The Star Luo Empire's Letter

"Come over."

Jiang Lan paused for a moment, squeezed out from between Shui Yue'er and Xue Wu, and took two steps toward Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan looked him up and down.

The gaze swept from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, then back up to his head, finally settling on his face.

"Your face used to feel so good to pinch." Dugu Yan reached out and pinched his cheek, then withdrew her hand, looking at her fingers. "Now it's all hard and stiff, it's no fun at all."

Jiang Lan's lips twitched slightly. "Sister Yanyan, this is me."

"I knew it was you." Dugu Yan turned her face away. "I'm just not used to it."

Shui Yue'er sidled up from the side, smiling as she reached out and patted Jiang Lan's arm again, "I'm quite used to it; it's pleasing to the eye this way."

"Pleasing to the eye?" Dugu Yan turned to look at her.

"Yes, Little Guga used to be cute, but now she's pretty. Both are good." Shui Yue'er said confidently.

Dugu Yan pursed her lips.

Xue Wu added from the side, "Sister Yan, if you don't like it, you can go back to your room and rest. We'll look after Little Guga for you."

"No need." Dugu Yan turned to look at Xue Wu, her tone not exactly harsh, but not very friendly either. "He's my own brother, I can take care of him myself."

Shui Yue'er smiled and took a half-step closer to Jiang Lan: "Sister Yan, what you're saying is ridiculous. Little Guga isn't just your brother."

Jiang Lan, caught in the middle, felt that this situation was even more difficult to handle than fighting the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.

"Um..." He took a half step back, "Should I change back first?"

"No need," Dugu Yan and Shui Yue'er said at the same time.

Jiang Lan shut up again.

Ye Lingling stood on the perimeter, watching quietly for a while, before suddenly speaking, "Yanyan."

Dugu Yan turned to look at her.

"Come here." Ye Lingling beckoned to her.

Dugu Yan hesitated for a moment, but still went over.

Ye Lingling leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Jiang Lan didn't hear what was said, but she saw Dugu Yan's ears slowly turn red, and finally she glared fiercely at Ye Lingling.

"What kind of terrible idea did you come up with?" Dugu Yan said in a low voice.

"Why don't you try and see?" Ye Lingling's tone was very flat.

Dugu Yan stood there for two breaths, then turned and walked back towards Jiang Lan.

She walked up to Jiang Lan, bent down, placed her hands on her knees, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Little Guga."

"Um?"

"You look quite good right now..." Dugu Yan paused, as if choosing her words carefully.

Jiang Lan blinked.

Dugu Yan reached out and gently patted his head, just like she used to pat that little kid, but because of the height difference, she had to raise her hand slightly.

"Whether you're round or long, you're still my younger brother," Dugu Yan said. "I take back what I just said; I'm not being sarcastic anymore."

Jiang Lan grinned.

Shui Yue'er watched this scene from the side, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing more.

On the other side, in the study of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Star Luo Empire." A eunuch respectfully handed a letter to Xue Ye.

While handling state affairs, Xue Ye looked up, took the letter, and began to read it.

Xue Ye read the letter over and over again, tapping his fingers lightly on the paper.

The letter was written in the handwriting of the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire. The handwriting was neat and the wording was polite, but a rare seriousness was evident between the lines.

The letter stated that the Spirit Hall had been making frequent moves in recent years. With the competition imminent, it appeared to be a grand event jointly organized by six parties, but the Spirit Hall's mobilization of troops and supplies could not be hidden from the Star Luo Empire's spies.

The Star Luo Empire hopes to exchange information with the Heaven Dou Empire so that if the Spirit Hall makes any unusual moves, the two countries can join forces to deal with it.

Xue Ye put down the letter, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.

"It was written in the Star Luo Emperor's own handwriting." Xue Ye's voice wasn't loud, but there was an unusual seriousness in his tone. "Do you know what this means?"

The eunuch lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Xue Ye stood up from his chair, walked to the huge continental map on the wall, pointed to the location of Spirit City, then traced from Spirit City to Heaven Dou City, and then to Star Luo City.

"I've dealt with the Star Luo Emperor for half my life, and he's never been one to back down," Xue Ye said. "The fact that he's willing to write this letter means he's also sensed something."

"Does Your Majesty mean that the Spirit Hall is indeed going to take action?" the eunuch asked cautiously.

"I've met Bibi Dong a few times." Xue Ye pointed to the location of Spirit City. "She's ambitious and ruthless. This six-party joint competition, which has gathered all the elites of the continent's Soul Master World in Spirit City, is the perfect opportunity for her to strike."

He turned around, walked back behind his desk, and sat down.

"Go and summon Xue Qinghe."

The eunuch responded and quickly left the study.

Not long after, Xue Qinghe came in from outside. He was dressed in casual clothes, was very polite, and had his usual gentle smile on his face.

"Father, you wanted to see me."

On Xue Ye, he handed over the letter from the Star Luo Emperor: "Take a look."

Xue Qinghe took the letter, quickly glanced through it, his expression unchanged, but after reading it, he put the letter back on the table and nodded slightly.

Somewhat surprised, she hadn't expected Bibi Dong to actually want to take this opportunity to eliminate the high-ranking members of various factions.

"What does Father think?" Xue Qinghe asked.

"Since Star Luo Empire has sent a message, it means they're also worried," Xue Ye said. "I plan to reply and agree to cooperate. We'll need to discuss the specifics of the cooperation further."

Xue Qinghe stood in front of the desk, read the letter again, and then put it back on the table.

"Father, since Star Luo Empire has taken the initiative to send a message, we should accept it. But simply replying isn't enough; we need to offer something substantial to show them that we are serious about cooperating."

Xue Ye leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the armrest. "What are your thoughts?"

"The Star Luo Emperor wrote this letter in his own hand, so our reply must also be in his own hand," Xue Qinghe said calmly. "Furthermore, I suggest sending a reliable person to the Star Luo Empire to discuss things in person. There's not much that can be written in a letter; some things can only be clarified in person."

Who should we send?

Xue Qinghe bowed slightly. "Your subject is willing to make the trip."

Xue Ye glanced at him, neither immediately agreeing nor refusing, but simply picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Now that you're gone, who's keeping an eye on things here in Heaven Dou City?"

"The competition isn't starting for several months yet. I'll make a hasty trip to the Star Luo Empire and return within half a month," Xue Qinghe said. "With Father Emperor overseeing things in Heaven Dou City, there won't be any trouble."

After a moment's hesitation, Xue Ye nodded. "Alright, go and prepare. We'll leave tomorrow."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Xue Qinghe bowed and turned to leave the study.