Crown Prince's Heart Stirred

"I'm..." Meng Shiwan struggled to find a rebuttal and could only respond awkwardly.

"Don't slander me!"

Meng Liangmiao frowned and asked Meng Anli, "Why are you defaming Shiwan?"

Meng Anli wiped her tears and opened the package.

Inside were several pieces of clothing, dried-up water bags, crumbling rations, and a few pairs of worn, blood-stained shoes.

Her round face was filled with stubbornness and endurance. "Yes! I traveled thousands of miles just to slander Shiwan."

Meng Liangmiao was taken aback, and sympathy gradually appeared in his eyes.

The Crown Prince grasped her wrist and said with concern, "You've suffered."

Meng Shiwan panicked, "It's all an act! Just a cruel ploy!"

The Crown Prince looked at her with disgust. "I saw your arrogance and rudeness earlier. You preach 'equality for all' but your words and actions don't match; it's all lies."

"I'm not, I just…"

"Your Highness," Meng Liangmiao stood in front of her protectively, interrupting her defense.

"It's just a little quarrel between friends. Let's take a look at Shiwan's explosives."

Meng Shiwan stepped out from behind him, a bit proud. "Yes, I've developed explosives with tremendous power!"

The Crown Prince seemed uninterested. "Well, let's see then."

Meng Anli bowed at the right moment. "I'll take my leave."

"Wait," the Crown Prince held her shoulder, "let's all go together."

Meng Anli timidly glanced at Meng Shiwan.

Meng Shiwan gritted her teeth. "If you want to stay, then stay. Why are you watching me?"

After walking a bit further, she muttered under her breath, "Damn green tea."

She thought no one could hear, but everyone present was a cultivator with excellent hearing.

Although they didn't understand what "green tea" meant, adding "damn" certainly didn't sound good.

The Crown Prince frowned again.

He thought to himself that someone raised in the common folk truly lacked manners.

He then looked at the girl, Xiao Ying, who was just a step behind him. As she moved gracefully, she accidentally met his gaze, immediately blushing and lowering her head.

The Crown Prince dismissed that thought.

His sister, who grew up with him, was so polite; it must just be Meng Shiwan's rudeness.

Meng Anli was cursing the Crown Prince in her heart.

Why did he suddenly turn around? She almost couldn't keep her smile in check.

Feigning weakness really was effective.

The Crown Prince was starting to be annoyed by Meng Shiwan.

Next, she planned to seize the opportunity to do something special to the Crown Prince, just like Meng Shiwan did in her past life.

She wanted to see what kind of tricks Meng Shiwan could pull this time.

They arrived at an open area in the academy.

Meng Shiwan tapped her ring.

Meng Anli instinctively touched her finger.

That was her storage ring.

Meng Zhao had forged it for her, and he had roughly taken it off her finger, causing her to bleed.

Meng Anli let out a gentle sigh, suppressing her anger.

She watched as Meng Shiwan took out a large, dark object from the ring, which had a long fuse.

It looked just like a firecracker, only larger.

Meng Shiwan proudly raised her chin. "Everyone, stand back! This one is very powerful; be careful not to get hurt."

Meng Anli shrank back and pretended to casually grab the Crown Prince's clothing.

He chuckled softly, reassuringly patting her hand.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Meng Anli looked at him with admiration.

The Crown Prince felt even prouder as he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her thirty feet into the air.

Meng Shiwan watched their interaction, gritting her silver teeth.

Meng Ying, you won't be smug for long.

Once my explosives go off, the Crown Prince will be drawn to me.

She adjusted the fuse, took out a torch, and immediately flew toward the Crown Prince.

She intended to use the "suspension bridge effect" to make the Crown Prince mistakenly believe he had feelings for her.

The so-called suspension bridge effect refers to the phenomenon where a person, while crossing a suspension bridge in a state of anxiety, encounters another person. The feelings of nervousness and excitement caused by crossing the bridge are then misattributed to the person they see.

With the sudden explosion, the Crown Prince would undoubtedly panic, his heart racing.

She flew toward the Crown Prince amidst the blazing flames.

It must have looked stunning.

But the Crown Prince didn't have time to notice her, because at that moment, Meng Anli covered her ears and dove into his embrace.

He could hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

And the feeling of being filled after a sudden loss.

He couldn't help but hold Meng Anli tightly.

Meng Anli felt quite nauseated.

He really knew how to take advantage; she only wanted to show her fragility.

"Crown Prince!"

Meng Shiwan landed in front of them, accusing the Crown Prince, "How could you hold her like that?"

Meng Anli took the opportunity to step back.

With a sudden emptiness in his arms, the Crown Prince raised his gaze to the culprit.

Meng Shiwan's messy hair was tousled across her face, with debris in her hair and a greasy complexion, completely lacking any semblance of an image.

Meng Liangmiao also felt that something was off with Shiwan today.

How could she be so oblivious to the situation?

He pulled her over and apologized to the Crown Prince, "Shiwan developed this incredibly powerful explosive. She got a bit carried away and bumped into the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince's expression softened a little; the explosive was indeed impressive.

Meng Anli weakly tugged at the Crown Prince's sleeve and said, "So this is what explosives are like. It's just like firecrackers, but way louder."

"That's not just firecrackers!" Meng Shiwan shouted in anger.

Meng Anli flinched in fear.

"Don't be scared~" The Crown Prince patted her hand and turned to reprimand Meng Shiwan again, "What's going on with you?"

Meng Liangmiao pulled her behind him, saying, "Crown Prince, please don't be angry. Shiwan is just upset because her hard work on the explosives is being dismissed like this."

Meng Anli looked up at the Crown Prince, her eyes red, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"You did nothing wrong." The Crown Prince gently comforted her, then shot a cold glance at Meng Liangmiao and the fuming Meng Shiwan behind him.

"Developing explosives? It was Xiao Ying who reminded me that it's really no different from firecrackers, just a bit more powerful. If we're talking about power, I doubt it could even compare to Heavenly Lightning. Your third brother should have some experience with that."

Meng Anli nearly burst into laughter.

Meng Liangmiao's expression darkened suddenly, and he quickly lowered his head to avoid the Crown Prince's gaze.

The Crown Prince sneered lightly, "If there's nothing else, it's best not to come looking for me again."

"It's really not the same as firecrackers. If we adjust the ratios properly, we could develop something powerful enough to destroy an entire city."

Meng Shiwan anxiously pulled out the formula, "I added several more ingredients compared to firecrackers."

Meng Anli felt delighted.

She grew anxious; now that the formula was out, the very thing she relied on for survival would be gone.

Meng Anli looked up and happened to see the Crown Prince's lips curve slightly.

She suddenly had a realization: was the Crown Prince intentionally mentioning Heavenly Lightning, deliberately belittling the explosives, and provoking Meng Shiwan to reveal the formula?

The Crown Prince took the secret recipe and examined it closely.

Meng Anli stood on her tiptoes to see the recipe.

Meng Shiwan didn't stop her.

That fool Meng Ying surely wouldn't understand it.