Chapter 49 - Cold And Aloof

Jiang Ying Yue was ready to leave the room this time for real but once again she found her path blocked by the stupid Prince.

She clenched her fingers into tight fists as she tried her best to not land a punch on his handsome face. He was going too far in testing her patience level.

"Let me say it again. I'm not interested in your offer at all. I want to live a peaceful life away from you and your mother."

The small twitch on his lips made her glare at him in surprise. The man was treating her like her opinion meant nothing to him. Since he wanted to take her with him to the banquet then he was going to do exactly that no matter whether she agreed or not.

She was about to open her mouth to make a snarky remark when her eyes noticed the faintest movements of his hand. The next thing she knew, he was hitting her acupuncture points near her shoulders and on her back, making her body became energyless.

He was so quick in his movements that by the time her mind registered what was happening, he had successfully sealed her acupuncture points.

She tried to open her mouth to speak but nothing came out. It was like words refused to come out of her mouth. Her body was also in a similar condition as she was totally unable to move at all.

When this time she turned her firey gaze at the stupid man, he no longer was smirking. Instead, his face held the same seriousness that she saw when he first entered the courtyard.

"My most trusted man is currently busy handling an important task outside the palace and right now, I don't trust anyone in this palace. The banquet tonight is going to be a dangerous event and I want someone by my side whom I can use as a shield. You will be perfect for this job. Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." The Prince informed her in a serious tone before he gave her a quick last look and then disappeared inside his bed-chamber.

Jiang Ying Yue wanted to shout and reward him with some favorite insults of her. However, in her current situation, she could only stand there helplessly waiting for the man to return.

She stood there in front of the entrance for the next few minutes as she tried to think about whatever the Prince was planning to do with her. One moment he made it seem like he was desperate to show her the true colors of his mother but then the next second he made it appear like he just wanted to use her for his own advantage.

What she did not know was that whether it was the first condition or the second, the Prince only cared about his own benefit. She was currently his most powerful weapon against the Empress Dowager and he was ready to do anything to get the power of wielding this weapon.

The Prince did not take long. Just after five minutes or so, he finally walked out of his bedroom. Looking at his current royal get-up, it was clear that he was getting ready for the banquet.

He was wearing long black brocade robes with golden embroidery. His long hair was once again held in a high ponytail but this time he was wearing a golden coronet. His aura was once again filled with coldness and he appeared to be as aloof and indifferent as a human ever could.

Jiang Ying Yue scowled at his appearance but unfortunately, she no longer had the privilege of making any comment. Not like he was not looking handsome anymore. To be honest, after seeing men with sweet, calm, and collected personalities throughout the entire past week, she was actually thrilled to see such a cold and dominating specimen.

She was most surprised to see that it took him barely five minutes to take a bath and get ready. It was almost like he used a magical spell but nothing about his personality or aura seemed to carry any sort of magical energy.

All that she found was the high level of martial arts that he carried and seeing that he was someone who had spent half a decade fighting in wars to protect his country and people, it was quite normal for him to know martial arts.

"We are about to get late. Let's not waste any more time. Follow me." He said in such a tone as if he was talking to his subordinate.

Jiang Ying Yue found her blood boiling at his commanding tone but she could do nothing about it. Instead, she found her body obeying his words like they were an edict. She followed behind him as they headed towards the Throne Hall where the banquet was taking place.

***

"First Master, Second Master."

Feng Wu greeted as soon as he entered the clearing of the forest where Master Qing Shan and Master Wang Shu were currently inspecting an eighth rank two-horned beast tiger who was lying dead in the center of the clearing.

"Phoenix...!" 

It was Master Wang's Rainbow colored Peacock spirit beast that shouted in joy as soon as she saw Feng Wu.

The boy hurriedly bowed to greet the girl as he tried to not seem flustered by her sudden presence. She used to tease and prank him a lot when they all were living in the Cloud Realm. He did not want to relive those horrifying moments ever again.

"Is Wu Xie back in the Imperial Palace?" Qing Shan asked as he came closer to where Feng Wu was standing.

"Yes, First Master. Master is going to attend the banquet tonight and he will find a chance to meet with you in the next few days. In the meantime, he wanted me to give you this." Feng Wu replied before offering the black and red fan that his Master mentioned to be a very important item that would help them in their fight against the Empress Dowager.