Opening Their Hearts

"You're still so young, yet you never learn anything good."

Qian Renxue glared at Mu Chen as well, but with a wave of her jade-like hand, she removed her disguise and revealed her true appearance.

She had a tall figure, the face of an angel, and crystal-clear, fair, delicate skin. Beneath her curved willow-leaf brows was a hint of heroism. Her alluring cherry lips, as captivating as rubies, curved into a faint smile, revealing pearly white teeth. Yet her shapely, graceful body looked rather strange beneath the Crown Prince's attire.

Looking at Qian Renxue before him, Mu Chen felt that compared to a year ago, she seemed even more mature and captivating. Her beauty was still flawless from every angle.

Seeing Mu Chen staring at her foolishly, Qian Renxue could not help but laugh. "Stop staring. If you keep looking, your eyes are going to fall out. Honestly, am I really that pretty?"

"Sister Xue'er, no matter how many times I see you, your beauty still leaves me amazed. I could never look at you enough, even in a lifetime," Mu Chen said instinctively.

"You only know how to sweet-talk me. Hmph!" Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at Mu Chen, though inwardly she was secretly delighted. After all, a woman dressed for the one who pleased her.

"I suddenly remembered a poem. 'Clouds long for her robes, flowers long for her face; spring breeze brushes the railings, dew glows richly. If she is not seen atop the jade mountains, then beneath the moon at Yao Terrace she must be met.' I think the beauty described in it is you, Sister Xue'er." Mu Chen recited the poem without blushing or skipping a beat, as though he had written it himself.

In truth, this poem had been written by Li Bai, the "Immortal Poet" of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and it praised Yang Yuhuan's beauty.

Its language was luxuriant and brilliant, every word flowing like a flower. It felt as though spring wind filled the page and blossoms filled one's eyes. Without the need for elaborate depiction, it conjured the image of an otherworldly fairy in one's mind.

Clouds were compared to clothing, flowers to her countenance...

Through repeated comparisons, it shaped the image of a beauty surpassing even immortals. Moreover, it used only such elegant words as clouds, flowers, dew, cloud-covered mountains, Yao Terrace, and moonlight to compose such exquisite verses, leaving no trace of vulgarity.

As an intelligent girl, Qian Renxue naturally understood the meaning behind Mu Chen's poem. Looking at him, she still gave him a light punch.

"You rascal, how old are you? Why do you keep saying such things to tease people? D-don't say that anymore!" Qian Renxue said, blushing slightly.

Heavens, Little Chen is still so young, yet he keeps saying such embarrassing things.

Of course, the poem Mu Chen had recited depended on the person hearing it. If he had said those words to Ning Rongrong, he guessed that girl would only giggle foolishly before asking him what it meant.

"Sister Xue'er, I came here mainly to see you. I knew you would definitely come here, so I've been waiting for you all this time," Mu Chen said seriously.

"You came to Moonlight Pavilion because of Ning Fengzhi's... that fellow's idea, didn't you? He wanted you to make connections with the Heaven Dou Empire's future nobles?" Qian Renxue said as she sat down.

"Tch, I have no interest whatsoever in befriending those people, those noble children. But after studying here for a while, some of my views have changed," Mu Chen said as he sat beside Qian Renxue.

"What changed?" Qian Renxue asked with interest.

"In my original view, nobles all wore ugly faces and relied on exploiting the sweat and blood of commoners to squander extravagantly. But after studying here for some time, I realized they aren't entirely as I imagined. There are some decent people among the nobles too. Of course, we've only had brief contact for such a short time, so I can't say that this is their true nature. At least, my impression of them is good for now," Mu Chen said.

"Little Chen, I can't say you're wrong, but during the time I've been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, I've come to understand the nobles' true nature better. There are indeed some nobles of noble character, but more of them are nothing but parasites. Too many nobles show their ugly faces—abducting women by force, lending money at usurious rates, and when people cannot repay them, directly forcing them into slavery, and so on. The most infuriating thing is that I still have to clean up after these disgusting parasites. If I initially came to the Heaven Dou Empire only for Spirit Hall's grand ambition of unifying the continent, then after witnessing all this with my own eyes, I've also begun to sympathize with these commoners."

Qian Renxue spoke bitterly. She had not originally cared about such matters, concerned only with her own interests and those of Spirit Hall, but sometimes things truly went too far.

Especially when young girls her own age, each in the bloom of youth, suffered one atrocity after another. Even Qian Renxue, who was rather cold-hearted by nature, could not help feeling indignant.

"They'll have to pay for these things someday," Mu Chen said faintly, though terrifying killing intent was concealed in his eyes.

"By the way, Little Chen, you were only Rank 23 when I last saw you. It's only been a year, and you're already Rank 26? You're only a little over nine years old now, aren't you?" Qian Renxue suddenly noticed Mu Chen's Soul Power and could not help sighing in amazement.

Although she was already a Soul King, she was nearing the age of a true adult and was quite a bit older than Mu Chen. Moreover, she had possessed innate Rank 20 Soul Power.

If she were placed in Mu Chen's position of Innate Full Soul Power, Qian Renxue would still feel inferior.

"If I hadn't spent my days learning all this stuff and delayed my cultivation, I might already be Rank 27 by now." Mu Chen raised his chin, leaving Qian Renxue somewhat speechless. Couldn't he be a little modest? This fellow could not be praised, or he would get carried away.

"By the way, Sister Xue'er, you'll come see me often from now on, right? I came here just to see you. You won't abandon me after having your way with me, will you? We've even slept together. I already belong to you." Mu Chen looked at Qian Renxue pitifully.

"Y-you shameless fellow! What do you mean, slept together?! And abandon you after having my way with you? You only know how to spout nonsense. You're completely unreliable! As for coming here to see you, I suppose I can. But I have a mountain of matters to deal with myself, and Spirit Hall has two elders assigned to protect me. I can't come here too often. If you'll be here for about another year and a half, I can probably come three or four more times, including Xue Ke's graduation ceremony."

Qian Renxue spoke irritably. Sometimes, she truly wanted to sew this fellow's mouth shut so he could not keep talking nonsense.

"Five times, Sister Xue'er, okay?" Mu Chen said plaintively.

"Four times is already the limit."

"Five times."

"Three times!"

The two talked for a while longer before Qian Renxue stood up.

"It's about time. Let's leave it at that for now," Qian Renxue said, preparing to disguise herself as Xue Qinghe again.

But Mu Chen stepped in front of her, hugged Qian Renxue, and while she was not paying attention, kissed her cherry lips.

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