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The cool breeze blew.
The two sat on the ground, eating grilled fish.
It was quite carefree and unrestrained.
Xue Qinghe thought for a moment, then asked again:
"At your age, and coming to Heaven Dou City at this time, could it be that you want to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Saying this, he continued:
"The admission standards for Heaven Dou Royal Academy are not low."
"I can't just eat your fish for free; perhaps I can put in a good word for you."
Li Dixian wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and turned his head to look at the newly acquainted young man in white.
Hmm.
His face was fair, delicate, and refined, and his white robe was embroidered with gold trim; he was clearly from a prominent family.
"You're quite impressive."
"You even have influence at the Royal Academy."
"But me, I dislike going to school the most."
Looking at the young man in the coarse white shirt lying on his back on the grass, Xue Qinghe shook his head and chuckled.
In his opinion,
this person was drunk.
His words showed complete disregard for Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
One must know that
those who could enter the Royal Academy
were all minorly famous geniuses.
At such an age, how could there be no yearning?
Xue Qinghe found it interesting and continued to ask:
"Then what do you want?"
Li Dixian sat up and said jokingly:
"If you're really that capable,"
"get me a pot of yao guang brew."
"yao guang brew?"
Xue Qinghe elegantly swallowed the fish in his mouth, put away his fishing rod, and walked away.
After he had walked some distance, his voice drifted over from afar.
"Just one meal of fish can't be exchanged for a pot of yao guang brew."
Watching the other party's back gradually disappear, Li Dixian took a sip of wine and murmured softly.
"Listening to his tone, it seems he really can get yao guang brew?"
"yao guang brew is something even the imperial family values highly."
"Who is he...?"
Several names flashed through Li Dixian's mind.
At this age, with a delicate appearance and refined temperament,
and Lotus Lake, only a kilometer from the imperial city, was not unvisited.
The greater possibility was that it was the private domain of some dignitary.
The answer seemed to be on the tip of his tongue.
Li Dixian's lips curved.
"Heaven Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe."
"Perhaps... Qian Renxue would be more appropriate."
"Oh well, oh well."
"I'm not interested in getting involved in these power struggles."
"Whether it's Xue Qinghe or Qian Renxue, as long as he can get me yao guang brew, that's fine."
"If one meal of fish isn't enough, then have a few more."
The sun was setting in the west.
Time to go home.
This night was also spent in cultivation.
The next day, as soon as the sky showed the first hint of dawn, Li Dixian excitedly went to Lotus Lake.
He was fishing.
But, this fish was not that fish.
However, he waited until the sun was high in the sky, but Xue Qinghe never showed up.
Li Dixian sat in the shade of a tree, glanced at the basket full of fish, and sighed regretfully.
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Xue Qinghe, as usual, went to the Qianqing Palace to greet Emperor Xue Ye.
"Your son, Xue Qinghe, greets Imperial Father; may Imperial Father be well."
He knelt on one knee, presenting hot tea with both hands.
Emperor Xue Ye, with a rosy complexion, was reviewing memorials.
"Rise."
He took the tea from Xue Qinghe's hand.
Emperor Xue Ye took a sip and nodded in satisfaction.
"Qinghe's tea-making skills are getting better and better."
Xue Qinghe looked up, a smile appearing on his delicate face.
"As long as Imperial Father likes it."
Emperor Xue Ye smiled and continued to review memorials, saying nothing more.
Xue Qinghe lowered his head slightly, standing respectfully at the side.
Time passed by minute by minute.
It wasn't until the sunlight gradually brightened that a eunuch reminded Emperor Xue Ye that it was time.
Emperor Xue Ye put down the memorial and looked at Xue Qinghe.
"Qinghe, how are you learning the 'Heaven Dou Code'?"
The "Heaven Dou Code" was a compilation of the laws of the Heaven Dou Empire, a political book that the Crown Prince had to study.
Xue Qinghe bowed slightly and said:
"Your son has already learned it."
"Good, then Imperial Father will test you."
It wasn't until the sun became scorching hot
that Emperor Xue Ye's assessment of the Crown Prince ended.
"Your son takes his leave."
Leaving the Qianqing Palace.
Shuttling through the imperial palace enclosed by red walls and high tiles.
Xue Qinghe's expression changed from serene to cold.
A coldness that permeated his bones, as if a layer of frost had settled upon him.
Upon returning to his own palace,
he stood by the window.
He stared blankly at the withered flowers in the flowerbed, scorched by the harsh sunlight.
Not a few minutes later, a eunuch reported again that a certain minister had been waiting for a long time and wished to see the Crown Prince.
Xue Qinghe skillfully shed the coldness from his face, his expression becoming gentle again.
Half an hour later, after seeing off the minister,
he didn't even have time to rest before, in his capacity as Crown Prince, he went to visit Heaven Dou Royal Academy to meet the talented students of this generation.
On the way back to the imperial palace,
Xue Qinghe's face was expressionless.
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo exchanged glances, then braced themselves and spoke:
"Young Master, His Holiness the Pope informed you that the speed of infiltration into the Heaven Dou Empire is too slow, and the poison administered to Emperor Xue Ye is too gentle."
"His Holiness the Pope wants you to fully control the Heaven Dou Empire within five years."
"Furthermore, His Holiness the Pope also said..."
Xue Qinghe remained expressionless.
But the hand in his sleeve was clenched tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the excessive force.
He stopped, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled.
He thought of his life for several years, just like today.
Every day he was busy doing things he hated.
Xue Qinghe suddenly felt a weariness that penetrated his soul.
"Tell that woman..."
"I don't need her to dictate how I do things!"
Porcupinefish and Snake Lance sighed, silently retreating to the side.
Seeing Xue Qinghe turn in a different direction,
they quickly asked:
"Young Master, where are you going?"
"Lotus Lake."
Xue Qinghe said coldly, without turning his head:
"Don't follow me."
Lotus Lake.
Willows swayed, reeds rustled.
The blowing wind carried a scent of lotus flowers.
Seeing the young man in the white shirt, his mouth greasy from eating, Xue Qinghe blinked and hurried over.
He sat down opposite the young man in the white shirt without any regard for his image.
He picked up a fish and put it in his mouth.
Li Dixian was stunned.
Then, he laughed and scolded:
"You, I offered it to you yesterday and you didn't eat it, and now you don't even know how to be polite, do you?"
Xue Qinghe took the chopsticks and stirred the fish in the pot twice.
"Today's fish is a bit overcooked."
Looking at the other party's roguish appearance, Li Dixian was so exasperated he laughed.
He extended his greasy hand towards Xue Qinghe.
"Give it to me."
Xue Qinghe, eating fish, looked up and said:
"What?"
Li Dixian said:
"yao guang brew, of course."
"One meal of fish can't get yao guang brew, but you've had two meals from me now."
Xue Qinghe pouted and said:
"A pot of yao guang brew is worth ten thousand gold coins."
"Your fish is really expensive."
Li Dixian hadn't actually expected to get yao guang brew with just two meals of fish.
He stood up, patted his bottom, and walked towards the lake.
"This pot of fish is overcooked; I'll go get some fresh ones."
A few minutes later,
Li Dixian walked back.
He saw Xue Qinghe still silently eating fish, as if he hadn't eaten lunch.
And opposite Xue Qinghe,
which was his seat,
there was a transparent three-inch glass bottle.
Inside flowed a starlight-like liquid... the yao guang brew.