Chapter 485: Chapter 482: The Plot is a Bit Melodramatic

"What? Don’t tell me Brother San is some kind of royalty?" Feng Hao asked curiously.

"That’s right." Lin Luo draped an arm over Feng Hao’s shoulder and announced with great seriousness, "Brother San is the Third Prince of our Mu Country. What do you think? Impressive enough for you?"

Feng Hao’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Why would I lie to you?" Lin Luo smirked. "His Majesty the Emperor personally brought Brother San here. I was there myself."

Hearing this, Feng Hao couldn’t help but swallow hard. ’Damn, what’s it like being on brotherly terms with a Prince?’

Wang Tongqian, however, had a more complicated expression, a faint trace of bitterness showing in his eyes. "It’s just a title. It means nothing to me."

"Alright, let’s drop it." Lin Luo, who seemed to know the backstory, changed the subject with a light smile. "The Thief Master’s had a rare pang of conscience, so we can’t let it go to waste. Come on, let’s go drinking, guys."

"Good point." Wang Tongqian’s expression brightened into a smile.

The other three naturally had no objections. Even Xiaobai, cradled in Mei Meimei’s arms, let out a bark, looking quite excited.

They talked and laughed all the way back to the Thief’s Palace, where a night of heavy drinking was all but inevitable.

However, to avoid being late for training the next day, all five of them tried to control their drinking. This was true even for Mei Meimei, the heaviest drinker of them all. It couldn’t be helped—the girl from Mount Everest was completely absorbed in Xiaobai’s world.

Time slipped by, and soon it was late into the night. Amidst the laughter and conversation, everyone was pleasantly buzzed, with the exception of Mei Meimei.

Just then, following an announcement from a guard outside the hall, an elderly man in simple official robes entered.

The old man couldn’t hide the excitement on his face. He hurried over to Wang Tongqian and dropped to his knees in a grand salute. "Your Highness, you’ve finally contacted this old minister!"

"Pharmacist, why did you come in person? Please, get up." Wang Tongqian rushed forward to help him to his feet.

The old man stood, tears streaming down his face, though whether from excitement or some other emotion was unclear.

Feng Hao watched from the side, intensely curious. Fortunately, Lin Luo was there to clear things up. "That’s Yaoqing Dao, the current administrative minister of Mu Country. He was Brother San’s childhood tutor. He’s a simple and incorruptible official, highly respected by the common people."

Feng Hao nodded in understanding, his gaze turning respectful as he looked at the old man again.

"Did you bring what I asked for?" Wang Tongqian asked, seemingly keen to avoid pleasantries.

Yaoqing Dao paused, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. He produced a Spatial Ring from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Tongqian, asking in confusion, "If I may ask, Your Highness, what do you need these for?"

"Ah." Wang Tongqian gave a wry smile and gestured toward Xiaobai in Mei Meimei’s arms. "That little fella hasn’t been weaned yet. It’s for him."

Yaoqing Dao’s expression cleared with understanding. He chuckled and glanced at Lin Luo and the other two, nodding to each in turn before his gaze landed on Feng Hao. "This must be the newly appointed Fifth Thief? His Highness’s circumstances are rather... unique at the moment. I hope you will be able to support him."

"You’re too kind, sir. Brother San’s business is my business," Feng Hao replied with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Kang Shuai couldn’t help but tease from the side, "I have to ask, Lord Yao, you say that every single time you visit. Is it really necessary?"

"Seriously," Mei Meimei chimed in. "If Brother San were really in trouble, you think we’d just stand by and do nothing?"

At their words, Yaoqing Dao couldn’t help but look embarrassed, his old face flushing slightly. "Ahem... my apologies, honored Thieves. You’re right to tease."

"Alright, Pharmacist, you can head back if there’s nothing else," Wang Tongqian said with a helpless shake of his head. Then, his tone became meaningful. "By the way, how is Father’s health?"

Yaoqing Dao’s expression turned solemn, his tone grave. "That is what this old minister came to speak of. His Majesty’s health has been declining day by day. The court may seem peaceful, but there are dangerous undercurrents. The Eldest Prince and the Second Prince are constantly scheming against each other..."

Wang Tongqian’s brows furrowed as he cut him off. "I don’t want to hear about any of that. I only want to know about my father’s condition."

"Ah." Yaoqing Dao looked taken aback and helpless, shaking his head with a bitter sigh. "In this old minister’s opinion... I’m afraid he won’t make it through the year."

At those words, Wang Tongqian’s body trembled slightly. He spoke slowly, "I understand. I’ll go back for a visit when I have the chance. You may go."

"Your Highness..." Yaoqing Dao began, but he trailed off after meeting Wang Tongqian’s gaze, unable to say what he intended.

With a final, bitter sigh and a shake of his head, the old minister slowly departed.

’So, after hearing that exchange,’ Feng Hao thought, ’I can pretty much piece it together. The current Emperor is in poor health, the Eldest and Second Princes are already maneuvering for the throne, the court is a pit of vipers, and Brother San’s situation seems... complicated.’

’Honestly, the plot is a little cliché. I probably have a whole stack of Crystal Cards with stories just like this in my Spatial Ring.’

After Yaoqing Dao left, Wang Tongqian took a moment to compose himself, then sat back down at the table with a faint smile. He casually tossed the Spatial Ring to Mei Meimei. "Here. Go on and feed Xiaobai before he starves."

"Okay, okay!" Mei Meimei giggled, accepting the ring, and immediately got to work with great enthusiasm.

Lin Luo and Kang Shuai exchanged a meaningful glance. "Brother San," Lin Luo said gently, "if you can, you should go back and visit soon. He is your father, after all."

"I know." Wang Tongqian nodded, his expression complicated.

Seeing this, Lin Luo knew not to press the issue further.

Just then, Mei Meimei suddenly cried out in frustration, "What is all this? It’s in giant barrels! How is Xiaobai supposed to drink this?"

As she spoke, she summoned dozens of sealed vats, each the size of a water tank, from the Spatial Ring, much to the exasperated amusement of the others.

"That... does seem to be a problem," Wang Tongqian said with an awkward smile, scratching his head.

Seeing Mei Meimei complaining nonstop, Feng Hao couldn’t help but chuckle. "Don’t worry, I’ll just use Artifact Refining to make a baby bottle for him. It won’t take long."

With that, he immediately laid out his Artifact Refining equipment and a mechanical workbench, then pulled out some assorted materials from his Spatial Ring.

Ten minutes later, a baby bottle crafted from Tri-color Crystal and Magic Resin appeared before them. Feng Hao had even inscribed some simple Demon Patterns inside it, allowing it to hold a hundred times its volume and also keep the contents fresh and warm.

"Whoa, Fifth Brother’s Artifact Refining skills are impressive! I thought you only specialized in forging," Kang Shuai remarked in surprise.

Lin Luo and Wang Tongqian clicked their tongues in amazement. After all, besides this, Feng Hao also knew alchemy, forging, and mechanics—and was skilled in all of them. His Alchemy Techniques in particular had even reached the ninth level.

"I really don’t know what Fifth Brother’s brain is made of. If it were me, I’d get a migraine just trying to learn one of those things," Lin Luo said, looking so curious it seemed he wanted to crack Feng Hao’s skull open to have a look.

"..." Feng Hao was left speechless.

Meanwhile, Mei Meimei had already snatched the bottle. After filling it with milk, she even used the mechanical workbench to carefully warm it up, as focused as if she were caring for her own child.

"There’s a good boy, Xiaobai. Time for your milk," Mei Meimei cooed, gently placing the bottle’s nipple at Xiaobai’s mouth.

The little creature was hesitant at first, but after taking a single sip, his eyes instantly lit up. He then hugged the bottle and began to suckle frantically.

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