Sacred Oath

Sacred Oath

Deep within the Crown Prince's eastern palace, inside a dim secret chamber.

Qian Renxue sat cross-legged on a cushion, her slender jade fingers clenched into fists, her knuckles whitening from the force. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her long lashes trembling slightly as though she were enduring some indescribable torment. In the flickering candlelight, fine beads of sweat covered her smooth forehead, trailing down her delicate chin and dripping onto her luxurious robes.

A muffled groan escaped through her clenched teeth. After an unknown amount of time, Qian Renxue suddenly opened her eyes. The pupils that were usually cold as frost now glimmered with a faint golden light, especially striking within the dark chamber.

"Where exactly did that brat go with Dugu Bo?" she muttered through gritted teeth, her voice carrying traces of anxiety and worry that were difficult to detect. Her slender fingers unconsciously rubbed the Jade Pendant at her waist, several faint cracks already appearing across its surface from the excessive pressure.

"Attend me!" Qian Renxue suddenly called out. The pain on her face instantly vanished, and she resumed the composed bearing of the Crown Prince who held everything under control.

"Young Master." A Shadowy Figure appeared behind her as ghostly as Ghostly, kneeling on one knee. His voice was respectful yet elusive, as though it came from somewhere far away.

Qian Renxue gracefully wiped away the lingering sweat from her forehead, her tone so calm that it was as if nothing had happened. "Go investigate where that brat went with Dugu Bo."

"As you command, Young Master." The Shadowy Figure accepted the order and departed, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a barely perceptible ripple of Soul Power.

The secret chamber fell silent again. Qian Renxue stared at the wavering candle flame, a complicated look flashing through her eyes. She gently pressed a hand to her chest, where a strange flutter could faintly be felt.

Elsewhere, in Star Dou Forest.

Feng Yao slowly opened his eyes, brilliance flowing through them. After several hours of Soul Power tempering, he had finally successfully absorbed the first Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring of his life. Before he could carefully sense the surging Soul Power within his body, Dugu Bo had already appeared before him.

"Don't move." Dugu Bo's gaunt fingers precisely gripped Feng Yao's wrist. A trace of surprise flashed through his clouded eyes. "One Spirit Ring let you break through four levels in a row?" Old Poison smacked his lips, his voice carrying a hint of sourness. "But the Soul Power impact was too fierce, and your Meridians suffered some damage. Don't worry, with this old man here—"

Before he could finish, Feng Yao's expression suddenly changed. His chest heaved violently, and a completely emerald-green Dan Zhu shot out of his mouth, hovering a few inches above his palm and emitting a lustrous glow. The patterns flowing across its surface were identical to those of the Soul Bamboo, resonating strangely with Feng Yao's breathing as if it possessed life.

"This..." Before Feng Yao could even be surprised, he heard Dugu Bo let out a sour snort. With a wave of his sleeve, Old Poison spat out a jade-green Dan Zhu as well, though its color was deeper and wisps of poisonous mist coiled around its surface.

"I call this a Dan Zhu. Of course, I didn't have your brat's good fortune. I spent sixty years cultivating Soul Power and gathering poison within my body to form it. It can only store a portion of my Soul Power and toxins. Dan Zhu can be found in many Spirit Beasts. For plant-type Spirit Beasts that love storing energy, theoretically, it can also be considered a type of External Soul Bone. Its use is to accumulate a large amount of Soul Power, and that amount will only continue growing." Dugu Bo explained irritably.

Feng Yao's eyes lit up at this, though he remained puzzled. "Can an ordinary Spirit Beast like Soul Bamboo really produce something so precious?"

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes at Feng Yao. "If ordinary Spirit Masters can produce freaks like you, why can't Spirit Beasts? A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bamboo capable of cultivation naturally isn't an ordinary Soul Bamboo. Just as there are geniuses among Spirit Masters, there are differences in talent among Spirit Beasts. That's why older Spirit Beasts have a higher chance of producing Spirit Bones."

Feng Yao then retracted the Dan Zhu and gave Dugu Bo a slight bow with a smile. "Thank you, Senior."

While Feng Yao was speaking, Dugu Bo suddenly took several medicinal herbs from his Soul Tool, crushed them into pills, and flicked them into Feng Yao's mouth without explanation.

"Ugh!" Feng Yao rolled his eyes from the sudden bitterness and nearly choked to death. Just as he was about to protest, Dugu Bo had already grabbed him by the back of the collar and soared into the air. Old Poison's gleeful voice drifted through the night wind. "Save your strength. We've still got a long way back!"

In just two days, Dugu Bo brought Feng Yao back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The moment they appeared at the academy gates, news had already reached Qian Renxue's ears.

"Young Master, judging from Dugu Bo's direction of travel, they most likely went to Star Dou Forest." That elusive voice sounded beside Qian Renxue once more, carrying certainty.

"Mm. Dismissed." Qian Renxue's expression remained calm as her fingertips lightly tapped the table. Once the ripple of Soul Power had completely dissipated, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed through her eyes.

"Interesting." Her lips curved slightly as she murmured to herself, "With Dugu Bo's strength, if it had merely been an ordinary hunt for a Spirit Ring, how could that brat have been injured? Unless..." She suddenly rose to her feet, dark patterns flowing across her luxurious robes in the candlelight. "Unless the Spirit Ring they hunted far exceeded the limit that an ordinary Soul Ancestor could endure!"

Qian Renxue paced back and forth through the hall, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "Sunset Forest clearly has Spirit Beasts suited for Soul Ancestors. Why take the risk of going all the way to Star Dou Forest? Unless..." She suddenly stopped, her jade hand clenching into a fist. "Unless the Spirit Beasts in Sunset Forest couldn't satisfy his needs!"

At that thought, Feng Yao's solemnly sworn appearance from that day surfaced in her mind. A trace of anger immediately appeared on her pretty face. "So much for 'having no secrets.'" She gave a cold snort, a wisp of golden Soul Power gathering at her fingertips. "It seems I underestimated you."

"Attend me. Prepare for a visit to Heaven Dou Royal Academy." Qian Renxue flicked her sleeve, her tone indifferent.

As her Soul Power circulated, a brilliant golden flash passed through the room. The noble, cold, beautiful girl in the mirror had transformed into the gentle and refined Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Once Feng Yao had settled himself and arrived at the training ground where he usually played the zither, the members of the Imperial Dou Team quickly gathered around him.

"Little Feng!" Dugu Yan was the first to approach, concern in her purple eyes. "Did the Spirit Ring hunt go smoothly this time?"

Feng Yao smiled faintly, his fingertips casually brushing over the tip of his nose. "With Senior Dugu's help, everything naturally went smoothly." He looked around at everyone, his voice gentle but authoritative. "The tournament is approaching. Although we have a direct entry slot, we cannot slack off in training."

"Oh?" Dugu Yan blinked teasingly. "Our Little Feng is getting more and more like a captain."

Feng Yao shook his head helplessly. "Sister Yan, don't make fun of me. What kind of captain misses team training all the time?"

Not far away, Xue Qinghe stood holding a folding fan, taking in the entire scene. Watching the youth laugh and chat with his teammates, an indescribable flutter suddenly passed through his heart. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the fan, and the jade-white ribs made a faint cracking sound.

"His Highness the Crown Prince!" Yu Feng spotted Xue Qinghe standing in the distance first.

Feng Yao frowned slightly and turned to the Imperial Fighting Team. "Continue training. I'll go pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince." Everyone nodded knowingly and watched him walk toward the elegant figure.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Feng Yao bowed.

Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened, and her folding fan snapped shut. "You're injured?" Though phrased as a question, her tone was so certain that it allowed no denial.

Feng Yao's pupils shrank. Remembering that the Crown Prince had come the moment he returned to the academy, his expression immediately darkened. "Your Highness has been watching me?"

"What?" Qian Renxue gave a soft laugh, her jade-white fingertips brushing over the fan ribs. "Should I not watch a brat full of lies?" She took half a step forward. A faint scent of Dragon Saliva Incense mixed with a dangerous ripple of Soul Power. "Or would you prefer that I personally examine your condition?"

Feng Yao's gaze darkened as his thoughts raced. No. With Dugu Bo's strength, even a Title Douluo secretly watching us would be hard pressed to avoid detection. Dugu Bo could even sense Light Feather Douluo's arrows. Could the method she used that day really have left some mark on me? But the Angel Spirit shouldn't be capable of casting curses...

Qian Renxue studied Feng Yao's shifting expression with interest, lightly waving her fan. "Come. Let's have a proper talk."

Feng Yao instinctively stepped back half a pace, his eyes becoming even more guarded. "Forgive me, but I must decline. I still vividly remember the 'lesson' from being alone with Your Highness last time. If something else is discovered, I don't have a second life to spare."

A trace of barely perceptible guilt flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes. Feng Yao had indeed been sincere when he presented the cultivation method that day. It was she who had failed to hide herself properly, and for the sake of caution, she had been somewhat too aggressive...

"Very well." She sighed softly, pointing her folding fan toward Heaven Dou City. "Then how about we talk at a tea house in Heaven Dou City? In public, I surely would not attack you." As she spoke, she deliberately revealed a hint of helplessness.

Feng Yao fell silent for a moment before finally nodding slightly. He truly needed to find out what Qian Renxue had done to him that day.

As they boarded the luxurious gilded carriage carved with floral patterns, four pure white steeds raised their front hooves in unison, their gleaming horseshoes flashing coldly under the sunlight. At the driver's shout, the carriage smoothly departed the academy, its wheels crunching crisply across the Bluestone Slab road.

Inside the carriage, tea smoke curled upward from the agarwood table. Feng Yao and Qian Renxue sat facing one another, the air seemingly frozen with tension.

"I recall," Qian Renxue said, her slender fingers lightly tapping the teacup with a clear sound, "that someone once swore he was utterly loyal to me and would conceal nothing?"

Feng Yao lowered his eyes without speaking. He valued loyalty and righteousness, but he was no fool. Saying things against one's heart at a moment of life and death was less deception than a temporary expedient.

"When I presented a treasure to Your Highness that day," he said as he raised his eyes, his voice calm, "not only did Your Highness accidentally destroy it, but you also sought to take my life. Under such circumstances, is saying a few words to preserve my life not simply human nature?"

Qian Renxue's fingers paused slightly. The ripples in her teacup reflected her flickering gaze. "But in the end, I did not take your life. I even gave you some compensation."

"What compensation?" Feng Yao suddenly leaned forward, his gaze blazing. "Could Your Highness's so-called 'compensation' be that technique which has left me unable to sleep or eat in peace?"

"Indeed." Qian Renxue nodded faintly, her fingertips brushing the gilded armrest. "That is my 'compensation.'" Feng Yao remained silent, his burning gaze piercing toward her like a sharp sword.

"As for how I knew you were injured..." Qian Renxue paused, her lashes trembling lightly. "It is not some curse. It is the Angel Clan's Sacred Oath. Its only effect is—" She raised her eyes to meet Feng Yao's gaze. "Between you and me, pain and injuries are shared."

Feng Yao's pupils abruptly contracted. "In other words, if Your Highness is injured, I will also..."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment before finally nodding gently.

"Isn't that kidnapping?" Feng Yao gave a bitter smile and shook his head, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Jade Pendant at his waist.

"Kidnapping?" Qian Renxue suddenly sneered. Soul Power surged around her, and the carriage curtains fluttered without wind. "Then in your opinion, should I have taken your life directly back then?"

Feng Yao sighed inwardly. This is just perfect. Not only am I tied to Spirit Hall now, but worse still—if things truly go as they did in the original story, Qian Renxue is going to take a Guanyin's Tear someday...

"Your Highness," he forced out a smile, "is there any way to dissolve this Sacred Oath?"

Qian Renxue's red lips curved upward, though her eyes were icy. "Naturally." Her slender finger tapped lightly against her chest. "The oath will only be dissolved when both people are willing to die for the other."

Qian Renxue's fingertips gently traced the rim of her teacup, her voice as soft as falling snow. "Now that I have revealed my secret completely, what about you? Can you be utterly loyal to me and conceal nothing?"

Feng Yao slowly shook his head, his gaze clear as a mirror. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot. There is no one in this world who can hold nothing back from another person, not even the closest of kin." He lifted his teacup and watched the reflection in the water shatter beneath the ripples. "Just as with the method you mentioned for dissolving the Sacred Oath—if someone were truly willing to die for another, they would most likely not speak of it. They would choose to bear it silently."

The best example is your grandfather, Feng Yao silently added in his heart.

The carriage fell into prolonged silence, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of hooves against the Bluestone Slab road. Amid the curling tea smoke, Qian Renxue stared at the gradually cooling tea for the first time with doubt in her unwavering belief in "absolute loyalty."

The carriage rumbled onward, the scenery outside the window flowing past like water. Qian Renxue suddenly turned her head, her golden eyes blazing. "So in the end, you are unwilling to be honest with me?"

Feng Yao opened his mouth, but before he could speak, golden light suddenly erupted around Qian Renxue. A vast wave of Soul Power surged toward him, sending him flying like a kite with a snapped string. He crashed through the carriage curtain and slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Cough..." Feng Yao pushed himself up, rubbing his aching chest as he watched the gilded carriage speed away, a bitter smile on his face. "I hadn't even answered yet. At least give me a chance to respond..."

Feng Yao dusted himself off and watched the departing carriage with a puzzled look. "Come to think of it, could she even feel that kick? She wasn't just fooling me, was she?"