Qing Chen was just fretting over not having a chance to test the combat prowess of his Shadow Puppet when the man proactively delivered himself to his doorstep.
Not wanting to bully him, he simply selected one Shadow Puppet and released it.
If the man knew Qing Chen was using Soul Emergence Realm strength to fight him, a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, across two major Realms, and called it 'not bullying him,' his complaints would probably be endless.
After confirming the activation of the Shadow Puppet and the completion of the master-servant contract, Qing Chen no longer needed to go through the System to summon the Shadow Puppet; it had integrated into his shadow and could be released from the darkness at any time.
Qing Chen had a thought.
The next moment, the man stopped in his tracks, keenly noticing that the shadow behind Qing Chen rippled like a stone dropped into water.
He frowned slightly, having never encountered such a situation.
Immediately after, he was even more astonished to witness a figure emerge from Qing Chen's shadow.
Looking closely, one would discover that the fellow was not human at all, but a monster clad in form-fitting armor, black from head to toe, and devoid of any life force.
"Move," Qing Chen casually ordered the Shadow Puppet, a command of killing intent.
The Shadow Puppet did not speak, responding with action, swiftly sweeping past Qing Chen and instantly closing the distance with the man.
The man's eyes widened, still intending to raise his sword to block the Shadow Puppet's attack, when a vast, ocean-like pressure descended from above him.
The man instantly felt his body and limbs become heavy as mountains, unable to control or move them even slightly.
"Soul Emergence Realm!" He squeezed out these three words, his dying declaration, with difficulty, as the Shadow Puppet's arm surged like ink, transforming into a blade, and with a single strike, it slit his throat, sending his head flying into the sky.
Soul Emergence Realm?!
The man's dying words, every single one, clearly and completely reached Han Qingyue's ears in the distance.
She saw that the monster Qing Chen summoned was very strong, but she hadn't expected its strength to be so great that it could instantly kill a Peak Golden Core Realm Cultivator.
Even less did she expect the monster to possess the cultivation of the Soul Emergence Realm.
'A Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator, actually willing to be at his beck and call…'
After witnessing this firsthand, Han Qingyue suddenly realized that she only knew Qing Chen was hiding his strength, but she didn't know that he was hiding even more deeply than she had imagined.
What she had seen and heard before was merely the tip of the iceberg!
Thinking of this, Han Qingyue smiled faintly.
She laughed at how the world only knew Qing Xiong wielded power over the court and was a treacherous official, but they didn't know that the true terror of the Qing family was actually Qing Chen, a dandy (playboy) whom they completely disregarded and sneered at, believing he relied solely on his father!
Looking back at Qing Chen, after killing the man, eliminating this threat, and confirming there were no other assassins around, Qing Chen had the Shadow Puppet return to his shadow, continuing to lie dormant, ready to be dispatched at any moment.
As for Han Qingyue?
Qing Chen could even detect a Peak Golden Core Realm Cultivator trailing him, let alone Han Qingyue, an ordinary person who hadn't even awakened to the Dao of Cultivation yet?
Qing Chen had long since detected her presence and didn't mind showing Han Qingyue his powerful side.
He knew that since ancient times, beauties admired heroes.
Regardless of the era, the strong always gained more favor from beauties compared to others.
As their eyes met, Han Qingyue knew that Qing Chen had noticed her.
No longer hiding, she walked out from behind the wall.
To be honest, her heart was extremely uneasy right now; she was somewhat worried whether Qing Chen would kill her for discovering his secret?
It was only at this moment that Han Qingyue truly believed Qing Chen had no intention of rebelling and swallowing the Great Han Dynasty, because his vision and ambition were not limited to a small Great Han.
Qing Chen saw through Han Qingyue's thoughts and clarified, "Wife, rest assured, for us as husband and wife, this is no secret. Your husband will not kill to silence you because of this."
"Besides, I wouldn't bear to."
Qing Chen's words, coupled with his deep gaze, made Han Qingyue's delicate cheeks flush slightly.
Unfortunately, in the System's view, this did not count as doting on his wife, so there was no reward.
"What was that thing that hid in your shadow just now?" Han Qingyue asked curiously on the way to the palace.
Like the deceased assassin, she didn't think the Shadow Puppet was human.
"A Magic Treasure. You can understand it as a type of Puppet that only obeys my commands, and its strength is comparable to a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator," Qing Chen explained without concealment.
His purpose, of course, was to make Han Qingyue feel that he wasn't treating her as an outsider.
"Magic Treasure? Puppet? Comparable to a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator!" Although she had long known the Cultivation world was incredibly profound, it was only today that Han Qingyue truly caught her first glimpse of its wonders.
"Then how many more Magic Treasures like that do you have?" Han Qingyue asked again.
She wanted to thoroughly understand her husband's true strength.
Of course, she was also prepared for Qing Chen to refuse to answer.
"Many," Qing Chen did not give a specific number.
This was to avoid Han Qingyue feeling that he had deceived her at this moment if he later acquired more Shadow Puppets.
His focus was on attention to detail.
'Many!'
Han Qingyue did not continue to press the question; from Qing Chen's confident 'many,' she had already deciphered a lot of information.
She began to believe that if Qing Xiong truly intended to raise an army to rebel and overthrow the Great Han Dynasty's rule, Qing Chen genuinely had the strength to stop him and prevent a major war from breaking out.
Thinking of this, Han Qingyue couldn't help but look forward to a future day when the world would all know Qing Chen's true nature.
"Do I need to tell Father Emperor about the assassination so they can investigate the culprit?" Han Qingyue changed the subject.
"No need. This matter has probably already reached Father-in-law's ears through the spies," Qing Chen waved his hand, reaching out to help Han Qingyue into the carriage, "Be careful."
[Doting on wife successful! Congratulations to the host for receiving a random reward: Charm +20!]
Since Qing Chen said so, Han Qingyue no longer insisted.
Seated firmly, when she looked at Qing Chen, who was lifting the curtain and stepping into the carriage, Han Qingyue's willow-like brows furrowed slightly.
Somehow, she suddenly felt that Qing Chen looked… much more dashing and handsome than before.
Looks were determined by heaven, and Han Qingyue didn't believe a person's appearance could suddenly become more handsome.
Yet, she truly felt that Qing Chen, whether in appearance or temperament, had improved significantly.
At this moment, an ancient saying couldn't help but surface in Han Qingyue's mind: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
'Impossible! Absolutely impossible! It definitely can't be like this…'
Han Qingyue shook her head like a rattle-drum, hastily denying the thought in her heart.
She didn't believe she would fall for Qing Chen or develop feelings for him.
After all, the time she had truly spent with him, all added up, was less than two days.
Han Qingyue was unwilling to believe that her ten-year-long feelings for Xiao Feng could be so easily replaced.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Before convincing others, Han Qingyue first convinced herself.
"Wife, why is your face so red? Are you sick?" Qing Chen reached out, brushed aside Han Qingyue's hair, leaned his face close, and pressed his forehead against hers.
The entire action was fluid and natural, showing no hint of contrivance.