The breeze was cool.
The two of them sat on the ground, eating grilled fish.
It was a moment of carefree indulgence.
After thinking for a bit, Xue Qinghe asked,
"You're about this age, and you've come to Heaven Dou City at this time… Are you planning to enroll in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"
Then he added,
"The admission standards for the Imperial Academy are quite high."
"I can't just eat your fish for free—perhaps I could put in a word or two for you."
Li Zhexian wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and turned to glance at the white-clad youth beside him, whom he had just met.
Hmm.
Pale skin, elegant features, white robes embroidered with gold trim—clearly someone from a noble family.
"You're quite something."
"Even have sway at the Royal Academy, huh."
"But me… I've never liked school."
Looking at the boy in rough white clothes sprawled lazily on the grass, Xue Qinghe shook his head and chuckled.
In his eyes,
This youth was clearly drunk—
Speaking with such disdain toward the prestigious Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
He didn't understand.
To enter the Royal Academy,
One had to be a renowned prodigy.
At this age, how could anyone not yearn for it?
Xue Qinghe found him interesting and asked,
"Then what do you want?"
Li Zhexian sat upright and grinned playfully,
"If you're really so capable…"
"Then get me a bottle of Yaoguang Brew."
"Yaoguang Brew?"
Xue Qinghe elegantly swallowed the fish in his mouth, reeled in his line, and stood up to leave.
After walking a short distance, his voice drifted back over the water.
"A meal of fish… isn't worth a bottle of Yaoguang Brew."
Watching his retreating figure, Li Zhexian took a sip of wine and muttered to himself,
"Judging by his tone… could he actually get some Yaoguang Brew?"
"Even the royal family treats that wine like a treasure."
"Who is he, really…"
Names flashed through Li Zhexian's mind.
That age, that refined look, that scholarly demeanor.
And the Lotus Lake, just a kilometer from the Imperial Palace, wasn't exactly open to the public—
The most likely explanation was that it was private land belonging to someone powerful.
The answer was almost too obvious.
Li Zhexian's lips curved upward.
"Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe."
"Or maybe… Qian Renxue would be more accurate."
"Eh, whatever."
"I'm not interested in getting mixed up in power struggles."
"Whether he's Xue Qinghe or Qian Renxue—as long as he can get me some Yaoguang Brew, that's good enough."
"One meal of fish isn't enough? Then I'll make a few more."
—
As the sun dipped westward,
Li Zhexian packed up and headed home.
Another night passed in cultivation.
The next day, just as the sky began to pale with morning light, Li Zhexian excitedly returned to Lotus Lake.
He was here to fish—
But not just for fish.
Yet even when the sun was high overhead,
Xue Qinghe never showed.
Li Zhexian sat under the shade of a tree, glanced at the full basket of fish beside him, and sighed in disappointment.
—
Heaven Dou Palace.
As usual, Xue Qinghe headed to Qianqing Palace to greet Emperor Xue Ye.
"Your son Xue Qinghe greets Imperial Father. May Imperial Father enjoy perfect health and peace."
He knelt on one knee, presenting a cup of hot tea with both hands.
Emperor Xue Ye looked ruddy and healthy, leafing through a stack of memorials.
"Rise."
He accepted the tea from Xue Qinghe,
Took a sip, and nodded approvingly.
"Your tea-making skills keep improving."
Xue Qinghe lifted his head, a gentle smile appearing on his refined face.
"As long as Imperial Father likes it."
Emperor Xue Ye chuckled, then returned to reviewing state documents, saying no more.
Xue Qinghe stood quietly to the side, head slightly bowed in respectful silence.
Time passed by slowly.
When the sun had fully risen, a eunuch finally stepped forward and reminded the emperor of the time.
Emperor Xue Ye set down the memorial in his hand and turned to Xue Qinghe.
"Qinghe, how is your study of the Heaven Dou Legal Codex progressing?"
The Heaven Dou Legal Codex was the comprehensive body of law in the Heaven Dou Empire—a required subject for the Crown Prince.
Xue Qinghe gave a slight bow.
"Your son has already mastered it."
"Very well. Then let me test you."
—
Not until the sun was beating down harshly did Emperor Xue Ye finish quizzing him.
"I take my leave, Imperial Father."
Leaving Qianqing Palace,
Winding through the red walls and golden tiles of the Imperial Palace,
Xue Qinghe's serene expression gradually turned cold.
Cold to the bone, as if frosted over.
When he returned to his own palace, he stood by the window, staring blankly at the withered flowers in the garden, scorched by the harsh sunlight.
Before long, a eunuch arrived to report that a certain official had been waiting for some time and wished to see the Crown Prince.
Xue Qinghe skillfully shed the coldness from his face, his expression becoming gentle once more.
Half an hour later, after seeing off the official—
He barely had time to rest before taking on his next duty as Crown Prince:
Visiting Heaven Dou Imperial Academy to meet with this year's cohort of gifted students.
On the way back to the palace,
Xue Qinghe wore a blank expression.
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo exchanged a glance, then cautiously spoke up:
"Young master, the Supreme Pontiff has sent word—the infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire is progressing too slowly. And the poison used on Emperor Xue Ye is too mild."
"Her Holiness wants you to fully take control of the empire within five years."
"And… the Supreme Pontiff also said…"
Xue Qinghe's expression didn't change.
But the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned white.
He stopped walking, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
Thinking of the past several years—
Day after day, doing things he loathed.
A profound, soul-deep weariness suddenly swept over him.
"Tell that woman…"
"I don't need her to dictate how I do things!"
Porcupinefish and Snake Spear Douluo both sighed and silently stepped back.
Seeing Xue Qinghe turn and walk off in another direction,
They quickly asked,
"Young master, where are you going?"
"Lotus Lake."
Xue Qinghe didn't even look back as he said coldly,
"Don't follow me."
—
Lotus Lake.
Willows swayed gently. Reeds drifted in the breeze.
Even the wind carried a faint fragrance of lotus flowers.
When he saw the white-robed youth chomping away on grilled fish, oil dripping from his mouth, Xue Qinghe blinked and quickened his pace.
Without the slightest concern for decorum, he plopped down across from Li Zhexian.
Picked up a fish and started eating.
Li Zhexian stared blankly for a moment.
Then snorted and laughed,
"You! Yesterday you turned your nose up at it—now you're here stuffing your face without even a word of courtesy?"
Xue Qinghe grabbed a pair of chopsticks and poked at the fish in the pot.
"Today's batch is a bit overcooked."
Seeing this shameless behavior, Li Zhexian couldn't help but laugh.
He held out his greasy hand toward Xue Qinghe.
"Give it to me."
Xue Qinghe, with fish still in his mouth, looked up and asked, "What?"
Li Zhexian replied, "The Yaoguang Brew."
"One meal of fish wasn't enough, but now you've had two."
Xue Qinghe curled his lip.
"A bottle of Yaoguang Brew is worth a fortune."
"Your fish is absurdly expensive."
Of course, Li Zhexian had never expected to trade just two meals for a bottle of Yaoguang Brew.
He stood up, patted his clothes, and headed toward the lake.
"These fish are overcooked. I'll go catch some fresh ones."
—
A few minutes later,
Li Zhexian returned.
He saw Xue Qinghe still silently eating, like a man who hadn't had lunch.
And across from Xue Qinghe—
Right in his seat—
Sat a translucent three-inch glass bottle.
Inside it flowed a wine as radiant as a river of stars…