Qian Renxue felt a loud "buzz" in her mind, as if thunder had exploded inside it, shattering all her thoughts.
She spun around abruptly. Her pale violet eyes brimmed with tears, all her usual composure gone. Her voice was choked with emotion:
"Don't say any more... Please... I don't want to kill you with my own hands... Please..."
Su Yu took Qian Renxue's hand, then gently placed it over his heart.
"Big Sister, do you want to kill me?"
His voice was soft, yet like a pebble dropped into a deep pool, it stirred a thousand waves in her heart.
The scorching beat beneath her fingertips made Qian Renxue's hand tremble. She instinctively tried to pull it back, but he held her wrist firmly, leaving her unable to break free.
She looked up at him. Her pale violet eyes were filled with shock and panic, and even her breathing had become uneven.
"Because of a mission from Spirit Hall?"
Su Yu asked again, gazing at her calmly as if he had already seen through everything.
"You! You knew?"
Qian Renxue's voice rose sharply, trembling as her fingertips curled from the force, almost digging into his flesh.
"No, I didn't." Su Yu gently shook his head.
"But when I saw you disguised as Xue Qinghe, I could more or less guess what you were planning."
He paused, his gaze settling on her frightened face, and said word by word:
"As long as you ascend to the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire under the identity of Xue Qinghe!"
"Spirit Hall will be able to control the entire Heaven Dou Empire without lifting a finger. When that happens, the balance of power across the continent will probably change completely!"
He leaned slightly closer and looked into her eyes, quietly confirming:
"Am I