As for Xue Beng...
That guy might have been a playboy who pretended to be mad and foolish, but he was still a prince—and an exceptionally vindictive petty man.
Having his arm broken in the street today and losing so much face, he would never let this go.
But trash like him definitely would not dare bring people over to die again himself.
Other than Xue Ye, the only backer he could turn to was the uncle who had always supported him—Prince Xue Xing.
And Prince Xue Xing's greatest reliance was Dugu Bo, the Titled Douluo whose poison was unrivaled under heaven.
That old fox Xue Xing would definitely invite Dugu Bo out, whether to vent his nephew's anger or to probe Xuan Hao's background.
That completed a perfect loop.
What he wanted most right now were the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. But he could not simply go looking for Dugu Bo himself; that would be too abrupt, too dangerous, and entirely unprovoked.
But what if Dugu Bo came to his door looking for trouble?
Then it would become "self-defense," and any retaliation afterward would be perfectly justified.
He could not beat Dugu Bo, but could he not beat Dugu Yan?
If that Old Poison dared bully the young with his seniority, then he could not blame Xuan Hao for abandoning martial ethics.
At the same time, at the prince's residence.
"Uncle! You have to stand up for me!"
With one arm hanging limp, Xue Beng knelt before Prince Xue Xing, crying his eyes out. "That commoner... not only did he break my arm, he humiliated the Imperial Family in public! Even Elder Brother... Elder Brother spoke up for that outsider!"
"Elder Brother wants to win people's hearts! He does not care about the Imperial Family's dignity at all!"
"Qing He... is indeed becoming harder and harder to read." Prince Xue Xing snorted coldly. "For an unknown brat, he actually made you lose face in public."
"Uncle, that brat is still staying at the Heaven Dou Royal Hotel! Let's go arrest him now!" Xue Beng said through gritted teeth. "I'll break all four of his limbs and sell his Younger Sister to a brothel!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Prince Xue Xing glared at him. "How are you supposed to arrest him in broad daylight? Qing He has already said he will not pursue the matter. If I lead soldiers there to arrest him now, I would be slapping the Crown Prince's face! When His Majesty holds us accountable, who will bear the responsibility?"
"Then... then what do we do? Are we just letting this go?" Xue Beng asked unwillingly.
"Let it go?" Prince Xue Xing sneered. "He broke a prince's arm and still wants to live freely in Heaven Dou City? Dream on!"
"Since Qing He wants to win him over, we'll destroy him!"
"Isn't this brat arrogant? Didn't he even disregard the Imperial Guards? Then I want to see whether he can remain so arrogant before a Titled Douluo!"
At this point, Prince Xue Xing turned to the attendant beside him and ordered,
"Prepare the carriage! We're going to Sunset Forest!"
"I am going to invite Mister Dugu to come out!"
"Tell Mister Dugu that a brat with a top-tier Dragon Spirit has arrived in Heaven Dou City. Not only did he seriously injure the Fourth Prince, he even claimed that Mister Dugu's poison was nothing but a joke!"
"Mister Dugu hates it most when others look down on his poison."
"I refuse to believe that brat can stay so tough under the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's deadly venom!"
Spirit City, Papal Palace.
Yue Guan truly lived up to his status as a Titled Douluo. Traveling at full speed, he crossed more than half of the Heaven Dou Empire in just one day and returned to Spirit City covered in dust.
At that moment, following the explanation Xuan Hao had taught him, he knelt on the ground and delivered his report with deep emotion.
"Your Excellency... this subordinate is incompetent. Although I found Xuan Hao in Heaven Dou City, he... he refused to return with me no matter what!"
Yue Guan's seductive face was filled with "heartache" and "helplessness," and he even squeezed out a few tears.
"You did not see Young Master's condition... He had lost so much weight, his eye sockets were sunken, and even the edges of his clothes had been worn through. When I found him, he was huddled in a corner of a small inn, chewing on dry rations. The moment he saw me, he trembled all over, grabbed my sleeve, and cried, saying, 'Teacher will definitely kill me...'"
On the high platform, Bibi Dong's frosty expression softened slightly at the description. Her fingers around the scepter loosened, and most of the sharp killing intent in her eyes quietly faded.
"Hmph."
Bibi Dong sneered. Though her tone remained forceful, it was clearly not as harsh as before. "Now he knows fear? When he pushed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast away, he seemed quite bold to me!"
"Yes, yes, yes, he truly knows he was wrong." Yue Guan struck while the iron was hot. "He said he was too ashamed to return and face you. Unless... unless he could find a treasure sufficient to compensate for your losses, or render an immense service, he would rather die outside than return and dirty your eyes."
"Compensate for my losses? Render a service?" Bibi Dong raised a brow. "With what? The loss of two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts—how does he intend to make that up? Stew himself?"
Though she said that, the heavy stone in Bibi Dong's heart finally settled.
Since he knew fear, and since he intended to make amends, it meant the child still cared for Spirit Hall and for her, his teacher.
As long as he had not truly defected, there was still room to maneuver.
"And..." Yue Guan carefully observed Bibi Dong's facial expression as he played his final trump card. "This subordinate investigated. During the past half month in Heaven Dou City, Young Master has kept a low profile and rarely gone out. As for that... that Crown Prince, he has not mentioned him at all, nor has he even asked about him."
Hearing that, Bibi Dong's tense shoulders finally relaxed completely. She leaned back in her chair and let out a long breath.
It was good that he had not gone looking for Qian Renxue.
As long as he had not gotten tangled up with that woman, this was not the worst-case scenario.
"Fine, get up." Bibi Dong said indifferently. "Since he wants to hide outside, let him hide for a few days. It will save me the irritation of bringing him back and seeing him."
For the moment, she could not think of how to dispose of that brat. A harsh punishment would not do, but a light one would be even less appropriate.
Yue Guan felt as if he had been pardoned and hurriedly scrambled to his feet. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Excellency!"
However, Bibi Dong's brows did not fully relax. Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest as she fell into thought.
"But Heaven Dou City is, after all, the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire. It is a mixed gathering of all sorts. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and even the Clear Sky Sect, which has remained hidden from the world... all have informants there."
"That brat's talent is too eye-catching. What if those forces discover him, or Qian Renxue learns of him..."
A trace of concern flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes.
Whether to recruit a genius or simply to disgust her, Qian Renxue would definitely make a move on Xuan Hao.
What if that brat was truly corrupted by sweet words and promises, then recruited to her side?
"Your Excellency, you can rest assured about that!"
Yue Guan hurriedly straightened his back and analyzed with complete certainty.
"Although Xuan Hao usually looks like he has no sense of propriety, he is someone who values loyalty and righteousness. Look at what happened in the Star Dou Great Forest. Though Young Master caused trouble, it was ultimately because that Shapeshifting Soul Beast had once saved his life."
"Even for a Soul Beast he had only met once, he was willing to risk his own life to repay that life-saving grace."
"You have treated him with wholehearted kindness over the past two years, and he remembers it all! Given his character, unless you truly intend to kill him, he will never betray you, much less defect to someone else for such petty gains!"
Hearing this, much of the gloom in Bibi Dong's eyes dissipated, and she nodded slightly.
Indeed, although this brat was a troublemaker, there was nothing to criticize when it came to the words "loyalty and righteousness."
That was also the fundamental reason she had never been able to truly bring herself to kill him, no matter how furious he made her.
Within Spirit Hall, benefits could be found everywhere, but loyalty and righteousness...
Yue Guan continued, "Lao Gui is already watching over him there without leaving his side! Besides, we have always kept Xuan Hao's information tightly sealed. The outside world does not even know Spirit Hall has such a person. As long as he does not court death himself, there should not be any danger."
"Besides, although Xuan Hao likes causing trouble in ordinary times, that is only because he hides great wisdom beneath a foolish exterior! That child is clever and never suffers losses. Right now, he is focused on redeeming himself through merit. Perhaps..."
At this point, Yue Guan suddenly fell silent, and his expression instantly stiffened.
Bibi Dong seemed to realize something as well. Her previously relaxed brows instantly knotted tightly, and she abruptly sprang up from her throne.
"Redeem himself through merit?!"
"Wait!"
Bibi Dong pointed at Yue Guan, her voice trembling. "You just said... this brat is determined to find some great merit to bring back and calm my anger?"
"Y-yes..." Yue Guan stammered.
"This is bad!!"
Bibi Dong slapped a hand against her forehead and felt her vision darken.
"If he thinks... helping Qian Renxue complete the Nation-Stealing Plan would be his greatest atonement and filial devotion to me..."
"Wouldn't that mean he would voluntarily deliver himself to Qian Renxue and get tangled up with her?!"
The great hall instantly fell into deathly silence.
Yue Guan's mouth hung open as cold sweat poured down his face.
This... this was not how the script was supposed to go!
Xuan Hao had only taught him how to put out the fire, not how to handle this part!
But thinking it over carefully... with that Xiao Zu Zong's bizarre thought process and his personality of stopping at nothing to achieve his goals...
It really did seem like something he would do!!
"Yue Guan! Hurry to Heaven Dou City and keep an eye on him. If he goes to contact Qian Renxue, knock him out and tie him up before bringing him back to me!"
Before you continue