"Xiao San."
A low, hoarse voice suddenly sounded in Tang San's ear.
The others in the room seemed not to have heard it at all, but Tang San's body jolted.
He raised his head and looked toward the pitch-black alley outside the window.
A tall figure in a tattered cloak stood there like a ghost.
It was his father, Tang Hao.
Tang San rose to his feet, a fierce, icy glint flashing in his eyes.
"Father."
He murmured the word in his heart.
Tang Hao's voice sounded again, laced with suppressed fury and murderous intent.
"That Soul Bone."
"Is yours."
"No one can take what belongs to our Tang Family."
"Come. We're going to take it back."
Tang San nodded firmly and clenched his fists.
Outside Heaven Dou City, by Blue Wave Lake.
The lake lay smooth as a mirror. Every so often, a breeze swept over it, stirring layer upon layer of tiny ripples.
Beneath the weeping willows on the shore, two lounge chairs sat side by side. Between them stood an exquisitely crafted little brazier, with a pot of wine warming over it. The fragrance of wine filled the air.
Qin Feng held his fishing rod, lounging lazily against the back of his chair as he watched the float on the lake through half-lidded eyes.
Beside him, Xue Qinghe, dressed in ordinary clothes, also held a fishing rod. But his clear eyes weren't on the lake. Every so often, they stole a glance at Qin Feng.
"Teacher Qin, I stayed up all night yesterday studying that compendium of theories."
Xue Qinghe broke the silence, his voice full of sincere admiration.
"The Martial Soul Mimicry Evolution Theory in particular was completely unheard of. If I cultivate along those lines, I feel like the bottleneck that's troubled me for so long is finally starting to loosen."
Qin Feng casually picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup, then filled Xue Qinghe's as well.
"Of course. Since I've taken you on as a student, I've got to give you something worthwhile."
"Come on, bottoms up."
Qin Feng raised his cup.
Xue Qinghe hurriedly picked up his own. They clinked their cups lightly, then drained them.
The wine went down, bringing a faint flush to Xue Qinghe's face. Watching Qin Feng's casual, carefree manner, he felt an even stronger urge to figure him out.
This man clearly possessed the talent and strength to shake the entire continent, yet he acted like a street-corner rascal.
Qin Feng set down his cup, leaned forward slightly, and very naturally reached out with his right hand, giving Xue Qinghe a hearty slap on the chest.
"It's all in the wine. From now on, we're brothers."
"If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me anytime."
Smack!
The slap landed with a solid thud.
The smile on Xue Qinghe's face instantly froze.
A strange current shot from his chest through his whole body, making her shiver all over. The fishing rod in her hand nearly slipped free.
She had used the finest Soul Tool for disguise to perfectly alter her figure into that of a man, even adjusting her sense of touch.
But that didn't mean her body's sensations had disappeared.
Qin Feng had slapped her squarely in a place he shouldn't have.
She had guarded against everything, but never expected this to happen.
Xue Qinghe's body went rigid, and even her breathing paused for half a beat.
Qin Feng acted as though he hadn't noticed anything unusual. He withdrew his hand, gave a couple of playful grabs at the air, then stared at Xue Qinghe in surprise.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Why's your face so red? The wine's not that strong, is it?"
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her embarrassment and panic, and stammered:
"N-no, I'm fine."
"Maybe the wind by the lake is a little chilly. I'm not used to it."
Qin Feng chuckled, his gaze sweeping brazenly over Xue Qinghe's chest.
"That doesn't seem likely."
"Looks like you've been working out quite a bit."
At these nearly flirtatious words, Xue Qinghe's ears turned bright red.
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
Before Xue Qinghe could reply, Qin Feng raised his hand again, pretending he was about to slap her in the same place.
"Come on, let your teacher give you another checkup."
As that large hand was about to fall again,
Xue Qinghe could no longer keep up the act. He hurriedly shrank back and raised a hand to shield his chest.
"Teacher Qin! You mustn't!"
Qin Feng stopped with his hand in midair, looking completely innocent.
"What's the matter? What's wrong with that? We're both men, and we're brothers. Why be so formal?"
"Or does the Crown Prince look down on me, a mere viscount?"
Xue Qinghe bit her lip, burning with embarrassment and frustration.
She was a woman!
And she knew full well that Qin Feng had already exposed her identity in his diary.
This guy knew she was Qian Renxue. He knew she was a woman disguised as a man, and yet he was still taking liberties with her under the pretext of being "brothers."
Absolutely shameless!
If this kept up, Qin Feng would use "brothers" as an excuse to slap her whenever he pleased. Should she fight back or not?
If she fought back, she'd be insulting her teacher. If she didn't... what would become of Qian Renxue's virtue?
At the thought, Xue Qinghe's expression shifted several times.
Rather than let him keep taking advantage of her little by little, it would be better to come clean.
He already knew her identity. If she told him herself, she could take control of the situation and leave him no excuse to keep acting so wildly.
Admitting the truth to a man was certainly embarrassing, and went against the very purpose of the years she had spent undercover.
But when it came to Qin Feng, who never played by the rules, ordinary methods were useless.
Xue Qinghe put down his cup and stood, fixing his gaze on Qin Feng.
"Qin Feng, there's something I've been hiding from you."
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and stood too, still wearing that roguish, carefree smile.
"What is it? Are you going to tell me you owe me a lot of money?"
Xue Qinghe ignored his joking and took a deep breath. His voice turned somewhat subdued.
"I am not Xue Qinghe."
"I'm Qian Renxue."
"The daughter of Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall's pope."
After saying this, Xue Qinghe stared intently into Qin Feng's eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.
Qin Feng's expression instantly became a sight to behold.
His eyes widened like copper bells, his mouth fell open, and he looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.
"What?!"
"Your Highness, you're a woman?"
"And you're Bibi Dong's daughter? The legendary Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall?"
As he spoke, Qin Feng even circled Xue Qinghe twice, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"My goodness, if this news got out, the whole Heaven Dou Empire would explode!"
"The Crown Prince is actually a woman... No, a beauty?"
Qin Feng really was rather shocked.
But what shocked him wasn't Qian Renxue's identity. It was that this little vixen had actually come clean to him of her own accord.
According to the original plot, or even simple common sense, shouldn't Qian Renxue have kept this secret tightly under wraps?
How had she confessed just because he'd slapped her a couple of times?
This plot wasn't going the way it was supposed to.