The Actor

Salas reached out, placed a hand atop Li Hanche's head, and gently ruffled his hair.

"Good child."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, a few degrees lower than before.

"Your parents raised a fine son."

He straightened up, glanced at Xue Qinghe, then at Li Hanche, and let out a sigh.

There was obvious reluctance and regret in that sigh, but in the end, he did not try to persuade him again.

Given his status, pestering a child would be beneath him.

Besides, there was no way to refute what the boy had said.

Filial piety was a reason no one could criticize in any world.

Salas gave Li Hanche one last look, then turned and headed for the door. Reaching the doorway, he paused without looking back and said one more thing.

"Little fellow, if you ever can't stay in Heaven Dou City anymore, the doors of the Martial Soul Temple will always be open to you."

With that, he strode away, his red bishop's robes billowing through the corridor like clouds.

The young woman seemed to snap out of a dream and hurried after him.

Only Li Hanche and Xue Qinghe remained in the room.

Xue Qinghe looked down at the child before him, whose eyes were slightly red, and something indescribable appeared in his gaze.

He crouched down, drew a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve, and held it out to Li Hanche.

"Wipe your face."

His voice was gentle, more like an elder brother caring for his younger brother.

Li Hanche accepted the handkerchief and roughly wiped his face twice.

The handkerchief carried a faint, soothing fragrance. He did not know what incense it was, but it smelled pleasant.

He clenched the handkerchief in his hand, raised his head to look at Xue Qinghe, and let just the right amount of confusion and unease show in his eyes.

"Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince, where should I go next?"

Xue Qinghe smiled.

It was different from the composed smile he had worn while confronting Salas. There was less calculation in it and more genuine warmth.

"Come with me."

He extended a hand toward Li Hanche.

The hand was well-defined, with long fingers and impeccably maintained skin. It was clearly a hand that had known luxury since childhood.

It stood in sharp contrast to the dusty child before him.

Li Hanche hesitated for a moment, then placed his small, still-dusty hand in it.

Xue Qinghe clasped it, his palm warm and dry.

He led Li Hanche out of the Awakening Room and down the corridor.

As they passed beneath the dome mural depicting the Angel God, Li Hanche looked up. In the painting, the Angel God held a holy sword, bathed in dazzling golden light as he gazed down upon all living beings.

Xue Qinghe noticed his gaze and slowed his steps.

"Is it beautiful?"

"It is."

Li Hanche nodded, then added after thinking for a moment.

"It just feels a little cold."

Xue Qinghe paused, lowered his eyes to look at him, and said nothing.

When the two emerged from the gates of the Martial Soul Temple, the parents and children still waiting in line turned to look. When their gazes landed on Xue Qinghe, some recognized the Crown Prince and immediately let out soft cries of surprise before hurriedly bowing.

Xue Qinghe nodded in acknowledgment without slowing, leading Li Hanche across the plaza and into a carriage waiting outside the hall.

The carriage was spacious, its interior lined with soft velvet carpets. An incense burner smoldered in the corner, wisps of smoke curling upward.

Li Hanche sat beside the window, both hands properly placed on his knees and his back ramrod straight. He looked so nervous he could barely sit still.

Xue Qinghe sat opposite him. Seeing his posture, amusement flickered in his eyes.

"Relax. You don't need to be so nervous."

"Oh."

Li Hanche answered and relaxed slightly, though he still sat very properly.

The carriage left the Martial Soul Temple. Through the window, Li Hanche watched the streets slide backward. They traveled east from the Martial Soul Temple in the western part of the city, passing several bustling avenues. The buildings on either side grew increasingly grand, and the pedestrians' clothing increasingly refined.

He stared without blinking, like a country child entering the city for the first time.

The carriage finally stopped before a three-story detached villa.

Li Hanche stepped down from the carriage, tilted his head back to look at the building before him, and stood frozen with his mouth slightly open for quite some time.

White walls, a red roof, a neatly trimmed lawn before the entrance, and even a small fountain in the middle of the lawn.

The entire villa covered at least twenty times the area of his tiny rundown shack in the slums. The two carved stone pillars at the gate alone were worth more than the whole wall of his home.

"This is..."

He turned toward Xue Qinghe, disbelief written all over his face.

"The residence arranged for you."

Xue Qinghe stepped down from the carriage and stood beside him with his hands behind his back, his tone calm.

"Heaven Dou Imperial Junior Academy is only three streets away. It takes a quarter of an hour to walk there. Living here will make attending school convenient."

Li Hanche opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, like a fish tossed onto shore.

"It's... it's too big. I can't live in such a large house by myself."

He waved his hands, his face full of unease and anxiety. Even the tips of his ears had turned red.

"And I don't have money to pay the rent."

Seeing him like this, Xue Qinghe could not help but chuckle.

"You don't need to pay rent."

He reached out and lightly pressed a hand on Li Hanche's shoulder.

"This is an investment from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Just cultivate diligently. Becoming a powerful Soul Master in the future will be the best return on that investment."

Li Hanche blinked as if trying hard to digest the meaning of those words.

After a while, he nodded heavily, a childlike seriousness in his eyes.

"I will."

His words were brief, but his tone was as solemn as if he were making an oath.

Xue Qinghe watched him, his gaze flickering, but said nothing.

Over the next while, Xue Qinghe led Li Hanche through the villa, showing him both upstairs and downstairs.

The first floor held the living room, dining room, and cultivation room. The second floor contained bedrooms and a study. The third floor was a terrace overlooking the entire street.

The villa was furnished with everything one could need, all of it made from the finest materials. The rosewood tables and chairs in the living room alone could buy Li Hanche three homes in the slums.

Throughout the tour, Li Hanche played the part of a poor child stunned senseless by an enormous stroke of luck. He touched this and looked at that, and even when stepping onto the marble floors, he had to lower his head and inspect them several times.

When he entered the bedroom and saw the large bed capable of sleeping four people, he even carefully pressed the mattress with a hand. Then he turned to Xue Qinghe with a stunned expression, using his eyes to ask, How can a bed be this soft?

His acting was not exceptionally skilled, but it was convincing because it was real.

After all, across both his past and present lives, he truly had never lived in such a fine house.

Once they had finished touring the villa, Xue Qinghe looked at the sky and was just about to say something when a light knock came from the door.

"Your Highness."

A maid's voice sounded from outside.

"The items you requested have arrived."

"Come in."

Xue Qinghe said.

The door opened, and two maids entered one after the other.

Both were around eighteen or nineteen, with delicate features and proper manners. They wore matching pale blue gowns tied at the waist with white ribbons. Their skirts swayed gracefully as they walked, and their ornaments chimed softly.

Each maid carried a tray.

On the tray held by the maid on the left were several sets of brand-new clothes, their fabric gleaming softly in the sunlight and clearly worth a great deal.

On the tray carried by the maid on the right was a neatly stacked pile of Gold Soul Coins, at least fifty of them.

"These clothes were purchased in haste according to your measurements. Make do with them for now. In a few days, a tailor will come to make several custom outfits for you."

Xue Qinghe pointed to the clothes, then to the stack of Gold Soul Coins.

"This is for your daily expenses. If it is not enough, you may have someone withdraw more from the academy at any time."

Li Hanche's gaze rested on the stack of Gold Soul Coins for one second.

Filthy rich bastard.

They were really fucking filthy rich.

Li Hanche cursed viciously in his heart, while his face showed just the right amount of fear and unease.

He looked at the stack of Gold Soul Coins, then at the two maids, and finally turned his gaze to Xue Qinghe. His lips moved as though he did not know what to say.

To Xue Qinghe, he looked like a poor child suddenly favored by fate, overwhelmed and flattered beyond words.

Xue Qinghe was very satisfied.

Li Hanche was satisfied too.