"Everyone, since this is our first meeting, my name is Chen Shi. I'm your landlord."
Inside the villa's main hall, Chen Shi's sudden voice startled everyone, putting them all on guard.
All five women focused their gazes on the kitchen doorway at once, then heard faint footsteps.
A figure emerged from behind the kitchen door.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with a lean but not frail build, standing about 1.8 meters tall. He wore a gray-and-white T-shirt and casual trousers, an outfit that looked somewhat awkward yet had its own distinctive charm.
His hair was a little messy, as though he had just woken up, or deliberately left it unkempt.
Although his features were not particularly handsome, they were well-defined, with a clean jawline and a straight nose.
But what drew Qian Renxue and the others' attention most was his eyes.
His eyes were deep and cold, exerting an invisible pressure on the five women. When his gaze swept over them, all five felt as though he had seen right through them.
Seeing the five women's reactions in the living room, Chen Shi was very satisfied. He wanted to overawe them first so that he could proceed with what came next.
He walked to the center of the living room and stopped about five or six meters away from them.
This distance was neither too close nor too far, just beyond the safe range. It would not exert too much pressure on them, nor would it let them lower their guard.
Seeing Chen Shi's movements, the five women tacitly took several steps back together. Although they sensed no Soul Power fluctuations from him, they remained every bit as vigilant as they ought to be.
Qian Renxue turned slightly sideways, assuming the best stance for exerting force.
Ning Rongrong hid behind Xiao Wu, staring fixedly at Chen Shi without moving, while Xiao Wu assumed a half-crouch in front of her, ready to act at any moment.
Hu Liena and Dugu Yan were also on guard.
Although the five had not discussed anything aloud, their movements were remarkably coordinated.
"Who exactly are you?"
Qian Renxue stared at Chen Shi and spoke first. "Where is this? Let us go back."
Chen Shi glanced at Qian Renxue without answering. Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down, casually crossing one leg over the other.
"To answer your questions first, as I said just now, my name is Chen Shi, and I own this house. You're staying in my villa."
"Your villa?"
Xiao Wu stepped forward, her rabbit ears twitching, and demanded bluntly, "Why exactly did you bring us here?"
At her words, Chen Shi said calmly, "That's right. I brought you here, and I personally selected you."
The moment he said that, the air in the living room turned cold.
The five women had not expected the man before them, who called himself "Honest," to admit so readily that he had brought them here.
Moreover, they had not had the slightest chance to resist throughout the entire process. Just who was this man? Could he be a god?
Everything happening in the living room was also being watched simultaneously by everyone on the Douluo Continent. The leaders of every faction wore grave expressions; they, too, had failed to fathom Chen Shi's background.
In the living room, Chen Shi continued as though he had not noticed their reactions.
His gaze fixed on Qian Renxue, he said meaningfully:
"Your name is Qian Renxue, the young mistress of Spirit Hall, inheritor of the Angel Martial Soul, granddaughter of Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu, and daughter of Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong. When you were nine..."
"Enough! How do you know all this?"
Hearing more and more of her background exposed, Qian Renxue could no longer hold back and interrupted him.
At that moment, Qian Renxue's face was filled with shock, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.
After hearing Chen Shi's words and seeing Qian Renxue's reaction, the other four women in the living room also realized that what he said seemed to be true.
For a moment, they were not merely wary of Chen Shi; they also began to feel a little afraid.
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.
Countless people stared fixedly at Qian Renxue after hearing Chen Shi's words.
"To think she's Qian Xunji's daughter! And that old fellow Qian Daoliu is still alive?"
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong exchanged looks. This was also their first time learning of such things.
"Who exactly is this Chen Shi? From the look of him, he seems to know a great deal about affairs on the Douluo Continent!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin said with a frown.
"More than that. He still had plenty left to say, but Qian Renxue interrupted him," Gu Rong agreed.
"What a pity. Judging by Qian Renxue's age, she's already over twenty. How has she been kept hidden all these years? What is Spirit Hall planning?"
Ning Fengzhi spoke with a frown. As the helmsman of one of the Upper Three Sects, he paid close attention to Spirit Hall's every move.
With these questions in mind, Ning Fengzhi thought of another key point and gave his instructions:
"It seems this Light Screen may bring us unexpected gains. If it remains here, we must take shifts watching it."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
Elsewhere, inside Spirit Hall.
After hearing Chen Shi's words, Bibi Dong's expression darkened.
She had not expected Spirit Hall's years of preparations to nearly be exposed by this Chen Shi. Fortunately, Qian Renxue had reacted quickly and stopped him.
But there was another problem: did Qian Renxue and the others know that everything happening to them was being seen by the Douluo Continent?
If they did not, what would happen if they continued revealing Spirit Hall's affairs?
At this thought, Bibi Dong sighed helplessly:
"Alas, this Light Screen may prove a disaster for our Spirit Hall!"
Qian Daoliu, who was also inside Spirit Hall, watched the images on the Light Screen with an extremely grave expression.
He had not expected his identity to be exposed just like this after so many years out of sight.
More importantly, it seemed that Qian Renxue's identity as the Angel Clan's heir could not remain hidden much longer.
"Alas, no matter. I only hope Xiao Xue can return safely to the Douluo Continent and begin the Angel God's trials then. As for matters in the outside world, she can do as she wishes.
"With my current strength, protecting Xiao Xue shouldn't pose much of a problem as long as no true god descends."
Qian Daoliu was very confident in his strength and began tempting fate.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao, who was traveling toward Suotuo City, stopped after hearing the exchange between the two people on the Light Screen.
He took a long look at Qian Renxue's appearance, clear killing intent emerging on his face, then continued hurrying toward Shrek Academy.
In Shrek Academy, in Heaven Dou City.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Qian Renxue on the Light Screen, his face filled with complicated emotions, and began muttering to himself:
"She... is she... your daughter?"
Hearing those barely audible words, Liu Erlong's expression turned icy, and she turned and left.
Flender watched Liu Erlong's departing figure, then glanced at Yu Xiaogang, and could only sigh helplessly.
Beside him, Ma Hongjun crawled back over and asked curiously:
"Teacher, what's going on? Is there something behind this?"
"Get lost! Is that something you should be asking?"
Flender blazed with anger and sent Ma Hongjun flying with another kick.
He had also done this to protect Ma Hongjun. After all, Ma Hongjun had said something he should not have, and if someone retaliated against him later, Flender would hardly be in a position to speak up.
Thus, teaching Ma Hongjun a lesson first was actually a good thing.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Sunset Forest, Dugu Bo reached the edge of the cliff. After hearing the words from the Light Screen, he, too, glanced at Chen Shi in surprise.
"Just who is this kid?"
Although he had many questions, his primary objective was still to seize Tang San first and give him a thorough lesson.
Before you continue