Nanny Luo and the palace maids and eunuchs were all stunned, taking a good while to regain their senses before hurriedly pushing past the young eunuch and rushing into the courtyard in a flurry: "Young master! Please slow down!"
"Your servant pays respects to the Fourteenth Prince."
The other palace servants in the courtyard, seeing Yinti charge in, immediately became flustered, each breaking out in a cold sweat on their foreheads.
If they didn’t stop him, they would surely face trouble when the Fourth Prince returned; but if they really tried to stop him, angering this spoiled young master would lead to the same miserable outcome.
In just three breaths, the palace servants gathered around, first offering greetings and well-wishes, then speaking auspicious words, desperately trying to stall for time.
At the same time, a quick-footed young eunuch slipped out of the courtyard along the wall and sprinted toward Shangshufang, hoping to bring reinforcements as quickly as possible.
The people in the courtyard, while secretly hoping for help, exerted great effort to block Yinti, trying their best to prevent the Fourteenth Prince from approaching the room.
Though young, Yinti was sharp and clever, immediately seeing through their intentions. Pretending to be a curious child, he wandered around the courtyard, then suddenly dashed toward the door.
Just as he was about to reach the steps, he abruptly stopped, leaving the palace servants unable to halt their momentum, crashing into one another and tumbling into a heap.
After three or five rounds of such back-and-forth antics, the servants in the Fourth Prince’s courtyard were exhausted. Panting heavily, they first looked at the spirited Fourteenth Prince, then at Nanny Luo and the others behind them, who were only slightly sweaty but calm and composed, and began to wonder if they themselves had been exercising too little in their daily lives.
Nanny Luo and the others smiled without speaking.
Any palace servant who had spent even three days in Yonghe Palace knew the difficulty of chasing the Fourteenth Prince daily—they were simply accustomed to it.
After circling twice, Yinti had already locked onto his target. Taking advantage of the servants’ panting break, he suddenly crouched low, scurried like a little mouse to the side of the pet room, and pushed the door open, revealing a small dog darting out.
"Young master?"
"Fourteenth Prince!"
"Be careful!"
The palace maids and eunuchs in the courtyard immediately changed their expressions. Although most dogs trained by the Livestock Department were gentle, Laifu had become somewhat irritable recently after being frightened by the Ninth Prince and others, and last time had nearly injured the Fourth Prince!
—If Laifu were to attack the Fourteenth Prince, everyone present would be doomed! Thinking of the consequences, the palace servants panicked and rushed forward to intervene: "Fourteenth Prince, be careful!"
"Young master, step back quickly!"
"Laifu, Laifu, behave… huh?!"
Suddenly, someone noticed something unusual: Laifu not only wasn’t throwing a tantrum but was wagging its tail enthusiastically at Yinti, looking gentle and adorable.
Yinti, however, took one look at Laifu and immediately took two steps back, his face full of disdain: "…Fourth Brother’s taste is truly awful!"
The small dog Laifu was dressed in a tiger-head embroidered round-blessing jacket, with fox fur embroidered around the cuffs—a look that should have been extremely cute.
But its fur had been shaved completely clean, its bare body wrapped in the jacket, making it look rather awkward. The more Yinti looked, the more uncomfortable he felt, muttering again: "To raise such an ugly dog…"
"Woof woof!"
"Alright, it’s all Fourth Brother’s fault for shaving you like this. How pitiful."
Laifu seemed to understand his words, eagerly leaping toward Yinti.
Yinti was caught off guard and landed on his bottom with a thud. Laifu pounced on him, its wet nose brushing against his cheek.
In that instant, the entire world fell silent.
The next moment, a voice suddenly echoed in Yinti's mind: Phew, I finally found you!
Hearing the voice, Yinti's eyes widened. Pointing at the tail-wagging Laifu, he jumped up excitedly: "Laifu can talk! That's amazing!"
The palace servants exchanged bewildered glances, completely stunned. Nanny Luo hurried forward, scooping Yinti up and moving him away from the puppy. She soothed him gently, "Yes, young master, dogs don't speak our language. They express themselves through barks and wagging tails."
"Look, Laifu is wagging its tail at you because it's happy and wants to play with you!"
"But I'm not talking about barking, I mean—" Before Yinti could finish, the voice popped up again: Idiot, I'm not a dog!
Yinti's little face scrunched up, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Not a dog, then what…"
Not a dog monster either.
And definitely not a flower fairy or grass immortal…
"How did you know what I was going to say?"
Nonsense… Yinti looked at the childish version of himself, then at the horrified palace servants, and quickly corrected himself: I'm an immortal! As long as you speak silently in your mind, I can hear you.
Hearing this, Yinti immediately tried: Hey, hey, hey, can you hear me?
Yes.
So you're a dog immortal!
Yinti couldn't hold back: Can you stop with the 'dog, dog, dog'? Are you obsessed with dogs or something?
Nanny Luo watched the suddenly dazed Fourteenth Prince, recalling his earlier muttering, and felt a chill run down her spine. She tightened her grip slightly, carrying the Fourteenth Prince away while softly murmuring, "May the Bodhisattva forgive us."
Yinti was completely oblivious to his wet nurse's nervousness, his mind wholly focused on the strange voice. He pressed on curiously: If you're not a dog immortal, then what are you?
Just an immortal…
Hmph! I don't believe you. Yinti, young but sharp-witted, immediately recalled the tales of the strange he had heard: You might be a weasel spirit, trying to… um, seeking investiture from me? As long as I call you an immortal, you can become one.
… Yinti hadn't expected his younger self to be so clever. Wait—no! He had always been smart, so of course his younger self was no exception. It was just that his little brain hadn't fully developed yet, mixing up all the stories he had heard.
He explained impatiently: When a weasel spirit seeks investiture, it asks if it looks like a person, not if it looks like an immortal!
I was just testing you!
Ha! You're still trying to act innocent. You're the one who mixed it up! Yinti looked at his younger self's guilty expression and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. He remembered himself as a child being sincere, obedient, and well-behaved. How did this parallel-world version of his younger self turn out to be a little troublemaker?
Then tell me, what exactly are you?
I already said I'm an immortal.
Can you make me return to Yonghe Palace instantly? Yinti's eyes darted around as he fired off more questions: And can you make it snow right now? The snow from this morning was all shoveled away, and I haven't had enough fun yet!
Oh, and the flowers and plants in the imperial garden are all bare. Can you make them bloom right now? Imperial Grandmother would be so happy!
Also, can you make me grow up instantly? I want to be taller and stronger than Fourth Brother, and then beat him up!
【Or maybe let me become a princess? Fifth sister always pinches my ears and spanks my bottom. E-niang says a good man doesn’t fight with women and won’t let me fight back. If I were a princess, I could hit her back!】
【……】Though Yunti had no physical form, just listening to Yinti’s torrent of wild ideas was already giving him a headache.
Leaving aside the first two ideas, as for hitting Yinzhen—to be honest, if he had the ability, he would definitely agree. The problem was the last one—how could you even think of becoming a princess, huh?
He immediately abandoned his act as a deity and changed his words: 【Actually, I am the Ideal System, here to help you realize your dreams.】
This matter had to be traced back to when he and the System traveled through time together. Due to the Temporal Turbulence, they deviated from their intended landing point, and Yinti in this world had already been born.
Even worse, the System had exhausted its energy and fallen into a deep sleep, while his signature “Aisin Gioro Yinti” had caused the System to mistakenly bind to the three-year-old Yinti.
Now, he could only first make contact with the child, help him achieve his “ascension to the throne” ideal, collect energy to awaken the System, and only then escape from here.
Having sorted out his goal, Yunti said solemnly: 【I came here to assist you in ascending the throne.】
Yinti’s train of thought abruptly stopped. He tilted his little head and repeated: 【Ascend the throne?】
He furrowed his little brow, pondering for a long time: 【Ascend the throne… Are you talking about stewed chicken?】
【It’s ascend the throne, not stewed chicken.】
【But it’s still chicken, right? I love mushroom stewed chicken~】
【……】Yunti felt exhausted.
He racked his brains to explain for a long time but couldn’t change Yinti’s mind. Instead, he was looked down upon by Yinti for being useless, unable to even accomplish something as simple as stewed chicken, which could be done just by ordering the palace servants.
Finally, Yunti, exasperated, declared: 【Just you wait, I’ll show you tonight!】
When night fell, as soon as Yinti lay down on the bed, he was pulled into a dream by Yunti.
He suddenly discovered he could fly!
Passing through the familiar Forbidden City, he followed the procession of officials into the grand hall. Yinti curiously observed the expressions and movements of the officials, soon shifting his gaze from the coiled dragon pillars to the bright yellow canopy, and finally settling on the Dragon Throne.
Amidst the deafening cries of “Long live the Emperor,” a figure dressed in a bright yellow court robe ascended the imperial throne, slightly raising a hand toward the crowd: “—”
Yinti stared wide-eyed, exclaiming repeatedly in amazement.
Yunti chuckled inwardly, seizing the perfect moment to speak again: 【After ascending the throne, you will be the ruler of the nation. From then on, everyone will kneel at your feet, including the ones you dislike the most… Wait, what are you doing?】
He saw Yinti float to the top of the emperor’s head, sit on the shoulders of the emperor whose face was unclear, and with both hands, pull and vigorously rub the emperor’s face, exclaiming joyfully: 【They can’t see me!】
Yunti: 【】
Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Kangxi suddenly opened his eyes and raised a hand to rub his cheek.
A palace attendant, noticing the movement within the dragon canopy, approached and half-knelt: “Your Majesty.”
“Leave.” Kangxi waved his hand, rubbing his cheek again, muttering to himself—how could he have dreamed of someone pinching his face?
Kangxi remained puzzled for a while before closing his eyes to sleep again. But within three breaths, his eyes flew open once more—this time, someone had stepped on his forehead with their foot!
【Stop, stop, stop, stop—!】Yunti was certain that he had definitely not been this mischievous as a child—first pulling the emperor’s face, then climbing all over the emperor’s head with hands and feet, and now even wanting to take off his pants—
【You, you, you, you! Where is the dignity befitting a prince?】 Yinti couldn’t bear to watch and hastily manipulated the controls, causing the palace beside him to vanish instantly.
A dizzying whirl later, Yinti landed abruptly on a vast expanse of ocean. Staring at the endless sea merging with the sky, he exclaimed with a gasp, “What a huge lake!”
【This is the ocean!】
【What’s the ocean?】
【The ocean is countless times larger than a lake. It’s the final destination where all rivers converge. Crossing the ocean, we can see…】 Just as Yinti was explaining, rows of steel behemoth warships appeared before their eyes.
Watching the massive fleet cutting through the waves, even Yinti was stunned, let alone Yinti. An invisible force pushed Yinti forward, sweeping him past a destroyer before plunging into the command room. He steadied himself, his gaze sweeping over the men and women with resolute expressions, all clad in identical uniforms.
The leader’s face was solemn as he held a radio. Moments later, with the command “Main gun, fire!” the main gun on the foredeck erupted with a flash of red light. In an instant, an orange blaze pierced the morning mist as the shell struck the water’s surface, sending up a spray dozens of meters high. The thunderous roar echoed across the sea and sky.
Yinti’s small mouth slowly dropped open into an “O,” his eyes widening in awe.
【What is this?】
【What is this? What is this?】
【So amazing, truly incredible!】
【I want it, I want this!】
Yinti kept pressing for answers, but Yinti was too mesmerized to respond. In his previous life, he had seen naval fleets, but never anything like this, never of this kind!
Yinti opened the System Directory, first confirming there were no operational errors, then locating the source of the scene before him: 【21st Century】
What kind of world was that?
A flicker of curiosity and doubt crossed Yinti’s mind. He tried to search for more information, only to be met with the System’s cold prompt: 【Insufficient Permissions】.
…If it can’t be used, why show it at all!
Frustrated, Yinti switched the scene again. The steel behemoth warships vanished, replaced by large wooden ships with sails raised, charging headlong toward the enemy ahead.
【Hey—why is it this?】
【I want the one from before, the one from before!】 Yinti voiced his discontent, showing no interest in the realistic battle setting and fixating solely on the steel behemoth warships he had just seen.
Yinti tried to play dead but was soon tormented by Yinti’s incessant clamoring. Recalling the earlier scene, an idea struck him.
【Hurry back!】
【Answer me quickly.】
【Hey, hey, are you still there?】
Just as Yinti was muttering to himself, the scene around him abruptly changed. The next moment, he found himself aboard a wooden ship, with a soldier kneeling before him on one knee: “General Yinti, please give the order!”
General… Yinti?
General Yinti!?
Who in this world could resist such a title? Certainly not three-year-old Yinti.
Especially when he looked down and saw himself clad in a miniature iron-armored uniform, his spirits soared with excitement.
Instantly forgetting about the steel warships, Yinti strode proudly to the bow of the ship, drew his longsword, and pointed it forcefully forward: “Open fire!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Open fire!”
As the orders spread throughout the entire fleet, flashes of red fire erupted one after another, accompanied by the thunderous roar of cannons, instantly churning the sea into towering waves.
Once the battle had subsided, Yinti hurriedly sent Yinti back—not because he couldn’t let him play a little longer, but because if he watched any more, he himself wouldn’t be able to hold back.
Having been confined for over a decade, he had long grown accustomed to a life of simplicity and restraint. Yet, seeing Yinti’s haphazard command, the itch to lead troops into battle was instantly ignited within him, like dry wood meeting a raging fire.
If it weren’t for the fact that Yinti was a three-year-old child and the mission-bound target, he would have rushed out earlier to criticize the other’s command.
As for now, Yinti only wanted to quickly send Yinti away so he could take over and experience it himself, satisfying his craving!
Yinti hadn’t had enough fun and grumbled unhappily, "We’ve only played for a little while. I want to keep going!"
"I also want to try firing the cannons."
"One more battle, just one more!"
"Just one, one more battle, okay?"
"It’s time for you to go back to sleep." Yinti coldly and ruthlessly sent Yinti out, then gleefully took over, immersing himself in the naval battle.
After finishing three battles, Yinti, exhilarated and satisfied, finally calmed down and suddenly remembered he hadn’t done what he was supposed to.
Yinti: …………Oh no!
On the other side, Yinti abruptly opened his eyes and blurted out, "No!"
Only when he saw the familiar bed curtains did he realize he had returned to reality. Immediately, he pouted and clenched his little fists, pounding the bed in frustration. "Bad guy, bad guy!"
Nanny Luo heard the commotion and lifted the bed curtains. "The young master woke up quite early today…"
Seeing Yinti’s puffed-up, angry expression, she grew anxious. "Young master? Were you having a nightmare?"
At that time, whether among royalty, nobility, or commoners, belief in ghosts and spirits was widespread. Thus, Nanny Luo had been worried since the day before, and upon returning to Yonghe Palace, she had immediately reported the matter.
A palace maid hurriedly brought hot water, wrung out a towel, and respectfully handed it to Nanny Luo.
Nanny Luo gently cradled Yinti’s little face with one hand while softly wiping the sweat from his forehead with the other. She then instructed the palace maid to prepare a bowl of calming soup.
"I’m fine!" Hearing about the calming soup, Yinti shuddered in fright, his little face scrunching up into a tight knot.
In the past, when he had nightmares, he had been given calming soup. It was brewed with who knows how much coptis, unbearably bitter. After drinking it, all he could focus on was the bitter taste lingering in his mouth, and any nightmares were completely forgotten.
"I didn’t have a nightmare. I dreamed of a god!" Yinti declared earnestly, gesturing animatedly as he described the dream to Nanny Luo. "…I wore armor, led a group of soldiers on a big ship, and chased the bad guys in front of us until they fled in panic!"
Nanny Luo listened in astonishment, her worries mostly eased, and a joyful expression spread across her face. "The young master is the Martial Arts Star descended to earth. In the future, you’re sure to become a great general!"
Yinti thought so too. Compared to stewed chicken, General Yinti sounded much more imposing and incredibly cool!