With Porcupinefish Douluo escorting him, Lu Yang soon arrived in Heaven Dou City.
Porcupinefish Douluo settled him in a courtyard residence in the city and assigned him two servants before returning to report.
Lu Yang did not seek out the two servants to ask any questions. Even if he had, they probably would not have given him any valuable answers. Besides, from the moment he moved into the courtyard, Lu Yang knew perfectly well that he was already under Qian Renxue's surveillance.
Just as Lu Yang suspected, the two were indeed there to watch him. But he neither interacted with them nor showed any intention of going out. For several days after moving in, he maintained a routine of meditating and cultivating during the day, then going to bed on time at night, leaving them few opportunities even to strike up a conversation.
Word of this soon reached Qian Renxue. She looked at the confidential report spread across her desk and pondered for a moment before speaking. "Uncle She Long, Uncle Ci Xue, what do you make of this report?"
"Young mistress, in my opinion, there's more to this boy than meets the eye," Ci Xue said.
"What makes you say that?" Qian Renxue asked, puzzled.
"Young mistress, I've heard quite a bit about the boy from She Long. His martial soul was awakened on this year's Awakening Day, with the help of a deacon from Spirit Hall. Even counting every last day, it hasn't been a month since then, yet his cultivation is already at rank fourteen, almost fifteen."
"Even if absorbing a soul ring beyond his limit gave his soul power a substantial boost, the extent of that increase is still rather abnormal. And She Long said that, for certain reasons, obtaining his soul ring was delayed for a while. Even under those circumstances, he managed such an enormous improvement in so little time."
Ci Xue paused here. Looking at Qian Renxue, he said gravely, "If this child were given ample cultivation resources and the most suitable Mimicry Cultivation Environment, how quickly do you think his cultivation would advance, young mistress?"
"And talent like that probably wouldn't pale even beside yours, would it, young mistress? Yet he just happens to be an orphan. What lies behind that..."
Ci Xue left his words unfinished. On the surface, he and She Long were Qian Renxue's guards, but in reality, they also served as her advisers in carrying out the nation-stealing plan in Heaven Dou City.
Although Qian Renxue had the final say in many matters, the two of them would also offer their opinions when appropriate.
Hearing Ci Xue's words, Qian Renxue nodded seriously. Just then, however, She Long spoke. "That isn't necessarily the case. The child's background is clean. He's lived in Windbreath Village near Nuoding City since he was little, and all of that can be verified. According to the people at the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch, he's been cultivating diligently ever since his awakening."
"And... that deacon named Su Yuntao told me something else, too-the child's own thoughts."
After Qian Renxue and Ci Xue heard She Long's account, both fell silent.
"An orphan, with no parents or family. On the path of cultivation as a soul master, he has no one to rely on but himself. If he doesn't try, doesn't stake everything on a chance, he might never become a powerful soul master in his entire life..."
"Perhaps this child really is extraordinary," Qian Renxue remarked.
"Then, young mistress, will you go see him?" She Long asked.
Several days had passed since he brought Lu Yang back, but Qian Renxue had yet to appear. It was not that she failed to take him seriously; rather, she was considering which identity she should use to meet him.
"I'll go see him a little later," Qian Renxue decided.
That evening, Qian Renxue arrived at Lu Yang's courtyard with She Long. She had removed her usual disguise and come in her true appearance.
Before she left, both She Long and Ci Xue had tried to dissuade her. But Qian Renxue felt that, since they had brought Lu Yang here in Spirit Hall's name, approaching him as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince might breed suspicion and estrangement in the future. It would be better to use her identity as Qian Renxue from the outset. As for the future, she would consider that once she was certain she could recruit him.
When the two arrived at the courtyard, Lu Yang was eating.
The two servants Qian Renxue had assigned were responsible for Lu Yang's meals and daily needs. Though his treatment was not quite top-tier, it was at least countless times better than the life he had led in Nuoding City.
The moment he saw Qian Renxue, Lu Yang froze.
Qian Renxue stood in the shadow of the courtyard gate. The evening sunlight brushed obliquely across her shoulders, illuminating her loose golden hair until it cascaded like molten gold. Her skin resembled cool-toned porcelain, almost glowing faintly beneath the daylight. Even the small stretch of skin exposed at her neck looked as though it had been steeped in an angel's holy radiance, without the slightest flaw.
Never mind that Lu Yang had not expected Qian Renxue to meet him in her true appearance-he had not even expected her to come in person. After all, the people who brought him from Nuoding City to Heaven Dou City belonged to Spirit Hall. As the one carrying out the nation-stealing plan, Qian Renxue should not have casually involved herself in any of Spirit Hall's outside affairs.
Not to mention that Qian Renxue's beauty ranked among the top three in the entire Douluo Continent novel series, perhaps even assured of second place with a shot at first. For Lu Yang, who had grown accustomed in his previous life to mass-produced cosmetic procedures and surgically enhanced faces, she was truly a startling sight.
Lu Yang's reaction did not fall outside Qian Renxue's expectations. In fact, she considered it perfectly normal.
Only after She Long, standing behind Qian Renxue, gave two light coughs did Lu Yang snap out of his daze.
"Greetings, Your Eminence She Long." Lu Yang set down his chopsticks, rose, and bowed.
"I'm really sorry. This big sister is just too pretty-even prettier than the prettiest auntie in our village," Lu Yang said.
The first half of Lu Yang's words left Qian Renxue feeling rather pleased. But at the second half, the corners of her mouth, which had begun to soften, instantly stiffened.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Beside her, She Long coughed several times in quick succession. He was not trying to remind Lu Yang of anything; the boy's description had simply made him choke.
This child really is from the countryside. He doesn't know how to talk at all, Qian Renxue grumbled inwardly.
She walked over to the stone table, gathered her skirts, and sat down before looking at Lu Yang. "So you're Lu Yang? You're quite cute."
Qian Renxue's words likewise prompted a few inward complaints from Lu Yang. Though this body was six years old, the soul inside belonged to a grown man. Being called cute was genuinely a little hard to take.
But to avoid giving too much away, he could only carefully rein in his emotions, scratch his head with a sheepish smile, and pretend to be embarrassed.
"You've been in Heaven Dou City for a few days now. Is there anything you're having trouble adjusting to?" Qian Renxue did not dwell on his looks, instead moving straight to another topic.
"Everything's been great," Lu Yang replied with a smile. "I can eat my fill here, and I don't have to worry about anything else, so I have more time to cultivate."
Before you continue