Coming clean

[In the blink of an eye, another two months passed.]

[You had read through most of the texts in the Fragrant Collection Pavilion. The circulation and transformation of plant spiritual energy, the harmonization of immortal-grade medicinal properties, and the principles of resonance between Martial Souls and the primal essence of plants were all firmly etched in your mind. Your accumulated Soul Power also rose steadily to rank seventy-four.]

[During this time, you and Chrysanthemum Douluo grew increasingly congenial.]

[By day, you pruned flowering branches and assessed medicinal properties together; after nightfall, you sat facing each other over tea, discussing strange tales from across the continent. Both teacher and friend, you had long since shed the unfamiliarity and reserve of your first meeting.]

[He knew you possessed a clear understanding of things and distinctive insights, while you respected his devotion to plants and the weight he placed on affection and loyalty.]

[One evening, sunset clouds stained half the courtyard red. Chrysanthemum petals caught the evening light, and a crisp fragrance filled the garden. You found Chrysanthemum Douluo among the flower beds, crouching beside a newly transplanted flower and carefully trimming its withered leaves with silver shears.]

["Senior." You stopped three paces behind him, your voice gentle. "I would like to ask you about someone."]

["Who?" Chrysanthemum Douluo did not turn around, his silver shears still rising and falling with measured precision.]

["Might you... know Qian Renxue?"]

[Before your words had finished, a sharp snip rang out, and a section of stem fell.]

[Chrysanthemum Douluo slowly straightened. His pale golden eyes turned toward you, the warmth within them receding inch by inch, replaced by scrutiny as sharp as a blade.]

["How do you know that name?"]

[Qian Renxue was the young mistress of the Elder Hall. Her identity had always been a closely guarded secret, and very few outsiders knew her name.]

[Ten years ago, Her Highness had returned to Spirit City with the Great Enshrined. Since then, she had remained at his side, rarely venturing out. Your sudden mention of that name today gave him no choice but to be wary.]

[You considered briefly, then concealed nothing as you recounted those past events in detail-you had been born into the Heaven Dou nobility, and your family had become embroiled in the struggle for Heaven Dou Imperial Authority, suffering extermination when "Xue Qinghe" purged his opponents; you had fled south alone and, in desperate straits, distributed leaflets exposing the secret that Qian Renxue was impersonating the crown prince.]

[The more Chrysanthemum Douluo heard, the more shocked he became. His body stiffened slightly, and he stared at you for a long while, unable to speak.]

[Only then did realization dawn on him. No wonder you had been so secretive upon first entering Spirit City. No wonder you never mentioned your past or origins. It turned out that such an old grievance bound you to Spirit Hall and the young mistress of the Elder Hall.]

[After the shock, a profound dilemma tangled around his heart.]

[In his public capacity, he was an elder of Spirit Hall, while Qian Renxue was its future successor, the angelic heir whom the Elder Hall had poured all its resources into nurturing.]

[In private, you were the benefactor who had given him the Lovesick Heartbreak Red and fulfilled a wish he had cherished for half his life. After these two months spent together day and night, he had long since come to regard you as a junior whose temperament matched his own.]

[Tugged between public duty and private ties, he found himself at a loss, unable to advance or retreat, and did not know how to conduct himself.]

[Seeing his tightly knitted brows and complicated expression, you suddenly chuckled, your tone instead becoming lighter. "Senior, might you be overthinking this?"]

[Chrysanthemum Douluo looked up at you, his brows still tightly furrowed.]

["Do you believe that I have been nursing a grudge over my family's extermination, and that I befriended you only to use your connections to enter Spirit Hall and secretly wait for a chance to take revenge?"]

[Chrysanthemum Douluo remained silent and offered no denial. Clearly, he had already harbored this concern.]

[You shook your head and smiled calmly. "I have never borne Spirit Hall any ill will. On the contrary, I have always held it in some esteem. My friendship with you also came entirely from the heart. I never had the slightest intention of using you."]

[After a brief pause, you added, "Besides, Her Highness Qian Renxue and I are by no means mortal enemies who cannot rest until one of us is dead."]

[A trace of surprise flashed through Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes.]

[You explained, "Over these years, I have traveled north and south and seen plenty of the Heaven Dou nobility's arrogance, extravagance, debauchery, and indulgence, as well as the iron-blooded cruelty of imperial rule in the Star Luo Empire. By comparison, I feel that, for commoners at the bottom, Spirit Hall is already a rare place of fairness."]

["Spirit Hall awakens Martial Souls for commoners throughout the world free of charge, distributes monthly stipends to lower-class Soul Masters, and makes foundational texts and teachings available... every one of these things opens a rare stairway upward for children of common birth."]

["What's more, whenever Evil Soul Masters stir up trouble or Soul Beasts rampage, those on the front lines suppressing the calamity are mostly people from Spirit Hall."]

["For countless ordinary Soul Masters, it is a guiding beacon; for the entire continent, it is the cornerstone that keeps the world stable."]

[Hearing you say this, Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression softened somewhat, and the sharpness in his eyes gradually subsided.]

[You paused, your tone cooling a little. "As for bonds of blood and family... because my Martial Soul was weak, I was regarded as a disgrace to the family from childhood and endured endless cold looks and bullying."]

["To me, the so-called affection of my clansmen and the pain of the family's extermination were never particularly engraved in my bones and heart."]

["Besides, what happened back then was an unintended mistake on Her Highness Qian Renxue's part amid the struggle for imperial power. As for those who directly attacked my family, I have long since taken my revenge on them."]

[At that, Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed softly. "It is truly rare that you can see things so clearly and reasonably."]

["Still, my clansmen did ultimately die as an indirect result of Her Highness's plans. As a descendant of the family, I must at least speak with her face-to-face and settle things clearly."]

[You raised your eyes to him, your gaze calm and resolute. "I have come only to fight her fair and square. If I win, I will have obtained justice; if I lose, that too will settle this chain of cause and consequence. I seek only an unburdened mind, nothing more."]

[Chrysanthemum Douluo remained silent for a long time, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing a chrysanthemum leaf. Pale green juice was crushed from it between his fingers and seeped into the whorls of his fingerprints. He kept his eyes lowered and said nothing for a long while.]

[The evening breeze swept across the flower beds, and a few fading chrysanthemum petals spiraled down onto the flagstones at your feet. Several calls from sparrows returning to their nests drifted over from afar, lending even the chrysanthemum fragrance filling the courtyard a greater stillness.]

["Little fellow." He finally spoke. When he looked up at you, his eyes held both the caution of an elder appraising a junior and a measure of genuine concern. "It gratifies this old man greatly that you possess such breadth of heart."]

[He paused and looked toward the deepening dusk in the distance. A bronze bell at the corner of the eaves chimed softly in the wind, like some soundless sigh.]

["But have you considered this-do you truly have the strength to survive against Her Highness?" With his hands behind his back, he sighed. "This old man knows Her Highness Qian Renxue better than you do. Her talent is extraordinary, and she has received the Great Enshrined's personal instruction since childhood. The hardship she puts into cultivation far exceeds what ordinary people can imagine."]

["Ten years ago, she returned to Spirit City. With worldly affairs no longer entangling her, she cultivated tirelessly day and night. Her cultivation is now approaching Soul Douluo."]

[He turned to look at you, his gaze sharpening slightly and his tone growing weightier. "You are currently only at the Soul Emperor Peak. Even with ten thousand tricks at your disposal, before an absolute disparity in strength, you would ultimately be throwing an egg against a rock."]

["Moreover, Her Highness has always been proud and lofty. Given her temperament, I fear she will think nothing of you, much less show you mercy."]

["If you go, I fear you may truly lose your life."]