At the southern gate of Tian Dou City,
In the shadows of a corner—
There stood a white carriage, quietly waiting.
Beside the carriage shaft, Ye Renxin, clad in gray robes, appeared to have been waiting for some time.
Seeing Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan approaching, he immediately perked up, clasped his hands together, and greeted them with a warm smile. "Gentlemen, you've arrived."
Dai Chengfeng's lips curved into a gentle smile as he returned the greeting. "We've kept Elder Ye waiting."
Ye Renxin waved his dry yet strong hand dismissively and shook his head. "Lingling and I have only just arrived…"
As he spoke, a mysterious glint flashed in his eyes, and his smile deepened. He added cheerfully, "Oh yes, Your Highness, I've prepared a surprise for you on this journey…"
"I hope that when the time comes, the Fourth Prince will like it."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Dai Chengfeng's eyes. "A surprise?"
Ye Renxin gently stroked his graying beard, his smile growing even more enigmatic as he nodded emphatically. "I guarantee it will be something unexpected for Your Highness!"
Before Dai Chengfeng could ask what the surprise was, Ye Renxin quickly interjected, "But please don't ask what it is, Your Highness. I won't say."
"After all, if you know in advance, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"
With that, Ye Renxin turned around, deftly lifted the carriage curtain, and gestured for them to board. "Your Highness, shall we set off?"
Dai Chengfeng nodded. "Alright."
"Since Elder Ye doesn't wish to reveal it, I'll look forward to it."
With that, he led Zhu Fan toward the carriage.
As Zhu Fan stepped onto the carriage, he leaned close to Dai Chengfeng, his voice low and filled with curiosity. "Chengfeng, what do you think the surprise Elder Ye prepared might be?"
Dai Chengfeng shook his head slightly, his eyes brimming with curiosity and anticipation. "I'm not sure."
"But it's something Elder Ye specifically mentioned, so it's bound to be impressive… I'm really curious!"
Zhu Fan furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "Even you can't guess, Chengfeng?"
"It's making me wonder—is it medicine… or something else?"
Zhu Fan clicked his tongue.
As Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan settled into the carriage, Ye Renxin climbed onto the driver's seat and lightly flicked the reins.
The carriage began to move.
Rumble…
The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road, emitting a muffled sound as the carriage slowly departed from Tian Dou City.
Meanwhile.
On the watchtower above the southern gate—
A red-haired burly man dressed in guard armor curiously observed their crown prince.
"Prince, what are you looking at so intently?"
"Nothing… perhaps I was mistaken. For a moment, I thought I saw a… bastard!!!"
Tian Dou Empire's Crown Prince, 'Xue Qinghe', gritted her teeth lightly, her face filled with frustration.
She silently watched as a white carriage slowly left Tian Dou City.
"It must've been a mistake."
"After all, that little brat is said to have been captured by the Imperial Shadow Guards after recklessly attacking Wu Ping City under the intervention of Third Prince Dai Mubai. He's now locked away in the death cell."
"And the Xing Luo Emperor personally ordered that no one is allowed to plead for him or visit him."
Thinking of this.
Xue Qinghe's elegant brows relaxed, her gloomy mood instantly lifting as a proud and satisfied smile appeared on her face.
"Little tiger, though you managed to take advantage of my carelessness and win against me once…"
"But!"
"You still lost to your Star Luo Empire's cruel system of imperial succession."
"Pity there's no chance to face you again."
"Otherwise, I'd prove to you…"
"That I, Qian Renxue, am second to none in this life!"
However, she soon turned to Porcupinefish Douluo. "Remember to have Grandpa send someone to keep an eye on things. If that little tiger is truly sentenced to execution, have Grandpa save him at all costs."
"He's a rare talent!"
"Yes!"
Porcupinefish Douluo nodded in agreement.
He then glanced at his young master's back, scratching his head in confusion, and muttered softly to himself, "When we first heard that Dai Chengfeng had been imprisoned, you were so happy you couldn't sleep all night, muttering things like 'bastard,' 'serves him right,' and 'go die already'…"
"Now, upon hearing that Dai Chengfeng might actually be executed, you're the one telling the Grand Elder to send someone to rescue him…"
"This… I'm starting to get confused here…"
---
Outside Tian Dou City
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was simple yet cozy.
Dai Chengfeng raised his gaze and looked across at Ye Lingling sitting opposite him.
Today, Ye Lingling was very different from usual.
She had shed the stiff uniform of Tian Dou Empire's Imperial Academy and instead wore a sleek white dress.
The soft fabric perfectly accentuated her slender figure, while a few strands of loose hair framed her pale cheeks, adding a touch of aloofness.
Dai Chengfeng was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself. "Miss Ye, we meet again."
Ye Lingling lifted her eyes to meet Dai Chengfeng's gaze. Her lips moved slightly, as if attempting a smile, but it vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
She seemed unused to such expressions, and a hint of awkwardness flickered in her eyes.
Seeing this, Dai Chengfeng chuckled softly and shook his head. "If you can't smile, there's no need to force yourself."
Ye Lingling nodded slightly, her long lashes trembling faintly. Her voice was cool and calm. "Thank you for understanding, Prince Chengfeng."
"Just call me Chengfeng as before—don't be so formal."
"After all, in the future, who knows…"
Dai Chengfeng didn't continue, but his eyes were already filled with anticipation.
In his mind, he had already planned out a large medical academy for the Star Luo Empire—a place where both auxiliary soul masters and common students could study.
And Ye Renxin would be its first principal.
Opposite him, Ye Lingling gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, a barely perceptible happiness flashing in her eyes.
Looking at her quiet, shy demeanor, Dai Chengfeng shook his head and chuckled softly again.
Ye Lingling had never been much of a talker. She was like a serene begonia flower, preferring to stay quietly in the corner.
Dai Chengfeng didn't push the conversation.
For a while, the carriage fell silent, with only the faint sound of the wheels rolling against the ground breaking the quiet.
It wasn't until Tian Dou City completely disappeared from view that Dai Chengfeng gently lifted the carriage curtain, sticking his head halfway out to ask Ye Renxin curiously, "Elder Ye, where are we headed next?"
Ye Renxin turned his head. "The Great Star Dou Forest."
He paused briefly before adding, "But this time, we'll need to venture a bit deeper than last time."
"After all, the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear I'm searching for, though only a thousand years old, is extremely powerful. Even a thousand-year-old specimen isn't weaker than some three- or four-thousand-year-old lower-tier soul beasts."
However, perhaps sensing Dai Chengfeng's concern about potential dangers in the deeper parts of the forest, Ye Renxin quickly reassured him with a smile. "But Your Highness, you can rest assured."
"With my poisons and Nine-Heart Begonia, combined with Commander Zhu Fan's combat strength of level 83, as long as we don't encounter a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, there won't be any danger."
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng nodded. "I'm confident in Elder Ye's Nine-Heart Begonia healing abilities."
After all, the Nine-Heart Begonia was hailed as a miracle among martial souls. Even Ye Lingling, with her mere level 20+ strength, could visibly heal wounds at an astonishing speed. And with Ye Renxin, now an 81-level Soul Douluo, the effects would be even more remarkable.
With Elder Ye's soul skills supporting them, as long as Uncle Zhu wasn't instantly killed, he should recover immediately, right?
Dai Chengfeng thought silently.
All things considered, it seemed… as long as they didn't encounter a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, there shouldn't be any real danger.
"Hopefully, everything goes smoothly on this trip!"
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