Who Told You I Was a Boy?

"Establishing a nation through martial might, their military and centralized power are far beyond what the Heaven Dou Empire can compare to."

"It's just that the internal competition is too fierce, and the internal attrition is far too severe..."

Before Lan Yu could finish his sentence, Qian Renxue suddenly raised her eyes, her voice tinged with an irrepressible urgency: "Then how do you view Spirit Hall?"

Hearing the shift in Qian Renxue's tone, Lan Yu couldn't help but look up at her.

Wait, your current identity is the adopted sister of the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince; why are you getting so worked up over a mention of Spirit Hall?

Qian Renxue was taken aback by his gaze and realized she had lost her composure. She offered a sheepish smile, about to explain herself.

Lan Yu waved his hand dismissively, his tone indifferent: "There's nothing much to say about Spirit Hall. The good part is that they have a vast number of low-level deacons who travel over mountains and through rivers to awaken martial spirits for commoners—I myself am a beneficiary of that. The bad part is that the high-ranking officials in power have committed their fair share of extortion and bullying."

"Furthermore, they control nearly sixty percent of the soul masters on the entire continent, which in itself speaks volumes."

Having said that, he stood up, took the small hand of Tang Shan, who had been listening in a daze, and turned to Qian Renxue: "Sister Xiaoxue, please convey my regards to His Highness the Crown Prince. We have other matters to attend to, so we'll be taking our leave."

Just as Lan Yu's fingers touched the doorknob, Qian Renxue stood up abruptly: "Lan Yu, are you implying that Spirit Hall could unify the Douluo Continent?"

"No, I don't think anyone has the qualifications to unify the Douluo Continent."

Lan Yu dropped this remark, pulled open the door, and strode away with Tang Shan. In his view, all three parties were quite lackluster; none of them could claim to be particularly noble.

The door slowly closed. Qian Renxue sat in her chair, staring intensely at the ceiling, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists.

"Lan Yu, does Spirit Hall disappoint you that much?"

She muttered to herself, "I will prove it to you. In the end, the one to unify Douluo will be none other than Spirit Hall."

"Brother, did we take a wrong turn again?"

Tang Shan tugged on Lan Yu's arm, shaking it vigorously.

"That can't be right? I clearly remember coming this way..." Lan Yu scratched his head sheepishly, looking at the identical pillars ahead and behind them, feeling a bit unsure of himself.

Forget it, I'll find a waiter to ask for directions.

Thinking this, he took Tang Shan's hand and was about to turn into a side corridor when a chaotic clamor of shouting suddenly came from ahead.

"Young Master Guang Zong, slow down! Don't trip!"

"Come on, catch me if you can!"

A petite figure came charging around the corner in a whirlwind. By the time Tang Shan realized what was happening, the person was already right in front of them.

"Careful!"

Lan Yu was quick-witted; he caught Tang Shan by the waist, spun half a step, and pulled her firmly into his arms.

The young girl let out a startled cry as her back slammed into Lan Yu's chest.

The "young man," who had been looking back to tease his pursuers, suddenly saw that there was no one blocking the path ahead. By the time he tried to brake, it was too late, and he fell heavily to the ground.

Tang Shan, having regained her senses, smelled the unique scent on Lan Yu and felt her earlobes flush. She gripped his sleeve and instinctively huddled into his embrace.

"Young Master Guang Zong, are you alright?!"

The servants following closely behind swarmed forward, helping the "young man" up with frantic hands.

"I'm fine! Don't tell my grandfather!"

The "young man" first pushed away the hands reaching out from all sides, stood up, and wiped his nose, unable to help but warn them.

He then put on an air of feigned maturity, clasping his hands behind his back and pacing back and forth, his gaze sweeping over Lan Yu and the Tang Shan in his arms.

"Hey! Why didn't you stop me just now? You made me fall so hard."

The kid has a fair complexion, a rather feminine tone, and a pretty aggressive way of speaking.

Just as Lan Yu was about to speak, the crowd behind parted to make way. A middle-aged man wearing the sect's uniform walked over quickly.

He first looked down at the "young man," and upon seeing he wasn't injured, he let out a sigh of relief before turning to the two of them.

His tone was apologetic: "My deepest apologies to you both. I am Ning Fan, an outer sect deacon of the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect. My young master was being mischievous and bumped into you; I hope you can be magnanimous."

As he spoke, he took a card printed with a seven-colored lotus pattern from his pocket and offered it with both hands: "This is a VIP card for the Qibao Chamber of Commerce, which operates under our Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect. With this card, you can enjoy a twenty percent discount on all purchases at any Qibao Chamber of Commerce across the continent. Please accept this as a small token of our apology."

Lan Yu caught a glimpse of the "young man" frowning almost imperceptibly upon hearing the word "young master."

Ning Fan had his own thoughts.

Lanya Pavilion was an extremely high-end club and estate in Tiandou City. For these two to be able to enter the central courtyard at such a young age, they were either invited for their astonishing talent or came from a prominent family.

Neither type could afford to be offended. According to the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect's orders: it is better to resolve grievances than to create them, so taking the initiative to apologize was the best course of action.

"Ning Fan, couldn't you have given more? Anyone who didn't know better would think the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect couldn't afford it!"

The "young man" revealed fair fingers, pointed at Ning Fan, and lifted his chin with a stiff face, trying his best to put on an arrogant front.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man's mouth twitched as he barely held back a laugh: "Young Master, my authority only extends this far!"

"Don't call me Young Master!" The "young man" reacted as if his tail had been stepped on; his voice, which he had been deliberately deepening, rose a few octaves, the end of his sentence trailing upward.

After shouting, he felt something was off. He cleared his throat, placed one hand on his hip, pulled a shimmering gold savings card from his storage soul tool, stepped forward, and handed it to Lan Yu, lifting his head proudly: "This is from me, as compensation! There are ten thousand gold soul coins in here!"

"Hiss— Young Master..." Ning Fan's eye twitched uncontrollably as he watched.

"I'm spending my own money, what does it have to do with you?" The "youth" turned his face away, biting his lip with a stubborn tone.

Is this kid a lunatic?!

Lan Yu reached out and took the VIP card from Ning Fan's hand, ignoring the "youth" who had offered it, and turned to leave while pulling Tang Shan along.

He had accepted the VIP card because it was compensation for his emotional distress.

As for the ten thousand gold soul coins, they felt more like charity, and he had no interest in them.

"Hey? You... how dare you ignore me!"

The "youth" stood frozen in place, watching Lan Yu's retreating back, his small face puffed up like a bun in anger, his eyes misting over. He stomped his foot and shouted, "Stop! You, stop right there!"

Seeing that Lan Yu didn't stop, he simply chased after them, caught up in a few strides, and spread his arms to block their path.

"Hey! You took our things, why won't you play with me?!"

"Do you want me to return them to you?"

Lan Yu stopped and turned his head with a slight frown, looking at the approaching Ning Fan.

"You've misunderstood, it's just that in the past, my Young Master..."

"Hmm?!"

"In the past... the Young Sect Master, whenever she bumped into someone while playing, we would always offer an apology and compensation according to the rules. The Young Sect Master... is used to taking out a sum of money, and once the other party accepts it, they usually go along with her wishes and play with her for a while." Ning Fan deliberately emphasized the words "Young Sect Master."

"What does that have to do with me? I didn't even take his money."

"Exactly, and it is precisely because of that that the Young Sect Master might feel things have exceeded her expectations, and is a bit..."

Ning Fan didn't know how to describe it.

Is this person a single-celled organism? Looking at her height, she's about the same as Tang Shan, but I didn't expect her brain to be less sharp than a three-year-old's.

"Can you play with me now?" The "youth" assumed that since Ning Fan had explained things clearly, the other party would surely agree.

Lan Yu was so amused he laughed: "I have a soft, fragrant girl right here by my side, and you want me to play with a boy instead? Are you sick?!"

As the words fell, Tang Shan's small face turned bright red.

Brother... likes soft and fragrant girls?

The "youth" was stunned for a moment, then blurted out: "Who told you I was a boy?!"