A sheen of cold sweat broke out on Xu Tianyuan's back.
He had perfected the art of playing a wastrel, but the moment he activated Muscle Mode, he completely let himself go, spouting every outrageous line that came to mind.
Now his persona had cracked wide open.
Luan Feng had torn off his mask. Just what was she after?
"Ahem, Your Eminence Fire Phoenix, you must have a lot of free time to be spying on a junior like me."
Xu Tianyuan danced around the subject, trying to change it.
But no sooner had he spoken than Luan Feng rapped him on the forehead.
Smack.
"Can't you be serious for once?"
Luan Feng said irritably, "You weren't like this when you dealt with Xiao Hongchen earlier."
"You even said you never considered anyone you'd defeated a rival, that you'd only give him time to catch up until you stood beyond his reach."
"Where did all that arrogance suddenly go?"
Xu Tianyuan covered his forehead.
It didn't hurt, but being treated like a little brat annoyed him.
Luan Feng was indeed older than him, but it still annoyed him.
He was a transmigrator who had lived into his twenties in his previous life. Counting both lives, he was nearly forty, yet someone was rapping him on the forehead. What was that all about?
"If you have something to say, Your Eminence Fire Phoenix, just say it."
He lowered his hand, his tone cooling a little. "If not, I'd like to go back and have another piece of meat."
It was strange, really.
Probably because he had bound himself to the Pride Sin Template, his appetite had increased considerably too.
He had eaten at least five or six jin of meat in the dining hall, yet he still wasn't full.
Anyone else would have been too stuffed to walk after putting away five or six jin of soul beast meat.
He could still manage another two plates.
Was this a side effect of Muscle Mode?
It looked like he'd have to stock up on provisions from now on, or eating alone would bankrupt him.
"Oh? Still holding a grudge, are you, brat?"
Luan Feng's expression darkened, and she reached out to pinch Xu Tianyuan's ear.
But her hand caught nothing.
Master Xu, blessed with foresight, had anticipated it and tilted his head, dodging her effortlessly.
Luan Feng's hand paused in midair.
She narrowed her eyes at the slippery brat before her, torn between irritation and amusement.
That reaction speed, that ability to anticipate her movements-neither belonged to a mere rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster.
"Ah."
Seeing this, Luan Feng didn't force the issue. She merely sighed. "I thought you really were useless all these years. Now it seems you've been hiding your abilities since childhood."
"All those years of debauchery and cowardice probably weren't your true nature."
"You only acted that way to show weakness to Xu Tianran and cling to your life."
At this point, she suddenly stopped.
"I really should have realized sooner."
"How could her son possibly be as useless as you appeared?"
Luan Feng seemed to recall something from the past. She raised her head toward the moon, her eyes filled with profound sorrow.
Moonlight fell across her face, softening features that were usually cold.
At the sight, Xu Tianyuan grew even more puzzled.
He ventured a question.
"Her son? What do you mean, Your Eminence Fire Phoenix?"
"Are you talking about me?"
Luan Feng nodded slightly and turned back, quietly studying Xu Tianyuan's face, which bore a faint resemblance to someone she had once known.
Her expression grew sorrowful, and her gaze lingered on him.
"Back then, your mother and I were very close friends."
"But calamity was written into her fate. She died giving birth to you."
"I didn't even get to see her one last time."
At those words, Xu Tianyuan was shaken to his core.
A thunderclap went off inside his head.
Mother.
That word was utterly unfamiliar to him.
In the sixteen years since transmigrating here, he had never seen this body's mother.
The palace matrons had mentioned her a few times, saying only that she had been a gentle woman of humble birth who died of illness a few years after entering the palace.
The palace claimed she had died of illness.
Luan Feng said she had died in childbirth.
Xu Tianyuan already knew which was true.
A consort dying in childbirth while the palace announced that she had succumbed to illness-such maneuvers were all too common in the imperial harem.
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, but another question soon arose.
If Luan Feng had been his mother's friend, why had she never sought him out?
Never mind taking care of him-even if she had shown the slightest regard for him, how would that lunatic Xu Tianran have dared touch him?
With a Titled Douluo openly backing a prince, Xu Tianran wouldn't dare strike from the shadows even if someone lent him ten times the courage.
That was what truly baffled Xu Tianyuan.
"I know. You must be very confused."
Watching his expression, Luan Feng suddenly rolled her eyes in irritation. "Why did I ignore you all this time, despite being your mother's friend?"
"Actually... isn't that your own fault?"
Xu Tianyuan was utterly bewildered by the accusation.
He didn't understand. What did any of this have to do with him?
Luan Feng continued.
"Why don't you look back at yourself? How many rotten things have you done since you were a child?"
"Cockfighting, walking dogs, listening to songs in brothels, bullying decent people, throwing your weight around."
"You did everything a wastrel was supposed to do, without missing a single thing!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. She reached out to rap his forehead again, only for Xu Tianyuan to dodge once more.
"That was precisely why I thought you were a useless fool who couldn't shoulder any responsibility."
"Rather than help you and let you become even more unrestrained with me backing you, it was better to let you stay useless."
"If I'd known you were hiding your abilities, how could I have..."
She left the last sentence unfinished.
Luan Feng let out a long sigh and reached out to stroke Xu Tianyuan's face. This time, she hit her mark.
Her palm was rough, and years of working with soul tools had left a thin layer of calluses on her fingertips.
But her touch on his face was gentle.
"Still, none of that matters now."
"Now that I know your former debauchery was all an act, from this day forward, I'll be your staunchest support!"
She spoke those words softly.
Yet they carried immense weight.
As Xu Tianyuan felt her caress, he wasn't moved. All he felt was regret carved into his bones, too late to undo.
He nearly shed a few little pearls of tears.
He roared wildly inside his head.
Oh, dear heavens!
Just what had I missed out on?!
Damn it!
A Titled Douluo-level bodyguard had been right in front of me, yet I'd spent sixteen whole years pretending to be useless!
Every day, I'd lived on tenterhooks, terrified someone would cut me down in my sleep.
Every time I saw Xu Tianran, I had to lower my head and smile apologetically until my face went stiff.
Sixteen years.
For sixteen whole years, I'd lived a more stifled life than a rat.
And what was the result?
She'd been ready to back me all along, just waiting for me to stop being such a scoundrel.
If I'd known, Xu Tianran wouldn't have been worth a damn!
A mere Soul Douluo-even if he was the crown prince, even if he had plenty of experts serving him-wasn't worth a fart before a Titled Douluo.
If I'd known about my connection to Luan Feng, why would I have bothered pretending to be useless?
Xu Tianyuan even began reconsidering everything he had done over the years.
To convince Xu Tianran that he was useless, he had deliberately chosen a ten-year first soul ring and a second soul ring only a little over a hundred years old.
To maintain his wastrel persona, he had to visit brothels every few days, listening to songs until his ears practically grew calluses while pretending to enjoy himself.
To appear hopeless, he had deliberately slept in class, handed in blank exam papers, and let a few nobodies bully him without fighting back.
All that suffering had been for nothing.
Every bit of it had been for nothing.
The more Xu Tianyuan thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.
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