It is said that when the Crown Prince of Northern Liang was born, Auspicious signs filled the sky, and mysterious visitors arrived at the imperial palace one after another, all without exception coming to offer congratulations.

Wang Xusui held the newborn who hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, calmly watching as the white-robed figure placed down gifts and vanished on the spot. The table was filled with various rare treasures, including even a pair of dragon horns.

Liang Hua sat by the bed with mixed feelings of joy and worry, hanging his head as he poked his son’s face, “Ah Xu, Zhen is a bit scared, it feels like a dream.”

Wang Xusui responded with a wooden face. “What the hell are you afraid of?”

The late Emperor Liang Cong had governed diligently and was genuinely a wise and enlightened ruler, but he was somewhat short-lived, working himself to death. Liang Hua fought his way through numerous princes to victory, and the first thing he did was marry the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army. For this he endured countless criticisms, angering even the Empress Dowager Cui who prayed and recited Buddhist scriptures in the palace, and infuriating Wen Zong to the point he nearly crashed into the coiled dragon pillars of the Imperial Hall.

But Liang Hua remained stubborn, even letting Wang Xusui not take any concubines—although in his earlier years he had been too wild, he had never brought anyone into his residence, and shamelessly boasted about keeping himself pure.

When they first met, Wang Xusui had ridden a warhorse and chased him from the northern to the southern border of the North Frontier, from that moment he had vowed to marry no one else.

Now although he had married her and had a child, this child seemed quite extraordinary from birth.

“What immortal emperor nonsense, I’ve never heard of it, Zhen doesn’t believe it,” Liang Hua squeezed onto the bed, picked up the baby to play with, exclaiming in surprise. “Ah Xu, he has an ugly birthmark on his bottom.”

Then he was kicked from the bed to the doorway by Wang Xusui with one foot.

The Crown Prince had an extremely noble fate, and under the guidance of an expert, he was named Liang Ye, which angered Liang Hua so much he couldn’t eat for a day.

“Listen to this, it’s simply outrageous, this name is fated to overcome his father.”

Then he was kicked far away by Wang Xusui’s foot again.

The palace was clean, his parents loving, and Liang Ye’s childhood passed without worry and full of color. His mother Wang Xusui was an extraordinary person, knowing people from all corners of the world. Often masters would come to drink and compete in martial arts with his mother, and he would sit obediently beside his father, cheering for his mother.

Two people frequently accompanied him: one called Nanny Tao and one called Qiu Gan. Nanny Tao’s cooking skills amazed Liang Ye, while Qiu Gan’s most common task was carrying the Crown Prince flying around the imperial palace. By the age of five, Liang Ye had visited the entire palace and defeated all opponents in cricket fighting throughout the court.

When Liang Ye was six years old, his mother ignored his and his father’s tearful eyes and once again donned armor to go to the battlefield, fighting until Loufan cried for their fathers and mothers. When she returned victorious, Liang Ye was already eight years old. He hugged his mother’s legs and cried, while his father kicked him aside and carried his mother into the palace.

Liang Ye sat on the wall crying with deep sighs, crying so hard that Wang Xusui kicked Liang Hua into the lotus pond.

His mother had originally been the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier, and after this battle, she earned the civilian title of “Goddess of War.” With his mother handling external affairs and his father internal affairs, they worked diligently to create a golden age. As a member of this family, Liang Ye felt considerable pressure.

Perhaps because Liang Hua found his crying too annoying, he found an extremely strict master for him. Yue Jingming’s stern face could give Liang Ye nightmares for days, but fortunately his martial uncle was nice and would take him outside the palace for strolls and baked flatbread when he cried.

Liang Ye practiced martial arts and cultivation with Yue Jingming while studying with Wen Zong. When bored, Wang Xusui would also grab him to teach military tactics. Liang Hua, not wanting to follow in Liang Cong’s footsteps, very much wanted him to take over Northern Liang early so he could travel the four nations with his mother. Liang Ye was as busy as a spinning top, and finally his rebellious heart arose. He ran to play in the burial grounds and accidentally brought back a child.

Before Liang Hua and Wang Xusui had a chance to give him a younger brother, Liang Ye had found a brother himself and insisted on raising him. The entire palace could hear the Crown Prince’s wailing.

With no choice, Liang Hua and Wang Xusui had to agree. Liang Ye named the child Chong Heng himself, reportedly by randomly pointing at two characters in a book.

However, such a young child couldn’t accompany Liang Ye in his studies, so in the end, he was left with Liang Hua and Wang Xusui to raise. Liang Ye didn’t miss out on any of the hardships he was supposed to endure, but fortunately Wen Zong showed great mercy and found a few study companions for him.

Wen Zong’s two students, one called Qi Ming and one called Baili Cheng’an, along with Jiao Yanwen’s son Jiao Yan who was pushed in to gain experience, and the Eastern Chen princess Shen Yueli who came to visit, saw Liang Ye and refused to leave. Relying on the relationship between Cui Yuxian and Eastern Chen, she also stayed in the palace to study together.

The group was of similar age and quite curious, none of them being well-behaved. Every few days they would stir up some trouble, angering Wen Zong to no end.

In the blink of an eye, the Crown Prince had grown to seventeen years old.

“Your Highness, let’s go!” Jiao Yan and Qi Ming perched on the wall and waved to him.

Liang Ye glanced at Qiu Gan standing guard outside, gesturing for them to be quiet. He crouched down to look at Chong Heng, warning him with a pointing finger, “Play nicely here, I’ll bring you candy when I come back.”

“Brother, I want to go too,” Chong Heng tugged at his clothes and nibbled on his fingers.

“You cannot follow. I’m going to do important things,” Liang Ye pinched his cheeks and threatened fiercely, “Otherwise I’ll let Mother take you to the Northern Frontier to eat sand.”

Chong Heng, with unclear speech as he sucked on a candy, shook his head, “Brother, I want to find Father.”

“Father is reviewing memorials in the study. In a while, you can have Qiu Gan take you there.” Liang Ye patted his head and nimbly climbed out through the window.

Chong Heng stood at the window on tiptoes wanting to follow, but was scooped up from behind and placed on someone’s shoulders.

“Qiu Gan, find brother,” Chong Heng pointed at the window, indicating to him.

“His Highness should occasionally go out to relax,” Qiu Gan steadied him. “Your Highness, shall I take you horseback riding?”

“Yes!” Chong Heng nodded vigorously.

Liang Ye climbed down from the wall. Jiao Yan and Qi Ming pulled him toward the dog hole.

“Hurry, hurry! Cheng’an made a bet with someone, and that person lost and is now looking for trouble. He’s already brought people to block the gate!” Qi Ming ran the fastest.

“I say his temperament is too gentle. This kind of person should just be beaten!” Jiao Yan raised his fist, the silver armor ornament on his forehead reflecting dazzling light. “Beat him until he cries for his parents.”

“Enough of that, Shen Yueli must have already gone to be the beautiful hero-rescuer,” Liang Ye lazily yawned and said to the two, “Dare to bet with me? I’m sure she’s the one behind this.”

“That can’t be, right?” Qi Ming frowned.

“It’s not impossible,” Jiao Yan hit his fist, “She sticks to Cheng’an every day. Last time when people from Eastern Chen came to take her back, she refused to go.”

“As a princess, it’s not really appropriate for her to stay here for so long,” Liang Ye followed them through the dog hole, then stood up elegantly and patted his clothes. “Cheng’an has the world in his heart; he definitely won’t go to Eastern Chen to be a consort.”

“Are you and Cheng’an going to take the imperial examination this year?” Jiao Yan nudged Qi Ming.

“Yes, maybe Cheng’an can bring back the title of top scholar,” Qi Ming said with a smile.

“If it weren’t for His Highness getting us drunk two years ago, you two could have taken the exam earlier,” Jiao Yan loved to stir up trouble.

“You blame me for your poor alcohol tolerance?” Liang Ye said in shock. “That’s not how you frame someone. At worst, I’ll take the exam with you this year.”

Qi Ming laughed heartily, and Jiao Yan wrestled with Liang Ye in a bundle. Soon the three of them rode horses and found Baili Cheng’an and Shen Yueli at Yingsufang, which was as noisy as ever.

Sure enough, Shen Yueli stood in front of Baili Cheng’an with a whip, facing a gorgeously dressed young lady. “Baili Cheng’an, are you even a man! Hiding behind her, what kind of skill is that! Step aside for this county princess!”

Shen Yueli refused to yield, shielding the young man behind her. “You’ve finally come. Are you bullying the Baili family for having no one? How has Cheng’an offended you?”

Liang Ye and the others quietly circled around to Baili Cheng’an’s side.

“How did you provoke this ancestor again?” Liang Ye folded his arms, watching the county princess’s overbearing manner with an expression that showed he enjoyed the spectacle.

Baili Cheng’an smiled bitterly and helplessly, “I just helped her pick up a handkerchief.”

“All romantic entanglements! Brother Baili, count how many this makes this year?” Jiao Yan said sourly, “Why don’t these good things ever happen to me?”

“If it happened to you, you’d run faster than a rabbit,” Qi Ming put his arm around his neck and winked at everyone. “What should we do?”

As they were thinking of bad ideas, Liang Ye suddenly sensed a strange gaze. He turned his head vigilantly to look but only caught sight of the hem of a robe.

“Hey, Your Highness, where are you going?” Jiao Yan tried to stop him but failed.

With a few leaps, Liang Ye flew and landed in a secluded alley. He frowned vigilantly while scanning his surroundings, raising his hand to touch the soft sword at his waist.

A cool breath brushed past his ear. Just as he was about to grab the sword hilt, someone from behind seized his wrist. The tremendous force pulled his arm forward. Following the momentum, he spun around sharply and kicked at the opponent.

But he kicked nothing.

The person had mysteriously circled behind him again, once more blocking his attempt to draw his sword, laughing softly. “Is this all the skill you have?”

Liang Ye’s heart burned with anger. He struck back with an elbow, but the opponent gracefully dodged, then frivolously and intimately embraced him from behind, bending down to plant a kiss on his neck.

Liang Ye stared in shock, shouting angrily, “Presumptuous!!”

In all his years, no one had ever dared to take such liberties with him. It was absolutely outrageous!

The other person lowered his gaze to stare at Liang Ye’s reddened neck and ears, about to laugh when the soft sword wrapped around his arm. He was forced to release his grip but still lost most of his robe, revealing dark blue-black skin underneath.

Liang Ye held his sword across his body, finally seeing the other person clearly. He appeared to be half a head taller than himself, wearing a pitch-black robe with half of a blue fanged ghost mask on his face. Behind the mask, a pair of dark, deep eyes examined him frivolously and wantonly, like a cold, sticky snake tongue adhering to his body.

“Ah,” the person sighed inexplicably, then smiled. “The Human Emperor becoming immortal is terribly boring. Liang Ye, why not reject this path?”

Liang Ye stared at him coldly and demanded harshly, “Who exactly are you?”

A malicious, twisted smile appeared on that half-face that looked extremely similar to his own. “Of course… I am the one who will destroy your cultivation.”