The Heaven Dou Crown Prince Arrives Bearing a Grand Gift, Ling Yun Publicly Probes for the Truth (2)

"All official Soul Master institutions, local garrisons, and defense forces within the Heaven Dou Empire, as well as all Soul Master legions directly under the Royal Family, are absolutely prohibited from using the pretext of Soul Beasts to arbitrarily capture, expel, or hunt down Miss Xiao Wu. Anyone who disobeys this order will be punished for treason."

Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong was so excited she almost jumped up. Her big, bright eyes stared at Xue Qinghe: "Brother Qinghe, is what you're saying true? His Majesty really gave this order?"

Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded, answering with absolute certainty, "Absolutely true, the emperor's word is law."

Xiao Wu froze, staring blankly at the golden scroll on the table. She never imagined that, at this critical juncture when everyone in the world wanted nothing more than to tear her apart and seize her Soul Rings and Soul Bones, the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire would actually risk offending other forces to publicly stand up for her.

However, amidst the excited crowd, Ling Yun showed no sign of joy whatsoever. His dark eyes were fixed on Xue Qinghe, and he suddenly interjected, "Your Highness, the edict just now only mentioned limiting the power of the 'official' authorities, didn't it?"

Xue Qinghe turned to look at Ling Yun, his smile deepening, "Brother Ling, your ears are indeed sharp; you listened so carefully, not missing a single word."

Ling Yun sneered, bluntly piercing the surface. "So, to put it bluntly—what about those private Soul Masters not directly controlled by the Empire? What about those underground Soul Master that would do anything for money? What about the bounty hunters roaming the continent? And even, what about those seemingly righteous sects that secretly commit heinous acts? Does the royal family dare not guarantee anything about these people, or do they simply not intend to care at all?"

Faced with Ling Yun's barrage of sharp questions, Xue Qinghe neither got angry nor denied it. Instead, he nodded frankly. "Brother Ling is right. My father, as the ruler of a nation, can issue a single decree to restrain the entire empire's machinery. But even if he has connections to the heavens, he cannot control the greed in the hearts of every Soul Master across the continent. What do a 100,000-year-old red Soul Ring and a 100,000-year-old top-grade Soul Bone really mean? Brother Ling, as a genius Soul Master, you should understand the madness involved better than I do."

After listening, Ling Yun nodded, his expression softening slightly. That's right, that makes sense. If Xue Ye had dared to boast today that he could turn everyone in the world into saints with a single word, ensuring they wouldn't harm a walking Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Ling Yun would have treated this edict like toilet paper.

Xue Qinghe added, "However, Brother Ling, there's no need to worry too much. My father's intention is that, at least from the moment this edict is issued today, within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, if anyone dares to openly raise a banner and gather people to attack in the streets with the aim of hunting down Miss Xiao Wu, it's tantamount to slapping the face of our Heaven Dou Imperial Family. This is no longer a personal grudge; the royal army will definitely intervene and see it through to the end."

Hearing this assurance, Xiao Wu took a deep breath, slowly walked to the table, looked at the golden scroll, and after a long while, finally managed to squeeze out two words, her voice trembling slightly. "Thank you."

Xue Qinghe waved his hand and said gently, "Miss Xiao Wu, there's no need to thank me. I'm just a messenger. It's all thanks to Father Emperor's magnanimity."

Just when everyone thought the matter had come to a perfect end, Ling Yun picked up the covered teacup beside him, flicked off the tea leaves, and suddenly looked at Xue Qinghe with a half-smile, abruptly tossing out a sentence: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Hmm? Brother Ling, is there anything else you wish to instruct me on?" Xue Qinghe replied with a smile.

"You've been staying in the palace these past two days..." Ling Yun stared into his eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Have you seen that... the Great Enshrined of the Spirit Hall?"

Upon hearing this, the hall, which had just relaxed, fell into a deathly silence, as if all the air had been sucked out.

Ning Rongrong stood to the side, looking completely bewildered, not understanding a word Ling Yun was saying. Just then, Oscar returned from shopping, one foot already across the threshold, when he heard this and froze on the spot, unsure whether to go in or back.

Sitting in the main seat, Ning Fengzhi's usually calm eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light as he Lock-On Xue Qinghe's face.

However, Xue Qinghe's smile was so perfect that it was like a mask welded on, without even the slightest muscle tremor.

He simply asked in a slightly doubtful yet perfectly natural tone, "Brother Ling, the Great Enshrined you mentioned earlier... are you referring to the legendary supreme authority of the Spirit Hall?"

"Yes, that's him." Ling Yun didn't flinch, staring straight at him.

"Brother Ling, you're joking. That legendary figure, who's rarely seen..." Xue Qinghe shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness and self-deprecation, "I, Xue Qinghe, am merely the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. In his eyes, I'm probably not even a junior. How could I possibly have the qualifications or the opportunity to meet him?"

Ling Yun stared at him for a full five seconds, then suddenly chuckled. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Indeed, your status is far from sufficient. I guess I was mistaken for someone else earlier."

Xue Qinghe laughed along, nodding in agreement, "Brother Ling just escaped death from the Asura field of Spirit City. With such severe injuries, his mind must have been under immense pressure. It's perfectly normal for him to occasionally mistake someone for someone else."

"Yes, that's perfectly normal." Ling Yun put down the teacup, twirling his fingers on the lid.

In the hall, Ling Yun was smiling, and Xue Qinghe was smiling too. The two of them were like long-lost best friends, their smiles as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.

However, anyone sitting in this hall with a sharp mind could already Frisk that things were far more complicated than they seemed. Ning Fengzhi glanced at Ling Yun, who was holding a teacup, and then at Xue Qinghe, who remained as steady as a mountain. He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, but remained silent. Dugu Yan's brows were furrowed into a deep knot, and her eyes were filled with vigilance and doubt.

As for Xiao Wu, she knew Ling Yun, this troublemaker, all too well. This kid usually seemed unserious, but he never uttered a single nonsense word. If he really had simply mistaken someone for someone else, he would never have asked such a strange question to a crown prince in front of so many people. This bastard was definitely digging a pit to test something.