Chapter 288: A Test

As the sun rose above the horizon, it awoke the jungle slowly and efficiently.

The caravan had long left the Gracious Mountain Range behind, and after another day of the journey, they would enter the Southern Province.

Qin Shen was driving the first carriage, while Pan De was on the second, and finally was Fu Kai.

While the former two were used to driving carriages, Fu Kai was a special case among the three.

And currently, he was quite irritated.

Not because of his work, but because of his partner.

His partner was a disciple who was supposed to be on the lookout and guard the carriage.

But he slept the whole way.

Leaning back on the carriage, putting his hands behind his back, this disciple was sleeping ever since the journey began.

Even though the whole path was uneven (and Fu Kai making sure the carriage jumped in all the ditches and stones), the entire carriage was practically hopping all the way.

And yet, this disciple hadn't budged.

"Don't they let you sleep in the sect?" Finally, Fu Kai had enough. He was going to confront this disciple.

'Does he not understand this is a secret mission, and we can be ambushed at any corner?'

Seeing no response, Fu Kai nudged the disciple and asked again, "Are you dead or what? Why can't you take the mission seriously?"

The disciple slowly turned his head and opened his eyes.

He stared at Fu Kai for a moment before saying, "Well, I am dead."

Fu Kai made a scared expression on his face, "Oh my! I am so scared! A ghost!"

"Stop with these silly jokes and pay attention. Why aren't you taking this mission seriously?"

The disciple in front of him shrugged and looked the other way.

"What's your name?" Fu Kai asked, "And why are you so lazy?"

The disciple scratched his chin and said, "Well, you can call me Shu Xian. And I am not lazy. I am just happy doing nothing."

Fu Kai shook his head, "Man, why did Father send me here?"

"Hm? Father? Are you the son of this caravan's owner?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

"Well, yes, but," Fu Kai suddenly put on a smug face, "My father is not a trader. In fact, I am the twenty-sixth master of the Fu Clan."

"Twenty-sixth..." Ye Tian Yun was quite shocked, "So you have twenty-six brothers and sisters?"

"Yeah, a few more here and there." Fu Kai shrugged, "However, my father holds a pretty high position in the Xin Royal Court. He's an influential minister in the Crown Prince's faction."

"Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was quite intrigued at the mention of the Crown Prince.

He knew the Crown Prince.

Well, not personally, but he had gone through a full report on him. 

So he understood and knew quite a lot about Crown Prince Xin.

And one day, this guy was going to be quite important for his plans once he went to the Capital City.

For now, it was still a long way before he would come face to face against him.

"-Also, my family owns a lot of brothels, so we're quite important for the Crown Prince faction because of the information network we have." While Ye Tian Yun was thinking about his next steps, Fu Kai was looking straight and bragging about his clan.

"Oh?" Ye Tian Yun replied, "I am not sure if bragging about brothels and your information network is an intelligent move."

Fu Kai laughed, "Everyone knows my father, Minister Fu Ker holds a lot of connections in the common populace. That's no secret."

"Minister who?" The name attracted Ye Tian Yun's attention.

"Minister Fu Ker. You haven't heard about him?" Fu Kai looked at him from up to down as if looking at a country bumpkin.

"Fu Ker… well, that explains why you have a lot of brothers."

"Hey! Mind your words." Fu Kai was immediately offended.

Ye Tian Yun, however, just shrugged, "I am spitting the divine truth here. Fu Ker gave birth to more than twenty-five offspring. Don't tell me you all have a single mother? Man, the torture she must have had over those years."

Fu Kai frowned and shook his head, "My Father has quite a few wives."

"Oh, a harem?" Ye Tian Yun replied, "I should have known. If Fu Ker doesn't have a harem, who will?"

Fu Kai felt quite annoyed, "Will you stop calling my father by his name?"

"Oh? What should I call him if not by his name then?"

"Minister. Minister Fu Ker."

"Ah yes, Fu Ker handles a ministry. I bet it's all about research regarding ways on fucking over the common people."

Fu Kai was now a bit angered, "Shu Xian, I think this is your first time coming out of the sect. You haven't seen the real world yet. You don't understand that you might have gotten yourself killed more than ten times if this exchange took place in the capital."

"And you are lucky that I don't like my father for being a nymphomaniac. That's why you're still alive."

"Ah, really?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Or else you would have long-ago cut me into pieces? Is that right?"

Fu Kai pursed his lips and shook his head.

"I know I am quite arrogant, but you're the second most arrogant person I have met in my life. But the tendency to court death inside you is the highest I have ever seen. Even more than those of the Young Masters of the Capital."

"What is making you act like this, Shu Xian?"

Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Well, I was testing you."

"Testing me?" Fu Kai was a bit confused.

"Yes, testing you." Ye Tian Yun took a slight pause and said, "When Qin Shen first introduced you, I already knew about your identity. I was just confirming. Confirming whether everything I have heard about you is true or not."

...

A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know through to comments.