After bidding farewell to Prince Xue Xing, Gu Tian led his large entourage out of the palace. On the street, he clasped his hands in thanks to Huo Wushuang, Shui Bing'er Feng Xiaotian, and others, and promised that he would pay them a formal visit once Zhu Zhuqing's condition stabilized.
Just as Gu Tian was about to take the weakened Zhu Zhuqing back to the villa in the back mountain, Xue Qinghe and his men followed them up again at a leisurely pace.
"Brother Gu Tian, wait a moment." Xue Qinghe stopped the carriage, his eyes filled with undisguised worry and gravity. "I am also Xue Ke's brother. As the eldest brother, I cannot turn a blind eye to such a heinous kidnapping. Especially since my beloved younger sister Xue Ke, whom Father Emperor dotes on, lives in your villa. I plan to take some people there to assess whether it is 100% safe. For Ke'er's sake, and for your safety as well, this is perhaps my selfish reason as an older brother. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
Gu Tian glanced at Zhu Zhuqing in his arms, who indeed needed an absolutely quiet environment to recuperate, and then thought of Xue Ke's noble princess status, which was indeed a ready-made reason. He immediately understood that Xue Qinghe was planning to formally intrude into his private space.
"Since Brother Qinghe is so concerned about the safety of his family, then let us go together. Please."
Gu Tian made an inviting gesture, but as he turned to get into the car, he caught a glimpse of Tang San hiding in the darkness in the distance. However, without crucial evidence, he could not convict him and could only let Tang San leave.
As the sound of the last carriage wheels disappeared at the end of the long street, the once bustling main gate of the Prince's Mansion slowly closed, the heavy vermilion gate shutting out all outside prying eyes.
Deep within the Prince's mansion, in a secluded room rarely visited by anyone, the lights were dim.
"Huff... huff... I almost... I almost died there."
Bu Le slumped into a grand chair, breathing heavily. His already pale face was now completely bloodless from extreme fear. His clothes were soaked with sweat and even torn in several places from his frantic crawling on the roof.
"I never imagined that brat named Gu Tian would have such terrifying mobilization capabilities." Bu Le touched his neck with lingering fear. "I had only succeeded for a few minutes when the entire northern district was completely sealed off. Especially those heavily armored Royal Guards... those were the troops personally dispatched by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe! If it weren't for you, Xiao San, covering our retreat and leading me into the secret passage of the Prince's mansion, I'd probably be a corpse in the Papal Palace dungeon by now."
" Xue Qinghe's reaction has indeed exceeded my expectations," Tang San said coldly, his voice hoarse and low. " Gu Tian's network of connections in the Heaven Dou Empire is far deeper than we realize. If we really force Zhu Zhuqing away tonight, none of us will be able to leave this city gate."
"Haha, mistress, don't be too pessimistic. At least, tonight's show went very well."
Prince Xue Xing emerged from a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf, toying with the confiscated counterfeit Star Luo Empire Token in his hand. "Although Gu Tian has extensive connections, he is now extremely grateful to me. As long as he doesn't discover that tonight's kidnappers are sitting in my secret room, he will owe me a life. And this life-saving grace is my best bargaining chip for controlling the Gu Sect in the future."
Tang San raised his head, his gaze fixed on Prince Xue Xing. He saw this as an opportunity to ask Xue Xing for a few more Death Warrior Pill. "Your Highness," he said, "Tonight's mission was dangerous, but I also saw the gap in strength. After Bu Le took that Death Warrior Pill, his Soul Power increased rapidly, and there were no major side effects, which I'm very satisfied with."
"Now that we are officially allies, I wonder... if I could purchase goods from you on a long-term basis?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Xue Xing was taken aback at first, then let out a shrewd laugh. He walked to the wall and reopened the forbidden medicine box containing the black iron casing.
"Young Master, I've told you long ago, you're a smart man who knows how to read the situation." Prince Xue Xing patted the box that exuded an evil aura and handed it to Tang San. "Although the raw materials for this Death Warrior Pill are scarce, as long as you can wipe out Xue Qinghe's gang for me, as long as you can prove your worth... you can have as much of this as you want."
"Make a deal."
The cool moonlight pierced through the dense purple bamboo forest, casting dappled shadows on the exterior walls of the villa, which were made of white jade. Xue Qinghe, accompanied by a team of elite royal guards, returned here with Gu Tian.
At this moment, one familiar figure was missing from the entourage. After confirming that Zhu Zhuqing was safe, Ning Rongrong was forcibly taken back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect by Ning Fengzhi to stay for a few days.
Ning Fengzhi had originally participated in the large-scale search and rescue operation that evening, but after rescuing people at Prince Xue Xing's residence, Sword Douluo Chen Xin coldly led his men away. The high-ranking officials present all knew perfectly well that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Xue Qinghe, while Prince Xue Xing was a staunch supporter of Prince Xue Beng. Everyone knew that Xue Beng was a dissolute and womanizing individual. Therefore, Ning Fengzhi was unwilling and disdainful to join the hypocritical commotion at the Prince's residence at this time.
"Brother Gu Tian, there seem to be more unfamiliar faces here than when I last came." Xue Qinghe stepped into the courtyard, his sharp eyes sweeping over Zi JI and Aria standing at the door.
Zi JI, clad in deep purple leather armor, exuded a commanding presence; Aria her golden twin tails, appeared both holy and serene. Although Xue Qinghe had already received intelligence that a new powerful figure had appeared beside Gu Tian, witnessing the terrifying aura that the two possessed still made his heart sink. However, he maintained his gentle and refined facade and did not pay much attention to them.
"Your Highness is right, we do need to strengthen our defenses here." Xue Qinghe waved his hand, signaling his men to disperse. "Go, check all the blind spots inside and outside the villa, especially the basement and the rooftop. Now that the Star Luo Empire has extended its reach into Heaven Dou City, we cannot afford to be careless."
Gu Tian leaned against a pillar in the corridor, holding the drowsy Zhu Zhuqing in his arms. On the way back, after repeated discussions and with the corroboration of the token, the two had reached a complete consensus: the mastermind behind tonight's kidnapping was undoubtedly the Dai Family of the Star Luo Imperial Family.
" Dai Weisi has always been ruthless in his methods," Gu Tian sneered. "They wanted to forcibly bring Zhuqing back this way, and incidentally warn me, the meddlesome one. They just didn't expect the Heaven Dou Empire to be so efficient."
Xue Qinghe nodded with a smile, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. The Star Luo Imperial Family would probably take the blame for this, even if he wasn't sure if it was really the Star Luo Imperial Family's doing. But as long as everyone thought so, it was undoubtedly the truth.
After arranging the security work, Xue Qinghe didn't rush to leave. He turned his head, pretending to look at Gu Tian casually, his tone carrying a hint of teasing and amazement between old friends:
"Brother Gu Tian, your performance in the Soul Fighting Arena tonight has spread throughout the noble circles. I heard that your Soul Power Level has now reached level 30 or above?"
Xue Qinghe stared into Gu Tian's eyes, her tone tinged with a tentative shock. "If I remember correctly, you're only seven years old this year, right? A seven-year-old Soul Elder... This is not only unprecedented in the history of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but probably in the entire Douluo Continent. I wonder which forest my brother obtained his third Soul Ring from, and how?"
Gu Tian didn't try to hide it. He glanced at Aria, who was standing quietly beside him, and smiled frankly:
"Brother Qinghe, you flatter me. It was just good luck. This third Soul Ring of mine was indeed hard-won. It was a few days ago when Aria secretly took me to the Extreme North to hunt it. Because that Soul Beast's attributes were extremely rare, we didn't go through the academy or the royal family in order not to cause a commotion. You should be able to sense Teacher Aria's strength."
Aria bowed slightly, a faint golden light flashing briefly at her fingertips. The sheer radiance of that light made Qian Renxue, who also possessed the attribute of light, feel a sudden jolt in her heart.
" The Extreme North... this Aria is truly a hidden master." Xue Qinghe sighed, his mind frantically piecing together the information. The Extreme North, ultimate light, a seven-year-old Soul Elder...