After Qian Renxue received the list, she glanced at it carefully, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Junior Brother... I have no one I can use right now."
"What about Serpent Spear Douluo and Thorn Blood Douluo?" Li Xun looked at Qian Renxue in surprise. "Did the Pope recall them to Spirit City?"
"No, but I just don't really want to use them anymore."
Qian Renxue spoke with a hint of embarrassment. These two had long ceased to be considered her own people since they failed to carry out her orders. This was also one of the reasons she had revealed her identity as Xue Qinghe to Li Xun.
"Use them! Why not use such capable enforcers? If I had people like that by my side, I'd use them every day."
Li Xun chuckled. "You're just bothered by their loyalty to the Pope's orders, right? Then don't treat them as your own people. Just let them handle the dirty and dangerous work behind the scenes. If something goes wrong, push the blame onto Spirit Hall or frame it as a simple vendetta."
"After all, if anything happens, it won't be tied to you, the Crown Prince."
Li Xun quietly stored the black card on the table into his Soul Guiding Device. "Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will stand in the spotlight to build momentum for you. This way, you'll have people to rely on both openly and covertly."
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had long supported the Heavenly Dou royal family, most of it was just in name, and they didn't contribute much effort. This was partly to avoid trouble and partly to prevent the royal family from becoming suspicious.
The most obvious show of allegiance was Ning Fengzhi taking Xue Qinghe as his disciple, but in reality, it was just a title. After all, everyone was quite busy.
After listening to Li Xun's plan, Qian Renxue fell into thought, unconsciously tilting her head and running her fingers through her long golden hair.
"I have to admit, your method is ruthless but indeed more reliable," Qian Renxue sighed after a long while, looking directly at Li Xun. "But what about Emperor Xue Ye? I know he's paralyzed, but what's this about a vegetative state?"
Li Xun pondered for a moment. "It means he's bedridden like a plant, unable to speak or move. Can Thorn Blood Douluo achieve that?"
"Paralysis is possible, but I'm not sure about rendering him speechless," Qian Renxue shook her head.
"That's fine. Just have him paralyzed for now. If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Xue Ye will definitely seek treatment from Teacher. When that happens, have Teacher bring Senior Dugu along. Let Senior Dugu poison him into muteness."
Li Xun frowned. In this era, there was no concept of a vegetative state, so they'd have to create one artificially.
Qian Renxue looked at Li Xun in astonishment.
It wasn't until today that she felt like she was truly getting to know her Junior Brother for the first time. In their previous interactions, Li Xun had never revealed such a ruthless side to her. This inevitably left her somewhat shocked.
"My Young Master, fighting for power isn't child's play. If you think my methods are too harsh, you can back out now. You'll still be the Young Master of Spirit Hall, and I'll still be your former Junior Brother."
Noticing Qian Renxue's gaze, Li Xun chuckled. "Trust me, if it were the Pope or someone deeply versed in the art of power, they would have already quietly accomplished everything I've mentioned."
When Li Xun mentioned Bibidong, Qian Renxue immediately snapped out of her thoughts and rolled her eyes at him. "You don't need to provoke me. I know what I'm doing."
"Since Senior Sister has it under control, I won't disturb you further."
Li Xun straightened his clothes and stood up leisurely: "These matters alone will keep you busy for a while, but I still need to remind you not to let Emperor Xue Ye die too early."
"Why is that?" Qian Renxue looked at Li Xun with some confusion.
"From the moment you ascend the throne, the Heaven Dou Empire will essentially fall into the hands of Spirit Hall. By then, the Pope's authority and influence will only grow stronger, reaching new heights."
"That would be very unfavorable for you." Li Xun's expression was serious, as this would also be detrimental to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
"Understood, I'll be mindful of the boundaries." Qian Renxue closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
In a high-end faculty dormitory at Blue Lightning Advanced Academy, Yu Xiaogang lay motionless on the bed, his back exposed, as Liu Erlong applied medicine to his wounds.
Out of respect for Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, the members of Shrek Academy had gathered together, standing by his side, offering their concern and care.
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang with earnest eyes: "Teacher, how are you feeling?"
"It's nothing, just some superficial wounds. No need to make a fuss." Yu Xiaogang grunted as he felt the sting of the medicine.
"That jailer went too far! I'm going to teach him a lesson!" Xiao Wu, who was usually impulsive, couldn't hold back after seeing the Grandmaster, who had been with her for so many years, beaten like this. She immediately turned to leave.
"Stop, Xiao Wu!"
Flender frowned and couldn't help but scold: "That jailer was just following orders. Moreover, we were released through some connections. Do you want to give the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School a reason to throw us back in?"
"Dean Flender, don't you want to avenge the Grandmaster?" Xiao Wu looked at Flender in surprise.
When it came to impulsiveness, although she was among the top in Shrek Academy, Flender wasn't far behind. Why was he trying to stop her this time?
The others in Shrek Academy also felt puzzled and looked curiously at Flender.
Seeing their inquisitive gazes, Flender cleared his throat: "That's because you don't know who issued the order this time."
"Xiao Wu, I know you have a kind heart, but this time, the ones who acted against us were the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Don't act on impulse."
After Liu Erlong finished applying the medicine, Yu Xiaogang struggled to get up from the bed and explained to everyone.
"Teacher, take it easy." Seeing Yu Xiaogang's difficulty, Tang San quickly stepped forward to help him sit down.
"The current Crown Prince!"
Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun immediately fell silent upon hearing this title, standing still and exchanging glances. Only Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes, lowering his head as if deep in thought.
The empire's vast machinery might not mean much to those who had transcended worldly affairs, but for civilian Soul Masters and various families, it was a formidable deterrent.
Not to mention whether the empire had high-level combatants, just the sheer number of low-level Soul Masters and the million-strong army were enough to overwhelm most forces.
"Actually, it's my fault that the three teachers suffered this time."
After settling Yu Xiaogang, Tang San looked at everyone with deep regret: "If I hadn't been so impulsive and insisted on setting the fire right under the noses of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the teachers wouldn't have faced this calamity."
"Third Brother, what are you talking about? Isn't all this the doing of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?"
Xiao Wu exclaimed angrily, her cheeks puffed up as she scolded, "Those bastards brought it upon themselves! If they hadn't secretly dismantled your Hidden Weapon, how could this have happened?"
"I think they just couldn't bear to part with those twenty million Gold Soul Coins, so they set up a scheme to take the money back from you."
When Xiao Wu mentioned the twenty million, a shadow of gloom flashed through Tang San's eyes.
He hadn't expected that not only had his Hidden Weapon been unauthorizedly deciphered by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but the money had also been returned because it was used to pay the ransom for Yu Xiaogang and the others.
"That's right, that's right!" Ma Hongjun, Yu Feng, and the others chimed in.
"I still can't swallow this anger. When I get the chance, I'm definitely going to teach those people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School a lesson."
Xiao Wu snorted lightly, then turned to Dai Mubai. "What do you think, Dai Laosi?"
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