Chapter 630: Prince of Hengshan

Liang Bian took small hurried steps over, and the King handed him a copy of Heavenly Gang Palm, saying, "I observe that your eyes are bright and your spirit vigorous; you're a fine seed for martial arts! I have here a family-passed martial arts secret manual—are you interested?"

Liang Bian realized for the first time that his martial arts talent was so obvious to the naked eye, even his father didn't have such a magnifying glass.

He struggled to keep his composure; the Emperor clearly hadn't finished his act and didn't want to expose his identity. What could he do? He could only glare fiercely at Fan San, warning him to shut up, and go along with the King's performance.

"Yes...... Is it genuine?"

Upon hearing this, the King seemed as if a program button had been triggered, and he immediately began praising his secret manual. "……If you leave my stall, you'll have no affinity with Heavenly Gang Palm in this lifetime; this book is a rare heirloom passed down in my family—if my father were still alive you wouldn't get to see it! Young sir, you coming here today means you're fated with it—would you like a copy?"

The onlookers nodded beside him, "Oh oh, Dad's dead, selling off the family estate!"

Liang Bian's mind raced, "What lineage are you talking about now? I've played with the Prince of Guangling for years and never heard your family had this inheritance! Why don't you sell me the Heavenly Bow Formation instead? I can believe that's something passed down from your maternal Wei clan……"

Fan San beside him could no longer hold back, "Do you still remember me? Just now you also told me it was a rare copy, so how come another one appears now?"

The King showed no panic, "Although said to be a rare copy, of course there are differences. Don't think that just because they're both called Heavenly Gang Palm they're the same; there are subtle differences. Moreover, this palm technique is a secret manual—not everyone can learn it. I only took it out to sell to you two because I saw your outward conditions were extraordinary; for others I give them this……" He casually picked up a copy of Flower Between Collection from the stall; just by the title you could tell it was a useless leisure book.

"This palm technique is profoundly mysterious; how far one learns depends on personal comprehension. Ten thousand people looking at it would comprehend ten thousand different Heavenly Gang Palms—how could it not be called a secret manual?"

"Only those with talent can grasp the essence of Heavenly Gang Palm—how is this not a rare copy?! Your Heavenly Gang Palm and his Heavenly Gang Palm are definitely not the same!"

Because he couldn't make sense of this thing, its feasibility unknown. It's one of a batch of leisure books that Bai Yang had him procure—unrelated to the era, won't generate temporal price differences—specifically bought to enrich the spiritual life of the people of Dai Jin. The King, holding a cheat, never forgets to shear wool for the state and the people. This is a batch of pirated ancient thread-bound books; the King tears off the front page's publishing info after opening the back cover, so it can be sold on the spot without reprinting. Saying the secret manual's font is slightly different is all forgivable—secret manuals, after all, need to be cracked!

The fewer characters, arms, and legs, the better it shows he's far from Dai Jin, right?

Fan San beside him nodded involuntarily; the King almost laughed himself sick. "Young sir, this book is fated with you—would you like to take it home to study?"

Liang Bian was angered to death by Fan San's idiocy—what are you nodding for! But he didn't dare not say "please," as the Emperor had been moving his lips for a long time.

"That's right~ Sounds pretty good, cough cough~ Then give me one copy—how much silver?"

"Two hundred taels."

"Too little?" Liang Bian almost bit his tongue—no, just now Fan San bought two copies for two hundred taels, and he's asking two hundred taels for one?! For acquaintances it's double?!

Regarding his pocket money he argued forcefully, "My friend just spent over a hundred taels, right?" He widened his eyes to hint to the King, "Is the price just being shouted out randomly? You're going to do the splits."

"Oh dear, why are you so stubborn? I've said it's a rare copy, they're different, different—your Heavenly Gang Palm and his Heavenly Gang Palm aren't the same!"

……

Liang Bian, devoid of hope, whispered, "Too expensive—do you know my monthly salary?" I clock in daily at the Honglu Agency, and you only give me a few silver coins a month; now you just blurt out two hundred taels.

The King showed no sympathy, likewise lowering his voice: "Your father and elder brother outside are constantly worried that you're being spoiled by your grandmother, living it up in Youzhou with reckless extravagance—only when your purse is clean do they rest easy." He was also doing this for the sake of his chief ministers.

Liang Bian: ……

And you still have to thank him for kowtowing in gratitude for the imperial grace!

You're much more ruthless than your second brother! You ought to be the external grandson of the richest man in Dai Jin, the Jin family!

"But I only have one hundred twenty taels…… Why don't you just take these for now……"

Before he finished speaking, the King forcibly shoved the Heavenly Gang Palm at him, "The remaining eighty taels can be paid off with labor—you'll just help sell goods here! An Ding, business is open, collect money~"

The other child who had been eyeing him eagerly sprang over happily, "Are the one hundred twenty taels in banknotes? Only if they're from the Northern Frontier Official Money Depot, okay~"

Liang Bian lost both person and wealth, glared fiercely at Fan San, and pulled out his last bit of private money. He felt the kid reaching out to him was strangely familiar, "Which family are you from?"

Wei An Ding pointed at the King, "We two are from the same family~"

"What a fellow, no need to say who he resembles! He's already figured out who this kid is."

Liang Bian not only failed to regain his standing, but also lost his freedom, standing behind the stall, while his gang of lecherous friends stared dumbfounded—how did things come to this?

Liang Bian weakly waved them off, "Are you buying or not? If not, hurry up and leave—don't delay my selling of Heavenly Gang Palm!"

The lecherous friends, dazed, were driven off by him; Tai Ping and An Ding also had their lucky days, letting Liang Bian do the calling out while the two brothers played nearby waiting to collect money. Someone inquired, and these two rascals would take turns going out to "explain".

Within less than an hour, Liang Bian was obedient, "Third Young Master, is it a bit chilly?" This year seems to be a warm winter; even the late afternoon sun is glaring, but after all it's Youzhou—standing still outdoors also feels cold.

The King remained unmoved, "Wouldn't it be better to go on duty? You've abandoned both martial arts and literary studies; I'm giving you an indoor post—isn't that enough?"

Liang Bian: ……Yes.

"Then you keep an eye on the stall here while I take my brother to get something hot, okay?"

Liang Bian: ……

Could he say no?!

Someone was watching the stall; the King took his brother straight to the Chief Steward's milk tea shop, drank hot milk tea, then clearly set out to blast the giant squid. "Youzhou is still the best~ Chang'an couldn't get this fresh giant squid~"

Wei An Ding deeply agreed, "Changzhou doesn't have cumin giant squid either~"

"Exactly! Once we settle down a bit, we'll bring your grandfather to Youzhou so he can also enjoy blessings~"

"Good good~"

The two were happily chewing on giant squid in the street when they saw a troop of riders gallop by, kicking up dirt in their faces.

Wei An Ding reacted quickly, immediately turning to shield his giant squid; the King's giant squid wasn't spared.

Mainly he hadn't expected anyone to dare ride horses in broad daylight on Zhuque Avenue, staring so intently he forgot to protect his squid. Looking at the squid seemingly covered in dirt, then at the distant troop, he said, "We must demand compensation!"

He immediately turned back to look for a familiar guard; Ling Yin was also in hiding today, but when he turned around he didn't see him, instead noticing a passerby who looked familiar, "Go check—who's riding on the street, make him compensate the Prince for his squid!"

"Yes!"

Those two rascals went back and bought giant squid again; Liang Bian noticed the Emperor, his conscience not gone, had brought him steaming hot fried squid and milk tea. Just these two, after eating and drinking their fill and returning, still didn't lift a finger—he still had to shout for sales.

The King had only waited two cups of tea when, before selling even a single copy, someone hurriedly reported, "……It's the Prince of Hengshan's people who just entered the city, with lots of luggage still being inspected at the gate—the master stepped in first."

The King thought about the direction that troop had hastily disappeared in, "Could it be they're headed for the Ziwei Palace?"

Wei An Ding wiped his mouth after finishing the squid, "Looking for you? Then it's over—all relatives, how can we let others compensate?"