(Beautiful picture of Qian Renxue)
Just then, Snake Lance Douluo walked over as well. He glanced at Lin Jiang and shook his head. "So it's just a kid. Looks like he isn't the one who's been playing Black."
Lin Jiang's heart stirred.
Playing Black?
His gaze flickered, and he quietly activated Appraisal Eye—
[Porcupinefish Douluo · Chi Xue, Level 92 Titled Douluo]
[Snake Lance Douluo · She Long, Level 92 Titled Douluo]
Lin Jiang's eyes lit up.
Just as he'd thought!
Two Titled Douluos serving as bodyguards, protecting a "young master"—
Qian Renxue!
The person he'd been playing chess against from afar really was Qian Renxue!
Lin Jiang cleared his throat, stood up, and put on a serious expression.
"Ahem."
"I'm the one who's been playing Black."
Chi Xue froze.
Then he looked Lin Jiang up and down, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Are you kidding me?"
"You're just a kid, barely in your teens. You're telling me you're that good at chess?"
He looked utterly unconvinced.
A country boy could play chess against the young master for two years, evenly matched the whole time?
What a joke!
Lin Jiang ignored him and walked straight toward the stone pavilion.
She Long reached out and blocked his way.
"Kid, don't make us get rough."
Lin Jiang stopped and looked up at him. "I really am the one who's been playing Black here every day."
Chi Xue waved him off impatiently. "Get lost!"
Some little kid like him thought he was worthy of playing chess against the young master?
Inside the stone pavilion, Qian Renxue heard the commotion outside.
She lifted her head. Her gaze passed through the shifting light and shadow beyond the pavilion and fell on the figure being blocked.
She Long and Chi Xue stood in the way of a young man.
He was dressed simply, but his face was strikingly handsome.
His brows were like drawn swords, his eyes bright as stars, his nose straight, and his features so delicate they looked carved.
Even in coarse clothes, he couldn't hide his extraordinary bearing.
Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be...
She instinctively activated Appraisal Eye.
[Character: Lin Jiang]
[Martial Soul: Golden Dragon King]
Qian Renxue's pupils contracted.
Lin Jiang!
It really was Lin Jiang!
His Martial Soul was the Golden Dragon King!
Just like in the Divine Oracle!
She sprang to her feet and hurried outside.
Chi Xue was still driving Lin Jiang away.
"Don't be so ungrateful!"
He caught sight of Xue Qinghe coming this way from the corner of his eye, and grew even bolder.
"Hurry up and get lost! Don't dirty our young master's eyes!"
He reached out, grabbed Lin Jiang by the collar, and was about to toss him out—
"Stop!"
Qian Renxue's voice rang out, edged with urgency.
Chi Xue stiffened all over. He nearly threw out his back.
He turned around and stared at Xue Qinghe in disbelief.
The young master... had actually told him to stop, just for this kid?
She Long was stunned too.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.
Chi Xue sheepishly let go of Lin Jiang.
Lin Jiang landed on his feet and dusted himself off, unhurriedly.
Then he raised his head.
He looked past Chi Xue and She Long at the "young master" emerging from the stone pavilion.
Their eyes met.
Both of them froze.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and spilled across the open space between them, flickering in the breeze.
Lin Jiang was the first to recover.
Looking at the "young master" before him, he lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Are you the one who plays White here every day?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word came through clearly.
Xue Qinghe stared at his face, her heart pounding like a drum.
He was even more handsome than she'd imagined.
She took a deep breath and steadied her voice.
"...Yes."
It was only one word, but her voice nearly cracked.
Nearby, She Long and Chi Xue gaped.
Why was the young master's voice trembling?
She Long couldn't help asking, "Young... ahem, young master, can this kid really match you move for move?"
He looked utterly unconvinced.
A country boy with a bamboo basket on his back and mud on his shoes could play chess against the young master for two years?
Xue Qinghe didn't even turn around.
"You're both dismissed."
Her voice was quiet, but left no room for argument.
She Long and Chi Xue exchanged a glance.
Both of them saw shock in the other's eyes.
The young master was actually sending them away for a kid he'd never even met?
"Yes."
They answered in unison and turned to leave.
One took up position at the eastern entrance, the other at the western entrance, both with their backs to the stone pavilion.
Only two people remained in front of the pavilion.
Xue Qinghe looked at Lin Jiang, her gaze complicated.
There was something she needed to confirm.
"You..." She paused. "Do you know who I am?"
Lin Jiang tilted his head as he looked at her.
Then he smiled.
"Of course."
He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of candy.
Dried Tangerine Peel Candy.
The wrapper glimmered faintly in the sunlight.
He held it out to Xue Qinghe.
"Little Angel, have some candy."
Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted.
Those three words struck her heart like a thunderbolt.
Little Angel.
Only one person had ever called her that.
The little boy from her childhood.
She looked at the candy, and her eyes reddened at once.
Tears welled up, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Could it be...
Was the Divine Oracle real?
Had it sent Lin Jiang to save her?
She took the candy, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Lin Jiang..." Her voice was barely a whisper, as though she were afraid of shattering something.
Lin Jiang looked at her with a warm smile.
"Xue'er."
At those two words, Xue Qinghe—no, Qian Renxue—could hold back no longer.
Light flashed.
The face that belonged to "Xue Qinghe" vanished.
Golden hair spilled down, gleaming with a sacred radiance in the sunlight.
Her skin was fair as snow, her features exquisitely lovely, and her golden eyes brimmed with tears and starlight.
Qian Renxue had returned to her original appearance.
She stood in the sunlight, clutching the Dried Tangerine Peel Candy in her hand as she looked at the young man before her.
The breeze swept through the stone pavilion, lifting her golden hair and the hem of his clothes.
For a moment, they gazed at each other without a word.
Qian Renxue looked at the handsome young man before her, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Lin Jiang was younger than her in actual age, but he already stood a little taller. He looked anything but childish standing before her.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, features as lovely as a painting.
She hadn't expected to really find Lin Jiang ahead of time.
The Divine Oracle hadn't deceived her.
But... what was she supposed to do now?
She clutched the Dried Tangerine Peel Candy, her fingers unconsciously rubbing its wrapper as her heart pounded like a drum.
Lin Jiang spoke first.
"Xue'er, I finally found you."
His voice was warm and amused, as though he were stating the most obvious thing in the world.
Qian Renxue lowered her head. "Mm..."
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Seeing her like this, Lin Jiang couldn't help the corners of his mouth from curling up.
"You don't need to come here anymore," he said. "If I need anything, I'll come find you."
Qian Renxue nodded and took a token from inside her clothes, handing it to him.
The golden token had the character "East" engraved on the front and the Swan Emblem of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family on the back.
"This is my East Palace token." She raised her eyes and looked at him earnestly. "With this token, you can come and go from the East Palace as you please."
Lin Jiang took the token, weighed it in his hand, and put it away.
Then he grew serious. "Xue'er, your top priority right now isn't handling government affairs."
Qian Renxue was taken aback.
"It's cultivation." Lin Jiang looked at her. "You need to make up for the time you've lost over the years. That's the only way to stay invincible."
Qian Renxue's heart stirred.
That was true.
In the Divine Oracle, she'd fallen behind in her cultivation while undercover. At twenty-nine, she'd only become a Soul Saint, and in the end, she'd lost to Tang San.
This time, she couldn't make the same mistake again.
She lifted her head, her gaze much more resolute.
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