A Backyard Contest with Blades Hidden Beneath (1)

Xue Qinghe gently put down his teacup, turned to look at Ning Fengzhi in the main seat, and said very politely, "Uncle Ning, to be honest, besides reading the Emperor's edict today, I have some private matters to discuss with Brother Ling in the back. Would that be convenient?"

Ning Fengzhi immediately put on an impeccable smile and turned to look at Ling Yun. His eyes clearly said: You decide what to do.

Ling Yun didn't refuse at all. He patted his behind, stood up, and casually tossed his head. "Let's go. Since Your Highness is in such a good mood, how could I dare not accompany you?"

The two strolled along the Plate path, one after the other, and soon arrived at a secluded pavilion in the backyard of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School. The environment here was truly beautiful, surrounded by lush green bamboo, the leaves rustling in the breeze. In the center of the pavilion was a stone table with a game of chess on it, the black and white pieces locked in a fierce battle.

Xue Qinghe lifted the hem of his long robe, sat down properly on the stone bench, and pointed to the chessboard. "Brother Ling, do you usually play chess?"

Ling Yun pulled up a chair without any hesitation and sat down, shrugging casually, "No. It gives me a headache."

"That's perfect." Xue Qinghe wasn't annoyed. He reached into the chess basket, picked up a white chess piece, and gently toyed with it in his hand. "There are too many things going on in the court. It's been a long time since I've been able to settle down and play a game of chess seriously."

Ling Yun leaned against a stone pillar, glancing at him sideways. "I say, do you princes always talk in circles like this, going around in circles around the world? Aren't you tired?"

Xue Qinghe's hand, which was holding a chess piece, suddenly stopped, then he chuckled. He shook his head and put the white piece back in the chess basket. "Brother Ling's personality is truly direct, not hiding anything at all. It certainly saves time. Alright, since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either."

Xue Qinghe's smile gradually faded, and his eyes deepened. "There were many people in the hall just now, so I didn't ask many questions. About Miss Xiao Wu... are you really not bothered at all?"

Ling Yun didn't touch the chess pieces on the table, but instead asked, "What should I care about her for?"

"She's not human." Xue Qinghe stared into Ling Yun's eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly.

Ling Yun didn't even lift his eyelids. "Oh, and then?"

"Brother Ling, you must understand, there has always been an insurmountable chasm between Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and us humans." Xue Qinghe's tone was earnest. "Humans hunt Soul Beasts in the great forests to obtain Soul Rings in order to become stronger; Soul Beasts, for Revenge or survival, will also come out of the forest in droves to attack human villages. This is a blood feud ingrained in our bones. If you keep her by your side, aren't you afraid that one day, when humans and Soul Beasts are locked in a life-or-death struggle, she might suddenly turn against you, siding with the Soul Beasts and biting you in the back?"

After listening, Ling Yun scratched his chin with one finger, thought seriously for a moment, and then looked at Xue Qinghe and said, "I have a rule for making friends. I judge whether someone is worth befriending by how they act and how they treat me, not by looking through their family register or what breed they were when they were born."

Upon hearing these words, Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly, as if he was somewhat moved.

Ling Yun didn't stop, continuing, "That silly rabbit Xiao Wu, although she's a bit silly sometimes, she's never harmed any unarmed, innocent civilians. I have eyes, I can see for myself. As for whether she's a long-eared rabbit or a pretty person..."

At this point, Ling Yun suddenly reached into the chess basket beside him, casually grabbed a black piece, and without even looking at it, slammed it heavily onto the center of the chessboard with a "thud."

"Does that matter?" Ling Yun retorted.

Xue Qinghe looked down at the lone black piece that stood out starkly in the center of the chessboard. After a moment of silence, he said Youyou, "But Brother Ling, you have to admit that sometimes, one's identity is predetermined at birth. It truly can determine a person's life, and even the life and death of countless others."

After listening, Ling Yun suddenly burst into laughter, a particularly loud laugh, "Is that so? Does His Highness the Crown Prince really think so?"

Xue Qinghe suddenly looked up at him.

Ling Yun leaned back comfortably in his chair, speaking slowly in a casual yet incisive tone, "Then tell me... if there's someone in this world who wears a mask that doesn't belong to him every day, uses a name that shouldn't belong to him, and lives in constant fear and pretense for ten whole years..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Qinghe's hand, which was about to grab a chess piece, froze in mid-air as if frozen by something, remaining motionless.

Ling Yun stared intently into his eyes, slowly leaning forward, his voice low and deep, as if whispering in his ear, "Your Highness, do you think... this person, now that he's alive, is he his original, true self, or the owner of this face he now possesses?"

Just then, a gust of wind swept through the bamboo grove outside the pavilion, rustling the bamboo leaves and sounding like countless people whispering to each other.

At this moment, for the first time in a real sense, a crack appeared on Xue Qinghe's perfect, impeccable smile, and it faded.

He slowly withdrew his hand and placed it back on his knees, his voice much lower than before. "Brother Ling, the question you asked today... is indeed very sharp, and very interesting."

"Hey, I was just bored and asking randomly, don't take it seriously." Ling Yun waved his hand.

"Since Brother Ling asked so casually, I'll give a casual answer." Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, picked up another white piece, and placed it steadily on the chessboard. "I think that no matter how many layers of disguise or masks a person wears, ultimately, a person cannot deceive their own heart. Identity can be faked through various means, but the ultimate goal a person wants to achieve will never change."

Ling Yun nodded in complete agreement and clapped his hands twice. "Insightful! Your Highness's words make perfect sense."

Xue Qinghe stared at Ling Yun's nonchalant expression, and suddenly changed the subject. "What if there is such an extremely smart person, and he accidentally knows a huge secret that is earth-shattering, enough to completely change the structure of the entire Tiandou Empire overnight, but he keeps it to himself and never talks about it everywhere. Brother Ling, if you think about it from this person's perspective, what do you think he does for it?"

Ling Yun answered decisively, without even a second's hesitation. "Because there's no benefit to it."

Xue Qinghe was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting such a mundane answer.

Ling Yun spread his hands, as if discussing something perfectly ordinary. "Think about it, what if I leaked this? The world would be in chaos, right? The top powers would immediately tear each other apart and fight to the death. And then what? Then all the most terrifying eyes in the world would be fixed on me, this big mouth. What would I gain? Am I just bored and tired of living, or do I want to make things difficult for myself?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. This laugh was completely different from his previous "crown prince's exclusive smile," which seemed to have been meticulously calculated. This time, it carried a bit of genuine emotion.

"Brother Ling, I see you now. You are indeed an extremely intelligent and pragmatic person," Xue Qinghe remarked.

"There's no harm in being down-to-earth and realistic while you're alive," Ling Yun shrugged.

"Since Brother Ling is a pragmatic person, then we can talk more." Xue Qinghe lowered his voice, his tone full of Captivate, "What if... I were to offer you a plethora of benefits right now?"

Ling Yun squinted at him, but didn't say anything.

Xue Qinghe slowly opened his mouth, tossing out his bargaining chips. "A hereditary dukedom, a vast fiefdom in the most prosperous province of the Heaven Dou Empire, top-tier Soul Master resources to choose from in the royal treasury, a top-secret training ground accessible only to direct descendants of the royal family, and even in the future... if you wish, an absolute high position, second only to the emperor and above all others, awaits you in the Heaven Dou Empire's court."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yun gasped dramatically, his eyebrows raised high. "My God, Your Highness, are you practically throwing money at me to recruit me?"

"Why wouldn't I recruit you?" Xue Qinghe retorted, his tone becoming unusually fervent. "A mere thirteen-year-old boy whose Soul Power has already surpassed level forty, is the undisputed core of the champion team of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. On the Grand Finals Arena, he decisively defeated the invincible Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall. What's even more terrifying is that your Second Martial Soul is a top-tier Sword Martial Soul that even the world-renowned Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Senior Chen Xin, begged to take you as his disciple."

Xue Qinghe stared intently at Ling Yun: "If I could remain unmoved in the face of a peerless genius like you, a talent that comes along only once in a century, and not even have the thought of trying to win you over, then I would be utterly incompetent and a complete fool in my position as the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Crown Prince."

Ling Yun stroked his chin, looking extremely conflicted, and asked softly, "Then... is food and lodging provided?"

Xue Qinghe nearly twisted his back from those words, taking a full two seconds to catch his breath before gritting his teeth and uttering a single word. "Bag."

"Can Xiao Wu's meals be included too?" Ling Yun pressed on.

Xue Qinghe remained silent for a long time, then rubbed his temples. "Brother Ling..."

"Um?"

"Are you seriously negotiating with me, or are you planning to take advantage of my misfortune and move everyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's backyard, along with their bedding, to my Eastern Palace to live off me?"

Ling Yun finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, "Hahaha, just trying to lighten the mood, just kidding, Your Highness, don't take it seriously."

Xue Qinghe smiled helplessly, then said seriously, "You've gone too far with the joke. So, Brother Ling, what's your final answer?"

This time, Ling Yun didn't reply immediately. He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the messy, unfinished game of chess before him, and stared at it for a long while. Then, he shook his head firmly.

"Not now."

Xue Qinghe didn't seem too surprised by the answer, and simply asked calmly, "Why?"

Ling Yun didn't speak, but slowly raised his right hand. A blinding, icy blue light flashed in the air, and the surrounding temperature instantly dropped by more than ten degrees. The crystal-clear, terrifyingly cold Water-Cooling Sword was now firmly in his palm.

Ling Yun flicked his finger lightly across the sword. "See? I haven't even mastered the basics of swordsmanship yet. What side would I be taking now? Don't I want to die even faster?"

Looking at the chillingly sharp Water-Cooling Sword, Xue Qinghe persuaded, "If you agree, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family will spare no effort to provide you with the best resources in the entire continent to help you hone your swordsmanship."

"Resources don't define my future." Ling Yun sheathed his Water-Cooling Sword, his expression extremely serious. "To tell you the truth, what I lack most right now isn't mountains of gold or silver, nor is it a position second only to the emperor."

"What I lack most is time."

Xue Qinghe remained silent for a long time, then let out a long sigh, "So, your current stance is that you won't choose either side? You won't take sides?"

Ling Yun nodded without hesitation. "Yes, for now, I won't choose anyone."

Xue Qinghe stared at Ling Yun for a long while, then suddenly blurted out, "Brother Ling, you've changed. You're completely different from before."

Ling Yun paused for a moment, then touched his nose. "What, were we that close before?"

"At least in my memory," Xue Qinghe recalled with a smile, "Brother Ling used to be like a butcher's knife that had been drawn from its sheath. No matter who it was, if they dared to touch you without thinking, you wouldn't hesitate to pick up the knife and chop them down."

Ling Yun cast his gaze toward the distant mountain peaks, his eyes somewhat unfocused. "Back then, I was young and impetuous. I always thought that as long as my fists were strong enough, I could cut down everyone who Block, and that would be a perfect solution."

"And now?"

Ling Yun lowered his head and glanced at his palm. "Now I've learned my lesson and realized things aren't so simple. Many times, you go through all that trouble to take down a small fry, only to turn around and, lo and behold, there might be ten even more ruthless ones lurking in the shadows watching you. Since that's the case, I might as well hold back for now and open my eyes wide to see exactly which rat hole these ten bastards came from."

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe's gaze shifted slightly. As if suddenly remembering something, he pulled out a tightly folded sheepskin secret report from his wide sleeve and gently pushed it onto the stone table.

"Since you've brought this up, perfect timing! I have something I think you'll find very interesting, Brother Ling."

Ling Yun didn't rush to take the secret report, but instead asked warily, "What is it?"

"In the southwestern border region of the Heaven Dou Empire," Xue Qinghe's tone became unusually heavy, "In the past two months, three small villages have suddenly and completely lost contact without any warning."

Ling Yun's usually lazy eyes slowly darkened upon hearing the words "out of contact," revealing a chilling aura. "Out of contact? What does 'out of contact' mean?"

"At first, the local officials thought it was just an ordinary Soul Beast that had escaped from the forest and attacked the village," Xue Qinghe explained. "But later, the military sent elite troops to investigate, and they found... everyone was gone. The poultry and livestock were gone, not even a single corpse or bone could be found. The entire village was left with only shocking dark red bloodstains."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yun grabbed the confidential report from the table, quickly tore it open, and scanned it. His voice was icy. "How many people have gone missing in total?"

"Three hundred and seventy-six people, not even infants were spared." Xue Qinghe's smile vanished completely, replaced by an unusual solemnity. "This includes twenty-one Soul Masters registered with the Spirit Hall Branch. After the incident, the Spirit Hall's enforcement team also went to the scene to investigate, but like us, they found no useful clues, no clear traces of the murderer."

Ling Yun's gaze swept quickly across the secret report, then his finger suddenly stopped on a date. "These three villages, the incident happened at the same time?"

"No," Xue Qinghe shook his head. "The first time, they only wiped out one village. The second time, they wiped out two villages in one night. Moreover, the time intervals between these crimes are getting shorter and shorter; they seem to be getting more and more impatient."

Ling Yun closed the secret report, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the stone table, making a "tap tap tap" sound, "It wasn't done by one person."

Xue Qinghe suddenly looked up at him. "Why are you so sure?"