In all honesty, she didn't believe Jiang Chen was the type of man who would try to take advantage of her. Consort Dan had been secretly observing this young man for a while now. Even when his Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine had been selected as the grand finale treasure, his expression hadn't shown the slightest ripple of emotion. That look of complete indifference was absolutely not something a young man could fake.
And when that grand finale selection offered a rare chance to consult with the old master, Jiang Chen had simply given it up without a second thought, handing the opportunity to his two companions.
Consort Dan knew that some young men liked to put on a brooding, carefree act to attract her attention.
At first, she had suspected that Jiang Chen was doing the same.
But after several deliberate and casual observations, she realized she had misjudged him. The young man wasn't putting on an act at all — he truly didn't care.
When Ling Qianli and Tian Shao asked their questions, Jiang Chen had his eyes closed the entire time, his expression of total disinterest practically screaming across his face — "None of my business."
And later, when she brought up the Fengjiao beast and everyone in the room was paying close attention, each eager to show off their knowledge, Jiang Chen had glanced at the topic briefly before adopting a bored, disinterested look, as if the matter of the Fengjiao beast couldn't possibly hold his interest.
If it hadn't been for Han Xianke's utterly bizarre conclusion that finally drew a laugh out of Jiang Chen, the young man probably would never have said a word at all.
After Consort Dan's analysis, if Jiang Chen really was putting on an act, then his acting skills were astonishingly good.
At any rate, Consort Dan was now fairly convinced that Jiang Chen wasn't pretending. He genuinely knew something about this Fengjiao beast.
At the very least, he had identified the Fengjiao as male without even stepping forward to examine it, and he had estimated its age at roughly thirty years — information that was absolutely unknown to the outside world.
Consort Dan didn't believe for a moment that a young man could just randomly guess correctly like that.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen watched Ye Rong and Ye Dai go back and forth, trading barbs, with all the enthusiasm of someone watching paint dry. He stretched lazily and said to Consort Dan, "Beautiful, I was just tossing out a thought — you're free to take it or leave it. If anyone thinks I'm talking nonsense, you're welcome to bring better evidence to prove me wrong. But if you don't have any evidence, then quit the noise. It's annoying."
Consort Dan had grown somewhat disappointed with Ye Dai's behavior today.
She furrowed her brow and said coolly, "If the two of you want to argue, take it outside. Go quarrel on the streets of the Royal Capital — let the common folk see what kind of princes they've got."
Ye Rong gave a bitter smile and bowed deeply. "Sister Consort Dan, I've always tried to exercise restraint. It's just that every time I hold back, they keep pressing the attack."
Ye Dai shot back, "Ye Rong, stop acting all innocent like some scared little pushover."
Consort Dan's expression darkened. "Will you two ever stop?"
Princes or not, they didn't have the nerve to cause trouble in front of Consort Dan. Both fell obediently silent, though the looks they exchanged were practically explosive.
Consort Dan shot them one last displeased glance, then turned and walked over to the old master. Things had reached this point — she could only defer to him.
The old master had not uttered a word throughout, but in truth, he had been observing the entire time with his spiritual perception.
As Consort Dan approached, the old master suddenly stood and addressed Jiang Chen. "Young brother, you say this Fengjiao beast is in heat? Then — is it serious or not?"
Jiang Chen was not the type to put on airs. Now that the old master himself was asking, he couldn't very well play the detached expert — after all, in terms of his current standing, he was indeed the junior here.
"Master," Jiang Chen said, "I'd say it's both serious and not. The Fengjiao beast is not like a human being. The yang energy in its body is growing more and more intense, which is actually a result of that yang energy having no outlet. If this goes on for too long, it will cause its yang fire to split off, damaging its spirit veins. In severe cases, its body could explode and it would die. What you're seeing now — the loss of appetite and listlessness — those are just the early symptoms. When things really get bad, you'd better keep a close eye on it!"
"Those are still the early symptoms?" The old master had witnessed countless oddities in his long life, yet Jiang Chen's explanation was something entirely novel to him.
Jiang Chen nodded. "Give it another few months, and you'll see just how terrifying it becomes when it fully flares up. But with the old master's strength, you should be able to keep it suppressed."
The old master smiled ruefully. This was his most trusted mount — suppress it? That wasn't what he wanted at all. He wanted to cure it, to stop it from tormenting itself further.
"Your insights are truly refreshing, young brother. May I ask who your teacher is? How did you come to know about the Fengjiao beast?"
A collective gasp swept through the room.
What was the old master's status? And yet he was speaking to Jiang Chen with such courtesy, such a mild tone, even addressing him as "young brother"!
This… this was enough to overturn everyone's understanding of the world!
Even the First Prince, Ye Dai, was left thoroughly bewildered. At the same time, jealousy surged through him like wildfire — a suffocating rage building in his chest, desperately wanting to vent but having nowhere to direct it.
How could he vent? Yell at Consort Dan? Throw a tantrum at the old master?
He didn't have the right, and he certainly didn't have the nerve. Even if, by some stretch, he had the courage, the old master simply wouldn't care.
First Prince or not — in Grand Tutor Ye's eyes, he had seen several kings come and go. Why would he care about the feelings of a prince who wasn't even the Crown Prince?
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Old Master, the First Prince and the others got one thing right — I'm just a country bumpkin from the Eastern Kingdom. I don't have any master to speak of. When I was young, I had the good fortune to meet a rather extraordinary person. We spent about half a year together, more like friends across generations — part mentor, part companion. I picked up bits of knowledge just from listening to his casual talk. What I said about the Fengjiao beast, I heard from that elder."
Jiang Chen had his standard explanation ready. He had used it with Elder Fei, and naturally, he employed the same story with Grand Tutor Ye.