The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The Dragon King was taken aback when he realized that Shen Yifei's aura was even stronger than his own.

Shen Yifei pressed his advantage, "Your Majesty, you can kill me anytime you wish. But if you kill me, no one will be able to cure the poison in His Highness's body. Until the person who poisoned him is found, the Crown Prince will never have peace!"

Shen Yifei's words were barbed and piercing, leaving the Dragon King speechless.

The Dragon King's face turned ashen, and the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Ao Ting stood to the side, looking at his father and then at Shen Yifei, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

He wanted to smooth things over, but he didn't know what to say, and he was so anxious that he scratched his head.

It was the Dragon Queen who broke the deadlock, saying, "Sect Master Shen, I will answer your two questions."

The Dragon King turned to look at the Dragon Queen, his brow furrowing. "Jing Ci..."

The Empress raised her hand to stop him, "Your Majesty, since Sect Leader Shen is doing this for Ting'er's own good, then there's nothing for us to hide."

The Empress stood up, walked to Ao Ting's side, reached out and touched his head, her eyes full of affection. "Ting'er is His Majesty's and my only son. He has been favored since childhood, which inevitably makes him the target of jealousy."

Shen Yifei understood; the Dragon King wanted to help Ao Ting ascend to the throne, but there were many obstacles.

Empress Jingci continued, "If anyone most desires the throne, it is Ting'er's third uncle, Ao Chong!"

"Mirror's words!" the Dragon King uttered softly, "Those are all guesses, not necessarily true!"

Ao Ting's third uncle!

Isn't that the guy who runs the Dragon Clan brothel?

Shen Yifei never expected that someone who made a living selling flesh would actually covet the throne of the Dragon Clan!

Empress Jingci slowly said, "Ao Chong, the Third Prince of the Dragon Palace, is His Majesty's younger brother. When His Majesty ascended the throne, the Third Prince was dissatisfied, but he did not show it on his face. Over the years, he has been building his own power in the Dragon Palace. On the surface, he is respectful to His Majesty, but he has never stopped his underhanded actions."

"Your Majesty, I wonder how much power this Third Prince commands?"

Queen Jingci glanced at the Dragon King, and seeing that he didn't intend to stop her, she continued, "The Third Prince has thirty-six dragon generals under his command, all of whom are at the Mahayana realm. He also runs eighteen brothels and casinos in the sea, making a fortune every day. Many of the guards in the Dragon Palace are also his men."

The Dragon King sighed. He had two siblings: he was the eldest, his second sister cultivated among humans, and his youngest brother was someone he had watched grow up.

He could see right through Ao Chong's thoughts. He knew perfectly well what his third brother had been secretly developing his own power over the years and what he wanted to do.

However, family scandals should not be aired in public. After all, he is his own younger brother, the little kid who used to follow him around calling him "big brother" with snotty noses.

The Dragon King even considered giving up the Dragon Clan throne to Ao Chong, and then living a carefree life in seclusion with Jing Ci.

He was also worried that Ao Chong was vicious, belligerent, narrow-minded, lecherous, and had even made advances toward Jing Ci.

He can tolerate all of this!

However, he could no longer tolerate the fact that Ao Ting had been poisoned since childhood in an attempt to seize the throne!

Thinking of this, the Dragon King stood up. "Sect Master Shen, after saying so much, what good plan do you have?"

"I have already said it, so please don't blame me, Dragon King."

"Speak freely! I, Ao Ming, will not hold it against you!"

"Your Majesty, taking advantage of the success of Dragon Market this time, you should directly abdicate in favor of Prince Ao Ting, catching Ao Chong off guard. He will definitely activate the poison and then try to seize the throne."

Ao Ming nodded. "Given Third Brother's impatient temper, he definitely won't be able to hold back."

"Yes, Ao Chong will definitely take action on the spot. Does Your Highness need to fake death by poisoning?"

Ao Ting realized what was happening. "Sect Leader Shen, are you telling me to play dead?"

"Yes, play dead." Shen Yifei chuckled. "Think about it, if you die, the person who poisoned you will have achieved their goal. They will definitely jump out and force His Majesty to abdicate."

Ao Ming pondered for a moment, "Sect Leader Shen, your plan is feasible, but how can we ensure that Ting'er's feigned death won't be discovered?"

"That's simple." Shen Yifei took out a blue pill from his storage ring. "This is a specially made 'Feign Death Pill.' After taking it, you'll have no breath and your heart will stop beating for an hour, just like you're really dead. After an hour, the effects will wear off, and you'll naturally wake up."

Ao Ming took the pill, examined it carefully, and smelled it again and again. "Sect Leader Shen, is this pill... reliable?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. If I truly intended to harm Your Highness, would I have waited until now? I am quite confident in my alchemy skills. If there are any mistakes, I am willing to stake my life on it!"

Ao Ming finally nodded, "We'll do as you say!"

He looked at the Dragon Queen with a gentle expression, "Jingci, go to the North Sea Dragon Palace and ask my second sister for troops. She has eight thousand dragon riders under her command, all of them elite. She and Ao Chong have always been at odds, she will definitely help us!"

Jing Ci nodded. "Okay, I'll go find Ao Yun to borrow troops in a bit."

Shen Yifei felt much more relaxed at this moment. He silently repeated the name Jingci to himself a few times, thinking that the name was really nice. The person was just like the name, as clear and elegant as a mirror and words.

However, he quickly brought his thoughts back to the present. He realized that it was enough to just imagine his future mother-in-law; he shouldn't overthink it.

He said to Ao Ming, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. On the day of the abdication ceremony, someone needs to keep Ao Chong's men under control and prevent them from having any chance to rebel."

"I'll arrange that." A cold glint flashed in Ao Ming's eyes. "Although I've turned a blind eye to Ao Chong over the years, I haven't been completely unprepared. I also have trustworthy generals under my command. Having them secretly control Ao Chong's men shouldn't be a problem."

Shen Yifei nodded. "Then it's settled. Three days from now, we'll put on a good show for that Third Prince."

Ao Ming stood up, walked to Shen Yifei, patted him on the shoulder, and for the first time showed approval in his eyes. "Sect Master Shen, you saved Ting'er's life and helped the Dragon Palace devise strategies. I, Ao Ming, will remember this kindness. If you need anything in the future, just ask."

Seeing Ao Ming's approval, Shen Yifei's tense heart relaxed. "Your Majesty, I get along well with His Highness the Crown Prince, so please don't stand on ceremony."

Ao Ming nodded, his goodwill towards the young man growing even stronger. He didn't stand on ceremony any longer, turned around, returned to his seat on the dragon throne, and whispered something to Jing Ci.

Shen Yifei guessed that they were talking about borrowing troops, and he tilted his head to look at Ao Ting.

This guy was so excited, rubbing his hands together like a seal in heat, spinning around on the ground.

Shen Yifei was simply his lucky star. Not only did he detoxify him and save his life, but he also managed to persuade his father to pass the throne to him with just a few words and uncover the mastermind behind it all.

He was a little too excited.

"Your Highness..." Shen Yifei called out softly to Ao Ming, trying to get him to leave.

Upon hearing the shout, Ao Ting couldn't help but ask, "Second brother-in-law, what's up?"