Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Third Prince
About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Sea Swallow carried two jars of wine to Thousand Waves Cave.
“Your Majesty, the wine is ready.”
The First Prince glanced over, immediately spread his wings, and flew out of the cave. “Follow.”
“Yes.”
Lingyun Cave
A young White Egret hurried into the Moon Enclosure Garden. “Your Highness, the First Prince has arrived.”
The Third Prince cast a look at the thin, solitary figure in the garden, lowering his voice. “Do you know why he’s come?”
The White Egret replied, “I paid attention—he said it’s been too long since he last chatted with Your Highness, and now that he’s free, he’s come to share a drink with you.”
The Third Prince lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, then said, “Protect her. I’ll be back soon.”
“As you command.”
Just as he stepped out of the Moon Enclosure Garden, he encountered the First Prince and Sea Swallow arriving together.
He went forward, welcoming them into Lingyun Cave.
“Elder Brother, what brings you here today with such refined interest?”
The First Prince’s eyes narrowed slightly; Sea Swallow caught the cue and placed the two jars of wine before the Third Prince.
He bowed. “Please, Your Highness.”
“Go now. My brother and I haven’t had a good drink together in ages. Return after an hour,” the First Prince said, extending a wing to break the wine seal. His feathers reached out, talons gripping the jar, and he took a hearty gulp.
Wine dripped from the corner of his mouth.
The Third Prince broke open his jar too, lifted it with a smile. “Brother, you’re not shy at all. You drove him away right in front of me. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get drunk and have no one to escort you home?”
“What are you saying, brother? You’re family—I can’t be distant. Besides, if I do get drunk, aren’t you here? Or is there something in Lingyun Cave that I shouldn’t see?” He half-closed his eyes, teasing.
The Third Prince raised his jar in salute, speaking lightly, “You jest, brother. There’s nothing in Lingyun Cave you haven’t already seen.”
...
Inside the cave, the brothers drank and chatted, reminiscing.
Outside, Sea Swallow, having left the Third Prince’s territory, transformed into his true form and flew back. While the First Prince occupied the Third Prince, he slipped into various corners to investigate, but found nothing.
From the Moon Enclosure Garden, voices could be heard, so Sea Swallow perched on a branch to listen.
A woman sat in the garden, tightly clutching a pair of tiny shoes, unmoved by the vibrant blossoms around her.
“Little White Egret, if he were still alive, would he be as big as you are now?”
The White Egret’s nose stung; he lowered his head. “Madam, the wind is chilly. Let’s go back.”
Actually, he’d wanted to address her as Princess Consort, but she disliked it, reluctantly accepting only ‘Madam.’
“I won’t go back. I want to wait here—perhaps he’ll remember something and come find me. So I’ll wait for him, wait…”
“Madam, the young master is gone. Why put yourself through this?” The White Egret sighed. Back then, they didn’t understand why humans had feelings, or why they were so stubborn, so mad—like moths drawn to flame.
Even now, they still didn’t understand love. But each time he saw her like this, there was always a strange, unbearable ache…
The woman lowered her eyes, caressing the shoes inch by inch, every fiber infused with tenderness.
Her eyes, like stagnant water, suddenly sparkled with life—but only for a moment, then faded.
The White Egret urged again, “Let’s go back, madam. If you harm your health, the young master’s soul won’t rest.”
“…You’re right. Let’s go back.” Her hands stopped abruptly.
As the wind rose, the woman frowned. “Who’s there?”
“Madam?” The White Egret was startled.
Sea Swallow cursed silently—miscalculation—then beat his wings and flew off in a flurry.
“It’s nothing. Just a wayward sea swallow, probably lost.”
“Is that so?”
“Mm…”
Inside Lingyun Cave, the brothers were seven or eight parts drunk. The Third Prince glanced at the entrance. “The Swallow Guard hasn’t returned—looks like you’ll be spending the night here, brother.”
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The First Prince preened his feathers, eyes hazy with drink. “If I stay, I stay. We’ll sleep as we did when we were children. What do you say, brother?”
“I’d like that, but it seems we’ll have to wait for next time.”
“What do you mean?”
The Third Prince motioned for him to turn around. “Humans say, don’t speak of people by day, or ghosts by night. Seems the Swallow Guard is the same—mention him and he appears.”
“Ha…haha! You know a lot about humans, brother. Seems your relationship with my sister-in-law is quite good. That puts my mind at ease.” The First Prince turned, laughing at Yan Sanbei.
Sea Swallow stood at the entrance and bowed. The First Prince nodded, took his leave of the Third Prince, and together, master and servant departed for Thousand Waves Cave.
After escorting the lady back to rest, the White Egret went to find the Third Prince.
He happened to catch the First Prince and his servant departing. Once they were far enough, he hurried inside.
“What happened? Why aren’t you with her?” the Third Prince asked.
“Your Highness, just now while Madam was admiring the flowers, a wayward sea swallow entered the garden.” He glanced outside.
Hearing this, the Third Prince sobered up considerably. Recalling the First Prince’s earlier words, he immediately ordered, “Send someone to investigate—see if any birds or rabbits have entered Lingyun Cave’s territory. Also, check where the First Prince has been recently.”
“Yes.” The White Egret bowed and withdrew.
The Third Prince eyed the wine jars on the ground, narrowed his eyes, and vanished from the cave.
Elsewhere, Yu Qingchen, after meditating, had recovered two or three tenths of her strength. Not at her peak, but able to walk on her own. She asked Huai Yin to help her up, hoping to find a way out.
“Brother Huai, do you remember how long we’ve been trapped here?”
Huai Yin supported her, carefully avoiding thorny branches. “No idea. Since I woke up, it’s been night here. I only remember feeling hungry three or four times, thirsty once.”
Yu Qingchen laughed, “That’s not accurate. When it’s food you like, a day’s worth isn’t enough. If it’s something you dislike, it might last three or five days.”
“You have a better method?”
“Well…before entering Human Emperor Island, I took a pill. Then you fed me another. Counting, two days have passed—it’s probably the third day now.” Yu Qingchen thought it over.
There were few pills left in the bottle, so the calculation wasn’t hard.
“Hmm? That makes sense…” Huai Yin had barely finished speaking when he pushed Yu Qingchen aside.
He summoned his Silver Wolf and, together with Dark Night, struck at a mass of entangling vines.
Where the blade swept, the vines were severed. Yet, as soon as they fell, countless more sprang up, doubling in number.
They seemed impossible to kill, impossible to cut.
At that moment, the trees in the forest transformed into human forms.
With a shout of battle, Yu Qingchen was instantly plunged into danger.
She drew the Four Symbols Lute, plucking its strings in a furious barrage, slaying countless foes.
“How are you, Young Mistress?” Huai Yin was tightly bound by vines, unable to aid her.
Yu Qingchen held her lute, eyes bright as she faced the onslaught, her fingers dancing, each chord a deadly strike.
But like Huai Yin, the tree-people were endless—even if their bodies were smashed to pieces, they regenerated.
At this rate, even if they didn’t die outright, exhaustion would claim them.
The longer the fight, the more anxious Yu Qingchen became, not noticing her freshly healed wounds reopening.
Seeing this, Huai Yin fought desperately to clear a path, joining Yu Qingchen’s side.
“Prolonged battle won’t work. We need to retreat and rethink our strategy.”
Yu Qingchen looked around, channeled her true energy into the strings, and cried, “Alright, let’s strike together!”
She released the strings. Waves of sound surged like tides, cracking the earth three feet deep as they sang their long song.
The wind and sand swept up stones, shattering the attackers to powder.
Huai Yin followed with, “Icebound Thousand Miles.”
The rushing vines froze instantly, along with their surroundings.
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He pulled Yu Qingchen’s hand. “Let’s go.”
In a blink, they fled, returning to their previous camp. The vines and tree-people soon broke free from the ice and returned to normal.
“Are your wounds serious?” Huai Yin helped Yu Qingchen sit, surprised they’d returned empty-handed again.
“I’m fine. Don’t be discouraged—we’re not empty-handed.” Yu Qingchen put away her lute, comforting him.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Yu Qingchen tucked stray hair behind her ear, took a breath, and leaned against the tree. “When you described your experiences in the forest, I had my suspicions. Now, having witnessed it myself, those suspicions are confirmed.”
Huai Yin, hearing this, stabbed the Silver Wolf into the ground and sat cross-legged. “Tell me.”
Honestly, he’d had doubts, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. When faced with something he couldn’t handle, he could only watch.
“I’m seventy percent sure, but the remaining thirty percent requires you to take a risk. If we can confirm it, I’ll have a way to break free.”
“What do you want me to try?”
“Take me to the place you fetched water last time.”
“What for?” He asked, but his hands obediently helped her up.
“Just to confirm my suspicion.” Yu Qingchen smiled gently.
“Fine. The place is fairly safe. No harm in going.”
“Thank you…”
Little did they know, their every move was watched.
The White Egret stood in the woods for a long time, then returned to Lingyun Cave.
The Third Prince was absent, but a little thought revealed where he’d gone.
He headed to Juan Stream Terrace and, sure enough, saw the Third Prince, as always, watching Madam from the shadows.
He sighed—he couldn’t understand what Madam was thinking. Nor could he, as a fellow bird, fathom the Third Prince’s heart.
The Third Prince sensed someone approaching and turned. “What did you find?”
The White Egret answered, “The First Prince recently left the island in secret and fought with three humans. The Red Serpent clan suffered heavy casualties.”
“But…”
“Hm?”
“But those humans escaped. The First Prince returned empty-handed.”
“Oh?” The Third Prince’s gaze shifted. So the elder brother’s visit for wine was really to probe for those three.
“Yes. Two of them are trapped in the Threefold Shadow Array. The other was reportedly rescued by someone from Lion Island.” The White Egret reported everything he’d learned.
The Third Prince asked, “Have you checked?”
“Yes. Should I clear them out?”
“Not yet. Watch them first—let’s see what they’re capable of. If they can’t even escape the array, you don’t need to act.”
“And if they break free? Should I deal with them?” The White Egret pressed. If they weren’t removed, the First Prince’s people might notice, then come looking for trouble. They might even accuse the Third Prince before the King. He felt this was too risky.
“Don’t worry. Even if my brother knows, he won’t dare act openly.”
“Your Highness means…?”
“If he covets that position, he won’t make a rash move. Without him, Father still has several sons. And the abilities of Second Brother and Fourth Brother are worthy.”
“And Your Highness?”
“Me? Haven’t you seen? As the Emperor Bird, what does it matter if I hold power? In the end, I can’t leave Human Emperor Island. This tiny island, fought over, is just a speck—what’s the point?”
“I’ve overstepped.” The White Egret bowed.
The Third Prince looked at the woman, calmly saying, “Keep a close eye. Human Emperor Island is about to become lively.”
“As you command.”
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