Entering Heaven Dou City

The caravan was in shambles, but fortunately, no one had died; only a few guards had sustained minor injuries.

The manager, still shaken, looked at Qian Renxue, who stood with her fists retracted and her breathing steady. He hurried forward, a grateful smile plastered on his face: "Many thanks to you, little brother, for your timely help!"

"May I ask your name, little brother? Are you traveling alone?"

Qian Renxue brushed the dust from her hands and replied in a deliberately altered, youthful voice, "My name is 'Xue Yang.' I'm heading to Heaven Dou City to seek my fortune. It was just a small effort, no need for thanks."

"Little brother Xue Yang is truly a young hero!" The manager's eyes lit up, his attitude becoming even more enthusiastic. "There is still quite a distance to Heaven Dou City, and the road is not safe."

"If you don't mind, you are welcome to travel with our caravan. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will certainly reward you! Once we reach Heaven Dou City, perhaps I can even put in a good word for you."

Qian Renxue feigned hesitation before nodding. "Very well, then I shall trouble you, Manager."

She successfully blended into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's caravan.

Sitting on the simple cart assigned to her as the caravan slowly made its way toward Heaven Dou City, Qian Renxue closed her eyes to rest, though her ears carefully tracked the hushed conversations of the guards and servants.

"...Did you hear? Something big happened in Heaven Dou City! A disciple of our sect was murdered, and they even left a message in blood..."

"Shh, keep it down! The manager said not to discuss it... but I heard His Majesty is furious, and the Crown Prince has been placed under house arrest..."

"Is that true? Isn't the Crown Prince usually..."

"Who knows? Imperial affairs are complicated. We need to be careful when we get back; the atmosphere in the city must be tense."

A flicker of thought crossed Qian Renxue's mind. Heaven Dou City was indeed in turmoil. Crown Prince Ye Yang under house arrest? A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple murdered? A message in blood? These fragments of information, when pieced together, outlined a landscape of surging undercurrents.

She touched the thousand-year soul bone she had obtained from the Nether Wolf King inside her robe, feeling its cold, hard texture. She had yet to absorb this soul bone; she always felt the timing wasn't right, or perhaps, that this body felt a subtle rejection toward it.

"Ye Yang... Heaven Dou City..." She gazed at the towering city walls drawing ever closer, a sharp, blade-like glint flashing deep within her disguised eyes.

Regardless of whether what lay ahead was a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, she had to venture in. The secrets of this body, the throbbing of her soul ring, and that mysterious "Ye Yang"... all the answers might be waiting in that city.

The silhouette of Heaven Dou City gradually sharpened in the morning mist, its towering walls resembling a crouching giant beast. Qian Renxue sat on the cart at the rear of the caravan, her gaze calmly sweeping over the capital of the empire.

The inspections at the city gates were several times stricter than usual.

Guards clad in armor meticulously checked every carriage and the identification papers of every traveler, while soul masters were required to briefly release their soul rings for registration. A stifling sense of tension permeated the air.

The banners of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect granted the caravan priority passage, but the manager was still pulled aside and questioned in low tones for a long time.

Qian Renxue noticed that the captain of the guards held a list, frequently comparing it to the faces of the passing travelers.

It seems something truly major has happened in Heaven Dou City, she mused to herself.

After successfully entering the city, the bustling streets came into view. Shops lined the roads, crowds flowed like water, and the cries of vendors were endless; on the surface, there was no sign of anything unusual.

However, Qian Renxue keenly sensed that plainclothes personnel were stationed at the entrances of certain alleys, people in teahouses and taverns occasionally whispered before quickly parting ways, and the number of City Defense Department patrols was double that of a normal capital.

The caravan stopped at a warehouse belonging to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the west of the city. The manager diligently arranged for Qian Renxue to stay temporarily and offered a pouch of Gold Soul Coins as a reward.

"Little brother Xue Yang, you saved our caravan; please, you must accept this small token of our appreciation," the manager said with a smile.

"If you are looking for work in Heaven Dou City, I can recommend you for a position in some of the sect's industries. Although it would only be on the periphery, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect never treats its people poorly."

Qian Renxue took the money pouch and pondered for a moment. "Thank you, Manager. I would like to look around Heaven Dou City first to familiarize myself with the environment. If I have need, I will come to trouble you again."

She needed space for free movement, not to be tied down to a faction too early.

After leaving the warehouse, Qian Renxue changed into more inconspicuous grey cloth garments and suppressed her aura to the extreme, blending into the flow of people in Heaven Dou City like an ordinary wandering soul master youth.

She first circled the main streets, memorizing the locations of the Imperial Palace, the Prince's mansion, and the residences of major nobles, before turning toward the relatively chaotic but information-rich West Market area.

Sitting at a teahouse with few customers, she ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea and pricked up her ears, catching the fragmented conversations around her.

"...Did you hear? There was some commotion in the South City again last night; it sounded like soul masters were fighting..."

"Shh! Can you just say anything? The City Defense Department is checking strictly now; be careful they don't drag you in as a suspicious person!"

"What's there to fear? We're just common folk... But honestly, ever since that business with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there hasn't been a moment of peace in this city. My cousin works at the Prince's mansion and said His Highness the Prince hasn't stepped out in days, and they've added three layers of guards..."

"Hasn't the Crown Prince also been confined to the East Palace? If you ask me, this royal family..."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt; the speaker seemed to have been stopped by his companion.

Qian Renxue sipped her tea slowly, the information in her mind gradually piecing together: a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple murdered, the blood message pointing to the royal family, the Crown Prince under house arrest, Prince Xue Xing increasing security, and strict city defenses—all of this indicated that Heaven Dou City was on the eve of a storm.

Just as she was deep in thought, a commotion arose outside the teahouse.

Several luxuriously decorated carriages drove past, surrounded by guards. The carriage curtains were drawn low, but the emblem of the Glazed Tile Pagoda carved into the carriages shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. Pedestrians hurriedly stepped aside, whispering among themselves.

"It's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriages! Judging by the direction, are they heading to the Imperial Palace?"

"It must be Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, right? I heard he has been entering the palace frequently these past few days..."

Qian Renxue's gaze followed the carriages until they disappeared around the street corner. The fact that the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was personally active in Heaven Dou City meant the situation was far more serious than it appeared on the surface.

She left the tea money on the table, rose, and decided to go take a look near the East Palace.

Just as she passed through a relatively quiet alley, the hundred-thousand-year soul ring within her body throbbed without warning!

This time, the throb was clearer than any before, as if her heart had been gripped by an invisible hand and then suddenly released. Qian Renxue's footsteps faltered, her face turned pale, and she quickly leaned against the wall to steady herself.

She closed her eyes and looked inward, only to see that deep within the soul ring, the blurry dragon shadow seemed to open its eyes, "glanced" in a certain direction, and then returned to silence.

That direction was... the Imperial Palace?

Qian Renxue suppressed the raging waves in her heart and forced herself to remain calm. Was the anomaly of the soul ring related to the Imperial Palace? Had it sensed something? Or was it that... the true body of Ye Yang was inside the Imperial Palace?