Behind a tree not far away, Dugu Yan watched her friend standing all alone, fury surging in her heart.
"That bastard!"
She cursed under her breath and was about to rush over. But then she remembered her current position and turned to Qin Yao.
"His Highness the Holy Son, I..."
Qin Yao nodded slightly. "Go ahead. She is your friend, after all."
Delighted, Dugu Yan hurried over to Ye Lingling.
Qin Yao stayed where he was, not moving.
He watched Dugu Yan reach Ye Lingling and the two of them talk in hushed voices. He watched the tension in Ye Lingling's body gradually ease.
The fact that he, Qin Yao, had personally gone to Dugu Manor to invite them was already an enormous courtesy to the Nine Heart Begonia Family.
Their Martial Soul was indeed rare, but to him now, and to the entire Worship Hall, it was not indispensable.
He had given them their chance. Whether they seized it was up to them.
"Yanzi, what are you doing here?"
A note of delight in Ye Lingling's voice dispelled the gloom of a moment ago.
"If I hadn't come, that stupid pig would've carried you off!"
Dugu Yan took her hand and said crossly,
"What happened? Did that Xue Beng bastard grow a bear's heart and leopard's gall?"
Ye Lingling was silent for a moment, then said softly, "He wants me to... become his imperial consort."
"In his dreams!" Dugu Yan bristled at once. "Him? He's not even fit to carry your shoes!"
She took a deep breath, tamped down her anger, and looked Ye Lingling in the eye.
"Lingling, His Highness the Holy Son wanted you and Aunt Ye to join the Spirit Hall. Have you decided?"
Ye Lingling's body stiffened slightly.
Dugu Yan continued,
"Just look at me. My Soul Power is already level forty-five!
Could I ever have dreamed of that before?
His Highness the Holy Son has heaven-reaching powers. He not only cured the poison in Grandpa and me, but also made my Martial Soul evolve.
If he says he can break your family's curse, then he will!
If you agree, then so what if it's Xue Beng? Even if Emperor Xue Ye came in person, what could he do to us?"
Her words struck the still waters like a boulder.
Ye Lingling raised her head and looked through a gap in the trees at the purple-haired man standing tall in the distance.
He simply stood there, yet his presence was impossible to put into words.
That's right. The Spirit Hall.
It was a behemoth towering above the two great empires.
As long as they joined its ranks and gained its protection, what did a mere Prince Xue Beng matter?
Ye Lingling clenched her hands. After a long struggle, she finally made up her mind.
"I spoke to my mother about this, but..."
She paused, gathered her courage, and bowed slightly toward Qin Yao.
"His Highness the Holy Son, might you have some time? My mother would surely like to speak with you in person."
Qin Yao had heard their entire conversation, but his expression remained unchanged.
Only when he heard Ye Lingling's invitation did he slowly walk over.
"Certainly." Qin Yao glanced at the sky. "I happen to have time now."
And that was indeed the case. Qin Yao and Qian Renxue only met at night, so he was free during the day.
Ye Lingling's face brightened. She immediately led Qin Yao and Dugu Yan toward the residential district of Heaven Dou City.
The Nine Heart Begonia Family's clinic stood on a quiet street. It was modest in size but spotlessly clean, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of medicinal herbs.
"Mother, I'm back." Ye Lingling pushed the door open and called softly.
A gentle figure emerged from the inner room.
It was Ye Lingling's mother, Ye Shutang.
She looked to be only in her thirties, dressed in a simple, elegant blue-green gown. Her features were refined, and a white jade begonia hairpin adorned her temple. She had a serene, composed air.
Though she was a level sixty-nine Soul Emperor, she exuded no oppressive aura of a powerful expert. Instead, she was like a spring breeze and gentle rain, bringing peace to those around her.
"Yanzi? You little rascal, you finally decided to come visit me." Seeing Dugu Yan, Ye Shutang smiled warmly.
But when her gaze fell on Qin Yao behind Dugu Yan, that warm smile faltered slightly.
What astonishing presence.
The young man had a striking head of purple hair and was exceptionally tall. Though he had not released any Soul Power, she had the sense that his depths were unfathomable.
Especially his dark-purple eyes: calm and still, yet daunting to meet.
"Mother, this is His Highness Qin Yao, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."
Ye Lingling hurried to introduce him.
Then she told Ye Shutang everything about what had happened in the grove behind the academy, as well as the decision she had made, leaving nothing out.
Ye Shutang listened quietly, her expression barely changing. Only after Ye Lingling had finished did she turn her gaze back to Qin Yao.
Joining the Spirit Hall would mean severing ties with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and placing themselves in opposition to one of the two great empires.
It was a momentous decision. Once made, there would be no turning back.
The Nine Heart Begonia Family had few members and had always survived in the cracks, avoiding entanglements in the struggles between factions. That was how they had endured to this day.
But now, Xue Beng's relentless pressure had driven them to the edge of a cliff.
Though she was a Soul Emperor and had some connections in Heaven Dou City, those connections were nothing before a prince.
No one would offend Emperor Xue Ye's favorite youngest son for the sake of her and her daughter. After all, there were only a few Soul Emperors among them.
"Mother..." Ye Lingling's voice carried a hint of pleading.
Ye Shutang gently patted the back of her daughter's hand to reassure her. She raised her head and looked back at Qin Yao, the warmth in her expression giving way to solemnity.
"His Highness the Holy Son."
Ye Shutang's voice was clear and steady.
"The curse that has plagued the Nine Heart Begonia lineage has tormented us for generations. There is only one thing I want to know: do you truly... have a way to break it?"
Asking the question seemed to take everything Ye Shutang had.
Qin Yao considered it briefly before answering,
"I can't give you a one-hundred-percent guarantee."
Ye Shutang's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Nothing in this world is certain."
Qin Yao continued,
"All I can promise is that I will use every resource at my disposal to search for a way to break your curse."
He glanced at Dugu Yan.
"Yanzi's transformation is proof of my sincerity. Whether you believe me is up to you."
After his words, silence filled the clinic.
Ye Shutang closed her eyes, weighing the choices swiftly in her mind.
On one side stood a prince who kept tightening the noose and might seize her daughter by force at any moment, along with a hopeless curse that had endured for countless generations.
On the other stood the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, an unknown quantity who had already worked miracles.
It was a gamble.
She would wager the future of the entire Nine Heart Begonia Family on a glimmer of hope.
A few seconds later, Ye Shutang opened her eyes. All hesitation had vanished.
She took Ye Lingling by the hand and bowed deeply to Qin Yao.
"Ye Shutang and Ye Lingling are willing to follow His Highness the Holy Son, even if it costs us our lives!"
The mother and daughter spoke as one, their voices carrying the resolve of people who had burned their boats.
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