God Weird Fairy

Chapter 450 Yuan Yingqi

Inside the banquet hall of the Yuan Mansion, the lights were on, and incense was burning in the golden lion-shaped incense burner, with wisps of smoke curling like mist and swirling around the carved beams.

Amidst the melodious strains of traditional string and wind instruments, dancers with flowing sleeves and delicate footsteps moved like egrets in the wind—but at this moment, no one appreciated their presence; they were merely embellishments to enhance the atmosphere of the banquet.

After some pleasantries and small talk, Yuan Shida publicly announced for the first time the peace treaty set by Kan Jun: "Kan Jun wishes to hold a merit competition and create a spiritual realm for simulated development. He invites the envoy to be a guest, first ordering each state to hold a talent search, and then inviting the talents from each state to compete with the envoy on the same stage."

Upon hearing this, the other officials present brightened up and perked up.

Whenever a major competition is held, regardless of the specific rules, it's like making a new cake for everyone to share.

After all, being from the same family, as long as a member of the family wins the competition, the prize money can be transferred to the officials in charge of the family and distributed among them.

But the prerequisite is winning the competition.

Therefore, selecting the most suitable contestants from among the family descendants or disciples, according to the specific rules of the competition, is of paramount importance.

All the officials listened intently, while secretly plotting their next move.

Nan Yi frowned intentionally.

He saw through Kan Jun's thoughts at a glance: according to this rule, on the one hand, he could fight against many opponents; on the other hand, the winners of the preliminary rounds in each state would have more practical experience than him.

But as the saying goes, Nan Yi is at the mercy of his host; he can discuss the details, but he can't change the overall situation.

In the end, Nan Yi only made an agreement with Kan Jun remotely through Yuan Shida, that he would temporarily stay in Yuanzhou during the first round of the Merit Competition; after the winner was determined in Yuanzhou, he would go with him to Leiyin City, the capital of Kan Dynasty.

Nan Yi's reasons were also quite valid. He was not an envoy stationed abroad and it was not appropriate for him to stay in Leiyin City for an extended period. If he had to wait until the second round of the Merit Competition to participate, it would be better to stay in Yuanzhou for the time being.

In order to show that the rules of the competition were agreed upon voluntarily by both parties, Kan Jun respected Nan Yi's wishes and naturally agreed to Nan Yi's small request.

Once Yuan Shida received the oral message from the Minister of Ceremonies, relayed through his "telepathic abilities," the matter was settled.

Thus, in the banquet hall of the Yuan residence, amidst the clinking of glasses, everyone began to focus on drinking.

Yuan Shida sat in the main seat, beaming with joy, and frequently raised his glass.

The attending officials echoed this sentiment, and as they became more intoxicated, their conversation grew increasingly heated.

Nan Yi smiled and raised his glass, occasionally offering a toast.

He glanced at the dancers still performing energetically in the hall, seemingly admiring them.

But inadvertently, his gaze swept across the view outside the hall.

…………

The Yuan residence was vast, with countless small courtyards.

One of the side courtyards was where Yuan Shida's fourth son, Yuan Yingqi, lived.

He kept the doors and windows tightly shut, even drawing the curtains.

Here, the noise from the banquet hall is separated by layers of courtyard walls, leaving only faint echoes that can be heard.

Then, a solitary lamp illuminated the simple wooden table in the courtyard.

Yuan Yingqi sat at the table with a plate in front of him containing several slightly cold dishes: half a plate of braised duck, a few pieces of fried lotus root, a bowl of soup with oil floating on top, and a small plate of rice.

It was only when the banquet was halfway through that a servant brought food from the kitchen for them to eat.

Yuan Yingqi ate quietly, his movements were proper, and he chewed each bite carefully, as if even this cold leftover food was worth treating with respect.

He wore a simple blue cloth robe, and his hair was tied in a bun with a plain wooden hairpin, without any adornment. If an uninformed outsider were to see him, they would most likely not realize that he was the son of the governor.

The sixteen-year-old boy was slender with a calm face. There was no resentment in his eyes, only a cool indifference.

He eats very slowly, but he will eventually finish.

Yuan Yingqi put down his chopsticks, tidied up the plates, and placed them outside the door.

He returned to his desk, picked up a book from the side, and the title was clearly visible: it was Yi Ming's "The Legend of the Twin Dragons of Dali".

At this moment, the banquet hall is still brightly lit, and laughter can be faintly heard.

Yuan Yingqi knew that his father, the governor, was drinking and chatting with the author of "The Legend of the Twin Dragons of Dali".

And now, this is the closest he has ever been to Nan Yi.

After today, even if Nan Yi stays in Yuanzhou temporarily, it will be difficult for him to enter the Yuan residence again. Yuan Yingqi's expression remained calm as his fingertips traced the book title, gently turning the pages while silently reciting to himself:

"Anonymous, Yi Ming, Nan Yi. The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Great Tang Dynasty, The Legend of the Twin Dragons of Dali."

After an unknown amount of time, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind, very clearly.

"Huh? What do you want?"

Yuan Yingqi looked up.

There were no outsiders inside.

He remained calm and composed, without the slightest hesitation, and silently said in his heart, "Please help me, fellow villager."

After a moment, Nan Yi chuckled: "Try to multitask and keep your mind calm."

Yuan Yingqi held his breath slightly and continued reading with his head down, only unconsciously clenching the pages a little tighter when turning them.

Soon, Yuan Yingqi's eyes, which had been focused on reading, became blank, as Nan Yi had drawn his mind into the Martial Spirit Realm.

Amidst the swirling white mist, several stone pillars, seemingly supporting the sky and connecting the earth, transformed into a grand hall with the vast starry sea as its dome.

The two stone pillars closest to Yuan Yingqi are inscribed with the large characters: "[The Master Sets an Example and Forges a Golden Palace]" and "[The Flame Burns Forever, Illuminating Immortality]".

Yuan Yingqi glanced at the stone pillar, then looked at Nan Yi, who was sitting on the lotus platform at the head of the table.

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and solemnly said again, "Please help me, fellow villager."

Nan Yi looked at Yuan Yingqi with interest and asked, "How can I help you?"

Under the guidance of "Dongzhen", he already knew that Yuan Yingqi was the fourth son of Yuan Shida.

Although he knew there were many transmigrators in this world, such as the son of Zhenwu under his command, who was from the same hometown, Nan Yi was still slightly surprised. He hadn't expected that the governor's son would also be a transmigrator.

Yuan Yingqi spoke in a deep voice: "I am trapped in the Yuan family mansion, as if I am in a sea of ​​suffering. I only beg you, elder brother, to save me from the Yuan family mansion for the sake of being fellow villagers."

"Of course, if you don't mind, I am willing to serve as a disciple of the martial arts school and do my best. I only ask that you leave me a path to cultivation."

Nan Yi understands Yuan Yingqi's current predicament.

In the Great Li, if a member of a noble family possesses spiritual roots, he is considered a legitimate son and can embark on cultivation after reaching adulthood, enjoying the support and resources of his family.

However, in Kanchao, it was not like that.

The cultivators of the Kan Dynasty refer to spiritual roots as wisdom roots.

Anyone with innate wisdom can embark on the path of spiritual practice.

However, in each generation, only the eldest son of the legitimate wife can receive exclusive favor and enjoy various resources.

The remaining legitimate sons could only cultivate silently, accumulating spiritual power, while using their vital energy to supply the eldest legitimate son and help him cultivate.

Simply put, unless you're the eldest son, you can only be a human battery.

Only when the eldest son makes a mistake, is punished, or even dies, will his cultivation be transferred to the second son.

In other words, Yuan Yingqi, the fourth young master of the Yuan family, can only rise to prominence after all three of his elder brothers have failed.

This probability is extremely low.

Yuan Yingyu, the second young master of the Yuan family, could still hope that Yuan Yingdao would die suddenly.

But the fourth young master, Yuan Yingqi, had no hope at all.

If he weren't a time traveler, given the education he received from childhood, he might have been able to endure the loneliness.

However, after his soul transmigrated, Yuan Yingqi discovered that although he was born with wisdom and had the potential to become extraordinary, he was forced to serve as a human battery under the rules of the Kan Dynasty family, which meant he would almost have to spend his whole life in prison. This caused him to have second thoughts.

Originally, even if he had ulterior motives, he would have had no choice but to obediently go to jail and stay in the side courtyard of the Yuan Mansion, focusing on cultivation as a battery.

One day, Yuan Yingqi unexpectedly learned that a man named Nan Yi from the Southern Li Dynasty had murdered the emperor and seized power, and wanted to take the position of the Grand Preceptor of the Li Dynasty. He had made a pact with the Kan Dynasty to stop the war and would soon be heading north, passing through Yuanzhou.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(End of this chapter)