The Pretender—Qian Renxue

After a long while.

Qianjun looked at Dugu Bo's retreating back and asked Qian Renxue, "Young Mistress, are you sure we don't need to keep an eye on him?"

"No." Qian Renxue shook her head. "If he leaves, then let him leave. No matter how you look at it this time, we got the better end of the deal."

Qian Renxue had learned from Lu Chen that Dugu Bo's family had been poisoned.

Although Lord Heavenly Dao had granted this treasure land to her, Qian Rensue, who had received a proper upbringing from Qian Daoliu and was still young, still felt somewhat guilty about it. So she brought up the matter.

Originally, Qian Renxue had intended to make a "fair trade" with Dugu Bo.

She would detoxify the grandfather and granddaughter, and then take the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

That way, she could take it with a clear conscience and avoid giving Spirit Hall a reputation for "forcibly seizing and plundering."

Her intentions had been good, and her heart had been pure.

Then, she told Qianjun and Jiang Mo...

Dugu Bo had been poisoned? His son had died because of it? His granddaughter had been poisoned too? He loved his granddaughter dearly? And the Young Mistress had a way to detoxify them?

Damn!

The Young Mistress had such explosive information and only told them now!

No, wait! The Young Mistress intended to exchange the detoxification method for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?

How muddleheaded! How muddleheaded!

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well already belonged to Spirit Hall! Why trade for it?!

If they had to call it a trade, Dugu Bo had already traded his life for it!

Not only was Dugu Bo not losing out—he was making an enormous profit!

A Title Douluo's life in exchange for an Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well he did not know how to use—if that was not an enormous profit, what was?

Since Dugu Bo was already profiting like mad, how could they give him the detoxification method for free?

If they really did, would Spirit Hall not lose terribly?

Thus, upon seeing such "extravagant wastefulness," Qianjun and Jiang Mo immediately chose to stop her!

After spending a full hour repeatedly explaining the pros and cons, they finally persuaded the Young Mistress to change her mind.

Dugu Bo wanted the detoxification method? Fine!

He had to trade something else for it!

Nothing much—he only needed to pledge loyalty to the Young Mistress and Spirit Hall!

As for whether this Title Douluo would go back on his word after the toxins in his body were cured, Qianjun and Jiang Mo were not worried in the slightest.

Spirit Hall had plenty of methods and means to keep a Title Douluo in check.

After seeing Qian Renxue return to her room to cultivate, Qianjun shook his head. "The Young Mistress is still too kind-hearted."

Jiang Mo deeply agreed. She had been prepared to hand over so easily a method that could control a Title Douluo. Was there anyone in the world more kind-hearted than the Young Mistress?

Jiang Mo looked at Qianjun. "Go keep an eye on Dugu Bo. I'll stay here and protect the Young Mistress."

"Got it."

Qianjun nodded. How could he truly refrain from watching Dugu Bo just because Qian Renxue had told him not to? That would make him too foolish.

What if Dugu Bo did not believe them and ran away?

If he then fled to the Heaven Dou Empire and spread malicious rumors about Spirit Hall everywhere, it would still be disgusting even if most people did not believe him.

Inside the temporarily built cultivation room, Qian Renxue cultivated earnestly, completely unaware that one of the two people guarding her had already left.

Watching from the shadows, Lu Chen's eyelids twitched. "She really is black-hearted beneath a sweet exterior."

Dugu Bo could make a round trip in fifteen minutes at most. With so little time, Qian Renxue had specifically returned to her room to cultivate. What could she possibly cultivate?

Could fifteen minutes make flowers bloom from cultivation?

One look was enough to tell that she was creating an opportunity for Qianjun and Jiang Mo to disobey her orders and secretly watch Dugu Bo.

She really had one face in public and another in private.

Last night, she had even made the two Title Douluo painstakingly persuade her for an entire hour. She was really something else.

"Lord Heavenly Dao, what does black-hearted beneath a sweet exterior mean?" Hearing a voice suddenly ring out in the room, Qian Renxue stopped cultivating, opened her eyes, and asked curiously.

"It means you in your current state."

"Huh?"

"Am I not cultivating right now?"

"..."

"It comes completely naturally."

Lu Chen kept studying Qian Renxue, unable to stop a little astonishment from rising in his heart.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure before whether you could help me during the time ahead. Now, I finally have a little confidence."

"Huh? Really?"

Qian Renxue's eyes shone with boundless delight. She had been cultivating against the clock precisely so she could help Lord Heavenly Dao in what came next.

Now that she had received Lord Heavenly Dao's approval, she was truly overjoyed!

Her efforts had not been in vain after all.

"Keep working hard."

Lu Chen smiled. "I hope you can continue maintaining this state from now on."

"I will!"

Qian Renxue forcefully waved her small clenched fist, her eyes gleaming with firm determination.

After Lu Chen left, Qian Renxue quickly threw herself back into her vigorous cultivation!

She had to work hard!

She could not waste a single second!

Retracting his divine sense, Lu Chen toyed with the little dragon in his hand, the corner of his mouth curving into an enigmatic smile.

"Interesting. Has she already discovered that I can read minds? I really hadn't noticed not long ago."

Previously, Lu Chen had never cared much about Qian Renxue. In his eyes, she was merely a chess piece to deal with Tang San and conceal his own movements.

The rewards he gave her were merely items he had casually taken from the continent.

He had not expected Qian Renxue to give him a modest surprise today.

"I knew she couldn't be that foolish."

Lu Chen lightly flicked the little dragon's head, and his mood improved considerably. If Qian Renxue could continue concealing her true feelings to a certain extent, she would truly be of considerable use to him.

"Yan Yan, go outside first." Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan and spoke with a weary expression.

"Alright, Grandpa."

Under everyone's watchful gazes, Dugu Yan cautiously backed out.

Once outside, she finally let out a breath of relief. The atmosphere inside had been so stifling.

Also, Grandpa's behavior today had been so strange. He had brought her here without saying a word, then had that blonde-haired older sister touch her body, and then told her to come back out.

Seriously, what exactly had happened?

Was there something wrong with her body? Or was she sick? Was that blonde-haired older sister a healing-type Soul Master?

Dugu Yan touched her little face, then touched her small arm.

She was healthy, wasn't she?

She was perfect, wasn't she?

Strange.

Inside the room.

"It can be cured."

Qian Renxue softly uttered those two words, immediately relaxing Dugu Bo's tense expression. "However, I have two treatment plans here. You can listen first, then make your choice."

"One is that I can remove the toxins from her body right now, but it may affect her future Martial Spirit and innate soul power."

"Your Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Spirit is very special. Its innate soul power is basically determined by the toxins in your bodies. After she is cured, she will not become someone without soul power, but it will be difficult for her to achieve much in the future."

"What about the second one?" Dugu Bo asked urgently. He wanted his granddaughter cured, but he did not want her to become an ordinary person in the future.

Of course, if there were only this one treatment plan and no choice, then so be it if she became ordinary. It was still better than dying.

"The second requires waiting until she awakens her Martial Spirit before I can give her the method. As long as her Martial Spirit is the same as yours, I can guarantee in Spirit Hall's name that this method will perfectly cure the toxins in her body."

"But there is one condition."

"What condition?"

"She needs to cultivate by my side. I will guide her one-on-one."

"..."

Dugu Bo looked at the serious-faced Qian Renxue, the corner of his mouth twitching. He really wanted to ask whether she could use his treatment method to treat Yan Yan instead.

If Yan Yan cultivated beside Qian Renxue, she would probably be educated into a diehard loyalist of Spirit Hall.

"With the second method, I can guarantee that she will become a Title Douluo in the future."

"..."

"The second method!"

You should have said that earlier!