OL CH2

Chapter 2: Counterattack of the Disabled General (2)

Seeing the group’s aggressive stance, Bai Su knew things wouldn’t end peacefully today, but he remained calm and unyielding.

Taking things as they came, he focused his gaze on every arrogant face flaunting their power before him, burning their features into his memory while a dark, thick ink of suppressed emotion seeped into his heart.

Before anyone could spout another word, Bai Su suddenly felt a heavy weight drop onto one side of his shoulder.

A figure had suddenly appeared beside him. The newcomer gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before speaking directly to the Fifth Prince: “This Prince would very much like to see what wisdom the Fifth Prince has to offer my friend.”

A smile played on Chen Tian’s lips, yet anyone meeting his eyes could feel the biting frost within them.

Facing Chen Tian, a chill ran down the Fifth Prince’s spine. He hastily lowered his head and offered a salute: “U-Uncle!”

To tell the truth, in all of Xiling, the person Fifth Prince Situ Chen feared the most wasn’t his imperial father, but this wildly unpredictable uncle of his.

Though to outsiders, Prince Ning, Situ Chenye, appeared to be nothing more than an idle, carefree royal, Situ Chen knew privately that his father held the Prince of Ning in incredibly high regard.

This uncle was the late Emperor’s youngest child, born in his twilight years. Just a few years after his birth, the late Emperor passed away. However, the child inexplicably caught the current Emperor’s fancy and was raised directly by him—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was raised as half a son.

Prince Ning had been exceptionally brilliant since childhood. Before the age of ten, he was hailed as a child prodigy, mastering both literary and martial arts. Yet as he grew older, he seemed to lose his ambition to frivolous pastimes, showing zero interest in power or politics upon reaching adulthood.

A few years ago, the Emperor seemingly grew tired of watching Prince Ning wander the realm enjoying the mountains and rivers, and directly decreed that he instruct several of the younger princes in horsemanship and martial arts.

At first, the princes hadn’t taken it seriously. After all, Prince Ning usually portrayed himself as a carefree, romantic soul who loved poetry and wine. But once the lessons began, they experienced firsthand just how vile the man’s temperament truly was.

The “instruction” process was pure agony—he regularly drilled them until they collapsed like dead dogs. But that wasn’t even the worst part; this uncle possessed an endless arsenal of sadistic methods to torment them, leaving them utterly miserable.

Yet, undeniably, their martial arts skills genuinely improved, stripping them of any valid excuse to complain to their imperial father.

Fortunately, after just a few months, this uncle of theirs ran off to Jiangnan to sightsee, flagrantly skipping out on his teaching duties, prompting the Emperor to finally assign them new instructors.

However, those short few months had cast a lifelong shadow over the princes, becoming a traumatic past they couldn’t bear to look back on.

Even though years had passed, the Fifth Prince’s legs still felt a bit weak whenever he saw this uncle.

“I had no idea the Heir Apparent was Royal Uncle’s friend. Chen’er was reckless and spoke out of turn; I beg Royal Uncle and the Heir Apparent’s forgiveness.”

The Fifth Prince wasn’t one to stubbornly refuse to bend. A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. More importantly, this uncle could make him suffer immensely, so he hurried to apologize.

Yet, even with the Fifth Prince backing down, Chen Tian had no intention of letting them off the hook so easily.

Having heard 009 gather intelligence from the surrounding conversations in the garden, Chen Tian smiled and said, “This Prince heard that after whatever trivial poetry gathering you’re holding, you were planning to head to the training grounds for a martial arts and archery competition. Is this true?”

The Fifth Prince nodded, unsure how his uncle knew of this. However, picking up on the tone of his uncle’s words, he wasn’t entirely stupid.

Knowing he couldn’t dodge it, Situ Chen quickly went with the flow: “Royal Uncle, this poetry gathering is honestly rather dull. Competing at the training grounds is much more thrilling. I wonder if Royal Uncle might be interested in joining us to offer some pointers?”

Chen Tian nodded, seemingly satisfied with the boy’s tact. He then turned to Bai Su, asking warmly, “Would the Heir Apparent do me the honor of accompanying this Prince?”

Now, he finally stood face-to-face with Bai Su, taking in his lover’s appearance in this lifetime completely.

The current Bai Su shared a seven-tenths resemblance to his original divine soul, though he was taller and overly emaciated. His handsome features lacked a touch of their former delicate refinement, replaced by a sharp, battle-hardened edge.

Yet those familiar, large, single-lidded eyes remained unchanged, forever the most captivating feature. The slightly upturned outer corners should have added a hint of allure, but because his irises were a deep, inky black and his expression was overwhelmingly cold, he appeared distant and unapproachable instead.

These were the eyes he had kissed countless times. In the past, whenever those eyes looked at him, they brimmed with tender love, soothing his anxious heart and giving him a place to call home.

No matter what changes occurred, in Chen Tian’s heart, his lover was always the most perfect. But quickly, he noticed a deep scar on the right side of his jaw, partially hidden by shadows. Chen Tian’s pupils constricted sharply, though he could only quickly rein in his emotions.

Hearing this, Bai Su cast a rather odd glance at the man opposite him. He nodded, then offered a formal bow, his voice raspy: “I thank Your Highness for the invitation.”

That slightly hoarse tone brushed against the man’s heart like a soft feather. His fingers twitching slightly, Chen Tian offered a gentle smile and gestured politely for his beloved to lead the way. The group then set off toward the training grounds.

Those informed of the detour to the training grounds felt a nervous flutter in their stomachs. In truth, Bai Su—the one being protected—was hardly calm himself.

Turning his head to steal a glance at Chen Tian’s profile, his body involuntarily tensed further.

It wasn’t that he had never seen Prince Ning before. Though they hadn’t interacted, he had caught glimpses of him in the imperial court. Yet meeting him again now, something felt distinctly different from before.

He knew Prince Ning was exceptionally handsome, possessing an elegant, dashing, and untethered grace. But he hadn’t realized that up close, the man wielded such a soul-stealing charm. He had merely offered a perfectly ordinary smile, yet it sent a tingling numbness spreading from the tip of Bai Su’s heart through his entire body.

The sensation was so alien that Bai Su didn’t know how to react for a moment. Thankfully, his mental fortitude was strong enough that he quickly recovered. Noticing that Chen Tian had deliberately slowed his pace to match his limp, a wave of warmth washed over his heart.

Though he didn’t know why Prince Ning was helping him, he willingly accepted the goodwill and would carve this debt of gratitude into his memory.

Trailing behind the group, Bai Feizhang witnessed this scene, his face nearly twisting with jealous hatred.

Days ago, he had subtly hinted to the Fifth Prince that holding a poetry gathering during the autumn banquet would be a splendid idea, entirely aiming to use the occasion to steal the limelight.

To that end, he had burned the midnight oil for two straight nights, desperately trying to recall every autumn-themed poem he had learned before transmigrating. By passing them off as his own, he was certain he could astound the entire audience.

He had been in this world for three years, scheming exhaustively just to gain a foothold in the Marquis estate. Now, he had finally managed to cling to the thigh of this world’s male lead, the Fifth Prince, earning his appreciation. Because of this, he desperately needed a stage to shine brilliantly at the autumn banquet and build a sterling reputation.

Who could have predicted that this Prince Ning would ruin his entire master plan with just a few airy words!

Lowering his eyes, Bai Feizhang fought hard to mask the fury burning in his chest. He watched as the man, who had just exuded such overbearing authority, instantly melted into a gentle spring breeze the moment he turned to his so-called elder brother.

How could he not be jealous? How could he not hate him?

He truly couldn’t fathom it. Bai Su was already a disfigured cripple; why was he still able to catch the eye of such a powerful noble?

But so what? The title of Heir Apparent would belong to him sooner or later!

Before long, the group arrived at the martial arts training ground.

The imperial villa was primarily designed for leisure. Naturally, it didn’t just feature flower gardens; this so-called training ground was actually another venue for noble scions to amuse themselves, occasionally hosting cuju matches.

Once everyone settled in, Chen Tian simply ordered them to pair up and spar freely, providing absolutely no rules or structure.

With Prince Ning giving the order, their previous plans were entirely scrapped. Since this was an impromptu event replacing the poetry gathering, the crowd wasn’t massive.

Most of the people who had organized the poetry gathering followed them here, leaving those who came specifically for the poetry event empty-handed. However, autumn banquets rarely had fixed itineraries; guests wandered as they pleased. Once the evening feast began, everyone would return to the grand hall anyway.

At the training ground, Chen Tian was the highest authority. He pulled Bai Su directly to the seat of honor alongside him, settling in comfortably to watch the group spar. He even ordered attendants to bring fresh fruit and pastries. Paying no mind to anyone else, he ate cheerfully, occasionally feeding Bai Su directly.

Unable to refuse, Bai Su could only accept the fruit and pastries handed to him, chewing slowly. Occasionally, he watched with quiet novelty as the man personally poured him a cup of tea, marveling internally that this royal prince truly had no airs about him whatsoever.

The “airless” Chen Tian shot a frigid glare at the Fifth Prince, who was trying to inch closer, forcing the boy to obediently take a seat lower down.

Noticing the kid constantly stealing glances at him, Chen Tian figured the boy was probably salivating over his food. Deadpan, he painstakingly fished out two tiny, unripe green grapes from a massive platter of dark, luscious ones, tossed in a few other fruits Bai Su disliked, and had an attendant serve them over.

Situ Chen looked utterly aggrieved but didn’t dare utter a word of complaint. Yet keeping quiet wasn’t an option either; he still had to thank him. After expressing his gratitude and popping a grape into his mouth, the Fifth Prince’s entire face scrunched up uncontrollably.

So sour!

Catching this scene, a hint of a smile leaked into Bai Su’s eyes. He hadn’t expected the esteemed Prince Ning to possess such a childish, amusing side in private.

Leaving aside the harmonious atmosphere between Chen Tian and Bai Su, the sparring in the arena below was blazing hot.

Most of these noble scions had practiced martial arts. Considering this a prime opportunity to show off, every single one of them put their backs into it.

After all, whether they earned the Fifth Prince’s appreciation or caught Prince Ning’s eye, having a good word put in for them before the Emperor could only bring benefits. Thus, even Bai Feizhang, who considered martial combat crude, stepped into the ring.

No matter what, he belonged to the Marquis of Zhongyong’s estate and had practiced martial arts these past few years. Furthermore, as a transmigrator and a chosen child of heaven, he felt certain his skills were impressive, especially since none of the servants in the Marquis estate could ever beat him.

But Bai Feizhang forgot one crucial detail: the servants in the estate didn’t dare fight him for real and deliberately lost to flatter him. These noble scions, who were his equals or even outranked him, would absolutely not pull their punches.

Yet no matter how hard they tried, Chen Tian found it utterly boring.

Even the descendants of military families among them had unrefined, sloppy skills. It was completely unwatchable.

To Chen Tian, watching them was no different from watching performing monkeys.

However, when Bai Feizhang—the one who had schemed against his precious treasure earlier—took a brutal punch to the nose from a burly man, resulting in a black eye and twin streams of blood gushing down his face, Chen Tian changed his mind.

Tsk, tsk. So ugly! Watching him is worse than watching monkeys!