Chapter 380: Xue Qinghe's Invitation
In the competition venue, when Lin Yu saw Dai Mubai among the many soul master teams, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but start thinking about a lot of things.
Although, back when Lin Yu was dealing with Tang Hao, Tang San, and Yu Xiaogang, he had noticed that Dai Mubai didn't go to Soto City but had somehow gotten involved with Tang Hao and the others.
But after dealing with Tang Hao and his group, and after setting up Tang Hao's death, forcing Tang San and Yu Xiaogang to escape to the Slaughter City to barely survive, Lin Yu had been busy with other matters and had gradually forgotten about Dai Mubai.
Now, Lin Yu immediately remembered.
Dai Mubai, that guy, seems like he's in Tiandou Imperial City too!
Lin Yu couldn't believe he had forgotten about this guy for so long, letting him live freely in Tiandou Imperial City for all these years. He had clearly failed to deal with him properly!
A guy like him, just as bad as Yu Xiaogang, should be tortured thoroughly!
As for Dai Mubai down in the competition plaza, although his appearance seemed to have changed—his hair color and face looked quite different from before—these changes were of no use under Lin Yu's twin-eyed spirit, which could still clearly see through him.
This made Lin Yu narrow his eyes even further, beginning to think about how best to torment Dai Mubai.
He had forgotten about this guy being in Tiandou Imperial City, but now that he remembered, there was no way he would let him continue living so freely!
While Lin Yu was lost in his thoughts, the opening ceremony of the Tiandou Imperial City Academy Small Competition quickly commenced.
Everything proceeded just like the Elite Exchange Tournament for Soul Master Academies across the continent that Lin Yu was familiar with. First, the Xue Ye Emperor gave a speech, followed by Sarath and Ning Fengzhi.
Of course, given Lin Yu's current status, since he was also sitting on the VIP throne, he was invited to speak as well.
Lin Yu had long been prepared for this and stood up gracefully, offering a few simple but motivating words. He spoke phrases like "Give it your all!" and "Today, you bring pride to your academy, and in the future, your academy will be proud of you!" and "The future will certainly belong to you!"
However, these words, spoken by Lin Yu's youthful face, caused many of the young participating soul masters and the guests in the VIP section to look at him with strange expressions.
After that, everything proceeded as it would at the full-scale Soul Master Academy Elite Exchange Tournament. Since it was the opening day, it was only for drawing lots to decide the matchups for the soul master teams.
As for the matches, there was only an exhibition match between the Tiandou Second Team and a randomly selected team. The actual competition would begin the following day.
Naturally, due to Lin Yu's involvement, he was the one to conduct the drawing of lots.
Despite Lin Yu's strong dislike for Dai Mubai, and while he was deeply preoccupied with the idea of torturing him, he still didn't arrange for Dai Mubai's team to face the Tiandou Second Team in the exhibition match.
Although Lin Yu had the ability to do so, after thinking it through, he felt there was no need.
Because if you're going to strike, strike at the right moment!
He needed to find out why Dai Mubai had joined this particular team and why they were participating in the Tiandou Imperial City Academy Small Competition. Only then could he strike where it would hurt most.
As for making the Tiandou Second Team face off directly against Dai Mubai's team, Lin Yu wasn't sure if the Tiandou Second Team could even win that match.
It was better to be cautious. Either do nothing or strike hard when the time came.
…
Under Lin Yu's draw, the team that faced the Tiandou Second Team in the exhibition match was a team from a soul master academy that had never appeared in the original story—called the Green Forest Team.
The result? The Tiandou Second Team won.
Although the Tiandou Second Team had been defeated by Shrek Academy in the original story, among the teams made up of soul masters from the high-level academies in Tiandou Imperial City, the Tiandou Second Team still ranked at an upper-middle level.
After the exhibition match, the opening ceremony quickly concluded.
After the opening ceremony on the first day, Lin Yu planned to take Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan back. Once they returned, he would have people investigate Dai Mubai and the academy he was part of.
Thanks to the opening ceremony, Lin Yu now knew that Dai Mubai's team came from a high-level soul master academy called the Oakland Academy, which had appeared in the original story.
With this information, Lin Yu had enough to proceed.
However, just as Lin Yu was about to leave, Xue Qinghe suddenly stopped him and expressed a desire to invite Lin Yu to visit the Prince's Mansion. His tone was polite and courteous.
"Visit the Prince's Mansion?"
Hearing Xue Qinghe's invitation, Lin Yu was a little surprised and looked at him. He immediately noticed the slight nervousness and unease hidden behind Xue Qinghe's gentle and humble eyes.
This made Lin Yu's mind shift, and he smiled. It didn't take him long to understand the purpose behind Xue Qinghe's invitation.
"Sure! I'd be honored to accept!"
Afterward, Lin Yu asked Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan to return first, and then he left with Xue Qinghe. They took a carriage directly to the Prince's Mansion.
…
At the Prince's Mansion, in a quiet room.
After arriving at the Prince's Mansion, Xue Qinghe led Lin Yu to a quiet room, where tea and snacks were prepared. After dismissing the attendants, Xue Qinghe left Lin Yu alone.
With the door to the quiet room closed, Lin Yu sat at the table, leisurely picked up his cup, and took a sip of the tea.
Hmm… not bad!
As expected, the tea from the Prince's Mansion is excellent!
"Master Lin Yu, you should already know everything about me, right?"
After dismissing the attendants and closing the door, Xue Qinghe sat back down across from Lin Yu. He looked at Lin Yu, took a deep breath, and asked with a slightly dry voice.
"Heh, I wouldn't say I know everything, but if what the Prince means is that you're actually a beautiful woman, then I do know that."
Lin Yu didn't play coy or hide anything. After taking another sip of tea, he set the cup down, his lips curling into a slight smile as he replied.
"Master Lin Yu, you really do know…"
Upon hearing Lin Yu's response, Xue Qinghe's eyes became a bit more complex, but it wasn't too surprising to him, as he had already guessed this outcome.
"You invited me here because you want to ask me why I knew about this but never mentioned it in the live stream, and you probably hope I won't bring it up in the future, right?"
Seeing the complexity in Xue Qinghe's eyes, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile, turning the tables and starting to ask Xue Qinghe questions.
Xue Qinghe opened his mouth as if to say something but eventually nodded silently.
Although his approach was direct, this was indeed the reason for his invitation.
(END CHAPTER)
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