"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, ahead is Shrek Academy."
Under She Long's guidance, Qian Renxue and her entourage arrived at the gates of Shrek Academy.
Raising her head to gaze at the grand and imposing entrance, Qian Renxue's lips curled into a faint smile.
Although it had been five years since Shrek Academy relocated to Heaven Dou City, this was Qian Renxue's first visit.
The reason was simple—she was here to find Ye Tian.
Every time she recalled Ye Tian's sharply defined face, her heart would ripple with emotion.
Back in East Sea City, she had exhausted all means but failed to persuade Ye Tian. Now, he had unexpectedly appeared in Heaven Dou City.
To be honest, Qian Renxue was puzzled.
She was deeply perplexed as to who could possess such influence to summon even Ye Tian.
"Let's go in." Qian Renxue lightly raised her jade-like hand and stepped forward first.
Shrek Academy had security personnel stationed at its entrance.
However, as the Crown Prince, Qian Renxue's procession was majestic and imposing, with no fewer than a dozen guards accompanying her.
The security team at Shrek Academy was sharp-eyed. Noticing Qian Renxue's noble and elegant attire, they cautiously approached to inquire.
Upon learning that the visitor was the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Empire, they immediately bowed in respect.
A burly man at the forefront stepped forward respectfully and said, "We were unaware of Your Highness's arrival and failed to greet you properly. I shall inform the dean at once."
"No need for formalities."
"This Crown Prince has come to visit my injured cousin."
Qian Renxue was courteous and refined, resembling a scholarly and amiable gentleman.
To consolidate her position as Crown Prince, Qian Renxue had put in considerable effort.
Especially in terms of demeanor, she consistently maintained a gentle and mild temperament, earning praise from many officials.
With Emperor Xue Ye's health deteriorating over the past two years, Qian Renxue believed that if she persevered for another year or so, she would be able to take control of Heaven Dou's political power.
Entering Shrek Academy, Qian Renxue encountered many students along the way.
As her eyes swept across them, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Due to her undercover mission, she had never had the chance to attend school.
Thus, she had missed what should have been the most meaningful period of her life.
Whenever she saw these young students, Qian Renxue felt a sense of envy.
But this envy could only remain as such.
As the heir of the Angel Clan, she was destined to shoulder a heavy historical mission.
Lost in thought, she soon arrived at the faculty dormitory.
Qian Renxue immediately identified Ye Tian's courtyard.
The reason was simple—only Ye Tian's courtyard had armored guards stationed outside.
The guards also noticed Qian Renxue's arrival at once.
As Prince Xue Xing's personal guards, they naturally recognized the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou.
"We pay our respects to Your Highness, the Crown Prince!" The four guards bowed in unison.
"Hmm." Qian Renxue nodded slightly, then looked toward the courtyard.
"Is Prince Xue Xing inside?"
She couldn't outright state that she was here for Ye Tian.
Firstly, it would only bring unnecessary trouble to Ye Tian.
Secondly, it would arouse Prince Xue Xing's suspicions.
"Your Highness, the Prince is inside, discussing matters with the physician," one of the guards replied.
The "physician," of course, referred to Ye Tian.
Qian Renxue understood.
She glanced back at She Long and waved her hand lightly. "Wait outside. I'll go in alone."
Meanwhile, inside the courtyard, Ye Tian was preparing the preliminary work for refining pills.
Glancing at the pile of rare herbs nearby, his brows twitched imperceptibly.
He hadn't expected Prince Xue Xing to gather all the required materials in less than half a day.
However, Ye Tian hadn't yet fully recovered his strength.
"Looks like I'll have to stall a bit during the refining process," Ye Tian mused inwardly.
"Ye Tian, are these herbs sufficient for refining the pills?"
Prince Xue Xing, standing nearby, wore a worried expression.
He had long heard that the success rate of pill refinement was extremely low—just 1% was already considered good.
Given Ye Tian's youth, his mastery of pill refinement couldn't be too high.
The success rate was likely even lower.
Thus, he was deeply concerned about whether Ye Tian could refine the pills within two days.
"Your Highness need not worry. I have everything under control."
Ye Tian reassured him.
He had refined Soul-Restoring Pills dozens of times, with a success rate of at least 98%.
If this figure were made public, it would shock all alchemists.
Such a success rate was enough to earn him the title of a master alchemist.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the courtyard entrance.
"Nephew pays respects to Uncle."
Qian Renxue stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard, bowing slightly to Prince Xue Xing.
She then smiled warmly. "I heard my cousin was injured and came to visit."
Seeing Qian Renxue, Prince Xue Xing's brows twitched.
It was common knowledge that he was a staunch supporter of the Second Prince, Xue Beng.
While he wasn't outright hostile to the Crown Prince, there was no familial affection between them.
Why would Qian Renxue come to visit his daughter?
Was she trying to win him over?
Probably…
But Prince Xue Xing didn't show any warmth, merely nodding indifferently.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, has taken time from your busy schedule to visit. On behalf of Lanlan, I thank you."
Prince Xue Xing had no intention of getting too involved with the Crown Prince.
He always felt that the Crown Prince was too hypocritical.
For the sake of the throne, he would stop at nothing.
In earlier years, he had even targeted her own brothers.
Emperor Xue Ye originally had four sons.
Now, only two remained.
If not for Xue Beng's deliberate portrayal of a frivolous, irresponsible persona—alienating almost all court officials—Prince Xue Xing believed even Xue Beng would have fallen victim to the Crown Prince's schemes.
The Crown Prince was too sinister, too terrifying.
Such a person was utterly unfit to rule a nation.
Hearing Prince Xue Xing's deliberately distant tone, Qian Renxue showed no displeasure.
She maintained her smile and turned to Ye Tian, greeting him. "Long time no see."
"I never expected Your Highness, the Crown Prince, to remember a mere commoner like me."
Ye Tian was surprised. He hadn't anticipated Qian Renxue to seek him out so quickly.
But this was just as well, saving him the trouble of actively seeking her out.
After all, Qian Renxue's public identity was the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou.
As a commoner, if he rashly went to seek her out, he likely wouldn't even make it past the gates of the Eastern Palace.
"If not for you, I might not have made it back from East Sea City alive."
"How could I forget my life-saving benefactor?"
Qian Renxue smiled faintly.
Then, she turned to Prince Xue Xing.
"Uncle, where is my cousin Lanlan?"
"Lanlan is resting. If Your Highness wishes to see her, perhaps another day would be better."
Prince Xue Xing's tone was cold. He simply wanted to distance himself from Qian Renxue as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Ye Tian felt somewhat helpless. It seemed there was no room for reconciliation between Prince Xue Xing and Qian Renxue.
Then again, this wasn't surprising. To consolidate her position as Crown Prince, Qian Renxue had done no shortage of unscrupulous deeds.
Although no major bloodshed had occurred in recent years, it wasn't enough to change her reputation.
Faced with Prince Xue Xing's blunt refusal, Qian Renxue's expression faltered slightly.
She hadn't expected Prince Xue Xing to outright reject her visit.
Wasn't this a clear declaration of opposition?
Though she didn't want to antagonize Prince Xue Xing, that didn't mean she feared him.
Her primary purpose in coming was to confirm whether Ye Tian had truly arrived in Heaven Dou City.
Now that this was confirmed, Prince Xue Xing's presence made it impossible to discuss more confidential matters.
Qian Renxue stepped forward and handed Ye Tian a golden waist token.
"This is the Eastern Palace pass. With it, you may enter and leave freely."
"Come visit the Eastern Palace when you have time."
With that, she cast a calm glance at Prince Xue Xing. "Since my cousin is resting, I shall return another day."
In the end, Qian Renxue restrained herself from openly clashing with Prince Xue Xing.
After all, that would harm the Crown Prince's image and undermine the persona she had carefully cultivated.
"Farewell. I won't see you out."
Prince Xue Xing glanced at Qian Renxue's retreating figure, his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent.
Though his elder brother's health was failing and Xue Qinghe would inevitably ascend the throne, Prince Xue Xing had no intention of reconciling with her.
As a royal prince of Heaven Dou, he couldn't compromise with reality for the sake of wealth and status.
In fact, he had repeatedly advised his brother to secretly investigate Xue Qinghe and seriously consider whether she was truly fit to be emperor.
Unfortunately, his brother was no longer the vigorous, ambitious emperor of yesteryear.
He no longer had the time to spare for selecting an heir.
Prince Xue Xing's suggestions had been rejected by Emperor Xue Ye each time, citing that it would damage their father-son relationship.
"The situation on the continent grows more turbulent by the day. Who knows where the empire's future lies?"
Prince Xue Xing sighed softly, looking up at the sky.
Then, he collected his thoughts and turned back to Ye Tian.
"If you need anything else for the pill refinement, just ask. This prince will ensure it's provided."
"Everything is ready." Ye Tian smiled, pointing at the materials on the ground. "Next, we can begin refining the pills."
…
Meanwhile, at the East Sea Grand Hotel's top-floor private room.
Dai Mubai raised a glass of red wine, smiling.
"It's been years, Xiao Wu. You've grown even more beautiful."
"Boss, you're being biased. You never praise me," Ning Rongrong teased, her face blooming like a flower as she raised her own glass.
Dai Mubai laughed heartily.
"We've only been apart for a few months. What's there to praise?"
"Ask Zhu Zhuqing if you don't believe me. See if I've ever praised her."
"Hmph, you have the nerve to say that." Zhu Zhuqing turned her head away, her delicate face frosty.
"Boss, you should avoid playing favorites." Xiao Wu's rabbit ears twitched as she giggled.
"Exactly. Otherwise, certain people might get jealous."
Dai Mubai laughed loudly and raised his glass again. "I'll punish myself with a drink!"
He downed the wine in one gulp.
Setting the glass aside, he turned to Xiao Wu. "By the way, Rongrong mentioned you've got a boyfriend. Why didn't you bring him to meet everyone?"
"Huh?!" Xiao Wu stared at Ning Rongrong in shock, then at Dai Mubai.
"Since when did I say I have a boyfriend?"
Ning Rongrong interjected, "Isn't Ye Tian your boyfriend?"
Xiao Wu: "…"
"Rongrong, you're too nosy. I've told you before—Ye Tian and I are just friends!"
"There's absolutely nothing between us!"
Xiao Wu was on the verge of tears.
She had explained this to Ning Rongrong long ago, never expecting the other girl to dismiss it.
Worse, she had even told Dai Mubai.
This was almost socially fatal!
"That's for the best."
Hearing Xiao Wu's explanation, Dai Mubai sighed in relief before elaborating.
"Ye Tian is someone both Rongrong and I know."
"He's just skilled in medicine—and very greedy for money."
"Moreover, he's closely associated with the Spirit Hall."
"Two months ago, in Elephant Armored City, I saw Ye Tian with the Spirit Hall's Ghost Douluo."
"Because of that, the Star Luo Empire lost a Titled Douluo."
"You'd do best to avoid getting too involved with him."
Xiao Wu, however, defended Ye Tian.
"Ye Tian isn't what you think."
"He's a very good person. If not for him, I'd probably still be stuck in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"And if he's close to the Spirit Hall, he was likely deceived."
Ning Rongrong chuckled. "Xiao Wu, what kind of love potion did Ye Tian feed you? Why are you so defensive of him?"
"I'm just stating facts." Xiao Wu's expression was deadly serious.
"The Spirit Hall was just using Ye Tian. After they were done, they abandoned him by a river, nearly drowning him."
"If I hadn't passed by, Ye Tian wouldn't be alive today."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai's expression softened slightly.
Rubbing his chin, he mused, "So I misjudged Ye Tian?"
"…Still, his only redeeming quality is his extraordinary medical skills."
"Such talent is insignificant to the Spirit Hall."
"No wonder—someone like him could never catch the attention of the Spirit Hall's elders."
At this, Dai Mubai laughed.
"Seems like it was all Ye Tian's wishful thinking."
"In the end, the Spirit Hall didn't even acknowledge his abilities."
Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly and added,
"But ultimately, it's the Spirit Hall's loss for failing to recognize talent."
"Ye Tian's pill-refining skills alone make him as strategically valuable as a Titled Douluo."
"If we can recruit him, it would be immensely beneficial."
"Now that you mention it…" Dai Mubai's eyes lit up. Leaning on the table, he grinned.
"Ye Tian is filthy rich."
Money couldn't solve everything, but it could solve most problems.
"You'd better give up on recruiting Ye Tian."
Xiao Wu swirled her wine glass, smiling wryly.
"He already told me that after resting in Heaven Dou City for a few days, he'll leave."
"I asked where, but he wouldn't say."
"My guess is he'll wander the world as a traveling miracle doctor."
"The betrayal by those close to him hit him too hard."
In Xiao Wu's imagination, Ye Tian had become a disillusioned soul, utterly disenchanted with life.
Of course, this was merely Xiao Wu's speculation about Ye Tian's personality based on her own observations.
"Such a shame. A man like him would've been invaluable to us." Dai Mubai sighed regretfully—a rare display from him.
(End of Chapter)