Sword Douluo, Chen Xin!!

Watching the hexagonal palace lantern drift with the current, Qian Renxue rose to her feet. The tension in her face had softened considerably in the candlelight.

Gu Qing stood to one side. His gaze left the river and settled on her breathtaking profile.

"Feeling a little better now?"

At the question, Qian Renxue lifted her fair chin and deliberately put on a stern expression.

"Don't try to get close to me. You think one broken flower lantern is enough to fob me off? Do you really take me for a three-year-old?"

Gu Qing wasn't offended. He only gave a soft laugh.

"If you don't like it, why were you so serious when you set it afloat?"

Qian Renxue was momentarily at a loss for words. She glared at him, then turned away and ignored him.

The night breeze carried the river's damp air past them. The surrounding hubbub had faded considerably.

Gu Qing gave her no chance to argue. He simply reached out with his right hand and caught Qian Renxue by the wrist.

"Come on. It's time to head back."

The gesture sent a shiver through Qian Renxue, and she instinctively tried to pull away.

But Gu Qing's fingers were like iron, clamped firmly around her wrist and leaving her no chance to break free.

The two of them walked back along the long, stone-paved street, one in front of the other.

At first, Gu Qing was quite forceful. He strode ahead, pulling her along with a powerful grip.

Qian Renxue stumbled after him, nearly stepping on the hem of her wide skirt several times.

As she walked, she cursed him inwardly as a complete bastard, bold enough to act so outrageously on the streets of the Heaven Dou Imperial Capital.

But as they continued on, they gradually left the busiest part of the lantern market behind.

There were fewer and fewer people around. Only the occasional lantern swaying beside the road cast a faint glow.

Without his noticing, the strength in Gu Qing's hand changed.

His five fingers, which had been clamped tightly around her wrist, slowly loosened. Then they slid lower, naturally closing around Qian Renxue's soft, smooth palm.

His grip was no longer domineering. Instead, it held a gentleness and calm.

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Qian Renxue froze for a moment, her steps slowing by half a beat.

She instinctively wanted to pull her hand away, but for some reason, the urge to resist vanished when it reached her fingers.

A flicker of struggle crossed her golden eyes, but in the end, she let the broad figure ahead lead her onward.

Stars glittered in the night sky, and their shadows stretched long across the flagstones, lending the scene a quiet harmony.

Before long, a grand mansion appeared ahead, with several guards standing before its tall vermilion gates.

The Crown Prince Mansion had arrived.

The familiar upturned eaves came into view, jolting Qian Renxue awake from that subtle atmosphere.

She shuddered as though electrocuted and wrenched her hand away from Gu Qing.

The movement was so abrupt that it stirred a faint rush of air through the night.

Gu Qing stopped and turned to look at her, his hand still suspended in midair.

Qian Renxue quickly retreated two steps and hid her hand behind her back in some disarray, concealing the warmth lingering in her palm.

To hide the strange feelings within, she forced herself to adopt an arrogant air.

Gu Qing lowered his hand and spoke in a perfectly even tone.

"You go on in. I have some personal business to take care of."

At this, Qian Renxue's brows knitted slightly, and she shot Gu Qing a cold glance.

"Whatever you have to do is none of my concern. This crown prince doesn't want to know."

After saying this, she took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly.

"But don't think that means I'll agree to marry you."

She stared hard into Gu Qing's eyes, her voice firm and edged with gritted teeth.

"I won't agree. You can forget about it."

After delivering her tirade, Qian Renxue didn't even look at Gu Qing's reaction. She spun around and strode toward the Crown Prince Mansion's gates.

She had to get inside at once and change back into Xue Qinghe's flawless disguise, concealing every trace of her emotional turmoil.

But when one foot crossed the high threshold, her body stopped against her will.

Hidden by the shadow of the enormous stone lion beside the gate, Qian Renxue secretly turned her head and glanced outside.

In her sight, Gu Qing walked toward the far end of the street with his hands clasped behind his back. His figure gradually disappeared into the deep night.

Watching the man grow smaller in the distance, Qian Renxue suddenly felt something stir within her—something she couldn't even begin to explain.

The scenes of the evening replayed in her mind: from his forceful capture in the alley to the way he'd thrust the flower lantern into her hands, leaving no room for refusal.

That bastard was obnoxious, but thinking it over, he wasn't so bad. He even had a little domineering charm that was hard to resist.

After leaving the streets around the Crown Prince Mansion, Gu Qing didn't return to the luxurious residence Xue Ye had arranged for him.

His pace seemed slow, but each step covered an enormous distance, deep Soul Power surging beneath his feet.

Before long, the buildings around him grew sparse, and the smooth flagstones gave way to a muddy dirt road.

Gu Qing had reached an extremely remote suburb. Dense woods surrounded him, and the night wind swept through the branches and leaves with a series of howls.

Even the night watchman's calls could no longer be heard here. There was only endless darkness and silence.

Gu Qing stopped in an open patch of grass.

He didn't turn around, only stood quietly where he was as the night wind stirred the hem of his clothes.

"You've been following me for so long. Aren't you tired?"

Gu Qing's voice wasn't loud, but wrapped in his profound Soul Power, it carried clearly through the entire forest.

"Whoever's hiding in the dark, come out."

As soon as he spoke, a white figure shuddered atop a towering tree less than a hundred meters from Gu Qing.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, concealed among the dense branches and leaves, was utterly shocked.

He was exceptionally skilled at concealing his presence. As the inheritor of the Seven Kill Sword, unless he wanted to reveal himself, even a Titled Douluo of equal rank would have great difficulty detecting him.

He had followed cautiously, keeping his distance and even reducing his breathing to the barest minimum.

How could this kid have found him?

After his brief shock, Sword Douluo knew there was no point hiding any longer.

He flashed from the tree, drifting down from several dozen meters above like a weightless fallen leaf.

His feet touched the ground without making the slightest sound.

Sword Douluo wore an immaculate white robe, and his silver hair shone in the moonlight. He carried an otherworldly, immortal air.

He slowly stepped out of the shadows, his gaze fixed on Gu Qing's back.

"How did you discover me?"