Gu Qing: Qian Renxue, you are outrageously wrong!

The more Qian Renxue pondered, the more she felt a lingering sense of fear.

She discovered with horror that she was completely unable to see through Gu Qing's true background.

Unfathomable.

This was the only word in Qian Renxue's mind at this moment that could describe Gu Qing.

Gu Qing completely ignored the complex look in her eyes and walked casually to the mahogany round table.

He reached out and poured himself a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

Holding it in his hand, he tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

"Although the tea is cold, it does help to cool the temper."

Gu Qing set down the celadon teacup and turned to look at Qian Renxue, who was still standing there in a daze.

"The night outside has already grown deep."

"Since Brother Qinghe has dutifully arranged my lodging, I shall rest here in peace tonight."

"If Brother Qinghe feels that we haven't said enough and wishes to stay for a candlelit conversation, I would be more than happy to oblige."

Qian Renxue was instantly pulled back to reality by this teasing remark.

At the mere thought of the blush-inducing, shameful scene from just moments ago, she didn't want to stay in this dangerous room for even a second longer.

She shot Gu Qing a fierce glare and spun around abruptly.

"You stay in this room and behave yourself!"

After throwing out a parting threat that even she felt lacked any real deterrent power, Qian Renxue pulled the door open forcefully and rushed into the deep night without looking back.

Watching that slightly flustered and hurried retreating figure, The smile on Gu Qing's face appeared exceptionally brilliant under the glow of the candlelight.

This arrogant young lady of Martial Soul Hall was truly quite interesting to train.

After rushing out of the room for only a few steps, Qian Renxue came to a stiff halt.

The night breeze blew against her slightly disheveled clothes.

She turned around abruptly, staring straight at Gu Qing inside the room through the open wooden door.

Her hands quickly straightened the clothes that had been messed up in front of her.

Deep within Qian Renxue's heart, turbulent waves were rising as she constantly speculated about the true strength of the man before her.

Candlelight projected from the room, illuminating Gu Qing's impeccable face.

Looking at his calm and handsome posture, a sense of appreciation uncontrollably sprouted in the depths of Qian Renxue's heart.

Two blushes quickly climbed onto her cheeks, appearing exceptionally enchanting in the night.

Gu Qing sat upright by the round table, his gaze meeting the complex eyes outside the door with extreme naturalness.

He had long since seen through what she was calculating in her mind.

"Stop guessing."

"If you take the initiative to ask me what my strength is, I might consider telling you directly."

Hearing this indifferent teasing, a strong sense of humiliation surged in Qian Renxue's heart.

The slight pain coming from a certain part of her body was a constant reminder of the excessive treatment she had just endured.

She gritted her teeth hard and glared back fiercely.

"I don't care at all!"

Qian Renxue lifted her chin, forcibly adopting the arrogant posture befitting a Saintess of Martial Soul Hall.

Her face was masked in frost, and her voice carried a coldness that kept others at a distance.

"Even if Mother forces me, I will absolutely not marry you."

"You must take the initiative to propose the annulment of this marriage to Martial Soul Hall!"

Gu Qing spread his hands casually, his movements filled with innocence.

"Bibi Dong sent me to Heaven Dou City to marry you."

"If I don't marry you and bring you home in a grand fashion, I won't be able to answer to Aunt Dong when I return."

Qian Renxue was so angry that her chest heaved violently.

She took a deep breath, attempting to explain the stakes to him in a calm and collected tone.

Various reasons and excuses were thrown out like a barrage of cannon fire.

Yet no matter how she tried to reason with him, Gu Qing, sitting in the room, remained in a leisurely state, letting her words go in one ear and out the other.

He hadn't taken a single word she said to heart.

Seeing that reasoning was completely ineffective, Qian Renxue could only hatefully change the subject.

She pointed a finger at Gu Qing and began to loudly accuse him of his reckless behavior tonight.

"Do you have any idea that you nearly ruined my grand undertaking completely!"

"For the sake of this plan, I have been lurking in the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire for over a decade!"

"I was on the verge of gaining total control over the core of the imperial power."

"And yet, you—the moment you arrived, you started spouting nonsense at the banquet."

"Your performance tonight nearly exposed the true relationship between Martial Soul Hall and myself!"

Qian Renxue grew angrier as she spoke, her eyes filled with intense resentment.

"Because of your sudden appearance, that old fox, Emperor Xue Ye, is likely already harboring suspicions about me in his heart!"

Gu Qing stood up unhurriedly and walked to the door.

He leaned his back casually against a carved wooden pillar, his gaze sweeping up and down over the exasperated Qian Renxue.

His tone was extremely indifferent, yet every word struck at the heart.

"After lurking for over a decade, what exactly have you gained?"

Qian Renxue was stunned by the question and was about to retort, but Gu Qing cut her off directly.

"You spent so many years of your prime, and your soul power has barely broken through level seventy."

"You possess a god-tier Angel Martial Soul, yet you haven't even passed the first trial."

"Do you really think that by wearing this skin and acting as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, everything is settled?"

Gu Qing straightened his body, his gaze piercing directly into the depths of Qian Renxue's eyes.

"In the face of absolute power, these schemes and tricks are nothing but third-rate jokes."

"Remember this: strength is the foundation of everything."

These incredibly blunt words were like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely against Qian Renxue's heart.

She stood in the courtyard, left completely dumbfounded by his rebuke.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal for a long time.

The feeling was extremely bizarre, as if the one who had caused the trouble tonight wasn't Gu Qing, but rather she herself who had been in the wrong.

What made Qian Renxue feel most powerless was that, deep down, she felt Gu Qing was absolutely right.

Over these years, in order to play the role of Xue Qinghe well, she had indeed poured the vast majority of her energy into political maneuvering.

Her own cultivation realm had truly fallen behind by far too much because of this long-term infiltration.

She couldn't out-argue him, and she couldn't see through his strength.

With her heart full of grievances and nowhere to vent, Qian Renxue could only throw out a final, toothless threat.

"No matter what you say today, I will absolutely never marry you!"

After tossing out these words, Qian Renxue turned around abruptly.

Carrying a heart full of complex emotions, she strode away from the side courtyard.

The night grew deeper, but the lights remained lit inside the study of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Emperor Xue Ye, draped in a heavy cloak, sat upright behind a large desk.

Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, stood respectfully in front of the desk.

Having just received an urgent imperial decree from the palace, he had rushed into the palace in the middle of the night.

Emperor Xue Ye rubbed his throbbing temples, his expression revealing a hint of gravity.

"Sect Master Ning, I summoned you late at night because there is a matter of great importance I need to discuss with you."

Ning Fengzhi bowed slightly, his posture elegant.

"Your Majesty is too kind; it is Fengzhi's honor to share your burdens."

Emperor Xue Ye stood up, hands behind his back, and walked to the window to look out at the night.

"What is your take on that Martial Soul Hall Saint, Gu Qing, from tonight's banquet?"