There is nothing quite like having a high-stakes political discussion while acting as a human taxi service.
As I casually strolled through the majestic, pressurized courtyard of the Imperial Palace, completely unbothered by the gravity array that was currently trying to compress the surrounding masonry, Xiaofan remained strapped to my back.
Her small arms were looped securely around my neck, and her face was still radiating enough embarrassed heat to fry an egg.
To distract herself from the utter indignity of being piggybacked by a guy wearing a clearance-rack peasant tunic, she decided to pass the time by dropping some massive world-building lore on me.
"Gege," she mumbled into my shoulder, her voice vibrating against my spine.
"Since we are entering the heart of the empire, you need to understand the structure of the land we just walked through. The Yang Kingdom is divided into three major cities, each handling a different tier of society."
"Oh? Do tell," I replied, keeping my pace steady and smooth.
Internally, I was stifling a yawn. Why? Because the moment she started explaining the layout of the kingdom, I realized I already knew every single detail.
Before my "glorified toaster" of a System went offline for its emergency maintenance check, it had already downloaded the basic geographical encyclopedia directly into my brain cells. But since I was actively playing the role of a naive, clueless commoner who just happened to possess a country-destroying *bishōnen* face, I had to pretend this was all brand-new information.
According to Xiaofan—and my digital archives—the Yang Kingdom was split into three distinct zones:
The Three Cities of the Yang Kingdom
**City of Ye**
*Leaf*
**The Slums / The Poorest Region.**
This is the bleak place where the original owner of my body came from. It is a haven for the desperate, where the poorest citizens reside. The local markets deal exclusively in the cheapest, most defective, and rejected goods in the entire kingdom. If a sword is bent or a fruit is half-rotten, it goes to Ye.
**City of Liang**
*Bright*
**The Middle-Class District.**
The lifestyle here is leagues ahead of Ye City. The goods are actually high-quality and intact. The people living here aren't wealthy nobles, but they hold essential, functional roles in the government and the community—think mid-ranking soldiers, prominent merchants, skilled blacksmiths, and tavern owners.
**City of Shangyuan**
*High Source*
**The Noble Hub & The Imperial Seat.**
This is where the palace is designated, and it is a completely different world compared to the previous two cities. It features the highest, most exquisite luxury goods found anywhere inside or outside the kingdom. Shockingly (or not so shockingly, considering the genre), **every single person living here is a cultivator.**
"In Shangyuan," Xiaofan continued, her voice growing a bit more serious, "they also house the great Imperial Sect.
Every person who possesses even a shred of talent for cultivation is given a chance to join, regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
It is the only place where a leaf from Ye City can theoretically turn into a dragon."
"Fascinating," I murmured, adjusting her weight on my back.
"So we essentially just walked from the absolute bottom of the social food chain straight into the shark tank."
"Precisely. So please stop looking at the marble floor like you want to pry up the gold leafing and sell it."
"I would never," I lied smoothly.
=====°°°°°
Meeting the Manager of the Palace
As we finally approached the towering, lacquered inner doors of the primary palace structure, the crushing gravity of the defensive array began to taper off.
Realizing we were about to enter a highly formal environment, I gently slid Xiaofan off my back.
The poor girl's legs wobbled slightly the moment her feet touched the ground. She was still visibly struggling against the lingering aftereffects of the spiritual force, her breath hitching as she tried to compose herself.
Yet, despite her trembling limbs, she took a deep breath, straightened her tiny spine, and built up an immense amount of courage. She was a professional, through and through.
Before we could even knock, the massive inner doors creaked open.
Stepping out from the shadows of the corridor was a man draped in long, dark, elaborately pleated robes.
His skin was pale, his hair was scraped back into a tight, severe bun, and his face looked like it had been carved out of a block of ancient, judgmental ice.
A palace eunuch. Specifically, a high-ranking official by the looks of his silver silk embroidery.
He stopped a few paces away from us, looking down his long nose at our dusty, cheap attire with an expression of profound, unspoken distaste.
If the guards at the gate thought we looked like beggars, this man looked like he wanted to summon a cleaning crew to scrub the very air we were breathing.
Xiaofan didn't let his icy aura intimidate her. She stepped forward, bowed politely, and held out the glowing medallion.
"A pleasant morning, Mister," Xiaofan said, her voice steady and respectful.
"I am Xiaofan, and here in my hand is the token given to me by His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince."
The eunuch's eyes flicked down to her hand. The moment he spotted the flawless violet jade and the pulsing imperial dragon engraving, his rigid posture stiffened by a fraction of a millimeter.
He didn't gasp, and his eyes didn't pop out like the guards' did, but the sudden drop in the room's temperature told me everything I need to know.
He reached out with a pale, manicured hand and carefully took the token from Xiaofan.
He turned it over, inspecting the microscopic authenticity markers with the practiced eye of a man who spent his entire life dealing with imperial forgery.
After confirming without a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed the personal token of the kingdom's most terrifying royal, he placed it back into Xiaofan's palm.
"Wait here," he said. His voice was incredibly cold, sounding like two blocks of frozen stone scraping together.
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel, his dark robes swirling around his ankles as he vanished back into the depths of the palace corridor, leaving the two of us standing alone in the grand hallway.
=====°°°°°
Boredom to Death
"Well," I whispered, crossing my arms and leaning casually against a highly expensive, carved jade pillar.
"At least he didn't call the guards to throw us into the dungeon."
"Don't get complacent, Gege," Xiaofan whispered back, her eyes constantly scanning the ceiling cracks for hidden assassins.
"The palace is a place where a single misplaced syllable can get your entire extended family executed."
"Good thing I don't have an extended family in this world," I muttered.
We waited. And then, we waited some more.
Minutes stretched into what felt like absolute eons. The silence of the hallway was deafening.
There was no background music, no System interface hovering in my peripheral vision to give me a mini-game to pass the time, and absolutely nothing to look at except the gold-leaf molding.
I was getting bored to actual death. I considered doing a few stretches, but given that my tight peasant tunic felt like it might rip if I breathed too hard, I decided against it.
Finally, after several agonizing minutes of psychological torture via extreme boredom, the soft, rhythmic rustle of silk signaled the eunuch's return.
He stepped out of the shadows, his face just as expressionless as before.
"Follow me," he commanded coldly.
He immediately turned around and began walking at a brisk, militaristic pace.
Xiaofan and I exchanged a quick look and scrambled to follow right on his heels, our cheap cloth shoes making a soft *patter-patter* sound against the pristine, highly polished flooring.
As we walked deeper into the labyrinthine corridors, passing rows of silent, armed imperial guards, the old eunuch spoke up without even turning his head to look at us. His voice was a sharp, biting whisper.
"Listen well, commoners. When you enter the presence of His Imperial Highness, you will abide by the protocol. Do not look into the eyes of the prince. Do not speak a single word without being explicitly told to do so. And above all else, do not disrespect His Highness in any capacity. Understood?"
"En," both Xiaofan and I answered simultaneously, nodding like two well-behaved school children.
As the eunuch led us toward a set of massive, double-layered golden doors at the end of the hall, Xiaofan and I glanced at each other one last time.
It was a silent, mutual gesture of cheering each other on—a wordless communication that basically translated to: *'If we get executed, I'll see you in the afterlife.'*
With our little emotional episode concluded, we squared our shoulders and prepared to face the music.
My mind was racing with frantic questions.
*What could the Crown Prince actually look like?*
Given the sheer, terrifying reputation he possessed, I was fully anticipating a massive, battle-scarred warlord with glowing red eyes, an aura of pure bloodlust, and a throne made out of the skulls of his enemies.
I took a deep breath, stabilizing my fluttering heart. Tutorial level or not, I was about to meet the ultimate boss of the Yang Kingdom plotline.