Moonlight spilled across the garden as the evening breeze stirred, carrying the scent of flowers.
Qian Renxue's heart suddenly skipped a beat, then began to race.
She looked into Qin Yao's purple eyes, where her own panicked face was clearly reflected.
She had received her grandfather's letter long ago.
At first, she had been somewhat against the so-called engagement. The age gap was undeniable, and she had a heavy responsibility to bear, leaving no room for anything else.
But now...
Not only had Qin Yao seen through every one of her disguises, he had also soothed the deepest wound in her heart and barged into her world in the most domineering way possible.
More importantly, at such a young age, he was already a level fifty-one Soul King. He possessed an Innate Domain and had two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones.
With talent and fortune like his, who across the whole continent could compare?
Even she herself, as the successor to the Angel God, had been nowhere near his level at that age.
Proud as Qian Renxue was, she had never believed any peer could be worthy of her.
But Qin Yao, standing before her, seemed to be an exception.
After a long while, Qian Renxue drew a deep breath. She had made her choice.
Meeting Qin Yao's gaze, Qian Renxue slowly nodded.
"I'm willing."
"I'm very pleased with the husband Grandpa chose for me."
As soon as she finished speaking,
Qin Yao didn't wait any longer.
He reached out, gently cupped Qian Renxue's smooth chin, and tilted it up.
As her pupils suddenly contracted, he lowered his head and kissed her.
Mm!
Qian Renxue's mind went completely blank.
All she could feel was the warmth of his lips and that familiar, domineering presence.
After a long while,
Qin Yao finally drew back.
He looked at Qian Renxue in his arms, her cheeks flushed and her phoenix eyes hazy with emotion, and felt his spirits soar.
"Xue'er, I'll give you a grand wedding that will outshine the whole continent."
Leaning against him, Qian Renxue breathed softly. She said nothing, only nodded.
The mood was perfect, but Qin Yao suddenly remembered something else.
He held Qian Renxue as he settled her onto a bench in the stone pavilion, then sat beside her.
"Xue'er, since we've already made our commitment, how about you stop being a spy?"
Qin Yao furrowed his brow.
"Go back to Spirit City, or stay by my side and focus on your cultivation. I don't want you to keep suffering here."
At his words, the haze in Qian Renxue's eyes gradually faded. She shook her head.
"Xiao Yao, I can't."
"My plan is already at its final stage. I can't abandon it halfway."
She looked at Qin Yao and explained,
"I've been putting a slow-acting poison in Emperor Xue Ye's food for years. It's colorless and odorless, and even a Titled Douluo would have trouble detecting it. It will only make his health decline day by day. In a few more years, he'll die naturally."
"By then, as the Crown Prince, I'll be able to inherit the throne without a hitch. The entire Heaven Dou Empire will be ours."
Qin Yao listened and considered it briefly. He knew Qian Renxue's character; once she had made up her mind, she rarely turned back.
"Then all right. I won't press you, Xue'er."
Qin Yao took her hand. "If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you. Do whatever you want."
At last, a radiant smile rose to Qian Renxue's face, one that came straight from the heart.
She squeezed Qin Yao's hand in return and smiled. "Actually, this plan originally had one major flaw: Dugu Bo, who's close to Prince Xue Xing."
"Although the poison I used is subtle, Xue Ye is still an emperor, and imperial physicians often check his pulse.
Given enough time, they might notice something. What worried me most was that Prince Xue Xing would ask Dugu Bo to intervene."
"With Dugu Bo's skill in poisons, he might really discover something. Then my plan could be exposed."
As she spoke, she looked at Qin Yao, her smile growing brighter.
"But now, that risk is gone."
"Xiao Yao, you subdued Dugu Bo, which means you've helped me patch the last—and most critical—hole in my plan. Now it's airtight."
Qin Yao smiled as well.
He knew Qian Renxue meant every word. When he had subdued Dugu Bo, he had also been thinking of helping her.
Qian Renxue looked at the confident smile on Qin Yao's face, and felt even more at ease.
"Xiao Yao, thank you."
Her voice was soft, with a hint of reliance.
"You don't need to thank me."
Qin Yao reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips brushed her warm earlobe.
Qian Renxue stiffened slightly, her cheeks flushing again.
But Qin Yao acted as though nothing had happened. With a turn of his wrist, a gleaming white Immortal Herb appeared in his hand, radiating a gentle, sacred light.
"Xue'er, take this."
He held the Immortal Herb out to her.
It stood barely a foot tall. Its nine leaves looked as though they had been carved from white jade, and the bud at its tip was still closed. Yet a holy halo shone from within, bathing the entire stone pavilion in a faint golden glow.
A pure, intensely radiant aura spread through the air.
"This... what is it?"
Qian Renxue's breath caught.
As the owner of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, she was exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in light-attribute energy.
She could clearly sense just how vast and pure the power of light's source was within this tiny Immortal Herb!
Its power was even purer than her own Angel Soul Power!
"The Holy Bright Heart-Cleansing Grass."
Qin Yao's voice was calm, as though he were handing her an ordinary flower.
"Great-grandpa said it's your betrothal gift."
"Betro... betrothal gift?"
Qian Renxue held the Immortal Herb, her hands trembling slightly.
"It purifies the soul and tempers the body, refining the source of light," Qin Yao explained.
"It can circulate your Angel Soul Power throughout your limbs and meridians, greatly enhancing it. It's a perfect match for you."
Qian Renxue looked up, emotions surging in her beautiful eyes. "It's too precious..."
"It's not too precious." Qin Yao cut her off. "I told you, nothing is too precious for my Xue'er."
He stood and moved to Qian Renxue's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Absorb it now. I'll keep watch."
Qian Renxue looked at him and nodded firmly.
Sitting cross-legged on the stone bench, Qian Renxue swallowed the Holy Bright Heart-Cleansing Grass whole.
The Immortal Herb melted in her mouth and became a warm, surging torrent that flooded through her limbs and meridians.
Qian Renxue's body shuddered. The tiny Six-Winged Angel mark between her brows suddenly lit up, blazing with dazzling golden light.
The Soul Power in her body began to circulate wildly, beyond her control. A sacred, boundless aura erupted from her and swept across the entire back garden.
Qin Yao stood to one side, silently releasing his purple Soul Power. It formed an invisible barrier around them, keeping the aura sealed within the garden.
Time passed, second by second.
An hour later,
The golden light around Qian Renxue, seated on the stone bench, suddenly flared. A powerful surge of Soul Power shot into the sky, breaking straight through the barrier at the peak of the Soul King realm!
Level fifty-nine—level sixty!
She did it!
Qian Renxue opened her eyes, her face filled with delight and disbelief as she felt the unprecedented power within her.
In just one hour, her Soul Power had broken through to level sixty. All she needed now was one more Soul Ring, and she could officially enter the ranks of Soul Emperors!
"Xiao Yao, thank you!" Qian Renxue rose, embraced Qin Yao, and kissed him of her own accord.
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