Chapter 143: Dragon Seed

In the dim interior of the iron smelting workshop, the residual heat of the blast furnace was slowly dissipating. In the darkness, the Crown Prince and Zhang Xia faced each other in silence, neither knowing if they would live to see tomorrow.

Zhang Xia went to find a piece of clean cloth and washed it. Looking at the Crown Prince, she said, "Trouble the Crown Prince to avoid for a moment, I will wipe down the County Princess."

"Good," the Crown Prince, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood up and moved to a dim corner, his back to Bai Li and Zhang Xia.

While kneeling on the ground to wipe Bai Li's body, Zhang Xia asked, "When did the Crown Prince and County Princess know that Chen Ji is a Walker?"

The Crown Prince replied casually, "One time, Bai Li and I were in danger. If he hadn't acted to save us, our lives would likely have been lost."

Zhang Xia lowered her head and said, "I once asked my uncle if he could teach me the Walker's path. He said I didn't have the talent to be a Walker. In this world, Walkers are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Truly makes people envious!"

The Crown Prince was startled for a moment: "Uncle?"

He quickly realized that the uncle Zhang Xia referred to was Xu Shu, the Deputy Supervisor of the Qin Tian Jian!

The Crown Prince smiled and said, "I also once had the same thought. Only my father said that the Crown Prince's identity and the Walker path naturally repel each other and cannot be practiced."

Zhang Xia was somewhat puzzled: "Naturally repel? What does that mean?"

The Crown Prince answered, "My father only said that officials of the third rank and above are absolutely unable to cultivate the Walker path. You can't have your fish and bear's paw too. Walking one path in a lifetime is enough. You can't be greedy. That's why the position of Supervisor of the Qin Tian Jian in our dynasty is only at the positive fourth rank."

"How did the Prince know? My uncle hasn't mentioned this matter."

"My father said that when he was young, he also wanted to cultivate. He then sought a cultivation path from the palace and practiced secretly, and indeed entered the door. But after being enfeoffed as Prince, his entire cultivation scattered in an instant."

Zhang Xia sighed, "What a pity."

The Crown Prince laughed heartily, "My dad also said that, what a pity. However, I plan to go back this time and urge my father to have another son. At that time, I won't have to be Crown Prince anymore. I can follow Chen Ji and be a Walker."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Actually, when I was a child, I saw Chen Ji at Old Family Head Chen's sixtieth birthday banquet. He sat in the corner with his mother, and even then, he drew people's attention. At that time, he looked wooden and dull, completely different from now. Time passes so quickly. I didn't expect him to change so much."

"Oh?"

The Crown Prince was doubtful: "I also went at that time. Why do I have absolutely no impression of you and Chen Ji?"

Zhang Xia closed her eyes and pondered for a moment: "The Crown Prince sat at the main table at that time. Before the banquet started, you took advantage of Old Family Head Chen standing up to give the toast and secretly took a sip of King Jing's wine. You were choked by the wine and couldn't open your eyes."

The Crown Prince was startled. He wanted to turn back to look at Zhang Xia but remembered he couldn't turn back, so he quickly turned his head away: "Wait. Why do you remember so clearly? Could it be that you, like Grand Tutor Zhang, have a photographic memory?"

Zhang Xia hummed in affirmation.

The Crown Prince was surprised and uncertain: "Do all the Zhang family people have this ability?"

"No, only my father and I."

At this time, Zhang Xia had finished arranging Bai Li's clothes properly and stood up to wipe her own body.

She said to herself, "My father's marriage into the family was as if he married into the Xu family. It was agreed that he was not allowed to take concubines, not allowed to divorce his wife, not allowed to… Anyway, there were many rules. After giving birth to me, when I was one and a half years old, I could recite classics backward fluently. Thus, my mother suddenly allowed my father to take concubines. Not only that, the Xu family also tried every way to send women to him."

The Crown Prince suddenly realized: "To allow Grand Tutor Zhang to give birth to another one like you… a boy?"

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "Yes. My mother and my father agreed that if they give birth to another child with extraordinary talent, they need to be adopted as my grand uncle's grandson, surname Xu."

The Crown Prince knew that the grand uncle Zhang Xia referred to was the current Grand Secretary, Xu Gong.

Xu Cabinet Elder's only son, Xu Shu, died and was resurrected by borrowing the Yuanjue Temple assembly. Now, he cultivated wholeheartedly, had not married, and just sat dryly in the Qin Tian Jian.

Xu Cabinet Elder's action was likely to find another person for the Xu family to continue its hundred years of prosperity.

The Crown Prince sighed: "Great families truly spare no effort for inheritance."

"Done wiping. Crown Prince, come back."

Zhang Xia re-tied her hair and casually picked up an iron bar from the ground to use as a hairpin.

The Crown Prince returned to Bai Li's side and sat cross-legged, worried: "Why hasn't Chen Ji come back yet? Don't tell me something happened."

However, just at this moment, Bai Li slowly opened her eyes, her voice weak: "Brother, what did you just say about Chen Ji?"

The Crown Prince said joyfully, "You finally woke up. Let me touch your forehead. Still so hot! We must quickly get a diagnosis and medicine!"

As he was about to withdraw his hand from Bai Li's forehead, Bai Li suddenly grasped his wrist: "Brother, where is Chen Ji? Don't change the subject."

The Crown Prince laughed happily: "Chen Ji went out to seek medicine for you. He'll be back in a while."

Bai Li lay on the ground, her eyes fixed on the Crown Prince: "Brother, you're lying."

The Crown Prince was anxious. Bai Li hadn't woken up earlier or later, but precisely at this moment.

Before he could figure out how to respond, he heard someone riding a fast horse pass by the iron smelting workshop and shouting loudly: "Deputy General has an order! The Second Great Camp immediately assemble! Go door to door searching every corner! Do not let go of any outsiders! Those outsiders were just in the military town!"

The Crown Prince and Zhang Xia looked at each other, shock in their eyes: "How did they know we were just in the military town?"

The Crown Prince was doubtful: "Did Chen Ji sell us out? No, Chen Ji is not that kind of person."

Bai Li said categorically, "Chen Ji wouldn't sell us out."

Zhang Xia glanced at Bai Li and calmly analyzed: "If Chen Ji sold us out, he could have directly told them our location. They wouldn't need so much trouble."

The Crown Prince said, "That's right. I just knew Chen Ji was reliable."

Bai Li stared at the Crown Prince without speaking.

The Crown Prince smiled awkwardly: "I'm not as smart as Zhang Xia. I was just following her words just now."

He stood up and quickly walked a few steps, pressing the side of his face against the workshop's wooden door to listen to the movements outside.

At this time, another cavalryman galloped past the door, shouting loudly: "Mr. Feng has an order! The First Great Camp assemble! Immediately ride into the mountains! We must intercept that outsider before he passes through Dragon King Valley!"

Bai Li struggled to prop up her body: "It's Chen Ji."

Zhang Xia nodded: "It's certainly Chen Ji, without a doubt. Dragon King Valley is in the northeastern direction, and we are in the southwestern direction. Chen Ji must be deliberately choosing the direction, wanting to help us lead people away."

The Crown Prince scratched his head: "Your brain turns so fast! Just like Chen Ji."

Zhang Xia glanced at him and said calmly, "When Chen Ji left, he instructed that if there was chaos in the town, we must immediately take the County Princess and leave. If we want to go, now is the time."

The Crown Prince said firmly, "Go."

He bent down and picked up Bai Li, carrying her on his back as he walked.

Under the night, Zhang Xia walked in front, pushed open the door, and poked her head out to look.

Confirming that the soldiers had not yet searched this side, she immediately led the way, sneaking towards the wooden fence.

"Who's there? Stop!"

The voice, like thunder, rang out from behind the three of them.

The Crown Prince suddenly turned back, only to see two soldiers holding knives rushing from dozens of steps away: "Found the outsiders! Here!"

The Crown Prince's heart sank to the bottom.

That cavalryman just now had deliberately shouted loudly to flush out the snake. In fact, soldiers had already set up secret sentries on the street, waiting for them to walk into the trap.

He suddenly felt a bit desperate. Even though Chen Ji risked his life to help them lead people away, they still couldn't escape.

As the Crown Prince, he couldn't even protect two people.

"Run!"

The Crown Prince, carrying Bai Li, ran madly towards the edge of the wooden fence with Zhang Xia.

He stood in front of the fence, turned back and looked at the soldiers who were about to catch up. He said to Zhang Xia, "You step on me first to climb over, then receive Bai Li."

Bai Li said weakly, "Brother, leave me here."

This chapter is not finished...