By the time the paperwork was finished, it was already evening.
Dugu Yan left Heaven Dou City with Ye Lingling and headed toward Sunset Forest.
The two walked along a forest path for over half an hour. By then, night had completely fallen.
Dugu Yan knew the route like the back of her hand. She led Ye Lingling around the sparse trees in the outer area, through the dense shrubs of the middle area, and finally stopped before a hill about five hundred meters tall.
"We're here."
Ye Lingling looked up at the hill shrouded in thick fog. She could faintly sense an astonishingly rich force of heaven and earth surging from deep within it.
"This is..."
"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
Dugu Yan lowered her voice, a hint of pride in it.
"It's where His Highness cultivates. You'll understand once you go in. The Soul Power concentration there is beyond anything outside."
The two followed a hidden path along the side of the hill, making their way down. On the way, they passed several poison formations laid by Dugu Bo.
Dugu Yan knew exactly how to bypass each one. She led Ye Lingling around every trigger point, and they safely reached the bottom of the valley.
The valley floor held a world of its own.
One side was bitterly cold, the other scorching hot. The two utterly opposite forces met in the middle, forming a strange hot spring.
All kinds of medicinal herbs grew around the spring, their faint spiritual glow accompanied by a delicate fragrance.
Ye Lingling drew in a breath without thinking. It felt as if every pore in her body had opened.
"This..."
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Dugu Yan proudly draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Come on. His Highness is just ahead."
On a flat rock not far from the spring, Qin Yao sat cross-legged.
Dark purple Soul Power swirled around him. Purple crystal patterns ran down his arms to the backs of his hands, and the air still held a faint, searing heat.
At the sound of footsteps, his Soul Power receded, and he opened his eyes.
"Your Highness, we're here." Dugu Yan released Ye Lingling and gave him a proper bow.
Ye Lingling bowed as well. "Ye Lingling greets His Highness the Holy Son."
Qin Yao rose and brushed the stone dust from his robes.
"Did the withdrawal go smoothly?"
"Smoothly," Dugu Yan replied.
Qin Yao gave a quiet "Mm," then looked at Ye Lingling. Without another word, he took a jade box from his Soul Tool.
The moment the box opened, an orchid fragrance so rich it seemed almost tangible filled the entire valley.
Ye Lingling instinctively took half a step back, momentarily dazed by the fragrance.
Dugu Yan took a couple of breaths too, and her spirits lifted. "It smells wonderful!"
Inside the jade box lay an eight-petaled orchid. Its snow-white petals gleamed like jade and trembled ever so slightly.
"This is called the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid."
Qin Yao held the jade box out to Ye Lingling.
"Its nature is mild and its medicinal effects are potent. It can strengthen your foundations, nourish your vitality, and expel impurities from your body. It will be especially beneficial to an auxiliary-system Soul Master like you."
Ye Lingling froze.
She hadn't expected the Holy Son to really give her an Immortal Herb, just as Yanzi had said.
"Your Highness, this is far too precious." Ye Lingling's voice trembled.
"Take it."
Qin Yao's tone remained unchanged.
"Now that you've joined Spirit Hall, I won't treat you unfairly. The Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul is well suited to this kind of nourishing Immortal Herb. Don't waste time passing it back and forth."
Ye Lingling reached out and accepted the jade box. The moment her fingertips touched its surface, its coolness brought her back to her senses.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and her blue eyes reddened.
Watching from the side, Dugu Yan felt her own nose sting.
She knew Ye Lingling all too well.
Since childhood, the girl had borne her clan's curse. People had whispered that the Nine Heart Begonia line was doomed to be "short-lived." Xue Beng had set his sights on her, and the imperial family had treated her like a bargaining chip.
No one had ever given her anything like this.
It wasn't charity. It wasn't a deal.
It was the certainty of being one of their own.
"His Highness is right, Lingling. Don't be shy."
Dugu Yan patted her back and said with a smile,
"His Highness may be icy on the outside, but when it comes to his own people, he doesn't hesitate to spend big."
Qin Yao glanced at Dugu Yan. "Why do you talk so much?"
Dugu Yan stuck out her tongue and wisely fell silent.
Qin Yao turned to Ye Lingling.
"The way to take it is simple. Chew it up and swallow it. I'll be right here to protect you, so don't worry.
"Absorb the Immortal Herb tonight. Starting tomorrow, cultivate beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. The concentration of the force of heaven and earth here is dozens of times higher than outside, which will greatly benefit the growth of your Soul Power."
Ye Lingling wiped the corner of her eye and nodded firmly.
"All right."
She sat cross-legged on an open patch of ground by the spring, opened the jade box, and carefully lifted the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid into her palms.
The snow-white orchid trembled gently. The patterns on its petals were clear, every vein gleaming with a lustrous glow.
Ye Lingling bit into a petal.
It melted in her mouth.
There was no bitterness, no harshness. It was like a warm stream slipping down her throat into her chest, then slowly spreading through her limbs and bones.
She closed her eyes.
Qin Yao sat cross-legged three paces away and spread out his Soul Power perception to protect her.
Dugu Yan sat a little farther off, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Ye Lingling quietly cultivate by the spring, a smile on her lips.
The valley was quiet, save for the faint bubbling of the spring.
At the same time, in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Study was cold enough to freeze.
Emperor Xue Ye sat behind the dragon desk, his grizzled beard quivering slightly.
He was over sixty, but the majesty years of imperial rule had instilled in him kept everyone in the room from even breathing too loudly.
Xue Beng knelt on the golden-brick floor in the middle of the Imperial Study, his head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground.
Prince Xue Xing stood half a step behind him, wearing a complicated expression.
There was anger in it, frustration, and even a hint of guilt.
"Xue Qinghe" stood to the right of the dragon desk, hands clasped behind his back. He wore a blue robe, his expression calm.
Emperor Xue Ye had been silent for nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Xue Beng's legs had gone numb from kneeling. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead onto the golden bricks, leaving a small wet patch.
"Speak."
At last, Emperor Xue Ye spoke a single word.
Xue Beng shuddered. "F-Father, I only wanted to..."
"I wasn't asking you." Emperor Xue Ye cut him off, lifting his chin to indicate Prince Xue Xing.
Prince Xue Xing cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Brother, when all is said and done, this was Spirit Hall throwing its weight around. Xue Beng merely went to the Ye Family Medical Clinic to see a doctor..."
"To see a doctor?"
"Xue Qinghe" chimed in, his tone mild.
"Uncle, was Fourth Brother there to see a doctor or to force a marriage? Everyone in the city saw what happened. You might fool me with that excuse, but do you really think you can fool Father?"
Prince Xue Xing's face darkened.
Xue Beng lowered his head even further.
"Xue Qinghe" continued,
"Father, I saw everything for myself.
"Fourth Brother brought guards from the prince's residence to surround the Ye Family Medical Clinic and corner Ye Lingling. He gave her three days to agree to become his concubine.
"Ye Shutang, Ye Lingling's mother, had been appointed a Red-Clad Archbishop by Spirit Hall just three days ago.
"By going there, Fourth Brother tried to snatch someone from Spirit Hall in front of the entire city of Heaven Dou."
Emperor Xue Ye lightly tapped his fingers on the dragon desk twice.
Prince Xue Xing knew that gesture all too well. It meant his brother was struggling to hold back his anger.
"Xue Xing."
Emperor Xue Ye had called him by name instead of "younger brother" or "prince," which meant he was already displeased.
"Was it your idea to go after that Ye girl?"
"No!" Prince Xue Xing hurriedly denied it.
"Brother, that was all Xue Beng's own idea."
"You know exactly what Xue Beng is like, yet you still let him run wild in Heaven Dou City."
Emperor Xue Ye's voice was cold.
"You're his own uncle. You couldn't control him?"
Prince Xue Xing opened his mouth, but no words came out.
If he said he couldn't control him, that would be shirking responsibility. If he said he could, then this whole affair was even more his fault.
Either answer was wrong.
"Xue Qinghe" stepped forward at just the right moment and gently supported Emperor Xue Ye's arm.
"Father, please calm down. Fourth Brother is young and foolish, while Uncle only backed him out of consideration for appearances.
"What's done is done. The most important thing now is deciding how to answer to Spirit Hall."
Emperor Xue Ye let out a long breath.
He looked at Xue Beng, trembling on the floor, then at Prince Xue Xing, whose face was ashen.
"Xue Beng."
"Your son is here!"
"Starting today, you're confined to your residence for three months. You are not to set foot outside without my permission."
Xue Beng felt as if he'd been pardoned. "Thank you, Father!"
It was only house arrest. His punishment was far lighter than he'd imagined.
"And one more thing."
Emperor Xue Ye added, "Send every one of those lackeys from your residence to the frontier."
Xue Beng's face stiffened for a moment, but he didn't dare protest. He obediently knocked his head against the floor.
"Xue Xing."
"Your younger brother is here."
"You weren't the mastermind, so I won't pursue the matter. But you will handle our answer to Spirit Hall."
Prince Xue Xing groaned inwardly, but dared not show it. He bowed and replied,
"Yes, Brother."
Seeing this, "Xue Qinghe" spoke without haste.
"Father, when I spoke with Qin Yao at the scene today, he mentioned something."
Emperor Xue Ye looked over.
"What was it?"
"The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud."
A trace of carefully measured reluctance touched "Xue Qinghe's" lips.
"Qin Yao said that if the Heaven Dou Empire offered the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud as compensation, he would let the matter drop.
"I think that while it is an heirloom of the imperial family, no one has known its true purpose for years. It has simply gathered dust in the storeroom.
"If it could resolve the conflict between our two sides..."
"Absolutely not!" Prince Xue Xing objected instinctively. "That was handed down by the founding emperor—"
"That's enough." Emperor Xue Ye raised a hand to stop him.
Silence settled over the Imperial Study once more.
Emperor Xue Ye closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping slowly on the dragon desk.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
It had indeed been sitting in the imperial storeroom for centuries. Emperors of every generation had studied it, yet no one had figured out how to use it.
Rather than a treasure that safeguarded the nation, it was more like an ornament no one could make use of.
But the question was, what would happen to their dignity if they gave it to Spirit Hall?
If they refused, two Titled Douluo stood behind Spirit Hall's Holy Son.
"Qinghe," Emperor Xue Ye said, opening his eyes. "What do you think?"
"Xue Qinghe" pondered briefly, then cupped his hands and replied,
"I believe we can give them the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. But we shouldn't give it away for nothing. We should make Spirit Hall owe the Heaven Dou Empire a favor."
Emperor Xue Ye nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Father, you can invite Qin Yao to the palace for a banquet in your private capacity.
"Presenting the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud as a state gift at the banquet would preserve the royal family's dignity while earning Spirit Hall a tremendous favor. If we need to ask something of them in the future, it will be easier to bring up."
Xue Ye pondered for several breaths.
"Approved."
He rose to his feet, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the edge of the imperial desk.
"Xue Qinghe, draft an edict. In three days, we'll hold a banquet and invite the Holy Son of Spirit Hall to the palace in my name."
"This son will obey."
"Xue Qinghe" bowed in acknowledgment, the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth perfectly restrained.
In the corridor outside the Imperial Study, the night wind slipped through gaps in the palace walls and stirred the black hair hanging down "Xue Qinghe's" back.
Once the attendants had gone some distance away, "Xue Qinghe" gave a soft snort.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Although she didn't know why Qin Yao had set his sights on the thing, if Qin Yao wanted it, she would naturally give him a push.
"Xue Qinghe" quickened her step a little and turned into the Crown Prince's Residence.
She had to let Qin Yao know about the palace banquet three days from now in advance.
She spread out a sheet of letter paper and began to write the first line:
"To Xiao Yao, with love."
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