Chapter 056
Chapter 56: Little Shoes
Amidst the pouring rain, Fu Qi Wen hurried back from the Imperial Palace to the headquarters of the Heavenly Brocade Guard.
As soon as he stepped into the grand hall, Pacification Commissioner Yu Jin rose quickly to greet him. But Fu Qi Wen simply waved him away and walked straight to Li Mu Sheng, bowing respectfully:
“This humble servant greets Your Highness.”
Yu Jin immediately understood something had changed. Realizing this, he hastily approached Li Mu Sheng and also bowed.
“His Majesty has confirmed Your Highness’s status as the Eighth Prince,” Fu Qi Wen announced slowly, gripping tightly the bright yellow scroll in his hand. “However, due to His Majesty’s secluded martial dao cultivation, he cannot summon Your Highness at present. Thus, he has tasked me with handling your arrangements.”
Fu Qi Wen had already glanced over the scroll on his return journey and now had a clear picture of Emperor Yuan Wu’s plans for this newly recognized prince.
“Eighth Prince?”
Li Mu Sheng picked up on the subtle difference immediately.
[Why did my ranking suddenly drop?]
Noticing Li Mu Sheng’s confusion, Fu Qi Wen calmly recounted the emperor’s reasoning.
“Oh, so that’s how it is. Eighth Prince it is, then.” Li Mu Sheng waved casually, clearly not caring too much. The question had merely slipped out unconsciously.
Fu Qi Wen studied Li Mu Sheng carefully but saw neither dissatisfaction nor any other emotion—just the prince’s usual carefree expression. Even now, upon hearing his royal status acknowledged by the emperor himself, Li Mu Sheng appeared neither surprised nor particularly joyful.
Fu Qi Wen narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing:
“His Majesty has selected a residence for Your Highness along Vermilion Bird Avenue. However, it requires repairs and staffing, so Your Highness will temporarily remain here at the Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters.”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng glanced around, satisfied enough with his current surroundings, and nodded.
“No problem.”
After a brief pause, he looked curiously at Fu Qi Wen and asked:
“Anything else? Any other benefits?”
Fu Qi Wen’s eyelid twitched slightly as he respectfully replied:
“Understanding Your Highness’s past hardships, His Majesty has generously granted ample gold and silver, which will be provided along with the residence in the future.”
He paused for a moment before continuing:
“Additionally, His Majesty has chosen three respected teachers for Your Highness.”
“The first is Zhang Song, Grand Scholar of Wen Yuan Pavilion and Left Vice Minister of Rites. The second is General Wu An, Guo Zhen Ang. The third is Master Xuan Yi, Deputy Master of Heavenly Martial Tower.”
“These three men—one learned, one decorated in battle, and one profoundly skilled in martial arts—will undoubtedly benefit Your Highness greatly.”
However, Li Mu Sheng raised his eyebrows with obvious distaste:
“Well, thanks a lot,” he said sarcastically, glancing sideways at Fu Qi Wen. “Gold, silver, and the mansion are fine, but these ‘teachers’? I don’t need a single one.”
“Besides, isn’t that General Wu An one of Second Prince’s men? Are you sure he’ll teach me honestly?”
Fu Qi Wen’s deep brow furrowed in surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Li Mu Sheng to be aware of General Wu An’s connections.
Quickly regaining composure, Fu Qi Wen shook his head gently:
“This matter is beyond my control. If Your Highness is displeased, perhaps discuss it again once His Majesty finishes cultivation.”
Unexpectedly, Li Mu Sheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully and suddenly said:
“Forget it. When I have time, I’ll meet these three.”
Li Mu Sheng had no real intention of studying under them. Instead, he thought these three, handpicked by Emperor Yuan Wu, must have special skills and knowledge. He intended to ask about reaching transcendence in martial dao. If they had useful knowledge, it would be a pleasant surprise. If not… well, dismissing them all under the excuse that “they don’t even know this” would be perfectly justified.
Furthermore, Heavenly Martial Tower served as the court’s recruitment ground for martial experts from the Martial World. It was a valuable channel for obtaining information, so making contact might prove useful.
Hearing Li Mu Sheng agree, Fu Qi Wen appeared somewhat surprised. After all, Li Mu Sheng barely regarded Fu Qi Wen himself highly, so Fu Qi Wen doubted the prince would truly respect these three.
But Fu Qi Wen chose not to comment further. After a slight hesitation, he bowed slightly again:
“Currently, the Five Kingdoms are divided, and the Martial World is chaotic. The court urgently needs capable individuals. If Your Highness is inclined to contribute to Great Li, perhaps handling some matters first to showcase your abilities would prompt His Majesty to entrust greater responsibilities in the future.”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng squinted at Fu Qi Wen, slightly amused.
[He’s speaking so formally, like an NPC handing out quests.]
Yet Li Mu Sheng didn’t refuse outright. Instead, he thoughtfully asked:
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
Logically, despite Fu Qi Wen’s considerable power as commander of the Heavenly Brocade Guard, he shouldn’t be giving tasks directly to a prince. Likely, Emperor Yuan Wu had subtly directed this. If the task seemed easy enough, Li Mu Sheng had little reason to decline. After all, he’d accepted gold and a mansion—helping out a bit would only be fair.
Fu Qi Wen lowered his gaze, silently contemplating before slowly saying:
“Your Highness has probably heard of Fallen God Peak, one of the Four Great Sects of the Martial World.”
Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow curiously:
“What are you suggesting? Is this task related to Fallen God Peak?”
Fu Qi Wen nodded respectfully:
“I request that Your Highness destroy Fallen God Peak.”
Li Mu Sheng: …
At that moment, Fu Qi Wen was quietly thinking to himself that Emperor Yuan Wu had instructed him to assign Li Mu Sheng a difficult task, though he hadn’t specified exactly what it should be. Destroying Fallen God Peak was currently the hardest challenge Fu Qi Wen faced. By assigning this to Li Mu Sheng, Fu Qi Wen felt he’d perfectly complied with the emperor’s instructions.
[Since he needs his attitude adjusted, let’s just do it thoroughly.]
Fu Qi Wen watched Li Mu Sheng intently, noticing a peculiar expression cross the prince’s face.
Fu Qi Wen himself was extraordinarily talented in martial dao, disciplined, capable, upright, loyal, and impartial—qualities earning Emperor Yuan Wu’s trust and his command over the Heavenly Brocade Guard.
However, this didn’t mean Fu Qi Wen was without a temper. Being looked down upon by Li Mu Sheng—a first for Fu Qi Wen as the Commander of the Heavenly Brocade Guard—was genuinely unpleasant. Thus, for the first time in his life, he decided to give someone else a difficult task, slipping Li Mu Sheng into a pair of metaphorical little shoes.
Of course, Fu Qi Wen fully expected Li Mu Sheng to refuse. He himself hadn’t dared to seriously consider attacking Fallen God Peak, despite having reluctantly added it to the Heavenly Brocade Guard’s future plans solely due to Emperor Yuan Wu’s pressure.
Even now, Fu Qi Wen had no idea how to approach this task and certainly wouldn’t dare to act rashly.