"Meeting halfway": the deadliest assumptions were the unspoken ones

Even Xue Qinghe, whose composure had long been honed to perfection, could not help being affected by the praise.

She wore a modest smile and answered humbly, "You flatter me. These are qualities every prince should possess."

Tang Shan felt no embarrassment whatsoever about his flattery. For the sake of his future, and to shake off recruitment attempts from the other princes, he had put a great deal of thought into this.

"Forgive my ignorance, but which prince do I have the honor of addressing?"

Tang Shan asked, his words full of respect.

Xue Qinghe carefully studied the boy before her. He stood over 1.7 meters tall, a little taller than she was, with a sturdy build and the outlines of his muscles faintly visible beneath his clothes.

"Young Master, this boy has an extraordinary physique. His qi and blood are as powerful and vigorous as a soul beast's."

Snake Lance Douluo's voice sounded beside Xue Qinghe's ear, making her even more interested in Tang Shan.

"I am the First Prince, Xue Qinghe."

The answer surprised Tang Shan somewhat. When he first recognized the person before him as a prince, he had entertained that possibility, but he had not dared be certain.

After all, in the original story, the Second Prince and Third Prince had both been poisoned to death in their teens, and the book had never described them in detail. The person before him was refined and modest, matching Xue Qinghe's description perfectly, but he still had not dared jump to conclusions.

In his view, even if he did not join the First Prince, the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, was far more reliable than the Second Prince or Third Prince. Those two probably would not live long, while Xue Beng had become more restrained after his brothers' deaths