult,” Lin Xiaodong lamented from the bottom of his heart. “This Lu Xing is really too hard to handle. It’s been so long, and finally another piece.”

System: “Then there are three more cards. Who do you think has them?”

“Hmm,” Lin Xiaodong scanned around, his gaze finally landing on the old King’s grim face outside the crowd. “It should be him.”

“Him?” the System’s tone rose slightly. “But how are you going to contact this guy?”

Lin Xiaodong smiled.

“My dear System,” he said in a rhythmic way, almost like a chant, “you surely don’t believe that Lu Xing will actually take me back, do you?”