Everyone has a weakness. As long as you seize their weakness and use your own methods, there is no one in this world you cannot conquer. The Crown Prince understood this truth from the moment he was born.
In the capital, he was able to contend with those cunning ministers, maneuvering among them with a frail body and winning their support—not because he lacked skill, but because his tactics far surpassed those of Nolan Dongling.
Elliot Redwater and Marcus Guile are not inexperienced novices fresh out of training. They've spent decades wandering the martial world. While they might not know the dangers of officialdom, they certainly understand the perils of the jianghu. People of the jianghu avoid dealing with the authorities; once they learned the Crown Prince's identity, both wanted to avoid getting too close to him. But...
Redwater looked at the pill in his hand, a struggle flashing across his handsome features. "Junior brother, what do you think?"
"Senior brother, you want to go, don't you? If you want to, then let's go." Marcus Guile replied gently.
If Redwater weren’t interested, he wouldn’t be struggling like this.
"I do want to go, but the other party is with the court. You know people like us—we avoid getting dragged into power struggles." When it comes to scheming, they are no match for princes and royals.
"Senior brother, you’re overthinking it. If the Crown Prince’s friend is as capable as they say, why would they care about us? We’re just going along to observe. As for what the Crown Prince wants from us, that won’t be so easy either—we’re just doctors." As a poison doctor, Marcus Guile has always been valued by the royal family.
Granted, not everyone in the palace dares to poison the Emperor or princes, but having a doctor skilled in toxins by your side is always reassuring. Even if others don’t want to harm you, at a critical moment you can always harm someone else.
"Junior brother, you make a good point. In that case, let’s set out with the Crown Prince tomorrow. I want to see for myself if anyone in this world can truly ‘take the heart to heal the heart.’" Redwater is proud—he doesn’t want to believe the Crown Prince’s claims, so he has to see it for himself.
If someone really can open a chest and heal a heart, then Redwater will acknowledge them. Even the Master of Mystic Healer Valley has never earned his respect.
After the two brothers made their decision, early the next morning they returned the pill to the Crown Prince and expressed their wish to travel together. The Crown Prince wasn’t surprised; he smiled and said that with these two accompanying him, he no longer had to worry about dying on the road.
Though Redwater and Guile didn’t show it outwardly, they were quite pleased with the Crown Prince’s praise. Yesterday, he had dealt them a harsh blow, but today his words were clearly a sweet reward. They knew it was just the Crown Prince’s skillful tactics, but he did it so naturally that neither Redwater nor Guile could feel any resentment.
Whether it was because the Crown Prince was in a good mood or Redwater’s medical skills were truly exceptional, the Crown Prince’s health improved rapidly. Even when they had to rush along the road, he didn’t seem tired.
Felix Dongling watched all this with joy. To him, nothing mattered more than the Crown Prince’s health. Although he’d previously objected to bringing Redwater and Guile along, seeing how helpful they were, Felix soon warmed up to them.
Nolan Dongling learned of the Crown Prince’s new traveling companions the very next day and mentioned it to Serena Feng. Serena only asked if the two could be trusted. Nolan explained that they were indifferent to fame and profit, living in seclusion and focused solely on writing medical books. Serena’s impression of them improved and she began to look forward to their arrival.
“I didn’t expect the Crown Prince to recruit two people like that. He’s impressive.” As a doctor, Serena knew how proud and reclusive top physicians could be, and how rarely those who devote themselves to research would let worldly matters disturb them.
Nolan Dongling’s long lashes lifted coldly. "He is the Crown Prince."
Everyone in the imperial family is shrewd. If they set their sights on a talented person, if they can’t have them, they’d rather destroy them than let others have them.
Serena shook her head and sighed, saying no more. No matter how aloof someone is, they can’t fight the machinery of the state and the privileged class.
For the past few days, Serena Feng and Simon Sun have spent most of their time in the operating room. Serena is already very familiar with the heart repair surgery—she can guarantee zero errors during the procedure. As for the success rate, that’s out of her hands; it all depends on the Crown Prince’s physical condition.
The surgical plan is set, but instead of resting, Serena and Simon use this time before the Crown Prince arrives to give Simon hands-on surgical practice. After his stint at Mystic Healer Valley, Simon’s foundation in traditional medicine is solid; now he just needs more experience.
Combining Chinese and Western medicine, even without the Smart Med-Pack, Simon can diagnose patients with ninety percent accuracy and can roughly judge internal organ damage with about seventy or eighty percent accuracy.
With such skill, Simon can perform simple surgeries like cholecystitis operations even without CT scans or ultrasounds.
Serena and Simon are immersed in teaching. Serena is constantly amazed by Simon’s intellect—though he’s simple-minded, he’s a natural at medicine, able to infer and extend from what he learns.
Simon learns quickly and Serena teaches with enthusiasm, wishing she could impart all her knowledge to him. She wants the Master of Mystic Healer Valley to see that she can train Simon well.
Serena pours all her attention into Simon, naturally neglecting Nolan Dongling. For a day or two, Nolan can bear it, but after four or five days, he’s so frustrated he could cough blood.
Nolan spends all day with a dark expression, terrifying the villa’s servants. Whenever they pass by him, they wish they could shrink away and disappear.
Of course, the ones suffering most aren’t the servants, but the hidden guards who have nothing to do at the villa.
With water in front and mountains behind, any intruder would be discovered immediately—the guards are practically useless here. So, whenever Nolan finishes his paperwork, he drags the guards out to train.
Nolan firmly believes the best soldiers are forged on the battlefield, and the best covert guards are trained through real combat. The guards, who thought they could finally rest at the villa, stay on edge every day, fearing Nolan will suddenly appear and attack them with his sword.
The guards truly suffer. The villa may be large, but Serena’s activity range is small, leaving them nowhere to hide. No matter where they tuck themselves away, Nolan always finds them and proceeds to spar. Even eight against one, they’re only beaten—no one expects the guards to match the top martial expert in the realm.
During these days before the Crown Prince arrives, the guards live in constant fear and exhaustion. They’re always injured, but Nolan gives them top-quality medicine, so wounds heal in three to five days—just in time for new beatings.
The guards are on the verge of tears. Seeing Serena and Simon emerge from the operating room, they have to suppress the urge to jump out of hiding and beg for mercy.
Sob, sob... Miss Feng, we’re begging you! Our lord has too much energy—if you don’t help him vent some of it soon, we’re doomed...