404: Empty Prince

"The strongest in our area are Void Young Master, Heavenly Crippled Leg, and Beast Walker. Among the up-and-comers, there is a Miss Duan who is very arrogant."

The two chatted as they walked, and whenever Old Daoist Zhang grew tired, they would rest. After walking for two full days, they finally arrived at a village.

This village was exceptionally lively, with many people gathered in a crowd.

Old Daoist Zhang's eyes lit up. "There's a spectacle to watch! Come on, Old Lu, let's go take a look!"

"...So, where are the people? This Young Master wants young and beautiful women! They need to have graceful figures and outstanding temperaments!"

"Look at what you've brought me! These are just bottom-of-the-barrel rejects! How is this Young Master supposed to go out and Face people? How am I supposed to maintain my style?"

A voice filled with complaint, sounding somewhat weak yet forced to a high pitch, drifted over.

Lu Jiuyuan and Old Daoist Zhang walked closer and saw a young man with a pale complexion, sunken eye sockets, and wearing an extremely luxurious and exquisite white silk robe. He was covering his mouth with a silk handkerchief, coughing while pointing at the four trembling old women in front of him, his fingers shaking with anger.

He was sitting on a uniquely shaped wooden chair, carved with flowers and a Phoenix, covered with a soft cushion, looking very refined.

As for the four old women being scolded, each had a wrinkled Face and gray hair, wearing snow-white clothes that looked completely out of place on them.

A man who looked like the village chief was accompanying him with a smile. "Young Master, please calm down! Young Master, please calm down! In our village, we really... we really cannot find any young women who meet your requirements!"

"Being able to find these four... these four experienced matrons was already very difficult!"

"Experienced?" The Young Master coughed twice more in anger. "Are they experienced in carrying a sedan chair, or experienced in farming?"

"This Young Master wants grandeur! I want aesthetic! Look at them, standing next to my handsome and dashing sedan chair; the whole vibe is just wrong, okay!"

"My flawless image is being dragged down by them!"

One of the old women became unhappy and muttered with pursed lips, "Oh my, this Young Master, when I was young, I was also the flower of the village..."

"That's right, that's right! We have plenty of strength, we guarantee to carry you very steadily!" Another old woman waved her thin, withered arms.

The Young Master put his hand to his forehead. "Heavens! I, Void Young Master, roam the Demon Realm, and I rely on this otherworldly temperament and elegant grandeur!"

"Now, have I really fallen to the point where I have to... have to rely on four old leeks to save Face?"

"If that brute Heavenly Crippled Leg and that savage Beast Walker saw this, where would I... where would I put this handsome Face of mine!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. An unnatural flush appeared on his pale Face, and he coughed even more violently.

Old Daoist Zhang watched from the side, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. He whispered to Lu Jiuyuan, "See, Fellow Daoist Lu, this is Void Young Master. He is strong, but he has this problem... Sigh, he is stubborn about Face and suffers for it."

Just then, Void Young Master seemed to notice Lu Jiuyuan and Old Daoist Zhang peeking from behind the crowd.

He managed to suppress his cough, straightened his robes to look more elegant, and sighed, "Sigh, in this world, finding a few sedan chair carriers that are to one's liking is so difficult. It really... it really makes my Dao Heart dusty."

As he said this, he also glanced disdainfully at the four old women who were gazing at him expectantly.

The four old women were chattering and guaranteeing:

"Young Master, don't worry, we will definitely walk steadily!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we have plenty of strength. It's just carrying a sedan chair, right? Put down the sedan chair and scatter flowers, I understand! I understand!"

"Young Master, don't look anymore. The four of us are already the most outstanding beauties in the village!"

"That's right! We are just a little older. When we were young, who wouldn't say we were famous beauties in the surrounding ten miles... You won't regret paying us!"

Void Young Master had a look of utter despair on his Face. In the end, facing reality, he surrendered.

He waved his hand weakly, "Forget it, forget it. You've already put on the clothes, what else can I do? I can't just strip them off! I'm afraid of dirtying my eyes."

"Just... just you all then! Move quickly, don't delay this Young Master from going to Gao Village to subdue demons and earn the bounty!"

"To think that I, Void Young Master, have had a lifetime of fame... and today... Sigh, I hope Heavenly Crippled Leg and that savage haven't arrived yet. They must not see me in this state..."

The four old women lifted the chair with grunts of effort. They really had quite a bit of strength, and they walked quite swiftly.

Void Young Master sat on it, half-covering his Face with the silk handkerchief, looking into the distance with melancholic eyes, as if mourning his lost prestige.

Old Daoist Zhang watched the ridiculous procession move away and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha, this is Void Young Master. He really is... unique!"

"...He certainly has taste!" Lu Jiuyuan watched Void Young Master, who was being carried by the four "seasoned beauties" with a look of despair while still trying to maintain his elegance, and praised him sincerely.

Old Daoist Zhang heard this and stared at Lu Jiuyuan with wide eyes. "Brother Lu, your... your taste is quite unique too!"

Lu Jiuyuan smiled slightly, his gaze still following the strangely styled procession, and explained:

"In this world where demons run rampant and life hangs in the balance, to still be so persistent about 'style' and 'aesthetics,' even willing to achieve it in such... unique ways."

"Isn't this near-paranoid persistence also a rare form of 'true nature'?"

"Compared to those who are sanctimonious on the surface but petty and scheming inside, this Void Young Master seems much more endearing."

Old Daoist Zhang scratched his head, carefully pondered Lu Jiuyuan's words, then looked at Void Young Master sitting on the sedan chair ahead, and chuckled!

"Hey, now that you put it that way, it really seems so!"

Just then, on the swaying sedan chair ahead, Void Young Master seemed to have heard the discussion behind him. He turned his head slightly, looked over with those melancholic and weak eyes, and gave a thumbs up.

"Hmph, finally... someone who knows how to appreciate. It is hard to find a bosom friend in life, and it's hard to have one..."

One of the old women carrying the sedan chair heard this, and while grunting as she carried the sedan, she shouted to comfort him:

"Actually, Young Master, if you don't have one, that's called a woman. If you have one, that's called normal; it's not hard to find! If you have two, then that's trouble!"

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? Just carry your sedan chair properly!"

Void Young Master almost broke his composure. The elegance he had worked so hard to maintain instantly crumbled by half, and he started coughing again in anger.

"Young Master, please rest assured! Although we are a bit older, our Aura definitely doesn't lose to young girls! We guarantee that your grandeur will make you the coolest guy wherever you go!"

"Let's go, keep up! Following him, we will definitely be able to see a good show!" Lu Jiuyuan said with a smile.

"That's right, that's right. This show, many people have been waiting for it, waiting for many years!" Old Daoist Zhang also agreed.

Lu Jiuyuan glanced at him. "You old man, you know quite a lot!"

"A little bit, just a little bit!" Old Daoist Zhang chuckled. "Meeting is fate! Fate is truly wondrous! Let's go, let's go take a look together!"

The two of them caught up with Void Young Master.