"When you were nine, you used the Angel Skull Bone to alter your figure and appearance, then infiltrated the Heaven Dou imperial palace."
"You assassinated the real Heaven Dou crown prince, Xue Qinghe, and took his place.
"Then, to secure your position, you killed the second and third princes in succession, leaving only Xue Beng, that seemingly useless playboy, as a shield."
"Do you want me to continue?"
Gu Changge's tone was calm, as casual as if he were making small talk.
But to Qian Renxue, his words were no different from thunder exploding in her ears.
Every single thing had hit the mark!
Every single thing!
He even knew how old she had been when she infiltrated the palace, what method she had used, and even the causes of the princes' deaths!
This could no longer be explained by an intelligence leak.
It was as if—he had personally watched her do it all!
"Y-you... who exactly are you?"
Qian Renxue's voice was dry. Her originally noble and sacred aura instantly collapsed, leaving behind only endless terror.
It felt as though someone had stripped her bare, sending chills through her entire body.
"Gu Changge, Duke Iris, Yanzi's child husband—call me whatever you like. But that isn't important."
Gu Changge shrugged. "What matters is, have you had enough of being an undercover agent?"
Qian Renxue stood frozen on the spot.
Was this really the time to ask that question?
As for Dugu Bo and the others—
After listening to the conversation between the two—
The hesitation on their faces had completely turned into shock and disbelief.
Because Qian Renxue's words, "Who exactly are you?"—
Had completely exposed the fact that she was the Heaven Dou crown prince Xue Qinghe whom everyone knew!
But how the hell was that possible?
A girl had disguised herself as Xue Qinghe since childhood without anyone discovering it?
That was utterly insane!
Everyone felt their heads buzzing.
But at that moment, Ye Guanlan's voice rang out.
"She was sent out as an undercover agent at nine years old?!"
"Did that old bastard Qian Daoliu get water in his brain?"
"What was he thinking? She was the only heir left in the family, and he still dared pull something like this?"
"Was he, as her grandfather, afraid his own granddaughter wouldn't get herself killed?"
As a daughter-obsessed father, Comrade Old Ye simply could not understand how something like this could happen.
Because when he thought of his precious Lingling being sent to do something like this at the age of nine—
He had the urge to kill someone on the spot.
What could a nine-year-old even do?
Wasn't that still the age for losing baby teeth?
"Old Ye, you're absolutely right!"
Mu Qingyu was also moved by her husband's words. "What Qian Daoliu did was truly inhuman!"
The way she looked at Qian Renxue had also become filled with pity and sympathy.
"Thrown into the Heaven Dou imperial palace at nine, forced to live behind a mask every day, constantly fearing that she'd be exposed, and even having to kill people with her own hands—"
Mu Qingyu said tenderly, "This child is truly too pitiful."
Dugu Yan held Gu Changge's arm. The way she looked at Qian Renxue had likewise become sympathetic. "When Lingling and I were nine, I think we were still pestering you, Chang Ge, to tell us stories. But she had to live in an environment full of danger, killing people and impersonating someone else!"
"The most important thing is that she had to pretend to be a man."
Ye Lingling added another blow, her tone faint. "And she had to keep it up for more than a decade. She couldn't even wear dresses, nor could she show her real face. How did she endure such a life?"
Mu Qingyu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling's words were like soft knives piercing Qian Renxue's heart.
There was no mockery in them.
Only pity and sympathy.
But that sympathy hurt Qian Renxue ten thousand times more than Gu Changge exposing her moments ago!
She was the young mistress of Spirit Hall!
A favored daughter of heaven!
What she needed was reverence, fear, and submission!
Not the pity of these people!
"Enough!"
Qian Renxue suddenly shrieked, Soul Power surging around her as her long golden hair whipped wildly in the air.
"Who needs your pity?!"
"I'm doing this for Spirit Hall's great cause!"
"For the lofty ideal of unifying the continent!"
"What do you... what do you know?!"
Her eyes burned with fury as she stared fixedly at Gu Changge and his group, as though she wanted to use anger to conceal the panic and grievance in her heart.
"A great cause? An ideal?"
Gu Changge sneered and mercilessly tore through her disguise. "Stop talking to yourself and getting all emotional."
"What do you know about great causes and ideals?"
"You're just starved for love, that's all."
Qian Renxue's roar came to an abrupt halt.
It was as though someone had grabbed her by the throat. Her entire body stiffened. "Y-you... what did you say?"
"You know perfectly well what I said!"
Gu Changge rolled his eyes and casually tossed aside the bone he had finished gnawing on. "You could have stayed as Spirit Hall's young mistress, yet you insisted on coming here to suffer like this."
"You think that if you take over the Heaven Dou Empire and achieve something earth-shattering, that woman will give you another look?"
"You think that if you prove your ability, she'll acknowledge you and treat you as her daughter?"
"Don't be stupid."
Gu Changge stood up, stretched lazily, and faced Qian Renxue, whose aura had become extremely unstable.
"To Bibi Dong, none of that matters at all."
"She simply doesn't love you. She even hates you!"
"No matter how much you do or how hard you try, it means nothing to her!"
"Do you understand?"
Boom—!!
It was as though something exploded inside Qian Renxue's mind.
Her figure atop the tree branch fell uncontrollably.
Even after landing, she staggered beneath her feet, her face as pale as paper.
Her lips trembled as she tried to refute him, but no sound came out.
Because those words were the deepest fear in her heart, the forbidden place she had never dared touch.
For all these years—
She had worked desperately, disguised herself desperately, and desperately wanted to accomplish something.
All because she wanted to tell that woman: I'm no worse than anyone else! I'm qualified to be your daughter!
But now—
Gu Changge had ruthlessly torn away that last shred of cover and flung the bloody reality into her face.
"N-no... that's not it..."
Qian Renxue's voice trembled, carrying a hint of tears. "She merely... she was merely stricter with me..."
"Strict?"
Mu Qingyu could not stand listening anymore and could not help interrupting. "What kind of mother is so strict that she sends her nine-year-old daughter to die? This was clearly killing with a borrowed knife—she wanted you to die outside!"
"Exactly."
Dugu Yan curled her lips. "My grandfather may be fierce, but if anyone dared make me become an undercover agent at nine, he'd fight them to the death. He might even wipe out their entire family."
"I don't really understand. Spirit Hall is so powerful, and you have so many Title Douluo. If you truly wanted to seize the Heaven Dou Empire, couldn't you just send out a few consecrated elders and massacre the Heaven Dou royal family?"
Ye Lengling looked curious, but her words struck right at the heart of the matter. "There was no reason to send you, the young mistress, to personally do something like this."
Northern eD
Before you continue