Qian Renxue Two

"...I was only out for a little while... it's not like it's the first time..."

Qian Renxue ignored her.

The two walked one after the other, traversing the forest path, winding around the rockeries, and passing through the white jade corridor until they returned to the Offering Hall.

The golden radiance of the Angel God statue enveloped them once more.

Qian Renxue carried Ning Zha to the front of the altar, leaned down gently, and placed the young child back onto the altar.

Her movements were extremely careful; she first smoothed out the bottom of the swaddling clothes against the jade surface of the altar, then slowly released her grip, letting Ning Zha's small body settle naturally into the soft fabric.

Finally, she tucked in the edges of the swaddling clothes with care, ensuring no draft could get inside.

Having finished, Qian Renxue straightened up.

The golden radiance washed over Ning Zha's small frame again, that warm halo acting like an invisible blanket, wrapping the child once more in the protection of the Angel God.

Qian Renxue turned to look at Feather Light Douluo, who was standing to the side, looking around with bored eyes.

"Senior Feather Light."

"Hmm?"

"I am going to find Grandfather to report on the situation."

Qian Renxue paused, her golden eyes narrowing slightly, her tone carrying a hint of warning.

"Do not take Ning Zha out again."

Feather Light Douluo clicked her tongue and spread her hands, a look of helpless resignation appearing on her face, as if to say, "Fine, fine, whatever you say."

"Alright, this old one knows. I won't take him, I won't."

She nodded.

Qian Renxue watched her for two breaths, seemingly judging the credibility of that promise.

Ultimately, she gave a slight nod and turned to walk toward the depths of the hall.

There was a corridor there leading to the rear of the Offering Hall—the private cultivation chamber of the Great Offering, Qian Daoliu, lay at the end of that path.

The figure of the white-clad, golden-haired girl drifted further and further away, eventually disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

The Offering Hall returned to silence.

Only Feather Light Douluo remained, standing beside the altar.

She looked down at the sleeping Ning Zha, then toward the direction Qian Renxue had departed.

Confirming that the person was truly gone, Feather Light Douluo crept up to the edge of the altar, bent over, and lowered her voice to whisper into Ning Zha's tiny ear:

"Little one, you must wake up soon. Once you wake up, this old one will take you out to play again. By then, that girl won't be able to stop me even if she tries."

Having said this, she straightened up, clasped her hands behind her back, and looked up at the massive statue of the Angel God.

The golden light flowed silently, constant and warm.

The child on the altar slept peacefully, his small chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

Feather Light Douluo stood there for a while, but in the end, she did not reach out again.

She sighed softly, found a pillar to lean against, and sat down cross-legged.

"Guarding it is, then."

She muttered to herself and closed her eyes.

The golden light flowed like water, silently overflowing.

The hall was filled with peace.

(PS: Feather Light Douluo is female; if you don't believe it, you can look it up online.)

Behind the Offering Hall, in a secret chamber devoid of any unnecessary furnishings.

The air held only eternal silence.

Qian Daoliu sat cross-legged, no soul power fluctuations emanating from his body, as if he had merged into the very space itself.

Footsteps approached from afar, light and rhythmic.

Qian Renxue walked in.

"Grandfather."

Qian Daoliu opened his eyes. Those deep orbs, capable of striking awe into any Title Douluo, shed all their majesty and indifference the moment they landed on his granddaughter, leaving only pure, doting love.

"Little Xue, you've come."

Qian Renxue bowed slightly and began her report. She spoke concisely, detailing the recent state of the Heaven Dou imperial family, including the physical condition of Emperor Xue Ye, the movements of various factions within the court, and her next steps as "Xue Qinghe."

After hearing it all, Qian Daoliu merely sighed, almost imperceptibly.

At his current level of cultivation, matters of power, empires, and territories... these mundane affairs could no longer stir ripples in his heart.

There was only one thing he truly cared about.

Whether his granddaughter could take that final step, inherit the throne of the Angel God, and attain eternity.

Yet, Qian Renxue's mother—that woman who was as brilliant as she was ambitious, Bibi Dong—viewed her own daughter as nothing more than a chess piece.

A piece intended to seize control of the Heaven Dou Empire without shedding a drop of blood.

Qian Daoliu had always maintained reservations regarding Bibi Dong's plans.

On one hand, Bibi Dong's banner was unimpeachable: unify the continent, spread the glory of the Angel, end the endless wars, and abolish the corrupt privileges of the nobility so that commoner spirit masters might finally have a chance to rise. Even he could not openly oppose such rhetoric.

On the other hand, Qian Daoliu's concerns ran deeper. The current tripartite balance of the continent might appear chaotic, but it was, in reality, a delicate equilibrium. Once Spirit Hall shattered this balance with thunderous force and forced a unification...

At that point, would Spirit Hall, holding supreme power, not become the largest and most unshakable "new nobility" on this continent?

The youth who slays the dragon eventually becomes the dragon. This was the immutable law of history.

He had once asked Qian Renxue in private if she truly wished to go to the Heaven Dou Empire, to play the role of another person, and to live a life behind a mask.

Qian Renxue's answer was that she was willing.

Qian Daoliu understood in his heart that the child was not truly willing. She was merely trying to use this method to trade for even the slightest bit of her mother's attention and approval.

"Silly child," Qian Daoliu's voice carried a hint of heartache. "Grandfather won't lecture you with those grand principles. But you must remember, no matter when or where, you must always be mindful of your own safety."

He looked at his most cherished granddaughter, his gaze solemn.

"If you encounter anything you cannot resolve, tell Grandfather immediately. There is no trouble on this continent that Grandfather cannot handle for you."

Qian Renxue felt a warmth in her heart and nodded heavily.

"I understand, Grandfather."

Leaving the secret chamber, Qian Renxue's footsteps involuntarily turned back toward the center of the Offering Hall.

Beneath the massive statue of the Angel God, the small figure on the altar remained in deep slumber.

She walked to the edge of the altar, her golden eyes quietly watching Ning Zha's peaceful sleeping face. That face had grown even smaller than it was a year ago, having almost entirely regressed to the appearance of a newborn infant. His skin was fair and translucent, as if he were the most perfect piece of porcelain.

She was the only one in the hall.

She could finally shed the composure of "Xue Qinghe" and cast off the reserve of the "Saintess."

"My other identity now is the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were speaking to herself, or perhaps to the sleeping Ning Zha.

"I will be very busy in the future, with many things to handle, so perhaps... I won't be able to come back to see you often."

The infant on the altar gave no response.

Only those long eyelashes seemed to tremble ever so slightly under the radiance of the Angel God statue.

Ning Zha did not know what state he was currently in.

He felt as though he were submerged in a warm, golden ocean, his consciousness drifting between clarity and chaos. Most of the time, he floated in a state of half-dreaming and half-waking, unable to perceive the passage of time.

But he could perceive the outside world.

It was very blurry.

Like listening and watching through a thick curtain of water.

He did not know who this young girl was, the one who occasionally spoke to him.

But he felt an inexplicable familiarity and closeness to her voice and her scent. It was as if, within his long and dark "slumber," this voice was the only light.

She seemed to visit him often.

Every time she came, she would say things "beside his ear."

Sometimes she complained that the day's lessons were too heavy, sometimes she boasted about having learned a powerful new spirit skill, and sometimes... she would just stay there quietly, saying nothing at all.

Ning Zha remembered that the first time he "heard" her voice was a very, very long time ago.

At that time, his consciousness had just struggled out of that biting cold and darkness, falling into this warm, golden ocean.

He "saw" a golden-haired girl carefully holding him in her arms.

Her movements were light and gentle.

He could feel that the body holding him was trembling slightly.

Then, he heard a voice, carrying a hint of tremor, a hint of confusion, and endless loneliness, ring out beside his ear.

The voice was as light as a sigh.

"Are you... also disliked by your parents?"

"...Me too."