Qian Xunji, that model son, wasn't going to stand there and obediently take a beating again.
He wisely ran toward the main hall of Spirit Hall. There were plenty of bishops and deacons there. With Qian Daoliu's temper, how could he possibly let the family scandal play out in public for everyone to watch?
After all this time of fatherly love and filial devotion, Qian Daoliu had also abandoned his former elegance and kindness. Sometimes, you had to be flexible.
Seeing the deacons and elders nearby bowing to him, Qian Daoliu didn't give up on disciplining his rebellious son as he had before. He simply waved his hand and sent them away.
Although the people around them were confused, they still obediently followed the Grand Elder's order and left.
They completely ignored His Holiness the Pope's expression and calls.
"Bang!" The doors slammed shut.
The sound of a belt lashing flesh rang through the hall.
His Holiness the Pope—with golden hair reaching his ankles and a holy, beautiful face, regarded by the faithful as the incarnation of the Angel God—finally got a full childhood.
Qian Daoliu finally vented the anger he'd been holding in. He looked at his son, who was still putting up a brave front, sighed, and left.
Of course, he knew that by the timeline, Qian Renxue couldn't possibly be Qian Xunji's child.
What made him angry was that his increasingly... "divine" son treated his own bloodline this way.
Qian Renxue might have been a blood-related child Qian Xunji had obtained through other means, but she was still of the Qian bloodline.
Yet Qian Daoliu saw no affection for his own bloodline in his son.
That was also why Qian Daoliu hadn't discovered Qian Renxue's identity all these years.
Qian Xunji treated all the children he'd adopted equally.
Just what was Qian Xunji's divine trial?
Qian Daoliu could confirm that this was indeed his son, but the changes in him were plain to see.
The divine trial was changing Qian Xunji's personality. Qian Daoliu sensed danger.
But he couldn't persuade his son to give it up. He couldn't grant Qian Xunji the Angel God Trial, and other divine trials wouldn't accept the Angel God's bloodline. This might be Qian Xunji's only chance to become a god.
By the way, because Qian Daoliu had told Qian Renxue to call him Grandpa and had brought her to live with him so he could teach her, the rumors had changed.
It was now an accepted secret that Qian Renxue was the Pope's daughter.
She had the surname Qian, possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, and called the Grand Elder Grandpa. There was no doubt about Qian Renxue's identity!
But now everyone was curious about who Qian Renxue's mother was—and whether Xiang Yu was really a Qian.
Chapter 12: Ake and Zhu Zhuqing
Star Luo Empire, the Duke of Spirit Cat's estate.
Unlike commoner children, who were still playing and waiting for school to start, noble children who had just awakened their Martial Souls had already begun formal cultivation under the guidance of tutors.
Zhu Zhuqing was no exception. Because she was a prince's fiancée, she was being treated much better than before.
And to make her worthy of the title of the prince's fiancée, she had been registered under her legal mother's name. She had passed over several older half-sisters and become the second young lady of the Star Luo Zhu Family.
At the same time, as her treatment improved, the danger around her continued to rise. Her eldest sister, Zhu Zhuyun, who had always been kind and gentle toward her younger sisters, seemed to have become a different person. Whenever Zhu Zhuqing met her gaze, she couldn't help feeling afraid.
Yet Zhu Zhuyun still treated her other sisters the way she always had.
As a little girl, Zhu Zhuqing didn't understand why.
But the adults understood: this life-or-death struggle had officially begun.
From the moment Zhu Zhuqing became Dai Mubai's fiancée, her life no longer belonged to her.
If Dai Mubai died, Zhu Zhuqing would have to die too. If Dai Mubai lived, Zhu Zhuqing still might not survive.
Zhu Zhuqing was Dai Mubai's fiancée, but she was also a tool for him to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill and contend for the throne.
The head of the Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuyun's father, had also warned his eldest daughter. She could target and suppress Zhu Zhuqing, but Zhu Zhuqing couldn't die before the decisive battle between the princes. Otherwise, the Zhu Family would have to sacrifice another talented daughter to die alongside Dai Mubai.
To be honest, Zhu Zhuqing's talent put her in an awkward position. If her Innate Soul Power were any lower, she wouldn't have become a prince's consort. If it were any higher—at level nine, or even just level eight—the Duke of Spirit Cat might have protected her for the sake of her potential.
After all, with level-eight Innate Soul Power, she'd likely become a Soul Douluo if nothing went wrong, and she'd have a chance to reach the Titled Douluo realm. She'd be worth protecting.
But Zhu Zhuqing had been born with level-seven Innate Soul Power!
Zhu Zhuyun understood this too. She didn't love Dai Weisi, but their engagement and Martial Soul Fusion Skill had forcibly bound them together as partners in interest.
If she wanted to survive, she had to target and suppress Zhu Zhuqing.
Her father had long since prepared himself for the possibility that only one of his two daughters would live.
The changes of the past few days had left Zhu Zhuqing confused. The excitement and joy she'd felt after awakening her Martial Soul had also faded.
She'd gained a fiancé named Dai Mubai. She'd met him before: a bad-tempered boy three years older than her, who was always surrounded by all sorts of pretty girls.
She and her sisters had lamented that he was so hopeless, even though he was Prince Dai Weisi's younger brother.
But now Dai Mubai was her fiancé.
Zhu Zhuqing really did understand the rules of the princes' struggle. Although she was still young, she already had a vague idea of what her future held.
"Ake, am I going to die?" Zhu Zhuqing asked the cool, aloof girl sitting beside her and cultivating in earnest.
Ake was from a distant branch of the Zhu Family. According to the clan rules, she had come to the Zhu estate to awaken her Martial Soul. Because she had Innate Full Soul Power, the head of the family had kept her and adopted her as his daughter. In public, she was the Zhu Family's third young lady.
The Duke of Spirit Cat felt he'd struck a great bargain by adopting a naturally gifted child with the potential to become a Titled Douluo.
He'd also specifically checked Ake's background. Her parents were both dead, and she'd survived thanks to the clan's care for its distant branches. Her identity couldn't have been cleaner.
"You won't die for now," Ake answered honestly.
"Oh!" Zhu Zhuqing sounded a little disappointed. She wasn't satisfied with that answer. She'd asked other people, hoping they would comfort her or tell her what to do.
She wanted to live!
Ake finally couldn't stand her deskmate's interruptions anymore. She looked up. "If you become a Titled Douluo, you definitely won't die. At least, not because of Dai Mubai."
"A T-Titled Douluo?" Zhu Zhuqing stammered at Ake's bold claim.
"How is that possible? They're known as Your Holiness!" Titled Douluos were addressed as Your Holiness. Even the emperor of the Star Luo Empire treated them with respect and courtesy. How could she ever reach that level?
The Star Luo Empire respected strength above all. Status and power went hand in hand. It wasn't like the Heaven Dou Empire, where nobles lived in luxury and held lofty positions despite being useless in actual combat.
"..." Ake stopped paying attention to her and returned to cultivating.
As an adopted child, she had to show as much of her talent as possible to earn more resources and influence.
Especially since she was a girl. Ake worried that the royal family might take an interest in her bloodline and talent and try to arrange a marriage for her.
But she didn't need to worry about that just yet. Both Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai needed a Hell Spirit Cat who could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
However, once the princes' struggle ended, given the Dai Family's reputation as a family of womanizers, they definitely wouldn't let Ake go. She was a top talent and a peerless beauty. The Duke of Spirit Cat, a grand duke raised and kept in check through the royal family's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, wouldn't be able to protect her.
Thinking this, Ake added two precious medicinal herbs to her supply list.
Chapter 13: A Younger Brother Is Always a Younger Brother
Spirit City
Qian Renxue had been fretting over her identity. She wasn't stupid. With her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and her surname, she had to be part of the Qian Clan.
What she was worried about was who her parents were. Was she really an orphan?
When the Grand Elder came to see Qian Renxue and told her to call him Grandpa, she was overjoyed. She had a grandpa. She had family.
Her grandfather had acknowledged her!
But Qian Renxue was a little disappointed that Xiang Yu wasn't her biological brother.
When Qian Renxue saw His Holiness the Pope again—his golden hair brilliant, his smile gentle and holy—she summoned her courage and called out in her childish voice, "Good morning, Father!"
Qian Xunji heard her voice and turned around, but saw no one. He looked down and finally spotted the little golden-haired girl tugging at the corner of her clothes. Her eyes were full of admiration and affection, and her voice was hesitant, as if she were afraid Qian Xunji wouldn't answer.
Qian Xunji tilted his head. Not because he wanted to, but because Qian Daoliu, his increasingly irritable old father, had made him do it. Standing at a distance, Qian Daoliu was lowering his hand and staring sternly at Qian Xunji. His meaning was clear.
"Good morning, Xiao Xue." He put on a professional smile and reached out to stroke her lovely, soft golden hair.
"Have you decided what kind of Soul Ring you want?" Under Qian Daoliu's threat, Qian Xunji asked with forced patience.
As the Qian Clan's inherited Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel had plenty of records, including information about which Soul Skills could be gained from hunting specific Soul Beasts.
Spirit Hall also bred and managed rare, powerful light-type Soul Beasts, making it easy to obtain Soul Rings.
But this time, all four children had awakened light-type or holy-type Martial Souls. Would there be enough of those Soul Beasts for everyone? Qian Xunji couldn't help wondering.
"We've already talked it over. Grandpa Guan is taking us to get our Soul Rings tomorrow." Now that they were discussing something she knew about, Qian Renxue was no longer so nervous. She happily told him about their plans.
Qian Xunji listened for a while and thought the child was quite lively.
Seeing the sparkle in Qian Renxue's eyes, Qian Xunji couldn't help stroking her cheek. It was soft.
"All right, I have to take care of some things. Be good and listen to Grandpa Guan on the way. Remember to stay safe, okay?"
"Mm, I know, Dad!" Qian Renxue nodded happily. She didn't want to interrupt her father's work, so she reluctantly walked away on her short legs, looking back every few steps.
Qian Renxue lived next door to Jing, who immediately noticed how unusually happy she was today.
But Jing had never been good with words. She was cold, aloof, and indifferent, and never went out of her way to care about other people's feelings.
This left Qian Renxue, who had been ready to share her happiness with her good friend, a little disappointed.
But the four of them had grown up together, and Qian Renxue knew Jing's personality. She didn't take it to heart. Instead, she remembered something Jing had mentioned before.
"Big Sister Jing, you said last time that you have a younger brother. Where is he? Why didn't he come to Spirit Hall with Hu Liena and Xie Yue?" The last time Qian Renxue had been upset about family, Jing had comforted her by saying that she actually had a younger brother. Ever since then, Qian Renxue had been curious about him.
Qian Renxue called Hu Liena and Xie Yue by their names because she wasn't close to them. She'd only met them a few times when they came to Spirit Hall to visit Elder Bibi Dong.
Besides, in terms of status, all four of them were adopted children of Pope Qian Xunji. Though Hu Liena and Xie Yue were talented, they were only disciples of a deacon. Qian Renxue's status was naturally higher, and after awakening their Martial Souls, the difference was even more obvious. Hu Liena was six years older than Qian Renxue, but with Qian Renxue's level-twenty Innate Soul Power, the gap in their levels was already narrowing.
Neither their ages nor their status made them a good fit for one another.
"Yao is a crybaby." When Dongfang Jing talked about her younger brother, Dongfang Yao, she felt a little exasperated. Having a weak, chuunibyou chatterbox for a younger brother really was a headache. The best way to discipline a younger brother was to beat him until he gave in. That was Dongfang Jing's way of handling things.
Before you continue