Keeping the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in Check

"No."

"I'll plead with Father."

"Even somewhere more remote would be better than going there."

As she spoke, she moved to head outside.

She was truly anxious.

She did not want to see Tang Yuan placed in such danger.

More importantly, once Tang Yuan went to Seven Treasure City, he would be far from Heaven Dou City.

Even meeting once in the future would be difficult.

A warm current rose in Tang Yuan's heart as he watched her anxious retreating figure.

"Sit down."

Tang Yuan's voice was not loud, yet it carried a reassuring strength.

Xue Qinghe paused and turned back.

"You can still sit there?"

"This is an open scheme!"

Tang Yuan smiled and pointed at the chair opposite him.

"Who said it was an open scheme?"

"To me, that place is a treasure trove."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect does have money and powerful experts."

"But they lack one thing."

Tang Yuan lightly tapped his fingers against the table.

"They lack something that can truly save their lives."

"As long as things are handled properly, it remains to be seen who Seven Treasure City will belong to."

A sharp glint flashed through Tang Yuan's eyes.

Everything was within his grasp.

As it happened, he also needed a sufficiently prosperous territory to cultivate his own Forces.

Seven Treasure City suited him perfectly.

Xue Qinghe was stunned when she heard Tang Yuan say this.

Seeing his confident expression, the anxiety in her heart gradually eased.

That was right.

This man never did anything without certainty.

Even an old monster like Dugu Bo had been brought under his control.

A mere Ning Fengzhi might truly not be able to stump him.

Only...

Xue Qinghe sat back down, her gaze somewhat dim.

"Then... when are you leaving?"

Once he left, mountains and rivers would separate them.

In the vast Heaven Dou City, in this cold Crown Prince's Mansion, she would be left alone again.

"Once I receive the imperial decree and settle the loose ends, I'll leave."

Tang Yuan looked at Xue Qinghe.

Under the lamplight, that face disguised as a man's was still impossibly handsome.

Yet through that mask, he could see the lonely, stubborn soul beneath it.

"The only pity is..."

Tang Yuan suddenly lowered his voice and leaned forward slightly.

"I won't be able to come here for tea so often anymore."

"Nor will I be able to see you every day."

Xue Qinghe's heart trembled.

She raised her head and met Tang Yuan's gentle gaze.

In that instant.

Heat uncontrollably rushed to her cheeks.

Even with the Disguise Soul Skill concealing her, a faint blush still crept up to her ears.

Damn.

She had actually blushed.

What if someone saw the Crown Prince blush in front of a man? That would be disastrous.

"Who... who cares if you look at me."

Xue Qinghe turned her head away, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Yet her heart pounded as though it were about to leap from her chest.

Tang Yuan did not tease her any further and rose to his feet.

"I should go."

"There's still plenty to deal with at the King's Mansion."

"Remember to take this immortal herb soon."

With that, he gave Xue Qinghe a deep look before turning toward the window.

Xue Qinghe instinctively stood and hurried forward two steps.

"Tang Yuan!"

Tang Yuan stopped but did not turn around.

"Take care."

Though Xue Qinghe had a thousand words to say, in the end, they condensed into only those two words.

Tang Yuan waved his hand, his figure flashing as he vanished into the night.

The study fell silent once more.

Xue Qinghe stood by the window, staring in the direction Tang Yuan had disappeared, unmoving for a long while.

The night breeze blew in, tossing her hair into disarray.

She touched her burning cheeks, her gaze unfocused.

"If..."

"If I weren't Xue Qinghe."

"If I could stand before you as Qian Renxue, dressed as a woman."

"Then you..."

"Would like me even more, wouldn't you?"

A faint sigh drifted through the empty study.

Unfortunately.

It was not yet time.

The wind outside Suotuo City carried a faint earthy scent as it scattered the lingering Soul Power fluctuations in the air.

At the entrance to Shrek Academy, the silence was somewhat eerie.

Dai Mubai, who called himself the "Evil Eye White Tiger," was curled up on the dusty ground, incoherent rasping sounds coming from his throat.

Ma Hongjun had been trussed up like a rice dumpling, his face purple from holding his breath. As for Oscar, the sausage seller, he hung upside down from a tree branch like a cured duck waiting to be slaughtered, without even the strength to struggle.

Tang San lightly flicked his hand.

Several snapped vines withered and fell to the ground, turning into specks of blue light that scattered away.

He did not spare those three defeated foes another glance. Instead, he turned and walked toward the boy who had come to register.

The boy was still slumped on the ground, tears filling his terrified eyes as his body shook uncontrollably.

Everything that had just happened was like a nightmare to him.

The fat man's unprovoked bullying, followed by that dazzling battle, had all exceeded anything he could comprehend.

Tang San walked up to the boy and crouched down.

His movements were not fast, yet the boy instinctively shrank back.

"Don't be afraid."

Tang San's voice was steady, lacking the sharpness he had displayed in battle and carrying an added touch of gentleness.

From the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges Night at his waist, he took out ten Gold Soul Coins.

The glittering coins were somewhat dazzling beneath the sunlight.

Tang San took the boy's hand and placed the Gold Soul Coins into his palm one by one.

"This is your Registration Fee."

"Hold on to it."

The boy stared blankly at the gold coins in his hand, then at the plainly dressed older brother in blue before him, forgetting how to react.

"This place isn't suitable for you."

Tang San rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the battered "Shrek Academy" signboard. A trace of disdain curled his lips.

"The so-called Monster Academy is nothing more than a place that harbors filth and corruption."

"Take the money and go home. Find yourself a proper Junior Soul Master Academy."

"As long as you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter if your martial soul is a little lacking."

Only then did the boy come back to his senses. He scrambled up from the ground, clutched the gold coins tightly in his hand, and gave Tang San a deep bow.

"Thank you! Thank you, big brother!"

With that, as if afraid someone might change their mind, the boy took off toward the village without daring to look back.

Watching the boy's retreating figure, Tang San let out a soft breath.

If it had been his former self, he might not have bothered with this kind of meddling.

But Teacher had once said that before cultivating martial skill, one must first cultivate the heart.

If one possessed strength without restraint or any understanding of right and wrong, then one was no different from a beast.

Tang San turned around and looked at the two girls behind him.

Xiao Wu had her hands behind her back, idly kicking at the pebbles on the ground with the tip of her shoe, a mischievous smile on her face.

Zhu Zhuqing still looked as cold and aloof as ever, but when she looked at Tang San, there was less distance in her eyes and more approval.

"Third Brother, that move just now was so cool!"

Xiao Wu skipped over and wrapped her arm around Tang San's.

"Especially when that fatty got tied up by you. That expression was absolutely hilarious."

"And that Dai Mubai, always acting like he's second only to the heavens. Just now, he screamed worse than a pig being slaughtered."