Chapter 99: Escort (Part 1)

“Little Seven, I’ve found something recently. It’s a lot of fun,” Ye Lang said with a faint smile, looking at the Seventh Princess.

“What is it?” The Seventh Princess said warily. There was something about that smile; she knew it well. Whenever it appeared, it meant he was about to do something strange.

“I don’t even know what to call it yet. I only just figured it out today. Anyway, it’s really fun…” he said, still smiling.

“If it’s that fun, you can play with it yourself. I’m not going to be your test subject. Haven’t you caused me enough trouble already?” the Seventh Princess said with a little exasperation.

Over the years, Ye Lang had put the Seventh Princess through who knows how many humiliations, by design or by accident. There was one time she didn’t leave her room for an entire month after he did something to her; no one knows exactly what happened, only that Ye Lang was responsible.

According to rumor, all the hair on her body had changed color, so she dared not go outside.

Yet even so, she had never truly scolded him. She remained attentive and caring toward him, making everyone feel that her indulgence for Ye Lang was no less than anyone else’s.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already tested it on someone. It worked very well...” Ye Lang said.

“And what happened?”

“She chased me for three days, and she didn’t even cook me a single meal.” he answered plainly.

“…So it was Xiaoyan. She was so angry she wouldn’t cook for you. There must be something wrong with your invention, I won’t have it.” the Seventh Princess refused.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. It turned her into a little rabbit. Don’t girls all like that?”

“It became a rabbit?” the Seventh Princess and Ye Lanyu asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Ye Lang said innocently. “My previous attempt failed and produced a strange alchemical array that can transform any creature into a rabbit. I’m not sure how long it lasts. At most three days, sometimes less than five minutes.”

“One day you couldn’t be found when I was looking for you. I found a rabbit, hugged it close, kept saying it was cute, and cuddled it all the time—that was you!”

“…So it was you! That explains why that rabbit vanished later, and why you suddenly reappeared. No, at that time I even bathed with the rabbit and said those things… Ye Lang!!”

“Whatever. We’ve bathed together before. What’s the big deal?” Ye Lang shrugged.

Bang. The Seventh Princess tapped him.

“That was when we were children. We’re older now; things are different.”

“We’re not that different. You’re you, I’m me.” he said, looking almost innocent.

“Hmph. I’m not bothering with you.” she snapped.

“Cough, stop sparring. Younger brother, is your rabbit-making alchemical array effective on any living thing?” Ye Lanyu asked.

“In theory, yes. I tested it on many things, and the result is the same.” Ye Lang nodded.

“Then this is amazing. If we turned our opponents into rabbits, we’d be invincible, wouldn’t we?” Ye Lanyu said, excitement in her voice.

“No,” Ye Lang said, shaking his head. “This is mere shape-change alchemy. It only alters appearance. Their strength and intelligence remain. If your ‘rabbit’ opponent is a hidden master, he may be harder to deal with than you think because he’s tiny and fast, but there’s more. The moment something harms the rabbit, it snaps back at once. That means you can’t fight them in battle. Plus, there may be other ways to undo the transformation. So the whole idea is impossible.”

“Oh, what a pity,” Ye Lanyu said, disappointed. But she recovered quickly; for her, it was no great loss.

“If becoming a rabbit isn’t such a big issue, then why was Xiaoyan so angry? Didn’t she always get angry with you over little things? This couldn’t have done it.”

“Nothing major. When she turned into a rabbit, her clothes didn’t transform. So when she got back to normal, she had no clothes on…” he said with a wave of his hand.

“Was anyone there at that time?” the Seventh Princess asked. She believed that if only she and Ye Lang had been alone, Xiaoyan wouldn’t have become so furious.

“There was. At that time my parents had come by, and so had Older Brother Qi and Older Sister-in-law Qi. They came for some business, but they didn’t see anything. When she changed back, I actually used my body to block the view.”

“You fool. What good is blocking it? She was exposed before my parents and they were there! She was ready to die of shame.”

Ye Lanyu reached over and tapped Ye Lang with displeasure. “I’m saying—”

“Is that right?” Ye Lang asked, feigning confusion.

“Yeah…” Ye Lanyu and the Seventh Princess shook their heads together at once.

“Fei Fan…” Ye Lang called toward Xiaoyan.

“Hmph!” Zhen Xiaoyan turned away and ignored him.

“I want thousand-layer cake!” Mou Lang ignored her defiance and said it flatly.

“Here, choke on it!” Zhen Xiaoyan produced a piece of finished mille-feuille and thrust it straight into Ye Lang’s mouth.

Lately, in the Imperial Capital, hidden currents swirled everywhere. Yet because they were hidden, hardly anyone noticed them—not even those who liked to imagine themselves well informed.

And even within these secret currents, despite the nameless crisis looming over all, power struggles among the children and confidants of the Emperor and those around him still raged in every circle of authority.

Here at the Royal Academy, there was also a struggle today. But unlike the people above, these students were not so dark. Most of them gave off a bright, rising, youthful fire. It was a trial—a full-academy exercise held in preparation for next year’s grand competition.

As he had insisted, Ye Lang did not take part in that grand mobilization of all schools. No matter what methods others tried—soft and hard—they never changed his resolve.

Yet he kept appearing on the trial grounds, not only at the Alchemy Academy, but also at the Magic Academy as well. Why?

“It’s your turn, sister.” Ye Lang sat at the edge of the arena, munching on snacks Zhen Xiaoyan had made, and after watching a full match with obvious amusement, he said to Ye Lanyu.

“Got it. Younger brother, any advice for me?” Ye Lanyu said, looking at him.

“Hold back a little. Don’t let it get fatal.”

“What talk is that? ‘Don’t let anyone die’—you make me sound like a violent person.”

“You are not just a little violent. You’re violence to the extreme. Every person who’s fought you has ended up injured; the poor fellow you hit worst—who knows how long he’ll be in bed?”

“Not possible…” Ye Lanyu’s face flushed slightly.

Ye Lang thought a moment, then added, “Still, you don’t need to hold back on purpose. In swordplay, eyes can miss in a blink and a duel changes in an instant. One slip and disaster happens. Safety first.”

“If it’s safety first, then what do you mean by ‘don’t let anyone die’?”

“Safety first,” Ye Lang answered instantly without hesitation.

“Good boy. I knew you’d take care of your sister,” Ye Lanyu said happily before smiling and stepping into the arena.

“Ye Lang, why don’t you ever say things like this to me? You’re so partial.” The Seventh Princess said, with a touch of jealousy.

Ye Lang, watching the arena, answered without turning his head. “You don’t need them. You always know your limits. Not like my sister.”

“Sometimes I really want to be like Ye Lanyu. At least then you’d worry about me a little more.”

“There’s no difference,” Ye Lang said, unconcerned. “There’s no difference.”

“Of course there is. You do favor your sister.”

“Of course she is my sister, and the two of you are two different people, so there’s bound to be a difference.”

“You just said there was no difference a moment ago!” the Seventh Princess hissed, still annoyed.

“The same is that I never make distinctions between you and her,” Ye Lang said blankly. “Not that you and my sister are the same.”

She let the issue go. In truth, Ye Lang wasn’t so obviously partial. He had attended her trial, and in a way he had cheered for her from the side. For her, that was enough.

That is why Ye Lang appeared on the trial field of the Magic Academy. And what about the Alchemy Academy? Was it merely to accompany Zhen Xiaoyan? No. He was not just there for her.

He had another important task. He pointed at a student and said, “You… you can go back. Come again next time.”

The student’s face changed at once, and all that hopeful fire died out in an instant.

This was a scene at the Alchemy Academy’s trial ground. Now Ye Lang was a man who held life-and-death authority in his hands, the god of hope and the god of despair to the alchemy students. Yes, Ye Lang was one of the judges for the trials—and the only student judge in history.

Since they could not let Ye Lang compete, they devised ways to have him choose the most promising students, and at the same time have a pretext to send him as their team leader.

Ye Lang may not have realized it, but this same judge post also made him the leader of the students he would select for the coming competition. To earn that role, the teachers had gone to great lengths.

For reasons of position, prestige, and exposure—no matter which angle they considered—it could make someone rise to the heights.

Ye Lang did not know what impulse moved him. Perhaps his mood was light that day, and he agreed for no reason at all. In any case, with the knowledge of alchemy he possessed, he did not fail in his duties at all. He fulfilled the role of judge perfectly.