Chapter 14: Swaying Gladiolus — III

— [They have met! Attention guys, they have met!!] +1

— [Never thought I would find YuanYuan hot like huh??? It's their first meeting and it starts with blood. Hehehe] +2

— [Never mind bloodshed and all, but YuanYuan has a title now! He will be famous in Jianghu by this title!] +2

— [Uh… Am I the only one who thinks this title is kinda cringe?] +0

↳

— [Nah, me too.] +0

↳ [I bet the author pulled it outta their ass] +0

When the bullet comments suddenly floated in front of the surgeon's eyes, for a moment, he was baffled, having received a start at the suddenness of the sight.

But Li Xinyuan was quick to hide his surprise as he followed the male lead to his carriage. Neither of them uttered a word.

Had the book somehow upgraded in the presence of the son of the world? Maybe it had, maybe the change had another reason, but Li Xinyuan had no way of ascertaining that.

As he read those comments, he couldn't help but notice the points hanging at the end. That was when the last comment caught his eye.

Humbly, Li Xinyuan would have agreed had he not been the one involved in the scene and knew exactly who gave him this title.

He would say that it was bad. It wasn't as bad. Not really. It did sound cool at least. Even though it was contradictory to his entire character. And the life Li Xinyuan had led up till now.

It was quite funny being a doctor with a title like 'Specter of The Blood Moon'. Upon hearing it, one would think that the title bearer was some great martial artist.

Imagine their surprise when they find out that it was no great martial artist but a doctor. A doctor of all things.

In that case, it was funny. Or maybe Li Xinyuan's humour was just bad. Who could answer that?

Not him, at least.

[Current Points: 8]

It was a pitiful number. It really was. But it was better than zero nonetheless.

Shaking his head, Li Xinyuan mutely sat inside his carriage with the male lead — Crown Prince Liu Mingyun — sitting right across him and Hu Lijing — who bailed out very quickly — sitting with the coachman.

As he pulled out the novel, unable to resist the impulse, Li Xinyuan snuck a glance at the man. After discreetly scrutinising the prince, the surgeon held back a sigh of regret.

How good was it to be the darling son of the world!

A peerlessly handsome face, breathtaking crimson eyes, a sinuously built body, not to mention the luscious hair like that of the cold rays of moonlight descending upon the world like a gentle river.

The Crown Prince's hair alone was nothing if not akin to the purest silver this shitty novel's world had to offer.

No wonder he had so many fans. No wonder the fans were also jealous of the female lead. Li Xinyuan too had read the description of this man from the novel, however, just reading the words alone and witnessing the majesty of the male lead with his own eyes was an entirely different matter.

Now that the surgeon thought about it… He really wouldn't mind marrying him. Who wouldn't want an out-of-the-world handsome man?

Saints might have the strength to refuse.

But the overworked genius surgeon — who was gay and never had the chance to date anyone — Li Xinyuan could never.

Wait, why was he thinking about this again??

A little embarrassed at his own thoughts, Li Xinyuan looked away, subconsciously avoiding glancing at Liu Mingyun, as he cleared his throat and put the novel back in his sleeve.

Man, screw reading the novel. He thought, golden eyes wandering for a second before they landed on his sword.

Right. This sword. Though it didn't suit him as well as Li Xinyuan had hoped — despite knowing that it didn't — it had served its purpose at least.

As the wind howled outside, the bumpy road making the carriage shake and the moonlight that spilled inside, the surgeon picked up his sword and unsheathed it.

Holding a silken piece of cloth in one hand and the unsheathed sword in the other, the surgeon gazed at the blade.

This was an excellent blade. Truly, it was. Even in Jianghu finding a weapon of this quality was hard, not to mention that Li Jinhua had had it forged by the master blacksmith of the clan especially for him as a gift.

Hence, Li Xinyuan was rather reluctant to discard it carelessly. Nor did he ever tell his aunt that no, the sword didn't suit him. He didn't have the heart to toss it away.

Moreover, it didn't hurt to keep it with himself as long as it served its purpose as his weapon.

Right? He thought idly, as he wiped the viscous fluid off the blade.

"Wrong." An amused voice spoke as if reading his mind. Li Xinyuan jolted in response. "The Specter's thoughts are quite loud, not to mention very evident."

The surgeon blinked, sheathing the sword and dropping it on his lap. "Pardon, Your Highness?" He asked, voice dipping low, as he raised his head.

Liu Mingyun looked at him, amused interest clear in his eyes as his gaze flickered between the surgeon and the sword. He offered the latter a small smile, leaning on one side with his cheek tucked on his knuckles and one leg crossed over the other.

"This Prince," he drawled, focusing on Li Xinyuan's largely expressionless face. "Means to say that he saw your swordsmanship. It was excellent. This Prince expected nothing less from the son of two of the best generals of our nation. However," he paused briefly. "Isn't The Specter well aware that this sword—" he gestured his hand towards the sword on Li Xinyuan's lap "—is holding you back?"

For a moment, Li Xinyuan blinked, not knowing what to say.

Sure enough, the male lead was as exceptional as the novel described!

"So to say that this sword that is ill-suited for The Specter hinders you from showing off your swordsmanship in its entirety." Liu Mingyun smiled again, eyes narrowing. "Won't you agree?"

Li Xinyuan held his gaze, golden eyes slowly turning into molten gold as he took a deep breath and swallowed, Adam's apple rolling slightly.

"I cannot disagree, Your Highness." He admitted. "Yes, this sword doesn't suit me." He looked down at the beautiful blade, caressing the hilt as he did so. "However, it is a gift that holds sentimental value, thus I cannot discard it so easily."

Hearing his words, Liu Mingyun shook his head, smiling as he turned to look out of the window. The Crown Prince said nothing, allowing the silence to stretch thin while allowing his overwhelming presence to linger in the enclosed space.

Li Xinyuan — not one to back down so easily — resisted the pressure without care.

"Pray tell, Specter of The Blood Moon," he paused, lips twitching ever so slightly. "When faced with a foe you must defeat to survive, one who would kill you without so much as a shred of remorse, would you still have the mind to care about a faulty weapon's sentimental values?"

The surgeon paused to consider as he finished wiping the blade clean. "I do not suppose I would." He replied, dryly.

"In such a case, you will regret using this sword."

"Indeed."

Liu Mingyun looked at him, crimson eyes gleaming with amusement as he nodded. "Say, don't you desire a new weapon? One that resonates with you, sings with your soul? One that will help unleash your complete potential?" He hummed. "This Prince quite likes you, Specter of Blood Moon. If you succeed in helping the army, aside from the rewards bestowed upon you by the Emperor, This Prince would like to give you a gift too. As a token of friendship, if you will."

The moment the Crown Prince finished speaking, Li Xinyuan froze, unsure of what to do. On one hand, his words were tempting but on the other, it was a dangerous gambit.

If Li Xinyuan accepted the so-called 'token of friendship' from the Crown Prince, it would be as good as announcing his allegiance to the man, especially considering the succession battle going on between him and the Fourth Prince.

Clever little shit. Li Xinyuan grumbled half-heartedly as he sat in the silence.

Having allegiance to him — the heir of Divine Phoenix, one of the greatest forces of Jianghu — was something that would easily tip the scale of power in Liu Mingyun's favour.

And this was even before he and the Crown Prince were married. Hell, even before their marriage was decided.

"Specter of Blood Moon?" The cunning piece of shit called out, seemingly worried. "Do you perhaps not like my proposal?"

Immediately, Li Xinyuan snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, as calmly as he could, clearing his throat.

"How can it be, Your Highness?" He chuckled, softly. "But the matter of gifts and rewards, it is better to not discuss them so casually, not to mention even before the result, Your Highness."

Liu Mingyun watched him, crimson eyes narrowing slightly as he nodded, slowly. "I suppose that's true. You are a smart man, Specter of Blood Moon." He commented.