Showdown: Qian Renxue's Identity Revealed, Old Poison is Shocked!

Qin Yao took the opportunity to pull Qian Renxue's slender waist toward him, one hand pressing against the back of her head.

A long while later, the kiss ended. Qin Yao held the soft, delicate Qian Renxue in his arms, feeling quite satisfied as he inhaled the faint, sweet fragrance emanating from her.

Qian Renxue leaned against his chest, the flush on her cheeks yet to fully fade, her breathing still somewhat rapid.

"Sister Xue'er, how do you feel?" Qin Yao lowered his head and asked with a smile.

"Better than ever before." Qian Renxue lifted her head from his embrace, her golden hair cascading down, and answered honestly.

The medicinal efficacy of the Holy Bright Heart-Cleansing Grass far exceeded her expectations; not only did it allow her to break through the threshold of a Soul Emperor in one go, but her light attribute had increased, and her soul power flowed with greater fluidity.

"That's good." Qin Yao's hand remained on her waist. "Since Sister Xue'er is unwilling to abandon your current mission, I will not force you."

Hearing this, Qian Renxue's heart lifted slightly.

Qin Yao continued:

"However, I cannot rest easy leaving you to fight this lonely battle here by yourself. How about I summon Dugu Bo to assist you in secret? He is an expert in the use of poison, and his presence will only benefit your plans."

"Dugu Bo?" Qian Renxue frowned slightly. "Is he trustworthy?"

The undercover plan was of vital importance; if it were leaked, everything would be lost.

"He is trustworthy." Qin Yao's answer was simple and direct.

He looked at Qian Renxue's slightly worried face and explained:

"Dugu Bo is a man who yields to neither soft nor hard tactics, but his only weakness is his precious granddaughter, Dugu Yan. I helped the two of them purge the hereditary snake venom from their bloodlines; that is a debt of immense gratitude."

"Furthermore, I took him to the Worship Hall once. He saw the strength of the Worship Hall with his own eyes and met my grandfather and the other Worships. He is a smart man; he knows exactly what the consequences of betraying me would be."

Although Qin Yao's voice was calm, the confidence in his tone was undisguised.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue finally set her mind at ease.

"Very well, I will listen to you." Qian Renxue nodded submissively.

Qin Yao smiled with satisfaction and turned his head toward the shadows of the garden.

"Grandfather, please trouble yourself to bring Dugu Bo here for me."

"Very well!" Qin Xiong's voice came from the darkness, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

As soon as the words fell, a figure soared into the sky and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.

Only Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo, who had been standing guard the entire time, remained.

Within a few minutes, an extremely faint sound of wind being broken came from mid-air.

Qin Xiong's burly figure landed first, followed by Dugu Bo, who was dressed in grey robes.

The moment Dugu Bo landed, his gaze swept toward the stone pavilion. He had been prepared to cup his hands in salute, but when he saw the stunning golden-haired woman leaning in Qin Yao's arms, his movements came to an abrupt halt.

The Old Poison muttered to himself.

What is His Highness the Holy Son playing at?

Running to the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's Residence in the dead of night, and holding a woman in his arms at that. If Crown Prince Xue Qinghe were to run into this, wouldn't that be a disaster?

He thought about it again, and realized something was wrong.

This Crown Prince's Residence was heavily guarded, yet the Holy Son could sit here so brazenly without even a single guard being alerted.

Dugu Bo swallowed his doubts, took two steps forward, bowed, and cupped his hands.

"This subordinate greets His Highness the Holy Son. I greet the Fourth Worship."

Qin Yao raised his hand and waved it, signaling for him to rise. He did not release his hold on Qian Renxue's waist and spoke directly:

"Elder Dugu, let me introduce you. This is Qian Renxue, the granddaughter of the First Worship of the Worship Hall, and also my fiancée."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Dugu Bo's posture became even more respectful. The granddaughter of the First Worship—this status was practically heaven-reaching within Martial Soul Hall.

"This subordinate greets..." Dugu Bo began to offer his salutations.

However, Qin Yao's next words caused Dugu Bo to freeze in shock.

"She has another identity that you are very familiar with: the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe."

Dugu Bo's movements went completely rigid. He looked up, glancing from Qian Renxue to Qin Yao, his mind buzzing.

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is a woman?

And she is the granddaughter of the First Worship of Martial Soul Hall?

Dugu Bo had spent decades in the Heaven Dou Imperial City and considered himself well-versed in the intricate schemes of the imperial family.

Prince Xue Xing even regarded him as his greatest trump card.

Yet, he never dreamed that the future heir to the Heaven Dou Empire was actually an undercover agent sent by Martial Soul Hall!

If this information were to leak, the entire continent would be turned upside down.

Dugu Bo swallowed hard, a layer of cold sweat instantly seeping out on his back.

Having lived for so many years, he knew all too well the consequences of secrets at this level.

With secrets like this, the more you know, the faster you die. But looking at it from another angle, the fact that His Highness the Holy Son could tell him this to his face meant he didn't treat him as an outsider at all. In the eyes of the Holy Son, he was a person worthy of trust!

Dugu Bo took a deep breath.

"Everything heard today shall rot in my stomach; I will never utter a single word of it!"

Qin Yao watched Dugu Bo as he saluted, quite satisfied with his reaction.

"Elder Dugu, from now on, you may address Sister Xue'er as Young Mistress."

"Understood. Greetings, Young Mistress!" Dugu Bo stood up and bowed respectfully toward Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue sat upright, pulling away from Qin Yao's embrace. Facing Dugu Bo, she set aside her previous tenderness, regaining the composure and majesty she had cultivated during her many years as the undercover Crown Prince.

"Elder Dugu, there is no need for such formalities." Qian Renxue raised a hand. "Since Xiao Yao trusts you, I trust you as well."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue flicked her wrist, retrieving an exquisite small white jade porcelain bottle from her storage Soul Tool and placing it on the stone table.

"Elder Dugu, your attainments in the way of poison are peerless across the continent. Take a look at this."

Dugu Bo stepped forward, picked up the porcelain bottle, and poured a small amount of powder into his palm.

The powder was light gray and almost completely odorless.

Dugu Bo used his fingernail to pick up a tiny amount, tasted it on the tip of his tongue, and closed his eyes to carefully sense the changes in the medicinal properties.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, brushed the powder away, and recorked the bottle.

"Young Mistress, this poison is concocted with great ingenuity."

Dugu Bo offered his assessment.

"It is colorless and odorless, dissolving instantly in water. It is not the kind of potent, instant-kill poison, but a chronic toxin that erodes the body's vitality extremely slowly."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"Correct. This is what I have been using against Great Emperor Xueye. I have been administering it for several years now, and even the imperial physicians of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family cannot detect it, assuming only that he is suffering from exhaustion and a weakened constitution."

Dugu Bo stroked his chin.

"It is normal for the imperial physicians to be unable to detect it. This poison acts extremely slowly, having completely integrated into his blood and qi. Even for this old man, it would be difficult to discern any clues without a meticulous examination."

He paused, then shifted the tone of his voice.

"However, this poison has a drawback: it is too slow to take effect. At the current dosage, that old man Xueye could hold on for at least another three to five years. If he consumes any rare treasures to consolidate his foundation and nourish his essence during this time, the duration will be dragged out even longer."

Qian Renxue frowned slightly. This was indeed a problem that had been giving her a headache.

As long as Great Emperor Xueye remained alive, she could not truly seize control of the Heaven Dou Empire.