The path Leng Xiyue had described seemed tailor-made for her. A high-ranking official among the nobility could never carry out such measures, but as the crown prince-or even the emperor-it would be entirely feasible.
Commoners had always been a force the nobility overlooked. No one believed that ordinary soldiers and Soul Masters with little talent and no inherited traditions could affect the aristocratic political system that had endured for nearly two thousand years. Qian Renxue had never cared about them either, but in Leng Xiyue's vision, they were the most important force, because the weapons she possessed would greatly increase the influence of ordinary people on the Douluo Continent in the future.
If Leng Xiyue's ideas were put into practice, a considerable number of Heaven Dou's common-born people would follow the imperial authority represented by Qian Renxue to wipe out the nobility. Even if her identity was ultimately exposed, these people would still set off an uprising, perhaps even splitting the Heaven Dou Empire apart.
But the more likely outcome was that, with the Spirit Hall's help, Heaven Dou would successfully become an "independent state" that was more of a colony than an actual colony.
By then, whether the Spirit Hall controlled imperial authority would no longer matter. Appointing a Heaven Dou Governor from among those who had rendered meritorious service or installing a new Puppet Emperor would both be options. Ordinary people would never think of resisting the Spirit Hall's rule, because only under its order would people like them have room to rise.
Leng Xiyue was quite familiar with this sort of thing. In her previous life, she had enjoyed reading history whenever she had nothing else to do. The experience left behind by those great figures offered all manner of paths to choose from, and there was bound to be one that suited Qian Renxue. Bringing these feudal nobles to heel would be as easy as turning her hand.
Qian Renxue looked at Leng Xiyue, feeling as though she had been seen through completely.
Yet Leng Xiyue still wore that harmless smile, no different from any ordinary child.
"I really have no idea what goes on in that head of yours, little sister. I'm just glad we aren't enemies. If you had been born in the empire, could you have outlined a plan to overthrow the Spirit Hall just as casually as you did earlier?" Qian Renxue said with a sigh.
"You flatter me, Sister Xue. Ultimately, it's only because our Spirit Hall is so powerful. I was merely imagining how we might better dismantle the Heaven Dou Empire's hardliners," Leng Xiyue said humbly.
Before they knew it, they had spent the entire day talking. Seeing night gradually fall, Leng Xiyue stood up and said, "Sister Xue, it's almost dark. Why not have dinner before you leave?"
"Sure." Qian Renxue nodded, then stood up as well. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Before eliminating Xue Qinghe, she had always served as his personal maid. An elder had given her a love potion, which made Xue Qinghe develop a different sort of affection for her. Gradually, she had become the person he relied on most, though she still had to perform necessary daily tasks such as serving tea and water.
Qian Renxue had not minded. She treated it like raising a chicken that would be slaughtered sooner or later; serving him tea and water and taking care of him was nothing. As for physical intimacy, he could forget it. She had never even let him touch her hand.
Preparing dinner with Leng Xiyue was naturally perfectly normal too.
Leng Xiyue was a little surprised, but she did not refuse. The two of them prepared a pot, bowls, and chopsticks, along with some seasonings and the vegetables and meat stored in the refrigerator.
She could not cook-or rather, her cooking was only fit for her own consumption, not something she could present to company. To avoid embarrassing herself, she might as well make hot pot.
Qian Renxue was skeptical of this cooking method, since it was far too simple, but to her surprise, it actually tasted quite good.
With hot pot, as long as the ingredients in the broth were fresh and flavorful enough, it could hardly turn out badly.
The two ate hot pot and chatted, the air filled with cheer. Just as they were finishing, Qian Renxue suddenly said, "Little sister, I've decided. I'm staying here with you tonight."
"What?" Leng Xiyue was caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "Since you've decided, Sister Xue, I'll sleep on the sofa."
Qian Renxue gave her a slightly puzzled look and pointed at the large bed in the bedroom. "Why sleep on the sofa? We're both women, and your teacher is my mother. With a relationship like that, surely we don't need to be so distant?"
On reflection, Leng Xiyue agreed. Hu Liena often came over at night to cultivate and simply went to sleep here when she was tired. They had known each other for so long that it was nothing unusual. But she had only known Qian Renxue for a single day, all told, so sharing a bed right away felt a little embarrassing.
"All right, if you don't mind, big sister."
Soon, it was late at night, and the two lay in bed, ready to sleep.
Leng Xiyue always fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. Qian Renxue, however, seemed to feel no sleepiness at all. Gazing at the night sky outside the window, she suddenly turned her head, wanting to share a few more intimate words with Leng Xiyue, only to find her already sound asleep.
That night, Leng Xiyue felt as though she had dreamed of a woman crying softly, seemingly doing her utmost to conceal her sorrow.
Early the next morning, Leng Xiyue slowly woke to find Qian Renxue sitting on the sofa, reading.
"Little sister, you're awake?"
"Good morning, Sister Xue."
"I originally wanted to leave early, but I discovered that your collection of books is simply too fascinating. I'd like to stay here a few more days. May I?"
"Make yourself at home, Sister Xue."
Leng Xiyue rather liked this feeling, but she had slacked off all day yesterday, and today she had to return to her normal routine. For the foreseeable future, she would probably have to handle Trade Guild business every day. She could not spend an entire day talking with Qian Renxue as she had yesterday.
As soon as she stepped outside, Xiao Bai appeared at the doorway and looked at her with a teasing half-smile. "This new sister of yours is probably far more emotional than you imagine."
"I know, but there's clearly nothing I can do to help her right now, is there?" Leng Xiyue sighed. She knew Qian Renxue was only putting on a brave face, but what could she do? She understood Qian Renxue's pain, and she understood Bibi Dong's hatred just as well. Precisely because of that, she could not mediate between them as an outsider. All she could do was maintain good relations with both sides and wait until the time was ripe to ease the tension.
In the days that followed, Qian Renxue and Leng Xiyue shared a warm, cozy life together, eating breakfast and dinner together every day. Qian Renxue also took the opportunity to ask about the knowledge that seemed either to have been compiled by Leng Xiyue herself or copied from certain ancient texts. Some passages were still too profound for her, and Leng Xiyue explained them word by word, sentence by sentence.
This life continued for two weeks, until Leng Xiyue finally finished handling the Trade Guild's affairs. Her weapons had now officially been listed for sale, and the pricing was quite reasonable: two hundred Gold Soul Coins apiece.
These weapons were naturally extremely popular, with most buyers being merchants and travelers from elsewhere. The merchants could readily see the business opportunity and bought them in large quantities. Soul Masters at the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor levels could also make full use of them; carrying one as a separate means of attack was a good option. The price fit their income just right, so there was naturally no need to worry about sales.
Orders for New Rifle parts were also proceeding steadily, with enough arriving to produce roughly a hundred rifles a day. This output was fairly limited, so Leng Xiyue also introduced a series of marketing measures, such as VIP memberships. At the same time, she began trading in other categories of goods, such as jewelry and clothing she did not think much of.
Just as she had expected, this sort of business in Spirit City was merely better than nothing. It did not earn much, but it was enough to expand the Trade Guild's range of operations and spruce up its image.
Once everything was running perfectly under the professional team's management and no longer needed her oversight, Leng Xiyue finally felt at ease. She prepared a distinctive gift and returned to her dorm room, ready to surprise Qian Renxue.
But all that awaited her was a thoroughly cleaned room, neat and tidy yet utterly empty. A letter and a necklace lay on the dining table. Leng Xiyue recognized the necklace at a glance-it was the one Qian Renxue had always worn.
The figure who had once waited at the dining table for her to return and eat together was already gone.
Before you continue