"Dong Xiao, Dong Xiao, your Martial Arts are much better than Xu Lang’s and Shen Hanshu’s, right?" The Prince sat to the side watching Dong Xiao chop firewood, but this time the logs seemed different from usual, thicker.
Dong Xiao kept his head down, chopping wood, and didn’t answer.
"Dong Xiao, what are you chopping all this wood for? It doesn’t look like the usual kind." The Prince asked again.
"Boss is using it for roasting whole lamb." Dong Xiao replied in a low voice.
"Hey, Dong Xiao, how much does Boss pay you a year? I’ll pay you ten times that, how about you come back to the Prince Mansion with me?" The Prince said in a low voice, "I’m very sincere, and you’ll eat and live well, and at the end of the year I’ll give you lots of extra stuff."
Before Dong Xiao could answer, Kong Hou, who happened to be passing by, let out a cold snort and tossed over a line: "Go wash up and sleep." With that, Kong Hou left.
The Prince was baffled. He blinked, watching Kong Hou’s departing back, then turned his head to look at Dong Xiao and asked doubtfully, "What does Kong Hou mean?"
"She means this is something you should just think about in your dreams." Dong Xiao explained expressionlessly.
The Prince’s mouth twitched. He knew poaching someone wasn’t easy, but this was a bit too hurtful.
"Are you all Boss Tianmiao’s household servants then? Is that why you’re so loyal? Or did she save all your lives, so you’re like this?" The Prince couldn’t help asking again.
Dong Xiao lifted his head to look at the Prince, fell silent for a moment, then still replied, "Your Highness."
"Mm?" The Prince widened his eyes, waiting for Dong Xiao’s answer.
"You should just go wash up and sleep." Dong Xiao put down the axe in his hand, got up to wash his hands and change clothes, getting ready to go out and buy things. The meat pie shop at the end of East Street should be about to take their meat pies out of the pan; he could go buy some.
The Prince’s expression collapsed as he watched Dong Xiao’s back walk off into the distance.
Xu Lang walked over at this time. Seeing the Prince’s collapsed face, he couldn’t help laughing, "Your Highness, you’re still thinking about poaching people? I think you’d better not waste your effort."
"A little tavern hiding so many crouching tigers and hidden dragons, Great Hero Xu, don’t you find it strange?" The Prince stood up and asked with a serious expression.
"Your Highness has read the ’Compendium of Jianghu Figures,’ right?" Xu Lang didn’t answer the Prince’s question, but instead threw out another one.
"I’ve read it. You and Shen Hanshu are both in the top ten, one eighth and one tenth." The Prince answered quickly. As someone who yearned for the Jianghu, he was of course very familiar with the Compendium of Jianghu Figures. This record was updated every year. It was compiled jointly by the Jianghu and the court, recording the names of the world’s experts, the Weapons they used, their signature moves, and an estimated ranking of their strength.
"But I personally think ranking me eighth is already flattering me a lot. In this world, there are many masters who live in seclusion and aren’t recorded in it. Some experts prefer a Returning to the True kind of life. I think Boss Tianmiao just likes this ’a great hermit living in the city’ style of life." Xu Lang smiled. "There are still many experts in this world, Your Highness, so there’s nothing to be surprised about."
The Prince fell silent and said nothing.
From the front hall came Tianmiao’s voice: "Do you want sugar-roasted chestnuts? I just bought them, soft and sweet."
"Yes!" Xu Lang shouted toward the front hall, then turned and strode forward.
The Prince looked at Xu Lang’s hurried steps and froze for a moment. He felt like he was starting to understand a little of the fun in that ’great hermit living in the city’ kind of life.
The Prince followed him to the front hall and saw two big bags of steaming chestnuts on the table, which Tianmiao was just about to eat. Kong Hou was standing at the door paying the chestnut vendor.