Yuan Ming hurried to a secluded corner of the mansion's garden and took out the Spiritual Beast Bag with a light pat.

A burst of purple-black light instantly shot out from the bag and landed on the ground.

As the light touched the ground, it immediately revealed its true form—the Demon Vine Black Toad that had been in deep slumber for a long time, but its appearance now was utterly different from before.

Now, it had completely lost the form of a toad, having transformed into a cluster of purple-black vines tangled together, their outer skins bristling with spikes and lightly red vine flowers embellishing them, appearing quite eerie.

For some reason, Yuan Ming felt he had seen this kind of spiky claws somewhere before, but no matter how long he pondered, he couldn't remember where.

While he was deep in thought, the Demon Vine began to move slowly, its interwoven vines splitting into five strands, each growing outward.

Soon, the two vines at the bottom gradually solidified into legs, lifting the Demon Vine's body off the ground, while the vines on the left and right sides turned into arm-like shapes, though they were too slender and hung like noodles beside the body.

Unlike the other four vines, the one at the top didn't grow outward but swelled inward into a spherical shape; two vine flowers turned into eyes, several vines piled together to form a mouth and nose, new shoots twisted into ears, and old vine skins spread out into long hair.

In a short while, an individual the same height as an average person but with slender limbs and a peculiar face—a Vine Man—stood before Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised and quickly communicated with the Demon Vine using his mind. To his astonishment, the Demon Vine waved its arms at him, and at the same time, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Master."

Yuan Ming's eyes widened in shock and he asked, "You've actually awakened spiritual intelligence? When did this happen?"

"I don't know, but I remember everything that happened before."

As it spoke, the Demon Vine counted on its fingers, the voice resonating in Yuan Ming's mind: "I was in the desert... oh, no, in the forest, when I met Master. At that time, I fought with someone with a tattoo... no, wrong, someone wearing toad skin... and there was..."

Yuan Ming furrowed his brow, feeling as though he had seen the scene described by the Demon Vine somewhere, but seeing the vine itself becoming muddled, he said, "All right, I know you remember everything, there's no need to continue."

At these words, the Demon Vine became excited, waving its arms and beating its chest, saying, "Of course, I'm the smartest!"

Yuan Ming couldn't help but smile, and after some thought, he added, "Now that you look like a person, you should have a name too. Let me think... How about we call you 'Hua Zhi'?"

"Yay, my name is Hua Zhi now!" The Demon Vine Hua Zhi immediately raised its arms in an crisscrossing motion.

"What abilities do you have now? Show me, but remember to keep it down." Yuan Ming commanded.

Upon hearing this, Hua Zhi nodded excitedly. With a shake of its arms, the intertwined vines grew wildly, turning into two purple-black longswords that flickered with a faint glow.

Then, Hua Zhi lowered its sword-transformed arms quickly, returning them to their normal state and with a simultaneous gesture, grass sprouted from the ground and interwove quickly, forming a cage of grass in the blink of an eye.

Yuan Ming recognized at first glance that this was the Wood Prison Technique he had learned in Biluo Cave, and was surprised that Hua Zhi had just taken human form and could already cast it.

"Master, isn't Hua Zhi amazing?" Seemingly noticing Yuan Ming's astonishment, Hua Zhi began beating its chest again, boasting about its abilities to him.

"It seems you've mastered all those spells of mine?" Yuan Ming smiled and asked.

Hua Zhi pondered for a moment, then its mood seemingly dropped: "Hua Zhi only knows Wood Element spells."

Yuan Ming had already anticipated this in his heart. He then had Hua Zhi demonstrate the abilities it had previously mastered and found that its power had also risen a notch. The mutation of the vines had far exceeded his expectations; due to the current environment, further research would have to be done later.

Afterward, he ordered Hua Zhi to lurk underground in the General Mansion, remaining vigilant, while he himself returned to his room to continue cultivating.

…

The next morning.

Yuan Ming got up early and after getting ready, was about to ask Wang Shun to prepare the horse for a trip when he saw the gatekeeper come to report.

"Young Master, the Master is asking for you."

Following the gatekeeper with curiosity, Yuan Ming headed towards the front hall. As he entered, he saw a young man in a jujube-red brocaded long robe with a handsome face, chatting with his father.

The young man had a gentle smile on his face, yet Yuan Zuochong was sitting upright and expressionless, seeming to have something on his mind.

Upon Yuan Ming's arrival, Yuan Zuochong's expression didn't change as he spoke indifferently, "Ming'er, this is the Eighth Prince's Princely Heir. He has come to visit today, saying he has business with you."

The young man stood up and gave Yuan Ming a respectful bow: "I have long admired Young Master Yuan's great reputation. Seeing you today, indeed your fame is well-deserved."

"The Princely Heir flatters me." Yuan Ming returned the courtesy.

"Ha ha, Young Master Yuan need not be modest. Even my father the prince praised your 'Young Master Sheng's Southern Journey,' saying you have great talent and that if you were to serve in the court, you would surely be a pillar of the state," the Princely Heir laughed.

"To receive such praise from the Eighth Prince is an honor for me," Yuan Ming responded noncommittally.

The Princely Heir flattered Yuan Ming for a while longer and then said, "Tonight, I am hosting a literary gathering at Dingyang Building and am in need of a talented individual like Young Master Yuan to attend. Would you be willing to grace us with your presence?"

Yuan Ming glanced at his father and, seeing no objection from him, replied, "With the Princely Heir personally inviting me, how could I refuse?"

The Princely Heir laughed heartily upon hearing this and, after a few more pleasantries, took his leave.

After he left, Yuan Zuochong explained without waiting for Yuan Ming to ask, "The Emperor has no heirs; after his abdication, the successor must be chosen from among the several princes, and among them, the Eighth Prince has always been known for his wisdom. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the obvious choice."

"So, tonight's literary gathering..." Yuan Ming hesitated.

"He invited you to the literary gathering because he wants to win over people's hearts, but I have gradually withdrawn from the court. You don't need to worry about anything tonight, just treat it as a regular gathering," Yuan Zuochong said frankly.

"I understand," Yuan Ming nodded.

...

That night, at Dingyang Building.

Located in the heart of the Capital, the building stood five stories high, with its roofs covered in glazed gold tiles and red lanterns hanging below. Although night had fallen, it was brilliantly lit, resembling a lofty torch from afar that dispelled the darkness.

The area below was noisy with chatter. Now and then, carriages engraved with intricate patterns would stop in front of the door, and nobles in luxurious robes would step out to walk toward the building, attended by servants.

However, before they could enter, they would be stopped by several guards who required them to present an invitation before they could be allowed in.

This sort of practice naturally led to dissatisfaction among some of the nobles who were proud and haughty.

Whenever this happened, a pleasant-looking guard would step forward to explain, casually mentioning "the Eighth Prince" in conversation. Most people would then back down.

In the midst of the commotion, a luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop in the open space in front of the building, surrounded by several guards. Yuan Ming lifted the curtain and stepped out before the guards could even turn around to report.

He instructed Wang Shun and the guards to find a place to wait outside the building, then headed straight for Dingyang Building.

At the entrance, a guard on the left side, seeing another visitor approach, instinctively moved forward but was suddenly stopped by a colleague.

Looking confusedly at his colleague, he saw that the guard, who usually flaunted his status as a Royal Mansion guard, was now wearing an exceptionally flattering smile.

"It's Young Master Yuan, please come in, please come in."

Yuan Ming didn't look at him, simply nodded in acknowledgment, and walked inside.

Just as he did, a middle-aged man dressed as a steward emerged from the building. Seeing the scene, he immediately approached to greet Yuan Ming.

The man was the Prince Manor's Chief Steward, who bowed respectfully to Yuan Ming: "Young Master Yuan, you have finally arrived. The Young Master Heir was just asking about you."

With that, he turned to personally lead Yuan Ming inside.

This scene left the guard on the left side utterly dumbfounded, while his colleague displayed no surprise: "Hey, what are you staring at? Someone else is coming."

The guard on the left side came back to his senses and quickly stopped another person rushing over, but before he could say anything, that person impatiently threw over an invitation.

"Here, the invitation. Don't hold me up any longer!"

The guard on the left side checked the invitation in confusion, stepped aside to let them through, and the person hurried after Yuan Ming.

Observing this, the guard on the left side turned to his colleague: "Hey, who exactly is that Young Master Yuan just now..."

He hadn't finished speaking when another person came over, looking impatient.

"Was that Young Master Yuan who went in before? Let me through; I want to meet him."

"Young Master Yuan is here today as well, that's a shame, a shame."

Watching this scene, the guard on the left grew even more baffled.

Could it be that I am the only one who doesn't recognize Young Master Yuan?

...

Of course, Yuan Ming was unaware of the commotion at the entrance.

At that moment, he followed the Royal Mansion Butler straight to the fifth floor of Dingyang Building, the site of the literary gathering.

The place was not crowded, but each person there was renowned in the Capital, and unlike other guests at the gathering, they were attended by numerous personal servants.

Yuan Ming, who arrived alone, stood out as the odd one out.

Yet, as soon as he appeared, he drew the attention of everyone present.

The Princely Heir of the Eighth Prince, who was conversing with others, was the first to notice Yuan Ming. He excused himself from his conversation and stood up to greet him.

"Haha, Young Master Yuan, this princely heir has been eagerly awaiting you."

Yuan Ming bowed: "I have arrived late; please forgive me, Princely Heir."

The Princely Heir laughed heartily: "No problem at all, come, Young Master Yuan. You have been away from the Capital for three years; some people here might not recognize you anymore. Let me reintroduce you."

Yuan Ming nodded politely, although he recognized most of the people present, he did not want to disrespect the Princely Heir.

But just then, suddenly, a guard came up from downstairs and whispered something in the Princely Heir's ear.

The Princely Heir's expression changed slightly: "Young Master Yuan, I am exceedingly apologetic, but I have an urgent matter to attend to. Please make yourself at home, and if you need anything, just tell Housekeeper Li."

With that, he hurried off with the guard under the astonished gazes of many around him.

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