Chapter 32: Entering the Taizi Fu

Zhou Huan looked at the incomparably magnificent and imposing mansion before him, feeling only that it was like any other.

In these past few years, Zhou Huan had either been cultivating in the Offering Hall or cultivating in the Spirit Hall Academy.

The level of magnificence in these two places was not inferior to this Taizi Fu, and perhaps even surpassed it.

The carriage stopped in a small alley next to the Taizi Fu, where there was a small door; the man stepped off the carriage, came before the small door, and knocked lightly.

Very quickly, the small door was opened, and a servant wearing servant's clothing poked his head out from the small door.

At a glance, he saw the man standing before the door, and the servant spoke softly: "Feng, why have you come? The squad leader is currently resting; do you want me to go call the squad leader over?"

The man called Feng said: "I came here because I found a Spirit Master who has the intention to join under the Crown Prince's command. I have brought him to the Crown Prince to ask the Crown Prince to take a look."

After the servant finished listening to Feng's words, he turned his head to look at Zhou Huan sitting on the carriage; after sizing him up a few times, the servant withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.

"Alright, Feng, you go to the back garden now; I will go report to the Crown Prince," the servant said to Feng.

Feng nodded and waved his hand at Zhou Huan, signaling for Zhou Huan to come over.

Zhou Huan leaped up and arrived at Feng's side. "How is it? Does the Crown Prince want to see me?" Zhou Huan asked Feng with a smile.

Feng did not speak, but simply led Zhou Huan into a garden.

At this moment in the garden, besides Zhou Huan, there were over a dozen adults waiting in the garden.

The arrival of Feng and Zhou Huan did indeed attract the gazes of the others; several tall and sturdy men, seeing that the person who arrived was an eleven or twelve-year-old child, could not help but cast looks of disdain.

One of them, a man with a rugged appearance and unkempt, somewhat sloppy look, said to Zhou Huan: "A little brat also wants to join the Crown Prince and eat imperial rations?" The disdain in his eyes grew even more intense.

After the others heard the sloppy man's words, they all curled their lips and looked at Zhou Huan with mocking eyes; mixed among them were several looks of disdain and contempt, which made the expression of Feng, who was beside Zhou Huan, turn cold.

Feng himself was not someone without a background; these people had not yet joined under the Crown Prince's command, so how could Feng fear them? Feng lifted his foot to walk forward, intending to argue with these people.

However, Zhou Huan raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had sensed something, and pulled back the Feng who was about to argue. Then, seemingly casually but actually with a guiding intent, he said to the sloppy man: "So what if I am a little brat? Looking at your sloppy appearance, what were you thinking, to actually believe that the Crown Prince would take a fancy to a guy like a beggar? It seems you have a backer!"

The sloppy man laughed loudly and then said: "So what if I do? My backer isn't much, but he can still stuff me into this Taizi Fu. What, you're still prying into my backer? You want to take revenge on me, right? Are you even worthy?"

Just as the sloppy man was speaking, a man with short golden hair, exquisite features, a delicate face, wearing Heaven Dou Imperial Family attire, and faintly revealing the temperament of a superior, arrived at the garden.

This golden-haired man happened to hear what the sloppy man said, and the golden-haired man's face, which had originally been smiling, turned cold in an instant.

"Is that so? I wonder who your backer is? Can you tell me?" A cold voice spilled from the golden-haired man's mouth, causing everyone in the garden to turn and look at the golden-haired man who had just arrived.

The words spoken by the golden-haired man made the sloppy man's expression change drastically; he turned his head stiffly and met the golden-haired man's cold gaze, which contained killing intent.

This gaze made the sloppy man feel cold in his heart; his body could not help but shiver, his legs went weak, and he knelt directly toward the golden-haired man.

"Crown Prince, what I said was just a joke; I don't have any backer at all. I only came here because I wanted to eat a full meal.

Please just treat me like a fart and let me go. Besides, I am not a Spirit Master at all; I am of no use to you, and keeping me would cost money, so it would be better to let me go."

As the sloppy man spoke, he kept kowtowing to the golden-haired man, begging the golden-haired man to show mercy and spare his life.

Everyone knelt on one knee and performed a salute to the golden-haired man.

The golden-haired man merely waved his hand, letting the others rise, and then, looking with cold eyes at the sloppy man who was still kneeling on the ground, said: "Someone, take this person to investigate; any traitor found is to be executed immediately."

The golden-haired man's tone was incomparably calm; he did not care at all about the people who might die in this investigation, but this was also normal, as after all, being able to arrange for someone to come here for an 'interview'—

—meant that someone in the Taizi Fu had been bought off. Such a guy must never be kept; if they were to backstab one's own people at a critical moment, that would be a matter of life and death, and it must never be taken lightly.

Zhou Huan looked at the high-spirited golden-haired man, sizing up this Qian Renxue who was about four years older than him, acted ruthlessly, and would not leave hidden dangers for himself, and then thinking of the Qian Renxue in the original work who acted as if they had lost their mind, he felt that these two people were simply not the same person at all.

The golden-haired man Qian Renxue felt a gaze sizing him up, and following the path of the gaze, looked over; it was a youth of about eleven or twelve years old with delicate features, and his brows furrowed slightly.

'What is going on with this youth? This gaze is definitely not one a youth should have. Could it be that he noticed something? No, I must get rid of him.'

Thinking of this, Qian Renxue made up his mind that he must find an opportunity to get rid of this youth.

Just as Qian Renxue was about to withdraw his gaze, he saw the youth nod at him and open his mouth to silently utter a few words: "Senior Sister Qian Renxue."

Zhou Huan said it three or four times before closing his mouth.

And Qian Renxue also confirmed that this youth had indeed said "Senior Sister Qian Renxue." For a moment, Qian Renxue felt somewhat bewildered in his heart, not knowing which Honorary Elder grandfather's relative this youth was.

Qian Renxue quickly composed the emotions in his heart and spoke to everyone standing in the garden: "Everyone, from now on, a three-day trial period will begin. Afterward, the Spirit Masters who pass the trial will be rewarded with ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Those who do not pass will only be given one thousand Gold Soul Coins as funds to encourage your growth."

After Qian Renxue finished speaking, without waiting for anyone else to say anything, he turned and left with several guards, not knowing where he went.

Very quickly, a manager came to the garden to assign housing and arrange meals for everyone.