(Diao Chan POV)
"Big sis Diao Chan! There's so many pweople!"
"Yes, they are preparing for the princess's coming of age after all. It will be quite a big event."
Cai Hong looked up at me, "'Cuomin' of eggs'?"
I patted her head with a smile, "Coming of age. That means when someone reaches the age of an adult."
"Muuu? Is that 'spwecial'?"
"Mmhmm, it is very special. When Cai Hong comes of age, we will throw a big party for you too."
"Will Papa 'celebwate' too?"
"Yes, Master will definitely celebrate and give you lots of head pats and candies."
"Yay~~"
"Oh what a cute little sister you have there," An old lady with a basket of flowers complimented. "Are you perhaps visiting for the event?"
"Yes, we've specifically come here to see the princess," I lied.
"Oh, that's lovely my dears," She dug through her basket of flowers to pull out a small rainbow coloured flower that seemed to shimmer like Cai Hong's hair. "Flower for the cute young miss?"
"Thanks nice lady!"
I watched the old lady carefully as she pinned the flower beside Cai Hong's ear, just in case she plans something.
I have never seen such a flower before, even in the books in our Sect library. Perhaps she had grown then herself?
The old lady took a step back, "Mmm… It looks good on you as I thought."
"Do I look pwetty, big sis Diao Chan?"
"Yes, you are very pretty, Cai Hong. Madam? May I ask what flower is this?"
"Ohoho… It's known as a Myriad Flower, named after the Myriad Colours Dragons. It's something I managed to grow on my own after mixing multiple different species of flowers together. This flower here is my pride and joy."
"You're a florist?"
"Ohohoho~ No, no, no. It was just a small hobby of mine. Consider this a gift from me for having such lovely hair, ohohoho~"
The old woman gave a wave before moving off, disappearing back into the crowd with surprising speed for one her age.
Cai Hong looked up at me while sucking on her finger, "Weird lady?"
I shrugged, "She just felt a little different, though I'm not sure why."
"Weird lady nice…" Cai Hong muttered, stroking the flower that is not stuck beside her ear.
I have to admit, it really does suit her.
"Mmm… Shall we continue with our walk?"
"Okies~"
Both of us continued our way towards the location of our collaborators, our route bringing us past the central plaza where the most people were gathered. All of them were listening to a town crier that was currently reading off a scroll in his hands.
"–alongside the usual celebration, the Royal Bei Family will also be inviting all Practitioners of Beiyang to participate in a Royal bout! This bout shall be held to decide who the princess shall be learning from and the winner will not only receive the honor of being the Royal tutor, they will also be allowed to start their own Sect right here in Jin city!"
Oh? Although we did not manage to hear the front part of the announcement, the latter part was enough for me to infer what the content of this announcement was.
I would guess that their precious little princess has quite the talent as a Practitioner and those royals are looking for a suitable teacher to guide her. They can't send her away to any Sects since that runs the risk of the Sect influencing the princess for their own political gains.
Hmm… Too bad I'm not a Practitioner, or I would have loved to 'play' with the princess~
"Papa is best teacher! No one can beat Papa!" Cai Hong shouted out after the crier finished his announcement.
Several heads turned to look at us but most chose to ignore us after they saw who was the one that had shouted.
One of them that happened to be wearing Practitioner robes smiled at Cai Hong, "Hahaha, little girl, that's quite an arrogant thing to say, no? I've been teaching students for three decades already, I'm sure I am more proficient myself."
Wow, this guy actually took offence to the words of a child, how sad can one person be?
Cai Hong puffed her cheeks, "Mmmm… Papa is best Papa! No one can beat Papa!"
"Oh I'm sure he is. Best at teaching little children that is, ahahaha!"
Wow…I'm going to make a wild guess that this man has an ego made out of glass that shatters at the slightest contact, most likely built up on demeaning people who are unable to fight back against him.
Predictably, his eyes shone when his eyes met mine.
"Oh, this beauty here, I sense great potential in you! Are you interested in joining my school to learn how to maximise your strength? I can assure you that I am the best teacher in this city!"
'Great potential'? Master needed to touch me first before he realises my potential and even then, I wasn't exactly the star pupil either. I was going to just leave it at that but since he indirectly insulted Master, I kind of want to play with him a little~
I acted a little surprised, "Wow, really? What is so great about me? I don't think I am that great though?"
"Oh, you don't give yourself enough credit!" The man grinned. "I have a very discerning eye! I can see you are destined for greatness! That potential… Yes, that bountiful potential you have on you! That is most impressive! I don't usually take in students, but for you, I can make an exception!"
At this point, most of the crowd had already scattered and the few who remained were wearing the same style of clothes as this little trash was.
One such trash stepped beside him with an equally trashy smile, "Heh heh, don't you know who brother Wu Cai is? There are people from all over the city begging him to teach them! You should be honored young lady!"
Before I could even respond to that, Cai Hong had spoken up, "Muuu? Cai Hong no like this bad man. Bad man has big mouth but no 'bwalls'."
That comment was so out of place that I couldn't help but chuckle, patting Cai hong on the head.
"Why you little brat!"
He raised his hand and I immediately stepped forward, pulling Cai Hong into my embrace protectively.
His hand stopped in midair, "Young miss, such a rude brat like her does not deserve your protection, let us teach her how to properly respect her betters!"
"She is my sister," I stated simply. "And I suggest you leave before you break something."
I could see the cogs turning inside his head as he evaluated the current situation.
His anger melted away to reveal an entirely fake smile, "Young miss, there's no need for that… Tell you what, why don't you go watch the bout that they will be holding the day after tomorrow? I'm sure you will know that I speak the truth when the time comes?"
Oh? I didn't actually think he would back off. I was actually looking forward to sending him to my playroom since I expected him to try and take advantage of us. But since he so chose to delay his demise, I suppose I don't mind waiting until then.
After all, both Cai Hong and I were only here to check on that merchant family's progress and we were already late.
"Hmmm… Very well then, I suppose I can go and watch your… Show."
That answer seemed to appease him somewhat, prompting him to take a step back away, "Alright, you heard our fairy. Let's go boys."
He turned on his heel and marched off with his posse in tow, throwing me a smile as he walked away.
Kukuku~ I will enjoy having him on a leash~
But the Royal bout hmm? Something tells me it won't be as simple as that.
