Qian Renxue's Attention-Dai Mobai, What Will You Do With This Opportunity?

As Xue Ye spoke, his gaze fell on Xue Qinghe.

"Recently, my health has been poor, and there are many affairs of state that require you, the Crown Prince, to handle. What do you think of sending Xue Beng?"

Though his words carried the tone of a question, he had already made his choice.

Xue Qinghe did not straighten his bent waist.

His face remained buried in shadow. No matter how Xue Ye scrutinized him, he could not see the slightest expression.

"Though Fourth Brother is somewhat unruly by nature, with Marshal Ge Long accompanying him, this trip will surely proceed without incident."

His voice was steady and his tone respectful, without the slightest hesitation.

"Since that is the case, it is settled."

Xue Ye nodded and leaned back against the couch in a more comfortable position, weariness coloring his voice.

"It is late. Rest early."

"Your son takes his leave."

Xue Qinghe straightened at once, took three steps back, then turned and left the bedchamber.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow. As he crossed the threshold, he even thoughtfully pulled the palace doors mostly shut for Xue Ye.

Xue Ye watched the doors gently close, then slowly shut his eyes.

Xue Qinghe passed through the palace corridors, through layer after layer of guards and attendants, a smile ever on his face and his steps unhurried.

Every attendant he encountered bowed in salute, and he nodded back to each of them. His refined and gentle manner remained unchanged as ever.

Only after stepping into the East Palace bedchamber did he finally shed his disguise.

"So he still has some suspicions about me? He wants to build up Xue Beng's standing in the military?"

Xue Qinghe's face gradually darkened.

That face, usually as gentle as polished jade, now seemed covered in frost, while a sharp, baleful aura seeped from between his brows.

"Since that is the case..."

He did not finish the sentence, merely curling his lips into a cold smile.

Then he raised his head and softly called out to the empty study.

"She Long."

The next instant, a tall, thin middle-aged man in golden-green battle armor appeared soundlessly before Xue Qinghe.

His arrival came without any warning, as though he had peeled himself out of the shadows on the wall.

"Young Master."

She Long dropped to one knee, head bowed low. His golden armor reflected a chilling gleam beneath the candlelight.

"I order you to leave for Nuoding City overnight and search for the whereabouts of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Xue Qinghe looked at She Long kneeling before him, his voice low and stripped of its usual warmth.

"While you are there, keep an eye on Xue Beng's movements. Find an opportunity and kill him."

The elegant Crown Prince who had once handled every interaction flawlessly was nowhere to be seen. In his place were a pair of icy eyes devoid of all warmth.

"As you command, Young Master."

She Long answered in a low voice. In the blink of an eye, his figure dispersed like smoke, leaving Xue Qinghe alone in the study once more.

With no outsiders present, Xue Qinghe stood silently where he was for a moment before walking step by step toward the bathing chamber.

Steam swirled above the bath, and several unknown flower petals floated on the water's surface.

She stood before a bronze mirror and raised a hand to gently brush across her face.

Where her palm passed, a faint golden glow arose. It was not dazzling, yet it blurred her entire face.

Her features twisted and shifted slightly within the golden light before finally settling once more.

When her hand lowered, the face reflected in the mirror was no longer that of the gentle Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, but Qian Renxue's original appearance.

She removed the heavy court robes from her body, her movements neither hurried nor slow.

Beneath those robes were layer upon layer of chest bindings, wrapped around her chest countless times and cinched so tightly she could barely breathe.

Her fingers hooked the knot in the bindings and untied them loop by loop.

The moment the restraints loosened, she let out a long breath, and a breathtaking expanse of snowy-white skin sprang free at her chest.

Qian Renxue stepped into the bath. The warm water rose past her chest before finally covering her shoulders.

She leaned against the edge of the bath, tilted back her head, and closed her golden eyes, her entire body gently enveloped by the flowing water.

The nerves she had kept taut for days finally relaxed at that moment.

But her mind did not stop working.

"Dai Mobai..."

She softly spoke his name, its trailing note drifting away through the misty vapor.

She opened her eyes and looked toward the ceiling shrouded in steam. A glint of interest flashed through her golden pupils.

"What will you do with this opportunity?"

At the same time, beneath the vast night sky of the Heaven Dou Empire, a figure sped along the official road from Suotuo City to Nuoding City.

The figure was wrapped in a broad cloak, with the hood pulled low enough to conceal most of his face.

He flew through the air, and the surging Soul Power around him clearly revealed the cultivation of a Title Douluo.

"Please don't... Please don't..."

As he hurried onward, he prayed under his breath, his voice hoarse and urgent.

The Soul Power surging around him was exceptionally unstable, alternately strong and weak. From time to time, wisps of blood-red light leaked through the gaps in his cloak.

The night wind howled past, lifting the hood from his head.

Beneath it was a weathered, unshaven face.

Yet his gaze was exceptionally sharp, fixed like that of a hawk upon the darkness ahead. In his eyes burned an obsession bordering on madness.

The night passed without incident.

When Dai Mobai opened his eyes again, sunlight had already spilled through the carved window lattice and filled the entire bedchamber.

After dressing neatly with the help of the palace maids, Dai Mobai did not linger in the East Palace and headed directly for the Imperial Study.

When he pushed open the doors and entered the Imperial Study, two people were already seated inside.

The Star Luo Emperor sat behind the desk, while Duke Spirit Cat Zhu Song sat in the guest seat beside him.

A cup of hot tea rested beside each of them, steam rising with its fragrance. Judging by how much tea remained in their cups, the two had clearly been talking for some time.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Seeing Dai Mobai enter, Zhu Song rose and bowed.

"Father Emperor, Duke Spirit Cat."

Dai Mobai greeted them with a smile, his gaze sweeping over their faces before settling on the Star Luo Emperor's clearly smiling expression.

"Come, sit."

The Star Luo Emperor waved him over.

Dai Mobai did as instructed and sat in the chair to the Star Luo Emperor's left.

A palace attendant quietly brought him a fresh cup of tea. He accepted it but did not drink immediately.

"Judging by Father Emperor's expression, the move we made last night must have gone quite well."

He turned his head toward the Star Luo Emperor, a smile resting on his lips.

"Quite well? It was far more than that!"

Before the Star Luo Emperor could speak, Zhu Song could no longer hold himself back.

Duke Spirit Cat, usually known for his composure, now resembled a young man unable to keep his words bottled up. He leaned forward, his eyes shining.

"Nuoding City has drawn everyone's attention. Forces across the entire continent are on the move. Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, all manner of independent cultivators and sects—every one of them has their eyes fixed on that tiny border city. Your Highness's move was truly brilliant! To think you used false information about a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone as bait to stir up the entire continent!"

The more Zhu Song spoke, the more excited he became. He was practically about to slap his thigh.

Yet upon hearing Zhu Song's words, Dai Mobai did not nod. He merely lifted his teacup and slowly took a sip.

Steam from the tea drifted before him, blurring the smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Duke Spirit Cat."

He set down his teacup and looked up at Zhu Song, his voice carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

"I never said the news of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone appearing was false."