The wind blew through layers of bamboo forests, green waves churning.
Dressed in a hemp robe, his chest partially exposed, the young man, with flowing long hair and a stubble-covered face, seemed wild and unrestrained.
He sat amidst the bamboo, plucking at a seven-stringed instrument, laughing heartily from time to time, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Just then, a voice, gentle yet cool-toned, said, "In the suburban areas of Jiangdu City, where the land is worth its weight in gold, there is a bamboo forest forbidden to ordinary people. Zang Xingyan, you are hiding from the world a little too effectively."
The young man known as Zang Xingyan laughed heartily, strumming the string of the precious ancient instrument to produce a sharp, resonant sound, truly carefree. Zang Xingyan smiled and said, "If this place is off-limits, how did you, Bian Yuchai, get in here? Are you not human then?"
From the bamboo forest emerged a petite woman dressed in a pink gown, strikingly beautiful but with a perpetual sense of detachment in her eyes.
"My surname still holds some deterrence over the guards of the Zang family," she said.
Zang Xingyan looked at her with interest and said, "The exploration fleet led by Xu Lanzhou has recently vanished into the universe, and now no one is competing with you for the title of the foremost beauty of the twelve Knight of Destiny families. How does Miss Bian feel about that now?"
Provoked, Bian Yuchai still seemed quite calm. She smiled and said, "Sister Xu from the Xu Family is someone I cannot match. She is beautiful and capable, unlike me who only relies on the shadow of my family. On the other hand, our great son from the Zang family, you, have been brilliant from a young age and even won first place in the higher education entrance examination by achieving seventy-six stars. Your strategies have stabilized three unstable administrative stars of the Empire, and even the former Chancellor Du Qianyun has declared you a great talent capable of revitalizing the nation. The Zang family even considered breaking the tradition of the twelve Knight of Destiny families never holding the office of Chancellor, aiming to eventually place you in that position."
Zang Xingyan, with a smile, did not respond, as if Bian Yuchai was speaking about someone else.
Bian Yuchai continued sarcastically, "Yet now, our great genius has abandoned his official duties and fallen out with his family, hiding in this bamboo forest, tending vegetables and horses, playing the zither, and drinking tea, contented with himself. Many outside laugh at you; don't you have any self-respect?"
Zang Xingyan chuckled softly, patting his thigh and exclaimed, "What's the price of self-respect, can it be boiled or fried? Such a thing can't be eaten, it's useless, useless."
Bian Yuchai looked at him, dissolute yet convinced that he was not a madman.
"Have you truly become disillusioned with the system of the Empire, as the rumors suggest?" she asked.
Zang Xingyan shook his head, "Nothing so melodramatic. The Empire is still on the rise, the nobility, though problematic, understand the distribution of benefits, and the people of Iridium Star have their dependents. As long as those in the cabinet aren't foolish, this civilization won't face problems. Moreover, the Supreme Command has always been guiding us; how wrong can it go?"
Bian Yuchai, puzzled, asked, "Then what are you really doing here?"
Gently stirring the strings of the instrument, Zang Xingyan played a few pleasant notes and said, "I am waiting."
"Waiting for my mission to come to me."
"I thought your mission was to develop the Iridium Star civilization, to help the Zang family grow stronger."
"The Zang family is already big and thriving enough. Except for the Xiao family, who subtly manipulates most situations, the Zang family holds the most influence among the twelve Knight of Destiny."
"Yet you still haven't told me what your mission is?"
Zang Xingyan gazed up at her naively, "I don't know either."
Bian Yuchai, frustrated, retorted, "Then what are you doing here, wasting your life?"
Zang Xingyan shook his head, "No, this is just preparation for later because if my mission were to truly arise, I fear I would be incredibly busy in the future. If I don't relax properly now, I'll regret it later."
Bian Yuchai seemed to hear something, "Are you saying you're planning a comeback?"
Bian Yuchai had always known that this smartest young man from the twelve Knight of Destiny families was always a rogue. However, Bian Yuchai found it hard to esteem anyone else over this rogue, as in terms of family background, appearance, character, and abilities, she couldn't find anyone better than Zang Xingyan.
Just then, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the sky. Bian Yuchai's face turned pale, thinking it was an assassin attacking. She stepped forward, intending to throw herself to shield Zang Xingyan.
But she had just taken a step when Zang Xingyan stopped her.
Zang Xingyan, with a joyful look, spread out his hand, and a rainbow light from the sky struck directly into his palm.
Bian Yuchai widened her eyes to see that it was actually a tiny, white figure.
A flash of endless information seemed to pass through Zang Xingyan's eyes. He smiled and said to Bian Yuchai, "You see, hasn't my mission arrived?"
Bian Yuchai exclaimed, "Zang Xingyan, are you out of your mind?"
Zang Xingyan tucked away the tiny figure and asked Bian Yuchai, "Bian Bian, do you want to see what the Chancellor looks like?"
Bian Yuchai hated it most when he called her 'Bian Bian,' as it sounded like 'feces,' and here she was, a beauty, being called something so repulsive.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The Chancellor is not someone we can just meet."
Zang Xingyan, like an old farmer, wrapped himself in his worthless linen robe, at least closing his open chest.
"Of course we can meet him, and we might often do so in the future."
Seeing that Zang Xingyan was not joking, Bian Yuchai immediately asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Zang Xingyan glanced at the seemingly ordinary sky and said, "The skies of the Iridium Star United Empire are about to change. Our twelve Knight of Destiny families are soon to be outdated junk. At least in the future, one family out of the twelve will be expelled, and nine will have no Knight."
Bian Yuchai didn't understand his crazy talk: "But the twelve families of destiny don't have any knights currently."
Zang Xingyan gleefully smirked and pointed to his nose, "I am a knight."
Bian Yuchai felt she couldn't keep up and decided not to entangle further with Zang Xingyan's nonsense.
Zang Xingyan, with his hands behind his back, ignoring his little hut, leisurely walked out of the bamboo forest. He offhandedly said to Bian Yuchai, "I fear that the twelve families are already in chaos by now. The news of the Chancellor's return must have been conveyed to every corner of the Empire through the Supreme Command by now. Hey, Bian Bian, do you want to come see the Chancellor with me or not? Maybe he's as handsome as me."
"What? The Chancellor's return?" Bian Yuchai was utterly shocked.
"Yes, who do you think appointed me as a knight?"