A Night Visit to the Crown Prince's Manor

Qian Renyuan picked up the invitation, rubbing the private seal with his thumb for a moment as his gaze shifted slightly.

"I'm heading out."

Dugu Bo glanced at the night beyond the window and immediately stepped forward. "This subordinate will accompany you."

"No need."

Qian Renyuan tucked the invitation into his sleeve.

"You stay at the estate. Prince Xue Xing suffered a major loss at your hands during the day. Given his temperament, he may not be willing to swallow this grievance quietly. Someone needs to hold down the estate."

Dugu Bo hesitated briefly, but ultimately agreed.

Xiao Wu sat on the other side. Hearing their conversation, she looked up and asked, "What about me?"

"You're staying too."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't leave me alone in an unfamiliar place?" There was a trace of panic in Xiao Wu's voice, one even she herself had not noticed.

"Dugu Bo is here. No one can touch you." Without looking back, Qian Renyuan walked straight toward the door. "Besides, I'm going to the Crown Prince's residence, not strolling through a night market."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth, still wanting to say something, but Qian Renyuan's figure had already crossed the doorway and vanished into the night.

Outside the estate, Jiangmo Douluo was already waiting quietly.

The two did not alert anyone. Concealed by the night, they slipped into the streets of Heaven Dou City. As midnight approached, they silently arrived at the long street along the west side of the Crown Prince's residence.

The west gate of the Crown Prince's residence was tightly shut. There was not even a single night-patrol guard outside, and the silence carried a hint of strangeness.

Just as Qian Renyuan approached the steps, a side door opened from within with uncanny timing.

"His Highness has been waiting for some time."

The one who opened the door was an old man in gray. His eyes were restrained and his aura deep. He merely lowered his head slightly and bowed to Qian Renyuan.

Qian Renyuan stopped and turned his head slightly toward Jiangmo Douluo behind him. "Wait outside."

Jiangmo Douluo's sharp gaze swept through the Crown Prince's residence. He asked no questions, merely planted the Coiling Dragon Staff against the ground and said in a deep voice, "If anything happens, Young Master, release your Soul Power. This subordinate will arrive in moments."

Creak.

The side door closed behind Qian Renyuan once more, shutting out the sounds of the outside world.

The gray-clad old man carried a lantern and led the way. The two avoided the main courtyard of the Crown Prince's residence, passed through several quiet corridors, and finally stopped outside a study.

"Your Highness, he has arrived."

"Come in." A gentle yet faintly authoritative voice came from within.

The door was pushed open. Qian Renyuan stepped inside and saw "Xue Qinghe" seated behind a rosewood desk. She wore only a loose, pale-gold casual robe, having shed the majesty of the heir apparent she displayed during the day, leaving behind a more reserved air.

The gray-clad old man bowed and withdrew, closing the door tightly behind him.

Xue Qinghe raised her deep eyes and looked Qian Renyuan over from head to toe.

"You arrived faster than I expected."

"Your information wasn't slow either."

Qian Renyuan calmly walked to the desk and, without ceremony, picked up the intelligence report bearing the imperial secret seal. It recorded everything that had happened at the Royal Academy today.

"Xue Xing's men had barely been driven down the mountain before this reached your desk." Qian Renyuan set down the secret report. "It seems your efforts over the years were not in vain."

"To survive peacefully in Heaven Dou City, I have to prepare a few more pairs of eyes." Xue Qinghe picked up the teapot and unhurriedly poured him a cup of tea.

"But you—having just arrived in Heaven Dou City without even taking a sip of water, you already caused such a commotion. That old fox Xue Xing is probably on his way to the palace to report this overnight."

Qian Renyuan lifted the teacup and gently blew away the white mist on its surface. "If he doesn't go whining, I'd find it boring instead."

Xue Qinghe's hand paused slightly as she held her tea. She looked deeply at him for a moment. "Aren't you afraid Emperor Xue Ye will use this to make trouble for you? This is the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, after all."

"A mere prince's warrant has no authority over the granddaughter of the great Poison Douluo. If Xue Xing insists on making a fuss, then the first one who should explain himself to the Emperor is him."

Qian Renyuan took a calm sip of tea.

Xue Qinghe fell silent for a moment, then abruptly changed the subject. Her gaze sharpened. "Dugu Bo has truly pledged allegiance to you?"

"That's right."

"Is he loyal to Spirit Hall, or to you?" Xue Qinghe stared intently into Qian Renyuan's eyes as she asked the most crucial question.

Qian Renyuan set down his teacup. An unquestionable domineering glint flashed through his dark eyes.

"Me."

Xue Qinghe chuckled. "Then even I can't casually command the Poison Douluo?"

"If you're planning to have him enter the palace tomorrow night and poison Xue Ye to death, I can graciously ask him whether he's willing." Qian Renyuan returned with a faintly mocking smile.

"If it came to that, I'd be the first person the entire city searched for and investigated."

Xue Qinghe shot him an irritated glare. "The Dugu Clan may be loyal to you, but in Heaven Dou City, they must stand on the Crown Prince's side."

"We can cooperate." Qian Renyuan agreed readily, but then his tone shifted. "As for whom they truly obey in their hearts, didn't you just ask that?"

Xue Qinghe choked on his reply and gave a cold, irritated laugh. "You little fox, you really refuse to suffer even the slightest loss."

"I traveled day and night from Spirit City for four days and four nights. I didn't come here to work for you for nothing."

"But after going to all this trouble, was it really just for a lowly ninety-first-ranked Title Douluo?" Xue Qinghe probed casually.

"He is no longer the Poison Douluo who suffered from toxin backlash."

Qian Renyuan leaned forward slightly, his voice low and penetrating:

"Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Backlash has been completely resolved, and her Jade Phosphorous Serpent has successfully evolved into the top-tier Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. As for Elder Yue Guan, he took an Immortal Herb I gave him a few days ago and has already broken through the bottleneck to rank ninety-six."

The ever-composed "Xue Qinghe," who remained unfazed even before a collapsing mountain, lowered her voice, though it burned with fervor. "How many more of those Immortal Herbs... do you have?"

"This is what you really wanted to ask tonight, isn't it?" Qian Renyuan leaned back in his chair, a calm smile on his lips.

"One allowed Yue Guan to break through, while another solved the Dugu Clan's backlash problem... Of course I'm interested."

"Once you successfully complete your great undertaking in the Heaven Dou Empire, there will naturally be something most suitable for you." Qian Renyuan cast out an exceedingly tempting bait.

"So you still don't intend to tell me the exact number."

"Knowing too much might make you lose focus over here." Qian Renyuan's answer was flawless.

Xue Qinghe raised her eyes and stared at him. "A few years apart, and you've become more and more slippery."

"Likewise."

Qian Renyuan's gaze fell brazenly upon the masculine face belonging to "Xue Qinghe," his tone carrying a trace of teasing. "Even speaking to me while wearing this skin, you're far more polite than you were back in Spirit City."

Xue Qinghe's eyes turned cold at once. "Here, call me Xue Qinghe." She warned him word by word.

"Don't worry. Other than me, no one knows who is really sitting in the Crown Prince's residence."

The gray-robed old man's voice suddenly came from outside the door. "Your Highness, an urgent report from the palace."

"Speak."

"Prince Xue Xing has entered the imperial palace and is requesting an audience with His Majesty outside the hall. He claims that the Holy Son of Spirit Hall indulged the Poison Douluo in destroying a prince's writ and interfering with the affairs of the Royal Academy."