Meeting Xue Qinghe

After winning the match, Duan Yu greeted Yu Tianheng and the others before heading back on his own.

He had only come to Suotuo City's Soul Arena for the 1v1 matches. He had no interest in participating in the remaining 2v2 and 7v7 matches.

The streets of Heaven Dou City were somewhat quiet at night.

Although there were few pedestrians on the road, Duan Yu could still sense several people hiding nearby as he walked alone.

However, their Soul Power was too low. Most were merely two-ring Soul Grandmasters, so Duan Yu paid them no mind.

The only thing he truly cared about now was the Immortal Herbs.

Things like Immortal Herbs, which increased Soul Power and consolidated one's foundation, were naturally best consumed as early as possible.

But the problem was, how was he supposed to meet Dugu Bo? He had already been enrolled for quite some time. Why had Dugu Bo not come yet? Had his toxins flared up again, forcing him into hiding?

Duan Yu walked while lost in thought. He was so absorbed that he failed to notice someone ahead of him and crashed straight into them.

"Sorry."

Duan Yu got to his feet, dusted off his clothes, and lowered his head in apology. "I didn't mean to—"

Before he could finish speaking, someone scooped him up in their arms.

"What an adorable child."

A voice came from above him. Duan Yu looked up and saw that the person holding him was a handsome young man dressed in white.

Duan Yu: "?"

Was this person not being a little too forward? Was he someone people could just pick up whenever they wanted?

Before Duan Yu could lose his temper, Xue Qinghe spoke first, smiling as she asked, "Child, what's your name? Why are you wandering around alone so late at night?"

"I'm heading back to the academy."

"Back to the academy?"

Xue Qinghe froze for a moment. "Which academy do you attend?"

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Upon hearing that, Xue Qinghe considered it for a moment. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is still some distance from here. How about I take you back?"

Duan Yu broke free from Xue Qinghe's embrace in one swift motion and turned around.

"No need. I can walk back myself."

Ten minutes later.

Duan Yu was nestled in Xue Qinghe's arms.

"Faster, faster!"

Xue Qinghe looked at the child in her arms, who had been refusing just moments ago and was now loudly urging her to go faster. The corners of her lips rose unconsciously.

Then she flapped her wings, increasing her speed by several degrees and carrying him even higher into the air.

With the speed of Xue Qinghe's six rings, Duan Yu quickly returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy with her.

Xue Qinghe looked at Duan Yu and asked, "Child, which family are you from?"

Heaven Dou Royal Academy was under Qian Renxue's people's airtight surveillance, yet Qian Renxue had no impression whatsoever of this child before her.

Sitting on the ground, Duan Yu shook his head. "I'm an orphan. I only recently enrolled at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet a kind person who adopted me when I was little, I probably wouldn't have survived until now."

Xue Qinghe was taken aback. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Duan Yu smiled. "It's fine. It's nothing serious. My life was just a little rough when I was young."

"And I even ran into some lousy theory master who messed with me."

"A lousy theory master?"

Xue Qinghe thought for a moment, but she had absolutely no impression of such a person.

"Who was he?"

Duan Yu waved a hand dismissively. "Just some clown, not worth caring about. He can't mess with me anymore, so let him go ruin someone else's life."

"Alright, it's getting late. I should go."

As he spoke, Duan Yu got up, dusted off his hands, and started to leave.

After walking some distance, he reminded Xue Qinghe, who was still standing there:

"You should head back early too. Don't just stand here. If my teammates come back and see such a big person standing here, they'll be scared silly."

Xue Qinghe stood where she was and watched Duan Yu leave.

What an interesting child.

A short while after Duan Yu left, two figures darted out from nearby and dropped to one knee before Xue Qinghe.

If Duan Yu had still been there, he would certainly have recognized them as Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo, the two men Elder Hall had assigned to stay at Qian Renxue's side and protect her.

"Young Mistress, although you didn't fully release your martial soul just now, that child saw the Six-Winged Angel's exclusive emblem on your wings."

"Should your subordinate..."

As he spoke, Pufferfish made a throat-slitting gesture.

Xue Qinghe looked at him expressionlessly. "He is only a nine-year-old child. So what if he saw it? Could our plan really be affected by a nine-year-old child?"

Pufferfish stopped speaking and turned to look at Snake Lance beside him.

The moment Snake Lance met Pufferfish's gaze, he understood what the man was thinking. He forced himself to speak.

"Her Holiness the Pope asked me to remind you that five years have already passed. She wants you to hasten the completion of your infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Also..."

Xue Qinghe listened calmly to Pufferfish's report. She appeared to regard it as an ordinary matter, one not worth her attention at all.

Yet the hand clenched tightly within her sleeve exposed her true feelings.

She had originally thought that after leaving that woman for so many years, she would no longer think of her.

Yet she had never expected that, even after five years, news of that woman would still leave her exhausted.

She closed her eyes and slowly let out a breath. "Tell that woman that within ten years, my influence will certainly permeate the entire Heaven Dou Empire."

"Yes."

"Is there anything else?" Xue Qinghe asked the two men who were still kneeling on one knee below her.

Pufferfish and Snake Lance exchanged a glance before continuing.

"Young Mistress, the Grand Elder asked me to tell you that if you are too tired, then it does not matter if we abandon the Heaven Dou Empire."

"If you are willing, the Grand Elder is willing to personally act when the time comes and help you take Heaven Dou."

Xue Qinghe was stunned at first, then shook her head. "There is no need. I alone am enough to take Heaven Dou. There is no need to trouble Grandfather."

"I'm tired. I want some time alone. You may leave first."

After Pufferfish and Snake Lance departed, she stood atop the mountain at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, gazing toward Elder Hall in the distance as she murmured:

"Grandfather, perhaps you're the only one in this world who truly cares about Xiaoxue."

Meanwhile, after returning to the academy, Duan Yu did not go back to his student dormitory. Instead, he went to the teachers' dormitory beside Meng Shenji's residence.

Duan Yu lay on the bed, unable to suppress the panic in his heart.

Mainly because he had never expected to run into Xue Qinghe by the roadside.

Oh, no. If it had truly been Xue Qinghe, he would not have been so afraid.

Others might not know, but how could Duan Yu not? The real Xue Qinghe had long since been killed.

The person he had just spent time with was not Xue Qinghe at all, but Qian Renxue.

At first, he had not recognized her. But when Qian Renxue spread her wings and flew with him, he recognized her immediately.

Though her wings had not fully opened, the emblem had been revealed.

Duan Yu had clearly seen the emblem representing the Six-Winged Angel family.

Duan Yu shook his head. Forget it. What did it matter to him whether she was Xue Qinghe or Qian Renxue?

In any case, all he needed to do now was focus on cultivating. As for the Immortal Herbs, there was no rushing it. He would take it slowly.