Xiao Yuan frowned slightly upon seeing Su Fan.
"Let him in."
Xiao Yuan ordered the Imperial Guards to let Su Fan in.
Su Fan arrived before Xiao Yan, who had already fainted from excessive blood loss.
The imperial physician's examination results were not good; Xiao Yan had lost too much blood and sustained many life-threatening injuries. Any mishandling could be fatal.
"Imperial Physician, I have quite a few healing elixirs. Do you think they could be useful?"
The imperial physician, traveling with the emperor, hadn't brought much. Healing elixirs were precisely the most scarce item, and the ones Su Fan brought were just what was needed.
"That's wonderful! With these healing elixirs, I have an eighty percent chance of saving His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The imperial physician exclaimed with great surprise.
Even with the healing elixirs, the imperial physician only had an eighty percent chance, which showed the severity of Xiao Yan's injuries.
Xiao Yuan sat to the side with a solemn expression, silently awaiting news from the imperial physician.
The others dared not speak, waiting quietly for the Crown Prince to be treated.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhiyi knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to breathe.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is temporarily out of danger. He only needs a few days of rest to recuperate his qi and blood before he wakes up."
Soon, the imperial physician, sweating profusely, reported to the emperor.
"Good. Take the Crown Prince back to the palace and ensure he rests well."
A stone was lifted from Xiao Yuan's heart.
"Imprison Xiao Zhiyi in the Heavenly Prison. We will deal with him after the Crown Prince awakens!"
Xiao Yuan was far less lenient with Xiao Zhiyi. There was no room for mercy for such a beast who attempted to kill his brother and father.
"Yes!"
The Imperial Guards behind him immediately obeyed, stepping forward to apprehend Xiao Zhiyi and his entourage.
"Su Fan, stay."
Xiao Yuan called out to Su Fan, his expression grim.
"Why are you here?"
Xiao Yuan asked Su Fan with a dark face.
Clearly, Su Fan's presence here was illogical. If Su Fan had no ulterior motive, why would he be here?
Su Fan's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't anticipated this oversight.
His presence here was indeed unreasonable.
"I am friends with His Highness the Crown Prince, and I came to find him as well."
Su Fan could only offer a half-truth.
"Let's hope so. Guards, escort Commander Su back."
Xiao Yuan was unsure if Su Fan was telling the truth. This could only be confirmed when the Crown Prince awoke. For now, he could only have Su Fan escorted back, with orders to monitor Su Fan's every move.
Su Fan sighed inwardly, regretting that his unnecessary act had brought him trouble, but he did not regret it.
His healing elixirs had saved Xiao Yan's life, and that was enough.
[Ding! Main Quest: Stirring Up the Seas, Phase Three Complete. Quest Reward: 300,000 experience points, 500 reputation points.]
[Ding! Main Quest: Martial Arts Hegemony, unlocked upon reaching 3000 reputation points.]
[Ding! Congratulations on leveling up.]
Su Fan's level finally reached 40.
The main quest was also completed, and his reputation had reached 2000 points. With another thousand points, the Martial Arts Hegemony quest would be unlocked.
However, with Xiao Yan injured and unconscious, he would not be able to participate in the ancestral ceremony tomorrow. He wondered how the emperor would explain this to the public.
...
Su Fan returned to reality.
He stretched his body.
Although he traveled between reality and the game without sleeping, his body had still rested. Prolonged inactivity had left him feeling stiff.
Su Fan moved around a bit. Looking out from the windowsill at his villa, Su Fan suddenly remembered Mu Yuanying.
She had promised to guard his door for a month after her breakthrough. How many days had it been? Had she not broken through yet?
Su Fan took out his phone, found Lin Yao's WeChat, and initiated a video call.
"Hello, where is your master?"
Lin Yao, on the other end, was in an unknown location. The surroundings were dark, and the camera was shaking violently.
"Hurry and save me! My senior brother and I are being pursued by the Assassin Alliance!"
Lin Yao's anxious voice came through.
Su Fan was taken aback.
Weren't Lin Yao and Jiudi members of the Assassin Alliance? Why were they being hunted by their own people?
"What's going on?"
Su Fan asked, confused.
"They discovered that Senior Brother was involved with the Martial Alliance, so they expelled us from the Assassin Alliance and issued a bounty on us. Our bounty missions are now visible on the entire dark web. We're currently hiding in a废弃 factory on the outskirts of the capital."
Lin Yao explained to Su Fan.
"Send me the location. I'll come find you."
Su Fan told Lin Yao.
Soon, Lin Yao sent Su Fan the location.
"They're here! Hurry, let's go!"
Suddenly, Jiudi's anxious voice came from the phone. Then, Lin Yao let out a cry, and the video call abruptly ended.
When Su Fan tried to call again, no one answered.
Su Fan frowned slightly.
He took out his Bagua Token and teleported directly to the capital.
However, from Su Fan's teleportation point to the location Lin Yao had sent, it would still take some time to travel.
He wondered if they could hold on.
There wasn't a single car around. Su Fan glanced around and spotted a motorcycle next to a small convenience store.
The motorcycle's owner, a punk youth, was inside the convenience store buying cigarettes.
Su Fan immediately ran over. The keys were still in the ignition. Su Fan turned the key, started the engine, and twisted the throttle, riding away.
"Hey? What the hell! Stealing my bike?"
The punk youth was initially confused by the sound of the motorcycle. Then, upon seeing the situation outside, he exclaimed in shock.
"You bastard! Give me back my bike!"
The punk youth sprinted towards where Su Fan had left, trying to chase a two-wheeled vehicle on two legs.
"Stop chasing! There's a hundred thousand in the card, and the PIN is 666666!"
Su Fan wasn't stingy. He immediately threw a bank card to the man.
The punk youth, panting, ran over, picked up the bank card, and looked at it with confusion.
He wondered if there really was a hundred thousand in it.
Su Fan rode the motorcycle directly towards his destination.
The motorcycle was surprisingly fast. It looked like it had been modified. That punk youth had spent quite a bit.
Su Fan suddenly twisted the throttle, and the numbers on the dashboard instantly shot up to 160.
And it continued to climb: 170! 180! 190! 200! 210! 220! Huh? Ten?
Su Fan suddenly realized something was wrong. The speedometer had spun a full circle!
It turned out it wasn't modified; the speedometer was broken.
The motorcycle's speed hadn't increased at all, remaining at around 100 mph.
"Damn it! Wasted my effort!"
Su Fan was speechless.
When Su Fan arrived at the location Lin Yao had sent, it was a long-abandoned winery, filled with large and small brewing vats.
Su Fan walked in with a frown.
There were signs of a struggle inside, but Su Fan didn't see any bloodstains. This was good news, indicating that Lin Yao and Jiudi were not injured.
Su Fan followed the signs of struggle forward.
The traces became more obvious and the struggle more intense. When Su Fan saw bloodstains on the ground, his heart sank.
He could only comfort himself, telling himself it was the enemy's blood.
"Stop struggling. Your strength is too weak."