Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 583 - 583 0386 Prince Zhao_2

Chapter 583: Chapter 0386 Prince Zhao_2 Chapter 583: Chapter 0386 Prince Zhao_2 Qi Tian asked, “Have you finished the inspection I asked you to write?”

In a hurry, Luo Xia took out a stack of papers, held them high over his head, and said, “Please review them, young Mansion Master.”

Qi Tian took the inspection Luo Xia had written and said, “I’m not the young Mansion Master, not now, nor will I be in the future. Get up.”

Luo Xia quickly got up from the ground. Qi Tian flipped through the inspection and said, “I’ll give you one more chance this time. If there’s a next time, there won’t be any more chances. Also, the reason why I give you opportunities is not that I appreciate you a lot, but because Imperial Master Mansion has nurtured me, and some Elders and Mansion Masters in the Imperial Master Mansion have supported me. This enables me to tolerate your mistakes. If you continue to make mistakes, there will not be a third or fourth time, understand?”

Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi hurriedly nodded their heads. This time, because of the fake Mansion Master Xu Yanpeng’s attack on Qi Tian’s County Master Mansion, the Imperial Master Mansion was incredibly disappointed in Qi Tian. It would be a daunting task for them to regain Qi Tian’s trust.

Qi Tian turned around and returned to the County Master Mansion. This was the first time Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi had stepped into the County Master Mansion in several days. Seeing the ruinous state of the mansion, especially the destruction of the once-promising Bloodline Pear Fruits, Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi were steeped in shame and guilt.

Qi Tian waved his hand, and a chair appeared in front of him. Sitting down, he didn’t prepare seats for Luo Xia and the others. Instead, he said, “Next, I have two things to do. The first one is to rebuild the County Master Mansion. Who’s going to do it?”

Lu Jingfei hurriedly said, “I’ll do it.”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “The second one is a bit troublesome. Now it seems that the Mansion Master won’t be back for a while. We can’t continue to rely on the Mansion Master to take charge of everything. We have to figure out a solution ourselves. I’ve decided to take Deng with me, and let Deng be my assistant. Xu Jifa and Wang Xiuwu, you two have to protect the Imperial Master Mansion, Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi, you two have to guard the Imperial Master Mansion.”

Everyone didn’t know what plans Qi Tian had, but they solemnly obeyed his orders.

Just then, Guan Xun ran in and said, “Brother, someone outside wants to see you. He claims to be the ninth son of Emperor Tian Rui.”

Qi Tian was surprised at the mention of Emperor Tian Rui’s eighth son and showed a puzzled look. Seeing Qi Tian’s confusion, Guan Xun quickly began to explain some things about the ninth son. As the most powerful man in Great Zhao, Emperor Tian Rui was very prolific. Not counting his daughters, he had over thirty sons alone. The Crown Prince was the second son, the elder son, because he was not born of the Empress and he had no cultivation talent, deviated into demonization and died when he was in his teens.

Except for the Crown Prince, almost all of the first ten sons were granted the title of Prince. Most of them were territorial princes, and there were only two Princes, who were the Crown Prince’s brothers of the same mother, namely Prince Ten and another one from Prince Duan Manor. However, amongst the first ten sons, there was also one who had not been granted any titles, and that was Prince Zhao.

Prince Zhao’s birth was completely unexpected. Emperor Tian Rui had an affair with the lowest-ranking servant while drunk, which led to the birth of Prince Zhao. The Emperor was extremely disgusted with this son. If he hadn’t been his own flesh and blood, he would have had him killed long ago. By the time Prince Zhao was eight years old, he was chased out of the palace, given the lowest-ranking title of Viscount, with a mountain village in Lunan County as his fiefdom. In simple terms, Prince Zhao was made to be a village head.

After hearing about the origins of Prince Zhao, Qi Tian could not help but feel a little curious. He told Guan Xun to bring Prince Zhao in.

Soon, Guan Xun brought Prince Zhao in. Prince Zhao looked to be in his thirties already, dressed like a rural wealthy landlord, his exposed skin darkened by the sun, and his hands covered in calluses. He was holding a child by his hand, probably five or six years old, short in stature, with skin also sunburned to a dark hue, his eyes lively, looking around.

“You wanted to pay a visit to our County Master, right? Here he is.” Guan Xun brought Prince Zhao and the others to Qi Tian.

Prince Zhao hurriedly made the child kneel with him in front of Qi Tian. “Greetings, County Master.”

This was the first time a member of the royal family had knelt before Qi Tian. It was quite a novel experience. He waved his hand, saying, “Stand up and talk.”

Prince Zhao stood up with the child, bending over, afraid to look directly at Qi Tian. He said, “County master, I have no ulterior motives. My son has some talent for cultivating immortality. I’m at a loss as to who to seek. When I was in Lunan County, I learned of the County Master’s benevolence, so I brought my son to visit you, and ask for your guidance.”

Qi Tian glanced at the child. The kid was plump and pleasing to the eye. He directed his gaze to Deng Chuanliang and ordered, “Deng, evaluate this child.”

Deng Chuanliang approached, causing the child to retreat behind Prince Zhao. Deng’s old age and declining vitality were enough to frighten a child.

Deng Chuanliang chuckled, “Are you sure you don’t want me to assess your potential? Don’t regret once this opportunity is gone.”

Prince Zhao glanced at Qi Tian. Seeing that Qi Tian showed no signs of introducing an alternate candidate, he realized that he had no other options besides Deng Chuanliang. He promptly pulled his son from behind him and said, “Song, let this distinguished cultivator examine you.”

Zhao Song, dare not to defy his father’s orders, reluctantly stretched out his hand to Deng Chuanliang.

Deng Chuanliang rested his finger on Zhao Song’s wrist. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, nodded to Qi Tian, and reported, “Master, this child’s constitution is decent. If he has suitable cultivation techniques and adequate resources, reaching the upper levels of the Foundation Establishment Stage shouldn’t be an issue. However, advancing to the Gold Core Stage will be challenging.”

Prince Zhao was overjoyed at this. Never daring to hope for the Gold Core Stage, his son reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage already far exceeded his expectations. He quickly brought Zhao Song to kneel again, saying, “Please accept my son as your disciple, County Master. I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life as your devoted servant.”

Prince Zhao held no sense of entitled superiority as a royal figure. In reality, he had always been struggling for survival at the lowest rung of society. To change his son’s destiny, he was willing to pay any price.

Just as Qi Tian was about to refuse, a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. He looked at Prince Zhao and his son with bright eyes, an audacious idea arising within him. He immediately swallowed the words of refusal that had almost slipped out, and asked, “Prince Zhao, do you mean what you say? If I agree to take your son as my apprentice, will you submit to me for the rest of your life?”

Prince Zhao raised his head, setting his gaze firmly on Qi Tian. “Yes, I swear on the lives of my entire family. If I break this oath, you can slay my entire family without any reprisals.”

Though Prince Zhao appeared amiable, the intensity of that vow showed that he could also be ruthless.

Qi Tian nodded in satisfaction, saying, “I hadn’t planned on taking on another disciple, but your sincerity moved me. So, I will accept your son as a nominal disciple. Master Hao, from now on, you will be in charge of his teaching. I will provide the necessary techniques and resources for Song’s cultivation.”

Hao Wenxi quickly agreed. Qi Tian’s willingness to entrust Zhao Song to her signified trust in her abilities. She silently swore to treat Zhao Song as if he were her own direct disciple.

It was not without knowledge and courage that Prince Zhao dared to seek help from Qi Tian. He had investigated the circumstances of Qi Tian and the Imperial Master Mansion through his own channels. Even though he regretted that Qi Tian couldn’t personally instruct his son, being able to have Hao Wenxi, one of the top Mansion Masters of the Imperial Master Mansion, teach his son was an incredible opportunity.