Chapter Six: The Arrogant Fifth Prince

The people around him—whether it was Elder Xu, who had so astonished that man just moments ago, or the other subordinates—were surprised that he executed the traitors without a single interrogation. Yet, they remembered well their station; subordinates were nothing but subordinates, so none voiced any dissent, each tightly sealing their lips.

Zhuge Yi paused to calm his turbulent emotions. These two traitors had revolted him enough, but their deaths finally put an end to everything. The reason he had killed them without questioning was simple: who knew what lies they might spin in the name of “righteousness for all under heaven”?

If he weren’t pressed for time to meet his master, he would have liked to show them just what it meant to be as despicable as a snake or a cur. Betraying the Grand Celestial Demon Sect was no trivial matter!

“Return to the route!”

Meanwhile, his fourth disciple was already halfway to the City of Ten Thousand Umbrellas.

Thus, a colossal misunderstanding was laid to rest. This coincidence would later prompt Zhang Ning to marvel at fate’s subtle hand.

News of the Demon Lord’s emergence and his arrival at the Umbrella City spread almost simultaneously to his third and fourth disciples. These two, closest in distance, found themselves swept up: one in a bloody battle against the Joyful Buddha Sect who dared trespass on the Grand Celestial Demon Sect’s borders; the other, responsible for overseeing the recruitment of new disciples, was traveling aboard a superior magical vessel.

Logically, the third disciple should have arrived first. By temperament, he would have repeatedly sought confirmation from the Demon Lord before settling Zhang Ning’s identity. Yet, his journey was delayed by reports of traitors along the way. Upon arrival, finding his master gone and hearing nothing, he naturally assumed the fourth disciple had seen the master last. Recalling his previous warning not to misjudge the master’s intentions again, he presumed the fourth disciple had confirmed everything, and issued strict orders not to slight Zhang Ning.

Han Zhi Fei, returning to the battlefield, heard the news and felt his own doubts dissolve entirely. He was overjoyed, already pondering what gift to present Zhang Ning.

When Zhang Ning awoke, the sky was pitch-black and the air damp, so he assumed it was the middle of the night. Yet he felt perfectly rested, full of energy, unlike someone who had woken too early.

He pushed open the window for a glance, and nearly leapt back to his home planet in shock!

His room was floating in the air—no, the entire inn was floating! It was moving forward, and all around was sky, not city. The reason he thought it was still night was the vast, dark clouds stretching as far as the eye could see. And—was that lightning? Lightning!

“My god, my god, my god!”

For the first time, Zhang Ning realized a person’s hair could stand completely on end. Screaming, he rushed downstairs, not caring who was in his way, shoving aside anyone who appeared before him.

Instinctively, he tried to find open space as if escaping an earthquake. Gradually, his pace slowed, and as he rounded the corner to the first floor, he saw the warm glow of lights and heard the quiet rustle of voices—a moment that evoked memories of his parents preparing breakfast when they were still alive. For a brief instant, he felt at peace, only to remember suddenly that his parents were long gone, and he was now in another world.

…

What would happen when he stepped out of this corner? What would he face? Zhang Ning didn’t know, but after some deliberation, finally stepped into the light.

It was surely a coincidence: just as Zhang Ning emerged, Tang Dao appeared as well, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Fifth Highness!” But he did not use the language that would signal familiarity. Zhang Ning gave him a puzzled look and could only nod.

Tang Dao had no objection to the Fifth Highness merely nodding in return, behaving as a subordinate should, following behind Zhang Ning.

To his surprise, the first floor had become an office hall.

Zhang Ning noticed that, in this world, someone always seemed able to make everyone else fade into the background.

He unconsciously fixed his gaze on a youth of about seventeen or eighteen, scholarly in bearing, with pale shoulder-length golden curls—naturally wavy. Half-squinting, he smiled gently as he conversed with others, unmistakably at the center of the crowd.

This was none other than the third disciple of the Lord of Myriad Phenomena—the Invisible Hand, Zhuge Yi!

Only now did Zhang Ning notice their voices were all subdued, as if afraid to awaken something.

“Fifth junior, you’re awake,” the youth said in Mandarin with a soft laugh. “I heard this inn suits your taste, and not wishing to disturb your rest, I took the liberty of making arrangements. Please don’t mind.”

He asked nothing further.

In truth, to avoid disturbing Zhang Ning’s sleep and disliking any disruption to the schedule, Zhuge Yi had simply moved the entire building onto the magical vessel, the Great-Bellied Boat.

Remarkably, the massive operation was carried out so quietly and swiftly that Zhang Ning hadn’t been awakened. If he now examined the inn, he would find not a single brick broken.

Stunned by this audacious feat, Zhang Ning exclaimed, “I know what happened! Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning? And who told you to call me ‘junior brother’?”

At these words, everyone’s expression changed. Zhang Ning even felt Tang Dao glance at him. No one had expected His Highness to so brazenly question and contradict his senior brother, and in front of everyone.

No one thought of anything else—though Zhang Ning was genuinely afraid of lightning, and truly didn’t know why Zhuge Yi addressed him as ‘junior brother’, everyone assumed he was mocking, having heard some rumor, and that his words were insufferably arrogant.

Zhuge Yi’s smile did not falter; eyes half-closed, he feigned ignorance. “When Master forged the Great-Bellied Boat, he designed various ways to recharge it. If lightning strikes, I’ll simply show you something novel. As for calling you ‘junior brother,’ that was first said by the fourth disciple yesterday! Surely there’s something likable about you that you haven’t realized.”

Thinking of yesterday’s fierce yet adorably naïve young man, Zhang Ning couldn’t help but laugh, realizing the misunderstanding. He was, after all, merely the Demon Lord’s… well… experiment? Consultant? At best, a collaborator!

But the one before him was certainly shrewd. “How could you and he be the same? He even said he’d give me a meeting gift!”

Zhuge Yi, hearing Zhang Ning’s admiration for the fourth disciple and coldness toward himself, assumed Zhang Ning had been misled by outsiders’ rumors and ill-intentioned people. The thought that these future brothers might one day oppose each other, even fight within the same household, cut at his heart like a knife.

Yet, Zhang Ning was still so young; Zhuge Yi couldn’t use the ruthless methods reserved for traitors. For now, he resolved to win Zhang Ning over gradually, with genuine sincerity. Perhaps, by weaving sense into stories?

But revealing the truth now was absolutely out of the question.