Xue Beng: Someone Wants to Harm Me!

Heaven Dou City residence.

"How has the past half year at the academy been?"

At the dining table sat only Ouyang Ling and Qian Renxue. This was a conversation belonging solely to the siblings.

"Pretty good." Ouyang Ling picked up a piece of earth dragon tendon and placed it in Qian Renxue's bowl. "I made seven good friends. By the time of the Soul Master Tournament when I'm sixteen, they'll all have what it takes to join the Heaven Dou First Team."

"It's good that you were able to make friends."

Looking at the earth dragon tendon in her bowl, Qian Renxue seemed to be in a better mood as she listened to Ouyang Ling continue talking about everything that had happened to him at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

Until...

"...But, Sis, I ran into Xue Beng."

"Oh, that good-for-nothing." At the mention of the Fourth Prince, Qian Renxue first showed a trace of disdain, followed by a hostile glint in her eyes.

"Did he cause trouble for you again?"

Ouyang Ling shook his head. "I mean when school first started. He was the one who came looking for trouble."

"I know about that."

Qian Renxue rested her chopsticks against the bottom of her bowl. Once she heard it had happened at the start of school, the hostility in her eyes faded.

"After you beat him up when you enrolled, Prince Xue Xing immediately took him to cause trouble for the Education Committee. They even made a fuss before Emperor Xue Ye. But after I explained the whole matter to those three committee members and presented the evidence, that brat was the one who ended up suffering. It was a minor matter, so I didn't tell you."

"What?"

Qian Renxue teased him with a hint of amusement.

"You were worried that incident would cause me trouble?"

"Not really."

Ouyang Ling did not consider it troublesome.

"That's not what I'm concerned about."

Hm?

Qian Renxue raised a brow.

If you weren't concerned about that, why bring it up?

Noticing Qian Renxue's suspicious gaze, Ouyang Ling voiced his thoughts. "What really deserves attention is why Xue Beng came looking for trouble with me."

Qian Renxue was quick-witted and immediately grasped the crux of the matter. "Him being a wastrel isn't the key. There was another purpose behind his conflict with you?"

Ouyang Ling neither confirmed nor denied it. "At least, I think he's a wastrel—but definitely not useless."

"Then he's putting on an act." In an instant, a chilling killing intent flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

Back then, she had spared Xue Beng not only because he was young and unlikely to obstruct Xue Qinghe's path to becoming Crown Prince, but also because if she truly killed him, the greatest suspicion would fall upon Xue Qinghe. No matter what, it would be impossible to avoid, and the losses would outweigh the gains.

Secondly, Xue Beng truly was a wastrel. As he grew older, he acted even more like a useless fool, posing no threat to her at all.

But if all of that was merely his disguise...

That would be a serious problem!

His scheming ran deep enough.

"Actually, it's normal for him to pretend."

Ouyang Ling wore an expression of complete understanding. "If I had an imperial brother like that, I could pretend to be useless too. I could even pretend to be an idiot. Everything would be for survival—nothing shameful about that. The only concern is that once you lower your guard, Sister Xue'er, he'll strike you with a fatal blow."

"Then we should strike first."

Killing intent surged completely around Qian Renxue. "I've already killed three princes anyway. One last Xue Beng won't make a difference."

Ouyang Ling's chopsticks paused slightly. He met Qian Renxue's gaze with astonishment and asked in disbelief,

"Sister Xue'er, do you really mean that?"

That question was like a bucket of cold water poured over Qian Renxue's head, instantly calming her down.

"No. It was only something I said in anger."

Taking a deep breath, she temporarily suppressed the irritation in her heart and answered rationally.

"Xue Beng truly cannot die. If he does, suspicion toward me, the one who benefits the most, will only grow stronger. If Emperor Xue Ye is determined to investigate, my position will become even worse. So no matter what, nothing can happen to Xue Beng. At least..." She paused, cold light flickering in her eyes. "Not before I ascend the throne."

As for what would happen after she ascended the throne...

She had no fewer than nine ways to send Xue Beng to his grave.

Nine!

"Exactly."

Ouyang Ling agreed. "In plain terms, you need to secure your position as Crown Prince, conceal your identity, and not give Xue Beng an opportunity to counterattack."

"If we were a little more ruthless and let it melt away..." Ouyang Ling suddenly stopped, changing the subject. "Sister Xue'er, how have the Fallen Ones been doing these past few years?"

"A little better." Although she did not know why he had brought this up, Qian Renxue did not hide anything.

She stated directly that half a year ago, Spirit Hall had launched a major operation to crack down hard on fallen Soul Masters across the various regions.

However, their inaction over the previous years, along with some internal chaos within Spirit Hall, had ultimately given the Fallen Ones considerable time to develop. They were no longer as active as before, but some stragglers still remained.

"...Why did you suddenly bring that up?" Qian Renxue looked at Ouyang Ling in confusion and asked curiously.

"Aren't the Fallen Ones a perfect excuse?"

That seemingly unprompted remark made Qian Renxue furrow her brows as she sank into thought. Only Ouyang Ling's next words enlightened her, bringing sudden realization.

"Right now, although Xue Beng has ruined his own image, he hasn't lost his right of succession. He still has supporters in court. But if he becomes a cripple, then the throne will basically have nothing to do with him anymore."

There was already a gentle, refined, wise, and intelligent Crown Prince before them. If the remaining prince was not only useless, but also became a cripple...

Would Emperor Xue Ye still have any choice?

Simply put, turning Xue Beng into a cripple would only add another layer of insurance.

As for who would do it...

Naturally, it would be the Fallen Ones!

Before everyone's eyes, who could refute that!?

If someone tried to pin the blame on the Crown Prince, they would be sowing discord. Accusing the Crown Prince of colluding with the Fallen Ones was practically courting death!

As for whether it was truly the Fallen Ones...

That was not important.

Having grasped the key to this plan, Qian Renxue had already set down her chopsticks. She clapped her hands and laughed. "Good idea! Then I should properly write a script for this Fourth Prince—one that will reasonably turn him into a cripple."

"However..."

She propped her chin up with her left hand, a teasing smile appearing on her lips. "Little Ling, you aren't holding a grudge, are you?"

Ouyang Ling said nothing. "..."

Holding a grudge?

What a joke!

He was not that kind of person.

Even if he was, he had already gotten even back then.

Seeing Ouyang Ling choose silence rather than play along, Qian Renxue found it boring. After muttering, loud enough for him to hear, "You're so much less adorable now that you've grown up," she did not continue discussing Xue Beng.

Meanwhile, Xue Beng, who was out in the city enjoying himself, suddenly felt an itch in his nose.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

He sneezed twice in succession. After checking himself and finding nothing wrong, he raised his wine cup again. Amid the flashing lights and revelry, urged on by his drinking companions, he shouted, "Come, come! Keep the music going, keep dancing!"

He knew absolutely nothing about what was about to happen.

As for Ouyang Ling,

After moving past the subject of Xue Beng, Qian Renxue began talking about what she had experienced over the past half year.

There were countless matters of government, large and small. Besides that, she had also found time to send someone to Shrek Academy, where they met its teachers and students.

"...I have to admit, they're all talented."

Qian Renxue made her regard for them clear to Ouyang Ling. "Flander and Zhao Wuji are decent enough, but unless resources are directed toward them, becoming Titled Douluo will be impossible. The ones I truly value, apart from that food-system Soul Sage, are the remaining two students."

When she mentioned that there were "only two students," even Qian Renxue could not help complaining, "Honestly, it's the first time I've ever seen an academy with more teachers than students."

Ouyang Ling deeply agreed, though he added, "But the students really are impressive, aren't they?"

"That's true."

Among Shrek's current students, the most outstanding—and the youngest—were one food-system Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power and limitless future prospects, and another with a Fire Phoenix martial soul. Though it had flaws, its potential was still immense.

Just what kind of report had those people below submitted!

Qian Renxue thought resentfully.

But when she remembered that reporting them to Spirit Hall would only delight that woman, her anger immediately disappeared.

Still, when she brought up Shrek Academy's response to her recruitment attempt, displeasure appeared on Qian Renxue's face again. "...But they rejected my offer."

"That's normal."

Knowing Flander and the others' personalities, Ouyang Ling was not surprised. He pointed it out directly to Qian Renxue.

"Flander is doing it for his dream."

"A dream?"

Qian Renxue snorted dismissively.

"With that academy's resources, they're poor enough to rattle. It's only thanks to the students' own foundations that they've made it this far. Doing it for a dream? Can a dream feed them?"

Ouyang Ling's expression turned strange.

He suddenly wanted to laugh.

"You didn't give up, did you?"

"Of course not."

Given Qian Renxue's temperament, she naturally would not act on impulse. Therefore, after Flander refused her, Qian Renxue began providing Shrek Academy with resources for free in the form of private sponsorship. In order to keep the academy running, Flander did not refuse.

Little did he know...

"Free is the most expensive price."

Qian Renxue picked up her fruit juice and swirled it.

"They won't escape the palm of my hand."

Ouyang Ling nodded. "For talented Soul Masters, bonds of affection truly are the sharpest weapon for winning them over." Then he added, "Oh, right, Sister Xue'er. I just remembered something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

Qian Renxue took a sip of fruit juice and had just swallowed it...

"Dugu Yan has been poisoned."