Qian Renxue's Probe

It was neither curiosity nor hostility, but scrutiny.

As if she were appraising an interesting toy.

"Interesting."

Gu Ci murmured.

"Is it you, Qian Renxue?"

Zi Dian raised its head, looking at him in confusion.

Gu Ci rubbed its head and smiled. "Nothing. I just feel that Heaven Dou City is getting livelier and livelier."

He looked up at the night sky.

Moonlight flowed like water, spilling across the courtyard of the Marquis Mansion.

In the distant darkness, countless eyes seemed to be watching this small estate.

Three days later, Heaven Dou Royal Academy welcomed a special visitor.

The news arrived early in the morning, throwing the entire Academy into an uproar.

"His Highness Xue Qinghe has come to inspect the Academy!"

"The Crown Prince himself? This is a first!"

The students discussed it in small groups. Some were excited, while others were nervous.

Gu Ci sat in the classroom, listening to the chatter around him with a calm expression.

Dugu Yan leaned over and whispered, "Brother Gu Ci, why did His Highness Xue Qinghe suddenly come to our Academy?"

Gu Ci shook his head. "I don't know. But since he's the Crown Prince, it's only normal for him to inspect the Academy."

What he did not say was that what truly concerned him was not Xue Qinghe, but the maid at Xue Qinghe's side.

He had never forgotten the Golden-Haired Girl he had caught a fleeting glimpse of at the Academy gates three days ago.

Dugu Bo had said that blond hair and purple eyes were uncommon in Heaven Dou City, but he had found nothing.

That girl had been like a gust of wind. She had appeared briefly, then vanished.

And now, she was coming again.

At midmorning, all the teachers and students lined up in the Academy square to await them.

Gu Ci stood among the ranks, with Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng beside him.

Ye Lingling stood next to Dugu Yan, still veiled, as quiet as a porcelain doll.

In the distance, a group slowly approached.

Walking at the front was a young man of around twenty. He was handsome, with a gentle and refined bearing, dressed in a light golden brocade robe with a white jade pendant hanging from his waist.

His steps were calm and unhurried, and he wore a smile as he occasionally nodded to the teachers and students on either side.

The Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

Gu Ci's gaze did not fall on Xue Qinghe, but on the person half a step behind him.

She was a girl of twelve or thirteen, dressed in plain maid's attire. Her golden hair was tied into a simple bun, and her features were delicate, though not stunningly beautiful.

Her eyes were lowered as she quietly followed behind Xue Qinghe, looking like nothing more than an ordinary maid.

Yet Gu Ci's Heavenly Eye stirred slightly.

The Heavenly Eye between his brows had not opened, but his intuition—the instinctive intuition of the Heavenly Eye Martial Soul—told him that this girl was far from ordinary.

Her aura was too steady.

A maid of twelve or thirteen, watched by hundreds of people, yet her aura did not waver in the slightest. Even her heartbeat had not sped up at all. Such composure was not something an ordinary person could possess.

And her footsteps.

Xue Qinghe's gait was the standard royal stride. The distance and force of every step were nearly identical.

Yet the girl behind him matched his pace perfectly, neither too much nor too little, always precisely half a step behind.

That was not something one could achieve through deliberate imitation. It was the result of long-term training.

Gu Ci withdrew his gaze without changing his expression.

Accompanied by the headmaster, Xue Qinghe toured the Teaching Building, the Training Ground, and the library before finally arriving at the Special Training Area.

"So this is the Special Training Area?"

Xue Qinghe stood at the entrance, looking at the arena and training equipment within with a smile.

"I heard that, following Father Emperor's orders, the Academy has recently established a Special Training Class to cultivate gifted students?"

The headmaster hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Highness. The Special Training Class has eight students, all exceptionally talented young geniuses."

"Among them are Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo, and Gu Ci of the Thunder Tiger Marquis Manor..."

Xue Qinghe nodded. "May I watch their training?"

"Of course, Your Highness. This way, please."

The eight members of the Special Training Class were summoned onto the arena. Qin Ming stood to one side, introducing their training progress to Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe watched attentively, nodding in praise from time to time.

When Gu Ci was introduced, his gaze lingered on Gu Ci for an extra moment.

"You are Gu Ci?" Xue Qinghe asked with a smile.

Gu Ci stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness."

"No need for such formality." Xue Qinghe waved a hand. "I heard that the Heavenly Workshop in Heaven Dou City belongs to your family?"

Gu Ci's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged. "It is my father's business. We merely make a living."

"Not bad."

Xue Qinghe nodded without asking further, then continued watching.

Gu Ci returned to the ranks, his gaze casually sweeping over the maid behind Xue Qinghe.

That girl's gaze was resting on him.

It was not the way one looked at an ordinary person, but a scrutinizing gaze, as though she were examining something interesting.

Their eyes met. The girl did not look away. The corners of her lips curled into a faint, nearly imperceptible smile before she shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Gu Ci's heart sank slightly.

This girl was absolutely no ordinary person. Unless something unexpected had happened, she was Spirit Hall's young master with a pitiful background.

After the inspection, Xue Qinghe had lunch at the Academy before leaving with his attendants.

The carriage rumbled onward and passed through the Academy gates.

Inside the carriage, Xue Qinghe leaned against a soft cushion with his eyes closed, resting.

Qian Renxue sat opposite him, holding a cup of tea with a calm expression.

"What do you think of that Gu Ci?"

Xue Qinghe suddenly asked.

Qian Renxue paused, then said flatly, "What could be special about a six-year-old child?"

Xue Qinghe opened his eyes, looked at her, and smiled. "You are interested in him."

Qian Renxue neither denied nor admitted it. She merely lowered her head and drank her tea.

Xue Qinghe smiled and did not press further.

He understood this "maid." If she did not wish to speak of something, no amount of questioning would help.

The carriage continued onward. Through the window, Qian Renxue looked at the Academy gradually receding into the distance, her thoughts in turmoil.

That child truly was not simple.

She had noticed that among everyone present, only Gu Ci had looked at her differently.

To everyone else, she was merely an ordinary maid, forgotten the moment they looked away.

But Gu Ci's glance had clearly carried scrutiny and vigilance.

For a six-year-old child to possess such vigilance, it was either innate or cultivated later in life.

Either way, it proved that the child was not simple.

Moreover, she kept feeling that something about Gu Ci was drawing her in. It was not physical attraction, but a resonance from the depths of her Martial Soul.

That sensation was faint, flickering in and out of existence, but she was certain she had not felt it wrongly.

"Interesting."

She murmured inwardly.

"He is the first person to make the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul react."

On the third night after the inspection, a light snow fell over Heaven Dou City.

Qian Renxue stood beneath the Corridor in the Backyard of the Crown Prince's Mansion, reaching out to catch a falling snowflake.

The flake melted into a drop of water in her palm, its chill spreading along her fingertips.

She lowered her head to look at that drop of water and remained silent for a long time.

"Miss."

A deep voice came from behind her, hoarse and restrained.

Qian Renxue did not turn around. She merely said flatly, "Speak."

A tall figure emerged from the darkness.