Trouble of a Demon Prince, page 22
His hands were almost looking like claws, ready to tear apart anyone in his path, before he almost grunted a mouthful of air, a sound not many would expect to come from such a high standing figure as Jiang Luo, and his hands relaxed.
His aura faded away, to the relief of the servants, and it seemed that he had calmed down - at least for the moment.
"Burn everything down," his order came rather stiff, before his robes were heard fluttering behind him as he headed for the door. "Everything must be cleaned up. Leave nothing behind."
"Yes, Your Highness," the servants quickly got to send the messages and execute the other.
Jiang Luo's gaze was so cold and furious one couldn't begin to describe it. And a large reason it was like that was because he knew why the Shadow Guard hadn't cleaned up after the massacre themselves.
He knew Jiang Yao wanted him to do all of that himself. And the more he thought about it, the more furious he became. How dared his younger brother defy him like that! He had the most authority, he had the most political power, he had the most men!
And yet there was someone who dared to defy him just because his personal cultivation level was higher!
Jiang Luo would never accept that. His eyes akin to kindled embers, he left the room, determined he would find a way to hurt Jiang Yao, even if it meant he had to directly meet this Luo Xiao that started it all.
Chapter 36 - He is Cheating on You!
While Jiang Luo was going mad with rage over the damages Jiang Yao had done to him in the span of three days, Luo Xiao spent most of the time training for the tournament and studying herbs for alchemy.
The evening on the third day, he had made an arrangement to meet up with Jin Chuan, both to take a break from exercising and to just talk to a friend.
They had agreed to meet at the main square since it was both the easiest place to access and they could just choose where to go from it. Most, if not all, paths in Cloudsoar Academy went to the main square, which truly made it a convenient place both for meetings and just trying to find where to go to as every path had a sign next to it.
It was mid to late afternoon when Luo Xiao exited his home to meet with Jin Chuan, which meant that the main square was quite populated, but not as much as it tended to get in the evenings. Gradually making his way around the groups of people, Luo Xiao eventually saw Jin Chuan and quickly ran up to her.
"Hey, Jin Chuan!" He smiled widely as soon as he got close, his expression lighting up almost like a gemstone in the sunlight.
"Luo Xiao!" Jin Chuan responded in almost the same fashion, her smile causing more than one person to look in her direction and let out a dreamy sigh. She truly was one of the Goddesses of the Academy, and it showed.
Perhaps it was only Luo Xiao and a few rare others who saw her as a friend and not merely a 'Goddess,' as not many would approach Jin Chuan to become her friend and not try to take her for themselves. That was ignoring the fact she was factionless, which brought on additional attention from even greedier people.
"Has everything been alright?" Luo Xiao softly smiled as he approached the girl, already somewhat used to the murmurs and whispers about the two of them being friends.
"Of course, who do you take me for? I'm not someone weak!" The girl laughed, a gesture which caused not just one person to sigh in adoration. Then she smiled at Luo Xiao. "Want to go somewhere else?"
"Yeah, thank you!" Luo Xiao smiled back almost in relief, happy for both of them to be on the same line of thought.
"I guess we should not leave the academy for now," Jin Chuan said slightly, as she looked at Luo Xiao, still somewhat unaccustomed to him being close to the Seventh Demon Prince, and hence being a target of the fourth demon prince.
"That might be a good idea," Luo Xiao said with a wry smile. Although he knew that the Shadow Guard was around him to protect him, there was no saying that the Fourth Demon Prince had not upped the quality of the people who would be dealing with him.
"What about going to the martial arts field?" Luo Xiao suddenly asked. "I have a few techniques I would like to try out, but I have no sparring partner and have just been training on my own."
Jin Chuan's lips curled into a gentle smile, and she nodded her head. "I can suppress my cultivation base, and we can have a spar," she agreed readily.
Luo Xiao had been training the Stalwart Shield Defense, the Soul Reaping Palm and the Devouring Starry Sky over and over again on his own, it was time for him to try it out against a real person to know their real might.
As they walked towards the martial arts fields, someone had overheard their conversation and rushed back to the ninth demon prince with the news.
"You are saying that he is close to goddess Jin Chuan?" Jiang Bai asked the person who brought the news, and the person nodded his head.
"They seemed to be good friends. It seems that they meet often, and this time they are going to the martial arts field to train."
The expression of Jiang Bai was ugly when he thought about Luo Xiao being close to this Jin Chuan. Was he cheating on his seventh brother with this spirit?
"I need answers!" Jiang Bai sneered as he rushed out of the room and headed for the martial arts field where they were said to be headed.
On the way, Luo Xiao and Jin Chuan were talking.
"How come you are a person of the ninth demon prince?" Jin Chuan finally asked the question that had troubled her for some time.
She could simply not understand how this young man had managed to catch the seventh demon prince's eyes, even less when she realized he had sent his own guards to protect him.
"Well, our relationship is, well, different," Luo Xiao said with a sigh, and a slight blush appeared on his face. He could not very well say that he was Jiang Yao's lover, could he?
Jin Chuan was somewhat experienced, however, and she could instantly guess something from the way he was blushing.
"That's good for you," she said, "as long as he can make you happy."
Looking gratefully at Jin Chuan, Luo Xiao nodded his head, "He makes me happy," he said determinedly. "Right now, I am too weak to help him, but I will enhance my strength soon and help him with his problems!"
Jin Chuan smiled gently and reached out to hug him to show her support.
This hug was a hug between friends, there was nothing impure about it, but in the eyes of many people who saw it, it was enough for them to be severely jealous.
It was also at this point in time that Jiang Bai noticed them. Seeing them hugging, his face went pale from anger and a strange feeling he had never felt before appeared in his chest.
However, he refused to accept this! His seventh brother was being cheated on!
He turned on his tail and left the academy and went straight for Jiang Yao's house while Luo Xiao and Jin Chuan went for the martial arts field.
"I need to speak with my seventh brother!" Jiang Bai stressed for the umpteenth time as he was standing outside Jiang Yao's palace, doing his best to get inside.
"His highness is busy," was the answer he got all the time, and Jiang Bai was gnashing his teeth in anger.
"Your lover is cheating on you!" He screamed as loudly as he could, and while the housekeeper frowned and tried to make him shut up, Jiang Yao's voice suddenly reverberated through the air.
"Let him in."
Jiang Bai breathed a sigh of relief and rushed towards his brother's study where he entered in a hurry, yet when he entered, he wished he hadn't.
Jiang Yao was standing in the room, but the entire room was covered in frost. From this, one could see that he did not have complete control over his emotions right now and that the emotional state was filled with rage and anger for it to have gotten this far.
"What were you saying just now?" an apathetic voice sounded, but the more Jiang Yao sounded like this, the more scared Jiang Bai became. Why did he feel as if he wanted to kill him? Don't shoot the messenger!
"I just saw him hugging a girl at the academy!" Jiang Bai decided that if he had to die, he might as well ask for a clean death and came out with it.
"A girl?" Jiang Yao felt as if his usually cold and unfeeling heart was being ripped to pieces. Had he truly been betrayed by Luo Xiao?
He was filled with jealousy and anger, but he also trusted in Luo Xiao. There was no way he would cheat on him, but why would he have hugged someone?
There was no doubt that Jiang Bai was telling the truth, it was easy for Jiang Yao to see through him if he lied, so he knew it was the truth.
A smoldering pain and anger rose within him, giving him an urge to kill everyone within sight. His Luo Xiao was not allowed to be touched by anyone else than himself!
"I heard you, you can leave," Jiang Yao said to Jiang Bai, his teeth so clenched that his words were hard to understand.
It was not before now that Jiang Bai understood the importance of Luo Xiao to Jiang Yao. For him to be this furious but still wanting to believe in his lover, it was simply unheard of ever before.
While all of this was happening, Luo Xiao had been sparring against Jin Chuan. They had not tried to find a winner. Instead, they had practiced their skills, and after training for a few hours, they said their goodbyes and returned to their respective homes.
As Luo Xiao reached his home, he found that there was a gloomy atmosphere around it, but he could not understand why.
He opened the door and entered, only to feel someone suddenly grabbing his wrist and dragging him into a warm and familiar embrace.
The moment he smelled the familiar scent of sandalwood, his heart which had been almost beating out of his chest calmed down, and he felt happy. Jiang Yao had come to visit him.
However, before he had the time to do more, Jiang Yao leaned forward, his tongue licking his lips, and then diving into a deep and hot kiss.
He was plundering Luo Xiao's breath; he was urgent and rough, domineering, and overwhelming. Not at all gentle and lingering like usual.
Luo Xiao was feeling addled; he could not understand the aggressiveness from Jiang Yao, and when he could feel a bit of urgency, worry, and fear in the atmosphere around Jiang Yao.
Usually, he would never have allowed Jiang Yao just to do as he wished like this, but when he felt the mood of Jiang Yao, he obediently tried to return the kiss.
Feeling Luo Xiao's unskilled but gentle reply made Jiang Yao's suspended heart finally calm down and the kiss turned lingering.
"What have you been doing today?" Jiang Yao asked as his lips still stuck to Luo Xiao's making him feel every single move, and the breath tickled him making him want to retreat, but a steady hand was behind his head, keeping him in position.
"I was training with Jin Chuan," Luo Xiao answered honestly, then he thought for a moment before continuing. "I think she knows about you and me," he said. "She seemed to have guessed it when we spoke about you, and I think that she supports us."
Jiang Yao already felt some dislike towards this woman because she was close to his Luo Xiao, but he knew he would get scolded if he said something, so he stayed silent.
Instead, he wanted to know the main thing, why had they hugged?
"Did you hug her?" He asked. Since he wanted to know, it was only natural to ask the question that was troubling him.
"She hugged me when she guessed about us," Luo Xiao did not lie. He had low social skills and had no idea that his words could cause Jiang Yao endless pain.
"I think she wanted to show her support for the two of us," he continued, and suddenly it was as if spring had arrived in Jiang Yao's frozen heart that had been in pain since he heard about it from Jiang Bai. So, she supported them. Suddenly she was not as unlikeable as before.
"I am staying here tonight," Jiang Yao said smugly as he felt much better already. His Xiaoxiao had not cheated on him, he was just a bit dumb about human relations.
"Oh right," he added, "in the future, don't hug anyone else than me," he said domineeringly.
Luo Xiao looked at him with doubt in his eyes. Why was it that the feelings he had felt from Jiang Yao before had vanished entirely?
Chapter 37 - Beating Jiang Luo
That night, Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao slept together on the bed. But once morning came and Jiang Yao woke up, holding the sleeping Luo Xiao in his arms, he decided to not wake the boy up.
He felt happy over the fact that there was no way for Luo Xiao to cheat on him. He was too pure and innocent to think of anything like that. With a smile on his lips, the demon prince carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake up Luo Xiao, before covering him back up with the blanket.
Seeing Luo Xiao sleep like that made him feel warm inside, a warmth which was something unknown for Jiang Yao to feel. And it honestly felt very right, as if it was meant to be there to begin with, despite never having been there previously before meeting Luo Xiao.
The prince sighed softly before leaning over and kissing Luo Xiao gently on the lips. Oh, how much he loved kissing and feeling those soft, untainted lips that Luo Xiao had. And seeing him sleep calmly, without even reacting, it made him want to kiss him again, and again, and again, just to see how he would react to being woken up by being kissed.
But now wasn't the time for that. Jiang Yao smiled lightly, a smile reserved truly only for Luo Xiao, before he straightened his back up and disappeared from the room. He knew Luo Xiao would understand that he couldn't stay for much.
The main palace of the royal demon family in Cloudsoar City was perhaps the grandest structure complex ever built, not just in the Demon Empire, but the entire Tiandi continent. Perhaps only the Cloudsoar Royal Academy could rival the place, and only because it simply span a greater area than the palace. The grandeur of the place, however, could not be questioned.
Jiang Yao wasn't at the main royal palace to marvel at it. He had been summoned by his father, the Demon Emperor, not that he really knew what for.
The Demon Emperor himself was an exceptionally well known and influential figure. But aside from that, not much was actually known about him. Not many people knew what he looked like and what his real personality was like. He was a true mystery in many ways - and only the closest to the Emperor knew what he was actually like.
Jiang Yao's expression was rather frosty as he made his way towards the exit of the palace. The meeting with his father had gone about the same as usual. Neither of them was really talkative to each other, and really all that his father had asked for was information about the parts of the empire managed by Jiang Yao. A merely formal meeting which made them seem even less like a father and son and more like partners in business.
His cold, frosty presence made anyone else in the vicinity want to hide away - he was after all known as a cold, ruthless being, which was a stark difference from the other man walking into the palace at this very moment.
Jiang Luo, in terms of the feeling he gave off, was the almost direct opposite to Jiang Yao. A warm, welcoming atmosphere came from him, and the soft smile formed by his lips, not to mention aided by the fact that he was physically around thirty years old. Older people simply seemed softer than the younger cultivators. Jiang Luo was known for his powers over fire, which aided that difference even more.
Beneath the gentle exterior lay a scheming and black heart. Those who knew the Fourth Demon Prince were aware that he was no more merciful than Jiang Yao. In fact, he might even be more malevolent compared to Jiang Yao, who was aloof from the fight for the throne.
Although this was the case, Jiang Luo had taken Jiang Yao as his archenemy. He knew that although Jiang Yao had no interest in the position as Crown Prince and later Demon Emperor, he was still the strongest amongst them all. Should he suddenly change his opinion, then everything he had built up over the years would crumble.
Unbeknown to both of them, they were walking towards one another. Currently, they were in an almost open war against each other. Jiang Yao had ordered his shadow guard to deal with Jiang Luo's information network and sources of income as a punishment for him trying to kidnap Luo Xiao.
Jiang Luo was not dumb, he had long since guessed that this was the case, and he was fuming mad whenever he thought about how much manpower he had lost, not to mention how many years his information network had been pushed back.
This was also the reason that Jiang Luo had appeared in the palace on this day. He needed to request his royal father to permit him to recruit men again.
One had to always ask for permission from the Emperor if one wanted to mass recruit especially if any of the princes wished to do so, as there was always a risk of betrayal and thoughts of overthrowing the throne.
As they were walking, one towards the imperial study and one away from it, they suddenly met face to face in the middle of a grand hall.
This hall was bustling with life. Servants and maids were rushing back and forth on errands while some were cleaning and carrying stuff from one end of the palace to the other. Even eunuchs were walking around doing their tasks.
It was not only servants that were present. Many officials were working in the palace, and these were also walking towards their own destination.
Some were here because of actual work, but some had arrived with ulterior motives. They had heard that the Seventh Demon Prince had been summoned and thus came to curry favor.
Others knew that the Fourth Demon Prince was here for the sake of recruiting men and wanted to offer some of their own family members in return for getting closer to him.
As such, the hall had been bustling with life, but suddenly it was so silent that one would be able to hear a needle drop to the floor. Jiang Yao and Jiang Luo were staring at one another, surprise evident in both their eyes.
While Jiang Yao did not even spend the effort to hide the loathing and disgust in his eyes, Jiang Luo quickly covered up the hostility that had threatened to appear in his eyes as he smiled at Jiang Yao.
"Dear brother, what brings you here?" he asked as if the two of them were on good terms, but Jiang Yao just glanced at him with annoyance.
"Looking for new people? Don't bother; I'll just kill them again," he said. His voice was not low, and the words he told stunned everyone present. Had Jiang Yao made a move against Jiang Luo? Was he suddenly interested in the throne?
