youth behind the curtain

The central palace in the imperial city is vast and magnificent, exuding grandeur and majesty.

 The palace is heavily guarded, with soldiers constantly patrolling the perimeter, far more stringent than the outer defenses of the imperial city.

 This place is the heart of the imperial city and the center of power in the Snow Moon Kingdom, housing the Snow Moon royal family in their palace.

 Legend has it that within this palace, there are 8,100 checkpoints. Only by passing through these layers of security can one reach the true core of the palace.

 Yet at this moment, there is a figure moving through the palace, walking steadily as if strolling down an ordinary street, unaffected by the hidden vigilance, with no one impeding his progress.

 Clad in black, his features sharp and defined, though young, he exudes a calmness as steady as a mountain.

 Passing through the layers of security, the black-clad man arrives at a pond. Beside the pond stands an ancient pavilion, where a figure sits on a stone bench, fishing with a slender bamboo rod.

 This figure wears a simple white robe, with a gentle demeanor, appearing to be around twenty years old, similar in age to the black-clad man. Despite his casual posture, he gives off an air of profound mystery.

 The black-clad man approaches the person from behind and stands silently, making no sound.

 After a moment, the angler's hand trembles, and the silver fishing line traces a graceful arc. A fish weighing a catty falls into the bamboo basket beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face.

 "Nanshan, you're here, take a seat."

 The youth turns to look at the black-clad man, smiling gently.

 "Your Highness."

 Nanshan nods slightly to the youth but does not sit, and the youth does not insist.

 "Nanshan, it's been a few days since you last came. Is there any news this time?"

 "Yes." Nanshan nods slightly. "Your Highness, Lord Dapeng and Lord Luoxue have both arrived."

 "With the establishment of the Snow Moon Sacred Academy imminent, it's no surprise they've come to the imperial city. However, I imagine you wouldn't have made a special trip for just that."

 The smile on the youth's face remains gentle, but in his wise eyes, there is a hint of insight, as if seeing through everything.

 "Your Highness is as insightful as ever. Today at the Qingxin Tavern, Nanshan encountered an interesting incident and met two interesting individuals."

 "The Qingxin Tavern is indeed a good place to go. Nanshan, Qingxin is not getting any younger. When do you plan to marry her? I'd be happy to propose for you."

 The youth seems uninterested in what Nanshan is saying and instead brings up the matter concerning Nanshan.

 The black-clad man feels a sense of gratitude in his heart and secretly admires the youth. He always manages to touch others' hearts unintentionally, making them sincerely feel his goodwill.

 Qingxin is the woman he loves. If the youth were to propose on his behalf, even with her prestigious background, she would not refuse. Despite Nanshan's firm resolve, he still feels moved by the youth's simple words.

 However, Nanshan knows it's not the time to discuss his affairs.

 "Your Highness, today at the Qingxin Tavern, Duan Yu caused a scene, but he met a sixteen-year-old boy who slapped him in the face."

 "Oh?" The youth smiles slightly. "That does sound interesting. In the outer city, there aren't many who dare to slap Duan Yu. I'm sure Duan Lie was furious. Qingxin wouldn't have stood by either, I presume."

 "Your Highness is absolutely right. The incident happened at the Qingxin Tavern, and Qingxin naturally couldn't stand idly by. Duan Lie was there too, but in the end, they all failed. The entire tavern was demolished, and even I had to escape in embarrassment."

 Nanshan smiled wryly, increasing the youth's interest. He joked, "A master of the Xuanwu Realm, a sixteen-year-old boy. That's unlikely. Who is he, a disciple of which family?"

 "Your Highness, you may be mistaken this time. The one who acted indeed has the strength of the Xuanwu Realm, but she is a young woman, very beautiful and young, veiled, her identity unknown. As for the boy, he is indeed a disciple of a certain family, but not in the way Your Highness imagines."

 Nanshan deliberately teases, making the youth smile. "Nanshan, you've learned to keep me in suspense. But the identity of that woman in the Xuanwu Realm, you couldn't even find out?"

 "I couldn't. There has never been any information about her. But I think what Your Highness might be more interested in is the boy."

 "Oh?" A hint of interest flashes in the youth's eyes. A boy more intriguing than someone stronger than the Xuanwu Realm?

 "What's his name?"

 "Lin Feng, from the Twinwood Forest, named after the maple leaves." The black-clad man replied.

 "Lin Feng." The youth murmured, "On that day, everyone in the Cloud Sea Sect died to protect a person, who seems to be named Lin Feng."

 "Yes, that's him. But his background should be even more interesting to Your Highness." The black-clad man continued to tease.

 "Let's hear it." The youth's eyes sparkled.

 "Lin Feng, born in Yangzhou City." The black-clad man reminded.

 "Yangzhou City, Lin Feng..." The youth muttered to himself. Then, his gaze sharpened, and a glint flashed in his eyes, extremely *.

 "Her son?"

 "Exactly, her son." The black-clad man nodded.

 The youth fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, his gaze flickering. Then he said, "Indeed, I'm more interested in him."

 "Nanshan, don't let anyone else know about this."

 "Your Highness, I know what to do." Nanshan smiled in response.

 At this moment, Lin Feng was unaware that a conversation in this pavilion had added several identities to him, but none of these identities were related to the Lin family of Yangzhou City, let alone the person in the imperial city.

 Stepping down from the carriage, Lin Feng and his companions looked at the vast open space ahead. Some young people were walking towards them excitedly and proudly.

 In the center of the open space, there was an arched gate with several old men sitting on stone stools in front of it. In front of the stone stools, there were stone tables with inkstones placed on them.

 Occasionally, someone from the crowd would approach the old men, hand them a letter, have it recorded, receive a token, and then excitedly enter the arched gate into the Tianyi Academy.

 "Roar." At this moment, the roar of a monster beast sounded, attracting the attention of many people.

 The crowd

 turned their eyes and saw a girl in fiery red clothes sitting on top of a monster beast.

 The monster beast was a monster lion, its brown fur like flames, exuding a powerful aura, especially when it roared, intimidating those who looked upon it.

 "She's using a spiritual beast as a mount, quite grand indeed."

 Some people were surprised, looking at the girl with envy and admiration.

 "Zhongling."

 At this time, a voice sounded, and a black shadow passed behind the girl, coming to her side.

 "Howling Moon Wolf, another spiritual beast." The pupils of the crowd contracted, seeing a young man of about sixteen or seventeen sitting on the Howling Moon Wolf, a spiritual beast.

 "Indeed worthy of Tianyi Academy, truly a noble sanctuary."

 Many people felt dejected. Although Tianyi Academy was not well-known in places far from the imperial city, it was extremely prestigious within the city. Anyone who entered Tianyi Academy was either a noble with powerful talent or an extraordinary commoner with exceptional talent.

 Of course, some gazes remained resolute, looking neither at the monster beasts nor the people riding them, their eyes filled with determination.

 "Duan Feng, looks like we're a bit outclassed." Lin Feng pulled the horse and walked not far from the young man and woman. The trembling of Qianli Xue's legs in front of the carriage, due to the imposing manner of the Fire Lion and Howling Moon Wolf, made Lin Feng unable to help but smile wryly, pulling her forcefully to make Qianli Xue move slowly forward.

 "Brother Lin Feng, I came here to cultivate, not to compete for enjoyment." Duan Feng shook his head with a smile.

 The voices were heard by the man and woman beside them. They turned around and looked at Duan Feng, Lin Feng, and the others, sneering, "Why are these lowly people here again?"