Translation Checker: asgardlucy

Lu Xingwang looked at the message sent by Jian Mei and was silent for a moment.

Jian Mei asked him enthusiastically. [What do you think?]

[I think..] Lu Xingwang’s face was expressionless and also didn’t mince his words. [It’s your wishful thinking.]

Jian Mei was speechless.

Had no one ever told Lu Xingwang that he had a sharp tongue?

Jian Mei was angry. [What’s wrong with it? Maybe there’s such a person blind enough to like me.]

Lu Xingwang became silent.

People always liked to make comparisons. If this was before, he would’ve met the criteria, but now, he was far from it.

“Ding dong”

A message came in.

Jian Mei: [However, these criteria aren’t fixed; they can change.]

Lu Xingwang asked him. [For example?]

Jian Mei typed his reply. [For example, these are my imaginations about my future partner. Now, I still don’t know him yet, so I have these imaginations.]

Lu Xingwang raised his brows. [What if you know him?]

Jian Mei would always give him a lot of surprises, even this time.

The child who was just talking cheerfully became a lot more serious. He replied: [When you don’t know the person yet, you have a lot of requirements, but if you like the person and you get to know and understand the person, you won’t need those requirements.]

Lu Xingwang had never heard such logic before. [For example?]

Jian Mei’s lips rose into a smile as his long and slender fingers typed quickly on the keyboard.

“For example, if I like him, it doesn’t matter if he’s not that outstanding. What’s the point of knowing so much, it’s not like he has to save the world.”

“He doesn’t need to be liked by a lot of people either, because then I will have many rivals in love.”

“He doesn’t need to have a high social status. It’s enough if I could eat.]

At first, his words sounded willful and unreasonable, yet full of favoritism. It was like although the world was full of many strict rules, Jian Mei was imperious. His likes and preferences broke a lot of rules and gave the other person a sense of complete security.

Lu Xingwang lowered his gaze. The gaze in his eyes was deep like he was thinking about something, so he fell into silence.

Jian Mei asked him with some doubts. [What’s the matter?]

Lu Xingwang replied to him. [Nothing.]

He was thinking about the palace’s storage room that was full of rare treasures these years and was also wondering if those were enough to support Jian Mei’s daily living.

The next day.

Jian Mei still followed his grandpa to help him receive patients who came for follow-up checkups and medical treatment.

This time, Grandpa Li from the entrance of the village came. He was also in his 70s this year. A few years ago, he looked quite sturdy. But this time, not only did he look haggard, but he also covered his lips and coughed during the time his pulse was being taken. It looked like his situation wasn’t very good.

Jian Mei’s grandpa withdrew his hand and said, “How’s your sleep recently?”

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“There’s a burden in your heart. You can go out more often when you have nothing to do.” Grandpa Jian wrote the prescription with the pen in his hand. “Did your son come back this National day?”

Grandpa Li shook his head. “They couldn’t get tickets. There’s overtime pay on National Day, so it’s okay if they don’t come back. There’s nothing about me that they should worry about.”

Grandpa Jian didn’t say much; he just nodded and left it like that.

Jian Mei took the prescription and went to the pharmacy to grab the medicine. He moved agilely, put the medicine inside the paper bag, and skillfully packed it before handing it to grandpa Li. “Grandpa, here it is.”

Grandpa Li nodded. “Thank you, Meimei, ah.”

Seeing that the old man was walking a bit unsteadily, Jian Mei pursed his lips and finally called out. “Grandpa, if the medicine isn’t very effective, go to the hospital. Nowadays, there’s medical insurance available..”

Grandpa Li paused and looked at Jian Mei with his somewhat cloudy eyes, then he gradually showed a smile. “I’m alright. I’m old ah, it’s an old problem. There’s no need to go to the hospital.”

Jian Mei’s nose twitched. He knew that he shouldn’t show it, so he tried his best to hold back. Not knowing how to comfort the old man, he could only raise his hand and wave. “Okay, see you later, Grandpa. Come and visit often.”

A shallow smile appeared on Grandpa Li’s face. His voice was a little old, but he nodded gently. “Okay, okay. I’ll come often..”

The old man carefully tucked the medicine in his arms with his coarse hands. He was frugal. There were quite a few patches on his clothes. When he opened the door, a cold wind blew from the outside. He coughed a few times before walking away slowly.

Jian Mei was looking at Grandpa Li when Jian Changjia patted him from behind, not in a good mood. “What are you doing dawdling here? Trying to slack off?”

Jian Mei said, “No, ah.”

“I just think..Grandpa Li’s illness can’t be delayed anymore.” Jian Mei fidgeted the small button on his clothes. “If he goes to the hospital, he might still be cured.”

Jian Changjia looked at him. Jian Mei was still young and couldn’t conceal his feelings, and all his emotions were shown on his face. However, many things in this world weren’t as simple as he thought.

Their grandpa was almost done with his work, so he came over and said, “Going to the hospital at this time will only delay his illness for a while.”

Jian Mei was a little sad. “Is there no other way at all?”

“It’s past the best time for treatment.” Their grandfather sighed. “He probably knows it inside his heart as well.”

Jian Changjia was pounding herbs on the side. He put a lot of force and kept making noises with the medicine pestle as if he had a grudge. “His son can’t bear to spend money on him! I really don’t know why he raised that ungrateful man. All the money he has worked hard all his life was used to buy a house in the city for his son and he has no money to see a doctor now that he is sick. That bastard is afraid of being asked for money and doesn’t come back for the New Year or holidays!”

Their grandpa was probably used to seeing such things and only sighed slightly.

Jian Mei asked, “Grandpa, then why don’t you tell the truth to Grandpa Li? If he doesn’t have much time, all the more reason to cherish it. For example, he should cherish the time and spend it with his son in the city.”

Jian Changjia glared at him. “You’re stupid, ah. What kind of reason is there to spend time with that kind of son?”

Jian Mei was aggrieved and didn’t dare to say anything.

Their grandpa smiled and didn’t say anything to blame him. He just said, “He knew what he should know and what he shouldn’t know. Why do we need to point it out? Let the patient have a good time in his remaining days. Sometimes having too much pressure won’t benefit anything.”

Jian Mei seemed to have understood it and nodded his head.

He learned that when treating seriously ill patients, letting them be as happy as possible and not mentioning things that’d make them sad would help the patients’ conditions.

But he wasn’t good with words. He didn’t know how to make people happy.

Jian Changjia watched as Jian Mei ran towards the house all of a sudden. Jian Changjia couldn’t help shouting, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to watch some skits to increase my sense of humor.”

On the other side.

North of the Stan Star’s Magical Forest.

Today was the day princes and nobles would enter the forest to hunt. The emperor also put on his hunting attire to participate, but the emperor didn’t like to be surrounded by many soldiers while hunting. First, he was afraid that the loud noise would alarm the prey. Second, if there were too many soldiers around, there’d always be someone who would help the emperor in hunting, defeating the original purpose.

This time, the emperor was accompanied by his three sons and the current young general, Zuo Qingshan.

After all the people gathered, Zuo Qingshan, who was standing at the emperor’s side, glanced at Lu Xingwang behind him, intentionally or otherwise. Their eyes met for a brief moment before they quickly retracted their gaze.

The crown prince flattered in the front. “The black iron beast shot by Father Emperor is of excellent quality, and it’s an adult female beast. Look at how big its magic crystal is!”

The emperor put away the bow and arrow in his hands. “It’s rare to see such a big black iron beast.”

In Stan Star, most people possessed divine powers, and divine powers could be advanced. There were two ways to improve divine powers. The first was to pray sincerely, receive God’s blessing and then practice using divine powers more. The second way was to kill beasts that also possess divine powers, take out and refine the magic crystal in their body then absorb it, which could also achieve the goal of improving divine power.

“You’re also good.” The emperor looked at the crown prince. “Just now, when the black iron beast attacked out of nowhere, your stance was good and strength was in place. I can see that you’ve mastered your fire divine power.”

The crown prince was finally praised. Lu Wei was so proud of himself. He seemed to emphasize the words ‘divine power’ when he spoke as if he was saying it to someone. “Father is overpraising me. I’ve been practicing in private how to use my divine power better. I dare not slack off even for a day.”

Compared to six months ago, the crown prince’s divine power had indeed improved by leaps and bounds.

The emperor nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”

The smile on the crown prince’s face became even more gloating. He glanced at Lu Xingwang with pride. No matter how good his shooting performance was, facing such a divine beast, wasn’t it still necessary to rely on divine power to conquer it? Fancy but impractical skills were completely useless. Unfortunately, when he looked at Lu Xingwang, he found that Lu Xingwang didn’t look at him at all. In other words, there was no him in Lu Xingwang’s eyes!

Lu Wei gritted his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

The group headed for another route. Along the way, the crown prince had been trying to flaunt himself and failed to notice that the forest seemed to be getting quieter. Zuo Qingshan subconsciously arched his body and moved closer to the emperor, ready to protect him at any time.

“Look out!”

“Roar”

People’s shouts and divine beasts’ roars came at the same time. Surprisingly, it was the magical birds that attacked them. This kind of mutant divine beast was rare. They were very fast and extremely aggressive. Along with the magical bird, there was another black iron beast. It seemed to be the previous black iron beast’s partner, and it was obviously seeking revenge.

The black iron beast was easy to deal with, but magical birds were very difficult to deal with because they could fly fast. Only the divine power of wind and remote attacks could fight barely against them. Right now, only the emperor and the second prince had wind divine power and remote attack skills, while the crown prince and Zuo Qingshan both had fire divine power.

The second prince exclaimed. “Father!”

After the emperor gathered wind with his palm and waved to repel a magical bird, he was targeted by the birds and the beasts. The attack came too fast, leaving many people unable to react. At the critical moment, the sound of a muffled gunshot rang out, and Lu Xingwang, who had been quiet in the group, appeared by the emperor’s side in time. Even if they were in a precarious situation, the teenager was extremely calm. His marksmanship was outstanding, and he cooperated with the others to quickly repulse the birds.

This accident made everyone pinched in a cold sweat. After all, if something happened to the emperor, it would be terrible.

The crown prince ran over in a wrenched state. “Father, are you alright?”

The emperor was also frightened, but he remained calm on the surface. He waved his hand to show that he was fine, and then he turned his head to look at Lu Xingwang. “How are you?”

In the scuffle just now, Lu Xingwang’s arm was scratched by the magical birds in order to protect the emperor. He gently shook his head. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re wounded.” The emperor looked at the gun in Lu Xingwang’s hand. “If I remember correctly, this is the recent gun model that was very difficult to use? Zuo Qingshan told me that its range wasn’t far, so it will be phased out.”

Lu Xingwang explained. “This has been improved by the son. If Father approves, the son is willing to gift it to General Zuo and promote its use among the soldiers.”

The emperor didn’t expect his third son to have such talent.

In the past, he knew that Lu Xingwang’s ability was excellent. This time, Lu Xingwang lost his divine power. The emperor wanted to see how his son would react, and sure enough, Lu Xingwang was Lu Xingwang. Even in such a situation, he was able to identify and use his strengths.

The emperor looked at Zuo Qingshan and said, “What do you think?”

Zuo Qingshan kneeled down on one knee and replied, “I think the third prince’s improvement was excellent and can be promoted for use.”

“It just so happens that..” Zuo Qingshan hesitated for a moment before boldly saying, “His Highness, the Third Prince has a deep understanding of many new weapons that most of our soldiers are lacking. I dare to ask His Highness to guide the new soldiers and help them understand the use of new weapons.”

The emperor raised his eyebrows but didn’t speak.

The crown prince was anxious. How could he let Lu Xingwang go to the military? Allowing Lu Xingwang to get military power and status would be detrimental for him. Lu Xingwang was already difficult to deal with, if he let Lu Xingwang’s wings spread, it would definitely be tricky for him!

As he thought of this, the crown prince said, “Father, the son thinks that third brother’s body is still recuperating, and it’s not suitable for such hard and strenuous work.”

The emperor’s lips curled up into a smile as he looked at the injured Lu Xingwang. The wound was obviously still bleeding and should be very painful, but from the beginning, the child hadn’t uttered more than a few words. Lu Xingwang didn’t ask for credit after saving him. He was calm and composed, very excellent.

In fact, with the emperor’s suspicious personality, the princes wouldn’t have been allowed to get involved in military matters. However, Lu Xingwang was destined to die soon, and the emperor still had his previous feelings for Concubine Lan in his heart. In addition, he also wanted to see what surprise this child could give him. Out of his inexplicable emotions, he spoke up and handed the choice to Lu Xingwang. “What do you think?”

Lu Xingwang stepped forward, kneeled down in everyone’s sight, and saluted. His voice was firm. “It’s my duty to share the worries of the country.”

The emperor nodded. “I’m relieved that you’re sensible.”

The crown prince’s face turned ashen. He placed his hope on Zuo Qingshan, who had always been known for having a big temper and hated other forces infiltrating the military. He prayed silently that Zuo Qingshan would say something and stir up the confrontation at this moment.

However, a smile blossomed on Zuo Qingshan’s face when he saluted with his fists at Lu Xingwang. “Then I’ll arrange everything and wait for Your Highness in the army.”

Lu Xingwang nodded faintly. “I’ll leave it to the young general.”

The both of them got along very harmoniously and no discord happened.

Crown Prince: ....

The crown prince was never so speechless.

In the evening.

Lu Xingwang bandaged his wound and returned to camp. The healer priests were very worried, as they repeatedly told His Highness to rest well and not to be overworked. Otherwise, it would be harmful to his body, especially since he was sick. It was necessary to maintain a positive mood while recuperating, but none of these worked on Lu Xingwang.

He read case files day and night, studied and assembled new weapons and mechas. He’d also overdrawn his physical strength in order to participate in hunting activities recently. Lu Xingwang’s recovery was very slow and poor because he was always preoccupied with various matters.

The priest could only say, “Your Highness, you must not be overly worried. Do more recreational activities and maintain a good mood. Otherwise, our healing divine power won’t be of much use.”

Lu Xingwang replied expressionlessly, “I understand.”

The healer priests: ....

It must be harder to make you happy than becoming a god.

They helplessly excused themselves, leaving private space for Lu Xingwang.

The camp tent was very quiet. Lu Xingwang’s communication terminal kept ringing. After that call a few days ago, Jian Mei seemed to be hooked on calling him. Once he knew that Lu Xingwang was free, he’d call him. This time, Lu Xingwang didn’t know what it was about.

Lu Xingwang answered the call. [Hello.]

On the other end of the call, Jian Mei seemed very energetic tonight. He blabbered a lot about what happened during the day while Lu Xingwang listened to him. Fortunately, Jian Mei was talkative and there was never an awkward silence.

After listening to his grandpa’s words, Jian Mei spent the afternoon learning how to improve his sense of humor. He read a lot of books and skits and hoped that he could make many people happy. For example, Grandpa Li was always sad and frowning, and Dazhuang-ge?always seemed to be very serious. Perhaps, everyone had their own hardships and pressure, but Jian Mei felt that even if he only had a meager amount of strength, he wanted to make the people he cared about a little bit happier.

In order to test the effect, Jian Mei cleared his throat and decided to tell Lu Xingwang a joke. He said somewhat mysteriously, “Let me tell you a story.”

Lu Xingwang said unenthusiastically. “Hmm.”

“Once upon a time, there was a polar bear who was sitting on very cold ice and felt very bored, so it started to pluck its own hair,” Jian Mei said seriously. The gentle voice came clearly from the microphone, adding a little more warmth to the cold night at the camp. “Then it plucked and plucked, one, two, three..gradually, it was stunned.”

Jian Mei said mysteriously, “Can you guess what he said?”

Lu Xingwang thought it was something important. “What did he say?”

“It said..” As Jian Mei continued, he laughed out loud and was unable to stop laughing, his laughter clear and pleasant. His voice trembled from laughing. “It said, it’s so cold.”

“Hahahahahaha.” Jian Mei managed to make himself laugh first. He rolled around on the bed holding his belly and asked, “Isn’t it particularly funny?”

Lu Xingwang: ....