Chapter 65: Chapter 65 : A Parasitic Pet

A week later, Lady Song and Zhang Zhiyuan went to visit the Wuyang Palace with a lot of betrothal gifts. Although both palaces had agreed on the match, custom dictated that there must be a certain waiting period between the steps starting from the courting to the wedding.

Zhang Fengxi was grateful for the waiting period, because he was currently stuck in a serious predicament.

"Huff...!!! Huff...!!!"

"Prince Zhang Fengxi, what’s wrong?"

Commandant Jiang helped his student up. They had just been training for an hour but then his usually so formidable student became so exhausted that he literally fell during a practice duel.

Zhang Fengxi struggled to maintain consciousness.

"I am... fine," he choked out although he was far from being fine.

Having a Gu Worm inside one’s body was like having a pet that one could not discipline. The Gu Worm did not follow Zhang Fengxi’s resting pattern. It kept slithering around and prevented Zhang Fengxi from falling asleep.

If that was not bad enough, it was a particularly gluttonous worm. Zhang Fengxi guessed that it must be quite fat at the moment from all the blood that it already drank.

Just as Zhang Fengxi lamented his poor luck, his father chose the time to check on his progress.

"What is wrong, Fengxi? Have you lost your motivation?"

Zhang Fengxi’s head snapped upward in alarm.

Commandant Jiang cupped his hands at the Longjing Palace Master.

"Greetings to Longjing Palace Master."

Zhang Zhiyuan dismissed Commandant Jiang with a hand wave.

"The one-year time is slowly approaching. Do you still remember, Fengxi?"

Zhang Fengxi exhaled.

"Yes, Father, I remember."

Zhang Zhiyuan furrowed his brows at his son.

"Are you alright? You look pale."

"I am fine."

That was what he said, but he couldn’t even stand up.

"For goodness sake, Fengxi. What happened to you?"

Zhang Zhiyuan dragged his son to his feet.

"Was Commandant Jiang’s training too harsh for you?"

"No, I..."

"I just have a freaking blood-sucking parasite in my body, Father," was what Zhang Fengxi wanted, but was unable to say out loud.

Instead, he asked, "Are you looking for me, Father? What is it?"

Zhang Zhiyuan initially hesitated to speak, but then he said what he wanted to say.

"Last night, the blood moon was seen above the sky. There is some yet-to-be-identified disruption in the demonic realm. The Emperor already sent out a troop to mitigate the unfavorable situation. If it doesn’t work, we might have to go to a war."

Zhang Fengxi’s blood ran cold in his veins.

The war.

The war between the heavenly realm and the demonic realm was happening soon.

This war marked the first tragedy in Zhang Fengxi’s life. It was the war where he lost his father and was later crowned as Longjing Palace Master.

Zhang Fengxi grabbed his father’s arms.

"No," he said. "Father, I am not ready yet."

Zhang Zhiyuan gave his son a puzzled look, and then he burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! You don’t need to be ready! I have to! Hahahahaha!"

Zhang Fengxi gritted his teeth.

That was not it.

He was not ready to lose his father.

"I want to join the war," he said.

Zhang Zhiyuan shot his son a doubtful gaze.

"Fengxi, this is no children’s playground! You haven’t even reached your twentieth year yet!"

"The Crown Prince is participating, doesn’t he?

"..."

Zhang Zhiyuan’s mouth fell open.

"How did you..."

"He is only seventeen!" Zhang Fengxi argued. "If he can participate, why can’t I?"

Zhang Zhiyuan did not know where Zhang Fengxi got the information about Xie Jianyu’s participation, but he had to clear something up for his son.

"The Crown Prince participates because we need him to use Azure Dragon’s Annihilation," he explained.

In Zhang Fengxi’s last life, it was the combined forces of all Four Divine Beasts Skills that successfully ended the war and drove the demons back to their realm. The cultivation manuals for those skills were allocated to the corresponding palaces hundreds of years ago.

Though technically anyone could master the skills, the synchronization between certain clan members and certain skills had been crucial to reach their last and thus ultimate moves.

"I can do White Tiger’s Wrath!" Zhang Fengxi volunteered.

"I will do it, not you," Zhang Zhiyuan furrowed his brows at his son. "Fengxi, you chose to cultivate the path of spears anyway. You have no use for White Tiger’s Wrath."

For once, Zhang Fengxi regretted abandoning swordsmanship.

"Fine," he said. "Then I will join with a spear."

"You don’t even have a proper spear, Fengxi," Zhang Zhiyuan sighed. "I need to commission one for you. But that’s only when you are truly serious about spearsmanship."

"I am."

"Prove it."

"Anytime, Father," Zhang Fengxi said, although a small voice in his heart was screaming for him to stop talking.

Zhang Zhiyuan hummed.

"I have decided on your opponent. It will be Prince Jiang Muchen from Shuiran Palace."

Zhang Fengxi’s face darkened.

The mother infected him with a Gu Worm, and now he had to fight against the son. If he did not know better, he would think that this was a ploy to make him lose.

"Do you know why I picked him? Prince Jiang Muchen has recently made a grand accomplishment. He led a group from Shuiran Palace to annihilate some demons at the realm borders. Afterward, he managed to bring back some Bitter Nightshade Roots for the Grand Tutor. It is a powerful ingredient to make first-grade qi-strengthening pills. The Grand Tutor is very pleased."

The Bitter Nightshade Roots were wild plants that only grew at the borders between the human realm and the demonic realm. During the night, it was bathed in the demonic realm’s Yin energy. During the day, it absorbed the human realm’s Yang energy.

These plants were very powerful. They also happened to be useful for Zhang Fengxi at the moment.

What a golden opportunity.

"Fine," Zhang Fengxi said. "When can we fight?"

Zhang Zhiyuan stared at his son. Speak about eating more than the stomach could digest.

The moment Zhang Zhiyuan let go of his son’s body, the latter started to stagger. Zhang Fengxi groaned like an old man.

"Aiyah. You are not feeling well today. Just continue training tomorrow. I will ask your mother to take care of you and make you some soup."

No, he didn’t need any soup.

He needed to teach Xie Jianshen a lesson.

Clawing into his father’s arm, Zhang Fengxi said, "Three days from now, Father. Please convey the message to Shuiran Palace."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay