Qian Renxue Under the Moonlight

Wu Qingkong walked across the grass, gasping heavily.

His breathing grew increasingly labored, and the sound of it became heavier and heavier.

Dugu Bo clearly had not held back with this poison!

Beyond merely testing him, he wanted to help his Yanyan steal Wu Qingkong back.

Dugu Bo was already sixty years old. Having roamed the world of Soul Masters for decades, how could he not be shrewd?!

From just a few casual words from Wu Qingkong earlier, he had already concluded that if his granddaughter and Wu Qingkong developed normally, she likely had no chance at all...

Therefore, Dugu Bo could only take another path.

Using the test as an excuse, he injected his poison into Wu Qingkong's body.

Through the earlier test, he had learned that Wu Qingkong's combat strength was roughly at the Soul Sage level.

To poison Wu Qingkong while ensuring he would not die immediately, Dugu Bo had deliberately controlled his poison to the level of a Soul Douluo.

He only wanted Wu Qingkong to be unable to withstand it. This poison, enough to kill a Soul Douluo, would not take his life instantly. Dugu Bo wanted Wu Qingkong to beg him for mercy.

That way, he could help Yanyan win Wu Qingkong back.

"Kid, don't blame me. Yanyan likes you far too much, so I had no choice but to do this."

"Yanyan truly is a good girl..."

Dugu Bo watched Wu Qingkong stagger forward, then turned and left without hesitation.

"I'll wait for you to crush the jade plaque..."

At that moment, Wu Qingkong's consciousness had already become hazy.

His body began to sway violently as well. He first set his sights on the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass.

Step by step, he walked toward it.

The Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass was the immortal herb most suitable for him in the entire Icefire Yin Yang Well.

As long as he consumed it, he would gain an all-around improvement and buy himself time to absorb the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

The immortal herb was right before him.

Wu Qingkong reached out, but just as he was about to touch it, his body staggered again and fell.

The jade plaque flew from his hand.

After hitting the ground, several fine cracks silently appeared across it.

Dugu Bo's heart instantly stirred.

"Wu Qingkong has already begun touching my jade plaque?!"

Dugu Bo was just about to get up and return to the Icefire Yin Yang Well.

But suddenly, Dugu Bo stopped in his tracks.

Because he sensed that the plaque's cracking abruptly came to a halt.

Icefire Yin Yang Well.

At that moment, Wu Qingkong saw that the jade plaque was about to shatter and was immediately startled. Icy Soul Power covered his fingertips, and he pointed at the plaque.

In an instant, Ultimate Ice forcibly froze the cracking jade plaque, stopping it from breaking apart!

"Phew."

Wu Qingkong let out a long breath.

"Good thing. It almost really shattered."

"If Dugu Bo really forced me to marry Dugu Yan, Xiao He would probably be furious when he saw it."

"Xiao He, for your sister's sake, I turned down another great beauty."

"If you tricked me, I'm really going to be mad!"

Wu Qingkong's thoughts shifted.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Heavenfrost Extreme Cold."

Activate!

Wu Qingkong directly used the Soul Skill on himself.

In an instant, his limbs and body were coated in a thick layer of frost.

The extreme chill froze the poison within his body.

While the poison was frozen and his mind remained clear,

Wu Qingkong immediately summoned the Heavenfrost Sword and aimed its tip at the roots of the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass.

Then he hurled it straight at the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass's roots with all his strength.

Bang!

A thunderous boom rang out.

The Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass was sent flying at once.

Wu Qingkong leaped up and lunged toward the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass.

A wave of cold spread through his chest.

Wu Qingkong's body instantly shook like a sieve.

The Fifth Soul Skill's extreme cold, combined with the chill from the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass, made Wu Qingkong feel as though he were about to freeze into an ice sculpture.

To distract himself, Wu Qingkong could only helplessly roar at the sky:

"Xiao He, you're going to get me killed!"

"If your sister isn't as pretty as you said, then I really won't acknowledge you as my brother anymore!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Qingkong clutched the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass to his chest and charged toward the fire spring on the other side!

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

The moonlight was cool as water.

After Qian Qinghe arrived at the palace,

it was already late at night. Following the earlier disturbance, the imperial palace had returned to its former tranquility.

The inexplicable unease in his heart had kept him awake for a long time.

After returning to his room, Qian Qinghe looked around. Once he confirmed that no one was nearby,

Xue Qinghe reached toward the wall beside him. After feeling around for a while, he found a protruding stone.

As Xue Qinghe gently pressed down on it,

a rumbling sound came from within the wall.

The entire room trembled.

Once the trembling stopped,

a pink maiden's chamber appeared inside the room.

This was the private secret chamber Xue Qinghe had built for himself.

After entering the secret chamber,

Xue Qinghe's expression relaxed greatly.

He lightly tapped his forehead with a finger.

A flash of golden light passed.

His ear-length short hair completely unfurled, becoming a cascade of golden hair that reached his waist.

Under the lamplight, it shimmered with a faint golden glow.

Xue Qinghe reached toward his face and gripped the edge of his cheek.

With a ripping sound, he peeled away a complete mask.

Beneath the mask was a young girl's face!

The girl's features were otherworldly beautiful, though after wearing the mask for so long, her delicate cheeks were somewhat flushed.

Fortunately, after taking a few breaths of fresh air, her complexion became much fairer.

Life in the imperial palace was not easy.

Qian Renxue had to be cautious at every turn while lurking here.

Only during sleepless late nights could she shed layer after layer of disguise and briefly be herself again.

After returning to her true appearance as Qian Renxue,

she hurried to the dressing table and opened a drawer.

Picking up one cosmetic after another, she applied them to her face.

There was only one month left until the matchmaking gathering at Heaven Dou Lake. She wanted to wear her most beautiful makeup when she attended the grand event there.

With a slight movement of her fingers, Qian Renxue's face became even more beautiful.

Yet the more makeup she applied, the more violently Qian Renxue's hands trembled.

The unease continued.

Clatter.

The porcelain dish containing rouge suddenly fell.

Qian Renxue's heart pounded faster and faster.

"How could this be?!"

"Could Qingkong really have run into trouble?!"

Qian Renxue did not know where Wu Qingkong had gone to gather flowers for her.

She only knew that this unease had suddenly appeared in her heart not long ago.

Qian Renxue no longer had the heart to continue applying makeup and instead walked alone to the window.

She looked into the distance.

A cool breeze blew over, sending her hair fluttering.

Qian Renxue instantly calmed down somewhat.

The bright moonlight illuminated the entire bedchamber, but Qian Renxue had no mood to admire the night scenery.

She raised her head and looked into the distance.

"Qingkong, you haven't run into danger, have you??"

"Please, come back soon!"

"You mustn't let anything happen to you. I don't want any gifts anymore. I only want you to stay alive..."