Showdown with the Tigress!

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.

Moonlight Pavilion.

Chu Lan took a break from his busy schedule and lounged on the sofa.

Before him,

Tang Yuehua wore a silver-white gown, smiling as she danced gracefully.

Every lift of her hand and every movement of her body displayed exquisite beauty.

Every frown and smile carried boundless charm.

Just then, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves came from the street outside.

Chu Lan frowned and rose to look out the window, only to see a group of Royal Knights escorting a carriage that had stopped before Moonlight Pavilion.

What surprised him even more was that the person stepping down from the carriage was Xue Xing!

"Master, what happened?" Tang Yuehua stopped dancing and gracefully approached Chu Lan.

Chu Lan frowned. "Xue Xing... why did this fellow suddenly come here?"

Tang Yuehua gently shook her head. "This subordinate does not know. Xue Xing has never visited Moonlight Pavilion before."

"That's strange." Puzzled, Chu Lan said, "Go down and handle it."

"Yes."

Tang Yuehua bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Chu Lan furrowed his brow in thought.

Ever since taking control of Tang Yuehua, he had often come to Moonlight Pavilion and had never deliberately concealed his whereabouts.

If Xue Beng had come here looking for him, he would not have found it surprising in the slightest.

But...

There had to be a reason for seeking him out, right?

Ever since gaining a firm foothold in Heaven Dou City, he and Xue Beng had met face-to-face only a handful of times!

Chu Lan could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.

About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, Chu Lan noticed Xue Xing leaving Moonlight Pavilion and boarding his carriage.

Protected by a squad of Royal Knights, the carriage quickly drove away.

Soon after,

Tang Yuehua hurried back into the room.

"What happened?"

Chu Lan asked with a frown.

"Master, Xue Xing came looking for you this time, because of Xue Beng."

"Xue Beng has gone missing."

As she spoke of the matter, Tang Yuehua's expression became strange.

"Missing?"

Chu Lan narrowed his eyes slightly.

A prince had gone missing? How was that possible?

Xue Beng could not have gone missing. The only possibility was that he was dead.

Tang Yuehua continued explaining, "Xue Xing said that Xue Beng broke through to level twenty a month ago and needed to leave the imperial city for Sunset Forest to find a soul beast."

"He has yet to return."

Could a prince possibly encounter an accident while going to Sunset Forest to find a century-old soul beast?

Anyone could tell without even thinking that it was impossible.

Xue Qinghe?!

That name surfaced in Chu Lan's mind, and his memories returned to that night three years ago, when he had first met Xue Qinghe face-to-face.

Within Heaven Dou City, the only one who could possibly deal with Xue Beng was Xue Qinghe!

"It seems Xue Beng's chances of survival are slim." Chu Lan sat on the sofa and muttered to himself.

"Master, this subordinate suspects... Xue Beng's disappearance may be related to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe."

A sharp glint flashed through Tang Yuehua's eyes.

"Your reasoning."

Chu Lan wanted to hear Tang Yuehua's view.

Tang Yuehua said seriously, "Master, this subordinate believes that whoever benefits the most from Xue Beng's disappearance is the most likely to have struck in secret! If Xue Beng vanishes forever, no one will be able to threaten the Crown Prince's position again!"

"I originally thought Xue Qinghe was indecisive. I never expected... him to be not only ruthless, but decisive as well. I really underestimated him." Chu Lan muttered.

If nothing unexpected had happened...

It was precisely because of his appearance that Xue Beng had been eliminated ahead of schedule!

Even when beating a dog, one had to consider its owner!

Chu Lan narrowed his starry eyes slightly, considering the likelihood that Xue Qinghe would make a move against him.

He had thought that, with connections like Tang Yuehua, Dugu Bo, and Yu Tianheng openly supporting him, he could develop in peace from now on. But while open attacks were easy to evade, hidden arrows were hard to guard against!

"Xue Qinghe, what exactly are you trying to do?"

The next day.

Crown Prince's Palace.

A carriage bearing Moonlight Pavilion's insignia slowly came to a stop before the Crown Prince's Palace.

Tang Yuehua stepped out first.

Chu Lan followed close behind.

The two proceeded without obstruction all the way to the reception room.

A maid served them premium fragrant tea and waited nearby for instructions.

Just then, Xue Qinghe arrived alone.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Tang Yuehua gave a slight bow, while Chu Lan bowed as well and scrutinized Xue Qinghe.

"Aunt Yuehua, what are you doing? This junior cannot accept such courtesy from you!" Xue Qinghe hurriedly helped Tang Yuehua up, then smiled faintly at Chu Lan. "It has been a long time, Chu Lan."

"It has indeed been a long time. The last time I met Your Highness was three years ago. Having not seen you for so long, I have missed you greatly!" Chu Lan said with emotion.

Xue Qinghe was inwardly surprised.

He could not understand what Chu Lan was up to!

Xue Qinghe shifted his attention to Tang Yuehua. "Aunt Yuehua, you came here personally today. Is there some urgent matter?"

"I am the one who wishes to speak with Your Highness." Chu Lan smiled faintly and waved his hand.

Before Xue Qinghe's eyes, Tang Yuehua respectfully bowed, then withdrew from the reception room.

Seeing this, Xue Qinghe was secretly alarmed. He waved his hand and said, "All of you, leave."

The next moment, all the maids departed together, leaving only Chu Lan and Xue Qinghe in the reception room.

Xue Qinghe smiled as he took his seat. "Then may I ask why you came specifically to see me today?"

Chu Lan spoke calmly. "Did you kill Xue Beng?"

The reception room fell utterly silent; even a pin dropping could be heard.

Xue Qinghe stared at Chu Lan without saying a word.

"You had better not call your protector in, or I'll expose you on the spot!"

"Guess this: at such close range, what are the odds that I can kill you?"

Chu Lan's tone was intimidating.

But in truth, while he was not absolutely certain he could kill Xue Qinghe, he could use the system's mechanics to throw Xue Qinghe into another world!

Xue Qinghe did not have a system. After five seconds, he would have no way to return!

"Interesting!"

Xue Qinghe finally spoke, his tone playful. "You truly make me more and more curious."

"According to my investigation, you are merely a genius from some remote village, with no powerful background whatsoever."

"The information on the surface is all inaccurate. Still... what I did not expect was that I never collected the subsidies issued by Spirit Hall even once, all so I would not expose my situation to Spirit Hall's eyes. Yet somehow, you people still dug up every last detail about me!" Chu Lan said with a sigh.

"You!"

Xue Qinghe suddenly rose to his feet, staring fixedly at Chu Lan.

That gaze seemed as though it wanted to see through Chu Lan completely, inside and out!

This...

Chu Lan actually knew his true identity!

"Don't get worked up. Sit down and let's talk slowly."

"I'm the one sitting in a tiger's den, yet I'm not nervous. Why are you, this tigress, getting nervous?"

Chu Lan calmly took a sip of fragrant tea, a faint smile appearing on his face.

A tigress!?

Xue Qinghe's expression changed once more.

"You, you, you..."

After infiltrating the Tiandou Empire for ten years, he had never been as nervous as he was now.

Chu Lan's gaze placed immense pressure on him. This feeling of being seen through by someone else truly felt terrible!