Save the Love Brain

Guimei lowered his head to look at the Whale Rubber, asking with confusion:

"Even so, there is no need to misappropriate public funds to buy such a controversial item, is there? And why didn't you, Holy Son, tell Your Excellency the Pope yourself?"

"Because I am still 'indulging in pleasure and neglecting my duties'."

Feng Xinglie laughed:

"Elder Ghost must have heard of my establishment of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. At such a young age, I already control the two lifelines of the Martial Soul Hall: its economy and its intelligence. If I were to be diligent and conscientious every single day, I fear Your Excellency the Pope would not be able to sleep soundly."

Guimei was suddenly enlightened.

Misappropriating public funds to purchase Whale Rubber was not considered a major issue on the Douluo Continent; almost every organization of any scale had similar situations. Even if this were advertised to the world, it would have no impact, serving at most as fodder for people's after-dinner conversation for a while. However, once such a matter was brought into the open by the organization's top brass, it was no longer so simple. To put it broadly: Qian Daoliu could use this to purge the ranks, and Bibi Dong could take the opportunity to dismiss the Holy Son. It could be said that by holding this handle, they could cut off Feng Xinglie's head at any time should they decide he was a threat to them in the future.

"Is the Holy Son worried about being so meritorious that it threatens the master, so you are voluntarily handing the blade to Your Excellency the Pope?"

To this, Feng Xinglie smiled without answering.

Seeing this, Guimei sighed and said:

"Since the Holy Son has made up his mind, I will not try to persuade you further. Thank you for this credit."

Guimei shook the Whale Rubber in his hand and walked out of the office. He naturally understood that Feng Xinglie was willing to tell him these things because he truly considered him one of his own. Moreover, reporting intelligence like the Whale Rubber—even if it wasn't intelligence he had unearthed himself—was still a merit when relayed to the Pope through him. Trust combined with profit further elevated his favor for Feng Xinglie.

But what Guimei did not know was that as soon as he left, Feng Xinglie took out another box of Whale Rubber and placed it on the table. Not long after, a graceful figure burst in, and Feng Xinglie repeated to Ling Yuan exactly what he had just said to Guimei. Watching Ling Yuan leave with the same expression of gratitude that Guimei had worn, Feng Xinglie stretched contentedly:

"Hmm... one piece of intelligence has not only temporarily stabilized Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu, but also gained the favor of two Titled Douluo, increasing my own merits while boosting the overall combat power of the Martial Soul Hall. Four birds with one stone; it was well worth the effort."

Several years later, the Douluo Continent was full of vitality, with all things competing to flourish. Under Feng Xinglie's proposal, the Shadow Spider operated entirely on the model of the Jinyiwei, and by this time, the Martial Soul Hall had been completely brought under Bibi Dong's control. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Martial Soul Chamber of Commerce and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion also developed and grew, their spheres of influence covering almost the entire continent.

On this foundation, Feng Xinglie reshaped all the Martial Soul Branch Halls; in addition to increasing newspaper sales, he also transplanted a banking system into them. From then on, all individuals or organizations not entirely confident in their own strength began to deposit portions of their assets into the Martial Soul Hall to earn interest. Coupled with the joint efforts of leaders from various industries within the Chamber of Commerce, in terms of money, the Martial Soul Hall even had the posture to go toe-to-toe with the wealthiest Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the world.

However, compared to the games played between major powers, the commoners were actually more interested in the Martial Soul Newspaper. After all, relying on his formidable strength, Feng Xinglie dared to write about anything, even speaking bluntly about the scandals of the two great empires, which gave the Martial Soul Newspaper extremely high authority in the market. Although many forces wanted to imitate it, without Movable Type Printing, they could not compare in terms of output relying solely on manpower. Gradually, the Martial Soul Newspaper became the most authoritative and widely read media on the Douluo Continent.

In a luxury private room in Heavenly Dou City, a man and a woman sat opposite each other. The woman leaned back on the sofa, relaxed and elegant, her legs crossed, exuding youthful vitality. The man, however, sat much more upright, speaking eloquently about something:

"...Finally, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet on the Magpie Bridge to continue their former bond. Young Master, what do you think of this story?"

After hearing the story, Qian Renxue frowned deeply, seemingly very dissatisfied:

"What do I think? Not much. This Cowherd actually went to peek at the Seven Fairies bathing, stole the Weaver Girl's clothes, and threatened her into marrying him. Isn't a person like that just a hooligan and a rogue?"

"Yes, yes... If the Young Master doesn't like it, I will definitely find a better story to tell you next time."

Feng Xinglie responded cautiously on the surface, but deep down, he was already overjoyed:

"It hasn't been easy... by starting from a young age, I've finally cured this young lady's 'love-struck' brain after all these years..."

Recalling the past, when he would visit Qian Renxue—who was disguised as Xue Qinghe—under the guise of negotiating business, even the most trivial little romance story would make the young girl's eyes light up with longing. This once worried Feng Xinglie so much he wanted to scratch the walls; no wonder she was played like a monkey by Tang San in the original work. From that day on, Feng Xinglie moved the headquarters of the Martial Soul Chamber of Commerce to the Heavenly Dou Imperial City, visiting Qian Renxue from time to time with various excuses to tell the young girl stories that helped shape her worldview. So much time had passed that the stories Feng Xinglie had told numbered far more than a thousand and one nights, and today, his probing finally showed results.

"Alright, I'm not blaming you. The rules in the palace are enough to drive one crazy; in all these years, you're the only one who comes to see me often and tells me stories to relieve the boredom."

Qian Renxue quickly offered a few words of comfort. This cold and arrogant beauty, who had been undercover in Heavenly Dou City for over twenty years, had become much more cheerful and gentle under the influence of having a playmate.

"But let's have fewer stories like that in the future. Marriage should be between equals; one is the daughter of the Queen Mother, and the other is a despicable and shameless scoundrel—there was never any possibility between them... Of course, you are a genuine Holy Son now, unlike that Cowherd."

"Yes, this is all thanks to the guidance of the Young Master and the Great Enshrined."

"Hmph! Still calling me Young Master?"

This time, the flattery seemed to have hit a snag. Feng Xinglie looked at Qian Renxue with confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly become unhappy.

"But come to think of it, why have there been so many bad men in the stories you've told lately? I'm tired of hearing them."

Seeing Qian Renxue take the initiative to change the subject, Feng Xinglie quickly followed up:

"Isn't it because I'm afraid the Young Master might be led astray by some unsavory characters? Love makes people lose their intelligence; even those in high positions can have their heads clouded by passion, but most impulsive actions end in a miserable finish."

Feng Xinglie was, of course, doing this with a purpose. Recently, he had been intentionally telling stories that mirrored Yu Xiaogang and Qian Xunji, aiming to provide a preventative vaccination so that she wouldn't suffer a mental breakdown upon learning the truth later.

"Is... is that so? Then you really worried for nothing. My current identity is Prince Xue Qinghe; how could I be led astray by a man?"

Although she said this, Qian Renxue's spirits were clearly much better.