Chapter 7: Departing the Mansion

Chapter 7: Departing the Mansion
On the streets of the imperial capital of the Great Xuan Empire, two ornate carriages traveled one behind the other. In the front, a small team of light-armored soldiers, equipped with long swords and holding horse whips, rode dragon steeds to clear the way. Behind the carriages followed dozens of family servants. On either side of the carriages, there were teams of flag bearers holding family banners, and scattered around were about ten armored guards, constantly alert and on guard.
These two carriages were predominantly a bright purple, adorned with intricate golden patterns all over. A large group of people was marching along the main street of the capital, with passersby hurriedly stepping aside, creating an air of ostentation. Apart from the royal family, only members of the prestigious Dongfang family could command such a scene in the capital, and to have this scale would at least require being a direct descendant.
“Which important person is on the move again? Such a grand display!” As the carriage passed by, a passerby remarked. “That purple carriage probably belongs to the Dongfang family in the city; I've heard their status rivals that of the royal family, if not surpass it…” replied another passerby who seemed to have some insider knowledge. “You shouldn't speak such words carelessly…” Their voices quickly drowned in the crowd.
In the first carriage, Dongfang Ziyou was sitting leisurely while Qing'er stood beside her, checking the items that Ziyou had specifically instructed her to bring before the trip. “Night suit, iron mask, broken pendant…” Qing'er silently went through the list, “But, Young Master, are you sure you're not going to do something dangerous?” Qing'er asked with a strange expression. Ziyou shook his head, “It's not important; you need not inquire.” Qing'er paused for a moment, knowing that since the Young Master had made a decision, he would stick to it. Still, she spoke up, “Let me go with you, Young Master; perhaps I can be of help.” As a girl carefully chosen by Ziyou's mother, she was certainly not just good-looking. Her strength was not much lower than that of the typical Purple-cloaked guards in the family. “No, this time it's a private matter for me; I can handle it myself,” Ziyou firmly declined. There were some things he needed to confirm in private, and he didn’t want to reveal them to too many people, including Qing'er. After saying that, Ziyou closed his eyes to rest, clearly unwilling to say anything more.
Relative to the hustle and bustle here in Dongfang Zi, the atmosphere in the next carriage is evidently different. “Xiaoxing, let me test you a bit…” (chewing and swallowing sounds) “What do you think made Zige suddenly decide to leave the mansion in such a flamboyant manner? It’s not like his usual style.” Dongfang Ao said while munching on grapes fed to him by a maid, addressing the white-clad youth waiting beside him. “Young Master, in my opinion, Third Young Master’s actions are likely meant to send a signal to the outside world,” replied the youth named Yuanxing. “Oh? Do elaborate, so as not to let my expectations down!” Ao feigned a profound tone and said. Yuanxing casually opened his folding fan and continued, “Of course, Young Master, just recently before Soul Sending Day, wasn’t there a group of mysterious individuals who attacked Zishao?”
讲到这，他顿了顿，看向正欲咬下侍女手中葡萄的少年。奥仔也发现这家伙突然停了，便加快动作，一口吃下，囫囵说道:“接（继）续啊，雷给着港（你接着讲）”元星满头黑线，但还是说道:“这伙人具体什么目的我不知道，但他们既然选择在这个特殊的时间节点冒险打伤了紫少，那么一定有些什么不可告人的目的，而且这个目的定与送魂仪式紧密相关……”
The young man in a white robe was talking non-stop about his deductions. Meanwhile, Ao Zai, who was lying beside him, had seemingly opened the window curtains at some point and was constantly gazing outside, clearly having lost interest in the topic. "Ah Xing, look! There's a new restaurant opening over there. Let's go try it sometime," Ao Zai said, pointing out the window. Yuan Xing rolled his eyes but then shook his head and put away his folding fan, softly saying, "What Zhi Shao is doing isn't really important. What's important is that the day of the Soul Sending Ceremony happens to be Zhi Shao's coming of age day. According to clan rules, he will likely be responsible for the node that has been guarded by Shangguan Keqing for many years as part of his adult assessment. And from what I've observed, it seems that afterwards, Shangguan Keqing didn't show up in the clan at all, which likely means something went wrong during the ceremony. That group of people injured Zhi Shao in advance, forcing his assessment to be postponed and allowing him to deliberately avoid this unknown incident. However, it seems Zhi Shao still encountered another incident during the ceremony, which is strange..." His brows furrowed, and as he spoke, his voice grew quieter, until it was barely audible, more like he was talking to himself than speaking to someone else.
Ao Zai didn't pay much attention to Yuan Xing's situation. After all, this wasn't the first time. He thought this guy often overthinks and overcalculates. However, Ao Zai didn't mind this, as he knew that Yuan Xing was a follower left to him by his mother and was someone he could completely trust…
As the people on the carriage reacted differently, a man mingling in the crowd on the street, after confirming something, hurriedly left...
??If you want to know what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode~
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(End of this chapter)