Xu Tianran held his forehead and burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahahahahahaha…
I didn't die—I didn't die!! I am the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire! Who can kill me? Who dares kill me?!!"
The rapid swings between life and death had stretched Xu Tianran's nerves to the breaking point. But upon seeing Xu Tianyuan, all that tension finally melted away.
For the first time, Xu Tianran felt that the sky was so beautiful, the air so fresh.
Just as he was overwhelmed with joy at having survived and was admiring the beauty of the sky,
blood suddenly surged into his mouth, clogging his throat.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Xu Tianran lowered his head and looked at the gaping hole in his chest and the blood still gushing endlessly from his mutilated lower body.
The injuries were extremely severe—if left untreated, he would die from blood loss in a short time.
Without hesitation, Xu Tianran took a pill from his storage soul tool and popped it into his mouth.
The pill dissolved instantly, beginning to heal his shattered body.
After swallowing the medicine, Xu Tianran looked at the nearby Juzi, who had risked her life to save him, his eyes showing a trace of gratitude.
When danger struck, the Soul Douluo who had received his generous promises—and even the female Soul Sage who had shared his bed—had all abandoned him to flee for their own lives.
Yet the maid he had barely paid any attention to had staked her life to save his.
It made him sigh inwardly in disbelief.
High above in the air, Xu Tianyuan looked at Xu Tianran's horribly wounded form, then glanced toward the five assassins who had already fled so fast they had vanished from sight.
He gave a cold snort.
He decided it was better to focus on protecting and healing the Crown Prince first.
Given how gravely injured Xu Tianran was, he had almost no power to resist.
If Xu Tianyuan went after the assassins now and someone else took the opportunity to strike Xu Tianran again, the Crown Prince would certainly die.
Compared to capturing a few assassins, the Crown Prince's life was far more important.
Xu Tianyuan's figure flickered as the twin wings of his Ninth-Rank Flight Soul Tool spread wide.
In the blink of an eye, he was beside Xu Tianran.
As the commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, one of the two great pillars of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianyuan's strength was exceptional even among Ninth-Rank Soul Engineers.
Looking up at Xu Tianyuan, Xu Tianran said,
"Many thanks, Elder Brother, for saving my life. I will repay this debt of gratitude."
Privately, Xu Tianran thought,
If only Xu Tianyuan had arrived a minute or two earlier…
He immediately dismissed the thought—it was a ridiculous one.
After all, the true culprits behind his crippling were those five assassins, and the mastermind who had sent them.
Xu Tianyuan's gaze briefly and almost imperceptibly fell on Xu Tianran's ruined legs.
He thought to himself,
With his legs crippled, the position of Crown Prince will surely become unstable. If he doesn't have ruthless enough means or sufficient strength, that title might be stripped away from him.
Though he thought so, Xu Tianyuan still maintained perfect respect before Xu Tianran, showing not the slightest hint of abnormality—his attitude toward him no different than before.
After all, this was only a possibility, not a certainty.
If he showed even a trace of disrespect now and Xu Tianran remembered it, once Xu Tianran eventually took the throne, Xu Tianyuan might suffer retribution later.
Xu Tianyuan bowed with clasped hands and said,
"Your Highness overpraises me. Allow me to escort you back for treatment immediately."
Xu Tianran replied,
"Please also save that maid."
He pointed toward Juzi as he spoke.
At that moment, Juzi was barely breathing—her life hanging by a thread, only minutes away from death.
Xu Tianyuan glanced at the dying girl in surprise, but asked no questions.
He took a pill from his storage soul tool, placed it in her mouth, and pressed a palm against her back, channeling soul power to help her refine the medicine.
Moments later, Juzi's faint, intermittent breathing steadied and grew stronger.
Her injuries had stabilized—she was no longer in immediate danger.
Seeing that Juzi's life was saved, Xu Tianran once again thanked Xu Tianyuan.
At that moment, members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion who had followed Xu Tianyuan finally caught up.
Most of these Soul Engineers were of imperial blood.
When they saw that the Crown Prince had lost both legs, their expressions all changed dramatically.
Unlike Xu Tianyuan, these younger royal clansmen had far less composure and self-control—their emotions showed plainly on their faces.
Inwardly, they all thought,
If the heir to the throne is a cripple with no legs, wouldn't that tarnish the dignity of the imperial family?
For a while, the royal descendants of the Imperial Dragon Legion glanced at one another, but none dared to speak.
Seeing their reactions, Xu Tianran's heart sank.
This was just from seeing that he had lost his legs—they didn't even know yet that he had also lost his manhood.
Xu Tianran glanced down toward his legs and thought grimly,
The fact that I can no longer fulfill a man's role must remain absolutely secret. Otherwise… the title of Crown Prince will surely be taken from me.
Xu Tianyuan looked helplessly at the Legion members.
So lacking in awareness—every emotion written on their faces. None of them are fit for great responsibility.
Then, noticing Xu Tianran's calm composure, he thought to himself,
To remain this steady after losing both legs—he does have some mental fortitude after all.
Xu Tianyuan raised his voice and said,
"All members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, form up! Escort the Crown Prince back to Mingdu!"
"Yes, Commander!!"
Immediately, Xu Tianran and Juzi were escorted back to Mingdu under the Legion's protection for treatment.
——
Not long after Xu Tianran's return, news of the assassination and his crippling spread quickly throughout Mingdu.
The report struck the empire like a boulder tossed into calm water, stirring up massive waves.
When Emperor Xu Jing heard that his beloved eldest son, Xu Tianran, had been crippled in an assassination attempt, his expression didn't change, his heart didn't skip a beat—everything remained calm as ever.
He merely issued a decree, assigning a single Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer to investigate the incident.
Clearly, in Xu Jing's eyes, none of his sons were particularly impressive.
He himself had once slaughtered the entire imperial palace in a night of blood—this was nothing in comparison.
——
At the same time, in a secret chamber within the Second Prince Xu Tianyu's mansion—
Xu Tianyu sat in the main seat, his expression shifting between ease and tension.
The two conflicting emotions tangled together, furrowing his brow.
The bad news: Xu Tianran wasn't dead.
And with their father sending a Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer to investigate, Xu Tianyu, guilty as he was, couldn't help but feel anxious.
The good news: Xu Tianran was crippled.
Song Zhan, seated at his side, said calmly,
"Yu'er, don't worry. His Majesty clearly doesn't care much about this matter—otherwise he wouldn't have ordered just an investigation."
Hearing this, Xu Tianyu nodded, his brow finally relaxing.
Yes—if their father truly cared, why would he bother with evidence?
Anyone remotely suspicious would have been executed outright.
That was what it meant to truly "care."
——
The Wang Family
After half a month of quiet seclusion, Wang Chen received the news that Xu Tianran had been crippled in the assassination attempt.
His sharp eyes gleamed with intensity.
The time has come. It's finally my turn to act…