Confidante

Is the screen lagging?

Xu Feng watched the projection spinning in circles just like a computer, having spun for thirty minutes already, looking like it had crashed no matter how he looked at it.

Behind every successful man, there is an outstanding woman; the figures compared next will be the confidantes behind the protagonists.

"Oh! I like watching this!"

"They must all be top-tier beauties!"

"Don't forget, there's also the arena showdowns later!"

"Oh, I love watching women fight!"

[First: eldest young lady of the Hongchen Family, Princess of Qin, Crown Princess, Level-10 Soul Engineer, Empress, Heavenly Queen, and future supreme matriarch of all juniors, Meng Hongchen.]

Unlike the last time where they were pulled straight into an arena for a duel, this time the projection actually began to play out Meng Hongchen's affairs.

A beautiful young girl with silver-white long hair appeared within the image, and she was none other than the current Crown Princess, Meng Hongchen.

Within the Sun Moon Empire, the Hongchen Family was a vital pillar of the nation, and Meng Hongchen was the most dazzling pearl within this family.

Her grandfather, Jing Hongchen, was the master of Mingde Hall, holding the crucial pivot of imperial power; a single word or action of his was enough to influence the direction of the imperial court.

However, fate was not exceptionally gentle to her because of this glory.

When Meng Hongchen and her older brother, Xiao Hongchen, were still in their swaddling clothes, their parents both passed away due to a sudden war.

From then on, her grandfather Jing Hongchen poured all his affection into these siblings, using those weather-beaten hands of his to prop up a storm-free sky for them.

Meng Hongchen's personality was not as gentle as her appearance suggested; deep down, she possessed an unyielding stubbornness.

She loved freedom, hated being bound, and especially despised those destinies arranged by others.

Meanwhile, her older brother Xiao Hongchen was obsessed with the study of soul tools, often staying in the workshop for days at a time and simply refusing to accompany her.

Meng Hongchen and Xu Feng's first meeting took place at a grand ball.

That was the day Xu Feng was conferred as the Prince of Qin; as a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Feng was destined to be unable to escape the doom of a political marriage.

On the surface, this ball celebrated his enfeoffment as a prince, but in reality, it was a covert bride-selection banquet where the empire's upper echelons hoped to use this opportunity for him to choose a suitable princess consort from among these noble daughters.

Meng Hongchen loathed the feeling of not even being able to control her own marriage, feeling as though she were a commodity waiting to be priced and sold.

Therefore, she purposely wore an extremely plain dress with no jewelry adornments, and did not even put on any makeup.

Standing among the crowd, she was like an inconspicuous white flower, completely ordinary.

Yet fate loved to play jokes; among the numerous elaborately dressed candidates, Xu Feng's gaze pierced through the crowd and locked firmly onto her.

The reason was simple: Xu Feng liked white, and Meng Hongchen's head of silver-white long hair struck his heart instantly.

After becoming the Princess of Qin, Meng Hongchen's life underwent earth-shaking changes.

She had originally thought this was merely a political marriage and that she only needed to play the role of a poised and proper princess consort to finish the task.

However, through her interactions with Xu Feng, she gradually discovered that this prince who had not inherited the royal martial soul actually possessed a tender and meticulous heart.

He would remember what kind of tea she liked to drink, would drape an outer garment over her shoulders when she stayed up late, and would sit quietly by her side without saying a word when she fell silent.

Those tiny cares melted the thick ice in her heart bit by bit, and Meng Hongchen began to realize that she might already have grown a little fond of him.

Not long after, Xu Feng volunteered to lead troops on an expedition. On the day he left, Meng Hongchen stood atop the city wall; she did not cry, only clenching her fists and secretly vowing that she would be his strongest backing.

And it was precisely during this period of time that Meng Hongchen displayed startling soul tool talent.

Her older brother Xiao Hongchen could be considered a genius in soul tool manufacturing, but Meng Hongchen's talent lay in the use and actual combat of soul tools.

It was as if she was born to resonate with soul tools, able to push their might to the absolute limit.

On the training grounds, she could effortlessly manipulate multiple soul tools to attack different targets simultaneously, with a speed and precision that forced even Xiao Hongchen to concede defeat.

Later on, the Xuanwumen Incident occurred. Such a storm was the most breathtaking night in the empire's history, where the scales of power swung violently amidst flashing swords and drawn blades.

Xu Feng stood at the crossroads of fate, hesitating; once he took that step, there would be no turning back.

Yet it was Meng Hongchen who clasped his hand at the moment of his greatest wavering, and it was precisely from this trust that Xu Feng's heart held no more hesitation. He drew his sword and charged into Xuanwumen with his trusted aides, ultimately turning the tides.

Following the Xuanwumen Incident, Xu Feng ascended to the peak of power, while Meng Hongchen became the ruler of the entire rear guard.

She disciplined the imperial harem with thunderous methods, bringing the concubines completely under control so that none dared to stir up trouble.

She not only managed the affairs of the harem, but also participated in state decision-making, using her wisdom to stabilize the realm for Xu Feng.

When Xu Feng officially ascended the throne as emperor, she logically became the empress. What was even more praised was that she treated all princes and princesses equally; regardless of whether they were born to the primary wife or concubines, she treated them all with a compassionate mother's heart.

She was not only the empress of this realm, but also the undisputed matriarch of the entire imperial family, winning everyone's respect and love.

Furthermore, in the future, after Xu Feng established the Celestial Court, she helped formulate the heavenly statutes and maintained order and stability.

Although the image only showed the two of them meeting for the first time followed by the support during the Xuanwumen Incident, everyone could see the importance of Meng Hongchen to Xu Feng.

As this introduction concluded, Meng Hongchen was summoned to the arena by a pillar of light.

[Second: little princess of the Mecha Development Department, one of the eight heavenly kings of Monster Academy, blonde version of the Child of Fortune, breaker of seniority, childhood sweetheart of Tang Wulin, wife of the Judiciary God, Dai Yun'er.]

A blonde, beautiful young girl appeared within the projection, none other than the little princess of the Mecha Development Department, Dai Yun'er.

Dai Yun'er's father, Dai Tianling, was the minister of the Federal Mecha Development Department, and she was his sole apple of his eye.

From the moment she was born, Dai Yun'er was destined to live amidst pampering where the stars surrounded the moon.

All the best conditions one could imagine were piled unreservedly before her.

However, a meticulously planned kidnapping shattered Dai Yun'er's peaceful life.

Her father's rivals, in order to strike at Dai Tianling's influence, bribed internal personnel and carried her away during the handover gap of the guards.

Dai Yun'er was shoved into a modified transport vehicle, jolting all the way across Xingluo Continent until she arrived at Douluo Continent, a place she had never been to before.

Fortunately, the kidnappers underestimated the quick wit of this six-year-old girl. Taking advantage of the guards' lax vigilance, Dai Yun'er used a small hair clip hidden in her sleeve cuff to pick the lock and escape.

Crouched in the shadows of a street corner, trembling all over, she gritted her teeth and dared not cry out loud. Right at that moment, a boy carrying a schoolbag passed by the alley entrance—it was Tang Wulin, who had just finished school.

Seeing this battered little girl, Tang Wulin did not hesitate and stepped forward to ask.

With her remaining courage, Dai Yun'er stuttered out an account of her ordeal.

Quietly, Tang Wulin brought her back home. After understanding the situation, his father, Tang Ziran, handled the aftermath calmly.

Those kidnappers who pursued her were all dealt with single-handedly by Tang Ziran, cleanly and neatly, leaving no trace behind.

However, Donghai City was separated from Dai Yun'er's home by an entire continent; communications were restricted, and identity information could not be swiftly cross-checked across regions.

Tang Ziran attempted to contact official channels, but frequently came up empty-handed. With no other choice, he decided to temporarily adopt Dai Yun'er.

This adoption lasted for two full years. Over those two years, Dai Yun'er gradually learned how to live an ordinary life, transforming from a spoiled little princess.

She went to school and played together with Tang Wulin, the two of them inseparable as their bond grew deeper day by day. As childhood sweethearts growing up together, their days were simple yet warm.

Meanwhile, the Dai household was already turned upside down. Dai Tianling had mobilized all available resources, turning the entire Xingluo Continent upside down, yet he could never find a trace of his daughter.

It was not until two years later that he cast his gaze toward Douluo Continent, finally discovering a lead in Donghai City.

When the Dai family's private jet landed at the temporary airport in the suburbs of Donghai City, Dai Yun'er and Tang Wulin were squatting on a rock by the river catching small fish.

Looking up and catching sight of her father's figure, she froze for a split second before hurling herself into that long-missed embrace, crying heart-rendingly.

The moment of parting arrived in the end. Dai Yun'er was taken back to Xingluo Continent, and the two made a pact that they would definitely meet again in the future.

Four years later, Tang Wulin was twelve years old. Stumbling and blundering, he boarded the wrong train; instead of reporting to Shrek Academy as he should have, he muddle-headedly arrived at a place called Monster Academy.

As he clutched his luggage and stood bewildered at the academy gates, a familiar figure walked out from the crowd.

Dai Yun'er recognized Tang Wulin at a glance. Meeting again after a long separation, coupled with the "sudden descent" trope, naturally caused their affections to heat up rapidly.

The scenes shown for Dai Yun'er were her loneliness when she was originally kidnapped, alongside the scenes of meeting and reuniting with Tang Wulin.

This plain and simple affection might lack earth-shattering drama, but sometimes, simplicity is the truest thing of all.

"Wait, what about me?!"

Seeing the projection pull Dai Yun'er in as well, Tang San finally issued a question. Those two individuals were the wives of the protagonists from the Douluo II and Douluo III eras respectively, so what about him?

[After review by the projection, Tang San never had a wife throughout his life, therefore, he does not participate in this duel.]

"No! Are you kidding me? I clearly have Xiao Wu! Wait? Where is Xiao Wu?"

Only then did Tang San realize that ever since he returned, he hadn't seen Xiao Wu. Where had she run off to?

"Ptui!"

Seeing Tang San now made Xiao Wu feel sick to her stomach. His father turned out to be a Titled Douluo, which meant her own identity must have been exposed long ago.

For a Titled Douluo not to have killed her on the spot must have been to raise her so that Tang San could kill her in the future.

The mere thought of how Tang San had acted like a deeply affectionate brother toward her, with his true goal being entirely her spirit ring and spirit bone, made her feel a wave of nausea.