LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 180
Chapter 180 Why Don’t You Make a Move Now?
The trio invariably attracts attention wherever they go.
Of course, the most compelling part is Qin Bei’s situation, which draws envious gazes.
If people didn’t know Qin Bei’s identity was anything but ordinary, they would surely think he’s just a typical little prince living off others.
Before long, Qin Bei stumbles upon the group of tombstones again.
This time, after Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue set Qin Bei down, they exchanged few words before heading off to collect the soul beads on their own.
Meanwhile, Qin Bei is back there fiddling with two third-level soul beads.
It was just like playing with a pair of walnuts.
Several other talented individuals nearby catch sight of the third-level soul beads in Qin Bei’s hands.
However, everyone merely stares; no one seems eager to take action.
After all, while there’s no specific rule against attacking in the royal mausoleum, no one dares touch the royal family.
After all, this is the royal family’s turf.
If someone were to attack royal family members over soul beads, good luck getting any genius sects to come next time.
It’s precisely because so many share this thought that the atmosphere during the royal mausoleum trials seems quite harmonious.
It’s a stark contrast to the bloody scenes typical of fighting for chances in ordinary secret realms.
There’s hardly any killing, at least for now.
Everyone remains peaceful, with no ulterior motives.
Throughout this day, Qin Bei finds himself doing absolutely nothing.
He’s just having a grand time playing around.
Sometimes when he spots a little deer, Qin Bei even runs off to chase it.
Yet, he doesn’t use his powers at all, moving as a mere mortal.
And just like that, another four days rolled by.
During these four days, Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue exerted every effort to obtain the soul beads.
Qin Bei, the sweetheart that he is, casually told them, “Feel free, I’m just here to play.”
As the days passed, whenever they encountered something similar to the martial arts techniques from Wu Nation, the two would stay behind to comprehend it.
Their gains were evident to the naked eye.
Along with the soul beads they gathered on the first day, they managed to collect a total of fourteen soul beads in five days.
At nearly the same moment, Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue opened their eyes.
Two round, transparent soul beads popped up in their hands.
Exchanging glances, they couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Sixteen now! At this rate, even if my husband doesn’t lift a finger, the three of us should easily enter the inner circle in six days,” Mu Zhaoxue laughed, beaming with joy.
Ji Zhuyue also smiled, her gaze drifting toward Qin Bei, who was busy yelling and chasing after a flock of birds in the distance.
“How can he have so much fun? My husband’s twenty now, and yet he seems like he hasn’t grown up!” Ji Zhuyue shook her head and laughed at the sight.
During these days, Qin Bei not only played like a mortal but resembled a child even more.
When a moth suddenly appeared, Qin Bei dashed two miles in pursuit.
Spying two snails crawling together, he’d pick one up, run 500 meters, then safely set it down while declaring, “I’m making the match for you two; you just aren’t a good fit.”
Whenever he spotted a line of moving ants, Qin Bei would surreptitiously pour a pool of water to block their path, saying, “Heaven has given you this trial, don’t blame me!”
Such antics became commonplace for Qin Bei over these days.
At present, he is actively chasing a flock of flying birds.
It’s apparent that he’s genuinely delighted.
However, both Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue suspect that Emperor Xia, who has high hopes for Qin Bei, might not be quite as pleased right now.
Inside the palace.
Emperor Xia’s mood, just as Mu Zhaoxue had guessed, wasn’t particularly cheerful.
But it also wasn’t terrible.
Given the current circumstances, even if Qin Bei continues to play, as long as Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue remain close by, they can ensure he enters the inner circle.
This sentiment echoed among all the elders present.
Many even believed that Qin Bei was purposely goofing around, well aware of his two wives’ capabilities, allowing Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue to showcase their skills.
Of course, the elders had other thoughts in mind.
Could this mortal curse be real?
Did Emperor Xia actually cast such a spell on Prince Bei?
Otherwise, why hasn’t Qin Bei used his powers even once in all these days?
This leads to growing skepticism.
The eyes turned toward Emperor Xia became increasingly curious.
However, another mystery puzzled the audience: Ji Zhuyue.
How could this maid, who is clearly just a maid, collect two more soul beads than Mu Zhaoxue, the saintess of Wu Nation?
It was then that this group realized an important issue.
The speed at which this maid learned seemed quite absurdly fast.
In a short period, she had surpassed Mu Zhaoxue, who is already at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.
This rapid progression took everyone by surprise.
Emperor Xia noticed this peculiarity.
Looking at Ji Zhuyue, who was seriously comprehending martial arts in the image, he furrowed his brow.
Mu Zhaoxue is the first saintess of Wu Nation.
Although her cultivation talent may not be the best, she certainly shouldn’t be outdone by a mere maid.
Furthermore, Ji Zhuyue’s growth speed was genuinely alarming.
It was significantly faster than Qin Bei’s.
At this moment, Emperor Xia suddenly recalled when Qin Bei insisted on marrying Mu Zhaoxue.
‘Could it be that this little rascal recognized her exceptional nature early on?’
He pondered, believing that Qin Bei had hidden a lot.
However, doubts aside, Emperor Xia had no ulterior motives.
This person is already a princess.
The better her cultivation talent, the more beneficial it is for the royal family.
The only concern was that this individual’s strong talent meant she would only ever be a concubine due to her status.
It’s likely once her power grows, tensions will inevitably arise.
But what’s it to him?
That’s for his son to worry about—doesn’t concern him in the slightest.
Better yet, if the harem became chaotic, he could sit back and enjoy the show of his son’s misfortunes.
“Humph! You rebellious child, the more fun you’re having now, the more headaches you’ll face later!”
With this thought, Emperor Xia found himself drawn back to Qin Bei once again.
It would’ve been better if he hadn’t looked; seeing him stirred his anger anew.
At that moment, Qin Bei was delightfully frolicking with the flock of birds.
…
“Run? Can you even escape? I won’t let you go unless you leave your aunts and uncles behind today!”
Qin Bei yelled angrily at the birds taking flight in unison.
Just moments ago, this group of birds had the audacity to relieve themselves on him!
Qin Bei had only just learned how to use a slingshot; how could he endure this?
Grabbing the slingshot, he flung a small stone out of his hand.
Pah!
The sound of the leather whipping through the air resonated.
Qin Bei didn’t even need to look up to know…
He missed…
A feather gradually floated down in front of him, as if mocking him for failing to bring down even one bird after shooting at all of them.
Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue, who happened to be passing by, witnessed the entire spectacle.
Qin Bei was utterly humiliated.
Could he possibly let this slide?
He had to reclaim his honor right then and there.
Originally not planning to use his powers and hoping to “return to simplicity,” Qin Bei found himself using them in the next moment.
Clutching the slingshot, forget the pebbles! He’d use the soul beads as bullets instead.
With a third-level soul bead perched on the slingshot, the sight made Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue exchange tense looks from a distance.
“Don’t!…”
But it was too late for their warning; he pulled the bowstring taut, and there was no going back now.
The third-level soul bead had already been launched.
Pah-pah-pah!
A series of impacts echoed.
The birds that had circled over Qin Bei just moments ago scattered in an instant.
However, no matter how fast they reacted, they were still just ordinary birds.
Once Qin Bei unleashed his powers, he brought down more than a dozen of them.
They all landed at his feet.
One of them was the very bird that kept taunting him.
“Humph! How dare you defecate and provoke me! Don’t think you can act carelessly just because you can fly!” Qin Bei growled as he bent down to gather the fallen birds.
When Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue finally rushed over, Qin Bei looked at them in confusion.
“What was that just now?”
Mu Zhaoxue:…
Ji Zhuyue:…
“Husband, what did you use to shoot the birds just now?”
“Oh, a slingshot? It works wonderfully,” Qin Bei said proudly while holding up the slingshot.
“And what did you use instead of pebbles?”
“Uh…”
Qin Bei scratched the back of his head, suddenly realizing why the two looked that way.
So it turned out this was the root of the issue.
“No… it’s fine, I can still find them; I’ll go search right now.”
Seeing his mistake, Qin Bei rushed off to make it right.
Yet when the trio found the fallen soul beads, they were all taken aback.
For the soul beads were shattered…
Broken into several pieces…
“Damn! Fake!”
The first thought that popped into Qin Bei’s mind upon seeing the shards was that they were fakes.
“I can’t believe there are fakes even in the royal mausoleum! This is truly unforgivable! Don’t let me find out who prepared those fakes; I’ll have them on three legs!” Qin Bei seethed.
But then he noticed something was off.
Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue next to him regarded him with strange expressions.
How to put it?
It was as though they were looking at a mentally challenged teenager…
Quite vexing indeed.
“Husband, are you in a fog? This is a soul bead; it’s naturally quite fragile. There’s only a weak trace of soul power inside. How could it survive your use? It would be odd if it didn’t break,” Mu Zhaoxue replied, utterly speechless.
“Huh? Is that so?”
Qin Bei was taken aback; he really hadn’t realized soul beads were this delicate.
“Well, we’re down to fifteen soul beads now,” Mu Zhaoxue said, a hint of resignation in her voice.
Originally, obtaining soul beads was already difficult, and now Qin Bei had gone and wasted one.
If he weren’t her husband, Mu Zhaoxue might’ve chased him away.
“I… I really didn’t expect these soul beads to be fragile.”
Qin Bei spoke awkwardly, feeling quite guilty.
After all, these soul beads weren’t his doing—their acquisition was solely the result of Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue’s hard work.
And here he had inadvertently destroyed them.
“It’s… it’s fine, don’t be hard on yourself. It’s just one soul bead, after all. As long as we find the right tomb group, it should just take a few extra hours,” Ji Zhuyue noticed Qin Bei’s guilt and chimed in to comfort him.
After all, they still had five days remaining.
With some additional effort, collecting another fifteen third-level soul beads wouldn’t be a challenge.
However, her reassurances failed to shift the stricken look on Qin Bei’s face.
He glanced at Ji Zhuyue and awkwardly displayed the few remaining soul beads in his possession.
“Well… um, it seems I wrapped ten soul beads in spiritual energy and shot them out all at once…”
Looking at the four soul beads left in Qin Bei’s hands, Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue were utterly stunned.
You look at me, I look at you.
Neither could quite grasp the reality of what they were witnessing.
“Ten… ten?”
…
In the palace.
A group of elders in the attic had been keeping a watchful eye on Qin Bei.
After this incident unfolded, all attention again focused back on him.
“Rascal!”
A voice of outrage reverberated.
Everyone turned to the location beneath the throne.
The Ninth Prince, Qin Rui, pointed at the image before him, trembling with anger.
Emperor Xia, seated at the forefront, looked at the Ninth Prince in his furious state and felt oddly less irked.
“Didn’t my brother quite fancy this prince of mine? I heard you invited him to your auction house to chat? You promised to hang out together more often. What’s gone wrong now?”
When the Ninth Prince was angry, Emperor Xia felt amused.
It was strange; it seemed Qin Bei’s blunder this time didn’t seem so severe.
“I always thought he was merely a fun-loving slacker like me, but I had no idea he was this much of a liability! Your Majesty really ought to remind Prince Bei that this isn’t acceptable. Even if he doesn’t learn from you, he can certainly learn from me. Although I indulge in pleasure, I don’t commit blunders!”
The Ninth Prince arrogantly asserted, as if it were his life motto.
“Why not let His Majesty pull him out? I’ll take him to my estate—they should teach him how to be a competent and carefree prince.”
The Ninth Prince assumed Emperor Xia would be furious and thus employed a strategic retreat, believing their goals aligned—aiming to be nothing but a luxury-loving prince.
He saw this as a golden opportunity to help Qin Bei.
“Ha! You think quite highly of yourself!”
Emperor Xia sneered.
With such trivial schemes, he couldn’t be bothered to expose the Ninth Prince.
“He made his own choices and must face the consequences. No one shall assist him.”
Emperor Xia remarked coldly.
Yet, another idea flickered in the back of his mind.
Surely Qin Bei would act at some point, right?
He was almost worked up; at this critical juncture, he couldn’t just sit there, sulking, and refrain from taking action.
However, as Emperor Xia was mulling that over, the beast lion down below suddenly interjected, “Your Majesty, there are only five days until the inner circle opens. Collecting thirty soul beads in that time is obviously impossible. Why not open the barrier and let me inform the Beast Clan to secretly provide some soul beads to Prince Bei? That way, we ensure he can enter the inner circle. If he fails to enter, the reputation of the genius young hero could be at stake, leaving only the title of a pleasure-seeking slacker, which would be a disgrace to the royal family’s reputation.”
Emperor Xia stole a glance at the beast lion.
The sincerity in his demeanor made him think that had he not known the entire Beast Control Sect had betrayed the country, he might have believed his words.
If they followed the beast lion’s idea, it wouldn’t merely tarnish Qin Bei’s reputation—it would implicate the emperor too.
Even a minor admission issue was something Emperor Xia was keen on avoiding.
“I have always advocated that young people fight for their own opportunities. We elderly should refrain from meddling,” he asserted.
“Moreover, my son does not require any special privileges. He’ll seize his opportunities himself!”
Emperor Xia stated in a calm tone.
But to those present, it sounded more like a warning.
Older generations should not influence the younger generation’s competition for chances.
This principle had always been emphasized by Emperor Xia.
If the old folks were to intervene in every little thing, the younger generation might as well stay cooped up at home and let the old-timers fight it out.