Lin Yuan nodded, then released her and turned, striding quickly toward the hall's exit.
Bibi Dong sat upright on the broad main seat, her gaze fixed on Lin Yuan's tall, retreating figure. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tenderness and doting affection that could not be dispelled.
The hall fell quiet once more.
Leaning back in her chair, Bibi Dong's thoughts took wing and flew far away.
Once, she had utterly despised Qian Renxue, her own daughter by Qian Xunji.
Her instinctive rejection and hatred ran so deep that even looking at Qian Renxue made her feel sick.
But ever since she had adopted Lin Yuan, everything had changed.
Watching the boy in black grow up day by day, watching him reveal a talent that surpassed all others beneath heaven, Bibi Dong's heart, scarred beyond repair, had miraculously begun to heal, little by little.
Along with it, her hatred for Qian Renxue had quietly faded before she even realized it.
Bibi Dong's breathtaking lips curved into a hopeful smile.
If, one day, Xue'er could lay down the burden of the Heaven Dou Empire and marry Yuan'er in peace... that would truly be a most perfect outcome.
She could entrust Spirit Hall's future to the two young people and finally rest easy.
News that Lin Yuan was about to set out for Heaven Dou City quickly spread among Spirit Hall's younger generation.
When Lin Yuan returned to his private courtyard, it was already crowded with people.
Xie Yue, Yan, and the other underlings who usually followed Lin Yuan's lead all wore mournful expressions, their eyes filled with reluctance.
At the very front stood Hu Liena, a prodigy of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
"Brother Yuan, you're really leaving?"
Hu Liena hurried forward. Her naturally alluring fox eyes were slightly red, filled with admiration and affection for Lin Yuan.
Today, she wore an extremely form-fitting leather outfit that showed off her stunning curves to perfection.
Most tantalizing of all, she wore a pair of skin-tight black stockings that clung to her long, straight legs, leaving not a trace of excess flesh.
The sunlight glinted off the stockings, giving them a bewitching sheen and lending them a deadly allure that could set any normal man's blood racing.
Lin Yuan glanced over everyone and calmly reminded them, "I'm going to Heaven Dou City to take care of a few things. I'll be back in a few months at the earliest, half a year at the latest."
"While I'm gone, you'd all better keep your noses clean and train hard in the Mimicry Cultivation Ground."
"If I come back and find anyone wasting their time and making no progress in Soul Power, I won't let them off lightly."
Xie Yue, Yan, and the others immediately straightened up and answered loudly, not daring to defy him in the slightest.
Hu Liena, however, paid no heed to any of that.
Taking advantage of being a girl, she naturally moved closer and wrapped both arms around Lin Yuan's right arm.
Her rounded thigh, encased in black stockings, pressed against his waist, seemingly by chance, its touch slick and soft.
Her full chest pressed against his arm without restraint, rising and falling gently with her breath.
"Brother Yuan, Heaven Dou City is so far away. I'm definitely going to miss you."
Hu Liena rose onto her tiptoes and leaned close to Lin Yuan's ear, her breath sweet as orchids.
Her coquettish voice brimmed with undisguised flirtation and teasing.
Lin Yuan turned his head and looked at the stunning, foxlike face just inches away. Her intoxicating fragrance filled his nostrils.
He raised a hand and casually pinched Hu Liena's fair, delicate cheek.
"Stop trying to charm me with sweet talk."
"You still need to hone your Charm Soul Skill. Don't spend all your time thinking about this nonsense."
Though he scolded her, Lin Yuan's fingers went on to ruffle her smooth, short hair.
The intimate gesture made Hu Liena's heart skip a beat.
She obediently rested her head on Lin Yuan's shoulder and closed her eyes in contentment, like a little fox being petted by its master.
Hu Liena always did as Lin Yuan said. She would never disobey him in the slightest.
Heaven Dou Empire, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
Sandalwood incense curled through the study.
Qian Renxue sat behind a desk made of top-grade golden-threaded nanmu, holding a confidential letter that had just arrived from a Spirit Hall contact.
Its contents were extremely brief.
It said only that Spirit Hall would soon send an important new operative to Heaven Dou City to make contact and deliver vital secrets.
Yet it did not mention the newcomer's name or identity at all.
Qian Renxue furrowed her brow, casually held the letter to the candle flame, and watched it burn to ash.
She had been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire for ten full years.
She was long accustomed to arranging meetings and passing along intelligence; she could even be called an old hand at it.
But for some reason, after reading this unsigned letter, her heart began to pound violently for no reason she could explain.
An unusually strong sense of unease spread through her chest.
Qian Renxue rose and pushed open the window, letting the cool night breeze brush across her face, disguised as Xue Qinghe's.
Had something gone wrong on Spirit Hall's end?
Or was something about to happen that could overturn the entire Heaven Dou Empire?
She drew a deep breath, forcing down her agitation, then gazed toward Spirit City for a long time without speaking.
Half a month later, Heaven Dou City.
The bustling streets teemed with carriages and people, while vendors' cries rose and fell all around.
Lin Yuan wore a broad-brimmed hat that hid most of his striking face.
He had brought only a handful of guards and entered Heaven Dou City with great discretion.
After making a few inquiries, Lin Yuan headed straight for the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
According to the intelligence, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was inspecting affairs at the academy that day and working in his private study.
In a secluded corner outside the academy, Lin Yuan quickly changed into the coarse clothes of a Heaven Dou Imperial Family servant.
With his terrifying cultivation at the peak of Soul Emperor, level sixty-nine, and the Shadow Stealth ability innate to his Nine Nether Beast Martial Soul, the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Knights guarding the study might as well have been blind.
As casually as if he were strolling through a garden, Lin Yuan easily avoided every guard and hidden checkpoint, reaching the study door without a sound.
Inside, Qian Renxue was bent over a mountain of official documents and files.
With a vermilion brush in hand, she reviewed memorials from every region of the Heaven Dou Empire, her brow furrowed.
Every day she spent disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe took a tremendous toll on her.
She had to maintain that false mask of gentleness and humility at all times, without the slightest slip.
Just then, a voice sounded outside the door, lowered in a formal announcement.
"Your Highness, the new contact has arrived. He says he has an extremely important letter to present to you in person."
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