A Letter from Tiandou

"Rise."

Qian Renyuan lowered his gaze to Yue Guan.

Yue Guan slowly rose to his feet. The Soul Power he had just broken through to had yet to fully settle, and a golden aura still flowed through his robes.

Bibi Dong glanced at the remaining jade boxes.

"How do you intend to handle these Immortal Herbs?"

"Leave them in Yue Guan's care for now." Qian Renyuan answered casually.

"Without my orders, no one is to open them."

"Yes, my lord!"

Yue Guan immediately accepted the order.

Qian Daoliu did not vie for the Immortal Herbs, merely reminding him, "These herbs can help Yue Guan break through. Their value far exceeds that of ordinary soul bones. I will not interfere with how you distribute them, but do not waste them carelessly."

"I know." Qian Renyuan turned to Yue Guan. "Put the jade boxes away first."

Just as Yue Guan was about to put away the jade boxes, a sudden knock came from outside the hall doors.

"Reporting to Your Holiness, Ghost Douluo requests an audience."

Bibi Dong lightly tapped the floor with her scepter. "Let him in."

The hall doors opened, and a dark figure silently swept inside.

The moment Gui Mei found his footing, his gaze fell upon Yue Guan.

As partners for many years, he was more familiar than anyone with Yue Guan's aura. Though Yue Guan had already restrained his Soul Power, the sharp edge of someone who had just crossed a bottleneck could not possibly escape his notice.

Gui Mei circled halfway around Yue Guan.

"You really broke through?"

A smile appeared on Yue Guan's face.

"By luck."

"Cut the nonsense."

Gui Mei placed a hand on Yue Guan's shoulder. A thread of Soul Power entered his body, only to be swiftly repelled by an even more powerful golden Soul Power.

Gui Mei withdrew his hand, his eyes beneath the black robe narrowing slightly.

"Your bottleneck had held you back for so many years. How did you suddenly break through?"

Yue Guan did not answer immediately. He merely looked toward Qian Renyuan. "His Highness bestowed an Immortal Herb upon me."

Following his gaze, Gui Mei saw the jade boxes on the long table.

Just as Gui Mei was about to ask for the details of Yue Guan's breakthrough, another burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

A black-clad deacon in charge of intelligence strode swiftly into the hall, holding a sealed message tube in both hands.

"Your Holiness, an urgent report from Heaven Dou City!"

"Present it."

The message tube landed in Bibi Dong's hand. She took out the secret letter, and after reading only a few lines, her brows faintly furrowed.

Rather than handing the letter to Qian Daoliu, she passed it to Qian Renyuan first.

"It concerns the person you just brought back."

Qian Renyuan accepted the secret letter. Its contents were not complicated.

After Dugu Bo left Heaven Dou City, Prince Xue Xing sent people to his estate three times in succession, yet received no response each time.

Sensing that something was wrong, Xue Xing immediately turned his attention to Dugu Yan at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Yesterday, the Fourth Prince Xue Beng brought people to the academy, intending to take Dugu Yan into Prince Xue Xing's residence under the pretense of protecting her.

Dugu Yan showed him no courtesy at all. Her Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison dropped three Royal Academy students on the spot. Had the academy's education committee not intervened in time, Xue Beng would have had to leave lying down as well.

Although Dugu Yan was not taken away, Xue Xing had already ordered people to keep watch on the academy.

The secret letter also mentioned that Xue Xing had recently been repeatedly using Dugu Bo's reputation to win over nobles, implying that Poison Douluo still stood on his side in order to restrain Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.

After finishing it, Qian Renyuan handed the secret letter to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo had only read halfway when dark green poison seeped from between his fingers, rapidly blackening the edges of the paper.

"Xue Xing!"

Dugu Bo clenched his five fingers, and the entire secret letter instantly turned into fragments.

"He dares use Yanyan to threaten me?"

Suppressing his poison, Dugu Bo said coldly, "Back then, I owed Xue Xing a favor, so I handled a few troubles for him."

"Over the years, I repaid that debt long ago."

"If he uses my name to throw his weight around in Heaven Dou City, I can turn a blind eye."

"But he should never have touched Yanyan."

Dugu Bo turned to face Qian Renyuan and clasped his fists.

"My lord, I request permission to return to Heaven Dou City."

"I want to take Yanyan out of the Royal Academy."

Qian Renyuan did not agree immediately. He merely asked, "If you return alone, what do you intend to do?"

Killing intent flickered in Dugu Bo's eyes.

"If Xue Xing knows what is good for him, this old man will take Yanyan and leave."

"If he does not, then the Heaven Dou Empire will have one less prince from now on."

Qian Daoliu glanced at Dugu Bo. There were few people on the entire continent who could speak so calmly of poisoning an imperial prince to death.

Dugu Bo happened to be one of them.

"Killing Xue Xing will not be difficult." Qian Renyuan descended the steps. "But if you return alone, then in the eyes of the Heaven Dou Empire, you will still only be Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."

Dugu Bo frowned slightly. "My lord means..."

"You will return with me."

Qian Renyuan walked past him and came to the entrance of the hall.

"Hasn't Xue Xing been looking for you all this time?"

"I'll bring you before him."

A dark gleam flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes, and he quickly understood what Qian Renyuan meant.

Returning to Heaven Dou City alone would only resolve Dugu Yan's immediate troubles. But if he appeared alongside Qian Renyuan, the entire Heaven Dou Empire would learn that Poison Douluo had taken a new stance.

"This subordinate is willing to accompany my lord to Heaven Dou!"

Bibi Dong's fingers tightened slightly around her scepter. "You only just returned, and now you are leaving again? Let Dugu Bo handle Heaven Dou's affairs himself."

Qian Renyuan turned back. "Since Dugu Bo has followed me, the Dugu Clan's affairs are my affairs. Besides, this intelligence report also mentions Crown Prince Xue Qinghe."

At the mention of that name, Qian Daoliu's gaze shifted slightly.

Dugu Bo and Yue Guan did not know Xue Qinghe's true identity. The two merely assumed that Qian Renyuan intended to use this opportunity to interfere in the Heaven Dou Empire's struggle for the throne.

"The situation within the Heaven Dou Empire is very complicated."

Qian Daoliu slowly said, "The crown prince's faction already has its own arrangements. If you enter rashly, you may make Emperor Xue Ye wary."

"That is why I will not bring a large contingent from Spirit Hall."

Qian Renyuan pointed at Dugu Bo. "He is already a guest of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"As Spirit Hall's Holy Son, I will visit the Heaven Dou Empire with only two people. What is the problem?"

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment but found no reason to refute him.

Qian Renyuan was not leading Spirit Hall's experts to the border. He was merely heading to Heaven Dou City in his capacity as the Holy Son.

Even if Emperor Xue Ye harbored misgivings, he would have to receive him. What was more, Dugu Bo would be at Qian Renyuan's side.

"I will have Qian Jun accompany you as well," Qian Daoliu said.

"No need." Qian Renyuan refused directly.

"The more people we bring, the more it will look like Spirit Hall is preparing to interfere with Heaven Dou's succession. Dugu Bo and Jiang Mo will be enough."

Bibi Dong was still worried.

"There are quite a few powerful people under Xue Ye, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is on good terms with the Heaven Dou imperial family."

"Has Mother forgotten how Yue Guan broke through?"

Qian Renyuan looked at Dugu Bo.

"His Martial Soul Backlash has also been cured. With Jiang Mo added to the mix, how many people in Heaven Dou City could lay a hand on me?"

Bibi Dong looked at the three of them and ultimately did not stop him any further.

She could forcibly keep Qian Renyuan in Spirit City, but she also knew that with his temperament, once he had decided to intervene in the Heaven Dou situation, he would not back down because of danger.

"When will you depart?"