SWNOVELXO Chapter 339: Guess
Chapter 339: Guess
After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, the Fifth Prince spoke up. “This festive banquet was originally supposed to include some music and dance performances. However, I thought that such ordinary performances are something that all of you esteemed lords have already seen countless times in your own households – nothing particularly novel or exciting about them. So instead, I’ve arranged a more interesting activity. If any of you are interested, please feel free to participate.”
Marquis Zhao smiled and said, “Your Highness, Crown Prince, you’ve really thought about this. May I ask what kind of interesting activity you have arranged?”
The nobles and ministers quickly chimed in with their flattery.
“To ensure our enjoyment, Your Highness has truly gone to great lengths.”
“Your humility and respect for talent are truly admirable.”
Xu Lian felt as if his ears were developing calluses. Throughout the banquet, there had been nothing but praise for the Fifth Prince. No one dared to spoil the mood by saying anything unflattering. While hearing one or two compliments might be tolerable, listening to them repeatedly was unbearable. He couldn’t help but wonder how the Fifth Prince had survived all these years without being overwhelmed by such excessive flattery.
Clap! Clap! The Fifth Prince clapped his hands twice.
The Chief Eunuch entered, bowing slightly as he carried a tray. On the tray was a medium-sized box.
The Fifth Prince introduced it: “This box is forged from North Yin Cold Iron, capable of blocking the mental probes of those below the Sage Realm. Esteemed masters, why don’t you guess what’s inside? If anyone guesses correctly, I will gift the treasure within the box to them. If no one guesses correctly, the closest guess will still receive the treasure inside.”
A treasure inside the box?
The nobles and ministers exchanged glances, suddenly becoming more reserved. Showing too much eagerness would only invite ridicule, especially since they were all people of status and reputation. Ordinary treasures simply weren’t enough to arouse their interest.
Suddenly, the prince spoke. “Every household has brought its younger generation to this banquet. Why don’t we let the younger ones guess? We older ones won’t be attending.”
The Fifth Prince paused for a moment, looked at the royal uncle supporting him, and then nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Indeed, having so many marquis, nobles, and ministers participate in such an activity might seem disrespectful. It was much more appropriate to have the younger generation participate instead.
Zhao Ming, the eldest son of Marquis Zhao, was the first to speak. “I’ll guess that it’s a small but powerful weapon – a dagger.”
Qin Song, the eldest son of Marquis Qin, immediately followed. “I’ll guess it’s a bottle of pills. Specifically, a healing pill.”
Ning Meixue chuckled softly. “I’ll guess it’s an exotic beast egg.”
The legitimate heirs of the other nobles and ministers also began to offer their guesses.
Some guessed that it was a secret manual.
Others guessed that it was cultivation resources, like Roots of Passage .
The guesses were all different, but they all revolved around items relevant to cultivators – it certainly couldn’t be something mundane.
Xu Lian’s mind flashed with an idea. North Yin Cold Iron could block mental probes from those below the Sage Realm, but it didn’t necessarily block advanced ocular techniques. Silently, he activated an ocular technique from the Sacred Spirit Record and focused on the box held by the head eunuch.
At first glance, he accidentally looked in the wrong place-the eunuch himself-and what he saw was rather… unpleasant.
Without showing any reaction, he subtly shifted his gaze to the beautiful palace maid beside him, giving his eyes a moment to recover. Once he felt better, he adjusted his focus and applied the ocular technique again. This time, he successfully examined the box. Inside, he saw a puppet-like figure crafted from an unknown material. Judging by its appearance and the intricate patterns engraved on it, it seemed to be a combat puppet, equivalent in strength to the peak of the Unity Realm.
A Unity Realm puppet? Child’s play. Xu Lian felt a hint of disappointment. Such a trivial thing was of little value to him. There was no need to draw attention to himself by making an accurate guess.
And so, he deliberately made a random and incorrect guess.
When all the younger generation of nobles and ministers had finished guessing, the Fifth Prince gestured to the chief eunuch. The eunuch slowly opened the box and took out the fighting doll.
“Unfortunately, none of the esteemed young lords guessed correctly,” the Fifth Prince announced.
He paused for a moment, looked at Zhao Ming, and smiled. “The closest answer was given by Zhao Ming, the Grand Minister of Revenue, who guessed a weapon. This combat puppet can indeed be considered a kind of weapon.”
Everyone was a bit baffled. Zhao Ming had guessed that it was a dagger, which had absolutely nothing to do with the combat puppet… How could that be considered close to the correct answer?
The only possible similarity was that both a dagger and the fighting doll could be used for fighting – that was the only similarity.
However, this reasoning seemed rather far-fetched. However, since this was the Fifth Prince’s item, whatever he said went, and no one dared to object.
The nobles and ministers exchanged subtle glances, their eyes flickering with thoughts. From the Fifth Prince’s somewhat biased actions, it was clear that he held Zhao Ming in high regard. It was evident that Zhao Ming would be favored in the future, prompting them to consider strengthening ties with the Marquis Zhao household.
Zhao Ming rose from his seat, stepped forward, and accepted the combat puppet with both hands. “Thank you, Your Highness, Crown Prince, for your generous gift.”
Ning Meixue chuckled softly. “Congratulations, Elder Brother, for acquiring such a treasure.”
Xu Lian also offered his congratulations.
This segment didn’t end there. The Fifth Prince instructed the head eunuch to take the box away, refill it with another treasure, and bring it back for the younger generation of nobles and ministers to guess again.
Clearly, this was a “bonus round”-in essence, the Fifth Prince was deliberately giving gifts to everyone.
Once everyone understood the Fifth Prince’s intentions, they began to guess more casually. The Fifth Prince was also generous in handing out rewards, giving them away as long as the guesses were somewhat related.
Before long, everyone had received one or two treasures. Zhao Ming ended up with three items, further emphasizing the Fifth Prince’s favoritism towards him.
Xu Lian also managed to “acquire” something – a bottle of healing pills of decent quality.
“This is the last item – the grand finale,” the Fifth Prince announced as the Chief Eunuch brought the box forward. Smiling, he added, “In a way, this item is worth more than the combined value of everything else. Esteemed lords, think carefully before you make your guesses.”
This announcement piqued everyone’s interest, and they began to whisper among themselves, discussing what they should guess.
Xu Lian once again activated an ocular technique from the Sacred Spirit Record. It had to be said, the Sacred Spirit Record was incredibly useful. As expected from a divine cultivation method, it encompassed a vast array of secret arts, documenting nearly every conceivable technique.
After examining the contents of the box, Xu Lian’s eyes lit up. This item—no matter what—it was worth standing out for. Ten strands of Origin Tracing Light , precisely the cultivation resource he needed.
To prevent someone else from guessing correctly, he quickly blurted out, “I’ll guess Origin Tracing Light .”
“I’ll guess Origin Tracing Light!”
However, another voice overlapped with his almost simultaneously.
It was Zhao Ming.
This sent a sinking feeling through Xu Lian’s heart. He had only been able to see the contents of the box thanks to the ocular technique from the Sacred Spirit Record. How could Zhao Ming have guessed correctly so easily?
Clearly, it was highly likely that the Fifth Prince had tipped off Zhao Ming beforehand. In essence, this item was prepared especially for Zhao Ming… There was favoritism at play here.
All eyes instinctively turned to Zhao Ming, the eldest legitimate son of Marquis Zhao’s household, and “Qin Feng”, the second legitimate son of Marquis Qin’s household-Xu Lian.
Zhao Ming frowned slightly at Xu Lian, but did not say anything.
The Fifth Prince was also visibly startled. He hadn’t expected Xu Lian to guess correctly, let alone so quickly – almost simultaneously with Zhao Ming.