Ah Yin! Where Are You?

"Busy?"

Qin Chen looked at Ah Yin kneeling there as though he had heard a joke, surprise flickering across his face.

He reached out and lifted Ah Yin's delicate chin, making her raise her head to look at him.

"Busy drinking? Or busy wallowing in despair?"

"Ah Yin, you were still as naive as ever. It wasn't like you hadn't seen it before."

Ah Yin looked up at Qin Chen. Because of her posture, her slender neck was as white as jade.

It was completely exposed to Qin Chen's eyes.

The noble, untouchable aura of the Blue Silver Emperor was now altered by her kneeling posture.

Together with the sorrowful expression on Ah Yin's face, it created a striking contrast.

It was like a goddess high above falling into the mortal world, free for anyone to pluck.

Nothing stirred a man's desire to conquer more than that.

Qin Chen released her and turned his gaze back to the mirror.

In the image, Tang Hao was frantically tearing through the Blue Silver Grass in the cave, his face filled with terror and anxiety.

He had clearly discovered that Ah Yin was gone.

Qin Chen leaned back in his chair and found a comfortable position.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Ah Yin kneeling beside him. He patted her head, his tone calm.

"Begin."

Ah Yin glanced at Tang Hao in the mirror, a complicated emotion flashing through her eyes.

She obediently lowered her head, bent forward, and slipped beneath the dressing table.

A few minutes later...

Qin Chen's brows furrowed slightly as he opened his eyes again.

"Tsk..."

Why did it feel like something was missing?

After pondering for a moment, his gaze fell upon the mirror before him once more.

Watching Tang Hao blunder about like a headless fly in the mirror, Qin Chen suddenly understood.

Sure enough, it tasted best with this accompaniment.

"Now this feels right."

Qin Chen nodded in satisfaction. Rather than closing his eyes again, he stared at the scene in the mirror with keen interest.

Inside the mirror.

Tang Hao had completely lost his mind.

He looked at the place where Ah Yin had originally been planted. All that remained was an empty pit.

Not even a single blade of grass was left.

"No... no!!!"

Tang Hao's eyes were bloodshot, like a crazed beast.

He searched wildly through the cave.

"Ah Yin! Where are you?!"

"Who was it?! Who stole my Ah Yin?!"

"Ahhhhh!!"

His heart-wrenching roars echoed clearly through the mirror in the quiet Green Garden cottage.

Each scream was filled with despair and regret.

And directly beneath the dressing table, separated from him by only the mirror.

The Blue Silver Grass he had once cradled in his hands was now busily working away.

The more miserably Tang Hao cried in the image, the more Amorous the atmosphere became inside the room.

The smile in Qin Chen's eyes grew deeper, and he sighed inwardly.

How had the once-unrivaled Clear Sky Douluo become like a homeless dog, raging in helpless fury?

At that moment, he felt somewhat like a villain.

An hour later.

Tang Hao seemed to have exhausted himself from shouting. He sat slumped in the cave, staring blankly beside the pit.

Meanwhile, the Green Garden cottage gradually returned to calm.

Qin Chen let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, feeling refreshed.

Ah Yin emerged from beneath the dressing table and remained kneeling beside him. She extended her slender, jade-like hands and massaged his calves with just the right amount of pressure.

Her cheeks were flushed, and a faint trace of tears lingered at the corners of her eyes.

Qin Chen stroked her soft, long hair and spoke gently, "Is there anything you want to say?"

Ah Yin's hands paused. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Monarch..."

"I want to see Xiao San..."

"It has been a while since I last saw him..."

Qin Chen thought for a moment, winding a strand of her blue hair around his finger.

"Fine."

"I'll find some time in the next few days and take you to see him."

With that, Qin Chen stood, adjusted his clothes, and vanished into the darkness once again.

Heaven Dou Empire, Imperial Palace bedchamber.

A handsome young man with a gentle temperament hurried into the hall.

He was the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

Of course, beneath that perfect human-skin mask was the true face of Spirit Hall's Young Master, Qian Renxue.

"Your son greets Father Emperor."

Xue Qinghe respectfully bowed, his face showing just the right degree of concern.

"Father Emperor summoned your son in such haste. Is your health troubling you?"

Upon the dragon bed.

Xue Ye leaned against the headboard, his complexion waxy and yellow, his eye sockets deeply sunken. From time to time, he let out harsh coughs.

It was the frailty caused by years of poisoning and the strain of state affairs.

Yet at this moment, there was a trace of excitement in the old emperor's eyes.

He pointed at the Heavenly Curtain in the sky beyond the window, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Qinghe... cough, cough!"

"You must have seen the Peerless Beauty Ranking as well, right?"

"Two peerless beauties appeared on the ranking in a row, and both actually came from that Dark Night Arena!"

"If I remember correctly, that arena is located within Heaven Dou City?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue sneered inwardly.

Was this old fool starting to entertain crooked ideas?

She rolled her eyes inwardly, but outwardly maintained the appearance of a respectful and filial son as she nodded.

"Reporting to Father Emperor, that is indeed the case."

"They are located in the southernmost corner of Heaven Dou City. They have operated for more than ten years and have always kept a low profile."

Xue Ye nodded and asked eagerly, "Qinghe, you know your father's condition."

"Over the years, I have sought out renowned physicians across the land, yet all were helpless."

"But that Dark Night Arena not only has two women who can help others advance in level!"

"It also possesses Divine Medicine capable of regenerating severed limbs!"

As he said this, Xue Ye's eyes gleamed. "If I could obtain that Divine Medicine, my grave illness would surely be cured!"

"I heard that you seemed to have some personal connection with this Duel Arena?"

"When it was being built, you secretly offered considerable assistance?"

Qian Renxue clicked her tongue inwardly.

You still think you can be cured? Dream on! If you keep living, how many more years will I have to pretend to be Crown Prince?

Though she complained frantically in her heart, Qian Renxue's expression became deeply regretful.

She sighed softly, her tone full of helplessness. "Father Emperor, your son does have some ties with that Arena Master."

"In fact, before Father Emperor summoned your son, I had already rushed to the Dark Night Arena at once."

"Oh? And what was the result?" Xue Ye's eyes lit up as he leaned forward.

Xue Qinghe shook her head, looking regretful. "Your son offered a vast sum of money."

"But that Arena Master helplessly informed me that while the Divine Medicine was indeed miraculous, its supply was extremely scarce."

"When it was used to treat that Doudou, the last dose of Divine Medicine had already been... used up."

"What?!"

The light in Xue Ye's eyes instantly dimmed by half. He slammed a fist against the edge of the bed. "Used up?!"

"What a waste! What an utter waste!"

But before long, he grasped at his last straw.

"What about those two women?"

"Since the Divine Medicine is gone, those two women must still be there, right?"

"Go tell that Arena Master that I can grant him a title of king!"

"I will assign him the largest territory! He may even choose any treasures he wants from the imperial treasury!"

"As long as he is willing to part with them, even if he sends only one of them, I will ensure him wealth and honor for life!"

Seeing Xue Ye's impatient expression, as though he could not wait to buy them back, a trace of disgust flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

Who do you think you are, trying to take people by force?

Xue Qinghe revealed an even more sorrowful expression. Her eyes even reddened slightly as she lowered her voice.

"Father Emperor... your son had actually already offered him these terms in your name."

"But that Arena Master is a man who values loyalty and affection."

"He said those two ladies were his family. No matter how much wealth and honor he was offered, he would not trade his family members!"

"And..." Xue Qinghe paused before continuing her fabrication.

"Your son also tried speaking with those two ladies."

"They are utterly devoted to that Arena Master. They even said that if they were forcibly taken away, they would immediately take their own lives rather than continue living."

Upon hearing this, Xue Ye's face instantly darkened.

He said nothing more. He merely sat there with a grim expression, his eyes shifting unpredictably as though he were plotting something.

Since the soft approach would not work, then...