Chapter 40 – Special Treatment For Hunger

On the northern coast of the Stan Star, under the night sky, the sparkling waves created a beautiful scene. The sea breeze carried a hint of salty sweetness. A crescent moon hung in the sky, and the entire fishing village seemed to be immersed in tranquility.

General Zhuo pushed open door to Lu Xingwang’s room and said, “Your Highness, are you looking for me?”

Lu Xingwang replied, “Yes.”

General Zhuo had been waiting in the room all day and was already annoyed. He said, “Your Highness, you mentioned taking action at noon. Why did you call me in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep?”

Lu Xingwang glanced at him and said, “General Zhuo seems impatient.”

“I…” General Zhuo became frustrated. “Who is trying to get back their divine power from the Lan family?”

Lu Xingwang smirked. “Isn’t the main goal to obtain information about the Marshal through the Lan family’s sorcerer’s divination?”

General Zhuo’s hidden intentions were instantly exposed.

Damn it!

He hated playing games with clever people. They could see through all his little schemes. It was really boring!

Although he felt unwilling, he had to admit that he wasn’t very smart. So he said, “Well, we both have our own interests. Your Highness, please speak quickly, or else we’ll just be wasting time here for no reason.”

Lu Xingwang sat down on a chair in the room and opened up a holographic screen. It displayed a map, and when zoomed in, it turned out to be a map of this small fishing village. There was a red dot on the map, but strangely, it wasn’t showing the surface location; it was beneath the ground!

General Zhuo widened his eyes and asked, “What is this…?”

Lu Xingwang calmly explained, “When we arrived at the fishing village today, I smelled the mud stains on the innkeeper’s and waiter’s shoes, as well as a damp odor on their clothes. When I chatted with the waiter during the day, I found out that they usually conduct their business at the inn and rarely go far. After returning, I checked the weather in the village for the past few days, and it was mostly sunny.”

General Zhuo listened in astonishment. He had noticed the issue with the shoe soles as well, but he thought it was just a careless mistake and didn’t pay much attention to it. He never imagined that Lu Xingwang, who appeared indifferent to everything, was actually observant and had secretly placed a tracking device on the waiter without his knowledge. It was truly terrifying.

Lu Xingwang put away the tracking device and glanced at General Zhuo. “Let’s go.”

The inn was almost empty, with only a few lights illuminating the corridors. It was unlikely to encounter anyone. Lu Xingwang walked with a steady pace, confident and relaxed.

General Zhuo asked, “Your Highness, aren’t you afraid of walking into an ambush like this?”

Lu Xingwang glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “General Zhuo is renowned as the number one warrior of the Stan Star. With you by my side, do I need to worry?”

General Zhuo, who had a bit of resentment towards Lu Xingwang, quickly smiled and said, “So Your Highness knows my reputation too.”

Of course, everyone knew about it. Almost everyone knew that the Great General had a hot-tempered and dim-witted son. However, this General Zhuo was exceptional in terms of combat power. His thunder and lightning divine power swept through all directions. Among those who could fight him without being at a disadvantage, it was probably only the Third Prince, who possessed formidable divine abilities, in his prime state.

Lu Xingwang entered the underground floor of the inn and pushed open a door while saying, “Who doesn’t know General Zhuo’s reputation?”

Suddenly, General Zhuo found the Third Prince very agreeable. “That’s true.”

The two of them encountered no obstacles along the way and followed the route marked with a red dot on their journey. They arrived in front of a stone door adorned with a majestic phoenix. It seemed that there were certain conditions required to enter. Just as they were preparing to think it through, the stone door opened on its own.

General Zhuo became cautious and said, “Could this be a trap?”

Lu Xingwang asked, “Is General Zhuo scared?”

“Who’s scared?!” General Zhuo took the first step through the door. “I’m just being cautious!”

Lu Xingwang didn’t argue with him and stepped through the door as well. Inside, it was exactly as he had guessed—an extraordinary world. Unlike the rundown fishing village above, the underground city was bustling and prosperous. Even though it was nighttime, the streets were illuminated with lights, and pedestrians hurriedly walked by. Street vendors sold a variety of goods.

General Zhuo widened his eyes and exclaimed, “This, this is…”

“Yes, it’s the legendary Lan Family Sorcerer’s City built by the sea. It has a wide range of rare and exotic goods. Most of the forbidden divine items and medicines that are not allowed in the market can be found in the Sorcerer City,” Lu Xingwang explained with a somewhat cold voice amidst the lively street.

“The Sorcerer City is located beneath the largest teleportation magic array on the Stan Star to date. Its entrance is random and not fixed,” Lu Xingwang continued as he walked forward.

General Zhuo muttered, “I always thought it was just a legend.”

While watching Lu Xingwang’s back, General Zhuo suddenly felt the urge to complain. “Is it normal for you to know about it, Third Prince?”

The streets of the Sorcerer City were indeed filled with a wide variety of goods. This place belonged to the Lan family, a prestigious sorcerer family, so naturally, most of the items available were magical products with incredible effects. The advertisements were captivating, tempting people’s hearts. On the stall selling magic potions, there was everything unimaginable. The vendors enthusiastically called out:

“Change of Heart Potion!”

“See how beautiful you become Potion!”

“Truth Potion!”

“Only 20 gold coins each, only 20 gold coins!”

General Zhuo complained, “Are they really that amazing?”

The vendor raised an eyebrow and winked, “If it doesn’t work, you can get your money back.”

For some reason, General Zhuo felt terrified. In order to understand the trading process here, they still had to select something from this stall. Setting aside the potions, there were also some accessories with small magical properties. For example, a stone that could predict the weather, a button that could change the color of clothing, a ballerina music boxes  that girls would love,  and even toys that could sing.

General Zhuo asked, “Your Highness, do you want to buy this toy?”

The way he looked at Lu Xingwang carried a hint of hesitation and seemed to say, “I didn’t expect you to have this preference, but it’s not the first time I’ve noticed. You don’t have to worry about my feelings. If you really want it, just buy it.”

Indeed, Lu Xingwang found it fascinating. He had the vendor wrap it up for himself. As he turned around, he met General Zhuo’s gaze. Lu Xingwang calmly explained, “I didn’t buy it for myself.”

General Zhuo quickly made a gesture as if to say, “No need to explain, I understand!”

…

Lu Xingwang fell into silence and took the item before turning away.

General Zhuo caught up and said, “Your Highness, why not try the potion they’re advertising? They say it can make someone change their mind and have a change of heart.”

Lu Xingwang asked, “If someone has changed their mind, can it be reversed with just one bottle of potion?”

General Zhuo was taken aback.

“If it can be reversed,” Lu Xingwang calmly responded, “then are you in love with them or with the person controlled by the potion affecting their nerves?”

General Zhuo scratched his head. “It’s so complicated. Wouldn’t it be better to just stay together?”

Lu Xingwang walked through the streets. His youthful figure remained straight, and his expression couldn’t be seen clearly under the dim lights. Only a slightly deep voice could be heard saying, “If there is no love, what’s the use of forcefully staying together? If there is love, what does it matter even if we’re separated by thousands of miles?”

At that moment, Zuo Qingshan’s heart trembled as if he understood something, yet it seemed like he didn’t.

Then suddenly, he realized, could it be that the toy was really not bought for His Highness himself, but for… his beloved who was thousands of miles away?

…

School

Just after school, there were numerous students and parents crowding the school gate, making it difficult to pass through.

Fortunately, Jian Mei lived in the school district, so it only took him a five-minute walk to get home. The doctor also said it would be best for him to engage in slow-paced exercise every day to keep his body healthy. Therefore, he didn’t need anyone to pick him up after school. He considered those few steps as a form of exercise.

A group of teenagers stood under a nearby tree, led by a young man named Cai Jian. He wore all black and had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. One of his followers said, “Big brother, isn’t that person Jian Mei?”

“Didn’t he make Zhenzhen cry a lot yesterday?”

“He must have taken Zhenzhen’s role.”

“Yeah, big brother, should we stand up for Zhenzhen ?”

Cai Jian blew out a smoke ring and flicked the cigarette away. He looked up and said, “If someone dares to bully my sister, of course, I won’t let him off easily. But we don’t need so many people to deal with him. Just me and Gangzi are enough. You guys wait here; I’ll go talk to him.”

The other followers, seeing that their leader had spoken, naturally followed suit.

Cai Jian swaggered onto the path and blocked Jian Mei’s way. He cleared his throat and provocatively said, “Stop.”

Jian Mei halted.

Cai Jian’s tone carried hostility. “Wanna make friends?”

Jian Mei turned around. Because Cai Jian was too far away from him which prevented him from seeing clearly , it wasn’t until Jian Mei turned completely that he could see him clearly. The youth had rosy lips, white teeth, a clean and handsome appearance. Standing under the autumn plane tree, the warm evening sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a gentle and serene glow upon him.

“Are you… calling me?” Jian Mei tilted his head, batting his long eyelashes with a hint of confusion. “Is there something you need?”

For some reason, Cai Jian came looking for trouble, but when he was looked at by Jian Mei like this, he unconsciously straightened his originally twisted and crooked body, and his ears turned red. His arrogance couldn’t be maintained, and his voice even sounded a bit uncertain, “Wanna… be friends?”

“…”

The air fell into silence.

The followers on the side were feeling uneasy.

Jian Mei paused for a moment and smiled, revealing a relaxed expression. “Oh, I see. You startled me.”

Cai Jian was contemplating what to say when his follower, Gangzi, who had a dull mind, thought that the leader was giving him a chance to show off so he said, “Do you have any money? Can you lend us some to have some fun, bro?”

Jian Mei was taken aback.

Cai Jian turned his head and glared fiercely at his follower, covering his mouth.

So Jian Mei didn’t quite hear clearly and didn’t know which act they were playing. He cautiously asked, “What did you say?”

The follower was about to speak but got kicked by Cai Jian. He turned back and smiled at Jian Mei, saying, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. He’s just hungry. Ignore him.”

“I see.” Jian Mei still held two pastries he had just bought. He couldn’t quite tell if the person in front of him was really hungry or just pretending, but he had heard that some classmates’ families were going through difficulties. So he suggested, “I just bought two pastries. If you’re really hungry, I can share half of it with you.”

Cai Jian never expected things to take this turn.

Even more so, he never expected that there would be such a kind-hearted child in this world. It seemed like he truly didn’t have a tendency to think negatively about situations and people. His heart was like a pure and beautiful jade, which made them feel ashamed of their own flaws.

Jian Mei walked up to him, getting closer, and Cai Jian could smell a faint scent of grass and wood from him, a unique fragrance that perfectly matched Jian Mei’s pure temperament. The fair little hand tore half of the pancake and handed it to him. “Here, be careful, it’s hot.”

Cai Jian instinctively took it.

It would be hilarious if this got out—Cai Jian, the young master of the Cai family, and the leader of the First Middle School, sharing someone else’s pancake.

Jian Mei also shared some with Gangzi beside him, then waved to them. “Well, I’ll be going. Bye-bye!~”

Cai Jian instinctively replied, “Goodbye.”

Gangzi took a bite of the pancake. “Hey, it’s really delicious, Boss. You don’t say, where did he buy these pancakes? I’ll go buy them next time too.”

Cai Jian kicked him and scolded, “You idiot.”

Gangzi looked at him with a grievance. “Boss, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong? Weren’t we here to teach him a lesson?”

Cai Jian couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. He went back to his subordinates, grabbed his backpack, and left. The guys behind him asked where he was going, but the young man didn’t even look back as he held the pancake and answered, “Going home.”

He had to go back and ask Cai Zhenzhen about Jian Mei. He had no ill intentions, he just wanted to get more pancakes next time.

…

Jian Family’s Kitchen

Jian Mei squatted by the small stove, making medicine. This was the second dose of medicine he was preparing for DaZhuang ge. He messaged Lu Xingwang to inquire about his recent condition and found out that he hadn’t improved much. He began his nagging mode, “You should have a regular diet.”

“Go to bed early and wake up early.”

“Avoid spicy and stimulating foods.”

Lu Xingwang never expected that in his lifetime, besides his mother, there would be someone else who dared to nag at him like this. However, if he retorted, Jian Mei would only intensify his nagging. So His Highness tactfully responded, “Okay.”

In his hand was a small toy he bought on Sorcerer’s Street. The magic inside was just make the little puppet sing and dance, nothing dangerous. He knew that Jian Mei liked these little toys, so he bought it on a whim. After sending it over with a charger, he wasn’t surprised to hear Jian Mei’s excited exclamation shortly after, “What is this? It’s so amazing!”

The crisp laughter of the young boy echoed in his ears. Even though he couldn’t see his expression, he could imagine Jian Mei’s smile at this moment. Listening to his voice, Lu Xingwang’s lips unconsciously curved into a faint smile.

Jian Mei fanned the small stove with a fan and said with a smile, “Why did you give me a gift?”

Lu Xingwang said, “To celebrate your successful performance.”

In fact, he just thought of him when he saw that puppet and figured he would be happy, so he bought it on a whim.

“Thank you.” Jian Mei didn’t expect DaZhuang ge to be so ceremonious and treat him so well. He felt both happy and touched. He held the little puppet in one hand, looked at it with great satisfaction, and said with a hint of coquetry, “You’re the best to me.”

The clear and soft voice seemed to pluck at the strings of his heart. Lu Xingwang’s pen, which had been writing, stopped for a moment. His Adam’s apple rolled up and down, and he hadn’t moved his pen for a long time. The sound of Jian Mei’s usual chatter filled his ears, and he listened attentively. It was only when he came back to his senses that he realized the words on the paper were still stuck at the previous sentence.

This was not right.

Lu Xingwang faintly felt that his once proud self-control was gradually loosening in front of Jian Mei. Some of his principles and beliefs were starting to change, even without him realizing it. Perhaps he should put on the brakes in time. Jian Mei still didn’t understand many things, but he had to understand. After all, with his current physical condition and state, he shouldn’t have deep involvement with anyone.

Cutting losses in time is the best choice.

Stop sending things to Jian Mei anymore. It ends here, it’s better for both of us.

Jian Mei on the other end of the phone continued talking about what happened after school, rambling, “And then they asked if I had money, and later said they were hungry…”

Lu Xingwang’s thoughts were brought back, and his eyebrows gradually furrowed. The look in his eyes began to turn icy. He spoke with a hint of coldness, “They asked you for things?”

Jian Mei nodded, “Yeah, what’s wrong?”

Lu Xingwang got straight to the point, “Do they know your name?”

Jian Mei hesitated for a moment, “Oh, right. How did they know?”

Lu Xingwang fell silent. After a while, His Highness got up, went to the next room, and dragged the sleeping little general out. He rummaged through the weapons room for a while and finally found something relatively reliable. When he returned to the room, he completely forgot about his previous decision. He handed the small round stick to Jian Mei and said, “If they dare to come looking for you again, you press the  button on this rod. Do you understand?”

Jian Mei was puzzled, “What is this for?”

Lu Xingwang sneered, “It’s special treatment for hunger.”