The First Move is the Strongest

It was a black ring, carved with an exquisitely tiny spider. It even contained faint Soul Power fluctuations, clearly marking it as a Soul Tool.

At that moment, it rested quietly on Muzhe's hand.

Qian Renxue froze, staring blankly as Muzhe put away the token.

When she was little, she had seen one just like that ring on her mother, Bibi Dong. Even if it was not the same one, it was likely part of a pair, or something similar.

Why couldn't it be a coincidence?

The methods for crafting Soul Tools on Douluo Continent had long since been lost. Finding the same style was incredibly difficult, and finding the same pattern was even harder—unless they had been a pair to begin with.

And this ring was not low-grade. Only someone of truly noble status could possibly possess it.

Qian Renxue did not believe this was a coincidence. But why did Muzhe have her mother's personal ring?

"Your Highness?"

Qian Renxue's state was a little strange, so Muzhe reached out and waved a hand in front of her as he called to her.

Only when she heard someone calling her did Qian Renxue come back to herself. Just now, when she saw something connected to her mother, Bibi Dong, her thoughts had unconsciously sunk into it.

She looked Muzhe over again. Handsome features, extraordinary talent, outstanding combat strength—in that instant, Qian Renxue seemed to understand many things.

That was right. Aside from Spirit Hall, what other force could possibly cultivate such a talent? Especially if that woman had personally raised him. Mm, the moment she saw Muzhe's ring, Qian Renxue had already assumed Muzhe was one of Bibi Dong's people.

Thinking of her mother's talent, even Qian Renxue could not help feeling ashamed of her own inferiority. She had heard from Douluo She Long that when her mother was her age, she had already been close to becoming a Soul Sage. Qian Renxue had started at level twenty, yet her cultivation speed was still lower than her mother's.

No, thinking of this, Qian Renxue shook her head inwardly in contradiction.

It had to be because she needed to stay undercover and usually had no time to cultivate. Otherwise, she definitely would not be inferior to that woman.

Mm, Qian Renxue was precisely such a contradictory person. Deep down, she clearly believed Bibi Dong was very powerful and longed for her approval, yet she was unwilling to admit defeat before Bibi Dong.

Following Qian Renxue's earlier line of sight, Muzhe looked at himself. It was actually the ring he had snatched from Yu Xiaogang.

Back at Nuoding Academy, to avoid suspicion, he had usually kept it in his pocket and only taken it out when he needed to use it. After leaving Nuoding City, he had put it on his hand and used it openly.

Muzhe knew this ring had definitely been given to Yu Xiaogang by Bibi Dong. No matter how he thought about it, that trash Yu Xiaogang could never afford something this high-end, and it even had Bibi Dong's signature pattern on it—a spider.

Thinking of Qian Renxue's gaze just now, it felt a little familiar. It was very similar to the way Tang Yuehua looked at Ah Yin. This was clearly a case of memories stirred by the sight of something familiar.

At that thought, Muzhe's heart suddenly tightened. A layer of cold sweat seeped out beneath the clothes on his back. What kind of absurd plotline was this?!

This was on a completely different level of difficulty from the matter with Tang Yuehua and Ah Yin!

If Tang Yuehua found out that the Blue Silver Grass in Muzhe's hand was Ah Yin, he was not afraid.

After all, with Tang Hao's sloppy appearance, he would not dare go see Tang Yuehua, and right now, he still had to stay by Tang San's side. Even if it was exposed, Tang Yuehua would not be able to contact Tang Hao.

In fact, even if Tang Yuehua and Tang Hao met in the future, by then Muzhe's strength would already have risen, so he would be even less afraid.

But the matter of Qian Renxue and the ring was different. Given Qian Renxue's obsession with Bibi Dong, she would definitely investigate it like mad, perhaps even monitor him.

He had never expected that the storage Soul Tool he had snatched from Yu Xiaogang back then would actually bring about such trouble. If Muzhe had known earlier, he would definitely have beaten Yu Xiaogang even more miserably.

No, he had to strike first.

If he simply let things develop, Qian Renxue would definitely put him under surveillance after returning and probe into his secrets bit by bit.

A bold plan rose in Muzhe's heart. Although it was very crude, it had bonus damage against Qian Renxue.

Originally, Muzhe had only planned to deal with "Xue Qinghe," but since he had already been exposed, he did not mind releasing a little information to Qian Renxue.

At Moonlight Pavilion, he had kept Tang Yuehua on the hook with Ah Yin. As for Qian Renxue, he would control her with information about Bibi Dong.

After all, Qian Renxue was a child even more starved for love than Tang San. Her father had died when she was young, her mother did not love her, and although she still had her grandfather to take care of her, in order to gain Bibi Dong's recognition, she had come to the Heaven Dou Empire to go undercover at the age of nine. By now, who knew how many years it had been since she had returned to Spirit Hall?

"Your Highness, were you looking at this ring? Is there something special about it?"

Muzhe gently adjusted the spider-emblem ring on his hand. His face wore a gentle smile, and his eyes held a trace of longing.

"My apologies. Seeing that ring reminded me of an elder, and I lost focus for a moment."

Qian Renxue revealed an apologetic smile, excusing her earlier lapse in manners.

"Perhaps it's a coincidence. This was given to me by my elder."

That was not exactly wrong. Bibi Dong had entrusted Yu Xiaogang with delivering the ring, and she did count as his elder. Anyone of a senior generation to him was an elder, after all.

As he spoke, Muzhe's eyes gradually grew distant, as if he had sunk into his own memories.

"I don't mind if Your Highness laughs at me for this. Although I'm quite strong now, my childhood was far from perfect."

"My parents died when I was young, leaving me alone and helpless. Fortunately, I was taken in by a great crowned one. She awakened my martial soul for me, taught me cultivation and knowledge, and for a time, I believed she was the most powerful and perfect woman in the world."

"But only one day did I learn that she, too, was a pitiful woman. In her youth, she was hurt by love, and afterward, her personality changed drastically."

"The reason I came out to train this time was to find that heartless man."

Wearing Xue Qinghe's face, Qian Renxue looked melancholy. Her eyes trembled faintly in their depths, as though she, too, had become immersed in Muzhe's story.

The gaze she directed at Muzhe held heartache and jealousy. Muzhe's childhood had been just as miserable as hers, but his outcome had been far better.

Muzhe secretly glanced at her. Bibi Dong really was her weakness. She had fallen into it so easily that she had not even realized why he had suddenly brought up his own story.

However, Xue Qinghe's face was truly off-putting. Although it was also very handsome, Muzhe still could not accept it. A trace of purple flashed through his eyes as his Purple Demon Eyes silently opened.

However, it was utterly useless. The disguise skill of the Head Spirit Bone left behind by the Angel God was still overwhelmingly powerful. Even a Titled Douluo could not see through it.

When the story was finished, clarity returned to Qian Renxue's eyes, though its aftertaste still lingered. "Can you tell me the story of that Eminence?"

Qian Renxue could already be certain that the Eminence Mu Zhe spoke of was Bibi Dong. After all, only a Titled Douluo was qualified to be addressed that way, and on the Douluo Continent, there were only a scant few female Titled Douluo.

She could hardly wait to learn Bibi Dong's story. She had a feeling that the reason Bibi Dong disliked her was hidden within it.

Qian Renxue's little heart gave an uncooperative thump. Even she did not understand why she reacted this way.

She had come to the Heaven Dou Empire to live undercover nearly ten years ago, and the daily palace struggles had made her believe her heart was as still as water, unmoved by external things. But when it involved news of her mother, Bibi Dong, she still could not help feeling a little nervous.

However, to Qian Renxue's disappointment, Mu Zhe merely shook his head lightly and did not continue.