...
"Let go! Let go! Don't you understand the rule of propriety between men and women?!"
The backyard of the Crown Prince's residence in Tiandou City.
Xuan Hao was like a kitten whose neck was being gripped by fate, dragged into the study by Xue Qinghe, who grabbed him by the collar.
"Bang!"
The door was slammed shut, blocking the curious gazes of the guards outside.
Xue Qinghe released his grip, giving him a disgruntled glare.
Her usual refined, princely demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a woman's coquettish reproach tinged with annoyance.
"You actually know how to come back?!"
"Disappeared for a whole month! Not a single word from you! Did you die out there?!"
Qian Renxue dropped her disguise, her voice clear and melodious, yet it carried a suppressed anger.
"I'm saying, sis..."
Xuan Hao straightened his disheveled collar, plopped down on the grand chair covered with the fur of a precious soul beast, and rolled his eyes:
Are we that close?
"Why would I need to report to you where I go?
I'm not your subordinate, nor am I your... cough, well."
"What if I tell you and you say 'It's none of my business,' wouldn't I be very embarrassed? I'm easily embarrassed and can't stand that kind of humiliation."
"you--!"
Qian Renxue was so angry she laughed. Her golden eyes were fixed on Xuan Hao, as if she wanted to burn two holes in him.
"Skinny? Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Just now at Blue Tyrant Academy, who was it that made Liu Erlong so angry in front of hundreds of people that she almost vomited blood?
And who was it that demanded that she take your surname?"
"Do you always have to talk to me in such a sarcastic and veiled way? Would it kill you to speak politely?!"
"no way."
Xuan Hao shrugged, looking completely innocent. "I'm just a straightforward person.
That's why you see, I have almost no friends. Who can stand my bad temper?"
"What about that woman in the Papal Palace?"
Qian Renxue suddenly asked, "Can she even stand you?"
"Of course I can't stand it!"
Xuan Hao answered confidently and without the slightest hesitation:
"If I could stand it, would I have secretly slipped away from Spirit City?"
"You don't actually think I traveled all the way to Tiandou City just for a picnic, do you?"
"It's because I angered my teacher so much that I was afraid she would hang me up and beat me, so I had to come out and lay low for a while."
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback, then a playful smile appeared on her lips.
This kid...
Although the words were unpleasant, they contained a great deal of information.
It seems that his relationship with Bibi Dong is not as "kind teacher and filial disciple" as she had heard, and is even... quite tense.
This is good news for her.
"Alright, stop with the nonsense."
Qian Renxue stopped smiling, walked to sit opposite Xuan Hao, and scanned him up and down:
"Let's get down to business."
"Where have you been for the past month? What have you been doing?"
"How did it suddenly improve so much?"
On her way back, although she maintained the dignity of a crown prince, she secretly used her spiritual power to carefully examine Xuan Hao's body.
The result surprised her greatly.
Not only did his soul power surge to level 42.
What's even more frightening is his physical condition.
The vigorous blood and qi, as powerful as a furnace, the tough meridians and bones, and even the flowing soul power were all more refined and profound than before.
This comprehensive transformation cannot be achieved simply by increasing one's soul power by a few levels.
"I ate something."
Xuan Hao said casually, "I was lucky enough to find a few tonic herbs, and I ended up eating too much without realizing it."
"tonic?"
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes. "What kind of tonic can have such an effect? I'd like to try it too."
"you?"
Xuan Hao looked her up and down, then shook his head. "You're not good enough."
"Why can't I do it?" Qian Renxue retorted.
"Too expensive, you can't afford it."
"ha?!"
Qian Renxue seemed to have heard a joke.
As the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the young master of the Spirit Hall, could there be anything in this world that she couldn't afford?
"Aside from a 100,000-year-old soul bone and a soul ring, there's nothing in this world that I can't offer!" Qian Renxue said proudly.
"What a coincidence." Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow.
"The value of this thing... is truly comparable to a 100,000-year-old soul bone."
"For some people, it is even more precious than a 100,000-year-old soul bone."
"What is it?" Qian Renxue's curiosity was completely piqued.
"Well..."
Xuan Hao deliberately dragged out his words, looking into Qian Renxue's inquisitive eyes, and rubbed three fingers together:
"This is a trade secret."
"But considering how close we are, if you really want it..."
"You'll have to pay more."
Name your price.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and resumed her negotiating posture.
"How much money do you want?
Or a soul bone? As long as it's not a hundred thousand-year-old one, even a top-grade soul bone that's tens of thousands of years old, I can get it for you."
"money?"
Xuan Hao waved his hand dismissively, tossing the half-eaten apple into a nearby trash can with pinpoint accuracy.
"Senior sister, talking about money is so vulgar!"
"Besides, do I look like someone who's short of money right now?
Just from the protection fees from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I get hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins every year.
I don't even know what to do with so much money."
"As for the soul bone..."
Xuan Hao looked Qian Renxue up and down, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"I don't care about ordinary ten-thousand-year-old soul bones.
Unless you can produce a complete set of six top-grade soul bones, each over fifty thousand years old, then… forget it."
"you!"
The snow vapors formed on the thousand-foot cliff.
Six top-grade soul bones, each over 50,000 years old?
And a complete set?
Do you think this is as common as cabbage?
Even with the Spirit Hall's resources, assembling such a set would be a huge undertaking!
"Besides these, what else can you give me?"
Xuan Hao shrugged, his face showing an expression that said, "I'm helpless too."
"I don't want money, I don't want the soul bone, and I'm not interested in your so-called papacy."
"So, you'll have to figure this out yourself."
Xuan Hao stood up and walked to Qian Renxue.
Although he was shorter than her, his aura was in no way inferior.
"What do you think you possess, or what value you have that would make me exchange a treasure comparable to a 100,000-year-old soul bone?"
"Think about it carefully, senior sister."
"Come back to me when you've figured things out and feel you have enough leverage."
After saying that, Xuan Hao patted the hem of his clothes, turned around, and walked towards the door.
"I had a very pleasant chat today, so I'll head back now. No need to see me off."
However.
Just as his hand was about to touch the doorknob.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out.
Two enormous, mountain-like auras descended instantly, completely sealing off the space at the entrance.
Immediately afterwards, two tall figures emerged from the shadows, one on the left and one on the right, blocking Xuan Hao's path like two gatekeepers.
The man on the left is tall and thin, holding a long spear, with a sinister look in his eyes;
The person on the right is obese, covered in sharp spikes, like a giant ball of flesh, and exudes a nauseating stench.
It was Qian Renxue's personal bodyguards, two Title Douluos who had been lurking in the shadows—
Serpent Spear Douluo, She Long.
Porcupine Douluo, Bloodthirsty.
"this..."
Xuan Hao stopped, looked at the two burly men blocking the door, sighed helplessly, and turned to look at Qian Renxue, who was still sitting in the chair:
"Senior sister, is this what you mean by sincerity?"
"Even if a deal falls through, we should still be on good terms.
You're not only trying to force a sale, you're planning to rob us outright?"
"Rob?"
Qian Renxue slowly and deliberately adjusted her cuffs, a graceful smile appearing on her face:
"Junior brother, you flatter me."
"You are that woman's disciple, which means you're from the Spirit Hall.
We're all family, we're all in this together.
What's with all this talk of 'stealing'?
It's just hurting our feelings."
"but..."
Qian Renxue stood up, slowly walked behind Xuan Hao, and whispered in his ear:
"In business, you have to be honest."
"You've whetted my appetite, but you want to leave without giving me anything in return?
That's not fair, is it?"
"You need to make yourself clear. What exactly do you want before you'll give me that thing?"
"What if I don't tell you?" Xuan Hao narrowed his eyes. "Is this a threat?"
"Of course not."
Qian Renxue shook her head, mimicking Xuan Hao's previous tone, and said innocently:
"This is a deal."
"It's your favorite, fair and just deal."
"It's a mutually agreeable arrangement, and there's no deception between young and old."
"Oh..."
Xuan Hao laughed in exasperation.
He pointed to the two Title Douluos blocking the doorway, their bodies surging with soul power, their faces saying "You won't leave until you agree," then pointed to himself, the weak, pitiful, and helpless Soul Master, looking at Qian Renxue with an expression of utter absurdity:
"Two Title Douluos, both over level 90, were blocking the door, looking like they were about to devour someone..."
"You call this—mutual consent?"
"Senior sister, isn't your standard for 'willingness' a bit too wild?"
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