Qian Renxue's Heart Stirs

It was not merely control.

It was outright suppression.

Tang San slowly raised his head and looked at the three people hanging in midair in a sorry state.

Especially Dai Mubai, who was still struggling wildly.

"So these are the so-called monsters?"

Tang San's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"You can't even withstand a casual strike from me."

"And you dare call yourselves monsters?"

Dai Mubai's face turned the color of liver as he stared fixedly at Tang San.

He could not accept this reality.

A few years ago, being suppressed by Tang Yuan outside Suotuo City had been one thing.

But now, even Tang Yuan's disciple could humiliate him so easily.

His proud self-esteem shattered into pieces.

"Let me go!"

"If you've got the guts, fight me with real strength! What kind of skill is relying on soul skills?!"

Dai Mubai was still talking tough.

Tang San shook his head and lightly flicked his finger.

The vines suddenly tightened.

"Crack."

The sound of bones being dislocated rang out.

Dai Mubai let out a miserable cry, his entire body going limp.

Tang San turned around, no longer looking at the three "salted fish" hanging from the tree.

He walked toward Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, his tone returning to gentleness.

"Let's go."

"It seems Shrek Academy is nothing special."

"Let's go take a look at Heaven Dou Royal Academy instead. Since Teacher gave us the Royal Decree, things should be easier there."

Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Mansion.

Xue Qinghe sat before the study window, holding a military treatise in her hand, yet she had not turned a single page for quite some time.

Her gaze drifted toward the window from time to time.

That was the direction of the mansion gates.

Ever since hearing that Tang Yuan had emerged from seclusion, her heart had been unable to settle.

That enemy.

He had gone into seclusion for years.

Now that he had finally come out, he had caused such a huge commotion.

She had heard that strange phenomena had appeared repeatedly above Blue Silver King's Mansion, witnessed by every soul master in Heaven Dou City.

Yet more than half a day had already passed.

And he still had not come to see her.

Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—felt as though a jar of vinegar had been overturned in her heart.

She had received reports from her spies.

The moment Tang Yuan emerged from seclusion, the mansion had become incredibly lively.

That girl named Xiao Wu had prepared his bathwater.

Zhu Zhuqing had even slipped into his room in the middle of the night.

Even that prematurely mature Zhu Zhuyun was staying at the mansion.

A bunch of vixens.

Qian Renxue bit her lip, crumpling the pages in her hand.

"What?"

"Is this Crown Prince's Mansion some dragon's den or tiger's lair?"

"Are you unwilling to even come take a look?"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

As the Young Master of Spirit Hall and the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Just then.

A gentle breeze swept through.

The tightly shut window of the study silently opened.

A tall, slender figure appeared out of thin air in the center of the study.

He had not alerted a single guard.

Nor had he triggered any formations.

It was as though he had been standing there all along.

Tang Yuan.

He wore a simple dark robe, his long hair casually tied behind his head.

That unworldly aura of his had grown even more profound than it had been years ago.

If he had once resembled a drawn sword, then now, he was like an unfathomable sea.

Gentle and refined, yet containing the power to destroy heaven and earth.

The moment Qian Renxue saw that face she had longed for day and night, her heart skipped a beat.

The resentment that had filled her heart dissipated by more than half in that instant.

Yet she still kept a stern face and swiftly composed her expression.

Right now, she was Xue Qinghe.

"Oh?"

"Isn't this our mighty Blue Silver King?"

"What wind brought you here?"

"I thought you were so lost in your tender paradise that you'd long forgotten this friend of yours."

Xue Qinghe set down the book, her tone dripping with jealousy and mockery.

Tang Yuan looked at the person before him, clearly a peerless beauty yet insisting on dressing as a man.

Naturally, he understood the meaning behind her words.

Tang Yuan offered no explanation.

He simply stepped forward and sat down across from the desk.

With a flick of his wrist.

An exquisite Jade Box appeared in his palm.

"This is for you."

Tang Yuan pushed the Jade Box over.

Xue Qinghe froze for a moment and glanced at the box.

"You think you can fob me off with some lousy box?"

"I am the Crown Prince, wealthy beyond measure. What treasure have I not seen?"

Though she said that, her hand honestly reached for it.

The instant her fingers touched the Jade Box, a warm aura flowed in through her fingertips.

Xue Qinghe's heart stirred as she slowly opened the lid.

In an instant.

The entire study was filled with a soft, sacred golden glow.

Inside was a strange medicinal herb.

Its entire body was translucent gold, its leaves spread like angelic wings.

Pure light energy flowed across every leaf.

The aura was so pure that it even stirred the Six-winged Angel Martial Soul within Qian Renxue.

A longing from the depths of her soul nearly made her lose control of her disguise.

Light Paradise Grass.

The finest among the finest Immortal Herbs.

To a light-attribute soul master, it was practically a gift from the gods.

Xue Qinghe's hand trembled.

She abruptly raised her head and stared at Tang Yuan in shock.

A treasure of this caliber was truly priceless.

And he had just casually given it to her?

"This is..."

Xue Qinghe's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Light Paradise Grass."

Tang Yuan's tone was calm, as if he had merely given her a cabbage.

"I think its aura suits you well."

"Whether for cultivation or stabilizing your... realm, it'll be beneficial."

Tang Yuan spoke with deeper meaning.

This Immortal Herb could not only increase Soul Power, but also purify one's bloodline. For Qian Renxue, who had spent years disguised and infiltrating, it could precisely make up for the hidden weaknesses in her foundation.

Xue Qinghe looked into Tang Yuan's deep eyes.

She suddenly felt that her petty jealousy from earlier was rather ridiculous.

This man...

He did have her in his heart.

Otherwise, why would he give her such a heaven-defying treasure the moment he acted?

She carefully closed the box and stored it in her storage Soul Tool.

The chill on her face had long since become impossible to maintain.

In its place was an irrepressible delight.

"At least you have a conscience."

Xue Qinghe snorted, but her tone had already softened.

Then, as if recalling something, her expression turned solemn again.

"Right, there's something I need to tell you."

"Father has already drafted the decree."

"He intends to grant Seven Treasure City and the surrounding three thousand li to you as your territory."

"You're to leave immediately and take up your post."

Xue Qinghe looked at Tang Yuan, her eyes filled with worry.

She understood all too well what that place represented.

It was the heartland of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Father's move was clearly meant to kill with a borrowed knife—to make Tang Yuan and Ning Fengzhi fight until both sides were crippled.

"Seven Treasure City is too deep a pit."

"That old fox Ning Fengzhi isn't easy to deal with, and he has two Titled Douluo stationed there."

"If you go there, you'll inevitably be severely constrained."

"..."

Xue Qinghe rose to her feet and paced back and forth through the study.