Originally, Emperor Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing still held onto the idea that as long as the Demon Suppressing Doulou remained the foster father of Qinghe, even if he only promised to save him three times…
As long as Qinghe could win his favor in the future, then whenever the prince encountered danger, the Demon Suppressing Doulou would surely come to his rescue, regardless of that three-times limitation.
But now, that hope was completely dashed. With the severed relationship of foster father and son, the promise to protect Qinghe once was just that—he'd save him one time, no more.
And as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Qinghe was bound to face countless life-threatening crises. It would be far from easy for him to survive into adulthood unscathed.
At once, Emperor Xue Ye developed a deep hatred for all the ministers involved in this incident and the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Especially that commander surnamed Zhang—he had the gall to pick a fight with the Demon Suppressing Doulou!
Although the man had already been strangled to death by the Demon Suppressing Doulou, he still had family. Emperor Xue Ye had already made up his mind to find an excuse—any excuse—to unleash the "Nine Clans' Elimination Game" on that Zhang commander's entire family line.
If he dared be so brazen and even colluded with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, then he and all his kin could go reunite with him in the afterlife.
Even if that man had nothing to do with the attempted assassination of the crown prince, his entire clan would not be spared. These were the words of Emperor Xue Ye, and no one's plea could change his mind!
Emperor Xue Ye's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his entire being radiated killing intent.
All the palace ministers and guards present, aside from Prince Xue Xing, felt chills run down their spines.
Even the Left Chancellor, who had been persistently advising Emperor Xue Ye, had now shrunk into a corner, chanting silently to himself: "Don't see me, don't see me…"
But fate tends to be ironic—the Emperor's death-stare had already landed on him. The sheer killing aura made him shiver uncontrollably.
—
Leaving the palace, Zhao Ling felt completely at ease. He had never been fond of serving as a royal protector, much less becoming Qinghe's foster father.
Back then, he had reluctantly agreed only because Emperor Xue Ye had offered the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. To obtain that treasure, he accepted the position of royal protector and Qinghe's foster father.
Now that this whole incident had unfolded, he could use it to his advantage to sever ties with the royal family and step away from that role.
As for the promise to protect Qinghe? That was simple—he just needed to save him once when he was in danger. After that, whatever happened to Qinghe was no longer his concern.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Zhao Ling rode a carriage straight to the largest marketplace in Heaven Dou Imperial City.
He swept through the market and bought up every last carrot, along with a variety of treats like fruits, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and candied hawthorns.
After all, if he had already bought so many carrots for Xiao Wu and Xiao Rou, he couldn't neglect Long'er and Yin'er—otherwise, it'd seem like he was playing favorites.
Upon returning home, Zhao Ling gathered the three women and one rabbit in the courtyard and began unloading all the treats from his storage space.
Xiao Wu and Xiao Rou were dumbfounded by the mountainous pile of carrots. Especially Xiao Wu—her grin stretched ear to ear.
As for Xiao Rou, being a graceful and elegant beauty, she maintained her composure with ladylike restraint.
Ah Yin and Liu Erlong, on the other hand, were more interested in the candied hawthorns, roasted chestnuts, and savory pancakes.
Ah Yin casually picked up two sticks of candied hawthorns and handed one to Xiao Rou.
Xiao Rou was familiar with them from her time living among humans. Although it had been ages since she'd tasted any, the sweet and tangy flavor was a nostalgic delight. As she took a bite, her two bunny ears began to wiggle in joy.
Xiao Wu, seeing her mother eating something so tempting, leaned over and sniffed the treat curiously.
Xiao Rou plucked a piece from the stick and brought it to her daughter's mouth. Xiao Wu tentatively took a bite—and immediately lit up.
"Mom, what is this? It tastes even better than carrots!"
For a bunny whose entire worldview revolved around carrots, this snack was nothing short of a revelation. It was like tasting a dream.
"This is called a candied hawthorn. Tasty, right?" Ah Yin said as she offered another piece from her own stick.
Xiao Wu devoured it with delight, her bunny ears twitching excitedly just like her mother's.
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong picked up a steaming pancake wrap, took a bite, and her face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"This must be from Aunt Fang in the west of the city, right? Still as delicious as ever."
Zhao Ling gave a small nod, then swept his gaze over the three women and the rabbit before speaking.
"These next few days, I plan to buy a new house. This current one was granted by the royal family, and it doesn't truly feel like ours. Long'er, since you're local, do you have any leads?"
"The requirements are that it be far from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I want it spacious. Price isn't an issue—we can afford up to five million gold spirit coins for a single residence."
Originally, Zhao Ling had around 4.2 to 4.3 million. After swindling another ten million from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect last night, and repaying Emperor Xue Ye five million, he still had over nine million gold spirit coins on hand.
Spending five million on a new house would still leave him with plenty to buy materials for crafting hidden weapons for the sect.
The only problem—Zhao Ling didn't know how to craft hidden weapons himself. He'd have to find someone to do it.
Ideally, he'd get help from the Strength Clan, but all four of the single-attribute clans were still within Clear Sky Sect. Convincing them to forge for him would be difficult.
So Zhao Ling decided he needed to shift targets. He recalled that there was a Blacksmiths' Association in Gengxin City. If he could take control of the entire association, that would solve all his problems.
But that would come later. Zhao Ling was confident those old blacksmiths wouldn't be able to resist the allure of the hidden weapons.
Ah Yin furrowed her brows slightly and asked in a puzzled tone:
"What's wrong, dear? We've been living here comfortably—why the sudden urge to move?"
Zhao Ling shrugged and explained the full story to them. At once, Ah Yin's expression lit with realization.
"So that's what happened. Unbelievable… those people actually slandered you, claiming you sent someone to harm Prince Qinghe. Can't they use their brains? With your power, why would you need such trouble to kill a mere mortal?"