Chapter 24: The Wilvis Mine Disaster
After the second prince's carriage came over, Rui's carriage stopped.
After instructing Beichen that "he must not get out of the car or open the window to look", Rui got out of the car with a serious expression. Her intuition told Beichen that something was wrong, so she immediately picked up the wig and helmet from the table and put them on her head.
Because the carriage was very soundproof, she couldn't hear what was being said outside. Beichen walked around the carriage a little uneasily, looking around. Heihuo and Sujie couldn't stand it anymore, so they pushed her back into her chair.
"Okay, okay, let me tell you."
Black Disaster waved his hand and looked towards the car door with an unfriendly look:
"Redis Cangqi Heyang, Rui's half-brother, is different from that smiling tiger Rui. He's a ruthless, dictatorial, and perverted man. His biggest hobby is to cause trouble for Rui. He is also very favored by their father, Saint King Solant, and his power far exceeds Rui's."
Beichen was shocked: "So he came here to cause trouble because he heard that Rui had dealt with Darim?"
"Most likely," Su Jie's expression also had a hint of danger. "He's hoping that Rui will be killed by Darim. When he heard the news of Rui's victory, he must have wanted to confirm its authenticity before my father did."
Xiang Ying frowned after hearing this.
"But isn't it said that Darim's stand-in looks almost identical to Darim, with absolutely no flaws? Lord Rui has preserved his head, right?"
"If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext." Beichen sighed lightly.
Although I didn't dislike the feeling of being with Rui, as expected, since it involved the royal family, frustrating and troublesome things kept happening one after another.
However, nowadays, it’s not like you can just jump out whenever you want.
After all, Rui had launched such a crazy battle plan for her, and in turn, she didn't want to abandon him when Rui got into trouble.
The carriage was silent for a moment, and then the door suddenly opened again.
Rui jumped into the car with an annoyed look on his face. Before anyone could say anything, another person got in behind him.
“──”
In order not to lose his composure in front of the prince, Beichen squeezed the sofa cushion into a pancake with his hands.
The newcomer was a man with black hair and blue eyes, half a finger taller than Rui. He was dressed in heavy black armor and had two symmetrical one-meter-long swords on his back. They were probably the same twin weapons as Hei Huo Su Jie.
Beneath his tightly knitted brows were a pair of extremely cold phoenix eyes, and although his tightly taut lips were not hooked, they somehow gave off an aura of dominance, contempt, and a hint of mockery; although his facial features were quite good-looking, at first glance he gave people the feeling of a "ruthless, authoritarian pervert" as Black Disaster had described.
──None of this matters. What matters is that Beichen has seen his appearance.
No, what Beichen saw was not this person, but────
"Master, what's wrong?"
A big hand inconspicuously covered Beichen's hand that was clutching the sofa cushion, concealing this somewhat unnatural detail. Xiang Ying beside her looked at her with concern and talked to her through the mind communication channel.
"No...it's nothing. I'll tell you when it's safe."
Beichen's voice sounded a little flustered and annoyed. Her eyes looked through the peephole on the helmet and fell directly on the second prince.
"How dare you! Don't you even know how to greet the Second Prince?!"
Suddenly, two beautiful female voices were heard from behind Redis. It was probably his double-sword weapons speaking.
Upon hearing this, Xiang Ying, Hei Huo and Su Jie stood up silently, folded their hands on their foreheads, and bowed nearly ninety degrees to the second prince.
Seeing Xiang Ying, who had always suffered from grievances, and Hei Huo and Su Jie, who were usually so arrogant and reckless, swallowing their anger, Beichen felt a little sad, but she also knew that she couldn't cause trouble for Rui, so she could only hold back her anger and bowed like them.
But Redis narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, you're quite interesting. You're a human being, yet you're performing the ritual of a weapon? Don't you consider yourself a human being?"
Beichen thought to herself, "Oh no! She thought weapons and humans saluted in the same way! Damn it, Rui was too indulgent and never let her salute. Now it's bad!"
"I'm sorry, my royal brother. She is a warrior from the Tuling tribe and doesn't understand the traditional etiquette of Heyang."
Rui lowered his eyes and explained. Redis snorted and walked to the main seat and sat down, but his eyes were still fixed on Beichen.
"That's strange. Why do you carry a Holy Spirit Martial Master-level person around like a treasure? Could it be that she's not a guard but a woman?"
"...Yes, she and I hit it off right away."
Perhaps unable to think of any other way to put it, Rui could only admit this in a low voice.
"Humph, you already have three wives at home, and yet you go out and kill the enemy and bring one back. You're truly lucky in love, Rui. If you're trying to use debauchery as a shield, forget it. Do you think I don't know who you are?"
Redis's words did not give Rui any face at all, but the latter just smiled with his head down with a grim face, looking completely frustrated and suppressing the humiliation.
Seeing the angry and shocked expressions on Beichen and the others' faces, Redis instead admired Rui's expression with satisfaction.
──He was deliberately embarrassing him in front of others.
"Okay, enough of the nonsense."
Redis folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back on the sofa, his chin tilted up as he looked at Rui who was sitting beside him.
"You lied about Darim's death before you even caught him, and even used a replacement head to try to get away with it. You're getting bolder, my brother."
When Redis said this, everyone else in the carriage was shocked, even Rui showed a look of surprise.
──Strange, how can he tell the real from the fake? !
Rui wanted to make excuses or deny it, but considering that Redis's tone was so firm, he gave up the risky idea.
Admit it honestly.
"Royal brother, I did allow Darim to escape, but after announcing his death, I completely defeated most of Darim's forces. I can be considered to have completed the mission entrusted to me by our father to eradicate Darim's forces, right?"
"Can it be considered eradication without killing the most powerful leader of a faction?"
“…”
Ruy sighed.
"Brother, you are the crown prince, destined to inherit the throne of this country. It is best not to have any close contact with people like Darim."
"What do you mean?"
"The fact that you found out Darim wasn't dead so quickly means you're still connected to him, right? Isn't it chilling to think you're on the same side with someone like that to deal with me?"
However, Redis snorted loudly, as if he had heard something funny.
"You're wrong, Rui. First, if Darim were as simple as you see him, he wouldn't have gotten away from you. You've only destroyed the superficial forces. Second, I don't need to rely on that kind of guy to deal with you. Do you think I'd allow you to raise a private army if I really wanted to kill you? From the moment you were born, I could have torn you to pieces at any moment."
"...I really appreciate your kindness, my royal brother."
Rui added with a wry smile.
"But don't worry, Father doesn't know Darim is still alive. He's quite happy about it."
As Redis spoke, he glanced at Rui, and Rui immediately understood the meaning of his look.
──No wonder I had to leave the capital to meet him first. This royal brother probably wants to use this matter as a threat to use him to do something.
"So, my Royal Brother, what do you want me to do this time?"
"A large-scale mining accident occurred at one of the Protoss mines in the Welvis region during the Blade Crying Night."
As Redis spoke, he took out something that looked like it was stained with blood from his arms and threw it on the coffee table.
Beichen took a deep breath again.
──The small shield-shaped epaulette with a red rabbit painted on it is the identification symbol of the Red Hare Guild. But that's not all. There is a horizontal scratch on the rabbit's ear on the epaulette──
It’s Gu Yinyue’s epaulettes!
Mine disaster? What was the Xingling Mine disaster like? Did something happen to Gu Yinyue during this Xingling Mine disaster?!
Beichen touched the shoulder badge on her arm, which was in the same shape. Rui had reminded her to wear it so that she could draw a clear line between herself and the royal family.
Redis glanced at Beichen and continued speaking.
"A senior member of the Red Hare Guild I hired was trapped inside. Only one combat weapon escaped and asked me for help."
When Rui heard about the mine disaster, his expression became serious.
"Hire? ... Why, my brother..."
Rui stopped talking halfway. If they were hiring civilian Lingwusi instead of the royal army, they probably wanted to do something private that no one would know about.
"I just asked them to help me check something. Hum... maybe it has something to do with that Darim guy."
Beichen finally understood a little: the person who hired him was most likely Gu Yinyue and his team.
No wonder when in Wilvis Town, some people wondered why Gu Yinyue appeared in such a remote place. It turned out that he was employed by the second prince.
Rui pondered for a moment and then looked up.
"Brother Emperor wants me to go and take a look?"
"If you can resolve this mining disaster, I'll keep the news that Darim is alive a secret for you. How about that?"
Faced with Redis's sinister and weird smile, Rui could only nod helplessly.
"I don't have the right to say no, right?"
"That's good to know. There's no need to act pitiful in front of me." Redis said, standing up from the sofa. "If you feel wronged, blame your vile and vicious mother."
“…”
The second prince walked to the door of the carriage.
"The seriously injured warrior who reported the news is at my house. I will pick him up after we arrive in the capital. He will tell you the details. By the way—"
He said and pointed at Beichen.
"Let her come and pick it up. She's also from the Red Hare Guild, right?"
"Royal brother—"
Rui stood up with a frown, and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Redis's wave of his hand.
"Whether she's really your new love or not, you don't have to worry about what I'll do to her. I'm not that bored. One piece of evidence against you for working so hard is enough."
“…”
Faced with Rui's expression of self-blame and regret, Beichen just shook his head gently to indicate that it was okay.
The seriously injured warrior──it must be Longyun or Naraka. She really wanted to meet them as soon as possible to find out about Gu Yinyue's condition.
And this second prince - except for the color of his eyes, he looks exactly like someone she knows. Is it a coincidence?
Redis looked around at everyone coldly again, kicked open the carriage door and jumped down.
Rui leaned back on the sofa, pinching his brows, and a long sigh came out of his mouth.
"Ruyi, what's going on?"
Beichen stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and asked softly. His attitude was a little unusual. Even though the other party was the crown prince, who was far more powerful than him, he was still the smiling tiger Rui Yi, whose smile could make people feel cold.
Rui smiled and turned around.
"I'm fine, Beichen, don't worry."
As he spoke, he looked at the door that was kicked open, walked forward with a bitter expression and closed the door.
"When someone hates someone to the extreme, does that mean they really want to kill them immediately?"
"...Huh? If it's not killing, then what else is there?"
"...I owe him this. My mother brutally murdered his mother, so instead of killing me, he humiliated and embarrassed me in countless ways, forcing me to risk my life and death for him and my father's cause—this was his revenge."
"...What a foolish outburst of anger."
Beichen's voice turned cold.
"Even venting your anger on others is unavoidable. Put yourself in their shoes. If your loved ones were murdered, and the only ones you wanted to avenge were the murderer's descendants, could you really resist taking action?"
Beichen was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
...Yeah, there's nothing I can do about it. Even if I know I'm taking my anger out on someone, I still can't help it. ...most likely.
Rui smiled, and his expression gradually became brighter.
"So I'm actually a little grateful to my royal brother. If his and my positions were reversed, he might have already become a pile of maggots, but he at least allowed me to survive. ― Of course, humiliation and life and death cannot last forever."
By the end of his words, Rui's previous tone of fatigue and helplessness had disappeared without a trace, and instead he became full of fighting spirit.
"As a member of the royal family, I have to endure humiliation. So please don't sympathize with me, Beichen. Today's humiliation is just for tomorrow's retaliation. In fact, I am much more annoying than that guy Reddis."
“…”
Beichen seemed to want to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.
"So, don't worry about these messy royal disputes. After completing your mission, be a free Red Rabbit Spirit Martial Master and investigate the matter of the Red Moon Witch."
"Yeah, I understand."
After thinking for a few minutes, Beichen finally agreed softly, but then extended a hand to Rui.
"However...if you truly wish to usurp the throne and are fully prepared, you can tell me if you need my help."
She said this with a smile, completely ignoring the shocked expressions of Xiang Ying and Gemini Hook Claw beside her.
Since you are willing to use the tactic of turmoil around the whole world for me, then even if she doesn't like getting involved in the royal family's mess, she will definitely not evade it at all. It has nothing to do with status, interests, or even good or evil - it's just because this is a matter of friends!
Beichen secretly made this decision in his heart - since he had to shoulder such a heavy burden as the Red Moon Priestess, he didn't care about the turmoil in the top leadership of a country.
Is this a case of giving up, or is it a sign of increased courage? Even Beichen himself probably doesn't know.
Rui's expression revealed the horror and hideousness of the truth being revealed for a moment, but after a few seconds of recovery, a bright smile suddenly broke out on his face. He took a few steps forward and hugged Beichen in his arms.
Even though I said it so cryptically, she still found out.
Even though he discovered it, he decided to help him even if it meant going against the entire country.
This friend is worth making!
──Rui, the man who had always been secretly called a smiling tiger by Beichen, finally showed a sunny smile from the heart.
Although Beichen blushed a little from the hug, he didn't struggle much and just coughed a few times.
After a short moment of excitement, he came back to his senses in the shock of the carriage starting up. Rui let go of Beichen and waved to Heihuo and Sujie.
"You two, you two are so good at it. Give me your blood and we will release you from the contract."
Beichen was a little surprised: "Are you transferring the contract rights now?"
"Why, don't tell me you don't want to? How did I make you unhappy, little loach?"
Black Disaster, who had been getting a little impatient watching Beichen and Rui perform the Friendship Flash, walked forward with a cold face, a cut on his hand caused by the hook.
"Although Rui Yi is a prince, Hei Huo and I are also princes among the weapons of war. Don't be ungrateful!" Su Jie also spoke dissatisfiedly.
"Uh, that's not what I meant..."
Facing Hei Huo and Su Jie, Bei Chen's arrogance always seems to be less for some reason - is it because he has been abused too much?
"Then Rui, don't you have any weapons to protect you on the journey from here to the capital? What if the Second Prince attacks you along the way..."
"He wouldn't do that. Ah, probably... he simply wouldn't bother to do that."
"Then, even if it's not him... there's still the First Prince or the Fourth Prince...?"
"As for the eldest prince, he was killed by Redis four years ago. The fourth prince hasn't even been born yet." Black Disaster explained impatiently, frowning at Beichen. "Why, you care more about Rui than us? You really don't want to sign a contract with us? Are you itching for trouble?"
"It seems like he really wants us to describe what it was like to have your butt clamped by a crab in the Kayana Valley."
"Wow wow!! Su Jie, stop talking!! It's my fault, it's my fault, I was wrong! Wait, what did I do wrong? I'm concerned about your former sponsor! If anything happens to him, you won't get paid!"
“…”
“…”
Seeing Beichen's exhausted look, Rui used his blood to cancel the contract while smiling silently:
Oh my, seeing Hei Huo and Su Jie being defeated, I feel a great pleasure for some reason.
Xiang Ying spoke at this time.
"Master, although I have no right to inquire about your emotional development, Lord Rui already has three wives, and I do not recommend that you expand your circle of wives. Master is perfect, and I really don't want to see you suffer the humiliation of becoming just one of someone else's many wives."
"……What?"
Beichen was stunned. Why did he suddenly stop talking about his wife? Did she look like she was going to marry Rui?
Oh! Could it be that because Beichen said he was willing to help Rui do those treasonous things, Xiangying had the wrong idea?
"Uh, Xiangying, you misunderstood. Rui and I are just friends. Rui just admitted to the Second Prince that I was his lover just to protect me. ────Right, Rui?"
Rui nodded and looked at Xiang Ying and the Twin Hooks with amusement, who seemed relieved.
"Anyway, I already have the new weapons I picked out during the Blade Crying Night, though they're still quite low-level. So don't worry about me. Sign a contract with Black Fate Su Jie as soon as possible. I'm worried that something might happen after we enter the capital, and I won't have the chance to hand them over."
Before Beichen could answer, Heihuo and Sujie had murderous looks in their eyes and grabbed Beichen's hands!
The contract was established, and Beichen looked at the twins' faces, who were obviously in a bad mood, with cold sweat.
"We are yours now, Master!"
"If you dare to show partiality to outsiders again, be careful. We won't let you go to the bathroom during your special training—Master!"
The two villains, one black and one white, smiled ferociously and spoke word by word, gritting their teeth.
I said, how can you treat me as your master? Beichen complained in his heart but didn't dare to say it out loud, so he shrank back to Xiangying.
but……
"Wait, you clearly said you didn't want to call me Master like Xiang Ying?"
"Oh, that," Black Disaster walked over to Xiang Ying and hooked his arm around his shoulder like a brother, "We were moved by Little Longsword's loyalty."
"Yes, yes, please rest assured that we will work tirelessly to serve you!" Su Jie deliberately emphasized the volume of the word "serve" for some reason.
“…”
Beichen's face turned green: No matter how I look at it, I feel that the future will not be easy.
Xiang Ying was touched:
"Is that so... have you two finally understood the Master's strengths?! That's great!!"
“…”
“…”
“…”
Don’t really believe it, Xiang Ying.
However, putting aside those terrible jokes, being able to officially partner with Hei Huo Su Jie is actually a very happy thing. After all, Bei Chen has long regarded them as friends.
Thinking of this, she smiled brightly at them and said, "Please take care of me." But for some reason, Hei Huo and Su Jie turned their heads away and didn't respond at all, making Bei Chen twitch his lips in embarrassment.
Only Rui was laughing so hard that his stomach hurt: The villain is shy!
As they were making a fuss, Rui seemed to have too many worries and was a little sleep deprived, so he fell asleep leaning against the sofa.
Xiang Ying and Gemini Hook Claws ran over and exchanged something called "Master Service Experience" which sounded meaningless and stupid, but Xiang Ying was very happy to talk about it;
Beichen sat by the window and fell into deep thought.
Gu Yinyue is in trouble.
With his impressive skills, what kind of trouble had he run into? How much could he possibly help if he went there alone? What was this so-called Star Spirit Mine Disaster? But for some reason, Beichen felt certain he was still alive—no reason, just an intuitive belief.
Hooked Life Silver Moon──won't die so easily.
And there is the second prince, Redis, who looks so similar to an old friend. I may have to come into contact with him in the future when Rui is not around, so I must be extremely careful.
Beichen breathed a sigh of relief.
I clearly wanted to find out the truth about the Red Moon Priestess and was prepared to leave completely, but why did I end up getting deeper into it without realizing it?
Even the number of weapons accompanying him increased from one to three.
All I can do now is to live every day to the fullest until the end, so that I won’t have too many regrets when I leave.
The huge carriage, carrying all kinds of different thoughts, moved forward steadily on the official road.
Ahead, the shadow of the city wall of the capital Aznar was already looming.
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