An Angel's Tears

"There's no reason." Qian Renxue bit her lip. "I simply don't want to go."

"Is it because of that boy named Ning Lin?" Qian Xunji's voice betrayed neither anger nor pleasure.

Qian Renxue remained silent, tacitly admitting it.

Qian Xunji suddenly smiled.

"Xue'er, you're still too young."

"Did you think I was discussing this with you?"

He rose from his throne and descended the steps one at a time, an invisible pressure enveloping the entire hall.

"This is an order."

"If you refuse to go, that's fine."

"Every year, when Spirit Hall sends people out on missions, there are always a few Soul Masters... who never return."

"Tell me, might this Ning Lin have equally poor luck?"

His words were soft, yet they struck Qian Renxue's heart like a heavy hammer.

She trembled all over and raised her head, staring at her father's familiar yet unfamiliar face, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You... you're threatening me with him?"

"This isn't a threat," Qian Xunji corrected her. "I'm merely stating something that could happen."

"For someone weak, in a place like Spirit Hall, his fate has never been his own to decide."

Qian Renxue's nails dug deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

She knew her father spoke the truth.

A single word from him, and Ning Lin would vanish silently from this world, leaving no trace.

Helplessness drowned her like a rising tide.

Seeing the color drain from his daughter's face, and the pain and struggle in her golden eyes, Qian Xunji finally felt a flicker of reluctance.

His tone softened.

"Very well."

"Since you value him so highly, I'll give him a future."

Qian Renxue abruptly raised her head.

"Carry out the plan without worry, and I can arrange for him to go to Heaven Dou City."

"How does the position of Heaven Dou City Lord sound?"

Qian Renxue froze.

Heaven Dou City Lord?

That was the lord of the Heaven Dou Empire's capital, a position of immense authority.

He would send her to infiltrate Heaven Dou, while sending Ning Lin there to take office...

"That way, you'll at least be in the same city."

"As long as you perform well, he'll become an important piece in your control of the empire."

Qian Xunji's voice brimmed with temptation.

A heavy stick, followed by a sweet date.

He wielded the imperial art of checks and balances with consummate mastery.

Qian Renxue understood that she had no room to choose.

This was the greatest concession her father would make.

After a long while, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, every emotion had disappeared.

"...Very well."

"I accept the mission."

The next day, at the Archives Department.

Ning Lin was summoned to the Papal Hall.

It was his first time facing Spirit Hall's supreme ruler at such close quarters.

He knelt on one knee, his posture respectful and his expression calm.

"Your subordinate, Ning Lin, pays his respects to His Holiness the Pope."

Qian Xunji sat upon his throne, looking down at the young man below.

His features were refined, his aura restrained, and his black eyes as still as water, their depths impossible to gauge.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Holiness." Ning Lin rose and stood with his hands at his sides.

Qian Xunji studied him for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I summoned you today for two matters."

"First, Her Highness the Saintess possesses exceptional talent and has been chosen by the Elder Hall to undergo many years of intensive secluded cultivation. During that time, she will have no contact with the outside world."

At those words, Ning Lin's eyelids shifted almost imperceptibly.

Secluded cultivation?

For years?

She hadn't mentioned any of this last night.

His thoughts raced, but his face betrayed nothing.

"Her Highness the Saintess is a heaven-born genius. This is a blessing for Spirit Hall."

Qian Xunji nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with his reaction.

"The second matter."

"You, Ning Lin, have performed reasonably well in the Archives Department over the years."

"I have decided to send you to the Heaven Dou Empire to serve as Heaven Dou City Lord. You will depart today."

Qian Xunji's voice held not a trace of emotion.

The appointment was utterly abrupt.

To leap from a low-ranking clerk to the lord of an imperial capital was no longer a promotion, but a myth come true.

Ning Lin raised his head and met Qian Xunji's fathomless gaze.

He saw no appreciation in those eyes, only scrutiny and... warning.

He understood instantly.

These two matters were, in fact, one and the same.

The supposed secluded cultivation was a lie. The true purpose was to separate him from Qian Renxue.

And this position as city lord was both appeasement and surveillance.

Everything became clear in Ning Lin's mind, yet his expression remained unchanged.

He knelt on one knee again, his voice steady.

"Your subordinate obeys."

"Thank you, Your Holiness... for nurturing me."

As Qian Xunji's words faded, silence settled over the hall.

Ning Lin bowed low, his forehead touching the icy floor.

"Your subordinate obeys."

"Thank you, Your Holiness... for nurturing me."

He did not raise his head, and thus never saw the complicated look that briefly flickered through Qian Xunji's eyes.

Heaven Dou City, the heart of the empire.

The grandeur of this mighty city far surpassed that of Spirit City.

On his first day in office, Ning Lin met the legendary crown prince, Xue Qinghe.

The crown prince's palace was not as heavily guarded as he had imagined. Instead, it possessed an elegant, scholarly air.

Xue Qinghe wore pale gold casual robes. His face was warm and smooth as jade, his manner humble, without a trace of royal arrogance.

He personally poured tea for Ning Lin, his movements flowing like clouds and running water.

"Lord Ning, there's no need for formalities."

"I've read Spirit Hall's letter of appointment, but my imperial father wishes me to assess you personally."

Xue Qinghe's voice was clear and pleasant, like a gentle spring breeze.

"What insights might you have on governing Heaven Dou City, Lord Ning?"

Ning Lin sat upright, calmly studying the familiar yet unfamiliar face before him.

He knew this was Qian Renxue.

Her disguise was seamless.

Even the Adam's apple and broader shoulders were flawless.

He sighed inwardly, while maintaining a strictly businesslike expression.

"Your Highness, I've only just arrived. I wouldn't presume to offer any grand insights."

"Only two principles."

"Audit the farmland, enforce the law."

The hand holding Xue Qinghe's teacup paused slightly, and a glimmer of surprise passed deep within his eyes.

Those two principles sounded simple, yet they struck directly at the chronic maladies of Heaven Dou City, and even the entire empire.

The nobles seized farmland, while the laws existed in name alone.

No previous city lord had dared touch these problems, nor had any been capable of doing so.

Could this lowly administrator from Spirit Hall's Archives Department truly possess such courage?

"Audit the farmland, enforce the law. Well said."

Xue Qinghe set down his teacup and laughed, clapping his hands.

"Lord Ning, are you aware that doing so would offend over ninety percent of the city's nobles?"

"I am aware," Ning Lin said.

"Then how do you intend to proceed?"

"With Your Highness and His Majesty backing me, I have nothing to fear." Ning Lin's answer left not a single opening.

Xue Qinghe watched him for a long time.

Emotions surged within those gentle eyes: appreciation, delight, and a deeply concealed trace of anguish.

You really are still you.

No matter where you are, you stand apart from everyone else.

"Good."

Xue Qinghe rose to his feet.