The Ever-Present Young Master Jun

After thinking it over for a long time, the fourth prince made up his mind.

He would make a trip to Jiangnan himself.

He would go to Tianfu City and see just how deep the waters there ran.

At the same time, he would meet that young marquis.

If things were truly as he suspected, and Tianfu City, or rather Jiangnan, was a hidden trump card of the first prince...

Then he would never let him have his way!

A few days later.

Everything in the Yan Kingdom seemed to have settled down.

Except, of course, for the eighth prince.

All the way from Jiangnan Circuit to the northern border, the guards at the eighth prince's side dwindled in number.

Like a rat in a gutter, he was hunted down wherever he went by martial experts who came after hearing the news.

No matter how well he hid along the way.

The eighth prince burned one name into his memory. One day, when he held great power, he would crush this hateful organization.

"Heavenly Secret Pavilion!"

An organization that seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere in the martial world.

They claimed to know everything under heaven and would provide any information as long as they were paid.

At first, the martial world had been skeptical.

But then, as the eighth prince's whereabouts were exposed time and again, the martial world was shaken!

The various factions were shaken.

They secretly trembled at how terrifying the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was.

One had to know that the eighth prince had disguised himself as a beggar and entered cities several times, yet he had still been discovered. It was simply...

The organization was just as they claimed, as though there was no information they did not know.

It was as though a god were looking down from heaven upon the mortal world, seeing everything with perfect clarity.

"Heavenly Secret Pavilion?"

Outside Tianfu City, the fourth prince looked over the information he had recently gathered.

Once again, he was left speechless.

What on earth had been happening lately? Were the forces hidden in the shadows of the Yan Kingdom really this terrifying?

One terrifying force after another kept appearing.

The mysterious force that had plotted against the eighth prince, the unfathomable Beggar Sect, and now the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?

After some thought, the fourth prince shook his head and gave it no further thought.

He turned his gaze to the magnificent city before him.

The foremost city of Jiangnan, Tianfu City!

Hundreds of years ago, it had even been the capital of a dynasty. It had a long history, and there was no telling how many forces were hidden within it.

At the city gate.

As soon as he arrived, the fourth prince fell into thought at the sight of the congee stall by the gate.

Was this the work of Young Marquis Jun?

He had heard that handing out congee to refugees and beggars every day had practically become part of the young marquis's routine. Such a man could truly be called a good person.

But...

If he really was one of the first prince's men, then he could not blame him.

The fourth prince strolled through Tianfu City, taking in the bustling prosperity around him, which was in no way inferior to the imperial capital's.

Before long, his expression turned strange.

Looking at the red cloth advertisements on the restaurants and streets, he thought, This really...

He soon learned that this had also been Young Marquis Jun's idea.

"..."

He did not know what to say.

A short while later, he reached his first destination, a medical clinic.

He wanted to meet this Divine Physician Bai in person.

"Huh? What a handsome young master."

Beside the counter, Lian'er looked at the fourth prince in surprise and hurriedly called out to Bai Ruoli, who was reading.

"Hm?"

Bai Ruoli looked up in confusion, then... froze!

She was shocked.

It's him. Why has he come to Tianfu City?

Isn't the timing wrong?

In her previous life, wasn't he supposed to come several months later? At that time, her father had sent for her to go to the Capital. She had encountered danger on the road and happened to be saved by the fourth prince, who had come from the Capital.

Why is he here already...

"Hm? I am Haoran. Greetings, Divine Physician Bai."

The fourth prince was momentarily taken aback, curious about the way Divine Physician Bai was looking at him, but he quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

Haoran...

Bai Ruoli chuckled inwardly. Just like in her previous life, he first gave a false name when meeting someone unfamiliar.

That courteous manner when meeting someone for the first time is just like you.

She hurriedly returned his greeting.

For now, she would leave aside why he had come.

At the very least, he was a guest who had come from afar, and he had saved her life in her previous life-more than once, at that...

All the more reason for her to receive him properly.

With that thought, Bai Ruoli hurriedly said, "Lian'er, bring tea!"

Then she led the fourth prince into the rear courtyard, where the two of them sat down at a table.

"Hm, this tea..."

The fourth prince looked at the tea steeped in clear water before him, a little surprised and curious. Then he took a gentle sniff.

"Oh?"

He took a sip, closed his eyes, and nodded in satisfaction. "Divine Physician Bai, you have such refined tastes. Your way of drinking tea is truly distinctive."

"Uh..."

Bai Ruoli was at a loss for words. Jun Jingyi's face came to mind, and she quickly shook her head. "You've misunderstood, Young Master Hao. I wasn't the one who invented this way of drinking tea."

"Oh?"

The fourth prince looked up in surprise.

"It was Young Master Jun!"

Bai Ruoli sighed softly. Why was that fellow's shadow present in her life at every moment?

For meals, she had the kitchen cook learn that fellow's cooking methods and prepare her food that way. She couldn't help it; it really was delicious.

As for tea, Lian'er was used to it, so that was how she brewed it whenever guests came.

And there was the wine; that was what they served guests at the residence.

As for the soap, she couldn't go a day without it now!

Honestly...

"Jun... Young Marquis Jun of the Jun Residence?" The fourth prince was stunned.

He gazed intently at the clear tea in his hand, pondering something.

Sometimes, a cup of tea represented a way of life, as well as a person's character.

To have created such a way of drinking tea, Young Marquis Jun seemed a man of refined and simple tastes...

A person like that should be the sort of recluse who always stayed aloof from worldly affairs.

"Young Master Hao?"

Seeing the fourth prince staring blankly at his teacup, Bai Ruoli spoke softly.

"Hm? Please, go ahead, Miss Bai."

The fourth prince was a little embarrassed. He had actually gone to someone else's home and sat there lost in thought. It was... discourteous!

"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if there's something... you came here for, Young Master Hao?"

She had originally wanted to ask what illness he had.

After all, this was a medical clinic...

But she felt it would be impolite to put it that way, so she changed her wording.

"Ah..."

The fourth prince smiled awkwardly. He didn't know whether it was Divine Physician Bai or the tea that had some sort of magic.

He had actually forgotten his business. This really was...

He shook his head helplessly and said, "I would like to ask Miss Bai to treat an illness."

"An illness..."

Bai Ruoli sighed inwardly.

Just as in her previous life, how could that be called an illness? It was poison, the deadliest poison in the world, and it was virtually incurable.

Even her master had been helpless against it in her previous life.

In this life, she had been busy searching for all sorts of ancient medical texts ever since her rebirth. She had wanted to prepare herself so that, when she saw him again, she could help him once and save him once.

But even now... she was still helpless!