Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe.
With the Second and Third Princes both dead, and the Fourth Prince a hopeless wastrel, this Crown Prince was naturally the hottest contender for the throne. The moment he appeared, countless nobles, clan elders, and sect representatives drifted over, offering flattery.
"Xue Qinghe" greeted them one by one with polite ease.
Teacher and disciple then headed inside.
Within the grand hall—
on the main seat, the Emperor of Heaven Dou was chatting happily with a young man. His laughter never left his face.
"Xue Qinghe" and Ning Fengzhi stepped forward.
"Your Majesty's health still looks very robust." Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
"Father." Xue Qinghe spoke simply, but his eyes carried a hint of concern.
Su Wen turned his gaze over.
He clicked his tongue inwardly. As expected of the number one undercover agent who had been hiding in Heaven Dou for twenty years. Even the old fox right beside her was completely in the dark. Su Wen smiled at "Xue Qinghe" but said nothing.
Qian Renxue's Angel Spirit, plus her innate character flaw (lack of fatherly love and a mother who was insane), made it rather easy to slip into her heart. It was also a ferocious, sharp blade for killing. But it was a double-edged blade; used poorly, it would bite its wielder back…
"Hehe, My body is fine, naturally. This is Mister Su Lin, the one who's been causing quite the stir in Heaven Dou City lately. And this is Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the richest sect under Heaven. And this is my son, the Crown Prince of the Empire." The Heaven Dou Emperor said cheerfully.
"Greetings, Mister Su." Xue Qinghe bowed slightly.
But inside, her heart was like a raging sea. Even though she already had the strength of a Soul Emperor, under one calm glance from that young man, she felt as if her true form had been laid bare. That light look landed on her shoulders like a heavy mountain, making it hard to breathe.
"Not bad, kid, interesting…" Bone Douluo murmured in surprise at the side.
"Uncle Bone!" Ning Fengzhi quickly apologized.
"If you have time, we should spar sometime." Chen Xin also felt the pressure Su Wen gave off, and was intrigued enough to speak up.
"…"
For a moment, the entire great hall went silent.
This was the very core of the banquet, where the most distinguished figures of the Heaven Dou Empire had gathered. Naturally, they attracted a lot of attention. For both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, these two well-known Title Douluo, to invite someone to spar—it spoke volumes of Su Wen's strength.
They say laymen watch the spectacle, experts watch the subtleties.
They couldn't see through Su Wen's cultivation, but they could judge whether Su Wen was bluffing or truly powerful just by the reaction of such top-tier experts.
In an instant, many factions' gazes toward Su Wen became burning hot. With that kind of "official seal of approval," he could not be a fake.
Seeing his two Title Douluo elders react that way, even Ning Fengzhi grew more interested. Pity the Heaven Dou imperial family had beaten him to the punch…
The Heaven Dou Emperor was overjoyed.
The banquet proceeded with everyone in high spirits.
Su Wen sat there smiling as one high-ranking figure after another came to toast him. Even a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, Salas, came over and offered him a drink.
He also happened to see Tang Yuehua, mistress of Moon Pavilion—an incredibly elegant mature beauty and the most dazzling socialite in all of Heaven Dou.
As the banquet drew to a close—
Outside the Heaven Dou imperial city.
Xue Qinghe's carriage had been prepared long ago. The refined Crown Prince was at the gate chatting leisurely with Ning Fengzhi.
"If you can win this man over, all the better. You may lack for nothing now, but you must understand the principle of 'even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.' Xue Beng's chance at a comeback is slim, but not nonexistent."
"Yes, Teacher. I understand…" Xue Qinghe replied respectfully.
"All right, you wait here. There are matters in the sect I must handle, so I'll go on ahead."
Xue Qinghe watched as Ning Fengzhi's carriage slowly disappeared into the distance, a trace of melancholy flashing through his eyes.
He had been undercover for more than twenty years. His youth was spent entirely on this mission.
At a young age, he'd been sent here by his mother. Back then, for a smile of approval from her, he'd thrown himself into the role of the fourteen-year-old Xue Qinghe with total devotion. Now… he had turned the entire Heaven Dou Empire into a solid iron plate.
If Spirit Hall wanted Heaven Dou, it would be as easy as taking something out of its own pocket.
They only needed to wait for the old Emperor to die.
But recently, an unforeseen variable had appeared—a man strong enough to stir Sword Douluo Chen Xin's fighting spirit, and this man got on famously with the Emperor. Rumor even had it that Xue Beng—that idiot who always pretended to be a fool—was having thoughts he shouldn't be having…
Qian Renxue's heart was in turmoil.
A powerhouse of this level could reverse the entire situation at a crucial moment.
"Miss, shall I go test this man's depths?" At her side, a coachman with his hat pulled low spoke quietly.
"No. His strength is great. Before you entered the palace, I already crossed paths with him once. Just a single glance from him, and I was frozen in place, unable to move…" Qian Renxue shook her head. Her lips didn't move, yet a soft voice sounded in the carriage.
"Wait for him to come out. If I can invite him onto the carriage for a talk, we'll probe him then."
"Yes." The coachman bowed his head and fell silent, closing his eyes to rest.
"Sir…"
Qian Renxue suddenly heard a burst of noise at the palace gate and looked up. The young man walked out surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic attendants.
She quickly stepped forward.
"Mister Su, Father ordered that we must not slight you in the least, so I've already had a carriage prepared to escort you back to the Imperial Academy…"
"Sure."
Su Wen smiled, and with Xue Qinghe personally lifting the curtain for him, he stepped into the carriage.
The interior was spacious and lavishly decorated, with exquisite carving. The carriage's shock absorption was excellent; as it rolled, it felt almost like walking on level ground.
Xue Qinghe sat opposite, personally pouring tea for Su Wen.
His every movement was flawless, etiquette and bearing without a single crack.
"Looks like you really have put in a lot of work in Heaven Dou all these years…" Su Wen said smilingly.
"…"
"Xue Qinghe's" previously smooth, practiced movements suddenly stiffened. Her lowered eyes trembled violently, and even some of the tea spilled. But after twenty full years in disguise, her mental fortitude was far beyond that of ordinary people.
She hastily wiped up the spilled tea and shook her head with a smile. "Does sir know me from childhood? When I was eight, I did stay for some time at my maternal grandfather's estate."
"Qian Renxue, your brows still faintly carry traces of your father, Qian Xunji…" Su Wen lifted the teacup to his lips and examined "Xue Qinghe" with a sigh.
Crack—
The smile on Qian Renxue's face finally collapsed. The porcelain handle of the teapot in her pale hand snapped off.
From the moment those three characters—Qian Renxue—were spoken, she knew all her previous disguises had been seen through by this mysterious young man.
Her current face had nothing to do with her birth father. Obviously, he'd seen what she looked like before she ever disguised herself…
There was no way to keep pretending.
Outside, Uncle She's secret signal came through: they'd left Heaven Dou City and were passing through a deep forest not far from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. It was the prearranged spot.
Should they strike?
Should she do it…?