Snake Lance Douluo

He was a man in his fifties, with a gaunt face, prominent cheekbones, and a pair of narrow eyes gleaming with a serpent-like chill.

He wore a gray-black robe and moved without a sound, his aura concealed so flawlessly that unless he revealed himself, no one would notice a Titled Douluo standing there.

Snake Lance Douluo, She Long.

He had originally been one of Spirit Hall's elders, an old retainer from Qian Daoliu's era.

When Qian Renxue left Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu had personally selected him and Pufferfish Douluo to accompany her. On the surface, they were there to protect her; in secret, they were also at her disposal.

For all these years, he had remained hidden near Heaven Dou City and had never taken the initiative to contact Qian Renxue.

Tonight was the first time.

"The Grand Pontiff sent this subordinate to ask whether Miss has any needs."

She Long's voice was soft, like a snake flicking its tongue.

Qian Renxue turned to look at him. "Grandfather sent you?"

She Long nodded. "The Grand Pontiff said that Her Majesty the Pope has been busy with official matters and may not have the time to look after Miss."

"If Miss needs anything, you may directly command this subordinate."

The corners of Qian Renxue's lips rose slightly, though the smile never reached her eyes.

Of course she knew what that meant—Bibi Dong could not spare her any attention, but Qian Daoliu remembered her.

It had always been like this, ever since she was little.

"You heard about the Heavenly Workshop?" she asked.

She Long nodded. "I heard. A Soul Tool, lost for a thousand years, suddenly appeared in the hands of a six-year-old child."

"This subordinate has already investigated that Gu Ci's background. There is nothing unusual."

"Six years old, Innate Soul Power at Level 8, Thunder Tiger Martial Soul, a Level 11 Soul Master, with a hundred-year First Spirit Ring."

"His mother should possess an eye-type Body Martial Soul recorded by Spirit Hall. His father is Gu Xiao, Marquis Thunder Tiger, a Level 72 Soul Saint."

"It is said that he has a childhood betrothal to Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and the two families are close."

"Nothing unusual?" Qian Renxue asked in return.

She Long fell silent for a moment. "Nothing obvious, but the fact that a six-year-old child can produce Soul Tool technology is itself the greatest anomaly."

Qian Renxue nodded.

After a brief silence, she suddenly said, "I want you to investigate someone."

"Who?"

"Gu Ci."

Qian Renxue turned around, the lights beneath the corridor reflected in her violet eyes. "Not his family background. Not his connections."

"I want to know exactly what kind of person he is. His cultivation methods, his daily routine, the people he associates with, the things he has said."

"I want to know everything."

She Long frowned slightly. "Miss, he is only a six-year-old child..."

"A six-year-old child who spotted at a glance, in a crowd, that something was wrong with me."

Qian Renxue cut him off. "A six-year-old child who can make my Martial Soul react. Uncle She Long, do you know what that means?"

She Long's pupils constricted slightly.

For the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul to react, that meant the child's Martial Soul was at least on the same level as the Six-Winged Angel.

Perhaps even higher.

"This subordinate understands."

He lowered his head. "This subordinate will see to it immediately."

"Be careful."

Qian Renxue warned him, "Dugu Bo is no fool. He may only be Level 91, but his skill with poison is unmatched in the world, and his senses are not weak either."

She Long nodded, his figure gradually blending into the darkness before vanishing without a trace.

Qian Renxue stood beneath the corridor, staring in the direction he had disappeared for a long time in silence.

The snow fell ever harder. A thin layer of white gathered on her shoulders, but she did not notice at all.

That child, Gu Ci.

She silently repeated his name in her heart, recalling the look he had given her that day at the Academy.

Calm, wary, and possessing an indescribable clarity.

As though nothing could be hidden from his eyes.

She suddenly smiled.

The smile was soft and faint, like a snowflake falling into her palm.

"Gu Ci," she murmured, "what secret are you hiding?"

For the next several days, snow continued to fall over Heaven Dou City.

She Long moved quickly.

Under the identity of an ordinary merchant, he rented a courtyard near the Marquis Mansion and watched Gu Ci's comings and goings from afar every day.

He did not dare get too close—although Dugu Bo was weaker than him at Level 91, a poison-using Titled Douluo's perception was far beyond ordinary. The slightest carelessness would expose him.

After three days, he had figured out Gu Ci's general schedule.

In the mornings, he went to the Academy with Dugu Yan. In the afternoons, he underwent special training. At dusk, he occasionally visited the Heavenly Workshop. At night, he cultivated in the courtyard.

His routine was as regular as a precision instrument.

What truly interested him were the few "pets" beside Gu Ci during cultivation.

Two little cats and two black-and-white snakes.

She Long had lived for more than seventy years and seen countless soul beasts. At a glance, he could tell that those creatures were no ordinary pets.

They were soul beasts, and soul beasts of remarkably high age at that.

Yet strangely, they lacked even a trace of a soul beast's savagery. Instead, they obeyed Gu Ci completely and clung to him like house cats and dogs.

Raising soul beasts.

He had never seen such an ability before.

The relationship between soul masters and soul beasts had always been one of hunter and hunted. Occasionally, soul masters could tame low-level soul beasts as pets, but those were merely little creatures of ten or a hundred years, not worth mentioning.

But the two by Gu Ci's side were at least thousand-year soul beasts.

A six-year-old child could raise thousand-year soul beasts.

The more She Long thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.

On the fourth night, he decided to get closer and see just what those two soul beasts were.

He concealed all of his aura and silently approached the rear wall of the Marquis Mansion under the cover of night and snow.

He was a Level 92 Titled Douluo. Across the entire continent, fewer than twenty people could detect his tracks.

In Heaven Dou City, there was only Dugu Bo, at Level 91.

In a contest between opponents of similar rank, he should not have been discovered.

She Long pressed himself against the base of the wall. Just as he was about to release a thread of Soul Power to sense the movements within the courtyard, his entire body suddenly stiffened.

A faint poison mist drifted down from the wall. It was colorless and odorless, but the moment She Long's skin came into contact with it, a layer of fine goosebumps rose all over him.

His body was warning him that poison mist had entered it.

"Friend."

A hoarse voice came from inside the wall, carrying a lazy drawl.

"Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, you're standing under this old man's wall catching the wind. Aren't you cold?"

She Long's pupils abruptly contracted.

Dugu Bo.

How could he have been discovered?

She Long neither moved nor spoke.

He was gambling that Dugu Bo was merely testing him and had not truly pinpointed his location.

There was a moment of silence inside the wall. Then the poison mist suddenly grew ten times denser.

"This old man will count to three."

Dugu Bo's voice remained lazy, but there was an added trace of coldness. "If you don't come out, don't blame this old man for being impolite. One—"

She Long's expression changed slightly.

He could sense the poison mist spreading at an astonishing rate. In just a few breaths, the entire Back Alley had been enveloped.

If he did not leave now, then even as a Titled Douluo, being poisoned by Dugu Bo would be troublesome.

"Two—"

"Not good! That pressure—it's a Level 95 Titled Douluo!"

She Long did not hesitate any longer.

His body flashed, turning into a dark shadow that vanished into the night in an instant.

Inside the wall, Dugu Bo stood in the courtyard, pinching a wisp of poison mist between his fingers as he gave a cold laugh.

"He ran quickly enough."

Gu Ci emerged from the house, draped in an outer robe and still bleary-eyed with sleep. "Grandpa Dugu, what happened?"