The Silly Alchemist

Three days later, the emperor of the Soaring Sky Empire summoned the Ye family’s patriarch and his son, specifically requesting them to bring the thirteenth prince.

After the emperor’s summon, a new story about the thirteenth prince emerged, that he had a betrothed now. His betrothed was the empire’s little princess, also fresh from the oven. They were born on the same day, but she came a little earlier.

Technically, the princess was also born under the godly rays so the rays could be related to her birth too. That was why the emperor felt like the thirteenth boy and the little princess were a match made in the heavens.

This arrangement was something that happened occasionally. Many arranged marriages were made when the children were very young, so no one objected, and no one thought it was odd.

A month later, there was a ceremony for the thirteenth prince’s one-month-old celebration. Of course, the Ye family had to have a huge ceremony. Almost all the top officials were there, even the emperor attended the event with his daughter, who was also a month old.

At the time, the emperor wanted the two kids to celebrate together to save the awkwardness of the guests receiving two invitations. It would only split the crowd. He also had his reasons to choose this venue instead of the palace for the celebration.

No matter what, everyone could see the emperor was giving face to the Ye family, causing the thirteenth prince’s prestige to skyrocket once again.

A year later…

There was a slight change of plans. While his physical growth was alright, he didn’t jump or run or speak like how some people predicted, but rather---

“Chengtian, why is our child like this?” asked a graceful lady worriedly as she watched her one-year-old child.

That lady is the thirteenth prince’s mother--- Long Anqi, while Chengtian is her husband, Ye Chengtian. His brows were also furrowed, like hers.

Why were they frowning? Was it because the thirteenth prince, God's child, was too outstanding, so amazing they couldn’t take the pressure?

No, he wasn’t. In fact, he seemed to be behind normal children.

At one year old, children could usually walk, even say a few simple words. However, this thirteenth prince not only couldn’t walk, but he also couldn’t even speak.

“It’ll be alright, some children speak and walk a little later. They’re still as outstanding when they get older, this doesn’t mean anything,” Ye Chengtian frowned as he comforted his wife, at the same time comforting himself.

“Mm…” Long Anqi smiled faintly as she cradled the child, as if accepting this explanation.

Yes, that’s right. Some kids are like that too, this doesn’t mean anything.

As for whether this held true for the thirteenth prince, we’ll have to wait and see.

Two years later…

The thirteenth prince finally learned how to walk, he could even call people by their names. However, he was only at a beginner’s level. This disappointed many people, and slowly a thought crept in. They refused to overthink.

Among the Ye members, some people were delighted while the rest worried. The worried ones were, of course, those who cared for him, while the ones who celebrated were people who didn’t like Ye Chengtian.

One person who cared for him was an exception though. Perhaps she was too young, for she was very happy about the thirteenth prince’s condition. She was the child’s sister, the bubbly child who wanted to carry him in the beginning.

She always carried the thirteenth boy happily around, as if to fill the regret she had from that day. She’d grown a lot since then, but still tiny so the image of her carrying her brother was still very odd.

Imagine a five-year-old girl carrying a two-year-old little boy. It was already miraculous she could pick him up.

You could feel the love between them. The siblings must be very close.

Three years later…

Almost everyone understood one thing. The thirteenth prince was not a genius, but an idiot. No, it’s more appropriate to say he’s a dumb person.

He’d finally learned to say a few simple phrases. His intellectual growth was very disappointing. The god’s child was now a little dumb child. The sudden plot twist came as a shock to many.

The results of one particular day were the reason many people completely gave up on the thirteenth prince. No one held a hint of hope for him- we’re talking about outsiders, not his family of course.

There was a tradition in the mainland, which is when a child turns three, the child would have to perform a test to discover his/her attributes.

Everyone had their own attributes. Ordinary people had only one kind, only a few had two or more than two. The most common attributes were these 4 kinds: wind, fire, earth and water.

The more uncommon ones were light, darkness, space etc. and some shape-shifting attributes, though those were incredibly uncommon. Perhaps only one or two in a thousand years.

A person’s most powerful attacks or magical abilities would depend on their attributes. They were like bonus points, but the power difference was not small either. It could definitely affect a person’s overall abilities in a field.

Basically, an expert with water attributes would be an expert in utilising techniques related to water. If he used other abilities, it would be difficult for him to reach even half of his capability with water. He would just be mediocre then.

Why did they have to determine attributes at three years old? There seemed to be a saying that a person’s abilities manifested at three years old. Cough, cough, something like that.

According to the stories, a person’s attributes are fixed at three years old. The person would have the same attributes for the rest of his/her life, there would be no changes.

The thirteenth prince had a very shocking outcome from the test. He had no attributes! This was something that might not even happen within ten thousand years. No matter how weak a person’s attributes were, or how odd they were, they had at least one.

He was God's child indeed. But his nickname changed then. Instead of God's child, he was the god-forsaken child!

He was even more useless than an ordinary person. Even if he was very intelligent, it the world functioned by the survival of the fittest. A person without attributes would find it difficult to earn respect.

Also, his IQ was worse than regular people. He was a slow child. The dumbest of the dumbest.

Many people thought this but of course, no one dared say it aloud. Even if the thirteenth prince was an idiot, no one would say a thing- at least not to their faces.

The Ye’s were a powerful family. Everything would be taken care of and he would have a very relaxing, enjoyable life. If anyone insulted him, it would be equivalent of insulting the Ye family. This wasn’t something an ordinary person could bear.

Perhaps it was a kind of luck to be born of the Ye family. This thirteenth prince will have none of life’s worries. Because he was an idiot, a stupid child, he was separated from the worries of power and conflict.

Perhaps it was a form of fortune too.