Teaching

By the time Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived above the Spirit Hall in Vast Sea City, the intelligence report Xiunuo had personally written analyzing Mu Tian'en had already reached Spirit Hall headquarters through its information channels.

With the Elder Hall deliberately arranging matters, the report had even been delivered straight to Qian Daoliu's desk at the first opportunity.

Qian Daoliu calmly studied the report in his hands.

Raising an eyebrow, he handed it to the little girl beside him.

"Xue'er, take a look~"

Qian Daoliu knew that in a few days, after his granddaughter obtained her third Soul Ring and fused with the Angel Set Soul Bone that possessed a disguise ability, she would leave for the Heaven Dou Empire to carry out that cruel and dangerous Nation-Stealing Plan.

Even the upright Qian Daoliu had a trace of darkness in his eyes.

But Qian Daoliu cut those emotions away in an instant.

They left no trace upon his almost spotless heart.

Yet even if Qian Daoliu himself did not want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that when he learned what his son had done, his almost spotless heart had acquired a wound deep enough to pierce it through.

His own teaching, the Qian Family's teaching over hundreds upon thousands of years, had actually allowed such hateful thoughts to take root in his son's heart.

An obsession bordering on shame had nearly caused the Great Enshrined's cultivation realm to fall after Qian Xunji's death.

It was also then that he relinquished control of Spirit Hall, allowing his daughter-in-law, who was also his grand-disciple, to take over the vast majority of the Pope's authority in Spirit Hall.

Now, even though Qian Daoliu had come to terms with it, he still could not face his daughter-in-law.

He had no face to see her!

But his love for his granddaughter had not diminished in the slightest. He had even considered vetoing this so-called absurd Nation-Stealing Plan.

And yet~

The Nation-Stealing Plan had been that woman's idea.

Even he, her grandfather, could see how attached his granddaughter was to that woman.

He had no way to stop her.

After a thousand twists and turns of thought, only melancholy remained in Qian Daoliu's eyes.

But in the next moment, he had to put aside the gloom in his heart and look solemnly at his granddaughter, who had finished reading the report he had handed her.

"Xiao Xue, what did you make of it?"

"Grandpa, this person's Martial Soul must be very strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't have sent Grandpa Golden Crocodile to bring him back himself."

Qian Renxue still stumbled a little as she spoke.

Truth be told, the report Qian Daoliu had given Qian Renxue contained information about Mu Tian'en's background, Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power, and his movements in recent days.

The information was very basic—so basic that Qian Renxue, a little girl who was about to undertake the Nation-Stealing Plan and had learned many subtleties under Spirit Hall's teachers who specialized in instructing nobles, could not find anything significant in it.

"No, Xiao Xue, remember this: if that's all you can see from this information, you'll have a very painful time when you go over there."

Qian Daoliu shook his head.

As Pope, Qian Daoliu had dealt with the emperors of the Star Luo Empire and even the Heaven Dou Empire, as well as the nobles under them.

Though they called it dealing with them, in reality Qian Daoliu had crushed them one-sidedly. Even so, after only a few encounters, he had wanted nothing more than to draw the Angel Holy Sword in his hand and slaughter every last one of those fellows.

Compared with those nobles and emperors who had grown up amid family struggles from a young age, Xiao Xue'er, a little girl raised under the Qian Family's protection, was too naive.

Even now, she was still far too naive.

"From his background, we can be certain that this little fellow has a vital weakness." Qian Daoliu skillfully pulled his granddaughter over to his desk. After setting the report on it, he pointed to the section describing Mu Tian'en's background.

"All his relatives are dead. That Old Beita and the children Old Beita adopted are his vital weakness."

"As long as you give the village chief named Old Beita and those orphans the resources they need to live, he is destined to become your staunchest support."

"But you must be careful. If anything happens to the old village chief or the orphans, this child with no relatives left will very likely go berserk."

Only now did Qian Daoliu reveal to his granddaughter the calculating mind and schemes he had once buried beneath the Angel Douluo's holy light.

"Also, if possible, do your best to become friends with him while you're still in Spirit Hall."

"With that relationship, even if you return to Spirit Hall after the Nation-Stealing Plan fails, you will have the support of the younger generation, with him at their head, as well as the support of us old fellows."

Faced with her grandfather's explanation, Qian Renxue blurted out a question without thinking: "Why would I need his support? Once I reveal my Martial Soul, shouldn't they rally behind me?"

Seeing the innocent ignorance his granddaughter had unwittingly revealed, Qian Daoliu sighed. "If this were the past, yes."

Qian Daoliu crouched down and looked at his granddaughter.

"In the past, a Pope with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul ascended in every generation, so our Qian Family's power naturally grew more concentrated with each generation."

"But that succession was broken."

Qian Daoliu stood and looked toward the nearby Pope Hall, which was as magnificent as the Worship Hall under his control and whose status was even faintly above that of his Worship Hall. There was a trace of helplessness in his eyes.

"Your mother succeeded to the position as the holy maiden, but she doesn't have the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. The two of us have also worked together to keep your existence a secret, so naturally, some people with designs of their own think the Qian Family's power is no longer what it was."

"But!" Qian Renxue clenched her fists. "Grandpa, you're a Peerless Douluo, a Titled Douluo invincible in the sky!"

"Yes, but the problem is that Grandpa is getting on in years. In those fellows' eyes, Grandpa is already a pile of dry bones in the grave, while your mother is a freshly risen sun." Qian Daoliu stroked Qian Renxue's head, a smile of serene acceptance on his face.

Of course, there was a truth he had not told his granddaughter: he truly was already a pile of dry bones in the grave.

Once his granddaughter truly accepted the Angel Martial Soul and began the Angel God's inheritance, the countdown to the end of his life would begin.

But he would not tell his granddaughter any of that.

Little Xiao Xue'er did not yet need to know such a heavy truth.

"So, Xiao Xue'er, if possible, while you're hunting for your Soul Ring, do your best to become friends with this little fellow named Mu Tian'en. It would be best if you won him over."

"He'll be your right-hand man." As Qian Daoliu spoke, he reached out and wiped away the tears that had already begun to flow from the corners of his granddaughter's eyes.

Of course, Qian Daoliu had no intention of teaching his granddaughter how to make friends.

In the old man's eyes, his granddaughter was cute and pretty. She only had to stand in front of the boy, and she would naturally win him over.

Besides, his granddaughter had been taught by him personally. Her character was beyond reproach.

Mm, there shouldn't be any problem.

Qian Daoliu glanced at his teary-eyed granddaughter and nodded, though with a little hesitation.

For some reason, he thought of the child's parents, a rather remarkable couple.