With that, she walked back into the manor alone, leaving the guards standing rooted to the spot, their faces lit with quiet smiles. Their Prince was truly an amusing man.

Mo Han returned to the living room and briefly explained the purpose of Bryde’s visit. He instructed Daili and the others to prepare; after retrieving the Holy Sword of Light tomorrow, he planned to make another trip to the Magic Forest. He had promised Rouxue he would stall for time, and while he had agreed to the Holy Dragon Patriarch’s request, he hadn't promised immediate action. A simple excuse to buy some time would suffice.

Furthermore, Mo Han couldn't shake the thought of the super magical beast he encountered in the Magic Forest. Being wounded and forced to flee by it had left a persistent, irritating feeling in his gut. Now, armed with the greatly enhanced Holy Sword of Light and his own significant increase in strength, Mo Han was confident he could handle that beast this time.

And it was an unshakeable law of the adventuring world that places harboring super magical beasts surely contained rare treasures. That beast’s rank was definitely no lower than a Rank Ten monster, meaning there had to be many valuable items on or near it. This was Mo Han’s primary motivation. It would also serve as a convenient test for Daili and Latin’s training progress, and give him something solid to report to the Holy Dragon Patriarch if questioned.

It was a situation where one action yielded three benefits, which is why Mo Han finalized the arrangement.

Upon hearing Mo Han’s plan, Daili and the others were ecstatic. Latin and Yanshi immediately rushed out to prepare. They had been cooped up for far too long; it felt as if they had rusted in place. The moment they heard they could venture out on an adventure again, they were overjoyed.

Mo Han and Daili could only shake their heads and smile.

At that moment, Mo Han recalled the matter Bryde had mentioned. He turned to Daili and asked, "By the way, where is Princess Rouxue? Elder Bryde came looking for her earlier but was turned away by her."

Daili replied upon hearing this, "Rouxue just told us she had some errands to run and went out. She seemed quite hurried. She said she’d be back tonight, so I didn't pay much mind. What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Mo Han shook his head, replying, "Hehe, nothing, just finding it odd. Alright, let's settle everything here at the manor before we leave. Oh, didn't I ask Toby to come back and help? Why haven't I seen him yet? Where is he?" Daili smiled, saying, "Hehe. General Murong thought Toby was quite talented, so he asked me if he could borrow him for a while. I naturally agreed. Things have been so busy these last few days, I never got a chance to tell you."

Mo Han nodded.

He smiled and said, "So that’s how it is. It's good that General Murong values him. It’s his good fortune, hehe. Well then, we’ll just have to ask Uncle Marco to work a bit harder. I think we need to find two stewards to help out. Running such a large Princely Estate, plus managing the fiefdom—how can Uncle Marco handle it all alone?"

Daili nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the workload is immense. Relying entirely on Uncle Marco isn't fair. But where can we find suitable people right now? Stewards carry huge responsibilities and represent the image of our Prince Kang’s Estate. We need to find someone trustworthy, right?" Hearing Daili’s concern, Mo Han felt a headache coming on. Daili was stating the facts; if they hired a steward who acted recklessly, Mo Han could only imagine the disastrous results.

Just then, Mo Han noticed Jack sitting there, looking as if he had something important to say but couldn't bring himself to speak. This piqued Mo Han’s curiosity. He smiled and said, "Jack, do you have a suitable candidate in mind? Don't hesitate to share it with us for consideration."

Hearing Mo Han, everyone turned their gaze toward Jack, eager to hear his thoughts. Jack shifted uncomfortably before speaking, "Boss, I do have someone in mind, but I don't know if he’s suitable, and I’m afraid you might scold me."

Hearing Jack’s response, Mo Han laughed, "Am I that petty? Why would I scold you? Just tell me what you think. Even if it doesn’t work out, we can still use it as a reference. It’s fine, go ahead."

Encouraged by Mo Han’s reply, Jack finally spoke up, "A while ago, I heard Feiyu mention that her second brother has been idle at home and has been looked down upon by the elders in their family. Feiyu has a great relationship with him, so I’ve met him a couple of times. I think his knowledge and talent are quite good, and he’s quite ambitious, but he’s never had an opportunity to display it, which is why he’s stayed home. So, Boss, if you think it’s appropriate, could you call him in for an interview? I truly have no other intentions, Boss, please don't misunderstand. I just genuinely believe he is talented, and I want to help Feiyu, but if you think it won't work, that’s fine too." Jack finished with a rush of explanation.

Mo Han smiled upon hearing this, "You rascal, you just said you had nothing going on with Feiyu, and now you’re already thinking of things on her behalf."

Jack couldn't help but let out an awkward laugh.

Seeing this, Mo Han chuckled, "Hehe, alright. You go notify him to come for an interview. If he’s suitable, we’ll settle it then. As the saying goes, we shouldn't let good opportunities slip away to outsiders. If there’s such a good chance, your Boss will certainly give you room to shine."

Hearing Mo Han’s response, Jack quickly offered his heartfelt thanks, which made everyone smile. It seemed the magnificent power of love had been proven once more through Jack.

Afterward, everyone got busy with their respective tasks. However, evening came, and Rouxue still hadn't returned. Mo Han began to feel a knot of worry in his stomach. He had felt from the start that Rouxue’s sudden departure was strange, though he couldn't pinpoint why.

Everyone else was also becoming a little concerned. Although Rouxue had only known them for a few days, Daili and Latin had formed a good impression of her. Rouxue never put on airs of a princess around them, so they naturally felt inclined to be close to her. Just as Mo Han and Latin were preparing to go out and search for her, they saw Rouxue returning to the Estate, looking utterly dejected.

Seeing Rouxue back, Mo Han’s heart finally eased. Latin and the others returned to their rooms.

Only Mo Han, Daili, and Rouxue remained in the hall.

Seeing Rouxue in such a state, Daili immediately asked with concern, "Rouxue, what’s wrong? You rushed out like that without any word until so late; everyone was worried sick. Mo Han and the others were about to go look for you. What happened?" Rouxue quickly managed a weak smile and replied, "I’m fine, Sister Daili. I’m truly sorry for making you worry."

Seeing Rouxue’s reluctance to speak, Daili tactfully dropped the subject. "You must be tired after being out all day. I’ll ask someone to prepare something for you to eat and then you can rest well," she said. Rouxue nodded her thanks, and Daili smiled before turning to leave.

Once everyone had left, Mo Han smiled and looked at the crestfallen Rouxue. "If I'm not mistaken, your sudden departure today must be related to Elder Bryde? Though, if you don't wish to answer, it’s alright."

Hearing Mo Han, Rouxue looked surprised. "How did you know it was related to Elder Bryde? Are you a legendary prophet, able to know things before they happen?" Mo Han smiled and shook his head, "I don't have such high skills. It's just that I noticed you disappeared right after Elder Bryde left, and you don't seem to have any friends in Dragon City. So, I took a wild guess. I didn't expect to be right."

Rouxue stared at Mo Han in astonishment, then laughed, "I never realized that beneath your usual playful demeanor, you possess such keen observation and imagination. Yes, I was tailing Elder Bryde this afternoon."

Mo Han laughed, "You are a strange person. Why on earth would you stalk Elder Bryde? Didn't you see him often when you were with the Dragon Clan? Why the need to follow him?" Rouxue sighed helplessly, "Sometimes you seem very clever, and other times you are adorably dense. If I could have just asked him and gotten answers, would I need to stalk him? Do you think I have nothing better to do?" Mo Han smiled, "That’s called great wisdom disguised as foolishness, haven’t you heard? So, why did you follow Elder Bryde so intently? He is an Elder of your Holy Dragon Clan, after all. Aren't you afraid of the embarrassment if he finds out?" Rouxue stated firmly, "Even so, I have to try. Otherwise, how can I help clear Brother Bryze’s name?"

Mo Han seemed to recall something and said in disbelief, "Wait, you think Bryze was framed? There were many suspicious points in the matter involving the Holy Dragon Patriarch, and you’ve uncovered some clues. Are you suggesting this whole thing is connected to Elder Bryde?" Rouxue shook her head helplessly, "I'm not entirely sure myself. It’s just speculation right now. But when my grandfather was killed, only Brother Bryze and Elder Bryde were present with him. At that time, Elder Bryde was my grandfather's most trusted aide, so wherever my grandfather went, Elder Bryde followed."

Rouxue spoke slowly, as if recalling painful memories, "Because of Brother Bryze’s aloof personality, none of the children on Dragon Island liked him back then, so my only friend was him. One day, Brother Bryze and I were playing on Dragon Island when we accidentally overheard a conversation between two Dragon Clan guards."

At this point, Rouxue gave a bitter smile toward Mo Han. "I imagine you already know what it was about, don't you?" "It concerns the background of Bryze, doesn't it?" Mo Han said quietly.

Rouxue nodded, "Exactly. It was about my aunt and uncle being killed by my grandfather. Those two guards only mentioned it vaguely in passing, so we didn't know the specific reasons. We just caught the gist of it. Brother Bryze immediately became gloomy, stunned for a long time, and then excitedly said he needed to go ask Grandfather for the truth. I was young and couldn't stop him, so I could only watch him leave."

Rouxue’s expression turned sorrowful as she paused to compose herself. She continued, "I was frightened, so I rushed to find my father, asking him to persuade Brother Bryze. Upon learning of the matter, Father was also extremely anxious and hurried toward my grandfather’s residence. But when Father arrived, he found Grandfather already dead. Elder Bryde was also severely injured, lying there. Father was overwhelmed with grief."

"Father immediately rushed to help Elder Bryde and urgently asked for an account of the events. From Elder Bryde’s mouth, Father learned that Brother Bryze had somehow obtained something called Seven-Leaf Grass and mixed it into the tea. Grandfather and Elder Bryde drank it without caution. Both of them lost all their martial prowess after being affected by the Seven-Leaf Grass."

"Seven-Leaf Grass? What is that? I’ve never heard of it," Mo Han asked curiously.

Rouxue explained, "Seven-Leaf Grass is colorless and odorless. While not highly toxic, its medicinal properties are fierce. Anyone who ingests something containing it will become completely weak. All magic and combat energy will vanish for a period. Even we Dragon Clan members feel drained for half a day afterward. If a human has a weaker constitution, just touching a bit of its sap might mean they never wake up again. Even powerful human experts would likely be debilitated for ten days to half a month."

Hearing the explanation, Mo Han was amazed. "There’s such a thing? Why has no one ever mentioned it? Something that unique should have records, shouldn't it?" Rouxue replied, "Although its properties are intense, Seven-Leaf Grass is not common. As far as I know, on the entire continent, it only grows on a small island in the western sea area of our Dragon Clan’s territory. That place is rarely visited, and humans generally don't pass through. Even if a powerful human expert did pass by, they wouldn't know such a marvelous thing existed on that little island. That's why humans probably don't know about it. Our Dragon Clan discovered it by chance, but since it's useless to us, no one paid it much attention, though some Dragons occasionally use it for research."

Hearing this, Mo Han seemed to recall something but couldn't quite grasp it, so he let it go for now and asked, "Then what happened next? I haven't heard anything suspicious in this account yet?" Rouxue continued, "Then Elder Bryde said that an agitated Brother Bryze fiercely questioned Grandfather whether he had killed Bryze’s parents. Under duress, Grandfather admitted to killing Elder Bryde's father, explaining that he had no choice, or he himself would have been the one killed or injured."

"Later, Elder Bryde claimed that Brother Bryze was too agitated and refused to listen to Grandfather’s explanation. In a fit of rage, he struck and killed Grandfather. After killing him, Brother Bryze immediately seized our Dragon Clan's most prized treasure, the 'Seven-Star Dragon Pearl.' Fearing exposure, as he hastily fled, he dealt a palm strike to Elder Bryde before rushing away. You probably know the rest of the story."

Mo Han commented, "That's what I heard, but I still can't spot anything amiss." Hearing Mo Han, Rouxue continued, "That is Elder Bryde’s version of events. I firmly believe Brother Bryze is absolutely not the murderer of my grandfather. I know him; he would never kill Grandfather."

Mo Han countered, "Are you basing this solely on your feeling? Don't you think that's too subjective?" Rouxue quickly asserted, "While that is one reason, it’s not the only one. First of all, Brother Bryze never left Dragon Island. Where would he have obtained the Seven-Leaf Grass? That plant doesn't exist on Dragon Island, and Brother Bryze was with me all day; he had no chance to leave."