"Come on, would you two say something?"
After talking for so long, Dugu Yan's mouth had gone dry, yet the two beside her were like mutes, never uttering a single word from beginning to end.
"Say what?" Ye Lingling asked in confusion.
"Don't you think they're annoying?" Dugu Yan asked.
"Not really," Ye Lingling said.
"They aren't bothering us. They're only bothering you."
Dugu Yan's expression froze. "Lingling, you've gone bad."
"Sister Yanyan, if you really don't want to deal with them, just release some poison mist and teach them a lesson," Ye Lingling said.
"Isn't that what you did at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"How is that the same?" Dugu Yan said helplessly.
The people who bothered her at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy were all noble Soul Masters, and even if she beat them up, they wouldn't dare say anything.
But what sort of occasion was this?
Could she get violent here?
"Then you could ask the eldest prince," Ye Lingling said.
"He'll definitely have a way."
"The eldest prince can't get away right now." Dugu Yan sat down.
Although this autumn hunt wasn't considered formal, they still had to follow the necessary procedures. The emperor had put the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, in full charge of the hunt. He had no time at all right now, busy arranging its various affairs.
"Miss Dugu doesn't seem very happy." A young man who looked somewhat like Xue Qinghe and was around Dugu Yan's age walked over.
"Third Prince?" Dugu Yan paused.
"What brings you here?"
"There are all sorts of complicated matters involved in the autumn hunt. Father wanted me to learn from my elder brother, so he had me come along," the third prince said, sitting down as well.
"But I'm not interested in arranging all these procedures, so I left my elder brother to handle them alone."
The third prince looked at Xuan Ming, whose physical features were distinctive. "This must be that genius with twin Martial Souls?"
"His name is Xuan Ming," Dugu Yan introduced him.
"This is Xue Haizang, the third prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. He's also a genius with exceptional cultivation talent."
"He's the same age as me, but his innate Soul Power was rank nine, and his cultivation is already three ranks higher than mine."
"I wouldn't dare call myself a genius," Xue Haizang said.
"I merely have a little talent. There's still quite a gap between me and someone with innate full Soul Power and twin Martial Souls."
Xuan Ming raised his head and looked at this third prince, who seemed modest but was actually proud and haughty.
In the original story, the second prince had been the most outstanding scion of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, a dazzling talent. Yet just as he was about to be named crown prince, he had suddenly died of poisoning at only twelve years old.
That had been at the beginning of this year.
The third prince was exceptionally talented in Soul Master cultivation, but the year after the second prince's untimely death, he too had died young, at just eleven.
Judging by the current situation, however, this third prince would most likely die during this autumn hunt as well.
"Third Prince, Xuan Ming is rather introverted. Please don't take offense."
Seeing Xuan Ming look at Xue Haizang and then fall silent again, Dugu Yan hurriedly explained.
"Not at all. My elder brother told me a little about him," the third prince said.
"Still, I would like to see that rumored innate domain."
Dugu Yan paused. "He..."
"Don't misunderstand. My elder brother has already suppressed word of this. I only learned of it from General Ge Long," the third prince said.
Xuan Ming was one of Dugu Bo's people, and Poison Douluo was now a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. After that incident, his elder brother had taken the initiative to suppress what had happened.
Although the twin Martial Souls couldn't be concealed, there were plenty of excuses they could use to explain away that innate domain.
He had only learned this news because he was on friendly terms with Ge Long.
"I'm simply curious. Little Brother Xuan Ming, I wonder whether you could..."
"I can't," Xuan Ming said without even raising his head.
The third prince's expression froze. "You can't... then never mind."
"I'm tired. I'll rest first." Xuan Ming turned and walked into the large tent.
"Well..." Dugu Yan was a little embarrassed.
"Third Prince, please don't misunderstand. Xuan Ming is just rather withdrawn. He didn't mean any offense."
"Yes, I know..." The third prince's expression was very unnatural.
He had heard that this brat had chatted quite happily with his elder brother!
But he couldn't spare the time for him?
At midnight.
A dark figure slipped silently into Xue Qinghe's large tent. Not one of the patrolling guards nearby noticed.
"Young Master, we've located the target in Sunset Forest. Preparations are underway," Snake Lance Douluo said.
"But with so many powerful Soul Masters accompanying this trip, isn't this plan a little too far-fetched?"
Although this autumn hunt wasn't considered formal, so many imperial and royal princes were taking part that the guards included several Soul Emperors and nearly thirty Soul Kings and Soul Ancestors. Using Soul Beasts to kill Baers under these circumstances just didn't seem very reliable.
If those Soul Emperors spotted anything amiss, this matter would become troublesome.
Chapter 26: Pointless Self-Amusement
"No. When the time comes, I'll find a way to separate the princes from most of their guards so they come under attack together," Qian Renxue said.
"Besides, this is such a good opportunity. We can take care of the third prince at the same time."
Even with so many witnesses present, an excuse like a Soul Beast attack would inevitably arouse suspicion. After all, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had organized this event.
But if a prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family also met with disaster, no matter how the Balak Kingdom considered it, they wouldn't suspect them.
Instead, the other princes who had participated yet escaped without a scratch would be more suspicious.
If there was any conflict, it should be among the subordinate kingdoms, not between the Balak Kingdom and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
"Young Master, the second prince only just died. Isn't it a little hasty to move against the third prince now?" Snake Lance Douluo was somewhat worried.
The second prince's death alone had already made quite a few people suspicious of Xue Qinghe.
If the third prince died now too, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would be left with only the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, the little prince Xue Beng, who was just six, and the youngest princess, Xue Ke.
Xue Beng was too young, and his talent as a Soul Master was mediocre. Under these circumstances, the position of crown prince would most likely fall to the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe.
Even without evidence, in matters like this, whoever benefited most was also the most suspicious.
"Although it's a little hasty, this is also the best opportunity," Qian Renxue said.
"I'll find a way to dispel the emperor's suspicions. You don't need to worry."
"Very well." Snake Lance Douluo said no more.
"By the way, what sort of Soul Ring do you think would suit Xuan Ming's Blood Spear Martial Soul?" Qian Renxue asked.
Snake Lance Douluo's Martial Soul was also a mutated Martial Soul. His Martial Soul Avatar, in particular, possessed both the toughness and power of a tool Martial Soul and the formidable physique of a beast Martial Soul.
"Well..." Snake Lance Douluo thought for a moment.
"I haven't personally examined his Martial Soul, so it's hard to say."
"When acquiring a Soul Ring, the attributes of the Martial Soul itself are also an important consideration."
"To give an accurate recommendation, I would still need to examine it myself and understand it first."
"Examine it yourself..." Qian Renxue considered it.
"Once we reach the location, I'll find an opportunity for you to meet him."
Snake Lance Douluo's expression turned somewhat unnatural. "Young Master, do you really need to go this far?"
"Wouldn't any one of the Soul Emperors accompanying us be able to give advice just as well?"
"It's different," Qian Renxue said.
"If I pick some random Soul Emperor to advise him, will that let him feel how much I value him?"
Snake Lance Douluo paused. "Young Master, you aren't thinking of revealing anything else to him, are you?"
"Not that far." Qian Renxue shook her head.
"At least, not yet."
"I learned from Dugu Yan that he was abducted and sold by the Spirit Hall patrol deacon who awakened his Martial Soul. He must harbor resentment toward Spirit Hall, so I need to find an opportunity to dispel that resentment."
"After this matter is over, investigate Aolai City and bring that Spirit Hall patrol deacon here."
"Young Master, isn't that rather inappropriate?" Snake Lance Douluo said.
"Your undercover mission is extremely important. That boy isn't trustworthy yet, and he's very clever. You shouldn't hint at such things to him."
"But if I want to win him over, I have to act quickly," Qian Renxue said.
"If I can't draw his heart to my side before he becomes more entangled with Dugu Bo, winning him over later will be difficult."
"He's very clever. As long as I give him a hint, he'll certainly think further."
"Secrets are the quickest way to bring people closer."
"But we don't know exactly what sort of relationship he has with Dugu Bo," Snake Lance Douluo said.
"Young Master, you said yourself that those things he said to Xue Qinghe before were very likely deliberate."
"What if he trusts Dugu Bo more?"
"Well..." Qian Renxue's brows furrowed tightly.
"That is indeed troublesome."
"I need to find a way to test just how close he and Dugu Bo are. If necessary, I'll have to drive a wedge between them first..."
Early the next morning, the autumn hunting party began moving according to the arrangements made beforehand.
The so-called autumn hunt didn't actually involve having these royals and nobles hunt Soul Beasts themselves. After all, hunting Soul Beasts was extremely dangerous. If they were careless, even a weak ten-year Soul Beast could cause an accident.
Thus, during preparations for the autumn hunt, some Soul Masters would first be sent into the Soul Beast forest to pursue and drive weak ten-year and hundred-year Soul Beasts into the hunting grounds. Sometimes, they would even injure those Soul Beasts beforehand to ensure safety during the hunt.
"The autumn hunt has already begun. Aren't you going to join in the fun?"
Having finished arranging the matters at hand, Xue Qinghe came to see Xuan Ming.
"Not interested," Xuan Ming said.
"Driving a group of Soul Beasts that can't fight back together for a one-sided slaughter-can that even be called hunting?"
The corner of Xue Qinghe's eye twitched slightly. "Well, we can't exactly have everyone run into the Soul Beast forest to hunt Soul Beasts."
The participants in this autumn hunt were all young princes. Their cultivation was mostly that of Soul Masters in the teens or Soul Grandmasters in the twenties. With so little ability, entering a Soul Beast forest wouldn't be hunting. It would be delivering meals to the Soul Beasts!
Dugu Yan nudged Xuan Ming. "The autumn hunt is meant to be mainly for entertainment."
"Lacking the courage to face powerful enemies, only daring to vent their bloodlust on the weak who can't resist, taking pride in it, and even finding some inexplicable satisfaction in it-I can't understand that sort of self-amusement," Xuan Ming said.
Dugu Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.
"I don't want to go either," Ye Lingling said.
"Hunting for Soul Rings is necessary for a Soul Master's cultivation and can't be avoided. But entertainment that takes pleasure in tormenting the weak..."
Ye Lingling's expression turned somewhat unnatural.