Qian Renxue's Recruitment, a Royal Guest Elder

"Today has certainly been interesting. I never expected to run into Royal Uncle, Junior Ye, and... His Excellency Shi Jian here." Qian Renxue strode toward the VIP seats. Upon arriving, she wore a gentle smile as she spoke.

Hearing that voice, Prince Xue Xing's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look.

Sure enough, it was his utterly deranged eldest nephew. He had actually come here too!

"Q-Qinghe..." Prince Xue Xing rose to his feet, his voice slightly stammering. But he quickly broke into a bright smile and said, "Qinghe, what brings you here as well? Had I known, uncle and nephew could have come together."

"Royal Uncle, I naturally came for the auction. I heard that today's final item is a Torso Soul Bone from a thirty-thousand-year Spiny Flame Evil Lion Tiger. Qinghe wishes to purchase it for the royal family, so it may one day be bestowed upon a meritorious subject." Qian Renxue smiled at Prince Xue Xing.

"I see. Uncle and nephew truly had the same idea. By the way, let me introduce you. These two are..."

"There's no need. Qinghe knows them. Junior Ye, we meet again." Xue Qinghe looked at Ye Zhou and said with a smile.

Ye Zhou had risen to his feet the moment Qian Renxue arrived. Since Qian Renxue wanted to put on an act, he would play along.

A guileless smile appeared on Ye Zhou's face as he looked up at Qian Renxue. "Long time no see, Senior."

"Yes. I heard you won two consecutive matches at the Great Soul Arena a few days ago. You also injured Poison Douluo's granddaughter, which led him to target you. Are you all right now?" Like a caring older brother concerned for his junior, Xue Qinghe asked Ye Zhou.

"I'm fine now. Senior Poison Douluo said he'd let Senior Sister Dugu come find me and settle the score herself." Ye Zhou scratched his head.

Then, looking at Shi Jian, he said, "Fortunately, Uncle Jian stepped in back then. Otherwise, Senior Poison Douluo definitely would have knocked me off the arena. Uncle Jian is my great benefactor!"

"Mm." Qian Renxue nodded, then turned to Shi Jian and bowed. "Qinghe greets His Excellency Shi Jian. Thank you for protecting my junior."

With a single sentence, Qian Renxue had claimed Ye Zhou as one of her own.

Prince Xue Xing's expression changed. What was going on? How did those two know each other? They even seemed quite familiar! I was the one who brought that brat into the academy! I'm the dean, he's my student—I'm the one who guided him!

What gives you the right to be so familiar with him?

"No need for such ceremony. Sit." Shi Jian waved his hand.

"Yes." Qian Renxue looked at Ye Zhou with a smile, then sat down beside him.

"Senior, let me tell you, I've already joined Uncle Jian's sect—Maoshan!" After sitting down again, Ye Zhou took the initiative to tell Qian Renxue, like a child incapable of keeping secrets.

Qian Renxue had naturally known about this long ago, but she still pretended to be unaware. A hint of confusion appeared on her face as she asked, "Maoshan?"

"That's right. Uncle Jian said Maoshan is a reclusive sect. Due to certain reasons, it has now declined, so he left the deep mountains to recruit disciples and restore Maoshan to its former glory! Then he thought my talent was pretty good and asked whether I wanted to join. Of course I agreed! No matter how much it has declined, it's still a sect with a Titled Douluo!" Ye Zhou leaned close to Qian Renxue's ear and spoke in an extremely low voice, as if that would keep those around them from hearing.

A reclusive sect? No wonder I've never heard of it. It seems Maoshan isn't a place name, or perhaps it is merely a name coined by the sect's disciples and has never gained widespread recognition, Qian Renxue thought.

She naturally also knew that Shi Jian wanted to restore Maoshan, but Salas's trip had truly been for nothing.

But...

"Your Excellency Shi Jian, did you come to Heaven Dou City intending to relocate your sect here?" Qian Renxue asked Shi Jian.

She knew Ye Zhou's voice from earlier definitely could not have escaped Shi Jian's ears. There was no need to pretend before a Titled Douluo that she still did not know of the matter; otherwise, he might think her overly calculating. Asking directly would instead make her seem forthright.

Sure enough, Shi Jian showed no displeasure at her question. He merely said, "Correct."

"The royal family is willing to assist Your Excellency," Qian Renxue said earnestly.

"What do I need to give in return?" Shi Jian asked bluntly. He seemed to prefer doing things straightforwardly.

"Your friendship! The royal family hopes to gain your friendship and hire you as a royal Guest Elder. Should the royal family ever face danger, we hope you will lend us your aid!" Qian Renxue looked at Shi Jian. Her expression and tone made her seem like a fine Crown Prince who had devoted his heart and soul to the nation.

The royal family's friendship? That sounds nice. You mean your friendship, don't you? Shi Jian snorted inwardly, his expression unchanged.

At his age, and having read the Douluo Continent novel, how could he fail to see through Qian Renxue's intentions?

She was using the Heaven Dou Royal Family's name to recruit him. If he agreed, he would ostensibly become a royal Guest Elder, but in reality, Qian Renxue could use her identity as Crown Prince to make him do things. Whether those things benefited or harmed the royal family would be difficult to say.

Just like the Heaven Dou Palace Coup in the book, quite a few elites of the Heaven Dou Empire had stood on Qian Renxue's side. Had those people betrayed the Heaven Dou Empire and defected to Spirit Hall?

No.

They had merely obeyed the Crown Prince's orders. Who could have known the Crown Prince was fake?

The situation was the same now. She represented the royal family in recruiting him. If he agreed, she would surely be responsible for providing him with all kinds of royal resources. With that favor, coupled with her status as Crown Prince, if she asked him to do something in the future—such as helping her kill Dugu Bo, or stopping Tang San and his group from trying to storm the palace—would he refuse?

He definitely would not.

Shi Jian thought about it. If he had not read the Douluo Continent novel, Qian Renxue's scheme really would have worked on him.

After all, she was the Crown Prince of a nation. She gave him resources and helped him restore his sect. Then some commoners tried to storm the palace and opened their mouths claiming she had betrayed the country—who would believe that?

With his temperament, he would definitely kill whoever dared slander the Crown Prince with a single Lightning Flash Fist.

Tsk, tsk. What a formidable woman, Shi Jian thought, shaking his head inwardly.

"Your Excellency, what do you think? The royal family sincerely wishes to be your friend." Seeing Shi Jian remain silent, and assuming he was considering it, Qian Renxue asked in an incomparably sincere tone.

Prince Xue Xing grew somewhat anxious. I haven't even spoken on the royal family's behalf yet. You arrived late, haven't even warmed your seat, and you're already trying to recruit him? Isn't that a little improper?

"Your Excellency, the royal family has always respected powerful Soul Masters. Since you have come to Heaven Dou City, you must value certain strengths of our Heaven Dou Empire. I can assure you that as long as..."

"I agree!" Before Prince Xue Xing could finish, Shi Jian coldly accepted the so-called friendship Qian Renxue had proposed earlier.

"Uh..." Prince Xue Xing froze. Was he really that easy to persuade?

Qian Renxue was also somewhat surprised, but she quickly understood. It seemed this man had come to Heaven Dou City intending from the beginning to rely on the Heaven Dou Royal Family's strength to restore his sect.

As she thought this, a delighted smile appeared on Qian Renxue's face. She said to Shi Jian, "Does Your Excellency truly mean that?"

"Mm. However, your Heaven Dou Royal Family must fully assist me in restoring Maoshan!" Shi Jian nodded.

"Of course. From this day forward, Your Excellency Shi Jian shall be a Guest Elder of the Heaven Dou Royal Family. The Heaven Dou Royal Family will certainly give Your Excellency its full support!" Qian Renxue said earnestly.

After all, I'm spending the Heaven Dou Royal Family's resources to forge a friendship between myself and this so-called Maoshan. Borrowing a chicken to lay eggs—I lose nothing!

Ye Zhou looked at Shi Jian on his left, then at Qian Renxue on his right. His expression was blank, as though he could not understand at all what they had just been talking about.