"So that's why you had Bibi Dong purge Spirit Hall from within—to draw attention away and keep her too busy to interfere with your next moves?"
"That's not all. The first three benefits I mentioned are also things Spirit Hall urgently needs to address. Rather than running around handling everything ourselves, we might as well let Bibi Dong do the dirty work and make enemies for us. While she loses herself in political games and schemes for Spirit Hall, we'll already have our hands reaching across the entire Douluo Continent. And even if we hand Spirit Hall over to her, so what? As long as the Worship Hall remains, and you're still here, Master, Spirit Hall will always bear the Qian name!"
"Mm..."
Qian Daoliu approved of those words. The Qian Family had founded Spirit Hall and guarded the Douluo Continent for ten thousand years. With him holding the fort, Bibi Dong truly couldn't stir up much trouble.
"Establish the Martial Soul Chamber of Commerce to raise funds, recruit victims to build an intelligence organization, use Bibi Dong to improve Spirit Hall's reputation, root out spies planted by other factions, then coordinate the intelligence and print it in newspapers to control public opinion. You went out just once, and you've already set Spirit Hall's course for at least the next five years."
Qian Daoliu looked at Feng Xinglie with a strange expression. Each of these measures linked seamlessly to the next, and he could hardly find fault with the overall plan. At this moment, the talent of having Innate Soul Power at level 20 didn't seem quite so dazzling anymore.
"It's just a pity for those who are about to be purged by Bibi Dong. In your plans, they're bound to be sacrificed."
"Please rest assured, Master. I'll do everything I can to minimize the losses. Once the victims begin to appear, I'll screen them and secretly recruit Spirit Hall personnel who are about to be purged. If I can't save them, then besides providing them with a subsidy from the Martial Soul Chamber of Commerce, I'll recruit them into the intelligence organization, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, once it's established."
"The Heavenly Secret Pavilion, huh? I thought the first step in establishing your intelligence organization would be to ask me for help. I didn't expect you'd already arranged everything, with my approval as the final step... Fine. If this is what you want to do, then go ahead. If you run into trouble, remember to come back to me."
"Yes! Thank you for your support, Master! There is just... one thing I'd like to ask you for help with. Bibi Dong assigned Elder Ghost to keep an eye on me. Do you think you could—?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
After hearing him out, Qian Daoliu beckoned toward the shadows. Before long, a beautiful woman in a tight black outfit came before them.
"Ling Yuan, from today on, stay by Xinglie's side and protect him."
"Yes, Great Enshrined."
Looking at Douluo Ling Yuan's graceful figure, Feng Xinglie rejoiced inwardly:
"Great! I've got my second Titled Douluo bodyguard. With her and Gui Mei keeping each other in check as opposing spies, I'll have a lot more room to maneuver."
After expressing his gratitude to Qian Daoliu again and again, Feng Xinglie left the Worship Hall under Ling Yuan's protection. As warm sunlight spilled over him, he felt so pleasantly lazy that he narrowed his eyes and gazed up at the azure sky.
"Ah... It's really hard to keep both sides happy..."
To win the battle against Tang San, neither the Worship Hall nor the Pope's Palace, the two opposing factions, could be left out. For the two sides to have a chance at reaching an understanding, the benefits gained while securing opportunities for Spirit Hall had to be divided fairly. Though this approach made him like a reed swaying with the wind, bending whichever way it blew, Feng Xinglie had no other choice. It wasn't deprivation that people feared, but unfairness—and the core conflict between the two factions was far too idealistic to be resolved simply by uniting them through shared interests.
"The only way to get Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu to reconcile is through Qian Renxue. There's no need to say anything about Qian Daoliu—he dotes on his granddaughter so much that he's willing to sacrifice himself for her. Though Bibi Dong has always seemed to loathe Qian Renxue, she still expressed her love for her daughter before she died. So the core problems to solve are how to get Bibi Dong to open her heart, and how to get Qian Renxue to accept Bibi Dong even after learning the truth about her father's death."
At that thought, Feng Xinglie couldn't help covering his eyes with a hand. Was this even something a person could do?
There was no helping it. Since he'd chosen this path, he could only grit his teeth and keep going.
"Holy Son, are you feeling unwell?"
At Ling Yuan's concerned question, Feng Xinglie immediately composed himself and smiled.
"I'm fine, Sister Ling Yuan. I'm probably just a little tired from being away for so long. I'll be fine after I go back and rest."
He wore a different face for everyone. To win people over and achieve his goals, Feng Xinglie was a passionate young man who stood up for justice when dealing with ordinary people, a steady and loyal subordinate before Bibi Dong, an irreverent yet obedient disciple before Qian Daoliu, and a mysterious Holy Son who concealed his depths before Gui Mei. Now, with Ling Yuan, he became a thoughtful, considerate younger brother. If someone asked which one was his true self, the answer was all of them, yet none of them was the whole of him. Perhaps only in carefree Fengmen Village—or after he'd completely secured his position—could he become his real, whole self again.
For a while after that, events unfolded almost exactly as Feng Xinglie had planned. Bibi Dong established a secret guard organization codenamed "Shadow Spider" and began purging every voice within Spirit Hall that opposed her. Feng Xinglie took the opportunity to train the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's first members, preparing to expand their influence by relying on Spirit Hall's Martial Soul Branch Halls scattered across the continent. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, until...
"Holy Son, you're still young. You can't be messing around with something like this!"
Ever since Bibi Dong had kept her promise and handed over control of the finances, Feng Xinglie had had an office of his own. Now Gui Mei stood in front of his desk, his voice full of concern as he tried to dissuade him.
"This Whale Rubber is something those spoiled young masters use to... to indulge themselves. Holy Son, you have a bright future ahead of you. You can't let yourself be led astray by such things."
Ever since Feng Xinglie had obtained a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, Gui Mei's attitude toward him had improved by leaps and bounds. Recently, he'd heard that the Holy Son had misappropriated public funds to buy Whale Rubber in secret, and he'd rushed over at once to talk him out of it.
"Elder Ghost, don't worry. I've prepared a piece for you, too."
"Holy Son! I'm not joking with you!"
Seeing that Feng Xinglie wouldn't be swayed—and was even offering him this bedroom indulgence—Gui Mei's expression immediately turned cold. But Feng Xinglie's smile faded as well, and he replied seriously:
"Neither am I joking with you, Elder Ghost."
"...Holy Son, did you discover something?"
Seeing Feng Xinglie's expression, Gui Mei immediately felt more at ease.
"I read countless books in the Scripture Repository and happened to discover that Whale Rubber doesn't just nourish the body and boost virility. If it's melted and consumed, it can strengthen the body and let people absorb Soul Rings beyond their usual limits."
"What!?"
Gui Mei was stunned. He immediately looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then leaned closer and asked in a lowered voice:
"Is this true!?"
On the Douluo Continent, the higher the age of the Soul Ring one absorbed, the greater the benefits. But a person's physical constitution placed limits on what they could endure; forcing an absorption beyond those limits would only make their body burst apart. Gui Mei understood perfectly well how valuable this intelligence was. It held immense strategic significance for all of Spirit Hall.
"Of course. I've already tested it myself. Elder Ghost, please take this information to His Holiness the Pope. It records the exact method for using Whale Rubber, along with its side effects."
As he spoke, Feng Xinglie handed Gui Mei a box from the desk. Inside was a piece of Whale Rubber of ten-thousand-year quality.
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