(Second update)
Heaven Dou City, the imperial palace, Crown Prince Hall.
Xue Qinghe, who was in fact Qian Renxue, lounged in the seat of honor. Looking at the Imperial Guard kneeling before her, she asked:
"You're saying the higher-ups want us to act immediately, eliminate Xue Ye, and pin the blame on the Sky-Blasting Gang?"
"Yes!" Seeing Qian Renxue's confusion, the man, who wore the guise of an Imperial Guard but was actually the liaison between her and Spirit Hall, hurriedly explained, "Qian Daoliu, the Grand Consecration of the Elder Hall, returned not long ago. He has ordered His Holiness the Pope to consolidate the army and seize cities and territory on the front lines, with the aim of occupying the entire Star Luo Empire. To avoid wavering between two fronts and being stabbed in the back by the Sky-Blasting Gang, they specifically sent me to contact you. They want you to launch the plan we've spent years preparing ahead of schedule, throwing the Heaven Dou Empire into turmoil so the Sky-Blasting Gang cannot spare a hand to aid the Star Luo Empire."
"I see..."
Qian Renxue leaned back against her chair, her fingers, pale as tender scallion stalks, tapping unconsciously against the table as she carefully considered how everything connected.
The news that her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, had not died and had successfully returned to Spirit Hall weighed particularly heavily on her mind.
After all, rumors had been circulating within Spirit Hall lately, claiming that Qian Daoliu had disappeared during his battle with Yang Ming and Tang Chen and was most likely dead. Qian Renxue had never believed them. She knew her grandfather's strength. Even if he could not win, no one in the world could catch him when he took flight. Escaping would have been easy.
Now, it