Brother Xue

Ye Hao's gaze at Xue Qinghe was no longer lazy. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he looked at him. The Xue Qinghe before him was practically a walking "treasure trove."

A mountain of gold and silver!

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly, refilled his cup of wine, then handed one to Ye Hao.

Ye Hao drew back his hand. "No need. I'm still young. I can't drink alcohol."

Xue Qinghe chuckled, his refined and gentlemanly aura spreading at once.

"That's true. Children shouldn't drink."

He drained the wine himself and got to the point...

"That battle just now was magnificent. I watched it. Those six wings on your back—were they an External Soul Bone? What did they come from?"

Ye Hao was startled. No wonder she had sought him out here. Why hadn't I noticed earlier?

(Someone had gone off to relieve himself just now.)

"Brother Xue is correct. They are indeed my External Soul Bone. I obtained them from a thousand-year-old Purple Winged Demonic Spider not long ago."

"Oh, a Purple Winged Demonic Spider..."

Xue Qinghe nodded to herself. Hers had come from a Purple Winged Spider Emperor. The two of them truly had some fate between them.

Xue Qinghe grew even more puzzled. How could there be two people in this world who looked so remarkably alike? It made no sense.

(System: And you're talking to me about science?)

Although Xue Qinghe had not had a good relationship with her as a child, one fact could not be changed—she truly was "Xue Qinghe's" mother.

For some unknown reason, Mother had always ignored her, not even allowing her to call her "Mom."

As Xue Qinghe looked at Ye Hao, she involuntarily thought of her again. Speak of the devil.

"Little Brother Ye, who are your parents? Where is your home?"

Ye Hao narrowed his eyes slightly. She was testing me because of my Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul and the External Soul Bone · Six-Winged Purple Light Wings, wasn't she?

"Brother Xue, I've been an orphan since childhood. My parents died miserably at the hands of Wolf Bandits, so..."

Seeing Ye Hao's dejected expression, Xue Qinghe froze slightly, deeply affected...

There could be no mistake about Ye Hao's Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul. Xue Qinghe understood her Martial Soul better than anyone.

Although there was now an explanation for the External Soul Bone and the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul, who could explain Ye Hao's face to Xue Qinghe? It was as though it had been carved from the same mold, nearly identical to hers.

Otherwise, the moment Xue Qinghe first saw Ye Hao, she would not have nearly believed...

That Ye Hao was her biological child, while she herself had merely been adopted.

"I'm sorry. I brought up something painful."

Xue Qinghe apologized.

Ye Hao shook his head sensibly. "It's fine. So many years have passed. I've already come to terms with some things."

"May I ask why His Highness the Crown Prince summoned me here?"

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly. He appeared refined and elegant, dressed in golden silk robes that made him seem exceptionally heroic. Sitting across from him, Ye Hao's heart began to beat uncontrollably.

She was no simple person...

"N-Nothing in particular."

Xue Qinghe smiled. "Calling me 'Your Highness the Crown Prince' all the time is rather too formal, isn't it? You're a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and even more so, a future hope of the Heaven Dou Empire. As Crown Prince, I'll need to rely on you in the future. Once I inherit the throne, I'll have to promote you properly."

"There is no one else here. Publicly, you may call me Crown Prince. Privately, I'm older than you."

"I'll take the liberty of asking you to call me Brother Xue."

Brother Xue?

Ye Hao remained composed and clenched his teeth.

"B-Brother Xue."

"Good, Little Brother Ye."

Cold sweat streamed down Ye Hao's back. The Crown Prince before him was no easy opponent. Spirit Hall was powerful, and her placement in the position of Crown Prince was undoubtedly part of Spirit Hall's grand scheme.

And Xue Qinghe was an important chess piece.

No one besides Ye Hao knew the secret of his Twin Martial Souls.

Thanks to a previous operation by the system, it had not only simulated Bibi Dong's Martial Soul, but also reproduced her appearance with one hundred percent accuracy. He was almost identical to her.

Anyone who had met her would likely associate Ye Hao with her.

"B-Brother Xue, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving first. My teammates are still waiting for me to return."

Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded. "Go, Little Brother Ye. I heard from the Three Education Commissioners that before long, your Imperial Dou Team will be leaving Heaven Dou Royal Academy to train throughout the Douluo Continent."

"Mhm..."

"More experience is a good thing. Remember to assist me in the future. High office and generous rewards—none of it will be withheld from you. In your spare time, you may come to the palace to find me. I'll always be there."

With that, Xue Qinghe reached behind her back, took out a Golden Token, and tossed it to Ye Hao.

Instinctively, Ye Hao clenched the token in his hand. Cast from gold, it glittered beneath the sunlight, its weight resting heavily in his palm.

"Xue."

The only word engraved on the token.

Xue Qinghe continued, "Aside from me, no one else in the entire palace has this token. If one day you feel troubled, or have worries with nowhere to share them, the palace gates will always be open to you."

Ye Hao put away the heavy token. It seemed highly likely that Xue Qinghe was trying to win him over. Besides, she was someone with a strong desire to conquer.

The reason Xue Qinghe valued Ye Hao was, first, his Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul and that face that was almost identical to hers.

Second, Ye Hao suited Xue Qinghe's tastes. From their conversation just now, Xue Qinghe could almost conclude that Ye Hao was hiding something.

Everyone had their own little secrets. Xue Qinghe did not press the matter further. There would be plenty of opportunities to interact with Ye Hao in the future, so why dwell on it now?

"Brother Xue, goodbye!"

Ye Hao waved and bid farewell to Xue Qinghe inside the carriage.

"Goodbye, Brother Ye. Don't forget our agreement." Looking through the carriage window, Xue Qinghe wore a faint smile, appearing gentle and approachable.

Watching Ye Hao leave, Xue Qinghe's smile faded, and her expression suddenly turned solemn.

"Young Master, this Ye Hao and His Holiness the Pope truly..."

From behind the nearby woods, Snake Lance Man flashed out and stood beside the carriage, speaking in a low voice.

"They look far too alike, don't they?" Xue Qinghe said calmly.

Snake Lance Man silently nodded. It was truly difficult to imagine that there could be two people in this world who looked so alike. Even he, an elder, felt ashamed by comparison.

The instant he saw Ye Hao, Snake Lance Man had nearly mistaken him for Bibi Dong herself.

There was no denying that Bibi Dong was indeed the most outstanding Pope in Spirit Hall's history. Spirit Hall's development over the years had been inseparable from her Thunderous Means.

"Young Master, should we inform His Holiness the Pope of this? I think that once she learns of it, she will certainly be interested as well."

Snake Lance Man suggested.

But Xue Qinghe waved her hand. "No need. Brother Ye and I get along well. Since he recognizes me as his elder brother, I must fulfill the responsibilities of one."