Chapter 440: A Favor
After Rong Liang left the mansion, Huli slowly returned to normal. She no longer growled, nor bared her teeth, but instead was calm and relaxed.
Hui Yue could not help but wonder what was happening with the small fox in his arms, and although he valued Rong Liang, a seed of doubt had been sown in his mind. Huli’s reaction mixed with all the new information he learned about Rong Liang made him wonder if this old man was truly the same person that he had known before.
“I only need a few things before it is time for us to set out.” Hui Yue thought to himself as he absentmindedly petted the fox in his arms. Without wasting any time, he started to leave the mansion to finish up some tasks. Just as he was leaving, he saw Cai Jie appear causing a smile spread on Hui Yue’s lips.
“Get ready.” He said with excitement hard to contain in his voice. “We will soon step down the road to become Gods!” He exclaimed, and within the eyes of Cai Jie a longing appeared. For him being a God was something he had experienced before but he had not dared dream of the day he would once more become such an exalted existence again.
“I need to go meet a few people.” Hui Yue said with a nod to Cai Jie, and without waiting any longer, he left the mansion.
The first place Hui Yue headed to the royal palace. After the third prince had died, most of the people shifted their support to the princess. Those who had not supported her were mainly the Saints who caused trouble for Hui Yue, and now that all of them were gone, no one was left to oppose her.
Reaching the royal palace, Hui Yue was stopped by the guards. Although he was famous in Muchuan City, he was after all not royalty and entering the palace was only done on invitation.
“I am here to meet the princess.” Hui Yue informed the guards causing both of them to frown. “Do you have an appointment?” One of them asked, but Hui Yue just shook his head. “Tell her that Hui Yue is here and that it is in regards to an important matter.” Hui Yue ordered, and the guard instantly bowed and left. He rushed into the palace to deliver the message and get orders about what to do. The second guard stayed outside, but both knew that he had no power to stop Hui Yue, had he wished to enter the palace on his own.
Although Hui Yue could force his way in, this was not his intention. He had come here to ask for a favor and needed to be on his best behavior.
It did not take long before the expert returned. With a nod of his head, he allowed for Hui Yue to follow him. Together the two walked through many small mansions within the royal palace. There were many different gardens, parks, and buildings so it took them an astonishing twenty minutes to finally reach the palace belonging to the princess, the current heir to the throne.
“To think that you came on your own to meet me.” A melodious voice sounded out, and the mirth in her beautiful and attractive voice could be heard.
The princess, who had previously been so cold to the world around her, had thoroughly changed. When Hui Yue met her for the first time and planted the idea of her becoming Queen till now, the change he saw in her was earth-shattering.
In the beginning, she had believed that women had no other purpose than to get married, but after thinking about becoming the Queen, she finally allowed for her personality to bloom. She used her charm, schemes, and power to force her way to the first in line to the throne, and one of the reasons for her success was precisely Hui Yue. Many followed him because of his overpowering strength and outstanding background.
Without Hui Yue by her side, it would have been impossible for the princess to have made it as far as she had and both of them knew it. Hui Yue had never personally done anything except once or twice publicly support the princess, but the effect was simply outstanding.
“I’ll be straightforward, I am here to ask for a favor.” Hui Yue said bluntly to the attractive woman in front of him; however no matter how attractive she was, he was simply immune. His heart was already filled to the brim with loving both Wang Ju Long and Sha Yun. There was simply no place to appreciate the beauty of other women.
“A favor?” The princess asked curiously. She knew that she indeed owed Hui Yue quite a bit, and when he came directly asking for a favor, it was almost impossible for her to decline. Even though she was unaware of what he would ask for, she had already determined to accommodate him to the best of her ability.
“Yes.” Hui Yue nodded his head. “I will be leaving Muchuan City soon. I am going on a trip with some of my friends and family, but I cannot take all of them with me.”
“You know that not all Saints and Emperors in Muchuan City are not pleased with me, and while I am gone, I fear that they will take their anger out on my friends. While I am gone, it would mean a lot if you watched over them. The friends I am worried about the most are Ma Kong from the Ma family, Rong Ming and Rong Xing from the Rong family, who both working at the Royal Academy, Gao Yan from the Black Lion, and Cou Ling, the spiritual blacksmith. All of them are without a doubt connected to me, and I would hate to return and hear that they have suffered because of me.”
Hui Yue did not believe that any Saints would dare touch the Rong twins due to their father’s power, but there were still Emperors who had not been enlightened by Rong Liang. Therefore, Hui Yue could only ask for the princess to also protect these two siblings as well.
Hearing the request, the princess could not help but frown, though afterwards, she quickly nodded her head. “Protecting them is a small matter.” She said dismissively and had already agreed to his request, but she was not too happy. “Are you sure that you need to leave?” She asked a little hesitant.
If one were to hear her question, thy might easily misunderstand and think that the princess was unwilling to part with Hui Yue due to romantic reasons, but the reason she feared him leaving was because the strength she had gathered around her was likely to be shaken. It had been gathered mainly because of Hui Yue, if he were gone, who knew if it would it would stay or not.
Understanding the thoughts of the princess, Hui Yue smiled and looked up into the sky. “I need to leave, but do not worry. I will not take Ye Ling, Luo Qiang, Zhu Jun, nor Xiao Ning with me. The four of them will still be here in Muchuan City, so you will keep your base of power.”
Hearing these words, a breath of relief escaped the princess as she looked gratefully at Hui Yue. She could tell that he was going away for something important, but despite this, he was still leaving behind all his allies of the Saint rank in Muchuan City and only taking at most Emperors with him.
Nodding her head, the princess looked into Hui Yue’s eyes. “I will do my utmost to ensure the safety of the people you mentioned earlier.” She swore in front of him, and Hui Yue could feel that these words were truly heartfelt and sincere. A smile blossomed on his face as he nodded his head.
“Thank you, your highness.” He said with a short bow before turning to leave. “I still need to go see a few other people. Please excuse me for leaving early.”
Nodding her head and waving her hand, the princess quickly gestured for him to leave. This time, Hui Yue was not slowed down by a guard, and while it had taken twenty minutes to reach the princess’ palace, it took him a mere minute to reach the gates. Nodding to the two guards, Hui Yue left the royal palace and entered the bustling city.
He had the option of summoning his flying swords and soaring through the sky, but he opted not to do so. This city was so full of life and he was going to leave it soon, so he took the time to enjoy it. Although he was excited about the adventure he was to undertake, he could not help but feel slightly hesitant to leave the city that had been his home for years now.
Laughing at himself, he shook his head. ‘Although I like this place, it is time for us to move on.’ Lan Feng’s tired voice sounded in Hui Yue’s head. The phoenix was, after all, a Saint ranked beast, and now that Hui Yue was a Saint himself, he would only be able to provide the white-haired young man with limited assistance, but this was something that Hui Yue did not mind. His life had been saved time and time again exactly because he could use Lan Feng’s powers, and now that he had grown strong it was time for him to assist the phoenix who had always been there for him.
‘We will become Gods soon.’ Hui Yue sad excitedly and the phoenix could not help but smile at the thought. ‘I look forward to the day that I will once more have my own body.’ The phoenix sighed. ‘I miss soaring high in the sky. I miss spreading my wings and feeling the wind in my face. Soaring through the heavens and experiencing the thrill of being alive!’
Deep within his voice was a longing so thick that Hui Yue could guess that Lan Feng truly was emotional. Reaching the Saint rank was indeed their first big step on the road to restoring Lan Feng’s body. Though, Hui Yue could not help but feel sad knowing that, although they had gotten closer to their goal, they were still so far away. An He was no ordinary opponent and fighting him would in no way prove to be easy.
‘Don’t worry about me.’ Lan Feng said as soon as he felt the sadness from Hui Yue. ‘I have waited for four thousand years already. What will another thousand matter? Having met you was truly a stroke of luck! Were it not for you, who knows if I would ever even have able to keep my hopes alive?’
Hui Yue, hearing his words could not help but feel warmth spread through his body. Lan Feng rarely complimented him, but when he did, Hui Yue could not help but feel happy about it. ‘Don’t worry.’ He said to the phoenix, his eyes blazing and his mind steeled with determination. ‘No matter what, we have to go through one day we will restore you to your own body, and then we will fly through the skies together!’ Hui Yue said feeling heroic, but his words just caused the phoenix to start laughing. ‘You will fly through the sky with me?’ He asked laughing. ‘How will you do that you, wingless human? Even though your swords are quick, how can they compare to the might of a Divine Blue Phoenix?’
His words caused Hui Yue to be somewhat startled, but soon he was laughing as well. It had been a long time since he last saw a smile on Lan Feng’s face. The bird was always busy cultivating or contemplating, yet now he was back to his original, carefree self he was throughout Hui Yue’s childhood. While Hui Yue thought about this, both souls resonated with one another and a warm happiness spread over both of them as Hui Yue continued onwards to the second stop of the day.
