Chapter 111

Now that He He Shizi had given the high-grade spirit fruit, Xue Qing felt relieved.

In high spirits, Xue Qing played with Fu Bao for a while; the little girl, having received something good, rushed into the palace the next day when the weather cleared to show off to the young princes, including Rong Wang Fu's young heir, Rong Yang.

Fu Bao entered the palace with He Yan, and outside the Imperial Study, she met the young princes and Rong Yang.

"Sister Fu Bao, you've come to the palace?" one prince asked.

"Yes," Fu Bao said, showing off the spirit fruit: "I have high-grade spirit fruit."

The young princes immediately grew envious: "Did your immortal sect give it to you?"

Rong Yang, stumbling along, stopped and looked at Fu Bao.

Fu Bao took a bite of the spirit fruit and stood proudly beside He Yan: "My Uncle He gave it to me. He gave me a whole plate, not just one. The entire plate of spirit fruits is high-grade, orange fruits."

Hearing this, the princes became even more envious.

Rong Yang was only half a year old, standing small among the young princes like a milk dumpling; his clear eyes gazed at the high-grade fruit while Fu Bao ate heartily, yet Rong Yang did not approach.

In this cultivation world, cultivation centers on red, and the cultivation ranks are divided in order as yellow, purple, white, green, cyan, orange, and blue; an orange high-grade spirit fruit, in Great Yan, already counts as a heavenly treasure.

The older princes naturally understood the value of high-grade spirit fruit, their eyes fixed on it, while the younger ones simply drooled and ran over to find He Yan.

"He He Shizi," a young prince asked, tilting his small head up: "Do you still have high-grade spirit fruit?"

He Yan lowered his gaze: "None left."

"Did you give them all to Fu Bao?" another childish voice asked.

He Yan fell silent; very well, the young princes now knew he had given everything to Fu Bao, and He He Shizi had no extra high-grade spirit fruit to share with them. Yan Xun turned to speak with Rong Yang.

"High-grade spirit fruit, looks delicious."

He Yan looked over; the little milk dumpling was small and said nothing.

He Yan stared at the little milk dumpling; Rong Yang glanced at him once, then stumbled off toward the Imperial Study. He Yan's eyes darkened as the young princes all surrounded Fu Bao, the children chattering away.

Rong Juan, holding a memorial, caught sight of his own child, rose, went over, picked up Rong Yang, and returned to sit at the desk.

"Royal nephew, why have you returned?" the Great Yan Emperor, sipping tea and eating pastries, said: "Go play with your prince brothers; don't delay your father from reviewing memorials."

Rong Juan looked down and asked Rong Yang: "Why aren't you playing with the prince brothers?"

"Fu Bao's Uncle He gave her high-grade spirit fruit, and the prince brothers are all surrounding Fu Bao," Rong Yang said in a childish voice, pulling melon seeds from a small pouch to eat: "So I came back."

The Great Yan Emperor choked slightly; children were all greedy, and he guessed Rong Yang, lacking high-grade spirit fruit, had come to find Rong Juan.

The child hadn't made a scene demanding high-grade spirit fruit; he simply wanted to find Rong Juan.

Rong Juan understood perfectly; seeing He Yan arrive at the Imperial Study, he held Rong Yang, picked up a memorial, and asked: "Do you want to eat?"

He Yan paused mid-step; Rong Yang said: "Our family doesn't have any."

Rong Juan, too lazy to look at He Yan, coaxed Rong Yang: "Later, I'll use a sound-transmitting beast crystal to tell your grandfather to look for spirit fruit in the small space of the Beast Realm; both you and your mother need to eat."

Rong Yang grinned: "Okay."

Tenderness appeared in Rong Juan's brows and eyes; after coaxing the child, he simply embraced Rong Yang and took up his brush to review memorials.

"He He Ai Qing, come, come," the Great Yan Emperor said, seeing He Yan's gaze drift toward Rong Juan; he waved to summon He Yan. A little eunuch brought a stack of memorials, and the Great Yan Emperor said: "This is your work."

He Yan glanced at it; the Great Yan Emperor waved his hand: "Enough, He He Ai Qing, go find it."

He Yan left, and the little eunuch followed with the memorials.

Rong Yang tilted his small head to glance over, then nestled in Rong Juan's arms to complain: "None of them even looked at me."

Rong Juan said: "We won't look at him either."

"Okay," Rong Yang nodded his small head: "I won't look at him."

The Great Yan Emperor continued eating and drinking, and when pleased, he'd pick up a memorial to glance at before tossing it to Rong Juan. Outside the Imperial Study, Fu Bao stood proudly amidst the envious gazes of the princes.

Seeing He Yan, Fu Bao shouted loudly: "Uncle He!"

He Yan's expression remained calm; he kept walking, with the little eunuch following behind.

Fu Bao didn't mind He Yan ignoring her; she turned and continued showing off to the princes.

Inside the Imperial Study, Rong Yang gnawed on boiled melon seeds to wear down his teeth; after eating two, he said: "Father, the Beast Realm is very dangerous, especially in winter. Will my grandfather have a hard time finding spirit fruit?"

Still thinking of his grandfather's safety, Rong Juan smiled: "It's fine. You are the grandson he longed for with great difficulty; even if it's hard, your grandfather will be happy. Don't you know how fortunate you are?"

Rong Yang knew this well, his small face beaming with joy.

After finishing his work, Rong Juan took the child out of the palace.

Qin Bi, roasting spirit sweet potatoes in the room, heard the commotion, rose, and looked outside. As the door curtain was lifted, Rong Juan set the little milk dumpling down and went to the study. Qin Bi's heart stirred; normally, Rong Juan would take Rong Yang directly to the study to meet the household advisors.

"Rong Yang, I roasted spirit sweet potatoes," Qin Bi said, taking the child's hand.

The small hands were warm; Qin Bi felt envious, for the child was like a little fireball.

Sitting before the charcoal stove, Qin Bi selected spirit sweet potatoes while Rong Yang waited obediently beside her. Qin Bi did not allow the child to get too close to the stove; she picked two, one for each of them.

While eating, Qin Bi spoke with Rong Yang.

Mentioning that He Yan had given Fu Bao high-grade spirit fruit, Qin Bi was not at all surprised; Rong Juan had brought the child to her upon returning home, likely having met He Yan or Fu Bao in the palace.

"That father gave all the high-grade spirit fruit to Fu Bao," Rong Yang recalled again, saying in a childish voice: "He didn't give me even one, and he didn't look at me. Mother, even if that father gave me one high-grade spirit fruit, it would be fine."

Qin Bi's gaze flickered; she hesitated to speak. Rong Yang, eating the spirit sweet potato, peeled the skin with his small hands and murmured: "He won't give it to me. Father said my grandfather will find spirit fruit for me to eat."

So, the child still minded.

Qin Bi usually relied on no one, except depending on Rong Juan after marriage; at this moment, she said: "Later, I'll go to the small space of the Beast Realm to find high-grade spirit fruit for our Rong Yang."

Rong Yang grinned widely; a young prince came out of the palace to find Rong Yang.

Rong Yang took a spirit sweet potato outside; the young prince had come for no other reason than to ask He He Shizi at Yan Guogong Fu from which small space of the Beast Realm he had found the high-grade spirit fruit.

The young prince came to invite Rong Yang to accompany him, and Rong Yang agreed.

Rong Yang told Rong Juan, then went with the young prince to Yan Guogong Fu.

He Yan had just returned to the manor; he sat down and said: "What are you here for?"

"He He Shizi," the young prince asked: "From which small space of the Beast Realm did you find the high-grade spirit fruit?"

He Yan said, "No need to go; it's gone."

Rong Juan sat on the side listening intently. He Yan looked over and asked, "Do you want to eat a high-grade spirit fruit too?"

Rong Juan nodded; Grandfather would find some for him.

He Yan gazed at the little milk bun, his heart aching: "Why didn't you ask me for it?"