Gu Qing leisurely sipped the century egg and lean pork congee in his bowl, then picked up a crisp side dish.
Throughout the meal, he didn't even raise his head.
Only after swallowing his food did he toss out a casual reply.
"All those ridiculous conditions you just mentioned..."
Gu Qing set down his chopsticks and gave her a half-smile.
"Once I marry you and take you back to Spirit Hall, won't all of that count as marital property anyway?"
At his words, Qian Renxue's breath caught.
The gentle mask she wore nearly shattered on the spot.
She slammed both palms onto the table, almost losing control and leaping to her feet in a fit of anger.
She had spent the whole night swallowing her pride to devise a brilliant plan, and this bastard had turned it into a joke!
As if he hadn't noticed the murderous look in her eyes, Gu Qing carried on eating.
Suddenly, he reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a golden piece of Osmanthus Cake.
With easy familiarity, he placed it in the bowl that had sat empty in front of Qian Renxue.
"You should eat more."
Gu Qing's gaze swept unabashedly over Qian Renxue's chest, his tone carrying a hint of serious appraisal.
"Young ladies shouldn't let themselves get too thin. You won't look as good."
"Even if it's for the sake of your disguise, the places that ought to be plump should still have a little more to them."
That remark completely shattered the last of Qian Renxue's restraint.
Her face twisted with rage, and two prominent veins bulged on her forehead.
That was nothing less than blatant verbal harassment!
Qian Renxue shoved her chair back with savage force.
She didn't want to look at the shameless rogue another second. Turning furiously, she strode out of the dining room.
As she hurried along, she silently cursed Gu Qing for going too far.
All her schemes and strategies had been utterly useless against this man, who never played by the rules.
Qian Renxue clenched her fist inside her sleeve, her nails digging deep into her palm.
If Gu Qing weren't the adopted son her mother, Bibi Dong, had raised herself, she would never have let him keep her so thoroughly on the back foot.
She would have mobilized Spirit Hall's elite assassins hidden in Heaven Dou City long ago and used the most extreme methods to silence him forever.
"What a bastard who refuses a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
As Qian Renxue disappeared at the end of the corridor, she ground out the last few words through clenched teeth.
Night blanketed Heaven Dou City, and the streets had long since fallen quiet.
A simply decorated carriage rolled smoothly through the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect beneath the cover of darkness.
Ning Fengzhi lifted the curtain and quickly stepped down.
The sect's guards immediately bowed in greeting.
The usually refined and composed sect master wore a faint frown, and his steps were much quicker than usual.
After passing through several corridors, Ning Fengzhi headed straight for a quiet rear courtyard.
No lamps had been lit. Only the cold moonlight fell across the flagstones.
A tall figure sat cross-legged on a blue stone at the center of the courtyard.
An old-fashioned longsword lay across his knees, a faint aura of sharpness swirling around him.
Sensing Ning Fengzhi's arrival, Sword Douluo Chen Xin slowly opened his eyes.
"Fengzhi, you came back from the palace. Did something happen?"
Ning Fengzhi walked up to the stone and sighed softly.
Then he recounted, in full, Xue Ye's oral decree and what had happened at the banquet involving Gu Qing, that Martial Soul Hall Holy Son.
After hearing the story, a glint flashed in Sword Douluo's eyes.
He reached out a long finger and lightly tapped the sword's scabbard.
A clear sword chime rippled through the night.
"Since His Majesty has grown suspicious and wants to test this junior, I'll go myself."
Sword Douluo lifted his head and looked Ning Fengzhi straight in the eye.
"Should I hurt him?"
Faced with the blunt question, Ning Fengzhi shook his head decisively.
"Uncle Sword, under no circumstances should you use a heavy hand."
Ning Fengzhi clasped his hands behind his back, his expression grave.
"Since Spirit Hall has appointed him Holy Son, and he dared to come alone to Heaven Dou Imperial City and speak so brazenly, his true identity and the cards he holds must be far more complicated than they appear."
"If we actually hurt him and incur Spirit Hall's wrath, it would do no good at all for either the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the Heaven Dou Empire."
Ning Fengzhi paused briefly.
"You need only put a little pressure on him and find out what level of strength he's reached."
Sword Douluo slowly rose and slid his sword onto his back.
His tall frame looked imposing beneath the moonlight.
"Understood."
"Leave this to me. I'll find the right moment to meet him tomorrow."
The next day, in the Crown Prince Mansion's side courtyard.
Warm sunlight spilled across the spacious courtyard.
Gu Qing sat cross-legged on the lawn at its center, eyes closed as he entered a state of cultivation.
An incredibly pure and vast aura of life spread outward from his body without end.
The aura was gentle, yet filled with an astonishing vitality.
With each breath he took, the plant roots in the surrounding soil began to undergo a wondrous transformation.
The Blue Silver Grass, which had barely reached his ankles, now grew at a frenzied pace visible to the naked eye.
Its slender leaves unfurled, shimmering with a crystalline luster.
In less than half an hour,
a thick carpet of green vegetation covered the entire courtyard.
More astonishing still, the flower buds hidden among the grass began to bloom one after another as they came into contact with the aura of life radiating from Gu Qing.
Red, yellow, purple, and blue.
Flowers of every color vied for beauty, filling the air with fragrance.
The entire side courtyard had become a flourishing sea of flowers.
As noon approached,
Qian Renxue finished dealing with the complicated affairs of state and returned to the Crown Prince Mansion, her body showing signs of fatigue.
The moment she stepped through the moon gate into the back courtyard, she stopped in her tracks.
The familiar sight of plain gray bricks and green tiles was gone.
In its place lay a courtyard full of flowers swaying in the breeze.
The fresh floral scent filled the air, instantly dispelling the irritation in her heart.
Qian Renxue stood stunned, her eyes shining with wonder.
No matter how seasoned and deep she seemed at court,
beneath the shell of Xue Qinghe, she was still a young woman in the bloom of youth.
She couldn't help but feel a love of beauty in the face of such pure loveliness.
"It's beautiful."
The heartfelt praise slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
She stepped into the flower beds, careful with every step.
She didn't want to crush the petals underfoot.
Her gaze lingered on the brilliant colors; she truly loved these flowers.
Gu Qing, seated cross-legged in the middle of the flower sea, slowly opened his eyes.
He stopped circulating his Soul Power and turned to look at Qian Renxue, who was lost in the beauty before her.
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