Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

"That's right, that's what I meant too. It's impossible for me to hand it over, so I was thinking of having you all come along. I'm afraid they'll ask me for it, and if I don't give it to them, they'll resort to force!"

Night Cat said with absolute certainty, "My lord, rest assured, with the three of us brothers here, we will not let you suffer even the slightest harm! We will protect you even at the cost of our lives!"

Okamoto Juzo said to Night Cat with great satisfaction, "One Night, you have indeed not disappointed me. If you can protect this territory this time, I will reward you handsomely."

Night Cat said respectfully, "My lord, it is my honor to serve you. When shall we depart?"

Okamoto Juzo said to Night Cat, "I was planning to leave tomorrow, but your older brother doesn't seem to be feeling well."

Night Cat said to Okamoto Juzo, "It's alright... To be honest, my brother isn't unwell, he's just seasick!"

After hearing what Night Cat said, Okamoto Juzo couldn't help but chuckle: "Seasickness?"

Night Owl nodded: "That's right. My older brother gets seasick, so he could only farm at home before... This is the farthest he's ever been at sea."

The reason the night owl said this was to reinforce Okamoto Juzo's belief that Xiao Ce was a native of Fusang.

Clearly, the effect is very good.

"So, if we go to the Sulu Kingdom this time..."

Night Owl interrupted, "It's alright, you can manage!"

Okamoto Juzo nodded: "Alright, then I'll give you a day to rest, and we'll set off the day after tomorrow."

Night Owl nodded: "Are you going alone this time, or are you bringing the young masters with you?"

Okamoto Juzo shook his head and said, "I won't take them. They're just a burden. If I go alone, I might not even come back..."

Night Cat shook his head and said, "My lord, no, as long as we're here, I won't let you not come back."

Okamoto Juzo smiled and nodded: "Okay, I believe you..."

"Alright, you must have been in a great hurry traveling all this way. Go and take a rest."

The night owl didn't waste any more words, bowed, and then left.

After leaving, Da Lei was still waiting for Ye Mao.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ce was sleeping soundly.

Da Lei pointed to Xiao Ce snoring inside and said, "I've been following the Prince for so long, and this is the first time I've ever seen him snore..."

Night Owl realized that Da Lei had let something slip, and quickly signaled with his eyes.

Da Lei then gave an awkward smile and added his address to Xiao Ce: "Big brother... he's big brother..."

Night Owl nodded, looked around, and then slowly spoke: "We're now deep in the lion's den; we can't afford the slightest mistake..."

Da Lei nodded. He had also noticed that his comfortable life over the years seemed to have made him less vigilant.

"I'll pay attention."

Then Da Lei asked Ye Mao, "Should we get ready to leave?"

Night Owl nodded, then whispered back to Da Lei what had just happened.

After listening, Da Lei smiled faintly and said, "It seems that what you said, brother, is absolutely right. These people haven't even cleaned up their own messes, and they haven't even figured out their own affairs before rushing to mess with others. In the end, they can only please neither side!"

Night Owl nodded and then said, "That's right, that's the point... I'm increasingly convinced that Big Brother has foresight. He wasn't led by the nose by them, but instead found a different path... This is a much simpler way."

Da Lei nodded approvingly, "That's right. If we follow their path, we'll probably be dragged into an endless quagmire of war again..."

Night Owl nodded: "It's a different approach, you could say..."

The two chatted for a while longer, but Night Cat, still worried, followed up with Da Lei and asked, "By the way, Da Lei, are you sure our third uncle won't suddenly say something in Xiao language at an inopportune moment? They practically trust us now and have no doubts whatsoever... We can't let him ruin everything!"

Da Lei said to Ye Mao, "Don't worry, although this mad Taoist is a bit crazy, he hasn't caused any trouble since we've known him..."

Just as the two were talking, the mad Taoist, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and said in fluent Japanese, "You can speak Japanese, and so can I..."

Night Owl was seeing the Mad Taoist in this state for the first time, and stared at him in astonishment.

Da Lei, on the other hand, was not surprised at all.

However, after saying that, the mad Taoist fell asleep again.

Night Cat stared wide-eyed at Da Lei and asked, "Is he from Japan? How is his speech fluent?"

Da Lei smiled and shook his head awkwardly: "I don't know his background either, but this person is indeed a divine being. The prince once said that this mad Taoist priest might be a reincarnation of a deity."

Looking at the other cat who had just finished speaking and then immediately fell asleep, Night Owl said with an incredulous expression, "Not bad...not bad, I believe it now...it seems my worries were really unnecessary!"

Da Lei nodded: "It's getting late. From today onwards, we'll probably have to be extremely careful..."

Night Cat nodded repeatedly as he listened, and then said, "That's right! I might come to see you again tomorrow. Although Okamoto Juzo trusts me, he's not the kind of person who listens to me completely... Tomorrow I might test your own abilities."

Da Lei laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. True gold fears no fire. Even they would test you, Big Brother."

Night Owl nodded: "However, Big Brother has been training with you for so long, he's not much worse than you, right?"

Da Lei nodded and then said, "That's right! Most people probably wouldn't be a match for you, Big Brother!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two fell asleep.

The next day.

Xiao Ce woke up early because he went to bed early.

After waking up, he stretched and felt fully recovered after a night's rest.

After Xiao Ce woke up, Da Lei and Ye Mao, who were standing nearby, also woke up after hearing the noise.

After glancing at the sky outside, Night Owl said to Xiao Ce, "Big Brother, why are you awake so early?"

Xiao Ce looked at their sleepy faces and asked, "Did I wake you up?"

Night Owl shook his head: "I'm very light by nature. Besides, I should be awake by now."

Xiao Ce nodded and asked, "How were you last night? I didn't see you come back."

Night Owl respectfully recounted the events of the previous night in detail. After listening, Xiao Ce nodded in satisfaction: "Good!"

Night Owl reminded them, "They might be testing you out."