"Thank you, Brother Xue."
Lin Feng's eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, he accepted it and checked the storage Soul Tool. Inside, Gold Soul Coins were neatly arranged, no fewer than a hundred thousand of them. His eyes curved into crescents as he beamed.
"No wonder I felt especially close to Brother Xue the moment I saw you. As expected, Brother Xue is just like Teacher—you're both exceptionally good people."
Watching how quickly he changed his expression at the sight of money, Flender and Xue Qinghe could not help twitching at the corners of their mouths. They shook their heads helplessly.
After parting with Xue Qinghe, Flender adjusted the crystal glasses on his nose, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Xiao Linzi, that young man's identity is far from ordinary. That carriage bore a swan emblem, the exclusive symbol of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. He definitely has close ties to them."
"From the looks of it, he seems to have a good relationship with your teacher. We might be able to use his status to get into Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Lin Feng glanced at the bustling street stalls out of the corner of his eye. Without even turning his head, he casually tossed out a reply.
"Mm. Actually, I was never worried about getting in from the start, and I never expected you to get me in."
The words choked Flender on the spot, darkening his face. He snorted and turned away, unwilling to pay any more attention to this foul-mouthed brat.
Half an hour later,
Following the address Qian Renxue had left behind, the two passed through the bustling commercial district and arrived in the quiet, secluded western part of the city.
Lin Feng raised his head to look at the simple yet unmistakably luxurious residence before him. His eyes went wide as he muttered,
"If this house were sold, it would probably fetch several hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."
Only after entering the main gate did he realize he had still underestimated his bargain teacher's extravagance. The grounds were enormous, complete with gardens and ponds. Deeper inside stood a spacious training ground paved with bluestone.
At that moment, two maidservants dressed in matching gowns hurried forward and bowed.
"This servant greets the two honored guests. The Young Master has not yet returned, so you may wait in the main hall and have some tea."
Flender waved a hand and stretched lazily, his bones crackling all over.
"I won't be going. I've been flying for days, and my bones are practically falling apart. Just take me to a guest room."
"This way, sir."
One of the maidservants immediately curtsied and led the way.
Ignoring him, Lin Feng looked up at the sunset nearing the horizon. Remembering that it was Qian Renxue's birthday, he hurriedly urged them,
"Quick, quick, quick! Where's the kitchen? Take me there."
"This way, sir."
The maidservant hurriedly answered and quickly led him toward the side courtyard.
Having just shed her crown prince disguise and changed back into a plain white dress, Qian Renxue stood beside a second-floor window, looking down at the bustling figure in the courtyard.
A trace of tenderness slowly flowed into her usually calm phoenix eyes. The corners of her lips rose slightly as she softly murmured,
"Xiao Linzi..."
After finishing the final dish, Lin Feng had barely stepped into the hall when he saw Qian Renxue, dressed in a plain white gown, seated at the head of the dining table.
Looking at that breathtakingly beautiful face, Lin Feng froze for a moment. He felt that Qian Renxue seemed especially different today. Much of her usual cold distance had faded, and she seemed far gentler.
But how could his aloof teacher possibly become gentle? It had to be his imagination...
He hurried over and said with a grin,
"Dear Teacher, long time no see. You didn't expect me to suddenly appear here, did you? Surprised?"
"Teacher, happy birthday!"
Although he had seen Xue Qinghe on the street a few days ago, the person before him now—Qian Renxue with all her defenses lowered—was the teacher he truly knew.
Seeing his sparkling eyes, warmth welled up in Qian Renxue's heart. She nodded lightly, a stunning smile blooming on her face.
"Thank you, my good student."
"So beautiful!"
Lin Feng was stunned for an instant. After coming back to himself, he hurriedly scratched his head and laughed.
"Teacher, you look so beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often. After all, a smile keeps you young!"
Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed slightly at the corners as she softly asked,
"Oh? Xiao Linzi, are you saying I'm old?"
"No, no, absolutely not!"
Lin Feng instantly realized his mistake and hurriedly waved his hands, trying to laugh it off.
"Teacher will always be eighteen, always young and beautiful."
While the two chatted, the maidservants had already brought all the dishes to the table. Steam carrying a fresh, fragrant aroma instantly filled the entire hall.
Lin Feng quickly picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of the tenderest fish into her bowl, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Teacher, hurry and try it. See whether my cooking has improved."
Qian Renxue lowered her head and took a bite of the fish. Its tender, delicious flavor spread through her mouth. Her phoenix eyes brightened slightly as she nodded.
"Mm, your cooking has improved greatly. Very good."
The meal was filled with warmth.
After the bowls and chopsticks had been cleared away and the maidservants served tea, Qian Renxue finally remembered the important matter and said,
"Xiao Linzi, you should have met Qinghe already. I'm busy for most of the day, so if you have anything urgent, you can go directly to the palace and find Qinghe."
At those words, Lin Feng's eyes lit up. Taking the opportunity, he stated the true purpose of his trip to Heaven Dou City.
"Teacher, I really do have something I'd like to ask your help with. I heard that Heaven Dou Royal Academy is one of the continent's foremost Soul Master Academies, and its library contains a great deal of historical material on martial souls. I want to go in and see whether I can find any records related to my martial soul."
Qian Renxue did not hesitate in the slightest and nodded directly.
"It's always good to learn more. This is simple. Tomorrow, I'll have Qinghe take you in."
In Heaven Dou City, right under her watch, she would no longer have to worry about him running around and getting into trouble. She could also protect him in peace.
More importantly, with this matter keeping him here, he would not be in a hurry to return to Suotuo City after staying only two days. He could remain by her side for a while longer.
Thinking of how she would be able to see this little fellow every day for a long time to come, the one who always brought warmth into her cold life, the corners of her lips could not help rising slightly. Her heart softened as she silently thought,
This is wonderful.
Seeing Lin Feng sitting there with a hesitant look on his face, Qian Renxue set down her teacup. Her clear phoenix eyes swept over him as she spoke calmly.
"If there's something you want to say, just say it."
Hearing that, Lin Feng immediately scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Teacher... um, could you invest ten or twenty million Gold Soul Coins in me first?"
The air in the hall instantly froze.
Qian Renxue paused with her teacup just at her lips. The hand holding its handle trembled almost imperceptibly. She looked up at Lin Feng, her usually calm phoenix eyes widening slightly.
"H-how much? Ten... twenty million?"
It was not as though she lacked wealth, but ten million Gold Soul Coins was a staggering sum. Even for her, it would be difficult to produce in a short time.
The few million Gold Soul Coins she had saved over the years as spending money had already been fed bit by bit into the mouth of Lin Feng, this Gold-Swallowing Beast. She hardly had any large liquid funds left.
What was more, Spirit Hall was nominally under Bibi Dong's control now. If she wanted to mobilize such a huge sum, there was no way around that woman.
Lin Feng could see her predicament as well and said sheepishly,
"Teacher, if it's really inconvenient... a few million would do too."
Qian Renxue said nothing more. She took out a storage Soul Tool and directly handed it to him, saying coolly,
"It's not that I can't provide it. It's just that the amount is too enormous, so it will take some time. There are more than 1.2 million in here. Take it and use it first."
Unable to restrain her curiosity, she frowned and asked,
"Xiao Linzi, I'd like to know: what kind of Godly Gear or buff requires a full ten million Gold Soul Coins to unlock?"
That was ten million Gold Soul Coins—enough to buy one or two high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
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