NOVEL WEB Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Liu Bowen: The Crown Prince Is Still Alive!
…
Whoosh!
As this voice rang out, a very excited Zhu Biao rushed out from the wooden dummy post. Liu Bowen looked in that direction, and when his eyes fell on Zhu Biao, they widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince …” he murmured.
On the other side, Zhu Biao, who had just excitedly run from the wooden dummy post towards Xuanwu Lake, suddenly halted when he saw Liu Bowen sitting opposite Zhu Xuanji. His expression mirrored Liu Bowen’s shock, clearly not expecting to see him here. This was too unexpected!
“Mr. Liu! How are you here?” Zhu Biao asked, knowing that Liu Bowen had seen him and not planning to hide.
He walked forward, and Liu Bowen, standing up, looked at Zhu Biao with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. “Your Highness the Crown Prince! You … you are not … What is going on?”
Even with Liu Bowen’s brilliance and foresight, seeing Zhu Biao, who should have been long dead, alive and well, left him immensely shocked. Zhu Biao approached, gently supporting Liu Bowen’s arm to prevent him from bowing.
With emotion, Zhu Biao said, “Mr. Liu, no need for such courtesy! Currently, I am no longer the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. I am just a cultivator in these mountains, known as Wangchen. My return to life is all thanks to Xuanji!”
Hearing this, Liu Bowen was greatly astonished! Although he had suspected that the Crown Prince Zhu Biao’s resurrection might be related to Xuanji Zi, hearing the confirmation from Zhu Biao’s own mouth was still deeply shocking. This revelation was beyond his imagination, far exceeding his expectations and predictions. He had considered the possibility of Xuanji Zi’s boundless abilities, but he never imagined that Xuanji Zi could have the divine power to resurrect someone!
“This is a long story,” Zhu Biao continued, “but there’s no need to go into detail. Mr. Liu, why are you here?”
Liu Bowen explained his purpose for coming, and Zhu Biao immediately understood. “So! Mr. Liu saw Xuanji’s presence six years ago! No wonder, back then at the foot of the mountain, you urged me to come up again if I had the chance! Mr. Liu, your abilities are indeed remarkable!”
Liu Bowen shook his head, humility in his voice. “I am ashamed! Truly ashamed! Compared to the Realized Being Xuanji, my minor skills are not worth mentioning—not worth mentioning at all!”
At this moment, Zhu Xuanji, standing by, laughed and said, “Alright. You two need not be so courteous. Whatever you have to say, let’s sit down and talk. Wangchen, Mr. Liu is our guest. We must not be poor hosts.”
Hearing this, Zhu Biao laughed and said, “Indeed, indeed!”
Then, Zhu Biao pulled Liu Bowen to sit at the stone table. Despite sitting down, Liu Bowen remained deeply curious about how Zhu Biao had come back to life. Zhu Biao indicated that he didn’t really know the full details of how Xuanji Zi revived him. Therefore, Liu Bowen turned to Zhu Xuanji, hoping for an explanation.
“Realized Being Xuanji, I personally saw the Crown Prince before he died. It was a cold that entered his organs, incurable by medicine. After the Crown Prince passed, he was laid in the palace for half a month! Before being moved to the mountain, Emperor Zhu personally checked. The person was thoroughly dead. What divine power did you use to revive the Crown Prince?”
Hearing this, Zhu Xuanji smiled faintly. “Mr. Liu, this technique is a secret art! It can indeed bring the dead back to life and flesh to bones, but it requires certain sacrifices. I saved Wangchen because I felt it was too much of a waste for him to die like that.”
Liu Bowen understood from these words that Zhu Xuanji wasn’t entirely forthcoming with the details. He knew that pressing further wouldn’t yield more information. In any case, the fact that Zhu Biao was still alive was a great joy! With Zhu Biao present, the Ming Dynasty’s future would surely be prosperous! After all, Liu Bowen had watched Zhu Biao grow up and knew the kind of person he was. If Zhu Biao could inherit the throne, the Ming Dynasty could certainly unify Zhonghua!
Moreover, the person who saved Zhu Biao was Xuanji Zi! If Xuanji Zi’s divine powers were as great as they seemed, perhaps his ambition was to save the people of the world, and that was why he saved Zhu Biao. If so, then Liu Bowen had truly found the right person!
“Realized Being Xuanji, you must have a heart for the people! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved the Crown Prince! I admire you—deeply admire you! The Crown Prince is wise and brave! If he inherits the throne, and with your assistance, Realized Being, how could the great cause of unifying Zhonghua not be achieved?” Liu Bowen said excitedly.
Hearing this, Zhu Xuanji shook his head and laughed, “Mr. Liu, you are mistaken! I have no intention of supporting Wangchen to be emperor, let alone unifying Zhonghua! I have no such ambition! I just want a companion to cultivate with in the mountains, to pursue the path to immortality!”
Liu Bowen didn’t seem entirely convinced, but before he could respond, Zhu Xuanji quickly changed the topic. Pointing to the chessboard on the stone table, he said, “Mr. Liu, our game is not yet finished! Come, come, come! Let’s finish this game first!”
Hearing this, Liu Bowen laughed and replied, “Alright, alright! I will follow your lead!”
That day, Liu Bowen, Zhu Xuanji, and Zhu Biao had a very pleasant conversation. In the end, with Zhu Xuanji’s warm invitation, Liu Bowen decided to stay on Zhongshan for a few days. With Liu Bowen’s wisdom and presence, the mountain naturally became livelier.
…
Three days later, early in the morning, Zhu Xuanji brought Zhu Biao, Liu Bowen, and Shan Tianxie to Xiaomaoshan. Today, he planned to take them to a cave where the 30,000 volumes of books left by Realized Being Ziwei were stored. These books were invaluable treasures, and Zhu Xuanji believed that enjoying them together would be far more rewarding than enjoying them alone.
Very soon, Zhu Xuanji led the three to the cave. As they approached, the sound of reading could be heard from within!