After leaving the herbal shop, the two checked the time and realized there was still a while before the academy’s classes ended.
So they went to a restaurant and bought some food to take back to the academy.
When they returned to the academy, it was just in time for classes to end.
Instead of going back to their courtyard, Huang Quan and Jing Chen went straight to the Spiritual Academy to pick up Nangong Mian.
Nangong Mian was in the eighth division of the Spiritual Academy. After arriving, Huang Quan and Jing Chen headed directly there.
As they reached the eighth division, Nangong Mian was just coming out. Seeing them, Nangong Mian quickened his pace to approach.
“Quan Quan,” Nangong Mian called out, then looked down at Jing Chen, surprised. “Jing Chen, you’re here too?”
“I’m just like you,” Jing Chen said. “From now on, I’ll be attending classes at the Imperial Academy.”
Before Nangong Mian could ask more, Jing Chen explained his situation.
After listening to Jing Chen, Nangong Mian smiled and said, “That’s great.”
Jing Chen nodded and didn’t say much more.
The three of them started walking out of the Spiritual Academy together. However, after only a few steps, they heard a voice calling from behind, “Huang Quan.”
Hearing someone call her name, Huang Quan turned around to see a group of people approaching.
This time, just turning her head wasn’t enough; she had to turn her whole body.
Nangong Mian and Jing Chen also turned to face the approaching group.
They were outside the eighth division, and since the group came from behind them, it meant they were students from the ninth division. But…
Why were students from the ninth division calling for Quan Quan?
Huang Quan and Nangong Mian didn’t recognize those students, but Jing Chen did.
Looking at the young man leading the group, Jing Chen said, “That’s the second prince of the Tianqi Empire, Dongfang Ling.”
The second prince?
This didn’t look like a friendly visit!
Nangong Mian frowned slightly.
“*Huang Quan.*” Dongfang Ling stopped in front of Huang Quan, smiling gently at her. “We finally meet.”
“Is the Second Prince so eager to meet me?” Huang Quan smiled slightly. “Could it be that you’re planning to avenge Qin Yang?”
When she mentioned Qin Yang, the Second Prince only smiled and didn’t show any anger, as if he wasn’t the one who had sent people to help Qin Yang deal with Huang Quan.
“Huang Quan, there were some misunderstandings regarding that incident,” Dongfang Ling said. “We can sit down and talk, clear up the misunderstanding.”
“I don’t think there was any misunderstanding.” The implication was clear—she didn’t want to talk.
The smile on the Second Prince’s face faded slightly. “Huang Quan, Qin Yang is already dead. The feud between you and him is completely settled. I’m not going to do anything to you to avenge him; you can rest assured.”
“There’s no need for us to be at odds with each other.” Dongfang Ling continued, “Once you and the Crown Prince are married, we’ll be family.”
“But…” Dongfang Ling deliberately paused at this point.
Huang Quan smirked slightly and said, “Second Prince, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Dongfang Ling sighed and said, “Huang Quan, you might not know, but my elder brother, that is, Di Qin, has a marriage agreement with the fifth young lady of the Nangong family, Nangong Qingle.”
“If you marry my brother, you can only be a concubine,” Dongfang Ling said. “Huang Quan, in my opinion, it would be quite a grievance for you to become a concubine.”
“But this is something decided by my father and the Nangong family; it’s not easily changed. Even my brother can’t do much about it. However, I believe that with how much my brother cares for you, you’ll definitely be the one he favors the most.”
There it was. After all that roundabout talk, he just wanted to plant some doubts in her mind about Qin Qin.
But did he really think it would be that easy?
Huang Quan looked at the Second Prince and smiled slightly. “As long as I can be with him, it doesn’t matter whether I’m a concubine or not.”
Dongfang Ling thought to himself, *”Can you really say that with your hand on your heart?”*
Seeing that he was at a loss for words, Huang Quan’s smile grew even brighter. “Second Prince, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Nangong Mian and Jing Chen followed her.
As the three of them walked off, a man standing beside Dongfang Ling spat on the ground. “A girl from a small country dares to disrespect the prince like that!”
“Your Highness, why don’t I take some men and teach her a lesson?”
“Teach her a lesson?” Dongfang Ling looked coldly at the man who spoke. “And how exactly would you do that?”
“I…”
“Leaving aside Di Qin, let’s just talk about the Imperial Academy’s joint competition. She managed to take first place, which shows her strength is far from ordinary. If you send people to deal with her, you’d need to send at least a peak Saint Spirit Master.”
The man who suggested teaching Huang Quan a lesson paled.
“Moreover, she has Di Qin backing her, and her brother is now a student of the Grand Priest. Sending people to teach her a lesson won’t just fail—it’ll backfire.”
After hearing this, the man said, “But Your Highness, she disrespected you like that. We can’t just let it go, right?”
“What’s the rush?” Dongfang Ling sneered. “Do you really believe her when she says she doesn’t care about being a concubine?”
“Once Di Qin marries Nangong Qingle, we’ll have quite a show to watch,” Dongfang Ling laughed. “Besides…”
Thinking of Huang Quan’s appearance, an unusual gleam appeared in Dongfang Ling’s eyes.
Qin Yang wasn’t wrong; she truly was a rare beauty.
It’s a pity Qin Yang was incompetent; otherwise, this beauty would have been his already, and Di Qin wouldn’t have had a chance.
“You don’t need to worry about this matter,” Dongfang Ling said. “I’ll handle it personally.”
Hearing this, the man responded, “If Your Highness takes charge, there’s no doubt it’ll be resolved.”
Dongfang Ling smiled without saying anything further, then led his group away.
Meanwhile…
“*Quan Quan, do you think he really plans to avenge Qin Yang?”*
Huang Quan shook her head. “Not likely.”
Qin Yang was already dead, and he wasn’t important enough to Dongfang Ling for him to be seeking revenge on her behalf. Dongfang Ling’s true target was Qin.
“Still, be careful, Quan Quan,” Nangong Mian advised. “They prefer to use underhanded tactics.”
Huang Quan nodded. “Yes.”
“But I’m curious about something,” Nangong Mian said. “Di Qin is the Crown Prince, and he’s called Di Qin. Why, then, is the Second Prince named Dongfang Ling?”
Huang Quan shook her head. “I don’t know either.” She had never asked Qin about these things.
Jing Chen explained, “Di Qin’s name was given to him by the Emperor of Tianqi.”
“Why he was given that name, only the Emperor knows.”
At this point, Jing Chen looked at Huang Quan. “Aren’t you also not named Nangong?”
Huang Quan smiled. “That’s true.”
Jing Chen continued, “That’s why you and Di Qin are a perfect match, even down to the way your names have changed.”
Hearing this, Nangong Mian sighed but said nothing.
In the past, he might have tried to stop it, but now… Qin taking Huang Quan away was already a foregone conclusion.
Considering how they interacted during the competition, who in the Tianqi Empire didn’t know about the relationship between Di Qin and Huang Quan now?
“Regardless, you don’t need to worry about Dongfang Ling,” Jing Chen said. “With the Grand Priest and Di Qin around, Dongfang Ling wouldn’t dare do anything rash.”
“Besides, the Emperor of Tianqi has personally stated that the position of Crown Prince will only ever belong to Di Qin. If, one day, the title were to go to someone else, it would only be because Di Qin gave it up himself.”
