Chapter 48: The Crown Prince's Actions

When Long Yin and Yuan Shaolin logged out together, the faintest hint of dawn was already blooming on the horizon. Long Yin, clutching his rumbling stomach, blinked his eyes and tugged at Yuan Shaolin’s sleeve. In silence, Yuan Shaolin wrapped a scarf around his neck and began preparing breakfast.

Long Yin, propping his chin up, watched Yuan Shaolin busily moving about. He pondered whether he should offer a hand, but when he tried to act on this thought, he only managed to make things worse. Eventually, Yuan Shaolin frowned and plopped him onto a chair. “Sit and wait for breakfast!”

“All right.” Long Yin grinned, his eyes crinkling, nodding repeatedly. They spoke with a clarity that needed no words: it was you who refused my help.

When Yuan Shaolin set a plate of eggs and a dish of greens on the table, Long Yin’s eyes lit up. He eagerly reached for the golden fried eggs with his chopsticks. Yuan Shaolin glanced at him again, but his good upbringing—never to speak during meals or sleep—made him swallow his questions and quietly eat his own breakfast.

When Long Yin, after the meal, sat contentedly on the sofa, hugging his now-round belly, Yuan Shaolin suddenly felt that whether the other had been sabotaging things on purpose hardly mattered anymore.

Just as Long Yin’s eyelids were drooping and sleep threatened to claim him, the doorbell rang. He opened his eyes. Yuan Shaolin, seated across from him, gestured for Long Yin to put on his mask. Long Yin, still half-asleep, donned it and yawned. As he stood, Yuan Shaolin peered through the peephole and frowned. “Do you know this person?”

Long Yin peered as well, and in a flash, all drowsiness vanished. He opened the door, his face breaking into a beaming smile at Dodge.

Dodge scratched at his golden curls, looking a bit uneasy. “I only came to warn you—be careful of the Crown Prince!”

Long Yin was startled, one eyebrow arching as he regarded Dodge with ambiguous curiosity. “You came all this way just to tell me that?”

Dodge frowned, then grew anxious. “I mean it! You really must be careful. The Crown Prince went to see my grandfather. You could be in danger!”

“Come in first,” Long Yin said with a gentle smile. “Would you like tea or just water?”

Dodge, who had just sat down, sprang back up, his tone a little sharp. “No, I don’t want anything. What is wrong with you? The Crown Prince is after you and you’re not even worried!” His irritation grew; he’d come all this way at the break of dawn just to deliver this warning, only to be met with what felt like disregard for his concern.

“Have some tea,” Long Yin said with a smile, handing a cup to Dodge and pressing him back into his chair. “Don’t be so hasty.”

Dodge accepted the cup but soon stood up again. “I’m angry. I worried for nothing. I’m leaving.”

A clear, ringing laugh filled the air. Dodge froze, then turned around, both angry and confused. “You’re really strange. The Crown Prince is after you, yet you’re still able to laugh.” With that, he yanked the door open, about to leave.

Long Yin, with a hint of delight in his voice, called out, “Thank you for considering me your friend.”

Dodge turned around once more, ruffling his golden curls, bewildered. “Didn’t you want to be my friend that day?”

Long Yin smiled, walked over, and gave Dodge a hug, whispering softly in his ear, “Thank you.”

Through his investigations and several encounters, Long Yin had come to know that Dodge was a straightforward person. Though not without cleverness, he disdained trickery. Born into the most powerful force in Texas—the grandson of the president of the Cardmakers’ Guild, and its sole heir—he had no need for intrigue or scheming.

For someone as direct as Dodge, being hugged by someone he admired made his face flush red. “We’re friends!” With that simple thanks, the anger that had just flared in Dodge’s heart dissipated. Looking at Long Yin, he reiterated his purpose. “You really need to be careful of the Crown Prince!”

Long Yin found himself both amused and touched. Dodge was passionate and sincere in his feelings. Once he considered someone a friend, he would look out for them without hesitation. To have such a friend made Long Yin feel truly fortunate.

He pulled Dodge back into his seat and, sitting cross-legged, propped his chin as he looked at him. “Tell me, how are you so sure I’m in danger? Maybe the Crown Prince just went to consult your grandfather on some business?”

Dodge looked at Long Yin in surprise. “Haven’t you heard? The Cardmakers’ Academy’s annual off-campus expedition is about to begin!”

Off-campus expedition? Long Yin truly hadn’t heard of it. He glanced at Yuan Shaolin, who stood in the corner. Sensing Long Yin’s gaze, Yuan Shaolin explained indifferently, “Every year, the Cardmakers’ Academy of Dexin holds an off-campus expedition at Qingshan Ridge, which is managed by the Cardmakers’ Guild.”

Long Yin was familiar with Qingshan Ridge. It was said that any cardmaking herb could be found there, earning it the title “Paradise for Cardmakers.” Of course, it was far more than an ordinary mountain range. Spanning tens of thousands of miles, unchanged through the ages, it was like an island within the heart of Texas—many believed that even if Texas were destroyed, Qingshan Ridge would remain standing.

Such a place, rich in medicinal herbs, was also fraught with danger. The Guild controlled access; aside from its own members, few from other factions could enter. The Guild’s monopoly naturally bred resentment, but in Texas, the Guild was the greatest power—none dared challenge them outright. To enter Qingshan Ridge, one needed approval and had to pay a hefty sum in gold.

Students from the Academy, however, could enter without paying, since many graduates joined the Guild directly—it was a form of recruitment. Moreover, the yearly influx of new students posed no real threat to the Ridge itself. On the contrary, ensuring the safety of these newcomers was a headache for the Guild’s president. In past years, both the Academy and the Guild each contributed half the security detail, and even so, casualties still occurred.

“This year, the Crown Prince insisted on adding more security,” Dodge said, looking vexed.

Long Yin, understanding the reasoning, only smiled. “Isn’t adding more security a good thing?”

Dodge sighed, exasperated by Long Yin’s naivety. “Don’t you know that the Academy’s off-campus expedition has become the Crown Prince’s way of dealing with troublemakers?”

He went on, “The Academy always sends upper-year students to oversee things. After all these years, those who remain haven’t been weeded out—they’re all the Crown Prince’s people. Now, with more security, do you really think you can avoid him?”

“The Crown Prince and my grandfather struck a deal: all security will be provided by the Academy, saving a considerable expense. Of course my grandfather agreed. Now, do you still think the Crown Prince has no ulterior motive?”

Long Yin’s beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously at those words. He lowered his head in thought, then exchanged a glance with Yuan Shaolin before breaking into a smile. “It seems there will be some excitement this time.”

“And you can still laugh!” Dodge was furious. Why couldn’t this person sense any danger? “Sometimes I wonder what’s going on in your head. You’re nothing like a normal person!”

Long Yin pulled the agitated Dodge back into his seat and shook his head. “Calm down, listen to me.”

Dodge sat, scowling. “Talk!”

“The Crown Prince may have plans, but he certainly doesn’t need to go to such lengths just to deal with me. I’m only a smokescreen—someone he can get rid of at any time. If he’s making such a big move, something must have appeared in Qingshan Ridge that he wants. Or… he wants to bring someone into the Ridge.” In a flash, Long Yin remembered that mysterious organization. Not long ago, he had learned that this secretive group was connected to the Ji family.

A cold gleam flickered in Long Yin’s smile. If his guess was right, there really was danger ahead. The people of that mysterious faction were ruthless—he’d nearly lost his life to them last time, and it was only thanks to His Highness, who had injured a hand in the process, that he’d survived. If, by misfortune, his suspicions were correct, the Crown Prince might use their personal feud as a pretext, aiming to achieve some secret goal while getting rid of him as well. If he let that happen, he would have lived in vain.

Long Yin understood this, even if Dodge was still lost in confusion. But the look in Long Yin’s eyes made Dodge realize that his grandfather’s decision might have been a grave mistake—the Crown Prince was after more than just Long Yin’s life.

Dodge ruffled his curls. “Should I ask my grandfather to take back his decision?”

Long Yin looked at him, his gaze softening a little, and shook his head. “Doing that would only put your grandfather in a difficult position and earn you the Crown Prince’s enmity. Maybe even…” Long Yin didn’t finish, but if he guessed right, Dodge would also offend those mysterious forces. With such people eyeing him like venomous snakes, it was only a matter of time before trouble struck—there was no need for that.

“I’m not afraid of the Crown Prince! I rarely ask my grandfather for anything—if I go now, he’ll definitely agree!” Dodge exclaimed, agitated.

Long Yin steadied him again. “Coming here will be known to the Crown Prince. If you do this, the Crown Prince may not harm you, but he won’t hesitate to embarrass you. His plans are not trivial. To say he’s doing all this just for me is giving me too much credit. I have my own plans, so you don’t need to worry about me.” He didn’t want to discourage Dodge’s caring heart too harshly, but whatever the Crown Prince was plotting, success would bode ill for Long Yin. He didn’t wish to alert the enemy prematurely.

“Then how can I help you?” Dodge felt useless if he could do nothing for his friend.

Long Yin was amused by the question, and his worries eased somewhat. Having someone care for you meant you never truly fought alone. Tilting his head, he said, “You can annoy your grandfather.”

Dodge was baffled. “Annoy my grandfather? Why?”

“I need you to be my backup outside,” Long Yin said matter-of-factly. “If you anger your grandfather enough to get yourself grounded, you’ll have a legitimate reason not to join the expedition. We’ll stay in touch—if I’m in danger, you can help from outside! That’s much better than being lost together in Qingshan Ridge.”

Dodge thought it over, then slapped his leg and stood up. “That’s what I’ll do! If anything happens, you must tell me!”

“Of course!” Long Yin nodded. But Dodge seemed to recall something else. “My grandfather is very patient with me. To anger him enough to lock me up, I’ll have to start right away. I’m off—let’s stay in touch!”

Long Yin nodded, face full of gratitude.

When Dodge had gone, Yuan Shaolin finally spoke. “If you deceive him like this, once he realizes, his straightforward nature will make him angry with you.”

Long Yin sighed, a trace of helplessness on his face. “Without knowing the Crown Prince’s true aim, I have to plan for the worst. If he really has allied with those secretive forces, who knows what ruthless means they’ll use. If Dodge can’t go to Qingshan Ridge, his life will be safe for sure.”

Yuan Shaolin gazed at Long Yin for a long moment. This child was always like this—once he accepted someone, he would think for their sake, trying to eliminate every danger before it could grow. But thinking of that curly-haired boy, Yuan Shaolin had to admit that Dodge was indeed worthy of such consideration.