126: The prince came as soon as he smelled it!

At the same time, in the Eastern Palace of the Royal Capital.

Unlike the Grand Princess's extravagant and flamboyant palace, the architectural style of the Eastern Palace was more steady and reserved; every brick and tile exuded a profound sense of imperial authority.

Inside the study, sandalwood incense curled upwards.

A young man with handsome and gentle features, dressed in a four-clawed python robe, was quietly reading a secret report that had just been delivered to his hand.

He was the current Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, Xia Yuan.

The half-brother of Grand Princess Xia Qingyue.

The legitimate heir.

However, the Grand Princess, relying on the backing behind her,

had been making quite a few moves and harboring ambitions.

She was also the biggest competitor in the Crown Prince's heart.

The contents of the secret report were no different from what the Emperor had received, detailing the entire incident of the Vermilion Bird Avenue bloodbath and Deputy Commander Zhao Xin's suspicions regarding Li Qing.

"Hah."

Xia Yuan put down the secret report and let out a light chuckle.

His laughter was very soft, very gentle.

"My dear sister is still so impatient."

Xia Yuan picked up the teacup in front of him, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, his tone flat as if discussing a trivial family matter that had nothing to do with him.

"For the sake of a mere bit of face, she used something as unsavory as 'Shadow Kill,' and then got killed in return. Truly... disgraceful."

He shook his head, a trace of pity on his face.

"Father must already know about this. Qingyue is likely to lose some favor this time."

He seemed to be lamenting for his sister, but deep within his gentle eyes, a glint of cunning success flickered.

He had been locked in open and covert struggles with Xia Qingyue for many years and knew his sister's character inside out.

Naturally, he knew the thoughts in her heart.

Arrogant, conceited, impulsive, quick-tempered.

These were her strengths and also her fatal weaknesses.

He had long anticipated that after being publicly defied by Li Qing at the martial selection competition, Xia Qingyue would absolutely take retaliatory action.

But he hadn't expected her revenge to be so foolish and the outcome to be so... spectacular.

"Li Qing!"

Xia Yuan's fingertips lightly tapped the desk as he savored the name.

"From Jinling City, possesses Innate Divine Strength, cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Condensing Essence Realm, suspected of stomping the Seven Star Soul Locking Array into shambles with one foot and killing a Peak of the Meridian Unblocking Realm cultivator with one punch."

"Interesting, truly interesting."

His face showed an expression completely different from Xia Qingyue's.

Not anger, not fear.

But appreciation.

The appreciation a hunter feels upon seeing a peerless steed, a chess player upon encountering a genius of unparalleled talent.

In his view, Li Qing was a chess piece.

A perfect chess piece, capable of breaking the existing balance in the Royal Capital and even being used to severely dampen Xia Qingyue's arrogance!

Xia Qingyue's greatest reliance, aside from the Grand Generals Residence that Guards the Nation behind her mother, was the large number of young talents she had recruited over the years using various means.

These people formed the foundation and power base for her future.

And now, the appearance of Li Qing was like a heavy hammer, smashing down hard upon this foundation.

In the most violent, most unreasonable way, he proved to everyone that in the face of absolute strength, so-called family background and numerical superiority were all a joke.

This was undoubtedly a harsh slap to Xia Qingyue's face.

"My dear sister is probably furious by now."

Xia Yuan's mood grew even more pleasant.

He even felt somewhat grateful to Li Qing.

"Such a person, if I cannot make use of him, wouldn't that be a pity?"

A bold idea took shape in his mind.

Xia Qingyue had used arrogance and threats, trying to force Li Qing to submit, only to achieve the opposite effect.

Then he would do the opposite.

Use courtesy, respect, and conditions he could not refuse to recruit him!

He wanted everyone to see that he, Xia Yuan, was fundamentally different from that foolish woman, Xia Qingyue.

He was the future monarch who truly understood how to employ talent!

"Elder Xuan."

Xia Yuan called out softly to the empty study.

"Your Highness."

An aged and steady voice sounded from the shadows of the study.

An old man dressed in simple gray cloth, with an ordinary face that made him look like a neighborly old man, appeared soundlessly behind Xia Yuan.

He emitted no fluctuation of Yuan Power, appearing to be just an ordinary Mortal.

But Xia Yuan knew that this Elder Xuan, who had watched him grow up, was his most capable and also most powerful confidant.

A Peak Spirit Transformation Realm expert, Elder Xuan!

"You heard everything?"

Xia Yuan did not turn around, still looking at the secret report in his hand.

"I did." Elder Xuan's voice was as calm as still water.

"What do you think of this young man?"

"Unfathomable."

Elder Xuan gave a concise four-word evaluation.

"Oh?" Xia Yuan became interested.

"Even you, Elder Xuan, find him unfathomable?"

"This old servant can sense that the secret report contains omissions, or rather, even Zhao Xin himself failed to see the full extent of this young man's strength."

Elder Xuan said slowly.

"The force of a single stomp, shattering the Seven Star Soul Locking Array... this can no longer be explained by mere physical strength alone."

"This young man must have secrets we are not aware of."

"The more secrets, the greater the value, isn't that so?" Xia Yuan smiled gently.

He stood up, retrieved a purple-gold Storage Pouch and a jade box carved with a nine-dragon pattern from a hidden compartment behind a bookshelf.

He handed these two items to Elder Xuan.

"Elder Xuan, I must trouble you to make another personal trip."

"Sharing Your Highness's worries is this old servant's duty." Elder Xuan bowed and accepted them.

"Go to the Prodigy Garden and meet with this Young Master Li Qing."

A light of determined ambition flashed in Xia Yuan's eyes.

"Remember, your attitude must be humble, your posture must be lowered."

"Tell him that I, Xia Yuan, thirst for worthy talent. My sister was immature and frightened him."

"As her brother, I offer an apology on her behalf."

"Inside the Storage Pouch are two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, one thousand qi nurturing pills, and ten bottles of the holy healing medicine 'Jade Dew Pills' as my greeting gift."

"As for this jade box..."

Xia Yuan paused, his voice taking on a serious tone.

"Inside is a 'marquis order token'."

"Tell him that as long as he nods, from now on, he will be my Guest Elder, and after I ascend the throne,"

"he will become the titled 'Marquis Wuan' of the Great Xia Dynasty!"

"This Prince will absolutely not interfere with any of his freedoms. Usually, he can do whatever he wishes."

"I only hope that in the future, when I need him, he can step in to help me once or twice."

Elder Xuan, holding the Storage Pouch and jade box, felt waves of shock in his heart.

What a grand gesture!

These terms were more than twice as generous as those offered by the Grand Princess!

Especially that "marquis order token"—it was a token that could directly confer the title of marquis!

In the entire Great Xia, there were no more than five!

To recruit this person, the Crown Prince had even brought out such a treasured item kept for emergencies!

"Your Highness is wise." Elder Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing his astonishment.

"This old servant will definitely not fail the mission."

"Go." Xia Yuan waved his hand, sat back down in his chair, and picked up the now slightly cold cup of tea.

"This Prince awaits your good news."

Elder Xuan's figure merged back into the shadows and disappeared.