Qian Renxue: I Was Mocking Myself

Heaven Dou City

Bustling streets, lively crowds.

It was far more bustling than Nording Academy. Jiang Nanchen was dressed plainly, and there was even a freshly mended tear in his clothes, but it could not conceal his handsome features.

Passersby turned to look, all thinking he was some noble child who had been lost outside.

Porcupinefish Douluo walked toward the Crown Prince's Residence with an expressionless face.

Jiang Nanchen said nothing either. He looked around, noting the places to eat in Heaven Dou City and the best restaurants. If not for the important business at hand these past few days, he would not have kept restraining himself from eating.

Had he not encountered Porcupinefish Douluo, he would probably have taken Wang Sheng and the others for a huge meal after obtaining his first soul ring, then promptly left Nording Academy.

He could not withstand Tang Hao's assassination attempt!

Following one step behind Porcupinefish Douluo, he arrived at a place with few pedestrians, guarded by sentries at the entrance. There was no need to think about it—it had to be people arranged by Spirit Hall.

Otherwise, Porcupinefish Douluo could not have come and gone so openly.

The two guards were about to let them through, but when they saw Jiang Nanchen behind him, they suddenly froze and exchanged glances.

"Was that the Young Master just now?"

"He looked like him, but also not like him. He looks far too much like the Young Master did as a child."

Porcupinefish Douluo stopped outside the study. "Kid, don't talk nonsense later, understand?"

"Understood." Jiang Nanchen nodded.

Porcupinefish Douluo knocked on the door. "Young Master, I've brought the genius with the Angel Martial Soul."

A magnetic voice soon came from within. "Come in."

Porcupinefish Douluo pushed open the study door, and Jiang Nanchen followed him inside.

Qian Renxue, seated behind the desk, put down the book in her hands and looked up.

She had only given him a casual glance, but the instant her gaze landed on Jiang Nanchen's face, she froze, nearly unable to stay seated.

No way.

Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat. The boy before her had golden hair and golden eyes, exquisitely shaped brows and features, and even the delicate texture of his skin was identical to hers as a child.

He was clearly a boy, yet he was the very image of her younger self. Even his calm demeanor overlapped with hers in several ways. In more than six years of hiding, she had never seen anyone who looked so much like her.

"Young Master, this is Jiang Nanchen." Porcupinefish Douluo stepped half a pace aside. "His martial soul awakened in Holy Soul Village: the Sacred Angel martial soul, Innate Full Soul Power. I took him to Star Dou Forest to hunt an eight-hundred-year Blazing Light Tiger for his first soul ring. He absorbed it successfully and is now at Rank Thirteen Soul Power."

"What? Eight hundred years?"

Qian Renxue's eyes widened as she stared at the young Jiang Nanchen in disbelief.

Was this a shock?

It was not a pleasant surprise in the slightest!

Qian Renxue steadied herself, suppressing the shock in her heart as she slowly rose and walked over to Jiang Nanchen.

She bent down slightly and carefully examined his brows and features. The more she looked, the more alarmed she became. With this face, people would believe he was her twin younger brother.

"Who are your parents?" Qian Renxue asked, a faint tension in her voice that was difficult to detect.

Jiang Nanchen shook his head. "I don't know. I'm an orphan Old Jack picked up in Holy Soul Village."

Qian Renxue's eyes flickered.

An orphan, an Angel Martial Soul, and a face identical to hers—there was something strange about every part of this. But now was not the time to investigate. The Sacred Angel martial soul could not be allowed to remain outside, much less fall into the hands of the Clear Sky Sect.

"In that case, stay at the Crown Prince's Residence for now. I'll arrange for you to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Spirit Hall will provide all your cultivation resources."

Jiang Nanchen nodded. "Thank you."

Porcupinefish Douluo stood to the side, clicking his tongue inwardly. Sure enough, even the Young Master herself had been startled by that face.

Qian Renxue said, "Go arrange a room for him first. I want to speak with him alone."

Porcupinefish Douluo nodded, turned, and left the study, closing the door behind him.

Qian Renxue returned to her chair, her gaze falling on Jiang Nanchen.

"From now on, I'll call you Nanchen."

Jiang Nanchen nodded. "Whatever Crown Prince Brother wants to call me is fine."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "How did you know I'm the Crown Prince?"

She believed her disguise was flawless. Ordinary children who met her would only take her for a noble youth and would never recognize her identity at a glance.

Jiang Nanchen looked up at her as if she were an idiot.

"Does Crown Prince Brother take me for a fool? The words 'Crown Prince's Residence' are written plainly on the front gate."

Qian Renxue choked, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She had been so focused on testing him that she had forgotten that. Being looked at that way by a face almost identical to her own childhood self felt as though she were mocking herself for being an idiot. It was unbearably awkward.

She coughed twice and forcibly changed the subject.

"Ahem. Let's not talk about that. Tell me about your martial soul. When the Sacred Angel awakened, aside from the wings and the light sword, what other phenomena appeared? And what is your first soul skill?"

After thinking briefly, Jiang Nanchen answered truthfully, "The golden light was very intense when it awakened, and it carried an aura that purified evil. My first soul skill is Flamewing Tiger Soul Strike."

Qian Renxue paused. That first soul skill was not bad.

She became even more certain that this child's talent was in no way inferior to hers.

"For now, stay in the residence. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for you to enroll at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If you have any needs regarding cultivation, just tell me directly."

As soon as Qian Renxue finished speaking, a rumbling "growl" came from Jiang Nanchen's stomach, especially clear in the quiet study.

Qian Renxue was stunned for a moment, then laughed softly.

"Hungry?" She stood and smoothed the hem of her brocade robe. "Come on. I'll personally take you out for a meal."

Jiang Nanchen immediately nodded. "It has to be a good restaurant. I can eat a lot."

"You're even being picky now." Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing. "Don't worry. Any place this Crown Prince visits won't disappoint you."

The two left the study. Qian Renxue instructed the guards to prepare a carriage and took Jiang Nanchen straight to Gathering Immortals Tower, the most famous restaurant in Heaven Dou City.

Once they entered a private room on the second floor, Qian Renxue casually ordered more than a dozen signature dishes and added three servings of staple food.

"Start eating. If it isn't enough, we'll order more."

The dishes soon arrived, their fragrance filling the air. Jiang Nanchen did not stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating. He did not eat quickly, but the sheer quantity was overwhelming. Plate after plate was emptied, bowl after bowl of rice was refilled.

Holding her teacup, Qian Renxue watched in mild surprise. She had thought the child's claim that he could eat was just a casual remark, but he truly had a huge appetite. His table manners were not crude, yet he consumed several times more than others his age.

"Eat slower. No one's going to steal it from you," she could not help saying.

Jiang Nanchen's mouth was stuffed full. He gave a muffled response, but his hands did not stop moving.

After eating for nearly two hours, with the table covered in a mess of empty dishes and cups, Jiang Nanchen finally put down his chopsticks and let out a satisfied burp.

"I'm full."

Looking at the more than half-empty plates, Qian Renxue clicked her tongue inwardly. With that appetite and his talent, he truly was quite a special little fellow.

"Since you're full, let's return to the residence. Tomorrow, I'll take you to register at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."