Qian Renxue's thoughts were already in a complete tangle.
On the surface, she still forced herself to maintain the signature gentle smile of Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, Snow Qinghe.
But the murderous intent in her eyes was so fierce it could practically stab She Xian right through the heart.
This kid was usually pretty clever. Why had he gone crazy right when Xue Ke came to see her?
If he made Xue Ke suspicious, she'd make sure to teach this little brat a lesson later!
"She Xian..."
"Snow Qinghe" slowly set down the memorial in his hands.
"Careless and impetuous. Where are your manners?"
She Xian hunched his shoulders.
His survival instincts kicked in at once.
He quickly put on his trademark innocent, radiant smile.
"Hehe... Teacher, I just got carried away while cultivating. I was so excited that I forgot the rules..."
While he made light of it, he secretly stole a glance at the pretty, charming imperial girl beside him.
He quickly tried to work out who she was.
Short hair, cream-colored clothes, an air of nobility, and she called Snow Qinghe "Crown Prince brother"...
Damn!
Wasn't this the Heaven Dou Empire's cherished jewel, Princess Xue Ke, the beloved youngest daughter of Emperor Xue Ye?
He'd really gone and made a mess of things this time!
Xue Ke had finally recovered from her shock, too.
She lifted her chin slightly, her fair neck forming an elegant curve.
With a touch of imperial pride and barely concealed curiosity, she took a dainty step forward.
"Crown Prince brother~"
Xue Ke's bright, sugary-sweet voice rang through the study.
Her sparkling eyes fixed on She Xian.
"Who's this young man?"
"How come I've never seen him in the palace before?"
Qian Renxue's face twitched ever so slightly again.
For a moment, she didn't know how to explain things to her clever, mischievous little sister.
She Xian, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot.
Under the Heaven Dou princess's curious scrutiny and Qian Renxue's murderous gaze,
he was so mortified he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the granite floor with his toes!
Qian Renxue kept her expression calm and composed, but the hand behind her back had quietly clenched into a fist.
Deep within the golden eyes hidden beneath her gentle exterior, murderous intent and inner conflict twisted together.
This kid... he could have come earlier or later,
but he just had to barge in right when Xue Ke was bringing her some palace pastries!
Thoughts flashed through Qian Renxue's mind at lightning speed.
She Xian's talent and background were far too frightening.
She had planned to keep this uncut jade hidden away in her gilded chamber until he had grown strong enough to astonish everyone.
But no wall was so high that the wind couldn't find a crack.
She couldn't keep this kid's identity a secret forever.
Kill him to silence him?
Qian Renxue glanced at the utterly unsuspecting Xue Ke beside her.
She was a legitimate princess of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Emperor Xue Ye's most cherished jewel.
And the nominal younger sister of the crown prince she was now impersonating.
To kill the reigning princess inside the Crown Prince's Residence?
That would be no different from declaring war on the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Her years-long mission as an undercover agent would go up in smoke.
In the blink of an eye, Qian Renxue had made up her mind.
Since there was no avoiding this, she might as well go with the flow and give the kid a respectable title!
Qian Renxue put her thoughts in order, and her gentle smile returned.
She lightly brushed her sleeve and pretended to sigh helplessly.
"Ke'er, don't be rude."
Snow Qinghe's voice was deep and steady. "This is She Xian, my personal disciple."
Well, well!
She Xian's mind raced, and he immediately understood the hint in Qian Renxue's eyes.
He straightened up, smoothed his slightly rumpled clothes, and bowed.
His expression solemn, he said, "Your disciple, She Xian, greets Teacher!"
The movements were as smooth as flowing water. Paired with his unfairly handsome face, he had the easy grace of a young master from a distinguished sect.
Xue Ke's little mouth fell open into a perfect circle, and her fair fingers covered her lips.
"Crown Prince brother... you took on a disciple?!"
Xue Ke stepped forward twice, staring at Snow Qinghe in disbelief.
"How could you not even tell Father about something this important?"
"I was completely kept in the dark, too!"
Snow Qinghe smiled slightly, his face full of far-sighted wisdom.
"Xian'er can be a little mischievous."
"The reason I didn't announce it was so he could focus on his cultivation without distractions or outside interference."
As he spoke, Snow Qinghe turned to introduce them.
"Xian'er, this is my younger sister, Princess Xue Ke."
Xue Ke had by now managed to put her astonishment aside.
She tilted her little head and blinked her watery almond-shaped eyes at She Xian.
Then she smiled sweetly, revealing two adorable little fangs.
"Hi, She Xian! I'm Xue Ke!"
This sweet, delicate girl, radiating innocent nobility, really was Xue Ke.
The corner of She Xian's mouth twitched as memories from his previous life came flooding back.
Xue Ke!
The little princess of the Heaven Dou Empire!
Her father was the aging Emperor Xue Ye, seated upon the dragon throne.
Her mother was a concubine who had died young.
She had two older brothers.
One was the fourth prince, Xue Beng, who pretended to be a fool to evade assassination.
The other was the fake crown prince Snow Qinghe standing right in front of him, whom Qian Renxue had replaced long ago.
As for her uncle, he was none other than Prince Xue Xing, who threw his weight around in the original story and dragged Dugu Bo everywhere to show off!
She Xian couldn't help inwardly grumbling, "The fourth brother pretends to be stupid, the eldest brother is a fake, and their uncle is up to no good. The only one in the whole Imperial Family who's genuinely silly and sweet is the little girl standing right here."
"In the original story, she seems to have studied elegant manners under Tang Yuehua, then fell in love at first sight with Tang San, who was using the alias Tang Yin, only to end up pining for him in vain."
"Poor little princess. In the original story, Tang San, the cheat king, had her completely smitten with that surgically altered face of his."
She Xian tucked away his devious thoughts and put on a radiant smile that couldn't be faulted.
"Greetings, Princess Xue Ke."
Seeing that the situation had been smoothed over, Qian Renxue quietly let out a breath of relief.
She sat back behind the desk. Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop as she asked in a low voice,
"She Xian, you came rushing in just now, shouting your head off. Did you run into some problem in your cultivation that you couldn't solve?"
Seeing her Crown Prince brother turn to serious matters, Xue Ke obediently fell silent.
Her lively eyes landed squarely on She Xian as she unabashedly sized up this "secret disciple of Crown Prince brother's."
Fair skin, clear-cut features, and a very pleasing appearance.
His rare green eyes, in particular, carried an indescribable spirit and mystery.
As Xue Ke kept looking, her little face grew faintly warm.
She thought to herself, "Crown Prince brother has such a good eye. His disciple is much better-looking than those self-important noble youths."
Mm, she was a sucker for a pretty face.
At Qian Renxue's question, She Xian grinned and answered.
"Teacher, I didn't come because I'd run into a problem."
She Xian puffed out his chest, unable to suppress the smug smile at the corner of his mouth.
"I was meditating in my room just now and, by sheer luck, broke through."
"My Soul Power has officially reached level twenty."
"Teacher, I can go hunt for my Second Soul Ring and advance to Soul Grandmaster!"
Qian Renxue's jade-like fingers stopped tapping the desk.
A flicker crossed the eyes disguised as Snow Qinghe's.
Level twenty!
Princess Xue Ke, standing nearby, was even more stunned.
Her delicate little face was filled with shock.
Her rosy lips hung wide open—wide enough to fit a whole pigeon's egg!
"Level twenty... a Soul Grandmaster?!"
Xue Ke cried out, her voice full of disbelief.
She pointed at She Xian, then turned to look at Snow Qinghe. "Crown Prince brother, he... he looks about my age, doesn't he?"
"...Mm." Snow Qinghe nodded silently.
"!!!"
Xue Ke's heart pounded wildly.
In Douluo Continent, where strength reigned supreme, there were indeed Soul Grandmasters aged eleven or twelve.
But every one of them was a genius from the Upper Three Sects or some other top power!
And this white-haired boy before her, who was about her age, had already reached the threshold of becoming a Soul Grandmaster!
Qian Renxue was deeply pleased.
This was a treasure she had personally unearthed!
This was her very own genius disciple!
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