The pandemonium in the Alchemist Guild was my perfect cover. I ran through the screaming crowds and billowing smoke, my face a mask of heroic determination. No one tried to stop the Fourth Prince on his desperate mission to save his sister. They just scrambled to get out of my way.
I burst out into the clean air of the street, not even glancing at the small crowd gathering around the broken form of Jian Yue. He wasn't dead—a cultivator of his realm could survive a three-story fall, albeit not without a few shattered bones. But he was out of my way. His remnant soul was dormant. His grand plan was in ruins.
And his masterpiece, the pill forged from a Heaven-grade ingredient, was safely tucked away in my possession.
My return to the palace was a spectacle. I didn't slow my pace, sprinting through the capital's streets like a man possessed. I arrived at the palace gates, breathless, disheveled, my fine robes stained with soot from the 'attack'.
"The pill!" I gasped to the guards. "I have the pill! Let me through!"
The news of my success preceded me. By the time I reached the eastern training grounds again, a crowd had re-gathered. My father, the Emperor, stood with a grim expression. Seraphina was there, her cool composure finally showing a crack of genuine surprise.
And Lyra… she was still lying there, looking pale and fragile. But my [Eye of Scrutiny] told a different story.
Hidden Thought: 'The explosion at the guild… That wasn't part of the plan. What is Kaelen doing? Did he kill Jian Yue? No, that's impossible. He's too weak, too foolish… isn't he?'
Oh, little sister. You have no idea.
I stumbled into the courtyard, falling to my knees before the Emperor, my entire body heaving with exhaustion. I held up the cheap, generic pill bottle like a holy relic.
"Father," I panted, my voice ragged. "I got it. But the guild… it was attacked. Assassins. They tried to stop me. The alchemist, Jian Yue… he fell, protecting the pill. He gave it to me and told me to run."
A wave of shocked murmurs went through the crowd. My father's eyes widened. "Assassins? In the Alchemist Guild?"
"There's no time for that now!" I insisted, crawling over to Lyra's side. I uncorked the bottle. An incredibly potent, golden medicinal aroma washed over the entire courtyard, so rich and pure that the very air seemed to sweeten. Even the lowest-level guards felt their Qi stir.
This was no ordinary third-rank pill. This was something far, far greater.
I gently lifted Lyra's head. "Sister," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I'm here. I told you I'd save you."
I placed the golden pill on her lips. It dissolved instantly, flowing into her body like liquid light.
The effect was immediate and spectacular.
A warm, golden radiance enveloped her body. The chaotic fluctuations of her Qi stabilized in an instant. The faint, lingering trace of the Soul-Tatter Venom was not just neutralized—it was utterly annihilated, burned away by the pill's pure, potent energy. Color returned to her cheeks. Her breathing deepened.
Her cultivation, which had been at the 4th Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, suddenly surged.
Boom.
A small shockwave of spiritual energy pulsed from her body.
5th Stage.
Boom!
6th Stage.
The crowd gasped. Breaking through two minor stages in a row after a Qi deviation was unheard of. It was a miracle.
Lyra's eyes fluttered open. They were clear, bright, and filled with a profound, calculating shock as she looked directly at me. Her plan was to get a pill to cure her. My pill had sent her cultivation skyrocketing. I had overdelivered so spectacularly that it had completely derailed her script.
She sat up, looking the very picture of renewed health and vitality. She stared at me, her expression a complex mixture I couldn't quite decipher.
I, however, knew exactly what to do. My body swayed, my face went pale, and I collapsed to the ground beside her, my eyes rolling back in my head as I "fainted" from exhaustion and the aftershock of the "assassin attack".
It was the perfect final touch to my performance. The devoted brother who had braved fire and assassins, who had pushed his body to its absolute limit, all to save his beloved sister.
When I awoke, it was in the comfort of my own bed. The scent of a powerful restorative incense filled the air. My father, the Emperor, was sitting in a chair beside my bed. It was the first time in my memory he had ever done so.
His expression was not one of disappointment. It was… complicated.
"Kaelen," he said, his voice quiet. "You are awake."
"Father," I rasped, trying to sit up. "Is Lyra…?"
"She is fine," he cut me off, a strange look in his eyes. "More than fine. The royal physicians say her foundation is more stable than ever. That pill… the guildmaster himself came to inspect the residual energy. He claims it was a pill of at least the fifth rank, a 'Golden Core Soul-Purifying Pill'. Something a prodigy like Jian Yue should not have been capable of creating."
I kept my face blank, playing the ignorant prince. "I don't know anything about that, Father. I just know he said it would save her."
My father studied me for a long, silent moment. "You showed… unexpected courage today, Kaelen. Braving an attack. Fighting to save your sister. You have surprised me."
This was it. The reward.
"I did what anyone would do for their family," I said humbly.
He grunted, a sound that might have been approval. "The Vane family was impressed. Duke Vane sent his personal regards. And the council is buzzing. For your service to the princess, and for risking your life for the honor of the Imperial Family, I am granting you a boon. Name your price."
My heart pounded. This was a blank check. I could ask for a title, for land, for wealth. But I knew what I needed most.
"Father," I began, my voice filled with sincerity. "I don't want a reward. Seeing my sister safe is enough. But… today I felt my own weakness. When the assassins came, I was… helpless. I want to become stronger. To protect my family. To protect the honor of Ravencrest."
I looked him straight in the eye. "Grant me access to the Black Moon Vault."
The Emperor's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine shock on his face. The Black Moon Vault was not just a treasury. It was the deepest, most secure vault in the palace, a place where the dynasty stored its most powerful, most secret, and most dangerous cultivation techniques and artifacts. It was a place reserved for crowned princes and reigning emperors.
A dandy prince like me should have no interest in such a place.
My request was a declaration. It was a signal that the Fourth Prince was no longer content to play with wine and women.
He stared at me, his gaze sharp and calculating, searching for the son he thought he knew. He wouldn't find him.
Finally, after a silence that stretched for an eternity, he gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"Very well," he said, his voice heavy with unspoken meaning. "Your boon is granted. You will be given one hour inside the Black Moon Vault. Choose wisely."
He stood and left the room, leaving me alone in the silence.
I smiled. It was a true smile, filled with the cold, triumphant joy of a villain whose plans had not just succeeded, but had exceeded his wildest expectations.
I had the glory. I had my father's renewed attention. I had access to the dynasty's greatest secrets. I had six months before the ghost of my enemy reawakened.
And I had completely and utterly bewildered my dear, regressed sister.
Just as I was savoring my victory, a new notification chimed from the system. It wasn't a quest. It was an alert, displayed in a calm, neutral blue, but the implications were anything but.
[FAVORABILITY CHANGE DETECTED]
[Seraphina Vane's Favorability towards you has increased to: 30 (Intrigued Rival)]
[Lyra Ravencrest's Favorability towards you has decreased to: -10 (Suspicious Threat)]