After what seemed like forever, Li Shen opened his eyes.
The window next to his bed told him it was the next day.
He had been thinking for more than a couple of hours.
Sitting up from his bed while making sure not to wake Little Snow, he stared at the sunrise as he mumbled.
“The Sevens Sins Plum Blossom. I wonder how I should go about using this. It’s sort of a passive ability allowing me to sense others' emotions, but actively I feel like there is more to it.”
“Hmm, I’ll have my Faceless Hero use it more actively then and find out exactly what it does.”
“What are you mumbling about to yourself?”
Surprised by the sudden voice in the room, Li Shen quickly turned around to see Fu Wei.
“Elder brother, what brings you here?”
Li Shen avoided his question.
Smiling, Fu Wei walked up to Li Shen and waved his hands. A set of clothes appeared on his palm and he handed it to him before saying.
“Father was busy dealing with the commotion you caused, so he sent me here to bring you to your birthday celebration.”
‘Oh, right. Today officially marks my fourteenth birthday, I’m fourteen again. No, I'm just fourteen. I won't forget my past for obvious reasons, but I won't continue comparing everything in this life to it, or dwell on it like before and unnecessarily getting depressed.’
Li Shen took the clothes from his brother and stood up to put them on.
In front of a mirror, Li Shen was seen wearing golden robes similar to the one he wore yesterday, making him look rather glamorous.
As he tied his hair with the dragon pin, the Li Clan signature golden Lotus, that Li Shen came to know was designed to mislead people to think was a plum blossom, could be seen embroidered on his back.
Li Shen let his hands drop to his side and Fu Wei from next to him said.
“Not bad, in a few more years you might even rival my handsomeness. But too bad your features still makes you look like the immature brat you are.”
Li Shen turned to him and cocked an eyebrow when he saw their height difference was barely visible now.
“Height has nothing to do with it. I heard what you did back in the main hall, if that wasn’t the behavior of an immature brat then I don’t know what is.”
“That’s-”
After hesitating, Li Shen said while shaking his lowered head.
“That’s not me anymore.”
“Hm, even if it isn’t, tell that to them.”
After a wake Little Snow warped into Li Shen’s arms, Fu Wei place his hand on Li Shen’s shoulder and the world shifted.
Immediately, an assortment of noise bombarded Li Shen.
It came from the crowd in the hall that had everyone all trying to talk over each other.
Seeing the appearance of Li Shen the noise got even louder.
“There he is!!”
“He finally decided to show himself, what a fucking coward running away!!”
“Take responsibility for your actions and fight me fair and square!!”
“That’s right, how dare you try to use such cheap tricks for fame?!! As the Second Prince, you should be ashamed of yourself?!!”
Getting bombarded by these accusations all of a sudden caused Li Shen to become dumbfounded.
“Wh-what?”
Fu Wei next to him whispered into his ears.
“After the victims of your attack woke up they began saying you were trying to show off your abilities as a Soul Cultivator and increase your fame.”
“Do you think you’re the Crown Prince trying to create a Legend?!!”
Another shout that came from a youth in the crowd echoed out.
“Yeah! How about you fight all of us together now and see if you could beat us!”
Hearing that, Fu Wei smiled bitterly and said again.
“They also think you were trying to replicate what I did by beating cousin Sun and Ling Tian in your own twisted and shameless way.”
Li Shen didn’t know how to react except to be speechless at how they came to this conclusion.
However, upon further thought, he could see why they would think that.
Patting his little brother on his back, Fu Wei said.
“Well, father and the Elders of the various groups couldn’t calm down these prideful youths. They’ve actually been cursing you for the entire night until now. I suppose their blood is boiling to take revenge on you. Good luck apologizing.”
After that, Fu Wei took his seat at the table, leaving Li Shen standing there with hundreds or perhaps thousands of red faced and angry youths glaring at him.
“Uh... Ehem.”
Li Shen cleared his throat awkwardly and all the youths' shouts died down somewhat.
Looking over the crowd with a sincere expression Li Shen said.
“What happened yesterday was a complete accident. It was never my intention to cause harm to anyone and I apologize.”
Li Shen cupped his fist and bowed.
But as soon as his apology left his lips a roar of rage echoed out.
“Bullshit!! You attacked us for your despicable motives and now you want to brush it away with only an apology?!!”
A slightly burly youth with a broadsword strapped to his back and a bright burst of righteousness between his eyebrows stepped forward in front of the crowd.
His aura of a mid-stage Foundation Realm cultivator burst forth with valiant momentum and he stared at Li Shen with steely eyes and said again.
“I, Su Gong, a disciple from the Divine Moon Academy who specializes in broadswords, challenge the second prince to a spar!”
Su Gong was like many others who were prideful geniuses unwilling to be humiliated by Li Shen's shameless tactic.
His Dao Heart would never allow it.
If he didn’t do something to reclaim his face, to reclaim his dignity, his cultivation might stagnate due to an emotional Heart Devil.
His broadsword on his back released a threatening hum showing the power it contained.
Su Gong’s battle intent clear as day, revealed for all to see.
However, he wasn’t alone, another youth stepped forward from the crowd.
He had a headband around his forehead with an image of a golden tree on it along with scholarly white robes.
“I, Zhaohui, from the World Tree Academy issues a challenge to the Second Prince as well.”
After Zhaohui came forward, youth after youth stepped forward, all of who were prideful talents from various academies who were unwilling to take Li Shen’s attack lying down.
However, these youths were only from the top academies, anyone else not from a prominent background was afraid of even uttering a word of complaint.
But they still cheered on these dozen or so youths who were standing up for them.
Li Shen stared at these hot-blooded youths who all released intimidating auras toward him.
He turned to his father to see what he was doing about this, but Li Shu only stared back at his son with a completely casual and relaxed expression.
Li Shen frowned at that.
‘Father isn’t going to interfere.’
Li Shen looked at the silent Elders in the crowd as well.
‘Are they going to leave this for the younger generation to solve themselves? Isn’t that a bit careless? No, I guess they could step in if things got out of hand. As f now it looks like their just watching a how this play out for entertainment, a bunch of old fart the lot of them.’
However, after coming to this conclusion Li Shen realized he had to tread this carefully. If he outright refused these youths challenges who had been humiliated by him then the situation would become even more complicated.
'I guess I show off a bit?'
As Li Shen sighed preparing to accept their challenges, a figure from the crowd suddenly leaped over everyone’s head.
He quickly landed between Li Shen and the dozen youth, before waving his sleeves at the youths.
A raging tempest of flames immediately burst forth and crushed the momentum these youths were displaying.
They all retreated in shock and feeling the intense heat from these flames that batted against their faces their hearts shook.
After the flames died down, a firm face Yang Su stood upright like a straight pole in front of them.
Red robes, red hair, and ruby-red eyes.
He looked like the manifestation of the elemental fire.
Glaring at all these youths Yang Su said coldly.
“If you pathetic cry babies want to gang up on my Master, then you all have to go through me first.”
“And us too.”
A calm face Fei Yin in his green robes strutted out from the crowd. Following along behind him was Lihua in her blue dress, Fang Chen in dark blood-red robes, Jun in his pure white attire, and Mu Fang who was casually munching on a drum stick in his full black robes.
They then all stood next to Yang Su with him in the center as they stared down, not only the youths in front of them but the entire crowd who was showing hostility towards their Faction Leader.
Li Shen seeing this had a wide grin on his face.
He was about to stop them and tell them not to interfere, but he remembered his own words he had spoken to them.
“If problems are brought by anyone of you it will be shared by the Faction.”
Li Shen had said it as a means of bringing them together, but he never thought it would come to past and he was the one to cause trouble no less.
“Don’t worry Big Boss, just sit back and relax while we handle these weaklings. Hey! Why does it look like you grew a few centimeters? Huh? Huh?”
Typical Mu Fan asking random questions.
Li Shen smiled while Lihua suddenly smack his head to make him shut up.
Casually sitting down with Little Snow in hand, Li Shen watched as the youths frowned at Yang Su and the others while not being sure what to make of this.
“You look better.”
Hearing that, Li Shen turned to his right to see Lu Yue.
As if just remembering a certain fact, he stared at her dumbfounded.
‘Ah fuck, yeah that’s right, I have a fiancée who happens to be this beautiful girl.’
Li Shen's expression then turned to a complicated one. Exactly how was he going to deal with this?
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