Chapter 67: Restoring the Human Form part 1
Zong Hao frowned as he studied the renyu’s somewhat familiar face. Looking at him from such a close distance, he was certain that this was indeed the Second Prince he had once seen.
Because of his status as a banshouren (beastman), Zong Hao rarely appeared before outsiders to prevent anyone from noticing that his appearance remained unchanged over the years.
However, he had known the Crown Prince since childhood. Whenever there were special matters in the palace that required him to report to His Majesty in person, Zong Hao would still enter the palace wearing a mask.
Therefore, although his visits to the palace were infrequent, he did go there.
Similarly, because of his weak constitution, the Second Prince rarely appeared in public. However, he had appeared in the palace quite a few times later on, and Zong Hao had caught glimpses of him by chance two or three times.
One of those times was in the Crown Prince’s palace. Because they were close, Zong Hao had clearly seen the Second Prince’s face. It was identical to the face of the renyu before him, except for the hair color and his demeanor.
The Second Prince Zong Hao had seen always wore a cold expression; his face was composed and his gaze indifferent. The way he stared at people even carried a trace of gloomy, cold light. Because of that first impression, Zong Hao hadn’t doubted the Crown Prince when he claimed that the Second Prince was the culprit behind the disaster on the day of the sacrifice.
But now, this silly renyu who had suffered a heavy blow… could he really be the Second Prince?
An answer formed in his mind with near certainty. It was impossible for two people in this world to look exactly the same by mere coincidence, let alone for one to have been injured on a planet near the Capital Planet just a few months ago.
Ning Yunyi was about to tug back the sleeve the renyu was clutching when he noticed the big cat squatting nearby, staring fixedly at the renyu. He was staring so hard it seemed he wanted to press his eyes against the renyu’s face.
Ning Yunyi handed a large bowl to the Jinqian Turtle. “Catch the pearls. Don’t let them go to waste.”
The Jinqian Turtle opened his mouth to say that these things were practically useless and catching them was a waste of time. But remembering that this was his Master, the turtle immediately responded loudly. He obediently took the large sea bowl and was about to shove it under the renyu’s eyes.
Halfway there, he was snatched back by a furry paw. Zong Hao held the bowl tightly in his embrace, staring at the Jinqian Turtle with an unfriendly gaze in his beastly eyes. The turtle was so frightened that he scurried behind his little master.
[Wow, I hope I didn’t offend the Little-Little Master on my first day.]
In the Jinqian Turtle’s mind, there was a hierarchy in this family. Master was first, the Little Master was second, and this exotic cat—though big and a bit silly—had arrived early and ranked third. Thus, he could only be considered the Little-Little Master.
Zong Hao turned his massive head toward Ning Yunyi with a resentful look.
[Meow!]
[Catch the pearls if you want, but why use my food bowl? He really does think I eat too much and doesn’t want me to come over for dinner anymore, doesn’t he? I already said I can eat less, but you can’t just flip over my eating tools!]
Ning Yunyi clicked his tongue. “Are you done looking? Is this big bowl really more beautiful than a renyu?”
Zong Hao only thought he was being scolded for being in the way, so he silently moved to the side while still guarding his bowl tightly. After thinking for a moment, he pointed at the renyu currently dropping pearls, then extended his paw to try and trace something, but only managed to open his claws.
He had no choice but to put the bowl down and use both paws to trace a figure in the air. It vaguely resembled the number “2.”
Ning Yunyi frowned, puzzled. “What are you doing…”
Why would he trace such a number for no reason? But following Zong Hao’s gaze back to the renyu’s face, he narrowed his eyes. “You recognize him?”
Zong Hao’s beastly eyes instantly lit up, and he hurriedly let out a sound of affirmation. However, in the next moment, he caught something out of the corner of his eye and flew into a rage.
[Meow!]
Despite his lazy appearance, the Jinqian Turtle’s limbs were incredibly agile when he moved. Clearly, between the Master and the Little-Little Master, he chose to listen to the former. Seizing the moment the big cat wasn’t paying attention, he snatched the big bowl and had already started catching the pearls.
As the pearls clattered into the bowl, a heavy aura emanated from Zong Hao. His beastly eyes swirled with flames: You’re dead.
The Jinqian Turtle stole a glance and decided to file a complaint, intending to test his Master’s attitude. Perhaps he could even wiggle his way into the third-in-command seat of the household.
“Master, does he have some kind of problem with you? You said to use this bowl to catch pearls, but he actually roared at me. Master, does he have some grudge against you? Does he want to rebel and climb over your head? Heavens, his beastly heart is not what it used to be!”
Ning Yunyi: “…”
You’re a turtle. If you want to tattle, go ahead, but do you have to do it right in front of him? This was the first time he had seen the big cat so angry that his fur was standing on end.
But for now, he couldn’t worry about anything else. Ning Yunyi was quite curious about how Zong Hao recognized this fish. He scooped up the big cat. “To the study. Jinqian Turtle, pick up the pearls on the ground too. I’ll need them later.”
The little cat cub followed along excitedly. “Father, what about me?”
Ning Yunyi: “The big cat and I have business. Cub, stay down here and watch the fish.”
The Jinqian Turtle pulled his neck in. [Fine. It seems this is an exotic beast that rose to power through his fur. Master dotes on him so much he doesn’t even have the heart to scold him.]
The renyu’s eyes grew misty, and his pearls fell even faster. “Master…”
Did he forget about me? He didn’t even spare me a single glance.
Ning Yunyi took Zong Hao to the study upstairs. Disliking how slow he was at typing, Ning Yunyi threw a set of clothes at him. “Change into these and just speak directly.”
Zong Hao’s paws stiffened. He felt uncharacteristically awkward. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but Ning Yunyi’s action was based on the knowledge that he would be naked for a moment when he transformed. Although Ning Yunyi wouldn’t see anything, it felt strangely off.
Zong Hao also knew his suspicion was important. He went to the side compartment to change into the clothes first. When he came out, he gave his hair a casual toss and sat down across from Ning Yunyi in a disciplined manner.
Ning Yunyi pulled his chair forward until his knees almost touched Zong Hao’s. He looked at them somewhat unnaturally before looking up. Meeting Ning Yunyi’s urgent gaze, he said, “I’ve seen this renyu before. No, that’s not right. I haven’t seen a renyu; I’ve seen how he looks when he’s not a renyu.”
Ning Yunyi voiced the suspicion in his heart: “You traced a ‘2’ just now. Is he being raised by the Second Prince?”
What Zong Hao said next surprised Ning Yunyi even more: “He’s not being raised by the Second Prince. He looks exactly like the Second Prince I’ve seen. Except for the hair—the Second Prince has blonde hair, while the renyu has long silver hair. That’s why I didn’t notice it at first.”
Otherwise, he likely would have recognized him the moment the renyu appeared. This was also why he wasn’t certain and only suspected the other’s identity.
Ning Yunyi was clearly shocked by this news. “The Second Prince? Didn’t you hear from the Crown Prince that although he was not born to the Empress, he is indeed His Majesty’s flesh and blood? His Majesty was involved in that banshouren base where jingshenli is extracted. How could he let a banshouren give birth to his own child? Isn’t he afraid that he might be killed by a banshouren one day?”
Zong Hao shook his head. “I didn’t go to the palace often, and I only saw the Second Prince two or three times. One of those times was in the Crown Prince’s palace. We were almost face-to-face then, so I saw very clearly. They are indeed identical.”
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