Departure for Heaven Dou City

The next day, Papal Hall.

Several plates of new-style pastries sat on the table.

Su Chen picked up a piece, took a bite, and shook his head.

"Too sweet. Have the kitchen make savory ones next time."

Bibi Dong sat at the head of the room, flipping through Martial God Hall's recent roster. Hearing this, she raised her eyes.

"The Papal Hall kitchen is practically yours alone now."

"You need good food to have the strength to work."

The hall doors were suddenly pushed open.

Gui Mei strode inside, an unusually grave look on his face. He held a letter bearing the secret mark of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Stopping beneath the steps, he glanced at Su Chen beside him and hesitated.

Bibi Dong set down the roster.

"Su Chen is the Spirit Hall Holy Son. There is nothing he cannot hear. Read it."

Gui Mei opened the letter.

"An urgent report from our covert agents in Heaven Dou City. Something happened on the eldest prince's side."

Bibi Dong's gaze instantly turned cold.

"Has he been exposed?"

"Not yet, but his situation is delicate. Prince Xue Xing seems to have noticed something recently and has repeatedly sent people to test him. Not only that, Prince Xue Xing has enlisted Poison Douluo Dugu Bo to secretly watch every move at the Crown Prince's Residence. The young master is constrained at every turn now. Even the slightest movement will alert them."

Bibi Dong sneered.

"He has been infiltrating Heaven Dou for so many years, yet he cannot even handle a prince who only knows how to eat, drink, and amuse himself. With that little ability, he dares speak of usurping the nation?"

Despite her words, the hand holding the roster unconsciously tightened.

Su Chen swallowed the pastry in his mouth and brushed the crumbs from his hands.

"Teacher, it is only natural to worry about your daughter's safety."

Bibi Dong stiffened and shot him a cold glare.

"Be quiet. I am not worried."

Su Chen sighed.

"Fine, fine, you are not worried. But this really is troublesome. Prince Xue Xing is an old fox, and Poison Douluo is even harder to deal with. If a Title Douluo is determined to investigate, sooner or later, some trace will leak out."

Gui Mei nodded.

"Your Highness is right. Should I personally make a trip to Heaven Dou City? Find an opportunity to deal with Xue Xing and Dugu Bo..."

Gui Mei made a throat-slitting gesture.

Bibi Dong shook her head.

"No. If members of the Heaven Dou imperial family start dying one after another, especially a prince, Spirit Hall will be the first suspected. Sending a Title Douluo now would only alert the enemy and make Emperor Xue Ye even more vigilant."

Su Chen walked to the table and poured himself a cup of warm water.

"Elder Gui, does the eldest prince usually act too perfectly?"

Gui Mei froze for a moment, then nodded.

"In order to play Xue Qinghe well, the young master has been flawless in dealing with others. The entire court sings his praises as well."

Holding the cup, Su Chen slowly took a sip.

"Being too perfect is the greatest flaw."

"Old hands like Prince Xue Xing, who have spent their lives rolling around in the muck of power, trust perfection least of all. How could an imperial prince have no selfish desires at all? The more impeccable he appears, the more Xue Xing will believe this nephew of his is unfathomably calculating."

Gui Mei frowned.

"Then what should we do? The elders are too conspicuous to go, while the young master is being watched so closely that he has no help at all."

Su Chen set down his cup.

"Send someone no one would care about."

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Who?"

Su Chen pointed at himself.

"Me."

Bibi Dong refused outright.

"Nonsense. The situation in Heaven Dou City is complicated. Dugu Bo is solitary and eccentric, killing people on a whim. You are only six years old. Are you going there to die?"

Su Chen met Bibi Dong's eyes directly.

"Precisely because I am only six will no one be on guard against me."

"Prince Xue Xing watches the imperial family, the court officials, and spies from every faction. But who would guard against a six-year-old child?"

"Besides, I have just broken through level twenty, and Martial God Hall is already on the right track. It does not need me there at all times. This is the perfect chance to gain experience and visit Heaven Dou City openly."

Bibi Dong looked at the short-haired boy before her.

Six years old, level twenty.

A few days ago, within the earthcore lava, she had personally witnessed that crimson Ultimate Fire mutated Soul Ring, as well as the power of that single sword strike that melted through the rock wall.

Su Chen's combat strength now already approached that of a Soul Ancestor. Even if he encountered danger, he had more means of self-preservation than an ordinary Soul King.

More importantly, his maturity and scheming far beyond his age could even leave a Peerless Douluo speechless.

But that was Heaven Dou Imperial City, after all.

Gui Mei spoke from the side.

"Your Holiness, His Highness has a point. A child appearing in Heaven Dou City would indeed avoid many complications. If Your Holiness is worried, I am willing to accompany him in secret as his protector. With me there, Dugu Bo will not be able to stir up much trouble."

Su Chen smiled.

"With Elder Gui keeping watch in the shadows, we can run if we cannot win. Teacher, are you at ease now?"

Bibi Dong fell silent for a long time.

Then she reached into her robes and took out a token.

Neither gold nor jade, it bore six engraved emblems.

It was the highest-ranking Pope's Edict. To see the token was to see the Pope herself.

Bibi Dong tossed the token over.

Su Chen caught it and weighed it in his hand.

"You are handing over the whole Household to me?"

"Do not disgrace me."

Yet there was a hint of gravity in Bibi Dong's eyes.

"If the situation cannot be salvaged, preserving your life comes first. As for that plan to usurp the nation, if it fails, then it fails. Papal Hall does not lack one Heaven Dou Empire."

Su Chen tucked the token into his robes.

"Do not worry, Teacher. Since I am going, this game will not end in death."

Su Chen turned to Gui Mei.

"Elder Gui, pack up. We leave this afternoon."

Gui Mei clasped his hands.

"As you command."

That afternoon, outside Wuhun City.

There was no grand send-off, only an ordinary carriage parked by the city gates.

Hu Liena came running over, panting, with a bundle tucked in her arms.

"Su Chen!"

Su Chen stopped.

"Senior Sister, this bundle is even bigger than the one from our trip to the Spirit Hunting Forest. I do not lack water or rations."

"Heaven Dou City is so far away. Who knows what you might run into on the road?"

Hu Liena's eyes were filled with reluctance.

"You just promised to teach me a new method of spiritual control, and now you are leaving. How long will you be gone?"

"I have already written down the method and left it on your desk. Practice according to it, and do not slack off. If there is anything you do not understand, remember it first. I will explain it when I return."

Su Chen tossed the bundle into the carriage.

"I am going to handle a small matter. If all goes well, I will be back soon. Is there anything you want?"

Hu Liena snorted.

"What good things could Heaven Dou City possibly have? Just do not cause trouble outside. If you encounter danger, remember to hide behind Elder Gui. Do not stubbornly show off, understand?"

Su Chen waved a hand.

"Got it. Go back and train. Do not let me come back only to break your charm with one move again."

Hu Liena stamped her foot in anger.

"Just you wait! Next time, I will make you regret it!"

Su Chen did not reply. He stepped into the carriage.

The coachman raised his whip, and the carriage rolled northward along the official road.

Inside the carriage.

Su Chen leaned against the soft cushions and rested with his eyes closed.

Gui Mei's figure turned into a cloud of black mist, hiding within the shadows atop the carriage.

"Your Highness."

A hoarse voice came from the roof.

"Once we reach Heaven Dou City, do you plan to go to the Crown Prince's Residence and meet the young master first?"

"Not yet."

Su Chen did not even open his eyes.

"Since Prince Xue Xing and Dugu Bo are watching the Crown Prince's Residence, going there now would be walking into their trap. We will find an inn first and sound out the situation."

"I understand. However, that old poisoner Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison is extremely troublesome. If we encounter him, Your Highness must not approach him."

Su Chen gave a soft laugh.

"Poison?"

"Elder Gui, poison is meant to kill others, not torment oneself. If he cannot even control his own poison, what kind of poison expert is he?"

Hidden in the shadows, Gui Mei seemed not to understand the deeper meaning behind those words.

"Does Your Highness have a way to deal with Dugu Bo?"

"Deal with him? There is no need."

Su Chen shifted into a more comfortable position.

"An old snake tortured so badly by his own poison that he would rather die than live is easier to control than crushing an ant."

The roof fell silent.

Gui Mei said no more. After spending this time with him, he had long understood that although this Holy Son's words sounded arrogant, he never acted without certainty.