TRWSB – Chapter 171 Token of Love

The carriage of Tang Tianfeng sped along the road.

Tang Tianfeng rested his chin in his hand as he sat in the luxurious carriage, lost in thought.

“Your Highness, we will soon arrive at the Bihai Plain. Should we go directly to the Lord’s Manor?” asked the elderly man beside Tang Tianfeng.

Tang Tianfeng shook his head. “No, let’s first visit the market on the Bihai Plain.”

“Understood.”

Tang Tianfeng lowered his head. The Bihai Plain was a place other lords avoided, but it was said that Qi Shaorong was doing quite well there. Tang Tianfeng was eager to see for himself just how well Qi Shaorong was doing.

After arriving at the Bihai Plain, Qi Shaorong had helped several sea tribes with cosmetic surgery and even cured the Nightwalkers, earning a good reputation among the sea tribes.

As a result, the relationship between humans and the sea tribes in the Bihai Plain became much more harmonious, and trade between the two sides became more frequent.

Tang Tianfeng took a stroll through the sea tribe market and gathered a rough idea of how most of the sea tribe commoners viewed Qi Shaorong.

“The lord, though frail, is very wealthy.”

“The lord’s cosmetics are very effective, a great tool for courting women, though a bit expensive.”

“The lord can perform cosmetic surgery. If you want to become beautiful, go find the lord, though the price for surgery is… well, difficult to discuss.”

The black-clad person next to Tang Tianfeng couldn’t help but sigh, “Qi Shaorong really knows how to do business, turning cosmetics into a product for the sea tribes.”

“Indeed! Qi Shaorong’s business is really expanding. Even the cosmetics business in the capital is booming, and it’s said that the bulk of the profits have gone to Yi Fan.”

The black-clad elder furrowed his brows and said, “There’s something strange. Qi Shaorong spent 30 million to buy a crystal, supposedly for Zhuang Hao.”

“It seems that Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong’s relationship has taken a significant turn. Qi Shaorong is really willing to spend money,” Tang Tianfeng thought, inwardly mocking Zhuang Hao: This guy really has a talent for being a kept man. When Shen Yuan and Yi Chuxue broke off their engagement with him, it seems it was all in vain.

“Indeed!” The black-clad elder nodded in agreement. “30 million is quite a large sum! If His Majesty had to pay for it, he’d probably be heartbroken.”

“What’s so special about this crystal that it’s worth that much money?” Tang Tianfeng couldn’t help asking.

“I don’t know either.”

“Neither Zhuang Hao nor Qi Shaorong are impulsive people. Since Qi Shaorong is willing to spend 30 million on something, it must be worth that price,” Tang Tianfeng felt a sense of oppression. He had two purposes for coming here: one was to urge Qi Shaorong to hurry up and acquire the sea sand secret silver, and the other was to investigate Zhuang Hao’s current strength.

His father, the emperor, had received reports that Zhuang Hao had already reached the ninth level.

…

Tang Tianfeng arrived at the entrance of the Tianlong Trading House. “So this is one of the two major trading houses of the Bihai Plain?”

“Yes.”

“Finally, I’ve seen it.” Although Tang Tianfeng lived in the capital, he had heard of this incredible trading house on the Bihai Plain, which only dealt in sea tribe goods. Everything inside was top-notch.

When he entered Tianlong Trading House, Tang Tianfeng couldn’t help but feel his eyes widen.

Tang Tianfeng, a prince of the former nation, considered himself someone who had seen the world, but even he was shocked by the treasures inside the Tianlong Trading House. The items there were all rare treasures of the sea tribe, and even the royal family of his own nation didn’t possess such wealth.

Hailing stood at the top of the stairs, watching Tang Tianfeng and his entourage below, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Young Master, these people have unknown backgrounds, they must be…”

Hailing waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Let them be. It’s none of our concern. Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao will take care of this.”

Tang Tianfeng walked around Tianlong Trading House for a bit before stepping out.

“Your Highness, it’s said that the owner behind Tianlong Trading House is the young clan leader of the Sea Dragon Tribe, and this young leader has a close relationship with Bi Liuyun, the sea harpist,” someone beside Tang Tianfeng remarked.

Tang Tianfeng took a deep breath. “I know.”

He had already received information about Bi Liuyun and Hailing, but it was still unconfirmed.

…

After leaving Tianlong Trading House, Tang Tianfeng arrived at the Lord’s Manor.

“Your Highness, you’ve finally arrived! We’ve been expecting you, and we’ve waited a long time,” Qi Shaorong greeted him respectfully.

“Thank you for your patience, Qi Shaorong. It is my fault for being late,” Tang Tianfeng smiled warmly, appearing very approachable.

Zhuang Hao emerged from the manor.

Tang Tianfeng sized him up and complimented, “Young Master Zhuang, you’re looking even more impressive and charismatic. Recently, thanks to you being away from the capital, other talented young men there have had their chance to shine.”

Zhuang Hao smiled and said, “Your Highness is too kind.”

“I heard that Qi Shaorong spent 30 million to buy a crystal for Young Master Zhuang as a token of love. It looks like the two of you are nearing something good!” Tang Tianfeng said.

Zhuang Hao nodded happily. “It’s almost there, almost there.”

Qi Shaorong glanced at Zhuang Hao, whose face was beaming, and irritably remarked, “Almost there? What do you mean, ‘almost there’?”

Zhuang Hao fell silent, a bit awkwardly.

“Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood. That wasn’t meant as a token of love,” Qi Shaorong muttered.

Tang Tianfeng was surprised. “Qi Shaorong, you spent 30 million on something, and it’s not even a token of love?”

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “It was just an impulse. When I saw the person selling it, he looked so poor I couldn’t stand it, so I bought it. I really regretted it afterward.”

“Qi Shaorong, even if it was a token of love, there’s no need to be embarrassed,” Tang Tianfeng said, still smiling.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Yes, if it’s a token of love, there’s no reason to be embarrassed.”

Qi Shaorong rolled his eyes inwardly. “Zhuang Hao, this idiot… I wasn’t really interested in Tang Tianfeng before, but now he’s agreeing with him.”

“Is that crystal still around? Can I take a look at it?” Tang Tianfeng asked.

Qi Shaorong felt a sudden unease. “I bet his purpose is to get a look at it.”

“Sure,” Zhuang Hao said, taking out a rainbow crystal and handing it to Tang Tianfeng.

Qi Shaorong remained calm but was surprised inside. The crystal Zhuang Hao handed over was likely just a regular rainbow stone from the sea tribe. Although beautiful, it had little practical value and was worth very little.

“Is this it?” Tang Tianfeng asked, looking puzzled.

Zhuang Hao smiled. “Yes! For my sake, Shaorong really took a loss on this one.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

“Your Highness, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ve prepared a banquet to welcome you,” Qi Shaorong said.

“Thank you, Qi Shaorong,” Tang Tianfeng replied.

“It’s the least I can do.”

…

In the laboratory.

Zhuang Hao sat beside Qi Shaorong. “Has Tang Tianfeng talked to you about the sea sand secret silver?”

Qi Shaorong shook his head. “Not yet.”

Qi Shaorong could tell that Tang Tianfeng was trying to win him over, but out of caution about the emperor’s suspicions, he wasn’t bold enough to make the approach obvious. He couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for those in the royal family, living such exhausting lives.

“It looks like he’s trying to make a good impression on you,” Zhuang Hao said.

“I see that you think highly of him. You seem to have a lot in common with him,” Qi Shaorong teased with a smile.

Zhuang Hao scratched his head awkwardly. “Not really. But what he said did make sense.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

“Where did that crystal come from?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Zhuang Hao casually replied, “I found it when I went into the sea. It looked similar to the half-saint crystal, so I picked it up.”

“You must have suspected something like this would happen,” Qi Shaorong remarked.

Zhuang Hao crossed his arms and said, “Of course I couldn’t be sure, but I prefer to be prepared.”

Qi Shaorong turned to look at Zhuang Hao. “You really know how to prepare for the unexpected.”

Zhuang Hao smiled. “I’ve always been quite clever.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

“Anyway, have you handled that knife?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “The sea sand secret silver has been separated. It’s about three jin and four taels. The sea tribe really is incredibly wealthy! The knife itself is of average power, and the craftsmanship is poor, but the materials used are rare sea sand secret silver.”

“Let’s give this to Tang Tianfeng. It should be enough to send him on his way,” Qi Shaorong said.

Zhuang Hao rubbed his chin. “Hailing over there also said he could provide some.”

“If Hailing finds more sea sand secret silver, I think I’ll keep some for myself,” Qi Shaorong replied.

Zhuang Hao looked at him in surprise. “Are you interested in the magic crystal cannon?”

Qi Shaorong smiled. “I suppose I am, just a little.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Three jin should be enough,” Qi Shaorong said.

…

“Your Highness, didn’t you discuss the sea sand secret silver with Qi Shaorong?” a black-clad man beside Tang Tianfeng asked.

Tang Tianfeng closed his eyes. The task of acquiring the sea sand secret silver had been issued for some time, but Qi Shaorong hadn’t shown much movement, clearly unwilling to follow through on the order.

“Sea sand secret silver is a forbidden item of the sea tribe. Qi Shaorong must know this and probably holds some grudge against my father.”

“Although sea sand secret silver is a forbidden item, Qi Shaorong has connections with the young clan leader of the Sea Dragon Tribe and has performed cosmetic surgery for several prominent figures of the sea tribe. He even saved the Nightwalkers. If he truly wants to complete this task, it’s not impossible,” the black-clad elder said.

Tang Tianfeng closed his eyes. He knew what the elder said, but unfortunately, Qi Shaorong was a person without any real loyalty to the throne.

The black-clad elder looked at Tang Tianfeng. “His Majesty places great importance on the sea sand secret silver. Your Highness, it would be better to urge him as soon as possible.”

Tang Tianfeng nodded. “I understand.”

“By the way, when we came in earlier, I think I saw the head of the guards at the Lord’s Manor. He looked like a ninth-level sea tribe,” the black-clad elder added.

Tang Tianfeng inhaled deeply. A ninth-level sea tribe guard—only someone like Qi Shaorong could afford to employ such a person. Qi Shaorong was truly a difficult person to read!