Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince Residence Courtyard.
After a night of heart-to-heart talks and an intensely moving family reunion, Qian Renxue's emotions finally settled down.
Though she still looked at Su Yun with a few traces of mortified fury, as if she wanted to stab him, once they'd broken through that barrier between them, their relationship had visibly grown closer.
After all, secrets were the fastest way to bring two people closer.
At that moment, Su Yun was lounging comfortably in a rocking chair in the courtyard. While Qian Renxue was away handling government affairs, he pulled out the little black notebook that had the entire continent—at least the two of them—quaking in fear.
He set pen to paper.
[X year, X month, X day. Sunny. Mood: Feeling great.]
[I have to say, I'm a professional when it comes to soothing women.]
[The situation in Heaven Dou City is more or less under control. Xue'er—wife (crossed out)—Qian Renxue now does whatever I say. The girl may be stubborn, but I can tell that a crack has appeared in her frozen heart.]
[Can't help it. My charm is just too powerful, isn't it? (Smug.jpg)]
[Still, though the land of tender affection is lovely, it is no place for a hero to be buried. My work here is done. The real show is about to begin in Suotuo City.]
[Let's see... At this time, that lecherous tiger Dai Mubai, who calls himself the "Evil-Eyed White Tiger," must be having a grand old time with a pair of twins at the Rose Hotel, right?]
[Tsk, tsk. That stallion is a disgrace to men everywhere.]
[The most pitiful one is that silly girl Zhu Zhuqing. For the sake of a fiancé like him, she's risking her life on the road, traveling a thousand miles to seek him out.]
[And Little Demoness Ning Rongrong is probably on her way out of home, too.]
[The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the future Nine-Colored Goddess—what a waste if that hypocrite Tang San fools her into following him.]
[Now that I'm here, there's no way I'll let that tragedy happen.]
[Suotuo City, Shrek Academy... Heh. An academy for monsters? Looks more like a concentration camp for misleading young people to me.]
[Just you wait. This Holy Son is going to whip the workplace into shape!]
Spirit City, Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong had been sipping her tea elegantly, but when she saw the words "Xue'er—wife," her teacup nearly met with disaster again.
"That little bastard..."
Grinding her teeth, she looked at the two words he'd crossed out, and a sour feeling inexplicably welled up inside her.
He called her an old woman, or Dong'er, but called that rebellious girl "Xue'er, wife"?
He was already calling her his wife?
It hadn't even been a whole day, had it?
"Does whatever he says?"
Bibi Dong let out a cold laugh.
"That girl Xue'er is so proud. Would she really do whatever he says? The boy must be bragging."
But when she read the later part about Suotuo City, her expression gradually turned serious.
"Dai Mubai? A prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
"Zhu Zhuqing? Someone from the Zhu Family?"
"And Ning Fengzhi's daughter, Ning Rongrong?"
A sharp glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
How could a tiny place like Suotuo City have gathered the heirs of so many powerful factions?
And from what Su Yun said, that Tang San was going there, too?
"Shrek Academy..."
Bibi Dong lightly tapped her fingers against the table.
"Since Su Yun wants to stir things up, let him. I'd like to see just how many more sisters he can bring back for me!"
By the time she said the last two words, the Pope's voice carried a chilling murderous intent.
Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's study.
Qian Renxue had already returned to her usual mild-mannered Xue Qinghe disguise and was reviewing official documents.
But her somewhat distracted gaze made it clear that she was still thinking about what had happened the day before.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Qian Renxue instantly composed herself and put on the Crown Prince's dignified air.
Su Yun pushed the door open, wearing his usual lazy smile.
"Your Highness, busy?"
Qian Renxue glanced up at him and said, annoyed:
"There's no one else here. Stop pretending. What do you want from me?"
After the previous night, it had become difficult for her to keep up the Crown Prince's airs around Su Yun.
"I came to say goodbye."
Su Yun didn't stand on ceremony. He walked straight to the desk, picked up a spirit fruit, and took a bite.
"Say goodbye?"
The brush in Qian Renxue's hand stopped. Her brow furrowed, and her voice rose without her meaning to.
"You're leaving? Where are you going? Back to Spirit Hall?"
A vague sense of panic rose inside her.
They had only just begun to build a little trust, and now the bastard was leaving?
"I'm not going back to Spirit Hall."
Su Yun shook his head and said meaningfully:
"I'm going to Suotuo City."
"Suotuo City?"
Qian Renxue looked puzzled.
"What are you going to do in that godforsaken place?"
Su Yun leaned closer, braced both hands on the desk, and looked straight into Qian Renxue's eyes. He said with complete seriousness:
"Of course, it's for you, my princess."
His gaze made Qian Renxue's face grow warm. She leaned back.
"Just talk normally!"
"Tang San is over there."
Su Yun dropped his playful expression, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"That Tang San I mentioned in my diary—the future enemy you'll face—is about to enroll in an academy in Suotuo City."
"Since I promised to help you defy fate, I naturally have to keep an eye on this potential threat and nip it in the bud."
Hearing that, Qian Renxue felt a warmth in her heart.
So he was doing this for me!
But Su Yun's next words instantly sent the feeling of gratitude she'd just felt straight to the dogs.
"Besides, there are a few exceptionally talented young girls over there."
Su Yun stroked his chin, grinning mischievously.
"They seem to have good potential. I'm planning to rescue them and bring back a few sisters for you, too, to round out our... ahem, ranks."
"Crack!"
The fine wolf-hair brush in Qian Renxue's hand snapped in two.
She looked up, a kindly smile on her face.
"What did you say? Find sisters?"
"What, I'm not enough to keep you busy? You have to find a few more?"
"Su Yun, you really are a man of boundless affection!"
Feeling the temperature in the study plummet, Su Yun coughed awkwardly.
"Um, it's a misunderstanding. I'm mainly going to poach talent! Poach Tang San's people! You know, the best way to strike at an enemy is to take away the people around him!"
"Hmph!"
Qian Renxue snorted. She was unhappy, but reason told her that Su Yun was right.
If no one interfered, then according to the diary, that Tang San would gather a group of talented people and eventually topple Spirit Hall.
She opened a drawer, took out a heavy gold token, and casually tossed it to Su Yun.
"Take it!"
Su Yun caught it and looked at the words "Heaven Dou" engraved on the token, surrounded by intricate dragon patterns. His eyes lit up.
"Is this the 'as good as the emperor's presence' kind of thing?"
"It's the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince Token. Seeing it is the same as seeing me. You can even command the local troops."
Qian Renxue turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Her tone was still stiff, but the tips of her ears had turned faintly red.
"Don't die out there."
"If you die, my agreement with that woman is void."
"And don't bring back too many strange women! I... I couldn't keep track of them all!"
Listening to all that tsundere talk, Su Yun's lips curved in a gentle smile.
He tucked the token into his shirt, waved at Qian Renxue, and turned to leave.
"Don't worry, Xue'er."
"For you, I wouldn't want to die."
Watching Su Yun's carefree departure, Qian Renxue bit her lip. Complicated emotions flashed through her eyes.
After a long while, she finally muttered a curse:
"Silver-tongued bastard..."
Then she looked at the broken brush off to the side, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Suotuo City, huh? Tang San, I'd like to see what you can do to make that bastard take you so seriously."
Once he was out of the Crown Prince's Mansion, Su Yun took a deep breath of Heaven Dou City's air.
"Next stop: Suotuo City."
"Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Flender..."
"Heh. Your nightmare is coming."
Su Yun twirled his folding fan and strode toward the carriage that had been prepared in advance.
"Set off! Destination: the Rose Hotel!"
"To intercept those twins... Ahem, to rescue a lost girl!"
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