Encountering Xue Qinghe

"Uh..."

Suddenly, Dugu Yan's expression changed. The small gift box in her hand fell to the ground, and she abruptly dropped to one knee.

"Yanyan! What's wrong?!"

An anxious look appeared on Ye Lingling's pretty face. Flustered, she summoned her Nine-Heart Begonia, intending to heal Dugu Yan.

"Roar..."

A Jade Phosphorous Serpent, even smaller than Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, manifested on its own. It let out a cry that did not belong to any snake, its body constantly swaying.

"W-What is happening?!"

Her little hands clenched tightly. Ye Lingling had never seen anything like this and could only channel her Nine-Heart Begonia to heal her.

Inside Dugu Yan's body, her bloodline was boiling without end, as though something was undergoing a transformation.

Yet it lasted only a short while before stopping, and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent returned to her body.

"W-What happened to me?"

Dugu Yan's small face was flushed, beads of sweat sliding down her forehead. Her fitted outfit clung tightly to her body from the sweat, outlining her lovely figure.

"Yanyan, are you all right? You scared me to death."

When she turned her head, she saw Ye Lingling holding the Nine-Heart Begonia and looking at her with a face full of worry. Her beautiful face was slightly flushed as well from the constant flow of Soul Power.

Only when Dugu Yan suddenly returned to normal did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I-I'm fine. Let's go first."

Shaking her head, Dugu Yan picked up the gift box that had fallen to the ground. After carefully wiping away the dust, she planned to leave Yun Tian's quarters with Ye Lingling.

Before the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Dugu Bo finally returned with Yun Tian. As they slowly landed, Yun Tian could not help stretching lazily. He had not rested properly these past few days; even with his strong spiritual power, he was starting to struggle.

"Hm?"

At that moment, the two noticed a group some distance away.

Calling them a group was not quite accurate, because every one of them wore heavy armor and carried a longsword. Their faces were stern and wary.

Yet standing before these soldiers was a man.

He wore a snow-white brocade robe custom-made for a crown prince, its patterns woven from gold thread. A jade belt circled his waist, his posture upright and tall. His features were gentle, his brows and eyes peaceful and refined. He looked mild and gracious, yet an air of royal dignity radiated from his very bones.

"It's the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince? Yun Tian narrowed his eyes. At this point, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had already been impersonated by Qian Renxue for several years.

"No need to be nervous. This old man is here."

Dugu Bo patted Yun Tian on the shoulder. His expression remained unchanged as he continued leading the way toward the academy.

"Your Excellency!"

"Poison Douluo, what a coincidence. I never expected Qinghe to encounter you here today."

Xue Qinghe maintained the image of a gentle crown prince. He respectfully cupped his hands toward Dugu Bo. As a guest elder of the imperial family, Dugu Bo naturally deserved such courtesy from him.

The soldiers behind him also lowered their heads in respect.

"Mm. This old man merely took my friend of different generations out for a stroll."

"A friend of different generations?!"

That was not a term one heard often. Dugu Bo was notoriously withdrawn and had always preferred to be alone. Since when did he have a friend of different generations?

Xue Qinghe slowly raised his head and saw Yun Tian standing beside Dugu Bo.

Yun Tian's extraordinary bearing and the sense of concealed sharpness about him made Xue Qinghe pause.

Wasn't this Yun Tian?

He had heard of him over the past few years, but he had been busy poisoning the imperial princes and securing his own position, so he had never come to recruit him.

Yet upon meeting him today, he found that he could not even discern Yun Tian's strength.

"Your Highness."

Yun Tian nodded, but did not cup his hands in greeting. Old Poison had called him a friend of different generations. If he lowered his own status now, would that not make him seem cowardly?

Besides, he knew that the other party's true identity was Qian Renxue. Innate level twenty Soul Power, a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, yet at over twenty years old, her cultivation was only around the Soul Emperor to Soul Sage stage.

The verdict: utterly pathetic.

"You are Yun Tian, aren't you? I have heard of you—the most talented student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. With you here, we should have a strong chance in the next Soul Master Tournament!"

Xue Qinghe smiled gently, already beginning to consider how to bring this genius under his wing.

His Martial Soul was called the Sky-Piercing Spear, and he possessed Innate Full Soul Power. That spear's quality was surely no ordinary thing.

For a young genius like this, so long as he had the chance to grow, becoming a Title Douluo was practically certain. That would give him a better chance of opposing that woman in the future.

"May I ask what brings the Crown Prince here? This old man and Yun Tian still have matters to attend to."

"Oh, it is like this. I recently received word that another academy wished to visit Heaven Dou Royal Academy for study and exchange, so I came to see what sort of talented young elites they might be."

Dugu Bo did not react much upon hearing this. Other academies applied to visit Heaven Dou Royal Academy for observation and study every year.

Yun Tian, on the other hand, wore a strange expression. At this time... could it be those people from Shrek?

"In that case, this old man will..."

"Wait, Old Poison. Let's go take a look as well."

Dugu Bo had just been about to say that they would head inside first when Yun Tian directly asked him to come along. That immediately piqued his curiosity.

If this little monster wanted to take a look, could the other side also be some kind of genius?

"Ahem. Then let us go together."

"Please."

The soldiers did not enter and instead waited outside the academy. After all, this was Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If the Crown Prince could encounter danger within it, then those soldiers would not be able to protect him anyway.

The three entered the academy. Along the way, Xue Qinghe rarely spoke first, while Yun Tian and Dugu Bo chatted the entire time.

The more Xue Qinghe listened, the more alarmed he became. Even if Dugu Bo and Yun Tian were friends of different generations, they should not be speaking to each other like this, should they?

He felt that Dugu Bo's tone was not even how one would speak to a young man. There seemed to be some other meaning behind it, something impossible to define.

It was far too abnormal. If someone told him Yun Tian had saved Dugu Bo's life, he would believe it.

"By the way, Crown Prince, how has your father's health been lately?"

"Qinghe will not hide it from you. Father's condition has been getting worse and worse lately. Those medicinal tonics meant to regulate his health do not seem to have any effect."

A hint of desolation appeared on Xue Qinghe's face at the right moment. Dugu Bo nodded and said,

"How about this? In a few days, this old man will go take a look. My cultivation has improved considerably recently, so I will see whether I can treat this illness."

Dugu Bo naturally had his own considerations in saying this. The improvements brought by his Martial Soul Evolution extended far beyond his cultivation; they also included his control and application of poisons.

Though he was not skilled at treating illnesses, it was entirely possible that Xue Ye's current condition was the result of poisoning.

"In that case, thank you very much, Poison Douluo!"

Xue Qinghe solemnly cupped his hands, but sneered inwardly. This was a specially formulated poison. Even you, Dugu Bo, will never be able to detect it!