Xu Xuandong stepped out of Hall Master Kong Deming’s office, a lingering smirk playing on his lips.
His mood was undeniably grand.
Walking into that room, his highest expectation had been to convince the old man to keep his uncle’s aggressive faction in check.
He could still vividly recall Kong Deming’s face when he laid out his hidden plan—the usually unflappable head of the Illustrious Virtue Hall had nearly lost his composure entirely.
“How in the world did you even come up with something this absurdly stupid?!” the old man had barked, slamming his desk.
Yet, despite the harsh scolding, the outcome was better than Xuandong could have hoped: Kong Deming had ultimately agreed to step in and convince Duke Yang to lend his formidable influence to their side.
Pushing through the heavy double doors at the end of the corridor, Xuandong spotted his waiting group: his eldest sister Xu Mie’er, his twin sister Xu Xia, the stoic sword fanatic Ji Juechen, and Ye Xing.
The moment his boots clicked against the floor, Xu Mie’er marched up to him, her face a storm of anxiety.
“Xuandong!
What happened in there?
What did the Hall Master say to you?” Xuandong sighed, putting on a thoroughly defeated, miserable expression.
“I got expelled.” “What?!” Xu Mie’er gasped, her eyes flashing with instant fury.
She immediately turned on her heel, her aura flaring.
“I’m going in there right now to argue with him!
He can’t just—” “Wait, Big Sister, don’t!” Xuandong hastily caught her sleeve, pulling her back with a panicked look.
“He’s in an absolute rage right now.
If you go in there now, you’ll only make things ten times worse!” As he managed to calm her down, a shadow fell across the hall.
Walking toward them from the opposite corridor was Prince Xu Tianran, a smug, arrogant grin plastered across his pale face as he looked down his nose at Xuandong.
Xuandong didn’t flinch.
Instead, he flashed a bright, overly cheerful smile back.
“Oh, Ranran!
Perfect timing.
Hall Master Kong Deming just asked to see you in his office.” The smugness vanished from Xu Tianran’s face instantly.
His skin turned ghostly pale, and without a word, he turned and sprinted toward the dean’s office like his life depended on it.
Watching his cousin scramble away, Xuandong turned toward Ji Juechen, giving him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
“Well, buddy…
looks like you got expelled too.” Ji Juechen blinked his dark eyes, his expression completely flat.
“I’m not even a student here.” “Funnily enough,” Xuandong snickered, leaning in casually, “having an official expelling letter from the Sun Moon Royal Academy still carries way more street cred than a graduation degree from some low-rank elementary academy!” Before he could finish his joke, a heavy, suffocating pressure suddenly clamped down on both of his shoulders.
To his right, Xu Mie’er’s hand was gripping his collar like a iron vise.
To his left, his twin sister Xu Xia was staring at him with dark, dangerous eyes.
“Care to explain,” Xu Mie’er purred, her voice dripping with terrifying sweet venom, “why on earth you chose a courtesan who shares the exact same name as our aunt-in-law?” Xuandong froze.
He blinked once.
Twice.
A sudden, violent shiver ran down his spine.
His pupils dilated, and his gaze instantly went completely blank, staring hollowly at the marble floor as if his very soul had been torn from his body.
Seeing his sudden, vacant state, both sisters instantly felt a sharp pang of guilt.
Oh no…
did we awaken his trauma again?
Xu Xia thought anxiously, her grip loosening as she exchanged a worried glance with her sister.
Naturally, Xuandong didn’t have any trauma—he was just a master actor pulling off a desperate, shamelessly theatrical defense mechanism.
Before the silence could grow too awkward, a thunderous, bloodcurdling roar echoed from the far end of the hallway, shattering the tension!
“XU XUANDONG!
I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” A wave of tyrannical purple lightning erupted as Xu Tianran came charging down the corridor, his Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul fully active as he launched himself toward Xuandong in a blind, murderous rage!
Clang!
Xu Mie’er stepped forward in a flash, effortlessly slapping Xu Tianran’s attack aside with a wave of her hand.
She turned her head toward her younger brother, her eyes silently demanding an explanation: What did you do to him now?!
Xuandong immediately threw his hands up in the air, looking like the most innocent, mistreated child in the entire empire.
“Why are you giving me that look?!
That guy almost killed the Crown Prince!
He demolished multiple classrooms!
He literally threatened to wipe out a student’s entire bloodline!
Of course he got expelled!” He huffed, crossing his arms indignantly.
“In fact, I’m the one who should be angry here, not him!
When he cornered me earlier and demanded to know how I survived the assassination attempt, I just gave him a detailed, honest account of my escape.
Then he threw a massive tantrum, started destroying school property, and got us all kicked out!” Xuandong turned his gaze toward the trembling, purple-haired prince, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, Cousin Tianran?
Since your sudden outburst got both me and Ji Juechen expelled from the academy, how exactly are you going to make it up to us?” “You…
you…!” Xu Tianran pointed a shaking finger at Xuandong.
The sheer, absurdity of the accusation hit his chest so hard that he couldn’t hold it in any longer—he opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of fresh blood straight onto the floor from pure rage!
“Enough!
Everything here is clearly a misunderstanding,” Xu Mie’er declared sharply, cutting off the chaos.
She shot a cold, warning look at the bleeding prince.
“I will personally give Prince Xu Gongfeng a full explanation regarding today’s events.” Before Xuandong could open his mouth to stir the pot any further, Xu Mie’er grabbed his wrist, dragging him toward the exit.
“Follow us,” she ordered, gesturing for Ji Juechen and Ye Xing to fall in line behind them.
Inside the grand imperial carriage, the atmosphere was suffocatingly silent.
Xu Mie’er sat with her arms crossed, her face a stoic, icy mask as she stared straight ahead.
Xu Xia leaned close to her twin brother, nudging his elbow and whispering under her breath, trying to give him a hint: “Big Sister isn’t actually mad…
right?” “I am not mad,” Xu Mie’er spoke up coldly, her voice sharp enough to slice through glass.
“I am just disappointed.” Great, Xuandong groaned internally.
Disappointed is so much worse than mad.
Xu Mie’er let out a heavy, tired sigh, turning her gaze toward him.
“Xuandong, you can’t keep running away from your actions.
Sooner or later, you have to deal with the aftermath of what you’ve done.” She was, of course, referring to his insanely bizarre decision to hire a prostitute named Lu Fie—the exact same name as their uncle’s noble wife.
Xuandong dropped his head, putting on a deeply remorseful, dramatic tone.
“You’re right, Sister.
I was wrong…
I should have just let those assassins and hitmen capture me instead back then.” “No!
That’s not what she meant!” Xu Xia blurted out frantically, shaking her hands.
“You didn’t do anything wrong by surviving!” Xu Mie’er’s cold facade cracked slightly, a flicker of worry passing through her eyes.
She hadn’t meant to push him so hard; she was simply deeply stressed by how increasingly erratic and bizarre her younger brother’s antics were becoming.
Noticing the carriage mood turning painfully awkward, Xuandong smoothly shifted the topic toward the stoic youth sitting in the corner.
“Hey, Ji Juechen…
how did you even end up in our classroom today anyway?
You aren’t even a registered student at the academy.” Ji Juechen raised his eyes, speaking in his usual flat, mechanical tone.
“An older student came to my residence earlier.
He claimed that you sent him, saying you had something urgent to discuss with me in class.” Hearing this, Xuandong’s eyes narrowed slightly as his mind connected the dots.
Xu Tianran’s doing.
He vividly remembered how that older student had dragged Ji Juechen into the room earlier, loudly demanding a reward from Xuandong in front of everyone.
It had been a calculated trap: if Xuandong agreed and paid the guy, it would publicly confirm the rumors that he frequented cheap brothels.
If he refused, he would be labeled an ungrateful brat who abandoned his savior.
Clearing his thoughts, Xuandong looked at Ji Juechen with genuine curiosity.
“How have things been for you since we got back to the capital?
I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t check on you.
How did the Royal Guards treat you?
Please tell me they didn’t shove you into a dark dungeon and torture you for information.” For the first time, a subtle ripple of emotion passed across Ji Juechen’s stoic face.
He shook his head slowly.
“No.
They only asked standard questions about the ambush.
When I asked if I could spar with them, they agreed.
They are very strong.
They told me that if my cultivation grows high enough, they will allow me to join their ranks.” Xuandong leaned back against the leather cushions, sinking into deep thought.
His latest stunt—making the entire academy aware that he had hired a courtesan bearing his aunt-in-law’s name—was guaranteed to cause a massive, continent-shaking headache for his parents.
And in turn, his parents were going to inflict that headache directly onto him.
Xu Xia noticed his suddenly grim expression.
“What’s wrong, Xuandong?” Xuandong rubbed his temples, letting out a pitiful groan.
“I’m just trying to calculate how angry Mom is going to be when we get home…” Upon hearing this, Xu Mie’er’s stoic expression instantly broke into a triumphant, radiant smile, thoroughly enjoying her brother’s upcoming misfortune.
“Oh, you are completely dead.” “Urgh…” Xuandong growled softly, burying his face in his hands, knowing his mother wouldn’t let him off the hook easily this time.
Suddenly, Xu Mie’er leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with sudden curiosity.
“By the way…
what was going on with all those birds in your bedchamber this morning?” She was recalling the bizarre scene from dawn when she walked into his room, only to find a massive flock of wild songbirds violently pecking at his head while he tried to sleep.
Xuandong blinked, his expression freezing.
He thought to himself in complete deadpan, How on earth do I explain to them, that my birds intelligence network started a literal riot in my bedroom because I forgot to feed them breadcrumbs for an entire week?
Meanwhile, inside the grand throne chamber of the Sun Moon Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xu stood near the elevated dais alongside the Empress, looking down at the Imperial Physician with a deeply concerned gaze.
“Is there truly nothing you can do for my son’s condition?” The old physician bowed his head helplessly, shaking his hands.
“Your Majesty, I am confident in healing almost any physical trauma or broken meridians.
But when it comes to the complex inner workings of the mind…
I am utterly helpless.
The young Crown Prince is currently going through an extraordinarily difficult period.” The physician adjusted his robes, continuing his diagnosis.
“Ever since His Highness was two years old, he has suffered from severe identity issues—likely caused by the passive energy of his variant tool martial soul overloading his young mind.
While he was finally able to form a stable sense of self after his awakening, the recent assassination attempt and the brutal hunt through the wilderness have inflicted severe mental trauma upon his young psyche.” “From the accounts provided by Your Majesty and the Princesses,” the physician concluded solemnly, “I believe the Crown Prince is deeply, deeply afraid.
He isolates himself and acts bizarrely because he still believes he is actively being hunted by assassins and Evil Soul Masters.” The Empress frowned, her heart aching with maternal distress.
“But he is inside the palace!
It is completely safe here; no one can hurt him!” “While that is objectively true, Your Majesty, it is not what the Crown Prince’s mind believes,” the physician explained gently.
“In his eyes, danger lurks in every shadow.
According to your reports, the only time his mental state truly relaxes and becomes ‘normal’ is after he has consumed alcohol and drifted off to sleep.” The physician hesitated slightly before adding, “I know this may sound improper for a imperial doctor…
but I strongly advise allowing His Highness to drink himself to sleep if it helps ease his inner terror.” The Empress’s brows furrowed sharply.
Yet internally, she recalled how, after getting accidentally tipsy at a recent brakefast, Xuandong had woken up looking far less gloomy and anxious than usual.
Though, remembering the absurd sight of a flock of songbirds mobbing her son’s bed later that morning, she genuinely didn’t know how to react anymore.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the throne room burst open.
A breathless Imperial Guard rushed inside, kneeling on one knee.
“Your Majesty!
It is regarding the Crown Prince!” Everyone in the room turned toward him in surprise.
“What is it now?
What happened?” Emperor Xu demanded.
The guard hesitated nervously, sweating profusely.
“R-Rumors are spreading rapidly across the capital…
It is said that during his escape from the assassins, His Highness hid inside a cheap brothel to evade detection…” Emperor Xu let out a long sigh, waving his hand dismissively.
“While hiding in such a place is certainly not pleasant for a prince, he did what he had to do to survive.” “T-That is not the main issue, Your Majesty!” the guard squeaked out, trembling.
“The issue…
is that rumors claim he specifically hired a top courtesan named Lu Fie!” Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence descended upon the throne room.
Emperor Xu’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
He stepped forward, his voice dropping into a cold whisper.
“What did you say?
Who told you this?!” “It…
it is a widespread rumor circulating through the entire capital city as we speak!” Before the Emperor could process the shock, a second Imperial Guard frantically sprinted into the chamber!
“Your Majesty!
Report regarding the Crown Prince!” The Empress clutched her forehead, swearing under her breath that she was going to lock her son in his bedchamber until he turned thirty.
“What is it now?!” “His Highness got into a massive brawl with Prince Xu Tianran at the academy!” the second guard reported loudly.
“Both of them have been officially expelled by Hall Master Kong Deming!” “BRING XU XUANDONG TO ME THIS INSTANT!” Emperor Xu roared, his imperial pressure flaring in pure rage!
“H-His Highness is already on his way here, accompanied by the First Princess and Fourth Princess!” the guard stammered.
Emperor Xu took a deep, forced breath, trying to calm his surging blood pressure.
But before he could even settle his mind, a third Imperial Guard stumbled into the throne room, looking utterly bewildered.
Emperor Xu’s vein popped violently on his temple.
“WHAT DID XUANDONG DO THIS TIME?!” The third guard blinked, stammering nervously, “T-The imperial carriage carrying the Crown Prince’s group…
was just swarmed and invaded by a massive horde of street rats on the lower avenue!” The Empress stood completely frozen.
First a flock of birds attacking his bedroom, and now a swarm of rats invading his carriage?!
How on earth did her son become a literal magnet for wild animals?!
Before anyone could utter another word, a fourth guard stepped into the hall.
“Your Majesty…
Prince Xu Gongfeng urgently requests an immediate audience!” Scene shifts back to the carriage outside the palace gates.
Xu Xia wiped a speck of dirt off her fine silk dress, glaring at her twin brother with absolute finality.
“This is officially the last time I am ever sharing a carriage with you.” Xu Mie’er leaned back, letting out a dry, sarcastic laugh.
“I have completely lost all faith in my little brother.” Xuandong sat in the corner, groaning quietly to himself.
How is it my fault that those rat spies started a riot?!
I just forgot to feed them their daily cheese scraps!
They’re as demanding as the birds!
Aloud, Xuandong offered a bright, shameless grin.
“Hey…
at least we have an incredibly cool story to tell people at dinner tonight!” A few minutes later, the group—minus Ji Juechen, who waited outside—entered the grand throne chamber.
Seated upon the main dais were Emperor Xu and the Empress, while standing right below them was a fuming, furious Prince Xu Gongfeng.
The royal siblings bowed respectfully.
Xuandong, acting as shameless as ever, immediately turned toward his uncle with a warm, cheerful greeting.
“Oh!
Uncle Gongfeng!
How are you doing today?
How is the family faring?” Xu Gongfeng’s jaw tightened, his veins bulging as he suppressed his rage.
“His Highness needs to learn to take things seriously…
unless you wish to drag the dignity of our entire imperial bloodline into the dirt!” “Ah, it’s fine, Uncle,” Xuandong waved his hand dismissively, flashing a deadpan smile.
“Cousin Tianran will surely make up for my lack of dignity with his monstrous talent!” “Enough!” Emperor Xu’s voice boomed through the hall, cutting off the banter.
He glared at his son.
“We do not have time for your foolish jokes, Xuandong!
Explain yourself!
What is the meaning of all these outrageous rumors?!” Xuandong opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to crack another witty joke.
But catching the deadly, genuinely dangerous atmosphere in the room, he knew he had pushed the boundaries as far as they could go.
Pushing further would result in absolute disaster.
Taking a slow step forward, Xuandong lowered his head.
When he looked back up, his entire aura had completely transformed.
His eyes were wide, trembling, and utterly hollow.
His shoulders shook slightly, and his skin seemed to lose all color as a profound, chilling terror radiated from his small frame.
“Father…
Uncle…” Xuandong’s voice was hoarse, trembling with deep, heartbroken vulnerability.
“I know…
I know my actions have brought immense harm and embarrassment to both of you…
especially to Aunt Lu…” He clutched his own chest, tears welling up in his wide, terrified eyes as he shivered uncontrollably.
“For that…
I am deeply, truly sorry.
But…
but I will not apologize for trying to survive!” Before Emperor Xu or Xu Gongfeng could explode, Xuandong took a shaky, desperate breath, his acting skills peaking into an absolute masterpiece of emotional manipulation.
“I was so scared…” he whimpered, his voice cracking as tears spilled down his cheeks.
“I was terrified out of my mind!
I was all alone in a completely foreign, unknown environment!
I was being hunted by ruthless assassins…
I couldn’t trust anyone!
I couldn’t ask for help!
I didn’t know a single soul in that city!” He gripped his head in pseudo-agony, his body trembling violently.
“When Ji Juechen finally dragged me into that brothel…
I was at the absolute end of my rope.
My spirit power was empty, my body was broken, and I was so exhausted that I thought…
maybe dying wasn’t so bad.
Maybe if I gave up, I would finally find peace…” The Empress covered her mouth, tears instantly streaming down her face at her son’s heartbreak.
“Inside that place,” Xuandong continued, his eyes vacant as if reliving a nightmare, “they told me that as long as I paid money, they would keep my identity completely secret.
I was desperate…
I asked for their best room, and they gave me a list, and found a courtesan named Lu Fie.” He let out a raspy, painful laugh.
“When I heard that name…
a tiny spark of hope erupted in my chest.
In my panicked, broken state of mind, I thought…
could it be Aunt Lu?!
Could my family have come to save me?!
I knew it was completely illogical!
I knew Aunt Lu would never be in a place like that!
But I was so desperate for my family…
so desperate to see a familiar face…
that I just wanted to believe!” Xuandong collapsed onto his knees, sobbing softly into his hands.
“When I stepped into the room and saw her…
I almost lost all hope entirely.
But…
just remembering Aunt Lu, and remembering my family…
gave me the strength to keep breathing and push through the night…
And…
and you know the rest…” Silence echoed through the throne room.
There was not a single dry eye among the royal guards.
The Empress completely cast aside her imperial dignity, sprinting down the dais to wrap her sobbing son into a tight, frantic, maternal embrace, weeping softly into his hair.
Emperor Xu’s heart was torn to shreds.
He looked at his son with deep, overwhelming guilt, waving his hand weakly.
“That’s enough…
it must be so painful for you to recall such terrifying memories, my boy.
Go back to your quarters and rest…” Xuandong gave a faint, weak nod.
Supported gently on either side by Xu Mie’er and Xu Xia, he slowly shuffled out of the throne chamber like a broken child.
Standing in the center of the hall, Prince Xu Gongfeng’s face turned an ugly, dark shade of purple.
Xuandong’s masterclass acting had completely checkmated him!
By framing his actions not as malicious disrespect, but as the desperate, tragic struggle of a terrified child searching for hope and family comfort, Xu Gongfeng was utterly powerless.
If he tried to use the Lu Fie scandal to politically attack the Crown Prince now, he would look like a heartless, monstrous brute in the eyes of the entire court and the public!
Before Xu Gongfeng could recover his footing, an Imperial Guard stepped into the hall.
“Your Majesty…
Hall Master Kong Deming requests an immediate audience!” Back inside the Crown Prince’s private bedchamber.
The moment the heavy wooden doors locked shut, Xu Xuandong’s weak, traumatized expression vanished into thin air.
Man, he thought to himself in triumph, respec’ing my character build into a Bard with a maxed-out Charisma stat and selecting the College of Lore subclass from Baldur’s Gate 3 was without a doubt the single greatest decision of my life!
The College of Lore subclass was the absolute peak of tactical versatility and social manipulation: Xu Xia followed mere inches from his shoulder, her brow tightly knit and her amber eyes practically burning a hole through his back.
Every few steps, she would lean slightly to the side, attempting to catch a glimpse of his expression, her small fingers twisting tightly into the silk fabric of her dress.
Her entire demeanor radiated an intense, trembling anxiety, yet whenever he slowed his stride, she instantly adjusted hers to maintain the exact same distance.
After they reached his bedroom she frozen.
Ignoring her bewildered look, Xuandong walked into his bedroom alongside her—only to instantly freeze in his tracks.
The entire room was completely filled with dozens of wild songbirds, all peacefully sleeping on his bed, desk, and curtain rods.
Xuandong blinked once.
Then he turned his head toward Xu Xia, flashing a bright, innocent smile.
“Hey, Xia…
mind if I sleep over at your place tonight?” Xu Xia deadpanned, flatly stating, “No.” She turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
Left alone, Xuandong walked over to a hidden bookshelf, pressing a secret mechanism.
The wall slid open, revealing a secluded, quiet sanctuary he had secretly constructed using his Druid nature magic, insulated perfectly.
He sat cross-legged on the plush meditation mat in the center of the secret room.
“My seventh birthday is only a few days away…” Xuandong whispered to himself, pulling out the sleek, dark glass frame of the Steam Deck as it flared with a warm, ambient glow.
“I need to grind my cultivation and reach Level 12 before then.”