Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 42: Preparing to Visit the Royal Palace

Chapter 42: Preparing to Visit the Royal Palace

After finishing their meal, a relentless knocking suddenly came from outside. Jun Wu Xiao frowned upon hearing this and asked:

"Hey, can just anyone come and knock on your door like that? But if they knock like this, ordinary people would hardly hear it. Maybe the person who came was so confused that he made a mess."

Actually, the sound wasn’t that loud. It would be difficult for a normal person to hear from such a distance. But fortunately for the person who knocked on the door, there was an unusual group inside.

Chu Vu shook his head, although he was very lenient towards his friends, everyone else in the kingdom maintained respect for him. Unless the person knocking was sent by someone with high authority, they wouldn’t dare do so.

"Perhaps he has come to deliver a command from someone. And I suspect it’s highly likely that the emperor sent him. Haiz, normally, the guard would come and inform me about who was coming. But today I let the guards rest, so maybe someone didn’t know what to do so they knocked on the door." Chu Wu speculated.

In fact, the highest ministers in the court could also do this if they had urgent matters to discuss. But this happens very rarely, so it is highly likely that the person came to follow the emperor’s orders.

"Let’s just go out and see. You go, those who arrive will probably ask for you anyway." Jun Wu Xiao suggested.

"Alright, wait for me a moment." Chu Wu replied and then went outside.

Upon opening the door, he knew his guess was right. The visitor held a golden scroll in his hand. Only the emperor could issue orders in this manner.

Seeing Chu Wu, the messenger hurriedly bowed and said:

"Greetings, Mr. Chu. I apologize for the impropriety, but Your Majesty’s command cannot be delayed, and there are no guards here to help me relay the message."

Another reason is that this person is still quite young, so perhaps he has just entered the royal palace to work, so he does not call him ’General’, but the previous generation is used to calling him ’General’.

Chu Wu waved his hand and said:

"No worries, no worries. After all, it’s because I gave the guards a day off today, so it’s actually me who has troubled you. Tell me, what command has Your Majesty sent you with?"

The messenger nodded and then handed the scroll to Chu Wu, he said:

"Your Majesty will hold a discussion with the high-ranking officials of the court next week about strategies for the kingdom’s development. Though you have retired, as you still possess sharp acumen, His Majesty has invited you to the palace to attend this discussion."

Chu Wu understood. The kingdom almost unified the entire world more than a decade ago. Except for places hard to reach or not very necessary, the rest had been incorporated into the kingdom.

This matter should have been discussed a long time ago, but it was delayed due to the need to rearrange leadership positions in the territories that had been conquered, taking more than a dozen years. Now, it can be considered relatively settled.

As for him, he occasionally participated in court affairs, mainly military issues. However, he didn’t go in person but was consulted when high-ranking officials needed his advice. If he attended the court regularly, he wouldn’t have much time left to cultivate.

"Chu Wu obeys Your Majesty’s command." said Chu Wu, accepting the scroll.

"Then I shall take my leave." the messenger said, spurring his horse and departing.

Chu Wu closed the door and returned to the dining room. Seeing him enter, Jun Wu Xiao curiously asked:

"Anything interesting?"

"Well, yes, the emperor wants me to come to the royal palace next Monday to discuss the kingdom’s development strategy." Chu Wu replied.

Jun Wu Xiao found this quite intriguing, although a person who subsisted on leaves and water talking about kingdom development seemed unrelated, he still wanted to join in. After all, the kingdom was vast, and he thought it would have interesting decisions.

"Can I come along?" Jun Wu Xiao asked.

Seeing his questioning look, Chu Wu grimaced, showing a slight disdain. He knew that if Jun Wu Xiao asked, it meant he was definitely going. Whether invited or not, he would show up to see for himself. He snorted lightly and said:

"Hmph, I’m sure whether invited or not, you’d still show up. In theory, if the emperor did not invite you, you should not go, as it could result in execution for causing trouble. But I have yet to see anyone who could execute you, so if you like, just come along. Even if Your Majesty expels you, he won’t be able to keep you out."

Jun Wu Xiao, seeing through this, scratched his head and said sheepishly:

"Aiyyaa, I’ve been seen through. So shy, so shy."

Yue Guang seeing his clearly forced and failed act, laughed:

"Ha ha, your acting is too fake."

Chu Wu knowing that Jun Wu Xiao would definitely go, told everyone:

"Everyone might as well come along since no one can do anything to you. Moreover, this kind of opportunity is rare, so it’s good to see a bit."

Everyone nodded, indeed feeling quite excited about the occasion. Although none of them had any experience in managing a kingdom or enacting policies.

"Great, then we’ll set off on Monday. Oh, do you want to show your faces, or do you want to wear masks like before?" Chu Wu asked.

Though he asked, he already knew the answer. While they didn’t wear masks for sneaking around, at least no one would recognize their faces, so they wouldn’t know how to look for them. Anyway, no one could be fast enough to track them.

"Wear masks." they all chorused in unison.

Chu Wu imagined the scene as he entered the palace, surrounded by six masked figures resembling assassins. He pictured the ensuing chaos as people screamed. "Assassins! Protect Your Majesty." Thinking about it, he didn’t know what to say, he just hoped they wouldn’t cause a disturbance then.

"Now that we have a few days until then, why don’t you take us out for some fun? A few days less of cultivation won’t let you die." Jun Wu Xiao suggested.

Chu Wu, hearing him speak nonsense again, immediately retorted:

"You’re the one who would drop dead, not me. I’m still perfectly healthy, how dare you curse me to die!"

"Ha ha, aren’t you the oldest one among us?" Jun Wu Xiao laughed and teased.

"Hmph, I won’t talk to you anymore. Does anyone want to go out and have some fun? We’ve been cultivating for a long time. It would be good to relax a bit." Chu Wu addressed the others.

"Let’s go, of course. I don’t even know how society has developed after such a long time." Sheng Yuan said.

"Yan Meng Long, I’ll buy you whatever you like when we go out." Zhu Ji Feng offered.

Yan Meng Long chuckled at his offer:

"How can you have money when you spend all day secluded in cultivation?"

Zhu Ji Feng’s face darkened, but he was at a loss for words. His brain was working overtime then he turned to Chu Wu with hopeful eyes.

Chu Wu startled by his look, then he asked:

"What... what do you want to do?"

"Chu Wu... Ah, no, big brother Chu. Could you lend me some money?" Zhu Ji Feng asked ingratiatingly.

"Shameless!" was the unanimous silent response from everyone else.

"The method is not important, what matters is that this method gets the fastest results." Zhu Ji Feng said with confidence.

Chu Wu felt being the only one with money in the group wasn’t so bad. He now had a chance to show off. He turned to Jun Wu Xiao and said:

"He he, do you want some money to buy something for Yue Guang? If so, call me ’big brother’ quickly."

He put his hand to his ear, pretending to strain to hear. Jun Wu Xiao responded:

"What? I don’t think Yue Guang needs me to buy her anything."

Yue Guang indeed didn’t need it but seeing the fun unfolding, she wanted to add fuel to the fire. She stared intently at him without saying a word.

Jun Wu Xiao’s heart skipped a beat under her gaze, and he faltered:

"No... not like that. Alright. I’ll try."

Chu Wu was elated, trying to hear Jun Wu Xiao call him ’big brother.’

But life is not always as one dreams. Jun Wu Xiao said:

"Big... little brother, can you lend me some money?"

"What the hell is the big little brother? A little brother who has a big body? If you’re talking like that, then forget it. Whoever wants to buy something, just buy it. I’ll pay." Chu Wu cursed.

Afterward, everyone went out to have fun. Although Chu Wu didn’t get to hear "big brother" from Jun Wu Xiao, he still had many opportunities to flaunt during their outing.