Section 5: The Princess's Displeasure, Chu Yun's Plan

"You lecher!" Not knowing where she found the strength, Jin Bihan bit down hard, simultaneously curling her knee and driving it upward in a fit of shame and fury.

Chu Yun was caught off guard, suffering a double blow.

His tongue was bitten, and his crotch was struck.

How could "pain" even begin to describe it!

Since his rebirth, he had never suffered such a grievous injury. His entire body felt as if it had been struck by lightning; he doubled over, arching his back like a giant lobster. Staggering back two steps, he finally collapsed to the ground, unable to hold himself up.

The surrounding crowd froze, then erupted into raucous laughter.

Jin Bihan sat up nervously. The strenuous movement triggered a coughing fit, and she spat out the remnants of the medicinal pill from her mouth. Her eyes widened; she was sharp as ice and snow, and how could she not realize now that she had misunderstood him?

Oh no! He was feeding me the antidote. She looked at Chu Yun immediately, only to be met with a pair of cold, furious eyes.

Chu Yun felt incredibly wronged. What kind of person was this? Her reaction was far too extreme. The kiss between two men had already been nauseating enough for him. To think she wouldn't recognize a good deed and would treat him like this!

He had only agreed because he saw the White-Browed Alchemist's expression change and his demeanor grow urgent, realizing the man had some standing, and thinking a good man shouldn't be petty. If he had known it would come to this, he should have sternly refused from the start.

"Alright, disperse. This young master, I am a teacher at the Heavenly Song Academy, known as the White-Browed Alchemist. Follow me; I have questions for you."

The White-Browed Alchemist's expression was stern, and the jeering crowd immediately fell silent. His unique aura always made the youths feel an involuntary sense of dread. Not daring to defy him, the youths dispersed, casting looks of curiosity and confusion.

Chu Yun resigned himself to his bad luck, gritted his teeth, and stood up.

He took a deep look at the mysterious youth who was putting away the Gem Dolphin and following the White-Browed Alchemist. His intuition told him that the other party's background was not simple; it might even be quite significant.

However, now was not the time to investigate. He would just treat it as having been bitten by a dog. Picking up his fishing rod again, Chu Yun sat down and resumed fishing.

The effect of the Fragrant Lure Pill was truly impressive. The lesser demons it attracted were all of low-end cultivation.

Before long, he had reeled in two Martial Dao Crabs and one Bagua Turtle. Their average cultivation was around 22 years, just right for his Heavenly Fox to cultivate with.

After slaying them and swallowing the three Demon Crystals, the Heavenly Fox's cultivation rose to 24 years. Just as Chu Yun was about to continue fishing, a youth walked over.

It was none other than Jin Bihan.

After speaking with the White-Browed Alchemist, she learned that it was Chu Yun who had saved her. Although she was still angry about his rudeness, there had been a reason for it. Jin Bihan was no delicate princess; she was reasonable and had come to apologize.

"I am Shi Jiaming (a fake name). I apologize for the offense just now," Jin Bihan said, cupping her hands as she stood beside Chu Yun.

To her surprise, Chu Yun ignored her completely, as if he hadn't heard a word.

After waiting a moment with no response, Jin Bihan took a deep breath and repeated herself. Only then did Chu Yun turn his head to the side. He stared at the youth's handsome face and said bluntly, "Shi Jiaming, I saved your life. How do you intend to repay me?"

Jin Bihan was infuriated. A princess of a nation naturally had her pride; apologizing to Chu Yun was already lowering herself. Besides, she hadn't even settled the score for him stealing her first kiss.

She rolled her eyes immediately and retorted sharply, "The one who saved me was the Alchemist's precious pill. You, Chu Yun, merely put in a little effort, didn't you?"

She had already learned Chu Yun's name from the White-Browed Alchemist and immediately carved it deep into her heart.

"Even if it was just a little effort, it was still a life-saving grace. Are you trying to deny it?" Chu Yun raised an eyebrow, dissatisfied with her apologetic attitude.

"You..." Jin Bihan was livid. She thought back to her conversation with the White-Browed Alchemist, where she had asked why he hadn't called a female student to feed her the pill.

The White-Browed Alchemist had replied immediately, "You are disguised as a man; wouldn't it be strange to order a female student to feed you a pill? You bear a heavy responsibility and must learn to endure. If you cannot even handle this, how will you inherit the throne in the future?"

Jin Bihan was sharp, and she had actually realized this herself. But she was a girl after all, and having her first kiss stolen left her feeling resentful.

Now, seeing the person involved acting as if he were the one who had suffered a loss and demanding repayment, she suddenly realized—It seems this account has become a muddled mess that can never be settled!

For a moment, she felt both indignant and desolate.

Taking a deep breath, Jin Bihan finally said, "Then tell me, what do you want?"

Chu Yun looked at him and suddenly lost interest. Why bother bickering with a kid like this?

"Forget it, just consider it a favor you owe me," Chu Yun sighed, shaking his head and answering casually.

"Fine, fine." Jin Bihan gritted her teeth, biting her lower lip. "I owe you a favor, I'll remember it!" With that, she stomped away in a huff.

Chu Yun found it strange. It was clearly the other party who owed him a favor, so why did it seem like she was the one who had suffered a huge loss?

"Young people..." Sighing, Chu Yun became even more certain that the youth had a grand background. That air of arrogance and pride suggested someone who had been pampered. The type born with a silver spoon in their mouth, a true child of heaven.

Shaking his head, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind. This incident was, at most, a small interlude in his journey. His true goal remained the Heavenly Song Academy.

The Heavenly Song Academy was the undisputed number one institution among the All-Star Archipelago. Almost every successor to an island lord had studied there for a period of time.

The academy strictly belonged to the neutral faction and never participated in the disputes of the All-Star Archipelago. At the same time, it possessed many resources inaccessible to the archipelago. Every year, it sent a large number of talents to the islands, and even rulers of nations in seas beyond the archipelago came to the academy at regular intervals to select useful personnel.

"This trip to the Heavenly Song Academy is not only to utilize its resources to cultivate my Heavenly Fox, but also to leverage the situation—using the epidemic of the Biluohai Belt to open up a sea salt market for Shu Family Island. Beyond that, I must recruit talent. In my memories, among the talents who appeared in the recent sessions, two had the greatest future achievements."

"One is Yan Que, known as 'The Flawless Calculator,' a strategist skilled in civil administration. The other is Hua Ying, known as 'The Hundred-Witted Schemer,' also a strategist, skilled in devising plans on the battlefield."

Shu Family Island never lacked warriors, but it lacked wise men. If there were more intelligent people to assist his father, Shu Tianhao, it wouldn't have led to the point of sacrificing their own interests to utilize the Ning Family's influence.

"However, of these two, Hua Ying is the heir to Hua Family Island; there is no way he would defect to Shu Family Island. My true target is Yan Que."