Chapter 197: Kingdom
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Nianfan looked like he was thinking.
Usually, someone as polite as him was mostly royalty.
Zhou Yunwu rolled up his sleeves. He was not pretentious. He said, “Owner, give me some Soup Dumplings.”
Li Nianfan asked curiously, “Mr. Zhou, do you know me?”
Zhou Yunwu shook his head. “No, but I’ve heard of you, Mr. Li. Especially about the pregnant lady incident. I was very impressed.”
“I just got lucky,” said Li Nianfan humbly. Then, he continued to ask, “How did you recognize me?”
Zhou Yunwu laughed. “Everyone says that Mr. Li has a wife who’s prettier than a Goddess. It’s easily identifiable.”
“I see,” laughed Li Nianfan while he shook his head.
Was he well known around here?
“Sir, your dumplings.”
The stall owner placed the dumplings on the table.
Zhou Yunwu looked at Li Nianfan and gestured to him to enjoy the dumplings.
Li Nianfan rejected his offer. “Mr. Zhou, we just had some.”
“I shall eat it, then.” Zhou Yunwu rubbed his nose. He was slightly embarrassed but he picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks.
Suddenly, he noticed the plate of vinegar on the table. He asked in a shocked tone, “Huh? Why’s there a plate of ink on the dining table?”
Ink?
Li Nianfan almost laughed at the sudden humor.
He explained, “This is vinegar, a kind of seasoning sauce. You can try dipping the dumpling in it.”
“Oh?”
Zhou Yunwu was curious. He dipped his dumpling in the vinegar and ate it.
Suddenly, a sour taste filled his mouth along with the taste of the delicious dumpling. It brought a new sensation to his taste palette.
The vinegar was appetizing. It made Zhou Yunwu salivate.
The bodyguard behind him looked worried. He wanted to speak but he remembered what the prince told him. He could only worry in silence.
That was too careless of the prince. This was their first meeting. What if the vinegar had been poisoned? He would easily die from it, right?
Zhou Yunwu complimented genuinely, “Delicious! I didn’t know there was something so amazing in this realm! I heard that this stall makes delicious food because of your advice, too! Mr. Li, you’re a man of mystery.”
“Thank you, I was just bored so I made something,” smiled Li Nianfan. He did not expect to be complimented like that.
Zhou Yunwu felt like Li Nianfan was important. He groaned for a short while and suddenly said, “Mr. Li, do you know that a lot of places have been struck by the plague?”
“Plague?” Li Nianfan furrowed his brows and shook his head.
Zhou Yunwu looked like he was worried about his people. He sighed and said, “This plague started in the far West. We’re not sure how, but it appeared in the Southside, too. It’s spreading incredibly fast. Hundreds of villages and ponds were affected in mere months. Countless people are dead.”
Li Nianfan was perturbed. “So serious?”
He was not unfamiliar with the word ‘plague’. However, he did not expect it to be so serious. It seemed to be spreading fast and wide.
Then, he thought about it and asked, “The cultivators didn’t do anything about it?”
“Them?” Zhou Yunwu shook his head. He sounded like he was betrayed. “Why would cultivators care about the lives of ordinary people?”
Li Nianfan did not say anything. He was not surprised.
Ordinary people were too common. Cultivators were elites. It was not realistic to expect them to spend their time and energy on curing the plague.
It was the cold hard truth.
Zhou Yunwu looked at Li Nianfan with hope as he nervously said, “Mr. Li, since you have the skills to heal people, can you perhaps cure the plague, too?”
“If it’s spreading fast, I can try it.”
Li Nianfan did not reject him. His healing skills were considered strong if it was just the plague. He had to do something about it in case the plague were to spread to his area.
However, he was in no rush. He was just an ordinary man. It was best to be careful.
“Mr. Li, you’re confident enough to try it?” Zhou Yunwu was overjoyed. He hurriedly got up and said, “No matter what the results are, I represent the people and thank you for your generosity, Mr. Li!”
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “You’re welcome, I’m doing this for me, too.”
What if everyone had the plague? Conquer the world alone?
Maybe Zhou Yunwu was in a better mood, or maybe it was because he liked their conversation, but he suddenly sighed and asked, “Mr. Li, what do you think of the cultivators?”
Li Nianfan answered without a second thought, “They can fly around and shatter the earth. They’re endlessly powerful. I envy them.”
Zhou Yunwu said, “Yeah, envy. It’s too bad that they have all the powers but aren’t willing to help the citizens!”
Li Nianfan groaned for a short while and finally shook his head and said, “Mr. Zhou, have you heard of the saying, ‘non-politicians won’t be involved in politics’?”
Zhou Yunwu jolted. His expression changed as he fell deep into his thoughts. He suddenly realized something but was once again at a loss.
He was flushed as he said excitedly, “Non-politicians won’t be involved in politics! Mr. Li, you’re a genius. You summarized it so perfectly!”
“Cultivators fight demons and ensure safety. They’ve done their jobs.” Li Nianfan was not trying to defend the cultivators. He interacted with cultivators constantly, so he knew how cultivators were. Cultivators fought demons, sealed demon entrances, and rid the evil in their lives, too.
If they interfered with everything, they could not become Immortals.
“I was blind.”
Zhou Yunwu had an epiphany. He looked embarrassed. “Because cultivators are powerful, I expected them to do everything. I relied on them to solve our problems. Even our war. I expected them to deal with everything. How’s that different than doing nothing and taking credit for it?”
“War?” Li Nianfan was taken aback. Now, he was more sure of his guess.
Zhou Yunwu must be a prince from a kingdom.
Mundane problems should be solved by mundane people. Cultivation kingdoms existed, too, but those kingdoms were more like sects that dealt with issues of the Immortal Realm. They did not care about the problems of the common people.
It was like asking a human to interfere in an ant colony’s problems.
Li Nianfan thought of joining the royals when he first got here. He wanted to make a living in the kingdom with his talents.
However, he felt like it was not suitable for him. This was the Immortal Realm—kingdoms were strict and dangerous and wars were a constant.
He thought about it and decided to stick with the cultivators.
Of course, Zhou Yunwu stood up again and said in a serious tone, “I’m not trying to hide my identity on purpose. I’m the Prince of the Xia Kingdom, Zhou Yunwu. Greetings, Mr. Li!”