Shui Bing'er's choice

Young Master Qian?

The address "Young Master Qian" instantly shattered Qian Renxue's composure.

Though "Young Master" and "Young Master Qian" differed by only a single word, their meanings were worlds apart.

Calling her Young Master meant She Long was still one of her people.

Calling her Young Master Qian meant he represented another faction.

Previously, she had thought a loss was a loss; at least She Long's body was in Cao's Camp while his heart remained with Han.

Now it seemed that not only had his body followed the other party, but his heart had followed too.

"It's done! I sent a six-year-old girl over." Qian Renxue clenched her fingers and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Uncle She, could you tell me a little about him?"

Though she knew there was little chance of getting any information, Qian Renxue still refused to give up without trying.

"Young Master Qian, as his subordinate, I cannot say much about my Lord's affairs."

She Long's tone was respectful, but Qian Renxue's heart turned ice-cold.

"Young Master Qian, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave!"

She Long cupped his hands, turned, and left without lingering another step.

"Aah!"

After She Long left, Qian Renxue angrily swept everything on the desk onto the floor.

She had been worried when She Long began following him, but she had never imagined he would turn his coat completely so quickly.

"Uncle Ci Xue, investigate! Send more people to investigate!"

"I must know everything about that brat."

"Also, bring me the latest findings."

Ci Xue dared not say more. He vanished from the spot and soon returned with a stack of documents.

"He recently appeared at the Speed Clan with Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, She Long, and others?"

"Gu Ping'an, of the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family, holds a position equivalent to the family head."

"The Ye Family once purchased large quantities of resources with metal, wood, water, fire, and earth attributes. Later, their purchases gradually dwindled to metal- and water-attribute resources alone."

"Large quantities of resources were delivered to Dugu Manor."

"Poison Douluo is too powerful to risk tailing. All that is known is that the subject has close ties to Poison Douluo and may reside at Dugu Manor, or Poison Douluo may know his whereabouts."

Qian Renxue leafed through the reports her subordinates had gathered.

She turned over the last page.

Qian Renxue tightened her grip on the papers, crushing creases into them.

The information merely stated that he had considerable ties to the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family and Dugu Bo.

The only real information about him was a name.

"It seems I can only visit Dugu Manor if I want to make contact."

"Uncle Ci Xue, come with me to the treasury to pick..."

Halfway through, Qian Renxue abruptly stopped.

She Long had angered her so much that she had forgotten all the good things in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury had been stolen.

Because of that, the entire Heaven Dou Imperial Palace was still under lockdown.

After some thought, Qian Renxue spoke again. "Uncle Ci Xue, sorry for the trouble, but please return to Spirit Hall and bring back two resources with exceptionally strong metal and water attributes."

She had lost to him in the Star Dou Great Forest last time.

She had always wanted another fair fight, but she could not even find a trace of him.

At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

She Long was the first to return.

"My Lord, according to Young Master Qian, a six-year-old girl has already been placed at Tang San's side."

Gu Ping'an nodded lightly.

As long as it was done!

Once Tang San went to Shrek, he could use this to spark a fierce conflict between Tang San and Dai Mubai.

If the girl could replace the original story's Xiao Wu in Tang San's heart, even arranging for Tang San to kill Dai Mubai would be no problem.

That would bring Tang San's relationship with the Star Luo Empire to an impasse.

As for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

Once he discovered that Yu Xiaogang's teachings had ruined his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul...

All that talk of "a teacher for a day, a father for life" would mean nothing.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a little troublesome.

Though Ning Rongrong had always seemed alone when she was bullied at Shrek in the original story, experts from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had surely been guarding her from the shadows.

They had simply refrained from acting because her life had never truly been threatened.

Three days later.

The poison miasma at the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well churned.

Four figures, two adults and two children, emerged from the poison miasma.

One of them was Dugu Bo.

"Why did you bring the whole family?"

Gu Ping'an frowned at Dugu Bo.

Hadn't he only asked him to bring Shui Bing'er?

What was the meaning of this one adult and two children?

"Gu brat, do you think they'd feel reassured if I took their daughter away?"

"..."

"Then what about them?" Gu Ping'an pointed at the two little girls.

One of them certainly wasn't Shui Bing'er. She was probably Shui Yue'er from the original story!

"Them?" Dugu Bo rubbed his nose. "If I took the younger sister away, the older sister would worry too."

"The older sister would worry too? Are you sure? What could a little girl do even if she was worried?"

Dugu Bo looked up at the sky, turning a deaf ear to Gu Ping'an's questions.

"Handsome little boy, I'm older than you, so you have to call me big sister."

The girl Gu Ping'an had pointed at threw her arms toward him without the slightest shyness.

Sure enough, she was a bit boy-crazy!

Several strands of Blue Silver Grass wrapped around her and lifted her slightly backward, leaving her fair little hands grasping wildly at the air.

After flailing for a while, she realized she couldn't reach Gu Ping'an and quickly quieted down, then stared at him with round, blinking eyes.

"Handsome little boy, my name is Shui Yue'er. What's yours?"

Gu Ping'an released her helplessly.

In more than twenty years of his previous life, not a single girl had flirted with him.

In this life, even an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl would flirt with him.

"Yue'er, aren't you coming back here?"

The gentle-looking woman behind Shui Yue'er spoke in an icy tone.

Shui Yue'er's little body shuddered, and she turned and ran back.

Mom only looked gentle. When she hit you, it really hurt.

"Young man, my name is Shui Xinrou. I'm their mother.

I heard you were the one who asked His Eminence Poison Douluo to bring us here?

May I ask what you want with our Bing'er?"

Shui Yue'er ran back to Shui Bing'er's side and hugged her. Shui Xinrou glanced at her, then stepped forward.

Gu Ping'an studied the woman before him. She looked to be in her late twenties, nearing thirty.

Her actual age was probably a little higher.

Her pale blue eyes gave her a gentleness like water.

"Yes, I asked Senior Dugu to bring Shui Bing'er here."

Gu Ping'an looked into Shui Xinrou's pale blue eyes and said earnestly:

"I can give her a great opportunity.

At the very least, she will become a level 98 Titled Douluo. With just a little effort on her part, becoming a Level 99 Limit Douluo will be no mere dream."

Gu Ping'an took two steps, looking past Shui Xinrou toward Shui Bing'er behind her.

"Of course, if that were all, I wouldn't have sought her out."

"I sought her out because I want her to try inheriting a divine position."

"However... there is a little risk."

"Risk?" Shui Xinrou shook her head, about to refuse.

"Wait, what did you just say? A divine position?"

Wariness gradually filled Shui Xinrou's gentle eyes. Her gaze swept over Dugu Bo before settling on Gu Ping'an again.

"Are you wondering why I don't inherit the divine position myself, or let Dugu Yan inherit it?"

Before Shui Xinrou could speak, Gu Ping'an spoke first.

"Dugu Yan's talent falls a little short, so she may not meet the requirements. As for me, I intend to achieve self-created godhood."

As he spoke, four soul rings-yellow, purple, black, and black-rose from beneath Gu Ping'an's feet.

"I am seven years old this year, a rank forty-four Soul Ancestor!"

"Give me time, and I am confident I will lose to no one!"

"But I need teammates, teammates who can become gods!"

Shui Xinrou's pale blue eyes widened as far as they could.

Her gaze remained fixed on the purple and two black soul rings, which completely shattered her understanding of the limits of soul ring absorption.

The words "rank forty-four Soul Ancestor" also kept echoing in her ears.

"You can think it over. If Shui Bing'er misses this opportunity, she will probably never have another."

"At most, becoming an ordinary Titled Douluo will be her ceiling."

Shui Xinrou stiffly turned her neck to look back at Shui Bing'er.

Hopes for her daughter's future and fears for her daughter surged endlessly in her heart.

"I... I... need to discuss this with Bing'er."

Shui Xinrou's eyes trembled. In the end, Shui Bing'er had to walk the path of a Soul Master herself.

Whichever path Shui Bing'er chose, she would support her.

Besides, Douluo was a place where strength spoke.

If she missed this opportunity, Shui Bing'er might regret it for the rest of her life.

"I... choose to try inheriting the divine position!"

Shui Bing'er's voice suddenly rang out.