"Has he been like this these past two days?" On Sunday evening, Xue Qinghe stood at the laboratory entrance, speaking with Su Yao.
"Yes, Your Highness. If I didn't bring him meals at regular intervals, I'm afraid he would forget to eat altogether. Only when his spiritual power and Soul Power run out does he sleep for a while in the corner of the laboratory."
Xue Qinghe glanced at the disheveled bedding in the corner, rather surprised.
He saw Ling Yu drawing diagrams on the workbench and making all sorts of annotations. Now and then, Ling Yu raised a discarded Soul Tool and activated a Soul Skill to examine it, identifying the properties of its metals and writing them down. Seven or eight books on minerals and gemstones lay open at the corner of the table.
Several lines were written on the whiteboard to the left of the workbench-
"How did Core Arrays originate?"
"How does the essence of a Core Array differ from that of a Soul Ring?"
"Is classifying Soul Tools as melee, ranged, and support reasonable? Essentially a form of energy activation and guidance? How can Soul Tools be given elemental effects? Metals and gemstones possess inherent attributes!"
"Are the attributes in Soul Skills differentiated the same way? Attribute-free patterns overlaid with Martial Soul attributes for activation? Array patterns? Soul Rings? Soul patterns? Martial Souls equivalent to gemstones/metals?"
"Storage Soul Tools rely on gemstones and metals with spatial attributes, so would inscribing acceleration array patterns produce a Teleportation Soul Skill? Extradimensional strangulation? Becoming lost? Extremely dangerous, pending verification."
"Array pattern classifications: circuit acceleration, attribute activation, convergence, release. Feasibility??? Sample size too small!"
Various notes were stuck to the storage cabinet to the right of the workbench-"Modeling complete," "Core Array rough sketch complete," "Metal composition confirmed," "Unknown metal, pending identification," "Not yet modeled"...
"He came up with all of this?" Xue Qinghe scanned it, felt his throat go somewhat dry, and swallowed.
"Yes. I'm curious too-just what goes on inside his head?" Su Yao's brows drew together, showing both helplessness and a trace of admiration.
"Assign some people to guard this place. Don't let anything here get out." Although Xue Qinghe did not understand the value of Ling Yu's annotations, he realized they had to be important and dangerous.
"Yes, Your Highness." Su Yao vanished in a flash to make the arrangements.
Xue Qinghe watched Ling Yu, who was wholly absorbed in researching Soul Tools and still had not noticed him, and an unusual gleam flashed through his eyes.
Three days later, Ling Yu sat in a carriage, reading the invitation Xue Qinghe had sent-
"Worthy younger brother, the Soul Tool you took a fancy to in Vast Sea City, the Dragon Abyss Boat, has arrived. I look forward to your presence at the crown prince's residence for dinner on Wednesday."
Rather than the crown prince's residence, it would be more accurate to call it the Worship Hall's office, Ling Yu silently remarked, resting a fingertip lightly against his chin.
After stepping down from the carriage, he noticed Xue Qinghe waiting at the entrance.
"You're too kind, Brother Xue. I hardly deserve this. Sorry for the wait." Ling Yu hurriedly bowed.
"It's no trouble. You're worth it, Worthy Younger Brother Ling." The corners of Xue Qinghe's lips lifted slightly, and his eyes curved gently, yet a meaningful glint swept through their depths so quickly that it vanished before anyone could grasp it.
"Come, the banquet is ready!" With that, he headed inside, motioning for Ling Yu to follow.
The heavy doors closed with a creak.
The two entered the flower hall where they would dine. Snow-white brocade draped from the table like a waterfall, while flames danced on silver candlesticks, making the crystal glasses across the table shimmer with flowing colors.
Maids in matching uniforms moved softly as they served dish after dish-slow-braised beef ribs, seafood soup beneath a puff-pastry crust, and foie gras with caviar.
Knives and forks touched lightly, producing delicate, elegant clinks.
"I hear you've made some progress in your Soul Tool research, worthy younger brother?" Xue Qinghe handled his fork with slow, gentle movements, a faint smile on his lips as he nodded slightly.
"I wouldn't dare claim that. I've only organized a few things and taken barely half a small step." Ling Yu was somewhat surprised. Su Yao had told him Xue Qinghe had visited the laboratory that night, so why was he speaking as though he had never been there?
Something's wrong, Ling Yu thought.
"A genius like you, Worthy Younger Brother Ling, with both talent for cultivation and the ability to research and create techniques, is truly rare. Even I know of only one or two."
"You flatter me, Brother Xue. No one is trash; they simply haven't found the right direction. I just happened to find what I wanted to do and could do."
"Oh? Did you read that in a book as well?"
"Of course. I don't have enough life experience to support saying something like that myself." Ling Yu's lips curled into a smile.
Xue Qinghe's brows stirred slightly, and he raised his crystal glass. "Here, let me toast you. Don't worry, yours is juice."
Ling Yu raised his wineglass in a light, distant toast, silently thinking, She's drinking wine? She's probably nine years older than me, which makes her exactly eighteen. That's fine.
"I wonder what your views on Spirit Hall are, Worthy Younger Brother Ling?" Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes, a playful smile curling his lips, his gaze scrutinizing and probing.
Oh no, I've become the protagonist of a Hongmen banquet. If I say the wrong thing, someone won't jump out to perform a sword dance, will they? 'This Duke Ling's left guard, Su Yao, said it,' right? Huh? Doesn't that make her Xiang Yu? A chill ran down Ling Yu's back as he grumbled inwardly.
"Well... Brother Xue..."
"Speak freely. This conversation will remain between us as friends."
The outcome is already set. The key is making sure I don't look like such an ungrateful wolf, Ling Yu silently thought.
"The Star Luo Empire is overbearing and domineering. Only with Spirit Hall keeping it in check can our Heaven Dou maintain a certain balance, so Spirit Hall is still important to our Heaven Dou Empire."
"Besides, Spirit Hall Branches cover many remote little cities. Even the small villages near my hometown, Nuoding City, have Soul Masters from Spirit Hall come to awaken our Martial Souls."
"If not for them, I'm afraid I could only have spent my whole life scratching a living from the soil."
"They also maintain the Soul Beast forests. Someone of poor origins like me probably wouldn't qualify to enter the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Oh? Worthy Younger Brother Ling, if those words reached my imperial father's ears, I'm afraid this wouldn't end so simply." Xue Qinghe's lips rose slightly in an ambiguous smile.
"You're joking, Brother Xue. Weren't you the one who said this would stay between friends? I trust you're not that sort of person."
"Brother Xue?" Xue Qinghe's lips curled.
"I'm not your Brother Xue." He then rose and walked over to a huge painting beside the table. It depicted a handsome man with wings growing from his back, his head lowered amid a gentle halo of light. He could have been Emperor Xue Junlin, Heaven Dou's first sovereign, possessed by his Swan Martial Soul, or he could have been...
I know. But I can't exactly call you Big Sister Xue, can I? An Angel Holy Sword would probably come cleaving down the very next moment, Ling Yu grumbled inwardly.
"You're especially witty today, Brother Xue."
"Am I?" The words came from Xue Qinghe's direction, but the voice was female!
Xue Qinghe-no, Qian Renxue in her true form-turned around.
Her long golden hair fell loosely like a waterfall, and she wore an ancient-style court dress woven with gold thread. Its standing collar encircled her slender, snow-surpassing neck, looking majestic without being ostentatious.
"Who are you? Where's Brother Xue? What have you done to him?" Ling Yu shouted.
Then he grumbled inwardly, Still have to go through the motions.
"What have I done?"
"Worthy Younger Brother Ling, don't you remember, 'Mountains are graceful because they possess spirit; waters are clear because they possess charm'?"
"You... how do you know those words?" Ling Yu pretended his expression had darkened.