I am the snake demon!

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

Bai Xuan opened his eyes groggily and saw a charming face that could be both happy and angry appear before him.

Bai Xuan was slightly startled and subconsciously asked, "Something happened?"

"Young master, you should get up and change your clothes."

Hongxiu, accompanied by several maids, carried mourning clothes.

"Oh, time to get to work."

Bai Xuan then realized that he should wear mourning clothes.

His nominal father died, so he, as the son, had to work.

The first thing is to change into new clothes.

There are specific rules for mourning attire, which are divided into five grades: Zhan Cui, Qi Cui, Da Gong, Xiao Gong, and Si Ma, also known as the Five Mourning Garments.

Depending on the closeness of the relationship, people wore different levels of mourning clothes.

Therefore, in ancient times, when people spoke of close relationships, they would say that the relationship was within the five degrees of kinship, which is the reason behind this.

Bai Xuan, being the son, had to wear the heaviest mourning garment.

However, despite the joke, this was the first time Bai Xuan had actually worn it.

Fortunately, he didn't need to wear it himself.

Naturally, he had maids to help him.

Hongxiu bent down to dress him, and a faint, elegant fragrance wafted over.

Bai Xuan immediately felt a little uncomfortable, especially when Hongxiu bent down, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin that was both alluring and eye-catching.

It wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances.

But as the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm.

Bai Xuan, a man of pure Yang for a hundred years, is no ordinary man.

As a healthy man, he had a slight reaction. Looking at the stunningly beautiful face so close to his, he decisively called a halt, saying, "Alright, Hongxiu, I'll take over now. You can go out first."

"Um?"

Hongxiu looked up in slight surprise, a perfect blend of innocence and allure appearing on her charming face, adding an extra touch of allure.

"Get out," Bai Xuan said.

"Yes."

Hongxiu dared not disobey, so she responded and got up to leave with the other maids. However, when she saw Bai Xuan's slightly strange posture, she belatedly realized what was happening and couldn't help but reveal a sly smile deep in her eyes.

Young master, could it be...?

But generally speaking, they aren't shy.

Could it be that you, young master, are still inexperienced in matters of the heart?

Thinking of this, Hongxiu's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent.

The young master is seventeen now.

Most princes and nobles at this age have already experienced the pleasures of love and sex.

The young master hasn't arrived yet.

It's truly a bizarre situation.

So, in that case, was the young master really just curious yesterday?

Thinking of this, Hongxiu almost burst out laughing.

However, I dare not laugh today.

Otherwise, there might be disaster.

Bai Xuan changed into mourning clothes, a coarse white linen robe without any decoration, tied with a hemp rope around his waist, and deliberately looked haggard before going out to be his filial son.

The mourning hall was already prepared, with white curtains hanging low and white banners draped throughout.

Everyone was dressed in mourning clothes.

Bai Xuan knelt beside the coffin, waiting for the mourners to arrive.

Before long, footsteps were heard, and it was the chief secretary of the Prince's mansion who brought the mourners.

The guests were all dressed in plain clothes and kept their composure. They entered the hall slowly and quietly, without making a sound.

Then they devoutly worshipped the King of Zhenbei and offered their condolences in hushed tones.

However, Bai Xuan could still vaguely sense that these people's gazes were mostly fixed on him, constantly scrutinizing him.

Bai Xuan understood their thoughts. After all, no matter how powerful the Prince of Zhenbei was, he was dead. The one who would determine their future was Bai Xuan, the future Prince of Zhenbei. Naturally, they were more concerned about Bai Xuan, the future Prince of Zhenbei.

However, Bai Xuan did not respond to them.

After all, most of those who come to pay their respects are insignificant. They only need to remember Bai Xuan, not Bai Xuan himself.

In retrospect, I am fortunate to have the identity of the future King of Zhenbei.

Otherwise, according to folk customs, these people who come to pay their respects to the deceased, and he, as the son, should thank them for coming to send his father off on his final journey, and should also return the respect by bowing back.

Instead of simply accepting it now, since he has to worship, these people dare not accept it.

"The headmaster of Mingde Academy, Huangfu Xiongwen, has arrived."

Just then, a voice rang out.

Bai Xuan's eyes lit up slightly. Huangfu Xiongwen was the leader of the literary world in the Northern Territory, and most of the literary officials in the Northern Territory came from Mingde Academy.

He was also one of the people he needed to win over.

Looking up, one sees an old man dressed in a plain white scholar's robe slowly approaching. The old man's temples are all like autumn frost, his face is thin and frail, and the lines at the corners of his eyes are imbued with the warmth of years, but his eyes are not as cloudy as those of an ordinary old man, but rather very clear.

Especially in Bai Xuan's perception, what he sensed was not a person, but a vast and righteous aura.

He was the strongest martial artist he had ever encountered in his life.

Although he was still far inferior to him, he was still a bit stronger than Qiu Linyuan and Li Daoyan. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Those who can't fight really can't be scholars."

Huangfu Xiongwen came to pay his respects and, like everyone else, looked Bai Xuan up and down. Bai Xuan returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, Master."

"His Highness died defending the Northern Wilderness. Young Prince, please accept our condolences and take heed of this tragedy. You must pull yourself together and support your family business," Huangfu Xiongwen said.

"Your Highness protects the country and its people, but I am a widow and my orphan, and have not returned for a long time. I know very little about the northern border. I hope you will teach me and take my son as your disciple."

At this moment, Duan Baiyu suddenly spoke up.

"Taking on apprentices?"

Huangfu Xiongwen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, as he had not taken on any disciples for many years.

"An'er has lived with me in the mountains for a long time, and he usually reads Taoist scriptures. He knows nothing about political affairs. If he were to take charge of the Northern Border in the future, it would be like the blind men touching an elephant. He would need a master to teach him. Please ask Mr. Huangfu to take An'er as his disciple, not only for An'er's sake, but also for the sake of the tens of millions of people in the Northern Border," Duan Baiyu continued.

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Xiongwen showed a hint of hesitation; this was indeed a problem.

How can the future Prince of Zhenbei, who is not close to Confucianism and does not understand politics, govern the people?

If he doesn't teach, he can arrange for his own disciples to take Bai Xuan as their apprentice.

Seeing Huangfu Xiongwen hesitate, Duan Baiyu knew he was tempted, and immediately said, "Xuan'er, quickly pay your respects to your master."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan immediately bowed and said, "Disciple greets Master."

"This...this..."

Seeing Duan Baiyu and her son, who had already bowed down and essentially made the relationship irreversible, Huangfu Xiongwen had a look of bewilderment on his face. In the end, he shook his head helplessly and said, "So be it. If the princess doesn't mind and the young master doesn't disdain my lack of talent and knowledge, and is willing to lower himself, then I will accept the young master as my last disciple."

"Mr. Huangfu is too modest. I am honored to receive your guidance," Duan Baiyu said.

With this relationship, Bai Xuan gained an additional identity among scholars.

Moreover, one should not assume that Huangfu Xiongwen's influence is limited to the literary and political spheres.

In its early days, the Zhenbei Army was just a makeshift operation.

The core group consisted of the Prince of Zhenbei's fellow villagers and relatives, who came from humble backgrounds and many were even illiterate.

The first person to teach them to read and write was Huangfu Xiongwen.

Two of the three famous heroes of Liangzhou were his personal disciples, and they were the epitome of scholar-generals.

Now that Bai Xuan has become Huangfu Xiongwen's disciple, these two are Bai Xuan's senior brothers.

With this connection, Bai Xuan will be able to better utilize his skills in the army in the future.

Otherwise, if we rely entirely on the Duan family, it's hard to guarantee that the Duan family won't have other ulterior motives.

Although she was a daughter of the Duan family, if their relationship were truly good, she wouldn't have gone ten years without seeing Duan Qingyue, and the uncle wouldn't even recognize his nephew.

She was wary of everyone except Bai Xuan.

"Your Highness is too kind." Huangfu Xiongwen gave Duan Baiyu a deep look.

He might not have accepted it elsewhere.

It was precisely in this mourning hall, in full view of everyone, in front of the coffin of the Prince of Zhenbei, that Duan Baiyu, the widow of the Prince of Zhenbei, personally spoke, and then had Bai Xuan, the future Prince of Zhenbei, pay his respects to him, effectively placing him here.

If he doesn't agree to accept a disciple, then Bai Xuan's apprenticeship will have been in vain.

To put it bluntly, it was an insult to Bai Xuan, the future Prince of Zhenbei.

This signal, once released, will cause a huge uproar in the North.

Moreover, Bai Xuan will definitely seek revenge in the future.

He couldn't afford the consequences.

After ten years apart, this princess is even more difficult to deal with than I imagined.

After completing the apprenticeship ceremony, Bai Xuan remained expressionless, as if he were heartbroken and devastated.

In fact, he had no objection to becoming an apprentice, nor did he feel ashamed. Although he didn't think Huangfu Xiongwen could teach him anything, Huangfu Xiongwen was helpful to his identity as Xu Shi'an, so he decided to become an apprentice.

For him, impersonating Xu Shi'an and inheriting the title of Prince of Zhenbei was just like acting in a play.

Apart from Duan Baiyu and Xu Yuhua, everyone else was just an NPC in his life, passing through the storyline.

The concepts of master and disciple, ruler and subject, all disappeared after he transformed back into Bai Xuan.

Now that becoming Huangfu Xiongwen's apprentice would benefit his acting, he decided to become his apprentice.

In fact, as he acted, he got a bit into the role, as if he really was Xu Shi'an, who had lost his father.