Xue Beng Was Ruined, Xue Qinghe Shouldered the Heavy Burden of Succession

As for whether we can actually get our hands on the wool from the Sea God, that remains to be seen.

Yes, I need to go to the Heaven Dou Treasury in person.

Regardless of whether we'll ultimately need it or not, let's get our hands on the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud first.

Even if I can't use it myself, I absolutely cannot leave it to Tang San!

He took out five wooden boxes that he had prepared beforehand and opened them one by one.

Five Spirit Bone lay quietly inside, each emitting a different hue: eerie green, deep purple, pitch black, and so on, all of them a highly poisonous color.

Dugu Bo's breath hitched slightly. He stared intently at Lin Hai, confirming that his expression was serious and not feigned. He forced back his heartache and shook his head, saying:

"Take it away, take it away. I'm not selling my granddaughter. Just treat Yanyan well from now on."

After saying that, he closed his eyes, preferring to ignore it.

Lin Hai paused for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly closed the box lids one by one, and sighed softly:

"Very well. But you must be careful, Chrysanthemum Douluo will be coming to Heaven Dou City soon. Now that his Martial Soul Evolution, he'll probably be showing off his power quite a bit..."

Before he could finish speaking, Dugu Bo had already flashed to his side, grabbed his wrist, and didn't even look at Lin Hai:

"Ahem... I suddenly realize that raising Yanyan all these years with so much hardship has been truly difficult! You should show me some respect, kid!"

Lin Hai wore a playful expression, said nothing, and sat down directly, filling Dugu Bo's teacup and pouring one for himself.

He toyed with the teacup in his hand and asked, seemingly casually:

"Old Monster, what do you think of Xue Beng and Xue Xing?"

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly, then he sat down and said in a low voice, "They are not as bad as the rumors say. You may not know..."

"You mean they're just hiding their true abilities, Xue Beng pretending to be a spoiled brat just to avoid being targeted by Xue Qinghe, is that right?" Lin Hai interrupted him, then smiled and said:

"Have you heard that a prisoner escaped from the city's death row last night?"

"I put it there!"

Dugu Bo remained silent, staring intently at Lin Hai, waiting for him to continue.

"Xue Beng took a fancy to that prisoner's fiancée, murdered her father, and framed her for it." Lin Hai said calmly, then paused and added:

"As for Prince Xue Xing, I don't need to say more, do I? You should know better than me how many despicable things he's done over the years. Is this some kind of attempt to hide his true abilities?"

Dugu Bo's expression gradually darkened, and he sighed, "Of course I know... but Xue Xing Life-Saving Grace..."

Lin Hai suddenly stood up. "Then I'll go and kill Xue Xing and his nephew tonight!"

Dugu Bo instinctively grabbed his arm, about to speak, but Lin Hai had already sat back down, shaking his head and sighing:

"Fine, since you're stopping me, let them live a few more days. Now, you've repaid his Life-Saving Grace twice over!"

His affected manner left Dugu Bo speechless.

Is this really how you "repay a debt of gratitude"?!

"You're so shameless, you'd better not let Yanyan see you!" Dugu Bo said with a strange expression.

Afterwards, the old man and the young man chatted in the room for a long time until Dugu Bo said, "I didn't prepare food for you," Lin Hai left reluctantly.

Over the next two weeks, two major events occurred in Heaven Dou City—

The national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, was stolen.

The Fourth Imperial Prince Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing were both attacked in the mansion. It's incredible. It is said that even the Ye Family Head said that he was powerless to save them.

Xue Ye was furious and ordered a strict news blackout, and commanded Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to work with Grand Marshal Ge Long to conduct a thorough investigation.

The news of the stolen national treasure was indeed suppressed, but the news of the two men's awesomeness quickly spread throughout the city thanks to the instigation of some people with ulterior motives.

Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the city.

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Council Hall.

Xue Ye sat upright on his throne, his face grim. "Grand Marshal, I ordered you to investigate together with the Crown Prince. You haven't really become his follower, have you?"

Ge Long smiled wryly, "Your His Majesty, I understand your intentions. But although the investigation these past few days has yielded no results, it really doesn't seem like something His Crown Prince would do. This is quite different from what happened with the two Imperial Prince back then..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was coldly interrupted by the Xue Ye:

"The second and third sons died of poisoning back then, and Xue Beng and Xue Xing are now impotent—you've ruled out the Crown Prince based on this alone?"

"Do you really think that members of the royal family are so inflexible, so unable to innovate their methods?!"

Ge Long felt helpless. Ultimately, the struggle for the throne is a family matter for the Xue Family.

Besides, given Xue Beng's character, which minister would be willing to follow him? Aren't they afraid that one day, while he's gone, their own concubines will be stolen away?!

But Xue Ye was in a bad mood, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply:

"Your His Majesty, in my opinion, whether this matter is related to the Crown Prince is no longer important."

Xue Ye seemed to realize that the person in front of him was the Grand Marshal who commanded the entire nation's army and Soul Douluo powerhouse, not an ordinary courtier.

So he softened his tone slightly and said calmly, "Go on."

Ge Long cupped his hands and said, "Your His Majesty, you originally had four Imperial Prince and one younger brother, but now... If I may speak frankly, even if this was truly the work of the Crown Prince, what can be done?"

"Moreover, His Crown Prince is kind and generous, and has assisted His Majesty in handling state affairs for many years without any faults. Except... except that he has not yet married..."

Xue Ye knew that Ge Long was right.

Regardless of whether Xue Qinghe was responsible, he had no other choice.

That child was indeed kind and gentle, and well-liked, except for his younger brother...

But what could he say about such a thing?

Throughout history, the struggle for succession has inevitably been accompanied by bloodshed.

Harming one's brothers is a heinous crime in ordinary families, but in the imperial family, it is almost an essential tactic.

He sighed deeply, "Then, in your opinion, who are some suitable candidates for the Crown Princess?"

Over the years, Xue Qinghe, and rumors have circulated throughout the city, with all sorts of things said:

What about incompetence, lust for men, a domineering Imperial Prince falling in love with a princess...?

Even Tang Yuehua, whom he greatly admired, was not spared, and rumors spread that father and son were fighting over a wife!

Xue Ye believed that Ge Long and other courtiers had already discussed this matter privately.

Ge Long pretended to ponder for a moment, then replied:

"Logically speaking, women from the Upper Three Sects would be the best candidates. But His Majesty also knows that they only take in sons-in-law and do not marry outside the clan, so it is obviously impossible."

Xue Ye waved his hand. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Yes. Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo, is only twenty years old, and it is said that her Soul Power has already reached level sixty-two, which is unprecedented. Even Tang Hao back then was far inferior to her." Ge Long paused and added:

"However, the young man from the Marquis Anguo's family is a member of the Imperial Fighting Team, just like Dugu Yan. According to him, Dugu Yan already has someone she loves. Considering the relationship between Poison Douluo and Prince Xue Xing, he probably won't agree."

I feel a bit weary on this Xue Ye.

He had heard about Dugu Yan before. Although she was originally quite talented, she was far from reaching her current level.

Six years ago, her sudden rise to prominence piqued his curiosity. But after being met with a cold shoulder when he tried to probe Dugu Bo, he didn't pursue the matter further.

Anyway, as long as I'm at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, that's fine.