He was not sure if the Eldest Imperial Prince would be able to find the secret Feng Yan was hiding, but based on his estimation, odds were low.
That was because the Third Imperial Prince had already taken action a few days ago, yet because of the appearance and interference of Lian Guang Zu, the imperial guards the Third Imperial Prince had sent were easily chased out of the Academy. After such an incident, the Third Imperial Prince would definitely have begun his own investigation on Feng Yan.
If the Third Imperial Prince had discovered anything, then he would definitely have come to inform Ling Han. Unfortunately, there was no news at all from the Third Imperial Prince even by now, so it was evident that he had not managed to find anything out.
When Ling Han arrived at Heaven's Medicine Pavilion, Ling Han first comforted Li Hao and Zhu Xue Yi. For the moment, Li Hao would definitely be unable to return to the Academy, but for Li Hao, this was definitely a blessing in disguise.
What kind of place was the Heaven's Medicine Pavilion?
A place that sold medicines!
There may be nothing else here, but if one were talking about alchemical pills, perhaps at least about one third of the supply of alchemical pills in the whole of Rain Country could be found here. And if you were talking about high grade alchemical pills, then these pills were basically all distributed from this place to other parts of Rain Country.
Ling Han now took Li Hao as a real friend, so he naturally would request Yuanchu to provide an unlimited supply of alchemical pills for Li Hao while he himself would also guide Li Hao a bit on his path of cultivation.
Just think, he had both an endless supply of alchemical pills, as well as someone who used to be an elite of Heaven Tier to guide him in his cultivation. If Li Hao's prowess was still unable to improve drastically, then he really should find a piece of tofu and knock himself to death.
Li Hao and Zhu Xue Yi naturally understood this logic, so they could not help becoming even more grateful towards Ling Han. They both secretly decided that they would definitely do something for Ling Han in the future to repay him.
After leaving Heaven's Medicine Pavilion, Ling Han had yet to return to the Academy when he was stopped midway and invited over by the Third Imperial Prince.
"Brother Ling!" The Third Imperial Prince was still exuding his signature dominating aura, though there was an added sliver of concern on his face. "I heard that my Eldest Brother went to see you today?"
"Since Your Imperial Highness is already aware, then why do you need to ask a question that you already know the answer to?" Ling Han said directly. He was not the slightest bit interested in the competition between these two brothers, and did not have the slightest intention to get himself involved in such a troublesome issue.
"Hehe!" The Third Imperial Prince laughed. "I trust that Brother Ling would not be so easily moved by my Eldest Brother's flowery words."
Ling Han could not help but smile, and said, "That may not be." He recited the conditions that the Eldest Imperial Prince had set out, and the expression on the Third Imperial Prince's face constantly changed as he heard Ling Han's words, secretly thinking that the Eldest Imperial Prince was indeed ruthless that he would even dare promise to name Ling Han as a King and assist him to break through to Flower Blossoming Tier.
One had to understand that even if the current Rain Emperor wanted to name someone not of the Qi Family as a King, he would still encounter much objection from the members of the imperial court. There were too many high stakes involved in this matter, and it was definitely not something so simple that merely granting a title would be able to resolve it.
…If one were to be named King, then he should definitely have a piece of land to build his own kingdom. However, Rain Country had already been established for a few thousand years and all the land under the administration of the Empire had already long been divided amongst the nobility, so where would Ling Han's land come from? Unless Ling Han were to lead the army out to war and occupy the land belonging to the neighboring nations?
And using the power of the nation to help Ling Han break through to Flower Blossoming Tier was even more nonsense. If it was as easy as that, then why was there only a single person in Flower Blossoming Tier in the whole of Rain Country?
"I know that Brother Ling is extremely loyal, and would definitely not betray me!" The Third Imperial Prince laughed loudly, seeming to be very happy. However, Ling Han noticed the dark tone underlining his laughter.
In a struggle for the throne, who would not be cold-blooded and cruel? Even blood and flesh brothers would be able to stab each other.
Ling Han laughed, and said, "That may not be. If there was enough benefit in the game, then anything can be discussed."
"Pu!"
The Third Imperial Prince instantly choked, feeling as if someone had delivered a punch to his face. His expression was indescribably awkward. His face twitched and he forced out a smile, and said, "Brother Ling is indeed a good joker."
Ling Han shook his head and said, "I am not joking here. For example, if I were able to cultivate the Eye of Truth, then I will definitely become good friends with Your Imperial Highness."
"Eye of Truth!" The expression on the Third Imperial Prince's face changed drastically, and he finally understood that the Eldest Imperial Prince had revealed the existence of this precious treasure to Ling Han. However, when compared with naming him as a King, or using power of the nation to help him break through to Flower Blossoming Tier, this Mystical Power was a much smaller bargaining chip. If it was not the fact that it was locked within the inner chamber, he would not mind taking it out and handing it over to Ling Han. After all, it was only a support-type Mystical Power, and after so many years, there was no one who had been able to obtain the inheritance from within, so he believed that Ling Han would not be an exception either.
Trading a practically useless item for a powerful support—how could a genius like the Third Imperial Prince not want to make such a profitable bargain? But the problem was that he indeed did not have the right to enter into the inner chamber.
Hold on!
The Third Imperial Prince tapped his finger, and said, "After another two months, it would be my Imperial Father's sixtieth birthday and the whole nation would be in celebration. At that time, my Imperial Father would definitely host a grand banquet for the guests, and draw out some treasures from the National Treasury for everyone to admire, so there would be a chance to enter into the National Treasury. However, the lock to the inner chamber is the Heaven and Earth United Lock, and unless one has the key, there is no way that it can be unlocked! Ai!"
However, Ling Han's eyes lit up at this. He had the Blood Sucking Origin Gold in his possession which could change shape following his will and would be able to open any lock on this world, so this was nothing difficult for him. He said, "Then I really would like to enter into the National Treasury for a look."
The Third Imperial Prince was a smart man, so he immediately looked at Ling Han in shock and said, "Brother Ling has a way to unlock the Heaven and Earth United Lock?"
"Haha, I learnt a few tricks of lock-picking." Ling Han would naturally not reveal the existence of the Blood Sucking Origin Gold, so he simply used an excuse for cover.
The Third Imperial Prince considered for a moment, then said, "All right, when I manage to win over the position to organize this event, I will bring Brother Ling into the National Treasury. However, Brother Ling, let me say this first. There are a lot of extremely valuable treasures in the inner chamber, and they are extremely important, so you must definitely not take any of them. Otherwise, not just you, but even I will have to suffer the consequences."
"Don't worry. I am not interested in any other items," Ling Han said with a smile.
The Third Imperial Prince could not help but roll his eyes at this. He naturally would not believe Ling Han's words, but for the sake of obtaining Ling Han's support, he could not worry about these things. Moreover, he would be standing at one side to observe then, so he would definitely not let Ling Han do as he liked.
There were risks, but the risk level was under control.
"Then I shall take my leave first, and quietly wait for good news from Your Imperial Highness," Ling Han said, smiling.
"Brother Ling, please." The Third Imperial Prince nodded.
Ling Han cast a look at Zi Yan. The girl seemed to have changed into a completely different person and had become reticent with a colder attitude. He did not pay too much attention to this though. It was none of his business, after all.
When he returned to his own courtyard in the Academy, he saw that Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chan were both there. Both of them had come to express their concerns.
"Afterwards, Master purposely went to visit Master Lian, but Master Lian said he had his own difficulties. He would unconditionally support whatever Feng Yan decided to do," Li Si Chan said.
Liu Yu Tong said, "I used the power of my Clan to investigate Feng Yan, but I was not able to find out anything. Just like you, he seems to have suddenly become powerful overnight."
Ling Han revealed a pensive expression. So Lian Guang Zu had actually said that he would unconditionally support whatever Feng Yan decided to do… That was a shocking promise. And the bigger the power in Feng Yan's hands, the more disadvantageous things would be for Ling Han.
Of course, he himself had the Heaven's Medicine Pavilion as well as the Alchemy Department behind him, and these two parties were definitely not beneath the Martial Arts Department in terms of power. If it really came to a full-on clash, then it would definitely draw the Imperial Family of Rain Country, as well as the Eight Great Clans, into this conflict.
…The Rain Emperor would definitely not allow this kind of internal conflict to ensue.
It was strange. He was able to subdue Fu Yuan Sheng, Wu Song Lin and the other alchemists because of his alchemy ability from his last life, but it most likely was not to the level that they would obey his every command.
"Feng Yan had risen up so suddenly and in such a strange manner. The Imperial Family of Rain Country must have done their own investigation on him. If even the power of a whole nation is unable to find anything out, then you should not waste your time worrying about this manner," Ling Han said to Liu Yu Tong.
"Don't forget yourself!" Li Si Chan pointed out. "Isn't your rising very sudden and strange as well?"