This interview was a public one, with at least twenty reporters present. Lan Luohai was originally answering another person’s question when he suddenly turned towards the direction where a particular reporter stood upon hearing a question. 

Seeing this, cameras from all around quickly shifted their focus, the lighting crew adjusted the lights, and a row of microphones swiftly rearranged themselves, all waiting for the prince’s response. 

Lan Luohai paused for a moment and then said earnestly, “Yes.” 

The reporters quickly scribbled down notes. 

What followed was indeed information that did not disappoint them. 

“However, this is just my personal opinion, and I haven’t mentioned it to the Divine Pharmacist yet.” 

Upon hearing this, someone couldn’t help but ask, “So this is just Your Highness’s unilateral wish, right?” 

The question was a bit sly. Although it sounded normal at first, upon reflection, it implied that the prince was unilaterally pursuing the Divine Pharmacist. 

The reporter was a key member of the Royal City Entertainment News, used to digging into celebrity hot topics from various angles. Although Lan Luohai had rarely appeared in public before, his outstanding looks and charisma had kept his popularity high among the public. That’s why this reporter came over and posed the question in his usual trap-setting manner. 

If it had been a more prominent celebrity, they might have flipped out and walked away upon catching the hidden insult. But Lan Luohai was different. 

“Yes, the Divine Pharmacist is not aware of this.” 

Not only did Lan Luohai admit it, but he also proactively stated, “Divine Pharmacist Ji Xuanran is an exceptionally talented pharmacist. He likely doesn’t want to be bound by the position of a dedicated pharmacist. But that doesn’t affect my admiration for him. If the Divine Pharmacist truly intends to find a dedicated ability user, I will definitely be the first to recommend myself.” 

As the reporters took notes, a vague sense of unease began to creep in. 

Sure enough, during the rest of the interview, Lan Luohai hardly answered any other questions. All his statements revolved around Ji Xuanran, describing the latter’s youth, talent, and his bravery and wisdom during the crackdown on the Lièchǐguǒ in vivid and meticulous detail. 

The reporters were left speechless. 

They had inadvertently turned the interview into a report on heroic deeds. 

Before the interview wrapped up, Lan Luohai added, “In these past few days, the Divine Pharmacist Ji has been tirelessly working on the antidote. He’s been working hard, and I hope everyone can refrain from disturbing him for now.” 

Along with this statement, a few old photos of Ji Xuanran were sent to the reporters’ communication devices. 

In recent days, all reports about Ji Xuanran had used the uniformly provided image data. No matter how outrageous or eye-catching the media was, none had dared to sneak a photo of this Divine Pharmacist. 

Who would have the guts to provoke the Divine Pharmacist when the number one fan was the eighth-tier ability user prince? 

However, after the interview, many reporters felt increasingly uneasy. 

While the public indeed admired Ji Xuanran for the crackdown on the Lièchǐguǒ, they were still more familiar with the prince, who had been in the spotlight for nearly twenty years. But now, it seemed the prince’s attitude towards the Divine Pharmacist was a bit too enthusiastic—his response to the question about a dedicated pharmacist almost clearly placed him in the position of a suitor for Ji Xuanran. 

Some restless reporters went to interview the royal family of the core nation about this issue. Upon hearing these rumors, the usually gentle and kind queen merely smiled and said, “The prince will decide his own matters. The royal family will not interfere, only bless him.” 

This statement undoubtedly piqued everyone’s curiosity about the relationship between Lan Luohai and Ji Xuanran. Just as public opinion was heating up, the other party finally made an appearance. 

Although Ji Xuanran did not publicly accept interviews, the reports from the past few days had undoubtedly increased his popularity. Thus, on the tenth day after the victory over the Lièchǐguǒ, a press conference hosted by the Pharmacist Association attracted unprecedented attention from all sides. 

The Pharmacist Association holds various press conferences from time to time to announce decisions regarding the supply of potions, new regulations, and punishments for violators. This time, the theme of the press conference was the punishment of Yuan Shao. 

Ji Xuanran made his appearance when the first major announcement was made at the press conference. His marriage to Yuan Shao was officially announced to be dissolved. In addition to the divorce agreement that had been stamped half a month ago, the Pharmacist Association also released Ji Xuanran’s injury report and the quantity of potions he had produced and the income he had earned over the past five years of marriage. 

For management purposes, the crystal bottles for mid-tier and above potions are uniformly numbered and issued by the Pharmacist Association, so Ji Xuanran’s workload was completely traceable. Although many ability users and pharmacists in partnerships do not calculate potion income too clearly, Ji Xuanran’s massive workload and such low income were indeed rare. 

To put it bluntly, it was no different from exploitation. Coupled with the glaring injury report, the news caused an uproar as soon as it was announced. 

In addition to the dissolution of the marriage, the Pharmacist Association also announced the punishment for Yuan Shao—he was prohibited from purchasing potions in shops under the Pharmacist Association. This punishment was not just aimed at Yuan Shao personally; it also included any commercial or political entities registered in his name. 

The severity of this punishment was indeed rare, but after the press conference, no one voiced dissatisfaction on Yuan Shao’s behalf. Instead, some pharmacists protested, feeling that the punishment was still too lenient. 

As for the other party involved, the public’s main attitude leaned towards sympathy. However, this attitude shifted to deep respect upon hearing that the Divine Pharmacist Ji had begun new research on the Lièchǐguǒ and other high-tier plants. 

Following this, the royal family also held a press conference to announce the entire process of the battle against the Lièchǐguǒ. Although various details were somewhat vague, the information about Yuan Shao harming ability users was thoroughly disclosed. 

The core nation’s royal family subsequently lodged a stern protest with Country A through diplomatic channels, demanding that they hand over the missing and fugitive Yuan Shao. 

At this point, Yuan Shao’s reputation plummeted. Whenever his name was mentioned, it was met with either scolding or disdain. Due to the disclosure of the battle process and the pressure exerted by the core nation, even Country A no longer had anyone publicly speaking for him. 

This kind of condemnation and criticism, even more forceful than when Ji Xuanran lost his abilities, once again boosted the task’s repair progress to 60%. 

In contrast to Yuan Shao, who was treated like a rat crossing the street, Lan Luohai’s public image was undoubtedly a completely opposite extreme. He continued to openly express his admiration and even made a high-profile appearance with the Divine Pharmacist Ji, going in and out together. 

As time went on, those reporters who were always dragged to listen to speeches couldn’t help but start to grumble. 

They had finally caught the opportunity to interview the prince, but no matter what questions they asked, it always circled back to the same theme—Lan Luohai’s one hundred and eighty ways of praising the Divine Pharmacist. 

Eventually, some media outlets even compiled a montage of the prince’s praises for the Divine Pharmacist from various occasions. After putting it all together, they realized that the prince’s linguistic talent was surprisingly outstanding. He had previously been too aloof and disinclined to speak, but now that he was chatting, he could continuously praise someone without repeating himself. 

It was simply breathtaking. 

While they were at it, the royal family also forbade them from writing in a sensationalist direction. Each article was reviewed three times before being published, and there could be no hint of extreme bias. 

They really didn’t want to hear the prince praise anyone anymore. Couldn’t they talk about something else in the interview—like how to capture the fugitive Yuan Shao? 

As Ji Xuanran’s talent became known to everyone in the core nation, and Lan Luohai’s praises for him filled the important pages of all mainstream media, things finally took a new turn. 

Yuan Shao appeared. 

It was already late at night, and Shi Jingxian was in the royal research room while Lan Luohai waited for him on the top floor. Yuan Shao directly showed up on the rooftop. 

Noticing the unusual movement of the two flowers, Shi Jingxian ended his work early and sent away the other members in the research room. As soon as Yuan Shao’s aura appeared, he felt something was off. This wanted fugitive had brazenly appeared near the palace without alarming any guards, which was quite unbelievable. 

Now, there was no way to contact Lan Luohai, so Shi Jingxian could only notify Lan Luohai’s subordinates. They seemed to have been prepared for this and reassured Shi Jingxian not to worry. 

However, taking revenge on Yuan Shao was Shi Jingxian’s task, so after hanging up the communication, he still went to the rooftop alone. 

Thanks to the cover of the two flowers, Shi Jingxian successfully avoided Yuan Shao’s ability defenses and detection. The rooftop was dimly lit, which conveniently helped him hide safely behind a brick wall. 

Under the night sky, Yuan Shao was talking to Lan Luohai. After nearly a month of absence, his voice had noticeably become hoarse, sounding like sandpaper scraping against a wall, particularly grating to the ears. 

When Yuan Shao confessed to Lan Luohai in this voice, those affectionate words added an inexplicable twist of eeriness. 

He said, “Your Highness, I love you so much. I want to hold you in my hands, grip your hand tightly, and never let you go.” 

Even Shi Jingxian, who had completed countless tasks, felt a chill in the night wind. 

Yuan Shao continued, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, I brought you something good.” 

Before he finished speaking, Shi Jingxian felt an extremely strong energy fluctuation. The sudden terrifying pressure swept across the entire rooftop like an invisible blade, but in the end, it was the cluster of two flowers that protected Shi Jingxian. 

He was secretly shocked; Yuan Shao had actually broken through to the ninth tier. 

“Look, this supreme power, this feeling of being able to control everything, how wonderful it is!” The hoarse voice felt like it was directly grinding against the eardrum, causing a headache, making it impossible to resist his words. 

“The method to break through the ninth-tier ability that has been lost for nearly a thousand years is in my hands,” Yuan Shao said. “As long as you reach out your hand, it will be yours.” 

“Come on, Your Highness, I will give you everything.” 

Shi Jingxian frowned, his palm already resting on the brightly colored cluster of two flowers. 

After all, Lan Luohai was only at the eighth tier, and it seemed he would have to take action himself. 

The two flowers could absorb Yuan Shao’s abilities, and besides that, he had another advantage… 

However, before Shi Jingxian could act, he heard another voice. 

Lan Luohai’s voice remained as cold as usual when addressing the outside world. His tone was steady, unaffected by the ninth-tier pressure as Shi Jingxian had worried. 

He said, “No, everything I have is given by Ji Xuanran.” 

【Ding——Task repair progress, 65%】  

【Ding——Task repair progress, 70%】  

Shi Jingxian: … 

He actually heard two prompts in a row. 

The task’s repair progress is generally related to two factors: one is the original self achieving something, and the other is the harm to the original self being avenged. 

Now, Shi Jingxian had done nothing, and he could tell that these two repair prompts were definitely because Yuan Shao was about to be driven to madness.