Chapter 65: Playing Wildly

With bright, sparkling eyes and a beaming smile, little Taro lifted her skirt, trying hard to maintain a veneer of composure, but the wide grin on her face betrayed her. No matter how mature she usually tried to act, little Taro was still just an eight-year-old child.

Lingwei watched the little maid running toward her and beckoned, "Hurry up and come here, Taro."

Zhentai Lingwei had previously accompanied her father and mother to the imperial palace on several occasions. In her sparse memories, the imperial palace was a thoroughly detestable place because she had encountered too many repulsive people there—men, women, and those who were neither. Deep down, she had no desire to ever return.

The Imperial Uncle was one of the very few people there who did not disgust her. In fact, he was genuinely kind to the little one, even willing to let the child use him as a horse to ride on. None of his own biological sons and daughters had ever received such supreme favor; normally, when the Emperor occasionally spared a moment to visit them, they would be overwhelmed with a sense of awe and disbelief.

Inside the flying carriage, little Taro’s pale face pressed tight as she gripped Lingwei’s hand with increasing force. *Whew, I'm so scared.*

With a slight frown, Lingwei patted the back of her hand comfortingly, "Don't be afraid. This is a flying beast, and the imperial palace will be here soon."

Little Taro looked at her young mistress with big, teary eyes, her small mouth opening and closing wordlessly, unable to voice her inner turmoil.

Of course she knew she was riding a flying beast; she had traveled out with her father before and had seen quite a bit of the world. But it wasn't the flying beast or anything of the sort that terrified her; what truly frightened her was the prospect of facing the Emperor.

Perhaps having spent so much time together, Lingwei could understand the reason behind a mere glance: "You don't need to be afraid. The Imperial Uncle is very nice to me. He even used to let me ride him like a horse."

Upon hearing this, little Taro’s terror only deepened, and she shook her head frantically, "No, I..." She was so frightened she couldn't even untangle her tongue.

The little one burst into hearty laughter, "Little Taro, you've turned into a chatterbox with a tangled tongue! Haha, so fun, say a few more words. How amazing, how does that happen? I want to learn too, teach me, please teach me!"

The old man’s cheerful voice drifted in from outside the carriage, "Little Princess, the imperial palace is right before us. Please brace yourselves, we are about to descend."

"Got it! Hold on tight, Taro, the descent is so thrilling! It's my absolute favorite! Ahhhhh, so much fun, go even faster!" The little one cheered joyfully, her wispy bangs blown straight back by the wind.

Little Taro’s face was flushed, her large eyes shot with a wild, frantic red. Clutching the handrail inside the carriage for dear life, she mimicked her young mistress and screamed at the top of her lungs, "So much fun! Go faster! We're plunging down! Ah, this is so thrilling!"

Perhaps influenced by the boundless excitement of the two mischievous children, the old man steering the flying beast outside smiled mischievously and shouted back to the two little ones having the time of their lives inside, "Little Princess, hold on tight! My flying beast is about to show you a trick!"

The massive flying beast, which had been gliding smoothly, suddenly shuddered all over. Its giant black wings snapped wide open with a sharp jerk, and the creature executed a breathtaking series of aerial rolls, spinning round and round. Lingwei and Taro held onto the handrails for dear life, their piercing screams echoing through the boundless skies.

The old man’s white beard was completely misshapen by the rushing airflow. His long whiskers whipped upward to obscure his entire face, then parted down the middle, swept to the left, and crashed to the right.

Totally oblivious, the old man was having entirely too much fun playing along with the two little ones—until a flash of yellow light came hurtling straight toward him. The old man’s pupils constricted as he mentally cursed in despair! Hastily commanding the flying beast into a steep nosedive, he scooped up the two little ones, one under each arm, and bolted out of harm's way.