The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 688

Chapter 688: Chapter 684: The Prince's Visit Chapter 688: Chapter 684: The Prince's Visit One early morning, Chan'er was conducting his morning rituals in the courtyard of the posthouse, chanting Buddhist prayers when he suddenly heard a commotion from the front yard. Following the source of the noise, he saw a young man from the Black Chicken Kingdom, dressed in a silk robe, hurriedly rushing in from the entrance of the posthouse.

Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian, upon hearing the commotion, also came out from their rooms one after another to the courtyard.

The young man from the Black Chicken Kingdom had slightly curly hair, a high nose, and deep-set eyes that shined a faint blue. Upon seeing Shen Luo's party, his eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

However, before the young man could reach them, Duke Du had already rushed forward to stop him.

“Young Master, this place is a posthouse, and irrelevant people are not allowed to enter. If someone in your family has an official position, have them come with you on your next visit.” Duke, seeing the opulent outfit worn by the young man, decided not to use harsh words.

Ignoring him, the young man raised his hand, and while waving at Shen Luo's party he excitedly yelled, “Are you the guests from the Great Tang?”

Hearing this, Shen Luo found it amusing yet also strange, wondering why this young man was speaking like he was the host?

So, he spoke a few words to Duke Du and allowed the young man to enter the posthouse.

“Are you here to see us?” Bai Xiaotian asked with a smile.

“Yes, distinguished guests.” While speaking, the young man didn't forget to place his right hand on his left chest, giving them a courteous bow.

Chan'er clasped one hand in prayer in return. Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian looked at each other, both laughing and returning the gesture.

“Tell us, who are you? And why have you come to see us?” Shen Luo asked.

“I am greatly fascinated by your Great Tang Kingdom. I heard that you are esteemed monks from the Great Tang, so I boldly intruded to learn about the customs of the Great Tang and hear about the grandeur of cities like Chang'an City and Luoyang City.” The excitement in the young man's eyes grew as he spoke.

Shen Luo, Bai Xiaotian and Chan'er, hearing his words, were taken aback before bursting into laughter.

“So you admire the Great Tang. What exactly do you know about the Great Tang?” Shen Luo asked.

“From the books that the silk merchants brought, I learned that the city walls of Chang'an City are a hundred feet high, there stands a Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the city, and every year on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, they celebrate the Lantern Festival. They will release more lanterns than there are stars in the sky…” The young man excitedly rattled off everything he had read in the books.

Listening to the young man enthusiastically mixing fact with fiction, Shen Luo couldn't help but smile before patiently explaining to the boy.

Bai Xiaotian also chimed in, and both of them found the situation amusing. They didn't feel annoyed at all.

While telling about the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and other Buddhist temples in the city, Chan'er also chimed in. Hearing their stories,

the young man from the Black Chicken Kingdom's eyes glowed and he nodded his head constantly.

The group chatted back and forth, and before they realized it, half an hour had passed.

Just when they were engaged in conversation, the bustling noise from outside sounded again. Two men from the Black Chicken Kingdom dressed in fur robes hurriedly rushed in from outside. In one hand, they showed Duke Du their token, and with the other yelled,

“Prince, why did you leave on your own accord? If the King finds out, he'd skin us alive!”

“He is… a prince?” The trio looked at the young man in surprise.

“Ah, I snuck out without telling my father or attendants. It seems I can't chat with you any longer.” The prince's face fell, he looked downcast.

“Not to worry, we will be staying in the city for a while. You can let His Majesty the King know and come again another day.” Chan'er said, seeing the prince's disappointment.

“Really? You won't mind me disturbing your meditation?” His eyes lit up in surprise.

“Dawn sunshine, sunset clouds, moving is Zen, sitting also is Zen, speaking with you is also Zen,” Chan'er formed his hand in the prayer sign as he spoke.

“Is this way also acceptable? You senior monks are quite different from the monks in our kingdom.” Hearing this, the prince's face broke into a bigger grin.

Having said this, he politely excused himself and left with the palace attendants.

Just as he reached the entrance of the posthouse, he suddenly ran back and said to the monks, “I forgot to tell the senior monks my name, I am Qi Lianmi, the Third Prince of the Black Chicken Kingdom. You are always welcome to visit the royal palace.”

“Your name is Qi Lianmi?” Shen Luo was taken aback when he heard this name.

His exclamation was so sudden that Bai Xiaotian and Chan'er both turned to him with confusing expressions.

“What's wrong?” The Prince nodded, looking a bit surprised.

Shen Luo, of course, was reminded of the “Qi Lianmi” he had met in his dreams while on Flower Fruit Mountain. If he recalled correctly, his appearance changed quite a bit as he grew older, but if he looked closely now, there were still some vague similarities.

He was about to speak when suddenly, his expression changed slightly. Alongside him, Bai Xiaotian also noticed that something was off.

Suddenly, a howling wind sounded and a gust of wind rushed in from the entrance of the posthouse, bringing with it swirling yellow dust. The wind flew into the courtyard, flipping Duke Du and two other servants.

Shen Luo and Bai Xiaotian quickly stepped in front of Prince Qi Lianmi, one shielding the prince and the other protecting Chan'er.

After the sandstorm passed, the courtyard was filled with a hazy yellow sand, and the air was filled with a choking smell of sand.

“What happened?” Chan'er asked.

Bai Xiaotian shook his head, signalling that he too was in the dark.

Shen Luo ushered Prince Qi Lianmi to Chan'er's side, summoning his Pure Yang Sword Embryo with a wave, leaping onto it and flying quickly up into the air, hovering above the posthouse.

“Truly the abilities of the monks from the Great Tang, remarkable…” Qi Lianmi was awe-stricken.

Shen Luo, from his elevated vantage point, scanned the Red Valley City below, observing how the rolling dust and yellow sand had obscured the entire city – all the streets and buildings he could see were engulfed by the sandstorm.

“Hoo…”

The howling wind in the distance was still violent. A sandstorm was sweeping through all places without a trace of regularity, causing chaos on the streets as it tossed people and animals alike into the air. Cries for help could be heard from every direction.

After a slight hesitation, Shen Luo shouted down to Bai Xiaotian and Chan'er, “I'm going to help. Stay here and don't leave for now.”

After speaking, he soared out, heading towards a square beyond three streets. There, a stone statue of Buddha had been toppled by the sandstorm, burying an ordinary citizen who had been praying by the side underneath it.

After landing, he raised his palm to support the head of the Buddha, and with a heave, managed to lift it up.

The man trapped underneath quickly crawled out, repeatedly patting his chest and nodding his head at Shen Luo in thanks.

Shen Luo then once again took to the air, flying towards a courtyard in the east of the city. A Sand Jujube tree from next door had been blown down by the sandstorm, collapsing a wall and burying two children playing by the wall underneath it.

Upon reaching, he quickly got to work, moving the fallen bricks and stones aside, freeing the two children trapped underneath.