Qian Renxue: Impossible, absolutely impossible.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Paimon, who had been happily eating, looked blankly at Qian Renxue as she slammed the table and stood up. She had no idea what had gotten into the crown prince who had kindly treated her to a feast just moments ago.

Xu Qing glanced at her.

"Just keep eating. This has nothing to do with you."

Paimon took a look at the tense atmosphere, then buried herself in that mountain of food again.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Qian Renxue could no longer spare any thought for her composure. She braced both hands on the table and stared fixedly at Aemeath and Xu Qing.

Especially Aemeath.

From when Xu Qing had personally said Dugu Bo was his subordinate, to when she had just smilingly said,

"How about renaming Heaven Dou Royal Academy to Aemeath Academy?"

The smile on her face had never changed.

Qian Renxue thought that, having played Xue Qinghe in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace for so many years, she had seen all manner of demons and monsters.

But this was the first time she had seen someone speak so casually about something of such enormous consequence.

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy is the face of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Renaming it after you... Aemeath, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"And who exactly are you?"

Qian Renxue's voice was low. Not even Spirit Hall was so brazen as to demand an empire's royal academy change its name right off the bat.

Aemeath blinked playfully, looking at Qian Renxue's tense expression before glancing at the helpless look on Xu Qing's face.

Then she turned back, looking utterly innocent.

"Oh my, Little Ai was only joking. Did Your Highness actually take it seriously?"

Qian Renxue stared fixedly at her.

Aemeath was still smiling, smiling with particular earnestness, her eyes curved as though she really had been joking.

Qian Renxue gave her a long look, then sighed before sitting back down.

"Aemeath, little sister, this isn't something you can joke about carelessly."

"Oh, I understand." Aemeath nodded, her tone becoming a little more serious.

"I just saw how Your Highness kept fishing for information all along, and how you still hadn't recovered from the matter with Old Poison, so I wanted to give your brain a change of pace."

"..."

The corner of Qian Renxue's mouth twitched violently.

"Then should I thank you?"

"You're welcome." Aemeath puffed out her chest, entirely self-assured.

"That's just how Little Ai is-kindhearted."

Black lines covered Qian Renxue's forehead.

But she did not respond to that remark. She shifted her gaze to Xu Qing and watched him for quite a while.

Yet she found his gaze calm. It was merely that, when it fell on Aemeath, he seemed a little like a troubled old father looking at his mischievous daughter.

Am I imagining it?

After pondering for a long time, Qian Renxue withdrew her gaze.

"Thank you for clearing things up today."

She had now regained the dignity befitting a crown prince.

"If you need anything while you're in Heaven Dou City, you can come find me at Dongying."

Xu Qing nodded. "Take care, Your Highness."

Aemeath wore a sweet smile and waved.

"Next time Your Highness visits, Little Ai will treat you to Stinky Chicken Fry-Fry-Fry."

Qian Renxue gave the two another long look. Without lingering any further, she turned and left the private room.

Only after closing the door did he quicken his pace.

Snake Lance Douluo and Ci Xue Douluo, clad in golden armor, came to meet him from around a corner in the corridor and followed behind him, one on either side.

But their expressions were also extremely grave.

The study in the crown prince's residence.

Qian Renxue sat in her chair and closed her eyes, still digesting what she had just heard.

Dugu Bo had abruptly been subdued and become a young man's subordinate.

And Aemeath had spoken with utter ease about renaming Heaven Dou Royal Academy to Aemeath Academy.

Although she had said she was joking,

Qian Renxue had a gut feeling that she had absolutely meant it.

Someone who could make Dugu Bo bow his head without a sound either had an immense power backing them or possessed immense strength.

Neither possibility was good news for him.

And then there was the mask Xu Qing had mentioned.

The more Qian Renxue recalled it, the more she felt as though he knew her true identity.

Could my disguise have been seen through?

Who exactly are they? Where did they come from?

The more Qian Renxue thought, the heavier her heart grew.

Snake Lance Douluo and Ci Xue Douluo stood on either side of Qian Renxue. They exchanged a glance, their hearts just as heavy.

Absurd. Utterly absurd.

Old Poison had acknowledged a young man as his master.

And that girl had spoken so casually about trampling the Heaven Dou Empire's face beneath her feet.

Even their Spirit Hall would not dare do such a thing so openly.

In the end, Ci Xue was the first to lose his composure.

"Your Highness, do you think what happened in that private room was real?"

Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"What do you think?"

"Everyone knows Old Poison's temper. Even Spirit Hall failed to recruit him."

"It was only because he owed Prince Xue Xing a debt of gratitude that he accepted the nominal position of a guest elder to the imperial family."

"Someone like that couldn't casually acknowledge a young man as his master."

"So you think they were lying?"

"Young Master, either they were lying, or the truth is even more serious than a lie."

Qian Renxue's expression grew increasingly grave.

She had thought of that possibility too.

But their brief encounter had still left him shrouded in doubts.

"Then did either of you uncles sense their true strength?"

Qian Renxue changed the subject.

"...Young Master, we couldn't sense it at all."

"It was as though they didn't have the slightest trace of Soul Power."

"??"

Qian Renxue looked at the two Titled Douluo before her, her expression growing uglier.

"No Soul Power."

"Could their strength be above yours?"

Impossible. How could that be?

How old were they, anyway?

Qian Renxue shook her head like a rattle drum, unable to believe such a conjecture.

"Uh, Young Master, this subordinate felt they were just like ordinary people. Coupled with their external Martial Souls, their Innate Soul Power might be very low..."

"Low Innate Soul Power?"

Qian Renxue glanced at Snake Lance Douluo.

"Young Master, have you forgotten Grandmaster?"

Qian Renxue knitted her brows, suddenly remembering the Grandmaster whom that woman held in such high esteem.

She hurriedly found a relevant intelligence report.

"Yu Xiaogang, Innate Soul Power rank one-half, external Martial Soul Luo Sanpao, rank 29 Soul Grandmaster, first and second Soul Skills... Ten Core Theories..."

Qian Renxue's eyes were blank.

Innate Soul Power rank one-half? Isn't that just trash?

But the Ten Core Theories.

Someone with Innate Soul Power of rank one-half came up with theories. That did seem rather impressive... perhaps.

But that still could not change the fact that external Martial Souls were Trash Martial Souls, with Innate Soul Power that was far too low.

"So their Innate Soul Power is too low for them to cultivate at all?"

Snake Lance Douluo and Ci Xue Douluo slowly nodded.

"But the power backing them could subdue Dugu Bo. It certainly can't be simple."

Qian Renxue pondered for a long time. "Perhaps... perhaps she really was joking?"

"The power behind them subduing Dugu Bo is one thing. Renaming the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is another."

"That would be trampling the Heaven Dou Empire's face beneath their feet."

"No normal person would act so recklessly over something like this... would they?"

But the more Qian Renxue spoke, the less certain she became.

Xu Qing's and Aemeath's words kept echoing in her mind.

Ci Xue and Snake Lance exchanged a glance, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Uncle She."

Qian Renxue raised her head again.

"Investigate them again. Find out exactly where they live and where they came from."

"Report to me as soon as you find anything."

"Yes."

"Also, look through Spirit Hall's awakening records."

"External Martial Souls like these are very rare. There should definitely be records."

Qian Renxue felt it was rather unlikely they would find anything. After all, some powerful families possessed Martial Soul Awakening stones and crystal balls and conducted tests within their families.

But she still wanted to try and see whether they could uncover anything.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Just as Snake Lance Douluo was about to leave, Qian Renxue spoke again.

"Be careful while investigating. Don't beat the grass and startle the snake."

"I keep feeling there's something wrong with them."

"Yes, Young Master."

Snake Lance Douluo acknowledged the order, then turned and left.

In the end, Qian Renxue was the only one left in the study. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed between his brows.

"Renaming Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"Aemeath Academy."

Aemeath's smiling face appeared in her mind, but she ultimately pushed those thoughts down.

"She was probably just joking."

"No one would be so audacious as to trample an empire's face beneath their feet."

"Even Spirit Hall isn't that arrogant."

"Otherwise, why would I bother with a disguise?"

"Wouldn't it be better to simply rename the Heaven Dou Empire the Spirit Hall Empire?"

"I must be overthinking it."