Forcing You to Eat!

"Xiao Bai~" Qian Renxue pouted plaintively. "What should I do?"

Watching Qian Renxue's expression change, Feng Baiyu knew that even though she understood she was wrong, she still planned to keep going down this path.

Never mind whether Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong would allow her to give up—Qian Renxue herself wasn't willing to let things end this way.

"Ugh, what a headache!"

Feng Baiyu still preferred settling things at Xuanwu Gate or hacking away at each other in Xiangji Temple. But since Qian Renxue insisted on playing this "Nation-Stealing Plan," they would have to take another route.

"What was your original plan?" Feng Baiyu took a deep breath and looked at Qian Renxue. "Poison all three remaining princes, leaving only you, 'Xue Qinghe,' as the heir? Then Xue Ye would have no choice?"

"Right." Qian Renxue said, "If you hadn't come, I planned to make a move against Xue Luochuan in the next few months."

"When princes keep dying one after another, whoever's left alive is the one who benefits!" Feng Baiyu shook his head slightly. "Wouldn't that make it obvious to Xue Ye that you were involved?"

"You mean I shouldn't kill them?" Qian Renxue saw Feng Baiyu nod and replied casually, "Then I won't."

She hadn't seen Feng Baiyu all these years, but She Long and Ci Xue often brought her news about him.

Since coming to Heaven Dou, Feng Baiyu had often shut himself away in his study to learn. Even after his Martial Soul Awakening, he did nothing but cultivate and study. Two years ago, Feng Baiyu's store of knowledge had already earned his grandfather's approval.

After realizing that her own "world-shocking wisdom" wasn't up to par, Qian Renxue stopped thinking about schemes and such.

With Feng Baiyu as her external brain, why bother thinking so much?

"Just leave those guys alone," Feng Baiyu said. "Brotherly affection and harmony aren't realistic, and Xue Ye won't believe you can all truly get along."

"Mm." Qian Renxue nodded and asked, "Then what?"

"Then just focus on cultivating," Feng Baiyu said. "You're cultivating too slowly. Watch out, or I'll overtake you."

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible." Qian Renxue raised a fair finger to Feng Baiyu's chin. "I'm six years older than you, and I have Innate Level 20 Soul Power! With my talent, how could you possibly overtake me?"

"We'll see~" Feng Baiyu deliberately provoked Qian Renxue.

Although the cultivation speed of an Ultimate Martial Soul slowed after level thirty, Qian Renxue only had level forty-three Soul Power now. She really had been slacking off.

Feng Baiyu gave her a little nudge, hoping she would speed up her cultivation.

Listening to Feng Baiyu, Qian Renxue felt he wasn't nearly as cute as he'd been as a child. But she had grown up too, so naturally she wouldn't bully him back the way she had when they were little.

It was their first meeting in years, so they didn't go on forever about Qian Renxue's "world-shocking wisdom." Before long, they were talking about what they'd been doing over the past few years.

Since Qian Renxue was undercover, Feng Baiyu couldn't send people to question or observe her. She might not be a professional spy, but she was still undercover. If he paid too much attention to her, what if she got exposed?

But Qian Renxue already knew most of what Feng Baiyu had been up to over the years. Even so, she found it interesting to hear him recount it all bit by bit.

Feng Baiyu told Qian Renxue about everything except the Phoenix God Trial and the Gold of Life.

Well... he also mentioned how he'd accidentally discovered the effects of Whale Rubber while reading, just as he'd told the Grand Pontiff before.

Don't ask what book he'd read. That was what it said in Peerless Tang Sect from another world. Even if he told her, she couldn't read it.

Qian Renxue had been indignant when she heard that Bibi Dong had summoned Feng Baiyu and demanded a way to improve her physique. When she heard that Feng Baiyu had conned good stuff out of Bibi Dong, she was delighted.

Her expression kept shifting with Feng Baiyu's story.

"So those Whale Rubber pieces Grandpa sent me were the ones you discovered the effects of!" As she spoke, Qian Renxue took a pile of Whale Rubber out of her Storage Soul Tool. An inscrutable look crossed her face. "Xiao Bai, did you really read about its effects in a book, or did you discover them by accident when you ate some yourself?"

"What are you thinking?" Feng Baiyu flicked Qian Renxue on the forehead. "I was so young. Why would I eat Whale Rubber for no reason if it wasn't to improve my physique?"

"But what about you?" Feng Baiyu looked at the pile of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue before Qian Renxue. "Grandpa sent you Whale Rubber ages ago, didn't he? You haven't eaten any?"

"Hehe~ I still have a long time before I absorb my fifth Soul Ring." Qian Renxue wasn't in a hurry. She pointed at the Whale Rubber in front of her. "Even if I wait a year or two to eat it, it won't matter."

Her grandfather had told her about it, so Qian Renxue naturally understood that it would be very good for her.

But she also knew that Whale Rubber was a drug nobles used to spice things up, which made her a little embarrassed.

After Grandpa sent her all this Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, Qian Renxue had asked She Long to buy some thousand-year-grade stuff so she could try it herself.

That embarrassing feeling was still fresh in her memory.

"The sooner you eat it, the sooner you'll improve." Feng Baiyu reminded Qian Renxue, "It can't raise your Soul Power, but improving your physique will bring you other benefits too."

"We'll see." Qian Renxue's gaze wavered. She neither agreed nor refused.

Seeing her expression, Feng Baiyu suddenly understood. She wasn't refusing to improve her physique; she was refusing the effects of the Whale Rubber.

When Feng Baiyu had eaten ten-year Whale Rubber at six, he'd needed to slowly refine it with Soul Power to improve his physique. Even after his strength increased, he could only eat a tiny bit at a time.

Qian Renxue had no experience. Maybe she'd eaten too much in one bite and hadn't been able to refine it in time, leaving her burning up?

"Tsk, tsk~"

An inscrutable expression crossed Feng Baiyu's face, as if he'd figured something out.

"What's with that look?" Qian Renxue felt that Feng Baiyu was thinking something dirty. She stood up and took two steps back.

"Did you really mean to take two steps back? Such a small gesture, and it still hurts so much!" Feng Baiyu watched Qian Renxue retreat and drawled, "If you don't want to eat it, then don't. It's not like I'd force-feed you Whale Rubber or anything, right?"

Qian Renxue fell silent and said nothing. She seemed to be considering whether Feng Baiyu force-feeding her Whale Rubber was feasible.

"You're hopeless!" Feng Baiyu slapped his forehead, feeling that this world was beyond saving.

Come on, Little Angel, you're still a few months shy of fourteen! I'm not even eight yet—what the hell are you thinking?

"What's hopeless?" Qian Renxue looked at Feng Baiyu, confused. "Xiao Bai, who are you going to save?"

"Nothing. Just pretend I was talking nonsense." As he spoke, Feng Baiyu picked up the box of Whale Rubber with the lowest age.

He pinched off a small piece and walked over to Qian Renxue. "Good girl, open your mouth."

"Mm~"