Xue Ye: He's Wrecking the Place!

"I..." The teacher was left speechless, cold sweat streaming down his cheeks.

"This is a private grudge between Dugu Bo and me."

Xuan Hao shifted Dugu Yan on his shoulder, his gaze instantly turning sharp as the lingering Dragon Might pressed down on the teacher once more.

"Move aside if you don't want to die."

"Or do you want to end up like Yu Tianheng, lying over there in the sun?"

The teacher glanced at the still-unconscious Yu Tianheng in the distance, then at Xuan Hao's emotionless golden vertical pupils, and finally recalled that terrifying dragon roar from earlier.

"Gulp."

He swallowed with difficulty. The longsword in his hand slowly lowered, and his feet involuntarily shuffled to the side, clearing the way.

Compared to duty, his life was more important.

"Now that's more like it."

Xuan Hao smiled in satisfaction. With Dugu Yan slung over his shoulder, he held Na'er’s hand as he swaggered away beneath the awed and fearful gazes of the teachers and students.

"Oh, right. If Dugu Bo comes looking for her, tell him to find me at the Heaven Dou Royal Hotel. I'll be waiting there."

Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Education Committee.

"What?!"

Meng Shenji, the chief, shot up from his chair. His usually well-maintained old face was filled with shock and disbelief, and the teacup in his hand fell to the floor. "You're saying Dugu Yan was kidnapped? Inside the academy? And carried away in broad daylight?"

"Y-Yes, Chief."

The teacher wore a miserable expression as he recounted everything that had just happened. "That boy named Xuan Hao said he had a private grudge with Dugu Bo. He knocked out Yu Tianheng, and then... then carried Student Dugu Yan away."

"Xuan Hao..."

Meng Shenji's brows furrowed tightly as he felt his blood pressure shoot up.

Where had this Devil King come from?

Yesterday, he had beaten Prince Xue Beng in the streets of Heaven Dou City. Today, he had come to the academy to kidnap Dugu Bo's granddaughter?!

Bai Baoshan, the deputy chief, looked grim. "No matter what private grudge they have, Dugu Yan is still a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy! She was taken from our territory! If that Old Poison finds out, won't he tear the academy apart?!"

"Chase him! Go after him!!"

Meng Shenji waved a hand. "Send out the order! Every teacher currently at the academy is to move out! Bring them back at all costs!!"

"And! Immediately send someone to report to His Majesty at the palace! This is too serious. We can't handle it ourselves!"

"No! I'll go see His Majesty personally!"

Outside the academy, within the dense forest beside the official road.

Xuan Hao carried the unconscious Dugu Yan on his shoulder and held Na'er's hand as they slowly made their way toward Heaven Dou City.

"Whoosh—"

A shadow figure emerged from the shade of the trees like a ghost, blocking their path.

"I say, Xiao Zu Zong, have you caused enough trouble yet?"

Ghostly Shadow wore a black robe. Looking at Dugu Yan on Xuan Hao's shoulder, even his eternally expressionless face revealed a trace of helplessness. "Making a prince kneel this morning was one thing. Now you actually ran into someone else's academy and openly kidnapped someone? Do you really think Heaven Dou City is your backyard?"

"Oh, Elder Ghost, you finally decided to show yourself?" Xuan Hao was not surprised at all. He greeted him with a grin. "How is this kidnapping? I'm... inviting her over."

"Inviting her over?" Ghostly Shadow's mouth twitched. "You knocked her out and carried her off to invite her over?"

"Details aren't important." Xuan Hao waved his hand, speaking as if it were only natural. "That Old Poison already came knocking at my door. He didn't make a move, but his killing intent was real enough. If I didn't do something, wouldn't that make me look easy to bully?"

"Besides, I've already offended that old bastard beyond repair. With his vindictive nature, he'll definitely find a chance to strike at me from the shadows. You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against one for a thousand days."

"That old bastard specializes in poison. What if one day, while you aren't paying attention, he uses some underhanded trick on me or Na'er? I wouldn't even have anywhere to cry."

"Since that's the case, it's better to strike first and capture his granddaughter as a bargaining chip. If he dares act recklessly, I'll make sure his line ends with him."

Ghostly Shadow's eyelids twitched wildly.

Though he felt the kid's methods were rather shameless, he had to admit the logic made sense.

"Fine, you have a point."

Ghostly Shadow shook his head helplessly. "But after this stunt, those old fellows at Heaven Dou Royal Academy have definitely exploded. The three Spirit Douluo members of the Education Committee aren't pushovers. They're probably already on their way after you."

"With those short little legs of yours, they'll probably catch you before you even reach Heaven Dou City."

"But don't I have you, sir?" Xuan Hao chuckled and sidled up to him with complete familiarity. "Elder Ghost, I know you're fast. Give us a lift, will you? If those three old men catch up, we'll have to waste time arguing with them. What a hassle."

"You really are..."

Ghostly Shadow sighed. His black robe swept outward, and a gentle wave of Soul Power enveloped the three of them.

The next second, he transformed into a black phantom and vanished from the spot.

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

The floor was littered with fragments of shattered priceless porcelain. Several attendants knelt trembling in the corner, not even daring to breathe loudly.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!!"

Xue Ye paced back and forth through the study room with his hands behind his back, his chest heaving violently. His dignified face was dark with fury.

"That was a prince! My son! He represents the dignity of the Heaven Dou Empire!"

Xue Ye abruptly stopped and pointed at Xue Qinghe, who stood below with his head lowered. Even his finger was trembling.

"Getting beaten up is one thing. He was weaker than his opponent, so I can accept that! But kneeling? Kowtowing?!"

"In public, in the lobby of the Heaven Dou Royal Hotel! In front of all those people, he knelt and kowtowed to some brat who still smelled of milk?!"

"Xue Beng may have no shame, but I do! The Heaven Dou Imperial Family does too!!"

"He has thrown away every shred of the royal family's dignity! How am I supposed to hold my head up before my subjects in the future? How is the Heaven Dou Imperial Family supposed to stand among the two great empires?!"

Xue Qinghe kept his head lowered. Though he inwardly disdained Xue Ye's rage, he still wore an outward expression of fear and grief.

"Please calm your anger, Imperial Father."

Only after Xue Ye had vented did Xue Qinghe slowly speak. "Though Fourth Brother acted recklessly and lost face, the circumstances at the time... truly left him no choice but to kneel. That boy's origins are exceedingly mysterious, and his temperament is extremely extreme."

"Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo were there as well. Even Sword Douluo stated outright that the boy possessed extraordinary bearing and might have a reclusive Titled Douluo behind him."

"If I had forcefully stepped forward at the time and provoked him, triggering a battle between Titled Douluos... the consequences would likely have been far more severe than merely losing some face."

"If we were to bring an enemy like the Clear Sky Douluo upon the empire, that would truly be unwise."

At the mention of "Clear Sky Douluo," the fury in Xue Ye's eyes faltered slightly.

He took a deep breath. Though reason told him Xue Qinghe was right, he simply could not swallow this humiliation.

"So my prince was forced to kneel, and we're just supposed to let this go?!"

Xue Ye slammed a palm onto the dragon desk. "If word gets out, where will the dignity of my Heaven Dou Empire be?!"

Just as Xue Ye was still agonizing over the matter of "face."

"Report—!!"

A burst of hurried, almost panicked footsteps shattered the grave silence of the Imperial Study.

An imperial attendant stumbled inside, his face deathly pale.

"Y-Your Majesty! Meng Shenji, chief of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, requests an audience! He says... he says he has an urgent matter to report!"

"Meng Shenji?"

Xue Ye frowned. "Why has he come here instead of staying at the academy? Let him in!"

A moment later.

Sweating heavily and looking deeply flustered, Meng Shenji hurried into the Imperial Study. He did not even have time to complete a full salute before anxiously saying,

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

"Just now! That... that boy Xuan Hao who injured the Fourth Prince broke into Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

"What?!"

Xue Ye and Xue Qinghe were both startled.

A trace of surprise flashed through Xue Qinghe's eyes. This kid... moves fast. He had barely finished eating before going to wreck the place?

"What did he go there for?" Xue Ye asked in a deep voice. "Did he think the beating wasn't enough, so he had to go cause trouble at the academy too?"

"N-No, it was more than causing trouble..."

Meng Shenji swallowed, his voice trembling. "He first defeated Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in one move, then... then in front of the entire academy's teachers and students, he forcibly kidnapped Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan..."

Xue Ye felt his vision go dark. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed headfirst onto the dragon desk.

"What did you say?!"

Xue Ye's voice rose sharply, cracking out of tune. "Kid... kidnapped?! At Heaven Dou Royal Academy?! He kidnapped Dugu Bo's granddaughter?!"

"Y-Yes!"

Meng Shenji nodded bitterly. "That boy said... he had a private grudge with Dugu Bo, and he left word that if he wanted his granddaughter back, he should go... go to the Heaven Dou Royal Hotel to find him."

The Imperial Study instantly fell into deathly silence.

Xue Qinghe lowered his head, seemingly in shock, but the corner of his mouth could not help twitching slightly.

Good heavens.

This was no longer something that could be described as merely "bold beyond measure."

In the morning, he had forced a prince to kneel and kowtow. By afternoon, he had gone to kidnap a Titled Douluo's granddaughter.

Was this kid finding Heaven Dou City too quiet and trying to punch a hole in the sky?

Was this the disciple taught by that woman?