344: How can things proceed if the name is not proper?

The maidservant dared not delay and immediately handed over the document.

The Crown Prince quickly flipped it open, found Feng Ming's name, and upon seeing the corresponding position, his expression changed drastically. He looked at Lord Liu and asked anxiously, "Imperial Tutor! What does Royal Father mean by this?"

"This position hasn't changed for many years, and the previous officeholder has always been content and law-abiding. Why would Royal Father suddenly let Feng Ming take over this position? Besides, the previous person was clearly my subordinate!"

Lord Liu quickly stepped forward to console him: "Your Highness, don't panic. Your Majesty naturally knows the previous person was your confidant, but that person was only acting in the role, and his name was not right, nor was his word smooth."

"This adjustment might be exactly what Your Majesty wants—to take this opportunity to legitimize the position and stop the wagging tongues of the public."

"If you can successfully win over Feng Ming and make him pledge allegiance to you, won't your influence in that entire prefecture become even more stable?"

The Crown Prince was stunned by the words, then suddenly realized, nodding repeatedly, "That's right! The Imperial Tutor's considerations are still the most thorough!"

Seeing this, Lord Liu struck while the iron was hot and continued, "Furthermore, Your Highness, Feng Ming is not just a Ninth-Rank Alchemist; his Alchemy skills are unmatched in the current era. He is a rare talent."

"Why don't you accept his application for Honorary President? That way, he will feel that you are intentionally guiding and appreciating him. Wouldn't that greatly increase the probability of successfully winning him over?"

"If he truly joins your faction in the future, the accounts of that prefecture can also be handed over to him to manage, saving you a lot of worry. It's the best of both worlds!"

The Crown Prince immediately beamed with joy, patting his chest, "The Imperial Tutor is truly amazing! With you watching over me, nothing can go wrong! We'll do as you say. Immediately approve Xing Fangsong's application!"

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness!" Lord Liu bowed, then remembered something else and quickly said, "Your Highness, have you heard that Xun Luoyuan is hosting a banquet tonight at the Commandery Princesss Mansion, and the guest of honor is none other than Young Master Feng Ming."

"Moreover, your subordinate has found out that the Third Prince has already left the palace and is likely heading to the Commandery Princesss Mansion tonight to 'crash the banquet,' but in reality, he wants to win over Feng Ming!"

The Crown Prince's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said furiously, "What crashing the banquet! He obviously wants to snatch him away! We absolutely cannot let The Third One succeed! If he can go, so can I! I'll set off for the Commandery Princesss Mansion right now. I absolutely cannot let Feng Ming fall into The Third One's hands!"

With that, the Crown Prince didn't bother tidying up. He rushed out of the Eastern Palace in a hurry, taking his maidservants and a group of guards with him, leaving Lord Liu standing alone, shaking his head helplessly at his retreating figure, a knowing smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, inside the Pill Room of the Alchemist Guild, as Feng Ming struck the last Pill Formula Hand Seal, the lid of the Pill Furnace opened with a 'hum' sound.

A clear fragrance diffused, and a cooling pill, white as jade and emitting a faint halo, lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.

Feng Ming raised his hand, took the cooling pill, held it in his palm, and let out a long sigh of relief, a look of relaxation on his face: "It's finally refined! Saving that person truly cost me a great deal of effort. I hope you are worth all this trouble!"

He muttered to himself softly, carefully put away the cooling pill, and then walked out of the Pill Room with Feng Da.

After refining the ten-patterned star pill and the cooling pill—two ninth-rank elixirs—combined with his previous accumulation, Feng Ming clearly felt signs that his Alchemy Dao Realm was on the verge of a Breakthrough.

He seemed ready to step from the control realm into the more profound Selflessness Realm. He figured that refining one or two more ninth-rank elixirs would allow him to successfully Break through. However, he was currently tied up with trivial matters, and the Alchemy Dao Breakthrough was not urgent, so he could only plan for it later.

Aside from the Alchemy Dao, Feng Ming's personal cultivation base, nourished by Spiritual Qi during the Alchemy process and accumulated during half a month of long-distance travel, also showed signs of stepping into the Mahayana Stage Second Layer.

However, he currently lacked the time and conditions to Cultivate in peace, so he could only rely on his Cultivation Technique to operate and accumulate on its own. As for when he could Break through, he could only leave it to fate.

"Young Friend Feng! It's done! The application has been approved!"

As Feng Ming and Feng Da stepped out of the Pill Room, Xing Fangsong ran over quickly, his face full of joy, holding a golden token respectfully in front of Feng Ming.

Feng Ming reached out and took the token. It was entirely golden, clearly engraved with two powerful characters: "Guild Master."

"This token is the symbol of our Alchemist Guild's Honorary President status. Young Friend, holding this token means that no matter which prefecture's branch guild you go to, as long as you show the token, everyone below the Branch Guild Master must obey your orders!"

"Congratulations, Young Friend, on becoming the Guild's ninth Honorary President!" Xing Fangsong congratulated him respectfully.

Feng Ming put away the token, cupped his hands toward Guild Master Xing, and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Guild Master Xing. However, I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay long. I will take my leave now."

"Understood, understood! Young Friend Feng is busy, so feel free to go. If you ever need the Guild's help in the future, just send someone to relay the message!" Xing Fangsong quickly agreed with a smile and personally escorted the two to the Guild entrance.

Feng Ming nodded slightly and turned to leave with Feng Da.

With the medicinal herbs secured and the position of Honorary President obtained, it was a fruitful trip, and Feng Ming felt exceptionally cheerful.

On the way back, Feng Ming began to plan his next step. The cooling pill was refined. The most crucial thing now was to meet Xun Luoyuan and inform her of part of his plan, persuading her to cooperate with him.

However, Xun Luoyuan is of noble status and has many guards around her. Unless she actively summons him, it would be extremely difficult for him to meet her.

"She is a Xun Luoyuan after all; her status is established. If she doesn't take the initiative to speak, meeting her will indeed be troublesome," Feng Ming pondered inwardly, his brow furrowing slightly.

Just as he was racking his brain trying to figure out how to meet Xun Luoyuan, an exasperated voice suddenly came from afar.

Zhang Bai rushed over, his face full of rage. As soon as he reached Feng Ming, he pointed at his nose and cursed, "You bastard, Feng Ming! I treat you like a brother, yet you dare try to court my wife? Are you even human?"

Feng Ming looked utterly bewildered and asked back blankly, "When did I try to court your wife? And when did the Xun Luoyuan become your wife? How come I didn't know I had a Younger Brother like you?"

"You! Are you still playing dumb with me?" Zhang Bai was so angry he stamped his feet, his face full of indignation. "Didn't I acknowledge you as my Big Brother back at the Inn? I've loved the Xun Luoyuan for a long time, and she will be my wife sooner or later. Doesn't that make her your Younger Brothers Wife?"

Feng Ming suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh, patting Zhang Bai's shoulder: "What stimulated you? Explain yourself clearly. When did I provoke the Xun Luoyuan? It's hard enough for me to even meet her, how could I possibly court her?"