"We stand by military strength, and our capacity for military affairs and centralization far surpasses that of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"The problem is that the internal competition is too fierce, and the infighting is unbearable..."
Before Lan Yu could finish speaking, Qian Renxue abruptly lifted her eyes. A barely restrained urgency crept into her voice. "Then what do you think of Spirit Hall?"
Hearing the shift in Qian Renxue's tone, Lan Yu looked up at her.
Wait, your current identity is the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince's sworn younger sister. Why are you so worked up at the mention of Spirit Hall?
Qian Renxue froze under his gaze, then realized she'd let herself get carried away. With an awkward smile, she was about to explain.
But Lan Yu merely waved a hand, unconcerned, and said evenly, "There's not much to say about Spirit Hall. On the positive side, countless low-ranking officials travel over mountains and rivers to awaken Martial Souls for commoners. I benefited from that myself. On the negative side, its leaders have done plenty of things like seizing what they want by force and throwing their weight around to bully others."
"Besides, it controls nearly sixty percent of the Soul Masters on the entire continent. That alone says a lot."
With that, he stood up, took the hand of Tang Shan, who had been listening in a daze, and turned to Qian Renxue. "Sister Xiao Xue, please tell the crown prince we have somewhere to be, so we'll be leaving."
Just as Lan Yu's fingers touched the doorknob, Qian Renxue sprang to her feet. "Lan Yu, are you saying Spirit Hall could unify Douluo Continent?"
"No. I don't think anyone has the right to unify Douluo Continent."
Leaving those words behind, Lan Yu opened the door and strode away with Tang Shan. In his eyes, all three sides were pretty lousy. None of them could claim to be particularly noble.
The door slowly closed. Qian Renxue sat in her chair, staring intently at the ceiling as her hand clenched into a fist.
"Lan Yu, has Spirit Hall disappointed you that much?"
She murmured to herself, "I'll prove it to you. In the end, Spirit Hall will be the one to unify Douluo."
"Brother, did we take a wrong turn again?"
Tang Shan tugged hard on Lan Yu's arm.
"Can't be, right? I'm sure we came the same way..." Lan Yu awkwardly scratched his head. Looking at the identical pillars in every direction, he wasn't so sure anymore.
Forget it. He'd ask a server for directions.
With that in mind, he took Tang Shan's hand and was about to turn toward the side corridor when a cacophony of shouts came from ahead.
"Young Master Guang Zong, slow down! You'll fall!"
"Catch me first, then you can talk!"
A petite figure came hurtling around the corner. By the time Tang Shan came to her senses, the figure was already right in front of them.
"Watch out!"
Quick as a flash, Lan Yu caught Tang Shan around the waist and pivoted half a step, holding her firmly in his arms.
The girl cried out as her back slammed against Lan Yu's chest.
The "boy," who had been about to turn around and laugh, suddenly saw that no one was blocking the way. By the time she tried to stop, it was too late. She fell heavily to the ground.
Coming back to her senses, Tang Shan caught the distinctive scent of Lan Yu. Her earlobes turned red, and she clutched his sleeve, instinctively shrinking into his arms.
"Young Master Guang Zong, are you all right?!"
The servants who had been following close behind swarmed forward and helped the "boy" to her feet.
"I'm fine. Don't tell my grandpa!"
The "boy" first pushed away the flurry of hands surrounding her, then stood and wiped her nose, unable to resist adding the warning.
Then she clasped her hands behind her back, putting on an air of age, and paced back and forth, glancing at Lan Yu and Tang Shan in his arms.
"Hey! Why didn't you stop me just now? I fell so hard!"
The kid was quite fair and pretty, with a girlish way of speaking—and a pretty sharp tongue, too.
Lan Yu was just about to answer when the crowd parted behind them. A middle-aged man in sect uniform strode over.
He first glanced down at the "boy" and, seeing she wasn't hurt, breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned to Lan Yu and Tang Shan.
His voice was apologetic. "I sincerely apologize to you both. I'm Ning Fan, an outer sect steward of the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect. Our young master was being mischievous and bumped into you. I hope you'll forgive us."
As he spoke, he took a card printed with a seven-colored lotus from his pocket and offered it with both hands. "This is a VIP card for the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, which belongs to our Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect. You'll receive a twenty percent discount on all purchases at its branches across the continent. Please accept it as an apology."
From the corner of his eye, Lan Yu saw the "boy" frown almost imperceptibly at the word "young master."
Ning Fan had considered it, too.
Lanya Pavilion was one of the most luxurious club estates in Heaven Dou City. For two children so young to be inside the central courtyard, they either had astonishing talent and had been invited in, or came from influential families.
He couldn't afford to offend either kind. The Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect's guiding principle was to make peace rather than enemies, so offering an apology first was best.
"Ning Fan, couldn't you give them more? Anyone would think our Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect couldn't afford it!"
The "boy" pointed a pale finger at Ning Fan, her face stern and chin raised as she tried her best to look domineering.
The middle-aged man's mouth twitched. He nearly failed to hold back a laugh. "Young master, that's all I'm authorized to give!"
"Don't call me young master!" The "boy" reacted as if someone had stepped on her tail. The voice she'd been deliberately keeping low rose several notes, its ending lifting slightly.
After shouting, she seemed to realize something was off and cleared her throat. With one hand on her hip, she pulled a gleaming gold savings card from her Storage Soul Tool, stepped forward, and held it out to Lan Yu, chin raised proudly. "This is from me, to make it up to you. There are ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in it!"
"Y-young master..." Ning Fan's eyes twitched.
"I'm spending my own money. What's it to you?" The "boy" turned her face aside and bit her lip, her voice stubborn.
Was this kid crazy or something?!
Lan Yu took the VIP card from Ning Fan. Ignoring the "boy" holding out her own card, he turned and left with Tang Shan.
He accepted the VIP card because it was compensation for his distress.
The ten thousand Gold Soul Coins felt more like charity. He didn't want them.
"Hey? You... How dare you ignore me!"
The "boy" stood rooted to the spot, watching Lan Yu's back. Her little face puffed up like a bun, and her eyes grew misty. She stamped her foot and shouted, "Stop! I said stop!"
When Lan Yu kept walking, she simply chased after him. A few strides later, she ran in front of them and spread her arms to block their way.
"Hey! You took our things, so why won't you play with me?!"
"Should I give them back, then?"
Lan Yu stopped, his brows knitting as he turned toward Ning Fan, who was approaching.
"You misunderstand. It's like this—usually, our young master..."
"Hm?!"
"Usually... when the young mistress bumps into someone while playing around, we apologize and offer compensation as a matter of course. The young mistress... is used to offering them a sum of money. Most people accept it, then go along with her wishes and play with her for a while." Ning Fan put particular emphasis on the words "young mistress."
"What's that got to do with me? I didn't ask her for money!"
"That's right. And because of that, the young mistress may have felt things didn't go as expected, so she's a little..."
Ning Fan wasn't sure how to describe it.
Seriously, was this kid a single-celled organism? She was about as tall as Tang Shan, but apparently she wasn't even as quick-witted as a three-year-old.
"Can you play with me now?" The "boy" thought that now Ning Fan had explained everything, Lan Yu would surely agree.
Lan Yu laughed in exasperation. "I'd leave the soft, sweet-smelling girl beside me alone to play with you, a boy? Are you crazy?!"
Tang Shan's little face flushed scarlet.
Brother... likes soft, sweet-smelling girls?
The "boy" froze for a moment, then blurted out, "Who told you I was a boy?!"