Chapter 246: A Farce
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's residence.
It had been three months since Luo Ling returned to Heaven Dou City. The current atmosphere of panic across the capital was his handiwork.
Qian Renxue stepped into the room and saw Luo Ling leaning affectionately against Hu Liena, a sight that stirred mixed feelings. Over these past months, she had witnessed firsthand the means at Luo Ling's disposal.
Now, the rumors tying Emperor Xue Ye to heresy were nearly universally known. No one knew for sure if they were true, yet most believed them—after all, there is no smoke without fire.
Seeing Qian Renxue enter, Hu Liena tightened her hold on Luo Ling's arm, her eyes wary.
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at the gesture, then asked Luo Ling, "According to your plan, Emperor Xue Ye and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reputations are already in tatters. What's next?"
Luo Ling smiled lightly. "Next, we let Emperor Xue Ye and the Blue Lightning Clan slip up in public."
"What do you mean?" Qian Renxue frowned.
"We turn the rumors into reality," he said with a shrug.
"How?" she pressed.
Luo Ling's lips curled into a sly grin. "All His Highness the Crown Prince needs to do… is help stage a little play."
…
Morning dawned as usual.
Qian Renxue once again assumed the guise of Xue Qinghe and left the Crown Prince's mansion.
The city was on edge. Emperor Xue Ye had issued a decree: anyone daring to spread rumors—noble or commoner—would be seized and thrown into prison.
Walking toward the palace, she saw fear etched into the faces of those she passed.
Her refined attire drew respectful distance, and Xue Qinghe's face was familiar to the citizens. Yet even the crown prince's reputation for kindness had been splashed with suspicion, tainted by decree and rumor alike.
Soon, she reached a busier district.
This was the city's main market. Commerce still survived here—merchants hawked wares, and adventuring soul masters lingered—but royal guards were numerous as well.
The moment the guards noticed Xue Qinghe, they snapped to attention and saluted with crisp formality.
Qian Renxue nodded faintly and continued forward. Just then, a figure stumbled out from a nearby alley and fell at her feet.
"Your Highness! You must seek justice for me!"
The man's face was plain, his clothes ragged—he looked like a beggar.
Nearby vendors and passersby turned, curiosity brightening their eyes.
The guards rushed to the prince's side at once, pulling the man roughly to his feet.
"You insolent wretch! Do you know who stands before you? How dare you offend His Highness?" one of them snapped.
He drew his sword and raised it to strike.
"Enough," Qian Renxue said sharply, stopping him.
The gathered onlookers exhaled in relief. Knocking down the prince was a capital crime; the guard's response would have been deemed reasonable. A beggar's life meant little in the slums.
Qian Renxue regarded the man with interest. She knew he wasn't real.
This was a puppet, the manifestation of Luo Ling's Raven Shadow Puppet—indistinguishable from a living person, remotely controlled to imitate life itself.
"Stand up," Qian Renxue said gently. "If you've suffered injustice, speak."
The crowd murmured approvingly. A crown prince who treated even a beggar with dignity—this was the Xue Qinghe they admired.
Compared to the current emperor…
More than one person sighed. Ever since Emperor Xue Ye's breakthrough to the Titled Douluo realm, Heaven Dou City had been turned upside down—rumors proliferating, harsh edicts piling upon the people, the city stewing in gloom in just three months.
"Your Highness, please… please save my father!" the beggar wept.
"Your father?" Qian Renxue asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes—he was arrested two months ago for fighting," the man cried. "They said he'd be held for ten days. But when I returned after ten days, the guards told me they never arrested him at all!"
"They pushed me out and refused to let me search the prison!"
The words drew sharp looks from the crowd.
They remembered a rumor—about the imperial prison becoming a slaughterhouse, its prisoners used as sacrifices for profane rituals.
Was it true after all?
The lead guard blanched. He was stationed here precisely to prevent new rumors from taking root, yet this beggar's testimony threatened to feed the flames.
He stepped forward, sword in hand.
Still sobbing, the beggar didn't notice the guard's approach.
Then, to everyone's shock, the guard plunged his blade into the beggar's back.
A scream split the air. The beggar turned, eyes wide with disbelief, then collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
Qian Renxue's eyes widened briefly—then she saw the guard's dazed expression and understood.
Luo Ling had seized the man's body for an instant. Silently.
Even if the guard was only a low-ranked soul master, such seamless control was chilling to behold.
"What are you doing?" Qian Renxue shouted, anger blazing.
The guard snapped back to himself, panic twisting his face. He had no idea why he'd struck—his body had simply moved.
"Your Highness, I… I—" he stammered helplessly.
Around them, the merchants and travelers looked away, spines stiff, terrified to be seen witnessing too much.
To them, the guard's attack reeked of a cover-up.
Moments ago, the beggar's story might have been dismissed. Now, it felt like proof.
Heads turned away. Words died on tongues. No one dared linger.
Maintaining her mask of righteous fury, Qian Renxue let silence stretch before saying coldly, "Take the body away. And follow me—to the prison."
The market stirred again.
The prince, who could simply have walked away, had chosen instead to investigate the prison—despite the implication that something was deeply wrong there.
What did that say?
(END CHAPTER)
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