[Image] An Alliance by Marriage? The Crown Prince Is Often Ill; You Must Do Your Best! There's Definitely Something Fishy!

At those words,

Prince Xue Xing, who had been standing nearby with an air of composure, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

He whipped around to look at Qian Renxue, shock surging in his eyes before he could suppress it.

He hadn't known a thing about this!

And Dugu Bo was supposed to be on his side!

What was he doing at the Crown Prince's Residence?

Alarm bells rang in his mind.

Could it be... an alliance by marriage?

Had his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, taken a fancy to Xue Qinghe?!

Qian Renxue naturally knew Dugu Bo had come to see her about the poison antidote, but she obviously couldn't say that,

so she let just the right amount of confusion and surprise show on her face,

and replied vaguely:

"I just returned as well, Father. I don't know why Poison Douluo wished to see me."

"Hmm. If that's the case, then you may go back first!"

"Don't keep Poison Douluo waiting!"

Great Emperor Xue Ye gave Qian Renxue a rather complicated look.

He set down his teacup and waved for the two of them to leave.

When he'd first heard the scouts' report, he'd been startled too.

He knew Dugu Bo's temperament all too well.

Arrogant and unruly, a loner who might not even give the emperor himself any face.

For him to wait quietly from dawn until now was simply inconceivable!

This wasn't a trivial matter. It was an unmistakable sign of political allegiance!

Until now, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been on fairly close terms with Xue Qinghe,

while the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been closer to Prince Xue Xing.

On the surface, Xue Qinghe had held the upper hand.

But with Dugu Bo, a nominal royal enshrined expert, in the picture, the two sides had been evenly matched.

That was how he'd kept the various forces in balance.

But now, the scales had tipped.

He hesitated,

wondering whether he should quietly intervene to restore the balance between the two sides.

Yet at the thought of Dugu Bo's reclusive nature, he feared that meddling would only make things worse.

Great Emperor Xue Ye leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples.

Lost in thought, he barely noticed Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing take their leave.

It wasn't until a familiar voice, one that always irritated him a little, rang out.

"Father!"

"I heard Imperial Brother was back. Why haven't I seen him?"

A young man with a somewhat unfocused gaze and a faint whiff of rouge about him asked, swaying his head.

Great Emperor Xue Ye opened his eyes.

The moment he saw the sight before him, his temper shot through the roof.

"Hmph! You good-for-nothing wretch!"

He snatched up the teacup on the table and flung its contents straight at Xue Beng. Water and all, it splashed over his head and face.

His dazed eyes instantly cleared.

"Please calm your anger, Father! Your son is guilty!"

"Punish me as you see fit! I'll never do it again!"

With a thump, Xue Beng dropped to his knees, trembling all over.

Great Emperor Xue Ye had been about to fly into a rage, but seeing him like that,

and remembering that these were the only two sons he had left,

he couldn't bring himself to be harsh.

In the end, Xue Beng had turned out this way partly because he himself had indulged him all these years!

"Ah, go on. Get out of here!"

He waved a hand, his voice full of weariness.

But just as Xue Beng reached the doorway, Great Emperor Xue Ye suddenly said, almost casually, for reasons known only to himself, "The Crown Prince is often ill. You must do your best!"

Xue Beng paused.

For a fleeting moment, his eyes cleared.

Then he slipped back into his usual playboy act, bobbed his head, and left.

"Your residence doesn't seem to be on my way, Uncle."

After leaving the palace, Qian Renxue frowned at Prince Xue Xing, who had been following close behind her.

"Heh heh. Senior Dugu and I are old acquaintances. We haven't seen each other in ages. Since I heard he was at the Crown Prince's Residence, I naturally had to go pay him a visit."

Prince Xue Xing said with a broad smile.

How could he stand by and watch his strongest ally inexplicably switch sides to Qian Renxue?

Dugu Bo had gone straight to the Crown Prince's Residence first thing in the morning without even letting him know.

No matter how he looked at it, there was something strange about this.

Whatever it took,

he had to see for himself whether there was any chance of salvaging the situation.

"Oh? That works out nicely."

Qian Renxue sneered inwardly, but kept her tone polite.

"I've heard Senior Dugu has a rather bad temper. With you, his old friend, there, even if I happen to offend him later,

I'm sure he won't hold it against me, out of respect for you, right?"

"Of course, of course—"

Prince Xue Xing's smile stiffened a little.

Dugu Bo?

He'd never once been given a kind look by the man.

But the words had already left his mouth, so he could only follow through and tag along.

Seeing how stubborn and shameless the other man was, Qian Renxue gave a cold laugh inwardly,

then stopped trying to drive him away and climbed into the carriage.

The Crown Prince's Residence stood right beside the imperial palace. It took only the time to drink a cup of tea for the two of them to arrive.

They entered the main hall one after the other.

Before Qian Renxue could say a word,

two figures rose from their seats and hurried over to greet them.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Dugu Bo clasped his hands and bowed slightly.

Dugu Yan, standing behind him, followed suit with a demure curtsy. Her purple hair fell over her shoulders as she glanced up at Qian Renxue, her eyes full of confusion.

She'd seen Xue Qinghe plenty of times, but she'd never seen her grandfather act with such solemnity.

Before dawn that morning, her grandfather had hauled her out of bed,

then gone over and over his instructions, telling her to be especially respectful when she met the Crown Prince.

When she'd asked why, he wouldn't say,

leaving her full of questions.

Standing behind Qian Renxue, Prince Xue Xing witnessed the scene and looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

Since when had that old poison freak become so courteous?

Something was wrong!

Definitely wrong!

"Senior Poison Douluo, Miss Dugu, there's no need to be so formal. Please, have a seat!"

Qian Renxue hurried forward to help them up.

"It was rude of me to keep you both waiting!"

"Not at all, not at all. We were the ones who took the liberty of coming here!"

Dugu Bo waved his hands repeatedly.

"Senior Dugu—"

Prince Xue Xing finally spotted an opening and moved closer, hoping to get a word in and greet him.

But the moment Dugu Bo saw him approach, the smile on his face turned cold.

"Oh? Prince Xue Xing is here too?"

Dugu Bo glanced at him indifferently, his tone cool.

"Your humble servant has matters to discuss with His Highness the Crown Prince today. I must trouble you to wait outside!"

Dugu Bo might have had an eccentric, solitary nature,

but he wasn't stupid.

That mysterious person had already instructed him to come to the Crown Prince's Residence for the antidote.

Whether that person was from the Heaven Dou Empire or not, it was obvious they favored the Crown Prince.

So as for Prince Xue Xing, who stood on the opposing side,

he naturally had to make his position clear and draw a line between them.

After all, his relationship with Xue Xing was nothing more than a business arrangement, and that had long since ended. He had no qualms about it!

"Ah... Heh heh... I see, I see!"

Prince Xue Xing forced out several dry laughs.

"I just... happened to be passing by. I didn't know you had matters to discuss with the Crown Prince, Senior. I've disturbed you. I'll take my leave, I'll take my leave!"

His hand was clenched into a tight fist beneath his sleeve,

yet he still managed to smile as he found himself an excuse to back out,

retreating step by step from the main hall.

Outside in the courtyard, Prince Xue Xing stared through the window at the figures inside. His face turned livid in an instant.

Who was he, after all?

The younger brother of Great Emperor Xue Ye!

Even Ning Fengzhi treated him with courtesy!

Yet today, that old bastard had kicked him in the teeth.

"Just you wait, you old bastard!"

"How dare you show me so little respect—"

"I..."

What could he do?

Dugu Bo was all alone, and his granddaughter was his only weak spot. But she was also his one inviolable red line. Anyone who touched her would die!

Although both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan looked down on Dugu Bo,

neither would ever fall out with him on Xue Xing's behalf.

After all, Dugu Bo was the sort who could wipe out an entire sect in a fit of rage!

At the thought of that,

Prince Xue Xing was furious, yet had nowhere to vent his anger. He could only snort and sweep away with a flick of his sleeve.