Xue Qinghe's voice held an intimate warmth that left no room for refusal. He took Lan by the hand and led him toward the Crown Prince's Mansion.
"There are still so many things I'd like to discuss with you, Brother Lan."
Pulled along like that, Lan didn't try to break free again.
A strange warmth flowed quietly into Lan's heart through the place where their hands touched.
The feeling was unfamiliar.
It wasn't ice, nor was it Soul Power.
It was something... like a stirring that came from deep within his blood, filling him with an inexplicable sense of closeness and comfort.
Xue Qinghe led him along, walking ahead with a light step.
He didn't look back, but his heart was beating inexplicably faster.
The boy's hand was cooler than he'd expected, but steady, with thin calluses on the palm and knuckles from years of holding a blade.
In the lamplight of Heaven Dou City at night, his profile was sharply defined, like a work of art carved from ice and snow.
His eyes were as still as a frigid pool in the dead of night, yet every so often, they revealed a clarity befitting his age.
So beautiful.
Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—murmured inwardly.
The feeling was wondrous.
There was no disgust, no calculation, only a heartfelt urge to draw near, to grow closer.
It was as if he had been born to belong to her...
The moment that thought surfaced, Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on Lan's hand.
Just then, a timid voice came from behind them.
Purple Scorpion Girl lifted her skirts and hurried after them, her eyes full of dependence.
"Master, wait for me."
They had arrived at the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Xue Qinghe let go of Lan's hand, his smile never fading.
"From now on, make yourself at home here."
Over the next few days, Xue Qinghe's hospitality was almost impossibly attentive.
The finest guest room, the rarest dishes, even a quiet chamber for cultivation—all were ready, complete with a top-tier Soul Gathering Array.
He often came to see Lan, discussing strange tales from the Soul Master World or the customs and culture of the Heaven Dou Empire. His manner was warm and familiar, as though they had been close friends for years.
But Lan couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Beneath that warmth, there seemed to be something he couldn't see through.
The stirrings between their bloodlines were real, but this excessive concern felt veiled, hazy, and deliberate.
That day, Lan decided to leave the city.
However fine the Crown Prince's Mansion was, it wasn't somewhere he could stay for long.
He couldn't afford to neglect his cultivation for even a day.
He knew that somewhere beyond his sight, that woman was growing stronger at a terrifying pace.
He had to get stronger faster.
Outside Heaven Dou City lay a lake, clear as a mirror.
Several elegant white swans glided leisurely across its emerald waters, leaving ripples in their wake.
Purple Scorpion Girl lifted her skirts and followed close behind Lan.
Looking at Lan's profile, she spoke softly, a trace of worry in her voice.
"Master, you should be careful around that Xue Qinghe."
"I think he has designs on you."
Lan kept his gaze on the lake and didn't answer.
He walked to the shore, took off his outer clothes, and was left in a black outfit suited for easy movement.
Then he stepped into the water.
The icy lake water rose past his ankles, his knees, his waist...
That familiar, frigid coolness enveloped him, invigorating his spirit.
The moment the Shadow Abyss Shark Martial Soul inside him touched the water, it gave a cheerful hum, and his Soul Power began to circulate faster.
On the shore, Scorpion Girl watched Lan in the water, longing in her eyes.
Her father had once been a fisherman, spending his whole life beside the water.
Since childhood, she too had felt a mysterious affinity for it.
"Master..."
Scorpion Girl's voice was tentative, hopeful.
"Could... could I come in too?"
Lan glanced back at her.
"Come in."
He answered in a calm voice.
"Thank you, Master!"
At his words, joy bloomed across Scorpion Girl's face.
Following Lan's example, she cautiously dipped her foot into the water, as if afraid to disturb the tranquility.
The black dress she'd changed into at the auction clung tightly to her as soon as it got wet.
The current beneath the fabric traced the graceful curves of her still-developing figure, a youthful allure that was almost breathtaking.
Her soaked black hair clung to her snow-white neck and cheeks. Droplets slid down her delicate jaw and fell into the water, sending out little rings of ripples.
She paddled awkwardly, like a kitten that couldn't quite swim, trying her best to reach Lan.
Then she lost her footing.
"Ah!"
Scorpion Girl cried out as she pitched forward, unable to stop herself.
Splash!
A great sheet of clear lake water flew up with her and hit Lan square in the face.
Lan: "..."
He wiped his face and stared expressionlessly at the girl flailing in the water.
"I'm sorry, Master! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
Scorpion Girl panicked at once, her little face bright red as she hurriedly waved her hands in apology. The more flustered she became, the more she fumbled, and she swallowed several mouthfuls of water.
"Cough, cough..."
"It's fine."
Lan's voice remained cool and calm, giving no hint of his feelings.
"Calm your mind. Feel the current instead of fighting it."
The simple instruction immediately quieted Scorpion Girl.
She closed her eyes and followed Lan's guidance, trying to sense the water element around her body.
A moment later, she opened her eyes in delight.
"Master! I can feel it! It feels so nice!"
She tried moving her body through the water. Her movements were still clumsy, but she was no longer as frantic as before.
"Thank you, Master!"
The girl swam over to Lan, her bright, sparkling eyes full of admiration and gratitude.
"Master, you didn't just save me—you're even teaching me how to cultivate... Xie'er... Xie'er has no way to repay you."
Lan watched the girl strive to get used to the water. For once, a faint warmth passed through his usually calm eyes.
Meanwhile.
At Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
In one corner of the academy, the lotus pond lay quiet.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling sat side by side on the green stone beside the pond, their skirts spread around them like two flowers in full bloom.
Lotus roots grew in the pond, and broad leaves, green as jade, filled the water, dotted here and there with pink lotus buds.
Several koi swam leisurely beneath the leaves, playing and stirring the clear water.
A warm summer breeze swept past, ruffling the pond and lifting a few strands of hair beside Dugu Yan's temple.
Yet her exquisite face was full of anger, utterly at odds with the peaceful scenery.
"That damned Lan!"
Dugu Yan gritted her teeth, her voice brimming with resentment.
"He's a despicable, shameless, lecherous bastard!"
She was absolutely furious.
Whenever she thought of what had happened during the match, she wanted to drag that man named Lan over and soak him in her snake venom for three days and three nights.
That bastard had actually slashed at her chest!
She just couldn't swallow her anger.
Even now, that spot still seemed to ache faintly. Worse, it came with waves of lingering tingling.
How humiliating!
Before you continue