"This Tenth Prince might not be a good-for-nothing like the outsiders think…"
After walking out of the Tenth Prince's residence, Xu Qing recalled the scene earlier. The large gate that had shattered with a single touch, the banquet that seemed to have been intentionally prepared, and the storage bag that was taken out arrogantly.
On the surface, it appeared as if he was being extravagant, and the Tenth Prince behaved arrogantly, but considering the outcome, every detail seemed to carry profound meaning.
However, many times, final judgment couldn't be made based on a single event. Whether the Tenth Prince truly did it deliberately or not would depend on his subsequent actions.
It seemed that the Tenth Prince had chosen to act in this way for a reason. He wasn't worried about being perceived negatively by people other than Xu Qing and Ning Yan because the power of words allowed him to change the intended meaning as he pleased.
Xu Qing fell into deep thought. At the side, Ning Yan revealed a contemplative expression. As a prince, Ning Yan naturally wasn't a stupid person. Now that he saw some clues, he instinctively looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing nodded slightly and returned to the residence with Ning Yan.
As for the storage bag, after returning to the residence, in the ancestral hall in the residence, Ning Yan opened it in front of Xu Qing. There was only one item inside.
It was a painting scroll.
It seemed to have been put into the storage bag with much difficulty. The process of taking it out was slow and required careful handling; otherwise, the storage bag might collapse, causing the scroll to be lost in the rift of space.
As for the scroll itself, it was wrapped in special materials, and even the storage bag was custom-made. Only in this way could it be barely stored inside the storage bag.
From this, it could be seen that the Tenth Prince was considerate. Such preparation also required a lot of energy and time to complete.
This was also the reason why Ning Yan couldn't bring this item with him when he left in a hurry back then.
The moment he took out the portrait, Ning Yan's body trembled slightly. He gently touched the portrait and reminiscence appeared in his eyes. After a long time, he opened it and hung it on the ancestral hall.
It was a portrait of a woman.
She wore a simple blue dress, quite plain, and had no decorations in her hair. Her appearance was delicate, with a mischievous charm in her eyebrows and eyes. A subtle smile adorned her lips, revealing a playful demeanor.
Although she might not be considered extraordinarily beautiful, there was something unique about her. There was a sparkle in her eyes that conveyed her lively personality.
Facing the portrait, Ning Yan felt a sense of melancholy. He silently approached and lit some incense, paying homage to his mother.
Gazing at the woman in the portrait, Xu Qing showed a serious expression. After offering incense and paying his respects to Ning Yan's mother, he focused on the eyes of the woman in the painting, his expression subtly changing.
It was unknown who created this portrait but it was very lifelike. Not only did they draw the pupils, but they also captured the reflections within the pupils.
While the details were somewhat blurred and unclear, the outline within the pupils of the portrait seemed to depict either an altar or, upon closer inspection, perhaps a pavilion.
As for the details, he couldn't tell.
Xu Qing fell silent and kept this matter in his mind. He glanced at Ning Yan at the side and noticed that the other party's expression was filled with longing as he stared at the portrait.
Xu Qing had experienced similar feelings in the past and knew that at this moment, Ning Yan might want to be alone.
Hence, he didn't disturb him and silently left the ancestral hall. As he walked in the prince's residence, Xu Qing occasionally saw the Sword Holders who had followed him from Fenghai County patrolling.
Other than them, the entire courtyard had been very empty.
A breeze blew over and the bell hanging under the roof emitted a crisp sound.
The sensation of emptiness in the surroundings also became obvious amidst the bell chimes.
Zi Xuan and the captain had yet to return, each having their own matters to attend to. As for Kong Xianglong, he went to visit Li Yunshan's place.
Hence, other than Ning Yan, only Xu Qing and Wu Jianwu were left in the entire courtyard.
From the direction of the lake, the sound of Wu Jianwu reciting a poem drifted with the wind.
"The water and sky are in chaos, the dust does not rise;
burning a koi in the Imperial City!"
"Good poem, good poem!"
The first line was Wu Jianwu's voice, and the second line was the parrot's praise.
Xu Qing's divine sense swept over and he saw Wu Jianwu sitting at the side of the lake, staring at the surface of the lake and thinking hard. From time to time, he would say a few lines of poems. As for the parrot at the side, other than cheering, it also had a new job.
That was to record.
It recorded Wu Jianwu's poems in a jade token in case Wu Jianwu needed it.
Seeing that the two of them were having fun, Xu Qing simply sat on a stone chair in the courtyard and felt the wind in his surroundings. As he listened to the bell chimes, his heart slowly calmed down.
After sorting out the information he knew, he additionally understood that he would probably have to stay in the Imperial City for some time.
This had been because the Human Emperor had yet to summon him.
Xu Qing was not in a hurry. After organizing his thoughts, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate.
In the Imperial Capital, the density of spiritual qi far exceeded that of Fenghai County. Although there were anomalous substances, they were lesser here. To mortals, this meant that their lifespan would be almost normal.
To cultivators, their cultivation speed would be faster than in other places and the possibility of their bodies mutating would be infinitely reduced.
Hence, Xu Qing didn't waste the good conditions here and immersed himself in cultivation.
Right now, he had opened three divine repositories but he still didn't have a clue about the fourth one. This had been something he needed to consider in the future. There was additionally another important point, and that was the god form.
