Nightfall, Heart to Heart

A chill shot straight to their heads.

Everyone was terrified.

Tang Hao's analysis was logical and well-founded, seemingly without a single flaw to question.

And that was precisely the most terrifying part!

The current situation on the continent was one of confrontation between the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, with Spirit Hall acting as a third party to maintain the continent's relative peace.

But Tang Hao's speculation shattered that balance!

Luo Li's identity was far too special.

Not only was he Heaven Dou's sole Prince of Different Surname, he was also a prince who truly held military authority!

Coupled with his status as the Princess's fiancé, he possessed both fame and power!

His many years of brilliant military achievements had also caused his reputation among the people to soar.

The saying that half of Heaven Dou bore the surname Luo was no exaggeration at all!

If everything was truly as they thought, then it was simply too terrifying!

With King Frost Extreme, Spirit Hall could seize all of Heaven Dou without shedding a drop of blood!

They might even annex Star Luo and unify the continent—it would only be a matter of time!

Tang San's hands and feet turned cold.

His enemy was actually such a terrifying existence?!

"Then we should tell the Heaven Dou Emperor about this now. With his help, perhaps we can stop Spirit Hall's sinister plan!"

Tang San voiced his suggestion.

But Tang Hao rejected it.

"There's no chance now."

"If I had realized this earlier, perhaps I could have warned Xue Ye and joined forces with him to take down Luo Li."

"But Luo Li's influence has already become overwhelming."

"Even if Xue Ye learns the truth, I'm afraid he would be powerless to stop it. It would only cause Spirit Hall's plan to advance ahead of schedule."

Tang Hao sighed deeply.

There seemed to be no way to turn things around.

The atmosphere was unbearably heavy.

"Actually, based on what Lord Haotian said, Luo Li might not necessarily be one of Spirit Hall's people."

Oscar suddenly spoke, breaking the grave silence.

"Little Ao, why do you think so?"

Tang San abruptly raised his head and asked.

If someone had questioned his father under normal circumstances, Tang San would have put them on his list of people who deserved to die.

But this moment was different.

After all, deep down, he hoped Tang Hao's guess was wrong.

Otherwise, with Spirit Hall possessing Luo Li, he truly could not find the hope to seek revenge.

Oscar scratched the back of his head and said:

"I think Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo being connected to Luo Li doesn't mean Luo Li belongs to Spirit Hall."

"Maybe Spirit Hall merely wants to seek cooperation with King Frost Extreme. There's a strong chance that the two sides are independent factions."

"Even if Luo Li really is Spirit Hall's Holy Son, as long as he isn't Spirit Hall's Pope, the two of them can't possibly be of one mind."

"After all, Luo Li already stands at the peak of power on the entire continent. There's no reason for him to willingly remain beneath someone else."

Oscar voiced his thoughts.

Resent Luo Li as he might, one thing could not be denied.

This man's extraordinary brilliance had truly left a deep impression on him.

With such peerless bearing, Oscar did not believe someone who had already reached the pinnacle of power would willingly lower himself beneath another.

After all, even if he had truly come from Spirit Hall in the beginning, as long as he was not its Pope, he would ultimately still be beneath someone else.

But in Heaven Dou, he could stand as an equal to Xue Ye rather than be suppressed by him.

At any rate, if it were Oscar, he certainly would not be willing to give up his position at the top and be restrained by another person.

Hearing Oscar's words, the others found them very reasonable as well.

They were also more willing to believe that was the truth.

Tang San grew somewhat excited. "Little Ao is right."

"Thinking it over carefully, there's a high chance Luo Li and Spirit Hall aren't in the same camp."

"There may even be some hostility between them."

People always accepted what they wanted to believe with astonishing speed.

For Tang San, Luo Li and Spirit Hall being hostile toward one another was the far better outcome!

The expressions of the Shrek group improved, and they even began imagining Luo Li and Spirit Hall clashing and both sides suffering heavy losses.

Only Xiao Wu kept her head lowered in silence, her face slightly pale.

A fact echoed through her mind over and over in terror:

Third Brother's father was a Titled Douluo!

But none of the people immersed in their vengeful fantasies noticed anything unusual about her.

The sun sank westward, and night draped over the sky.

A bright jade moon hung in the night sky, surrounded by scattered stars.

"Knock, knock."

A soft, rhythmic knock slowly sounded.

Luo Li, seated on the hotel balcony and admiring the bright moon in the night sky, lightly waved his hand.

Under his precise control, Soul Power opened the door.

"Come in."

His calm voice drifted through the quiet night.

The door opened.

Qian Renxue, dressed in a light-colored long gown, entered the room.

Her golden hair was gathered into a ponytail with a hairpin, perfectly accentuating her face with its faintly heroic air.

Her usual gentle temperament had diminished somewhat, replaced by a clean and capable heroism.

She closed the door and walked toward the balcony on her long legs.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight.

Silver Frost streamed down, illuminating the youth lazily reclining in his lounge chair.

The cold moonlight fell upon that face which still dazzled Qian Renxue no matter how many times she had seen it, adding an even more ethereal quality to it.

"Miss Qian, have a seat." Luo Li lightly gestured toward the lounge chair opposite him, but his gaze remained fixed upon the boundless night.

Qian Renxue swallowed the words already at her lips and slowly reclined in the other lounge chair beside him, imitating Luo Li.

She gently placed her hands before her as the tranquil night sky entered her view.

Neither of them spoke, lying side by side in the two lounge chairs on the balcony.

A small table stood between them, holding two teacups and a pot of fragrant jasmine tea.

The peaceful atmosphere gradually calmed Qian Renxue's originally unsettled heart.

As she began to quietly appreciate the night, she discovered for the first time that this ordinary scenery seemed exceptionally enchanting.

Time slowly passed amid the soft song of nightingales.

Qian Renxue seemed to have already immersed herself in this peaceful feeling.

At this moment, she bore neither the pressure of masquerading as the Crown Prince nor the obsession with seeking her mother's approval.

She was merely herself, living purely as an independent person.

At least, she was at this moment.

"Miss Qian, aren't you worried that I might have ulterior motives?"

After an unknown amount of time, Luo Li's voice slowly rang out.

He did not ask Qian Renxue about her decision.

Because it was meaningless.

Her appearance here already showed that she had made her choice.

"There's nothing to worry about." Qian Renxue tilted up her lovely face, the starry sky reflected in her beautiful golden eyes.

The corners of her lips curved slightly, and her voice held an inexplicable playfulness. "After all, Young Master Luo already knows everything."

"If you wanted to make a move, you would have done so long ago."

"There were too many opportunities along the way. Snake Lance and Pufferfish couldn't have stopped you."

"Isn't that right, Brother Luo?"

She once again used the form of address she had only used when she was Xue Qinghe.

She turned slightly to the side, propping up her face as the starry sky in her eyes became the peerless youth before her.

"After all, Brother Luo said so back then."

I will not interfere with the Crown Prince's affairs.

Only after learning that Luo Li had long known her true identity did Qian Renxue suddenly realize it.

That sentence he had spoken outside the hall before leaving had already revealed his stance.

That was also why she felt at ease.

She always had a strange trust in this man.

Luo Li rested both hands behind his head, his eyes half-closed as he spoke lazily:

"I don't care whether this empire bears the surname Xue, Qian, or something else."

"I have only one goal..."

He opened his eyes, and the brilliant starry sky reflected in their depths.

He slowly raised an arm and lightly closed his hand around the stars before him.

The bright moon hanging in the sky seemed to rest within his palm.

"As for everything else..."

"As long as Miss Qian can make this empire better, that will be enough."

Qian Renxue lightly pressed her red lips together, her voice solemn as though making a promise.

"I will!"