Qi Ling listened to Xue Qinghe's threat but smiled Lingling, then asked a question she had always wanted to know, " Xue Qinghe, are you really the son of Xue Ye? Or are you just an imposter?"
Xue Qinghe laughed and said, "What kind of question is that? Qi Ling, of course I am Xue Qinghe, how could I be someone else impersonating me?"
"If you really are Xue Qinghe, how could you commit such an inhuman act! For power, you didn't hesitate to kill your own father and brothers! How could anyone truly follow someone like you!"
Qi Ling had thought she had touched a nerve with Xue Qinghe, and that he would be furious. But to her surprise, Xue Qinghe merely smiled dismissively and said, " Qi Ling Qi Ling, I never imagined you were such a vulgar person! You're actually swayed by such trivial feelings!"
"Boring feelings?" Qi Ling exclaimed in surprise. " Xue Qinghe, are you really human? I'm starting to wonder if you're some kind of wild beast in disguise?"
"Hmph, laughable! How could I, Xue Qinghe, be impersonated by a wild beast!" Xue Qinghe said. " Qi Ling, let me tell you, everything I've done is for power!"
"Power? To become king?" Qi Ling said, "You are the crown prince, the throne will be yours sooner or later, why can't you even wait a little longer?"
" Qi Ling, the power I seek is not something so superficial!" Xue Qinghe said. "You know, people in this world can become gods! Therefore, human emotions will ultimately become nothingness after a hundred years; only power is the most real thing."
"And what I want to do is pursue that ultimate power! That power that doesn't belong to this world!"
Hearing Xue Qinghe say this, Qi Ling finally understood. Xue Qinghe had indeed reached an agreement with some being from another world! No wonder he felt nothing when he killed his own father and brothers; he no longer considered himself a person of this world.
"So, Qi Ling, come join us!" Xue Qinghe's expression gradually became fervent. "With your potential, you'll definitely gain their approval! Then, you can go to that world with me and create a glorious future together!"
"Let me think about it," Qi Ling said slowly. "Let's not talk about that now. Where is Xue Ke? I won't agree to any of your requests until I see her."
"Hehe, Qi Ling, don't worry, Xue Ke is perfectly fine now. How can her value to me compare to yours!" Xue Qinghe laughed. "As long as you agree to my request, I'll take you to see her immediately..."
"Okay, I agree!" Qi Ling said immediately, "Now take me to see Xue Ke."
Xue Qinghe, who was halfway through his sentence, suddenly seemed to choke on his saliva and said in disbelief, "You, what did you say? You promised me? Qi Ling, but you promised so casually, I..."
"Ugh, aren't you annoying? How can Your Highness the Crown Prince not even have such a little tolerance!" Qi Ling said impatiently. "Besides, if you want to win me over, shouldn't you give me some trust? How can I follow you like this!"
"This..." Xue Qinghe was speechless. What Qi Ling said seemed to make some sense! Besides, this was his territory anyway, and he couldn't run away. He might as well do her a favor and let her go see Xue Ke.
"Alright, Qi Ling, since that's the case, I'll trust you this once. Come with me." Xue Qinghe said, leading Qi Ling out of the main hall and towards a side room behind the palace.
"We're here. Xue Ke is right here. Don't worry, Qi Ling, I didn't hurt a single hair on Xue Ke's head because I know she's your student. That's enough to prove my sincerity..." Xue Qinghe was only halfway through his sentence when Qi Ling had already walked around him and pushed the door open and entered.
" Xue Ke, are you alright?" Qi Ling called out as she looked into the house. Sure enough, she saw Xue Ke inside, who appeared to be unharmed.
However, at the same time, Qi Ling also noticed that there was another person in the room, the woman that Dugu Bo had mentioned. She was standing to the side expressionlessly, seemingly uninterested in Qi Ling's arrival.
What worried Qi Ling was that, just like when he first met her, he still couldn't see through this woman's true nature. He couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed; this woman was indeed terrifying beyond reason.
"Teacher, what brings you here?" Upon seeing Qi Ling, Xue Ke Qi Ling stood up happily and ran towards her.
Qi Ling hugged Xue Ke and said, "Silly girl, of course I came to save you. Why were you so stupid to run here by yourself?"
Upon hearing Qi Ling's words, Xue Ke's expression immediately fell silent, and Qi Ling also noticed that Xue Ke's face looked indescribably haggard.
"Teacher, Father... he's dead!" Xue Ke said, her voice trembling with tears. "My brother said Father wanted to see me one last time and asked me to come back as soon as possible, but when I returned, I learned that Father was already gone!"
Just as Qi Ling suspected, Xue Qinghe had taken advantage of Xue Ke's naive emotions, using the promise of seeing Xue Ye one last time as bait to lure her in! Such a shameless scheme, it's unbelievable that he would resort to it.
"Don't be afraid, Xue Ke, your teacher is here. Your teacher won't let anyone hurt you," Qi Ling said. "Your father will also be pleased. You're willing to risk your life just to see him; you're a thousand times better than someone else."
Xue Qinghe felt uneasy listening to Qi Ling's words. "Why don't you just say my name directly!"
"Alright, Qi Ling, I've fulfilled my promise and brought you to see Xue Ke. Now you can rest assured, right?" Xue Qinghe said. "From now on, I will definitely not treat you unfairly. You will be second only to the emperor in the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"And when the time is right, I can even grant you unimaginable power! How about that, tempting, isn't it?"
Qi Ling ignored Xue Qinghe's words, acting as if he didn't exist! He gently stroked Xue Ke's hair and said, "Alright, Xue Ke, I still have some things to take care of. You can tell me what you want to say after I'm done."
Then, Qi Ling reached to her waist and put Xue Ke into her Soul Tool. It was the same as the Bibi Dong had been in, and it had the same effect as the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse Soul Tool, which could hold living beings.
"I've changed my mind." After doing all this, Qi Ling slowly turned around and said to Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe was stunned, wondering if he had misheard, and asked, "What, what did you say? Qi Ling!"
"I said, I've changed my mind," Qi Ling said with a smile. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, please ask someone else to sit there!"