Tacit Understanding of Boundaries

After returning to Tiantou City from Suotuo City, Chen Jieqi continued his life of cultivation at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, polishing team tactics with the Huangdou members and refining his soul power, while simultaneously deepening his contact with Xue Qinghe in an unobtrusive manner.

When they first arrived in Tiantou, the two had already tested each other once, leaving an impression on one another, and now that they were interacting again, that tacit understanding was far more intriguing than any deliberate warmth.

The seeds sown in Suotuo City needed time to ferment, and the chess game in Tiantou City required even more patience to play out.

Yet in this game, there was one piece that was far more difficult to control than Chen Jieqi had anticipated.

She had been lurking within the Heaven Dou Imperial Family for over a decade, disguised as Xue Qinghe for so long that her temperament had become as cold and hard as iron, never easily trusting anyone.

Her initial purpose for approaching Chen Jieqi was extremely pure, for this youth possessed monstrous talent, and the extremely pure Holy Light Power within him could actually resonate deeply with her own Angel Martial Soul.

Such resonance could only occur between supreme holy attribute martial souls of the same rank, which was enough to prove that his background was extraordinary, and such an existence must either be recruited for her own use or kept under constant vigilance; he could never be left as a future threat.

Every time they met, the two maintained a perfectly measured distance, neither too far nor too close, with a great deal of tacit understanding.

They discussed the situation in the Heaven Dou court, the soul master cultivation system, and the distribution of various forces across the continent, yet in every sentence, Xue Qinghe hid a probe, intending to uncover his stance, his background, and the depth of his strength.

But there was one thing she never spoke of, yet was more certain of than any probe, for the palpitations and resonance of a martial soul were always two-way.

The first time they met, the Angel Martial Soul within her had felt a primal palpitation with his Holy Light, clear and intense, with no possibility of it being a fabrication.

She could feel that, with Chen Jieqi's strength, he must have surely sensed it as well.

However, the real Xue Qinghe only possessed the ordinary Swan Martial Soul inherited from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, which could never resonate with Holy Light.

He must know that she was not the real Xue Qinghe.

This thought had occupied her mind for an entire month, but he did not point it out, and she did not expose it; a silent, tacit game of chess quietly spread between them.

After a month of interaction, Xue Qinghe's heart was no longer as calm as it had been at the start.

Chen Jieqi's Holy Light repeatedly triggered palpitations in her Angel Martial Soul, making her see for the first time that

her own talent and martial soul were not the only ones of their kind in the world.

The absolute confidence in being "unique" that had been rooted in her for so long was quietly pried open with a crack; she was unwilling to admit it, yet unable to ignore it.

Once, after Chen Jieqi left, she found herself standing by the window, watching his retreating figure for a moment longer, just for that one moment, without even realizing it herself.

Another time, he said, "Your Highness, your complexion is not good today."

She froze for a moment, for it had been a long time since anyone had cared about her complexion; everyone only cared about the attitude of the "Crown Prince."

These small things were like fine sand, grain by grain, unknowingly piling up into a small mound.

To suppress this palpitation and stabilize her realm, she had been deliberately seeking speed in her recent cultivation, acting too hastily, and coupled with the need to constantly suppress the primal aura of her Angel Martial Soul while disguised as Xue Qinghe, the mental strain was immense, and with these two factors combined, the Angel Soul Power within her finally began to destabilize.

On this day, Xue Qinghe visited once again.

As soon as she sat down, Chen Jieqi noticed something unusual, her breathing was half a beat faster than usual, and her fingertips curled unconsciously for an instant before being forced to relax.

He did not point it out, merely slowing his movements as he poured tea, and when he pushed the teacup over, his fingers lingered on the rim for an extra breath.

Xue Qinghe took the teacup, her fingertips trembling imperceptibly.

In the next second, that forcibly suppressed soul power finally found a gap, a faint trace of golden radiance leaked from her sleeve, vanishing in an instant, too fast to be captured, yet it was seen by both of them at the same time.

The air instantly froze.

Xue Qinghe's fingertips clenched tightly, veins appearing on her forehead, her breathing stopping for half a beat, a bone-chilling killing intent flashing in her eyes; it was not fear, but a decision made after extreme deliberation.

If he showed even a hint of suspicion, or even the slightest change in expression, she would strike immediately to eliminate the threat once and for all.

The secret must never be leaked; no one is an exception.

Chen Jieqi raised his eyes and looked at her calmly. There was no shock or fear in his gaze, not even a deliberate show of composure; it was as clean as if nothing had just happened.

Then, he gently raised his hand, and a wisp of Holy Light, incomparably gentle and devoid of any aggression, drifted out.

It swept over her body silently, without any ostentatious movement, without any probing touch, and without the slightest intent to coerce; it was purely using the Holy Light to soothe the restless Angel Soul Power within her, steadily pressing that sliver of power that had nearly leaked back into place.

In an instant, the aura around Xue Qinghe completely subsided, leaving no trace of abnormality.

She stared at him fixedly, the killing intent in her eyes not yet faded, but joined by a strange emotion she didn't have time to identify.

He had clearly seen it, clearly known what that golden radiance signified, yet he did not ask, did not flee, did not use it to threaten her, and did not even take a second look, simply brushing it back with an understatement, as if wiping a speck of dust off a table.

"Your Holy Light is quite unique."

She spoke, her voice remaining steady, maintaining the gentle elegance of the Heaven Dou crown prince, yet deep in her eyes, the lingering coldness intertwined with that strange emotion, giving this sentence a thought-provoking depth.

Chen Jieqi withdrew his hand, his expression indifferent, as if he had only done something entirely ordinary.

"Holy Light does not distinguish between factions; it only illuminates life, settles disputes, and heals wounds."

He paused, his gaze resting calmly on her face, his tone objective and detached.

"Your Highness need not be so tense all the time. Some disguises don't need to be worn so exhaustingly in front of someone who can understand you."

This sentence was not flirtatious, not ambiguous, and lacked even a hint of favoritism; it was merely the objective statement of an observer, yet it acted like a dull blade, precisely slicing through the hard shell she had worn for years.

"Someone who can understand you."

She could not remember how long it had been since she heard these words, or if she ever had.

She had long been accustomed to being feared, used, and guarded against; accustomed to everyone staring at her status as crown prince and the power behind it, accustomed to hiding three parts of every sentence and calculating three steps behind every expression.

Yet no one had ever been able to see through the exhaustion beneath her disguise at a glance, and still grant her such dignity—not exposing her, not coercing her, and certainly not using the opportunity to curry favor.

The part of her heart that had been sealed for years, cold and hard as iron, moved ever so slightly.

It did not crack, but a tiny, faint line appeared.

She lowered her eyes and took a sip from her teacup, masking that momentary loss of composure without a sound.

When she looked up again, she was once again the poised Heaven Dou crown prince.

But she knew that from this day forward, the label for Chen Jieqi in her heart, beyond "pawn," "ally," and "variable," now included a word she had never given anyone else:

—"Special."

It was not love—it was far from that level—but in a world where interests were the foundation and calculation was the norm, the weight of these two words was already heavy enough.

She set down her teacup, her tone returning to its usual gentle elegance.

"I will arrange for people to secretly monitor the Shrek group you asked me to keep an eye on, and I will notify you as soon as there is news."

She paused, her tone shifting, a hint of playfulness flashing in her eyes.

"A few days ago, something interesting happened in Suotuo City.

Shrek was ambushed at night, and a mysterious powerhouse intervened, repelling the enemy in a single strike.

It is rumored that the person used a massive black hammer."

She deliberately emphasized the words "massive black hammer," her gaze resting on Chen Jieqi's face as if observing his reaction.

There were many soul masters in the world who used hammers, but those who could repel enemies in one strike and send Evil Soul Masters fleeing in terror could be counted on one hand.

She already had a guess in her heart, but she did not delve deeper.

If it truly was that person, this debt should not be settled on a child.

Chen Jieqi's expression did not change; he merely nodded slightly, as if the words "massive black hammer" had no effect on him at all.

Xue Qinghe withdrew her gaze and did not press the matter.

These words were her response to his help today; there was no deliberate entrustment, no total devotion, and certainly no blind reliance, just a bit of personal recognition and favor added to their exchange of interests—not too much, not too little, just right.

Chen Jieqi nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

The night breeze brushed against his face as he watched Xue Qinghe depart.

A faint trace of a smile flickered in the depths of his eyes; it was not triumph, merely confirmation.

For some chess pieces, there is no need to tell them they have been played.

A month of probing, both sides understood each other perfectly; as of now, this was the perfect boundary.