Tian He had just finished training when he encountered someone who looked suspicious. At first he thought the person was an intruder, but after noticing, it turned out that what he saw was prince Jian Zhang.
And why was prince Jian Zhang acting like an intruder?
Jian Zhang jumped down. Tian He defended with his careful eyes. Jian Zhang's clothes were wet, even though there was no rain today.
"Good evening, Jian Zhang," he greeted.
In the past, Tian He didn't pay attention to Jian Zhang.
In his eyes, this prince was just a kid who didn't have martial arts talent. But now, his mind changed.
Even when they fought together, he was sure Jiang Zhang had not fully unleashed his strength. There is still a secret to its power.
"What is the Prince doing at this time?" Tian He asked curiously.
"Just taking a walk, and accidentally slipped into the lake." Jian Zhang excused.
Tian He did not suspect the slightest bit, he let Jian Zhang go after that.
The next day...
The sudden death of the fish shocked the palace. The lake water changed color to black and even the lotus plants died. They immediately brought in a healer who understands poison to examine the polluted lake. And some knights worry that the polluted lake is a sign of demons entering the palace. The emperor also held a large-scale inspection of every palace area to break off the worries.
But stopping at Xue Fen's residence, there was one room belonging to Jian Zhang.
"The Empress does not allow anyone to enter Jian Zhang's room," said Lin Min, Xue Fen's trusted maid. "If you disobey the empress's order, that means you are against the empress and we will accuse you of being someone who is trying to kill the prince."
The two knights who were about to check looked at each other. The position of prince Jian Zhang could be called crown prince, although it had not been formalized yet. And what happened in the past is still a hot topic in the palace. They dared not take risks as the enemy of prince Jian Zhang.
Finally, they bowed respectfully and left the Xue Fen residence.
"We can't find the demon right now. We'll have to wait until later tonight, Your Highness." Cheng Wu said to everyone at the meeting.
Commander Wu is the most experienced in hunting demons. For decades, commander Wu guarded the Zhang territory from demons.
"What commander Wu said is true." Tian He confirmed. "We have to wait for the night to catch the demon."
Cheng Wu looked uneasy. He rubbed his hardened chin. He felt that the demon he met in the forbidden forest with the demon that caused the fish in the lake to die was the same demon. But he was still waiting for the results from the poison master to find out what caused the lake's water to turn black.
On the other side, Tian He felt that this had something to do with prince Jian Zhang. That night, didn't Jian Zhang say that he was just from the lake?
After the meeting was over, Tian He immediately questioned the men he had sent to Xue Fen's residence.
"Did you find anything suspicious?" asked Tian He. The two men both shook their heads. "Nothing, Master Tian He. We didn't find something fishy in the prince's room."
They had to lie, and they believed that what was happening now had nothing to do with prince Jian Zhang.
"Alright, now you may go," Tian He ordered.
Tian He's had bad feeling about this. His anxiety still did not go away. Jian Zhang might be a prince in that kingdom, but for someone who had disappeared for a long time then suddenly appeared with such fantastic strength. Isn't that very suspicious?
"Master Cheng Wu wants to see you, Master Tian He," said the maid at the door.
"Alright," said Tian He in a loud voice.
Not long after that, Cheng Wu and Xian Wu walked into Tian He's room.
A smile appeared on Tian He's face. He warmly welcomed Cheng Wu, who was like his own brother.
"What's wrong, Eldest Brother?"
Cheng Wu didn't answer yet. He turned to Xian Wu. His nephew put a jade on Tian He table.
"I think you must be familiar with this dragon jade."
The conversation turned more serious. Tian He raised his hand, ordering the maids who were in the room to stand guard outside.
"Where did you find it?"
Tian He checked the jade. There was an inscription that was not very clear, but he could still read it.
A name engraved on the jade carving made Tian He's eyes widen in surprise.
"I found it in the forbidden forest when my men were chasing a demon."
Tian He wanted to keep it a secret. But after knowing this, Tian He finally spoke up. He was worried that this would become a problem in the future.
"Jian Zhang." Tian He said one name. "This jade belongs to Jian Zhang."
"Are you sure?" Cheng Wu couldn't believe it, but Tian He couldn't possibly be lying.
***
"Don't come out, Prince!" Bojing entered through the back door. He immediately prevented Jian Zhang from leaving.
Jian Zhang frowned, not understanding why Bojing looked worried like this.
Meanwhile, there was a commotion. Shouts and harsh words directed at him.
"I beg you. Don't come out, Prince. This is the empress's order." Bojing tried to hold off Jian Zhang as long as he could.
The curious Jian Zhang pushed Bojing's body that was blocking his way.
Jian Zhang walked outside, not caring about Bojing's pleas.
"Get out, you devil!"
"Demon Prince! Get out! How dare you claim to be Prince!"
The maid who noticed Jian Zhang's presence looked worried. The two guards trying to hold back the door seemed to have reached their limit. Broken door. The body of the guard holding the door was fell backwards. They wince in pain.
"Devil!" The palace guards swore at Jian Zhang.
One of the most famous holy priests approached Jian Zhang.
With a holy spell, the priest doused Jian Zhang with holy water.
"Argh!!!!"
Jian Zhang suddenly screamed in pain, causing everyone who saw him to laugh in satisfaction.