Chapter 119: Returning to Heaven Dou

Chapter 119: Returning to Heaven Dou

A group of people arrived in Heaven Dou City, and with the Spirit Guru Competition yet to commence, they had some free time on their hands.

Wang Si's previous residence in the city had not been claimed by the royal family during his absence in the Heaven and Earth Empire. It had been maintained by the servants, who were actually informants left by the Spirit Hall.

The Heaven Dou royalty valued this estate, and on the second day of Wang Si's return, they sent someone to pay a visit. They specifically sought out Xue Qinghe, as the Toxic Spirit Guru held a grudge from years ago, and Wang Si had little reputation with the royalty.

Thus, the third prince gave Wang Si a cold shoulder and left with Xue Qinghe, intending to bring him to the palace to meet the emperor. Wang Si, of course, had no objections, as the Spirit Hall was well-informed about the current state of the Heaven Dou Empire's royalty, and Wang Si himself was also privy to some information.

Currently, the Spirit Hall was in contact with the second prince, who had to be cautious due to his dealings with the Spirit Hall.

This turned out advantageous for the third prince, who put on airs every day as if he were the eldest son. As for the fourth prince, Xue Beng, he had stopped acting foolish for the time being.

Now, he was also trying to garner attention from Emperor Xue Ye, as the third prince's apparent lack of wit gave Xue Beng hope for a turnaround.

Xue Qinghe had prevented the Spirit Hall from harming his younger brothers, but given the current situation, it seemed that infighting among siblings was inevitable.

...

Walking down the familiar streets and gazing upon the familiar castle and alleys of Heaven Dou City, Xue Qinghe sighed.

"What? Are you now feeling nostalgic for Heaven Dou City? Did you not adjust well to life in the Heaven and Earth Empire?" The third prince sneered, flicking open the folding fan in his hand.

"If you had agreed to inherit the position of crown prince back then, you wouldn't have ended up mixing with that Wang Si, let alone establishing the Heaven and Earth Academy together. And what a bunch of misfits you have there!"

Xue Qinghe merely smiled faintly at his brother's taunts. Indeed, his foolish younger brother was not cut out to be a crown prince.

"Third brother, it seems you've been living quite comfortably these past years. Has Father chosen you as the crown prince? It doesn't seem so, as I haven't heard any news of it back in the Heaven and Earth Empire. Don't tell me you haven't dared to bring it up with Father since I left?"

Xue Qinghe's mocking tone caused the third prince's face to redden.

"Hmph, and you act so righteous! Don't think I'm unaware of how much support Father has secretly given you, and how you borrowed several students from Heaven Dou City for this Spirit Guru Competition. Your Heaven and Earth Academy sure is something!" The third prince exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

Xue Qinghe could only smile in response. He certainly couldn't tell his younger brother that he wasn't accustomed to using other spirit gurus' abilities and preferred those from Heaven Dou City.

"It's true that Heaven and Earth Academy doesn't have many students, but that's not a problem. I believe that after this Spirit Guru Competition, people will know about our academy!"

Hearing this, the third prince snorted coldly and turned away.

To be honest, he only knew that some students from the Royal Academy had been sent to the Heaven and Earth Empire, but he didn't know who they were. Surely they weren't geniuses, were they?

The third prince felt a momentary unease, but he quickly dismissed it with another cold snort.

"I hope your Heaven and Earth Academy can truly achieve a good ranking. Otherwise, Father will lose face!"

Hearing the word "Father," Xue Qinghe sighed inwardly. Even he was helpless in his current situation.

"Hey, since you're back from Tian Wu Academy, I hope you didn't forget to bring a gift for Father Emperor. Should I ask the carriage to stop so you can pick out a gift for him?"

The third prince chuckled as he said this.

"I heard that your Tian Wu Academy uses Tian Wu coins. How come? Are you so poor that you can't afford gold spirit coins and had to create a new currency? Or are you really that broke? I have some extra coins here. Why don't you take them and use them to buy a proper gift for Father Emperor?"

Xue Qinghe glanced at his third brother and couldn't help but snort softly.

"Rest assured, I've prepared a gift. There's no need for Third Brother to worry."

Upon hearing this, the third prince glared at Xue Qinghe fiercely and then turned his head to look out the carriage window.

............

Xue Qinghe and the third prince walked into the palace together and proceeded directly to Emperor Xue Ye's bedroom.

The guards bowed and allowed them to enter the chamber.

Inside, Emperor Xue Ye sat sternly behind a table, his gaze solemn and majestic.

Seeing his third son enter, he nodded slightly, and then his expression softened as he looked at the first prince.

"Father, your son has returned."

Xue Qinghe bowed respectfully.

The third prince also stepped forward and bowed, a hint of resentment on his face as he noticed the change in Emperor Xue Ye's expression, but he quickly disguised it.

"Father, your son has brought Big Brother back."

Emperor Xue Ye examined his two sons, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, and he patted the sides of his throne.

"Good. Now that you're both back, have a seat and let's talk."

Xue Qinghe and the third prince glanced at each other and then sat down beside Emperor Xue Ye.

Even after sitting down, the third prince could still sense his father's favoritism towards his eldest brother.

"Father, I know that my choice back then brought you and Mother a lot of trouble, and I've felt remorseful about it all these years."

Xue Qinghe spoke sincerely.

"But my choice back then wasn't driven by personal gain. Instead, I wanted to strive for something in my own way."

"Yes, Father,"

The third son reluctantly spoke up.

"Although Big Brother's choice back then upset us, he has been working hard these years."

The third prince didn't even know what he was saying, but Emperor Xue Ye nodded slightly.

"I'm glad that you two are now so sensible. Indeed, Xue Qinghe's choice back then saddened us greatly.

But it was also an opportunity for growth, and now it seems that your experiences over the years have been very beneficial."

The third prince felt a twinge of resentment.

It was confirmed; his father truly didn't care about him, and his eyes only held regard for his eldest brother.

His father didn't even bother to listen to what he had to say.

However, no matter how unhappy he felt, he dared not show it in front of his father. If he couldn't even control his emotions, he would truly have no hope of becoming the crown prince!

"Big Brother, I heard that you brought a fine gift for Father Emperor from Tian Wu Academy. You didn't let me see it on the way here, so show it to me now so that I can also broaden my horizons."

The third prince came up with a desperate plan to try and gain his father's attention.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end