Chapter 14: Alchemical Notes

At night in the palace, within a certain hall, the royal family and the Ye family gathered to celebrate the two young birthday stars. The banquet was a private affair, so the guest list was small, but every attendee was a person of immense influence within the empire.

Yes, influential—any movement from them could send tremors through the empire.

As in years past, the little spendthrift began his extravagant antics at the banquet, accompanied by the Seventh Princess and Tigress, setting off "fireworks" in the courtyard—his own fireworks.

Suddenly, eight blazing dragons soared above the courtyard, illuminating the surrounding night. The spectacle of those dragons ascending was breathtaking, a display of artistry of the highest caliber.

Not only those near the palace witnessed the fiery dragons; the entire imperial capital saw them. Many admired their beauty, yet broke into a cold sweat. Those unaware might have thought some calamity befell the palace, never imagining the dragons were merely someone's fireworks.

"My god, that's the Eighth-level Fire Dragon Spell! Damn, the spell scroll alone must cost at least one hundred thousand gold coins. I'd heard of his wasteful ways—now I realize what I heard was nothing."

Instantly, murmurs spread among the guests, and Ye Chengtian furrowed his brow, feeling the display went too far.

"Strange, when did we get something like this?" Tigress, holding the spell scroll, paused in surprise; she hadn't expected it to be an eighth-level scroll.

"Just bought it—a fifth-level Fire Dragon Spell scroll. Why are there eight dragons?" the little spendthrift replied. He was weak in many areas, but his memory was impeccable.

"Then we've lucked out. We only spent three thousand gold coins. Not that it matters now," Tigress sighed, thinking she should check more carefully in the future; this young master often bought curious oddities, perhaps birds of a feather flock together.

"No matter, they're just for show," the little spendthrift said, utterly unperturbed.

"Young master, your gift..." Tigress seized the moment, as the eight fire dragons drew everyone's attention, to prompt the little spendthrift to present his gift.

"Oh right, dearest, this is the gift I bought for you today. One hundred eighty thousand gold coins—the most expensive thing I've ever bought." He took the item and handed it directly to the Seventh Princess.

The Ye family members winced at the sum. Long Anqi was considering whether to temporarily cut off this rascal's financial resources, but whenever she looked at him, she couldn't bear to.

Let it be—perhaps she owed him from a past life. Let him do as he pleases.

"What is it?" The Seventh Princess smiled. She took no offense at the little spendthrift's playful address; had it been anyone else calling her "wife," she'd have been disgusted, but with this silly, bumbling boy, she felt nothing of the sort.

Maybe it was because she knew he meant nothing by such words—just a term of endearment.

The Seventh Princess enjoyed spending time with him; their bond was strong, and she did not oppose their engagement, which many found odd. Though not the most outstanding of the princesses, she was still pursued by many, making her choice surprising.

Perhaps it was her youth; maybe she'd feel differently when she grew older. But for now, she cherished his pure heart—being with him brought no worries, no intrigue.

Ordinary people, when asked by the Seventh Princess what the gift was, would say, "Open it and see," perhaps hinting at a surprise.

But the Thirteenth Young Lord was no ordinary person—he replied directly, even saying what should not be said: "Moon Goddess's Laurel Crown. Tigress said girls would like it."

Sweat. Wasn't he just confessing that, if Tigress hadn't said so, he wouldn't have bought it?

The Seventh Princess smiled gently, opened the box, glanced at the crown, then handed it back to him, saying, "Since you gave it to me, you should place it on my head."

"Oh..." He responded, gazed at the crown for a moment, and placed it on her head, rather haphazardly, slightly askew.

The Seventh Princess anticipated this, so she adjusted it herself, then asked, "Does it look nice?"

"Mmm, the sapphire is so big—very pretty," the Thirteenth Young Lord nodded.

"...I meant, do I look nice?" the Seventh Princess asked, a little helpless.

"You look nice—better than my sister."

"..."

"Ye Lang, what did you just say?!" Ye Lanyu appeared out of nowhere, staring at the foolish young lord.

"I just said, she looks better than you..."

"You dare say so!"

"Why not? She really does look better than you."

"Where, exactly? Look at her—she barely has any chest, and she's short..." Ye Lanyu criticized the Seventh Princess, though her points were normal enough—the princess was only ten, still growing.

The Seventh Princess glared at Ye Lanyu, protesting, "You're not much better, three years older than us, and your chest isn't much bigger, and you're not much taller either."

"Tigress, is 'chest' what they're talking about?" The Thirteenth Young Lord pointed at Tigress's chest.

"That... yes," Tigress blushed, replying awkwardly.

"Mmm, when we bathe together, I've seen hers, they're only bun-sized..."

"Ye Lang, you little fool!"

As Ye Lanyu and the Thirteenth Young Lord argued, others watched with smiles, when suddenly a message arrived, and the emperor's voice interrupted the scene.

"What?! Are you sure this news is true?" The emperor's astonished voice echoed across the courtyard, drawing all eyes from the children to him.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?" Ye Chengtian asked curiously. He knew the emperor was the sort who remained calm even if the sky fell—rarely did anything surprise him.

"A message has just arrived: the Alchemy Master's Journal has appeared," the emperor announced, apparently with no intention to keep it secret.