A New Use for the Immortal Gene! The Righteous Third Prince

"It's a long story. Prince Lin was severely wounded in an assassination attempt by a demon assassin, and the Southeast Legion's 500,000 troops have been surrounded in Butler Province. Worse still, I suspect the demons' purpose in surrounding us is Jiashan Fortress. After discussing it, we decided that I would break out and deliver the information!"

Lin Junyu's eyelids twitched as he listened. Sure enough, something had happened to the Southeast Legion—and something this serious, at that. It seemed his plan to fake his death would have to be delayed again. Fortunately, the situation was still manageable. Jiashan Fortress's crisis had been resolved. As long as they drove back the million-strong demon army in Butler Province, he could find an opportunity to die gloriously and retreat behind the scenes. Hehehe.

"Sister Mingyue, your guess was right. The demons sent 100,000 elite troops to attack Jiashan Fortress. Luckily, your father reacted in time and held the demon army firmly at the Badan Highlands until I arrived with the 100,000 troops from Danna Crossing. The demon forces there have now retreated, and Jiashan Fortress's crisis has been resolved! So you don't need to worry anymore. You can rest easy for a while!"

Lin Junyu calmly told Zichuan Mingyue about Jiashan Fortress, putting her mind at ease.

"I never expected so much to happen while we were surrounded. It's a good thing you were there, Brother Yu!"

Zichuan Mingyue had not expected so many things to happen in just a few days. Although Lin Junyu described it all so casually, every single one of those things had been immensely difficult to accomplish.

Fortunately, Lin Junyu had brought reinforcements in time. Otherwise, her father, her younger brother, and the entire Empire's future would all have been in danger.

Once she learned that Jiashan Fortress was no longer threatened, Zichuan Mingyue finally relaxed. She stared dazedly at the hero who had saved everything—her Brother Yu, who would forever remain in her heart.

If Zichuan Mingri had seen his sister like this, he would definitely have shouted that he had been absolutely right all along—he really was smarter than his sister.

Enduring the increasingly fiery gaze fixed on him, Lin Junyu finished roasting the meat and handed it to Zichuan Mingyue. Then he said he needed to deal with some military affairs and left the tent without looking back.

Outside the tent, Lin Junyu let out a breath. Having such a delicate, beautiful woman stare straight at him, with her eyes growing more and more seductive, was a lot of pressure, okay?

"Your Highness, you finished that quickly?"

A Feather Forest Army soldier carrying lumber happened to pass by. Seeing Lin Junyu standing at the entrance of the tent without his armor, dressed in a fitted black shirt with its collar open, he grinned and asked teasingly.

"Get lost! Brat, go do your work!"

Lin Junyu irritably sent the soldier who was teasing him away. He truly did not know how to face Zichuan Mingyue.

It would be a lie to say he felt nothing for her. After all, they had shared so many years together. When he was young, he had even imagined marrying her once they grew up. But after she left without saying goodbye that year and disappeared without a trace, he had come to terms with it.

Besides, now that he had the Immortal Gene, perhaps there would not be anyone who could accompany him through the endless river of history. Was he supposed to spend his entire life...

Thinking of that made Lin Junyu feel deeply troubled, so he asked the system.

[System, will the main quest rewards include an Immortal Gene that can be given to others?]

The system quickly answered Lin Junyu's question.

[The Immortal Gene is unique and cannot be obtained again. However, because the host possesses the Immortal Gene, you can use a special method to transmit the power of your own Immortal Gene to others, helping them extend their lifespan, improve their bodies, and retain eternal youth. In theory, as long as you continuously replenish others with the host's genetic energy, you can allow them to achieve a pseudo-immortal lifespan!]

[A special method? What special method?]

[Ding! Host, you're so naughty. The system finds it difficult to say. Host, figure it out slowly yourself!]

[What does that mean? System? System?]

Lin Junyu looked utterly confused. The system seemed to have gone invisible and ignored him, refusing to respond no matter how he called.

Seriously, wasn't it uncomfortable to stop halfway through a sentence?

Riddle-speakers, get out of Gotham! May there be no more riddle-speakers in the world.

Although the system had not explained what method it meant, at least there was a way. That meant he would not have to spend the rest of his life alone.

If it wanted him to figure it out, then he would figure it out. What other method could there be?

After standing outside the tent and letting the cool breeze blow over him for a while, Lin Junyu felt that he had calmed down. He turned and returned to the tent.

Marching tents were limited, so when the army set them up, two people could only squeeze into one small tent.

Who would share a tent with Zichuan Mingyue? Naturally, it would be him!

I'm a gentleman. This is all for the sake of taking care of Zichuan Mingri's sister.

It was already late at night. Aside from the soldiers on sentry duty, everyone in the military camp had fallen into a deep sleep. They had marched for a long time and fought for an entire day; everyone was exhausted.

Lin Junyu lay asleep with his eyes closed on a piece of cloth spread over the ground beneath the wooden bed.

The only sounds in the tent were the crackling firewood and the faint breathing of the two of them.

Zichuan Mingyue looked at Lin Junyu lying on the ground close to her, her gaze hazy, as though she were dreaming.

She had never expected that she and Brother Yu would be reunited again. This must have been fate's arrangement.

Looking at the little brat who had grown into a mature and steady man, radiating masculine charm all over, Zichuan Mingyue could not stop herself from reaching out and touching Lin Junyu's handsome, sharply defined face. Feeling its warmth beneath her hand, she smiled foolishly and slowly closed her eyes.

"Hiss, who pinched my face last night? Why does my face feel a little numb?"

Wearing golden armor, Lin Junyu held his helmet under his right arm while continuously rubbing his numb right cheek with his left hand. He shot a suspicious glance at Zichuan Mingyue, who was riding alongside him.

"Your sleeping posture was wrong. You slept your face numb. Why are you looking at me?"

After a night of rest, Zichuan Mingyue had recovered her former decisive, cool, and aloof demeanor.

"Is that so? I remember my sleeping posture has always been pretty good!"

"You dare question your Sister Mingyue?"

Under Lin Junyu's increasingly suspicious gaze, Zichuan Mingyue finally lost her composure and snapped. She raised her riding whip and waved it at him.

Lin Junyu instantly dared not say another word. Back then, she had taken advantage of his youth and weakness, getting angry at the slightest thing and finding excuses to torment him mercilessly. Even now, seeing her angry made him a little uneasy.

"Your Highness, there is an army of 50,000 behind us. Judging by their banners, they're Imperial troops!"

A scout cavalryman rode over from behind and reported the situation to Lin Junyu.

"Fifty thousand Imperial troops? It seems to be Old General Qu and the others! Come on, I'll take you to meet Old Master Qu. You can tell him about the Southeast Legion's situation while we're at it."

The two armies joined forces. Qu Tairan sighed in relief at the sight of Lin Junyu safe and sound, then noticed a beautiful female general standing beside him. Her face seemed strangely familiar, and he asked in puzzlement.

"Who is this?"

"Grandpa Qu, it's me, Mingyue!"

"What? You're Mingyue? You've grown so much? What are you doing here?"

Qu Tairan was greatly surprised. He had never expected that this familiar-looking female general would be the young lady of the Zichuan Family who had often visited his home as a child. He had not expected her to have grown up so much.

Zichuan Mingyue briefly told Qu Tairan about what had happened under Prince Lin's command and within the Empire's Southeast Legion. Qu Tairan's expression turned grave after hearing her out.

"I never expected something like this to happen to the Southeast Legion. No wonder we hadn't received any word from you for so long. If not for His Third Highness, Jiashan Fortress might nearly have been breached by the demon race!"

"Time is of the essence. We must head to Butler Province immediately. I'll send someone back to Far Capital at once to report the situation and request more troops for reinforcement. Nothing can happen to the Southeast Legion!"

"Grandpa Qu, His Third Highness deserves great credit this time. I hope you'll make that clear when reporting to the Emperor!"

"This..."

It seemed the girl did not know that the Third Prince had resolved the crisis only by defying military orders. Qu Tairan looked toward Lin Junyu, silently asking whether he should tell her.

Lin Junyu nodded quietly. Qu Tairan then told Zichuan Mingyue what Lin Junyu had done at the Danna Crossing camp.

"What? Little Brother Yu, how could you do something like that? Isn't that a capital offense? Then what was the point of everything you did?"

Lin Junyu looked at Mingyue, who was anxious, worried, and indignant, and gave a faint, relaxed smile.

"It's fine. So long as the Empire is stable, everything I've done is worth it. I believe Imperial Father will judge wisely. Perhaps my merits can offset my faults, so there's no need to worry. The most urgent matter now is resolving the Southeast Legion's crisis."

Lin Junyu was already thinking about how to fake his death, fool everyone, and slip behind the scenes. He could not even be bothered to return to Far Capital, much less care about those people's opinions. After more than ten years, he had long since seen clearly what kind of people they were.

Seeing Zichuan Mingyue glaring at him, Lin Junyu rubbed his nose and did not dare meet her eyes.

Meanwhile, Old General Qu was deeply moved. A Third Prince with such a profound sense of righteousness was truly a blessing for the Empire.

It was as though he had secretly made a resolution. If they survived this crisis, then even if he had to risk these old bones of his, he would protect the Third Prince.