...
"Alright, let's not talk about these upsetting things anymore."
Dugu Bo waved his hand, "What else did that kid named Xuan Hao say to you later?"
"It's nothing..."
Dugu Yan recalled, "They just analyzed the pros and cons for me, scolded me for being brainless, and told me to get less involved in these things in the future and to be more careful..."
As she spoke, Dugu Yan recounted Xuan Hao's remarks about "scheming and plotting being beneath public scrutiny," "seeking peace of mind," and "one must walk one's own path" in their entirety.
After listening, Dugu Bo leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
"How old is he? Eight? Nine?"
"It's amazing that he can see through human nature so clearly and still have such an open mind and broad perspective."
Dugu Bo shook his head and sighed, "This kid is simply a prodigy.
Compared to him, Xue Qinghe's so-called imperial strategies seem rather petty."
"Grandpa, please stop praising him," Dugu Yan said irritably.
"That guy has a sharp tongue and keeps finding ways to insult me for being brainless."
"He's giving you pointers." Dugu Bo smiled.
"Grandpa can protect you for a while, but not forever.
This kid is right, you need to be more careful."
"By the way, have you found out where this kid comes from?"
"No," Dugu Yan shook her head.
"In that situation, how could I dare to ask any more questions?
But..."
Dugu Yan recalled the scene in the Soul Arena that afternoon and said with lingering fear:
"His martial spirit is terrifying.
This afternoon in the Soul Arena, he didn't even use his martial spirit to possess Yu Tianheng; he just roared and knocked Yu Tianheng unconscious."
"Moreover, his dragon might had an extremely strong suppressive effect on my Azure Phosphorous Serpent.
After he roared at me, I felt my martial soul trembling, and I couldn't even mobilize my soul power. My whole body went limp."
"Oh?" Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"To be able to exert this level of bloodline suppression on the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus and the Azure Phosphorous Serpent... this kid's martial soul is definitely a legendary True Dragon level, and a high-ranking True Dragon at the top of the dragon bloodline."
"Golden Dragon..."
"No wonder he dares to be so arrogant, with this talent... he certainly has the right to be arrogant."
At this point, Dugu Bo suddenly raised his head and looked Dugu Yan up and down with a strange look in his eyes.
"Yanyan, what do you think of... that Xuanhao?"
"Huh?" Dugu Yan was drinking tea when she heard this and was stunned for a moment, almost choking.
"What do you mean, how?"
"It's just... how are the people?"
Dugu Bo chuckled, his tone teasing.
"Look, you're not young anymore, it's time to think about the future.
Those good-for-nothings in the academy who only know how to fawn over you all day, I don't think any of them are good enough for you."
"Although Yu Tianheng is alright, he's too arrogant. Besides, he's from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and they have very strict rules.
I'm afraid you'll be mistreated if you marry into that clan."
"But this Xuan Hao..."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "Although I'm a few years younger than you, we don't care about that in the world of Soul Masters.
As the saying goes, 'A woman three years older than you is like holding a gold brick.'"
"This kid is incredibly talented, cunning yet has his own bottom line, and can completely subdue all your bad habits..."
"puff--!!"
Dugu Yan spat out her tea, her face instantly turning red to her ears, and she jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Grandpa!! What nonsense are you talking about!!"
"Who...who wants that bastard?!"
"He's so much younger than me!
And he has such a sharp tongue!
He's always calling me brainless!
And he's always trying to scheme against me!"
"If I went with him, wouldn't he just ruin me?!"
"Yeah, that's true."
Seeing his granddaughter's excited expression, Dugu Bo sighed, the teasing in his eyes fading, replaced by a trace of worry.
"Being smart is a good thing, but this kid… is too smart."
"At such a young age, it dares to stir up trouble in Tiandou City, scheming against the royal family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and even managing to escape unscathed."
"This kind of person is destined to be restless and unruly. The road ahead for him will likely be filled with bloodshed and violence."
"You're straightforward and naive. If you were to be with him, you'd probably only end up being bullied."
Dugu Bo sighed and shook his head with some regret:
"Grandpa still hopes you can live a peaceful and safe life.
This kid is too troublesome, not safe, and not suitable for you."
"Hmph! Who cares if it suits him!"
...
The next day at noon, the sun was shining brightly.
Xuan Hao had just finished a morning of meditation and stretched, feeling refreshed.
"Na'er, wake up, the sun's already high in the sky."
Xuanhao scooped Na'er up from the sofa, who was curled up like a kitten, and tidied her messy silver hair.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
"Ugh... meat..." Na'er rubbed her eyes groggily, but the mention of food immediately perked her up.
Just as the two finished getting ready and were about to leave.
"Knock knock knock".
There was a gentle knock on the door.
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow slightly.
Who would come at this time? Dugu Bo?
The door opened, and Xue Qinghe, dressed in a golden-red prince's robe and exuding a gentle and refined air, stood in the doorway with his signature friendly smile on his face.
"Your Highness?"
Xuan Hao was somewhat surprised, "Why did you come alone?
Didn't Sect Leader Ning come with you?"
"There are some private things I'd like to discuss with you alone, young man."
Xue Qinghe walked into the room with a smile, gently closed the door behind her, and even locked it very naturally.
Xuan Hao watched his movements, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Your Highness, isn't it a bit inappropriate to lock the doors in broad daylight?"
Xuan Hao teased with a half-smile.
"I have no interest in men."
Xue Qinghe ignored his joke, turned around, and her gentle eyes suddenly deepened as she stared directly at Xuan Hao:
"An honest person doesn't beat around the bush."
"You are...that woman's disciple, aren't you?"
The air in the room instantly became quiet.
Na'er tilted her head, looking at this strange older brother with some confusion.
Xuan Hao remained calm, neither admitting nor denying anything.
He simply walked to the sofa, sat down, and even poured himself a glass of water.
"Your Highness, I don't understand what you're saying.
That woman? Which woman?"
"At this point, should we still pretend?"
Xue Qinghe seemed to have anticipated Xuan Hao's reaction, and was not annoyed. He simply said calmly:
"At the age of eight or nine, with a soul power of level thirty or above, possessing a top-tier dragon-type martial soul, and even making Elders Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo search the world for him..."
"Besides that close disciple of the Papacy who has been kept hidden for many years, I can't think of a second person."
As she spoke, Xue Qinghe's gaze suddenly shifted to the shadowy corner of the room, her tone resolute:
"Elder Ghost, now that you're here, why not show yourself?"
"Although I rarely return to Wuhun City, I still recognize your aura."
"..."
A deathly silence lingered for a moment in the shadows.
Then, a surge of black mist appeared, and the ghostly figure shrouded in a black robe slowly emerged.
He glanced at Xuan Hao, then at Xue Qinghe, and a rare hint of helplessness and embarrassment appeared on his perpetually unchanging zombie-like face.
What kind of situation is this?
"Greetings... Young Master."
The ghost hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly in greeting.
"Elder Ghost, you're too kind."
Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then looked at Xuan Hao again, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes:
"Well? Can we have a proper chat now, my... junior brother?"
Xuan Hao put down his water glass, sighed, and looked at her with an expression as if she were an idiot:
"No... Your Highness, aren't you being a little too hasty?"
There are other people in this house.
Xuan Hao pointed to Na'er, who was sitting next to him, looking blankly as she ate an apple, and asked, "Are you just giving up the act?
Are you going to lay your cards on the table right now?"
"In front of an outsider, with the Pope and the Ghost Elder in charge, aren't you afraid of being overheard, or... just a child speaking without thinking?"
However, Xue Qinghe seemed completely unconcerned about Xuan Hao's reminder.
"It's alright."
He even walked over to the sofa opposite Xuan Hao and sat down, elegantly crossing his legs, his gaze sweeping over Na'er with a hint of disdain:
"She's just a five or six-year-old child. As long as you keep her in check, she won't cause any trouble."
"and..."
Xue Qinghe raised her hand and gently placed it on the edge of her cheek.
Her voice suddenly softened, even taking on a hint of the crispness that was originally a woman's:
"Since we all know each other well, there's no need for me to keep talking to you with this man's face on my face."
"Wearing a mask all day is quite tiring."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Qinghe raised her hand and gently stroked her face.
A sacred and gentle golden light suddenly erupted from his body, and the refined face that originally belonged to the male "Xue Qinghe" quickly melted and reformed in the golden light.
Even the aura emanating from him instantly transformed from that of an ordinary Soul Master into a sacred, noble, and terrifying pressure that seemed to emanate from above all living beings.
The golden light dissipated.
The original "Crown Prince" has disappeared.
Instead, there was a young woman with dazzling blonde hair, stunning beauty, and snow-white skin!
She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with delicate features and an innate air of nobility and arrogance.
Especially her golden eyes, which seemed like two small suns, shone with a light that made people afraid to look directly at them.
"Let me introduce myself."
Qian Renxue brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and her voice changed from a gentle male voice to a clear, melodious female voice with a hint of authority:
"Thousand-foot Snow".
"The current Pope's daughter, and also... your senior sister."
"This plan to infiltrate the Heaven Dou royal family was personally devised by your teacher, who is also the current Pope, Bibi Dong."
"So, in a sense, we are... in cahoots."
Xuan Hao: "..."
He looked at the stunningly beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then glanced at Na'er, who was so shocked she had forgotten to eat her apple, and finally turned his gaze to the ghost standing in the corner.
Has this woman always been this reckless?
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