Chapter 52

**The Seventh Prince**

Longchen really didn't expect that the person who came to see him would be the Seventh Prince. Since the unpleasant incident at the Imperial Academy, they hadn't had any further interaction.

However, the Seventh Prince was Chuyao's younger brother, and Longchen felt some regret about what happened last time, after all, he was essentially his future brother-in-law.

"Brother Long, please just call me Chufeng," the Seventh Prince hurriedly stood up, his attitude extremely respectful, a stark contrast to his previously arrogant demeanor.

From Chuyao, Longchen learned that Chufeng was actually a decent person, but he had to act like a fool to protect himself, making himself safer.

"Sorry about what happened last time," Longchen nodded and patted Chufeng's shoulder.

"Brother Long, you're too kind," Chufeng quickly humbly replied.

Longchen picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea, and handed one to Chufeng, saying, "What brings you here this time?"

This time, Chufeng wasn't wearing his prince's attire but a brocade robe, looking more like a common noble's son.

"Brother Long... this...," Chufeng wanted to say something but opened his mouth a few times without speaking.

"Speak your mind," Longchen said, looking at Chufeng.

Chufeng hesitated, took a deep breath, and said, "Today, the Empress Dowager announced that my sister will be married to Xia Changfeng, and the date is set for the first day of the tenth month."

*Snap*

Although he was somewhat prepared, hearing this news still made Longchen's blood boil. The cup in his hand shattered, scalding tea splashing all over him.

His eyes filled with murderous intent, and the room instantly felt like an ice cellar, making Chuyang shiver.

At that moment, Longchen was like an enraged beast, ready to kill at any moment. The intensity of his killing intent was a hundred times stronger than that day at the Imperial Academy.

"Is this true?" Longchen asked through gritted teeth.

Chufeng nodded, feeling the pressure from Longchen, making it hard to speak.

"Looking for death."

Longchen was incredibly angry. That day, he had responded to Chuyao in front of everyone in the capital, essentially telling everyone that Chuyao was his woman.

He hadn't proposed to Chuyao using his connection with Master Yunqi, giving the Empress Dowager enough face to step down and avoid making her too embarrassed.

But he never expected her to completely ignore Longchen's feelings and Master Yunqi's face, insisting on marrying Chuyao to Xia Changfeng, which was utterly outrageous.

"Brother Long, my sister has had a hard life, always wearing a mask. But I understand her. If she marries Xia Changfeng, it will be like a death sentence for her.

Brother Long, I beg you, please save my sister." By the end, Chufeng's eyes were filled with tears, and he slowly knelt before Longchen.

"What are you doing, get up quickly."

Longchen pulled Chufeng up, saying, "Since I've made a promise, even if it means death, I will keep my word. Don't worry."

Hearing this, Chufeng was deeply moved. Living in the inner palace, he had everything except trust.

"Has your sister been confined to her room recently?" Longchen asked.

Chufeng nodded, "Yes, since the last time, she has been confined to the palace. The Empress Dowager doesn't allow her to leave her room."

Longchen's face turned ashen. It seemed the Empress Dowager didn't take Master Yunqi seriously at all. This old witch, you just wait.

"Can you see your sister?" Longchen asked.

"Yes, the Empress Dowager only forbids her from leaving, not others from visiting. As her brother, they don't dare stop me," Chufeng replied.

"That's good. Counting the days, the first day of the tenth month is still over a month away. We have enough time.

In three days, the annual auction at Huayun Pavilion will take place. I will try my best to get the Melting Star Grass to solve your sister's physical problems. Tell her to wait for me and not to do anything foolish," Longchen said seriously.

Chufeng was overjoyed, thanking Longchen profusely, which made Longchen feel very uncomfortable.

"Chufeng, let me see your dantian."

Longchen had some doubts and placed his hand on Chufeng's shoulder, channeling his spiritual energy into his dantian.

Sure enough, something was wrong!

Longchen found that while Chufeng's dantian didn't have the same lock as Chuyao's, there was an unusual object above his spiritual roots.

It was a tiny, almost invisible thing. If Longchen hadn't been observant, he might have missed it.

"Endure this."

*Puff*

Longchen's spiritual energy activated, and Chufeng felt a pain in his lower abdomen. A thin stream of blood spurted out, and Longchen held a fine needle in his hand.

"It's actually a Nether Feather Needle. How vicious."

A cold smile appeared on Longchen's face. The Nether Feather Needle was originally used to treat yang poison, containing yin poison to alleviate and neutralize the toxicity, making it easier to expel.

However, placing such a needle in a normal person's dantian would cause the spiritual roots to be constantly eroded by yin poison, making it impossible to cultivate.

After re-examining Chufeng's dantian, Longchen sighed. Due to the long-term erosion by yin poison, his spiritual roots had degraded in quality. Otherwise, his talent wouldn't have been much worse than Chuyao's.

"Chufeng, I've removed this poisonous needle for you. You can cultivate now, but be discreet. I'll give you some Concealment Pills. Take one every seven days, and no one will notice," Longchen handed Chufeng a jade bottle.

In his free time, Longchen often refined other pills, which were extremely helpful to him now.

However, Longchen didn't tell Chufeng that his spiritual roots were severely eroded, and the Blood Condensation Realm would likely be his limit. This cruel fact, Longchen couldn't bring himself to say.

Feeling both regret and disgust for the royal family, who were like wolves in sheep's clothing, Longchen sent off the excited Chufeng and fell into deep thought. Chuyao and Chufeng's plight reminded him of his own situation.

But his was even worse. His spiritual roots, bones, and blood were all taken away. Although the methods were different, the purpose was the same, wasn't it?

His father was one of the top experts in the Phoenix Cry Empire. Was he crippled to remove any future threats?

During a conversation with Chuyao, she mentioned a name—Ying Hou.

The three top experts of the Phoenix Cry Empire were Ying Hou, Wu Hou, and Longchen's father, Zhenyuan Hou, known as the three pillars of the Phoenix Cry Empire.

Zhenyuan Hou guarded the border with the barbarians, Wu Hou was stationed in the southern territory, and only Ying Hou remained in the capital.

According to Chuyao, all the princes and princesses were taught by Wu Hou. At that time, Longchen felt that there might be a problem with Ying Hou.

Even as an outsider, he noticed something was wrong with Chuyao during their first encounter. How could Ying Hou, one of the top experts in the Phoenix Cry Empire, not see it?

If he knew and said nothing, was he involved, or even the one who did it?

If he did it, was he also responsible for what happened to Longchen? What was his true purpose? Was it just to cripple them, or was there a larger goal?

These questions swirled in Longchen's mind, causing him immense pain. These matters were like a tangled mess, impossible to unravel.

"Enough, even the most cunning fox will eventually show its tail. I need to become a competent hunter when the fox reveals its tail and fangs. Otherwise, the outcome will still be tragic."

After thinking this through, Longchen stopped dwelling on these issues and returned to his room, not even visiting his mother, and immediately entered seclusion.

However, just as he started to circulate his qi, Longchen jumped up from the ground, almost crashing through the roof.

"This is too exaggerated."

Longchen saw that the ten qi spirals in his dantian had stopped growing, but each had reached a terrifying three feet in diameter, shocking him.

Compared to the original qi spirals, the current ones were truly terrifying. Slowly circulating the qi, the spiritual energy from heaven and earth poured into the Fengfu Star like a tidal wave, a hundred times faster than before.

Longchen was both surprised and delighted, but after a few breaths of cultivation, he realized something was wrong.

The ten qi spirals were like ten giant suction pipes, absorbing the spiritual energy from heaven and earth. However, the nearby spiritual energy couldn't satisfy the absorption, becoming thin.

Eventually, the ten qi spirals, when activated together, absorbed the same amount of spiritual energy as one qi spiral, because there was only so much spiritual energy nearby.

"This won't do, I need to find a new place."

That night, Longchen concealed his aura, quietly climbed over the city wall, and silently left the city. Using the Wind Chasing Step, he moved like a wisp of smoke, heading straight for Luoxia Mountain.

The night was quiet, and the scenery was unchanged, though it wasn't the same as before, which made Longchen feel a bit nostalgic.

The first time he came here, it was with Meng Qi. Thinking of her extraordinary beauty and gentle, watery eyes, his heart stirred.

The second time, he was brought here in a net by Chuyao. What was supposed to be a revenge mission turned into a romantic encounter.

Now, Meng Qi was far away, her figure a distant memory. He wondered how she was doing and if she had forgotten him.

And that Qi Shixiong, who almost killed him, thinking of that idiot, Longchen felt a surge of anger, as if that condescending look was in front of him again.

Meng Qi was far away, Chuyao was confined, and now he was alone. This was the harsh reality. Living without strength wasn't living; it was merely surviving.

To live with dignity, one needed corresponding strength. This was the reality. Looking around, Longchen took a deep breath.

Sitting cross-legged on a large rock, he slowly circulated his qi. After a while, the spiritual energy from heaven and earth still couldn't keep up.

However, the spiritual energy here was twice as dense as at home, making the trip worthwhile.

Two days later, as the first light of dawn appeared in the east, a loud crack sounded from Longchen's body. He slowly opened his eyes, a strange expression on his face.

He had formed another qi spiral, bringing the total to eleven, making him sigh.

Ah, how long do you want me to stay in the Qi Condensation Realm?

Looking at the growing qi spirals in his body, Longchen felt both joy and worry. Still, the same old saying: pain and pleasure go hand in hand.

Returning home, Longchen thought for a moment and went to the Alchemist's Guild to purchase some herbs.

Looking at the herbs in his room, Longchen's face showed anticipation: it was time to try the new alchemy fire.