Hua Xianle

Chapter 76:

Wen Chao didn’t understand what was going on. Hua Xianle was supposed to be a spoiled prince, a pompous brat who flaunted his unearned wealth and status. He wore clothes dripping in precious materials and walked side by side with Sect Heirs.

So why was he just taking everything in stride?!

Cramped, filthy quarters, low-quality robes, cheap food, hard labor, and deplorable conditions… Hua Xianle didn’t bat an eye at any of it! If it was Wen Chao who had to put up with that kind of treatment, he would have snapped and killed the responsible party before the first day ended! But not that damn Hua brat. He just took it all with that infuriating smile on his face.

It had the Wen spare fuming as he sat under the shade of a small pagoda, watching the Twin Jades and the Hua boy carry buckets of manure to a nearby vegetable patch. As an added bonus, the oversized Nie heir was pushing a plow by hand through the field. Normally such a tool required a sturdy ox to pull it, but Mingjue’s ridiculously sized frame was just perfect for it. Unfortunately, even watching the big idiot work couldn’t lift Wen Chao’s mood.

“How can I break him?” he muttered to himself, chewing on his lip as he mulled over his choices.

“Chaochao~,” Wang Lingjiao cooed, leaning in and pressing her ample chest against the Wen spare’s arm. “Maybe you’re going about this the wrong way. Did you forget that he used to be some street urchin?”

Wen Chao blinked, then facepalmed hard. He had forgotten that little detail. Of course, the brat wasn’t put off by such deplorable conditions. No matter how many baths he took or the finery he flaunted, a street rat would always be a street rat. That meant that he needed to take a different approach to this problem.

“There has to be something I can use to get to him.” He rubbed his chin in thought as Wang Lingjiao rubbed his shoulder. “Any ideas, my dear?”

“Well…” she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, “there’s one thing I remember from that Jiang trial. Something that I think will get the desired reaction you want.”

“I’m telling you, Lan Zhan, the silencing charm is good and all, but you should come up with a nose-blocking charm too,” Hua Ying insisted as he and his zhiji hauled buckets of manure to the vegetable patch. “If it existed, cultivators would be less squeamish about helping to identify the bodies left behind by creatures like water ghouls and yaos.”

Lan Zhan just nodded along, not saying a word. Hua Ying wasn’t put off by the silence, knowing that the second jade had good reason to be focused on another. After all, the first jade was working with them on the vegetable patch, and it gave them a clear view of the pain he was in.

Xichen’s leg, which had been broken when he was captured by the Wens over a month ago, was apparently still in a bad way. The first jade favored one leg but didn’t protest or make a fuss about his injury. He just continued to work, much to the concern of those around him. Hua Ying spared a glance at Mingjue, whose gaze was locked on Xichen with every shaky step he took.

“Ah, Xichen-ge!” Hua Ying called out, rushing to the side of the elder Lan. “You should try to rest your leg, yes? I can bring you the buckets and you can spread it out. Much less taxing.”

Xichen managed a small smile, gently shaking his head. “Your offer is appreciated, Hua-gongzi, but it would be better for us both if we simply continue as we were told.”

That made Hua Ying’s eyes narrow. Xichen only called him gongzi when they were in formal settings or serious situations. Hearing that name here when he was trying to offer his friend comfort just rubbed the prince the wrong way. Just what had the Wens done to him to scare and subdue him this much?