WHEN A DEMON PRINCE LOVES

I Call Dibs On You

Those commoners who saw General Xu riding gallantly with two of his aids in front of the carriage stepped aside from the middle of the road and bowed slightly to show their respect, they were also gossiping in groups of threes and fours about how awesome the General was, on hearing this Xu Bu tong couldn't resist the urge to smile smugly.

Soon their entourage arrived at the imperial palace gate, they were let in after General Xu flashed them his Scorpion seal, this was the military seal that indicated that he was in charge of the scorpion army, made up of over two million soldiers.

The extra guards that followed behind the wooden carriage as well the servant boy, Jian Song were expected to wait by the carriage outside the imperial palace gates, also General Xu turned to one of his trusted aides, the one that wore a black, had a stern-looking face and dangerous aura, his look was cold and practically screamed ruthless, "Black scorpion stay with the horse carriage" black scorpion curtsied in acceptance of the order while Xu Bu tong who had come out of the carriage and was standing by his father's side let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in, even he could only feel safe in this man's presence because his father was by his side, the scary scar that cut across black scorpion's face made him appear to be a really violent person, it made his look even more ruthless.

If black scorpion was to enter the palace looking so bloodthirsty, eyes will definitely roll and the General didn't want that hence his decision, although he knew that black scorpion was the kindest soldier he had working under his command, he just wasn't good at hiding the bloodthirst within him which he had accumulated after going on so many battles.

Xu Bu tong stole a quick glance at the second boy in white robes standing beside the man his father just called black scorpion, he had a friendly smile on his face, a smile that appeared a bit too sinister, But Xu Bu tong didn't induce the evil intentions behind that smile and believed the boy was more pleasing to look at however he quickly removed his eyes from him in embarrassment since he was caught red-handed stealing a glance at him, Xu Bu tong wondered if the boy in a white robe was called " white scorpion" since he wore white, before his train of thoughts could be completed Xu Bu tong heard his father say "White scorpion you will accompany me inside" Xu Bu Tong shook his head in pity for those unfortunate soldiers who had to be given names by his father because he knew full well how terrible his father was in that area, giving names was definitely not his expertise.

Xu Bu tong mother had once told him that when he was born his father had wanted to name him "Xiao Mainbao" because according to him he resembled a little bun as a baby, presently he hasn't escaped his evil naming grasp yet since once in a while he still calls him a little bun.

General Xu held his second son's hand and led him into the palace gate, once inside, a eunuch approached them, curtsied and bowed toward General Xu direction, then the young master Xu Bu tong before saying "Greetings General Xu and young master, please follow me, the emperor awaits your arrival at the imperial martial training ground" the eunuch then indicated towards a direction with his right hand before leading the way.

After they walked a while they arrived at the spacious field, this was the martial training ground and it was divided into various sections, there was a place where bows and arrows were hung on the wall, also target objects have placed some distance from where the bows where kept, at another section was a field meant for learning how to ride a horse, a stable was also attached to this section, at another section a platform was raised some meters from the ground, it was the most eye-catching section on the martial ground because four pillars held the raised platform and these pillars had the design of a coiling dragon on each of them.

At this moment two figures stepped on opposite sides of the platform, one held a sword and the other an ax that was obviously too big for him, both battle items sparkled as the sun rays hit them to show how sharp they were, the two boys bowed towards each other and instantly engaged in a dazzling battle. The sword clashed against the axe, resulting in small red sparks flashing about. Xu Bu tong was so awestruck that he even wanted to join them on the stage after all to him what they were doing didn't seem so hard, they didn't look much older than him so if they could do it then so could he.

"Wow" Xu Bu tong's exclaimed loudly, he couldn't hold in how thrilled he was, his mouth hung open, forming the letter "O" as he watched the ongoing battle with deep fascination.

"General Xu you are finally here" Emperor Qianqian Li called out upon sighting the approaching General Xu.

"General Xu greets his majesty; may his majesty live for a thousand years"

"This humble young mistress Xu Zhi greets his majesty, may his majesty live for a thousand centuries to come," Xu Bu tong said earning himself a hearty laugh from the emperor who began to pay attention to him.

"General Xu your daughter has a sweeter mouth than yours but General when did you have a daughter and why haven't I heard of this"

"Both she and Xu Bu tong are twins but both of them were born with a weak constitution since young especially Xu Zhi who has been bedridden ever since, I really don't know why the heavens are treating me this way seeing as how once Xu Zhi health got better Xu Bu tong's own regressed and he is now bedridden" General Xu sighed deeply like he was feeling really heartbroken, then he continued "I didn't want to bother your majesty with my family internal problems since you already have the whole nation to worry about but I thought it wise to personally bring Xu Zhi to greet your majesty now that she is up to it, forgive this humble servant for keeping this from your majesty" General Xu bowed slightly, this hid the fact that he was really stunned and shocked by his son's bold lie.

General Xu thought about how fast of a thinker this son of his was, now he understood why his son dressed the way he did today, it was like he had prepared himself beforehand to follow his father to the imperial palace and had known he might be met with such a situation.

It had completely slipped General Xu's mind that in the Qianqian empire there was a nonsensical law that prohibited a family who had more than one son from allowing the second or more sons to learn martial arts, according to those old royals that made such stupid laws, it was meant to prevent other families from growing too strong in strength and then having too much power that could surpass that of the royal family and prove as a threat to their ruling. The only exception that a second son could be allowed to practice martial arts is if he was to become an adopted son of the royal family from birth and not have any associated or even know of his real family because only members of the royal family were not restricted by this law.

Obviously, Xu Bu tong found a loophole in this law and used it to his benefit, there was no prohibition against a girl learning martial arts because frankly speaking no girl in the Qianqian empire will choose to go through such inhuman training, the only thing they dared to do was alchemy if they were skilled at it and if not, they concentrated on learning zither and the likes.

Xu Bu tong or as he now called himself Xu Zhi will be the first to go down in history as the first lady to venture into the world of men by learning martial arts although in truth he is not female however right now with his slender small frame and cute appearance he could easily disguise himself as a girl and fool anyone flawlessly.

General Xu previously had forgotten to tell his second son about how to address himself if he was to meet with anyone at the palace, after all, if he wanted to learn martial arts peacefully and without causing the Xu family too much trouble then he couldn't use his young master title. General Xu will do anything to satisfy his son's wisps so telling a little lie wasn't something he took seriously despite the fact that the person he was lying to was the emperor of the empire he served under.

General Xu recalled upon making that promise to his second son on his birthday he had told him that it wasn't alright for the second son to be a part of the army or learn martial art unless they were to renounce their family and be a part of the royal family from birth, this renouncement is always done by the parent that gives such a child away. In empire if a second son was to be found learning martial arts then at worst the whole family won't be spared, In Xu family case their name would be stained and although they won't be treated as harshly due to their status it still wasn't good outcome so if he must learn martial arts it had to be done in secret.

General Xu is sure his son had thought hard and long about what he had said that day hence the reason for all these preparations he had made, from dressing like a girl to addressing and giving himself a different name and although this was a crime of lying to the emperor it wouldn't be for long, he won't let him keep this up and when the time was right he could just fake this fake daughter's death, the General could indulge his precious son this once. This goes to show how far the General is willing to spoil this second son of his.

General Xu felt that sometimes his son behaved too matured for his age while other times he was such a child, mostly when he wanted to get his way, General Xu smiled unconsciously to himself, suddenly a voice broke his musing.

"There is nothing to forgive, Zhen understands" the emperor uttered, he was indeed too busy to be bothered by such small issues, each day he had serious matters arising concerning the future of the Qianqian empire that he had to provide a solution for so when did he have time to pay attention to the number of family members those serving him had.

"Is that his highness the crown prince" General Xu stared at the sparing boys, especially the one wearing a black robe embellished with golden embroidery, It was easy to tell who he was because he had the bearing of royalty and the hidden might of a dragon.

"Yes, he is so young but already so talented that is why I want you to train him, only someone as talented as yourself deserves to be his teacher," the emperor said, his voice was laced with happiness, he was truly proud of his crown prince, he thought that the only good thing his empress was able to give him was this son of his, nothing else she did was pleasant to his eyes.

Meanwhile, the clashing of weapons between two people on the martial stage had finally come to an end with the crown prince winning his opponent.

Xu Bu tong who after greeting the emperor had continued paying close attention to the battle ahead of him was presently clapping his tiny hands vigorously, he completely disregarded the pain his excess actions were generating and instead concentrating on exclaiming and screaming to his heart content, his actions were really totally in sync with his new girly identity "that was so cool, so awesome" he gave a thumbs up to the crown prince who had just won the battle, then he took a hold of his father's hand with one hand and pointed the other towards the direction of the two boys coming down from the fighting platform " I want to learn those skills they just displayed, father you will teach me swords arts too right?" he turned his big teary eyes to face his father's and then gave his killer move by fluttering his long lashes, General Xu felt like his heart had been pierced through by his son's cute actions, he resembled an innocent harmless cat however General Xu understood he couldn't fall for it this time, he had to force himself to break Xu Bu tong's bubbles but it was really hard for him.

"It's either you learn spear arts or sword arts, you can't learn both, although at the beginning of learning martial arts you can study both but only as of the basis of developing your sole art which if I remember correctly should be our family Xu spear arts, so don't get carried away" General Xu sternly educated his son.

Another arrow ruthlessly pierced through General Xu's heart but this time it made it bleed as he watched Xu Bu tong's eyes become downcast, Xu Bu tong's sad state didn't last long and this greatly relieved General Xu.

Xu Bu tong soon began to nod his head, he trusted his father and knew he had just learned something priceless, in his moment of excitement he said "Father your so..." Xu Bu tong quickly cut himself in time when he saw his father's warning stare, he almost made a blunder by addressing himself as his father's son, Xu Bu tong decided he needed to be careful going forward "Father your daughter understands and will keep this lesson in mind" he curtsied deeply.

It was at this time, both boys walked over to where they stood, they both offered their greetings to the emperor and General Xu, Meanwhile Xu Bu tong didn't take notice of all this, his breath had seized and he had blanked out, he couldn't explain this feeling, he couldn't understand what force was pulling at his heartstrings, he was just five years old so how could he understand love at first sight, was it even that, all Xu Bu tong knew right now was that upon closer look at the crown prince he felt his heart flutter indescribably and there was a tremble in his very soul, it was like something that was dormant was trying to be awake. Xu Bu tong had his eyes locked on the crown prince, he heard his inner voice screaming in his head "My hero, My hero".

Xu Bu tong favorite stories were those of legendary heroes, who had fame, strength and had defended Qianqian in times of crisis, and there was something very common about these heroes which he loved even more than their good deeds, the heroes of these stories were always exceptionally gorgeous, breathtaking handsome to no end, the very definition of the boy in black robes embellished with gold embroidery standing before the little Xu Bu tong's eyes, to Xu Bu tong this was probably the reason for this sudden suffocating feeling, to him he was just too overly excited.

Xu Bu tong didn't think such people really existed, he was a smart boy and somewhat believed those stories were exaggerated by their authors but he still loved to dream. Xu Bu tong never cared much for the heroines in those stories, he always found himself attracted to the heroes moreover it wasn't like in the Qianqian empire there were restrictions on who could be like and who couldn't, although it was extremely rare to find male couples in Qianqian empire, they were still some of them who lived happily and fulfilled lives.

The crown prince was still so young, not more than nine years however he already possessed looks that were drop-dead heart-throbbing gorgeous, he had stolen the hearts of both the young and old, only the heavens knows what c*****e he will cause when older.

Xu Bu tong went towards the boy and took him by surprise when he put a hand on his shoulder, this was a slightly difficult task for him to accomplish since the crown prince was some inches taller than him, nevertheless, that wasn't going to stop him.

Xu Bu tong arms even started to hurt from overexerting them but he didn't mind, It was like something in his little brain kept sending signals to him, urging him to state his claim on this hero before him, and fast, Xu Bu tong heart kept beating extremely fast, he didn't know why he had to own this person, why he felt so uneasy like he was going to lose this person if he didn't act now so without thinking Xu Bu tong said  " I call dibs on you, from now on you belong to this young master, from now on we shall be husbands"  Xu Bu tong didn't know what "dibs" meant, he just felt it was right to use it, also he didn't get why everyone was staring at him with a shocked expression, he had been so smitten to the point that he had forgotten his current identity was presently that of a girl.

The emperor presently had black lines on his forehead while General Xu for the first time in a long while was sweating bullets.

"What did this little girl mean? was she giving my crown prince away to her brother instead of herself? Is she indirectly trying to say my crown prince isn't worthy of her?" the emperor frown

"Is this girl stupid, why will she be calling herself a young master? No, I don't think that is the case here, she is trying to fool us by acting all innocent and naive like she doesn't understand the weight of her words, I will never fall for the tricks of such a dubious creature, I should teach her a lesson" The crown prince coldly stared at Xu Bu tong, he didn't know why the moment he saw this girl he hated her to the core, there was this destructive feeling he had swelling inside him, one he wanted to release on this green tea pretentious b***h.

"Stupid Xu Bu tong, Why the hell did I ever think you were smart?" General Xu internally scolded, every person present had different thoughts running through their head while Xu Bu tong was blissfully unaware and presently excited to have put his stamp on the handsome little devil called the crown prince.