The Lonely Yu Tianheng

"Understood!"

With that,

a light shone from the old farmer's body.

As the light flashed, the old farmer's body rapidly expanded, and his coarse clothes transformed into magnificent golden robes.

If anyone familiar with Spirit Hall had been present, they would have recognized him at a glance. He was actually Elder Blood Thorn of Spirit Hall.

Qian Qinghe's appearance also changed drastically. His once innocent face became filled with majesty, and a trace of nobility appeared between his brows.

At this moment, Qian Qinghe looked exactly like the current Crown Prince—Xue Qinghe!

Qian Qinghe raised a hand, signaling Blood Thorn to rise.

"Remain here and protect Qingkong."

"Most importantly, keep an eye on Dugu Yan. That girl has been coming here to see Qingkong often lately. The Dugu Family loves researching all sorts of bizarre poisons when they have nothing better to do."

"I'm afraid she might secretly use some aphrodisiac poison. If Qingkong breathes it in, don't let that little girl succeed..."

Blood Thorn nodded.

"Understood, Young Master. Rest assured, my Spiny Porcupine Martial Soul specializes in absorbing all kinds of poison."

"I absolutely won't let that little girl from the Dugu Family succeed!"

"But, Young Master, you care for him so deeply. When exactly will you tell him the truth?"

"You can't keep hiding it from him forever!"

Qian Qinghe fell into thought after hearing this.

After a long while,

he said, "In another couple of years. There are still some things I need to do during these next two years..."

"Once the mission is complete, the whole of Heaven Dou will be my gift to Qingkong..."

Qian Qinghe walked through the forest with a wooden basket in hand.

His other hand was not idle either, pulling a piece of cream cake from the basket and stuffing it into his mouth.

Feeling the smooth, sweet cream melt in his mouth, Qian Qinghe was delighted. His eyes curved into crescents, and a sweet smile lingered on his lips.

After a few bites, he had finished the entire piece of cream cake.

Seeing the little bit of cream remaining on his fingers, Qian Qinghe could not bear to waste it. He brought his fingers to his lips and extended his small tongue, licking them clean in one go.

Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods.

A guard clad in golden armor came charging over on a fast horse.

Upon seeing Qian Qinghe, the guard immediately dropped to one knee.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I knew you would be here. Emperor Xue Ye has suddenly fallen ill and is unwell."

"The affairs of state still require your attention. Please return to the palace with me at once."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared at the corner of Qian Qinghe's lips. However, he quickly withdrew it and unconsciously frowned instead.

These so-called state affairs meant reviewing memorials.

Whenever Qian Qinghe thought of those troublesome memorials, his head hurt. Not only were there many of them and all sorts of matters to deal with, but handling them was extremely time-consuming.

If it were not for completing the mission, he truly did not want to review those memorials.

But when he looked at the wooden basket stuffed full in his hand, Qian Qinghe felt a little comforted.

Because Qingkong had specially made these for him...

At that thought, a smile surfaced on Qian Qinghe's lips.

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

"Students, this semester's theory classes end here."

"Besides theory, practical combat is equally important for Soul Masters."

"Next, I will take you to the major Spirit Arenas for training."

"I'm giving you a few days off. Go back and prepare yourselves, then gather at the academy entrance on time in three days."

As Qin Ming finished speaking, he closed the textbook in his hands.

The seven people seated below were Qin Ming's students.

These seven were the seed students of this year's class at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Whether in talent or strength, they were all outstanding among their peers.

Upon hearing that they were getting a break, the students below began cheering.

As for the upcoming practical training, they did not take it to heart.

Whether it was their Martial Souls or their Soul Power ranks, these seven were already among the best of their age. Not only were they unafraid of so-called practical combat, they even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

"Class dismissed!"

As Qin Ming's words fell, Dugu Yan was the first to leave the classroom, running toward the door.

"Yanyan."

Yu Tianheng followed close behind and chased after her.

Yet Dugu Yan seemed to be in a hurry. She did not even turn her head, paying no mind to Yu Tianheng's calls.

Watching Dugu Yan's departing back, Yu Tianheng looked somewhat forlorn.

"What's been wrong with Yanyan lately?"

"Why has she been ignoring me? She runs off every day as soon as class ends!"

Yu Tianheng sighed.

He had liked Dugu Yan for some time now, and lately, he had been trying to advance their relationship. At first, everything had gone smoothly.

Until two months ago, when he felt that Dugu Yan had begun distancing herself from him.

He had thought that he had been too direct in expressing his feelings and frightened her.

To apologize, Yu Tianheng had specially bought a jade hairpin today, intending to give it to her after class.

Watching Dugu Yan's figure disappear from sight, Yu Tianheng stood there blankly by himself, not knowing what to do.

"What's wrong, Boss? Didn't you say you were going on a date with Sister Yan today?!"

"Why are you still standing around here like an idiot?!"

Yu Feng reached out from behind and wrapped an arm around Yu Tianheng's shoulders.

Yu Tianheng looked dejected. "I don't know why, but Yanyan has seemed busy all the time lately..."

"Really?"

"It's fine, Boss. You're so handsome, and you're one of the heirs of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. You and Sister Yan are a match made in heaven."

"Don't lose heart. Everything will be fine once Sister Yan gets through this busy period."

At the mention of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, a trace of pride welled up in Yu Tianheng's heart.

He said confidently, "Xiaofeng, you're right. I was overthinking it!"

Yu Feng grinned.

"Let's go, Boss. Since Sister Yan has something to do, why not come drink with me on the back street?"

"Alright!"

The two walked toward the academy gates with their arms around each other's shoulders.

They had barely stepped out of the gates when Yu Feng seemed to notice something.

"Boss, look. What is Ye Lingling holding? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."

Following the direction of Yu Feng's finger, Yu Tianheng looked toward Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling was holding an exquisite porcelain plate, upon which sat a particularly delicate pastry.

The pastry had two layers. The bottom layer was golden yellow and looked extremely soft, while the top was covered in a layer of milky-white "clouds." A faint milky fragrance drifted from it.

Such a strange pastry naturally caught both of their attention.

Yu Feng immediately ran over first and poked a finger at Ye Lingling's plate.

His finger was covered in the milky-white "clouds." When he put it into his mouth, a rich milky taste and a faint sweet fragrance instantly spread across his tongue. Yu Feng's eyes lit up at once. "Lingling, where did you get this thing? It's way too delicious?!"

Seeing Yu Feng poke away some of the cream cake in her hand, Ye Lingling drew the remaining cake protectively to her chest.

"Sister Yan gave this to me the day before yesterday. You're not allowed to steal it."

"If you keep doing this, I'll get mad!"

Seeing Ye Lingling protect her food like that, Yu Feng muttered, "Lingling, we're teammates, aren't we? Good things should be shared. At worst, you can just ask Sister Yan for more!"

Ye Lingling shook her head. "Anything else would be fine, but this cream cake is truly different. I begged Sister Yan for a long time before I got this one piece."

"If I give it to you, I really won't have any left."

Hearing that Dugu Yan had given it to her, Yu Tianheng's interest was immediately piqued.

He vaguely felt that Dugu Yan's habit of running off whenever she had free time these past few days was definitely connected to this cream cake.