Chapter 172: The Little Angel's Day‑and‑Night Longings

Tian Dou City! The Crown Prince's residence! Inside Xue Qinghe's study.

To everyone's astonishment, there were actually two Xue Qinghe appearing in the room at the same time!

One Xue Qinghe stood by the desk, reporting work to the other Xue Qinghe who was seated behind the desk.

"Young master, today's state affairs are…"

Half an hour passed in a hurry; the Xue Qinghe seated behind the desk remained as calm as water and slowly said, "Proceed."

"Yes, young master!"

The other Xue Qinghe bowed, slowly exited the study, and the door closed gently.

The Xue Qinghe seated behind the desk rubbed his forehead, leaned lazily against the backrest, a flash of golden light transformed him into a woman's form, and she was Qian Renxue.

She looked up at the extravagantly lavish ceiling, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, murmuring, "Having my subordinates impersonate Xue Qinghe really saved me a lot of cultivation time."

"Hehe, I, the young lady, am exceptionally gifted; not even twenty‑five yet and I've already broken through to Soul Saint."

"I have no idea whether that bastard has broken through; I bet he hasn't."

"Hmph, even if he broke through, he's certainly no match for me; he dared to disappear silently for over a year."

"Bastard!"

"Young master?"

The figure of She Mao Douluo suddenly appeared before the dazed Qian Renxue.

"Hmm? Uncle She? Anything wrong?"

Hearing the voice, Qian Renxue hurriedly snapped back, instantly regaining her usual carefree demeanor.

She Long stepped forward, placed a slip of paper on the desk, and respectfully said, "Young master, the Yu Tianyun you asked me to keep an eye on has news."

"Is that so?" Upon hearing it, a flash of light sparked in Qian Renxue's eyes; she quickly took the slip, skimmed its brief contents, and finished reading.

"Bang~" Qian Renxue's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent as she slammed the desk, low and angry, "Hmph, that bastard—every time he goes out he brings back some woman; he'll eventually die on the bed."

She Long's eyes widened as he watched the scene, his gaze full of disbelief, then he muttered to himself in his mind:

"Hmm? What's wrong with the young master? Could it be that she likes that boy? Yet his talent is indeed remarkable; last year, before turning sixteen, he already broke through to Soul Emperor, which seems to make him worthy of the young master. However, he is a member of the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect; should we inform the Grand Provider and the Pope about this?"

A sidelong glance from Qian Renxue's eyes caught She Long's shocked expression; she instantly realized her lapse, composed herself, cleared her throat lightly to mask the embarrassment, and then said slowly:

"Uncle She, don't misunderstand; I'm merely a bit annoyed by his unrestrained, flirtatious ways. With such behavior, how could he become a great talent, let alone be useful to my the Spirit Hall?"

She Long hurriedly bowed and said, "I dare not, young master, please do not be angry. It's just that Yu Tianyun's talent is second only to yours; if you could bring him under your command, it would bring great glory to the Spirit Hall." Qian Renxue gave a slight nod, thought for a moment, then said, "Uncle She, prepare some whale glue; tomorrow we'll go meet him."

"Yes, young master!" She Long replied, then vanished from the room.

Qian Renxue sat back down, her gaze on the slip of paper, thinking to herself, "Why did I act like that? Could it be that I really like him? No, impossible; aside from his decent talent and good looks, what else makes him worthy of me? And he's still lacking in many ways!"

The next morning, Qian Renxue transformed into Xue Qinghe's appearance and arrived at Lan Ba Academy.

"What? Brother Yu isn't here?" Qian Renxue was dismayed, staring intently at the real dean of Lan Ba Academy—Yin Shu.

She then asked, "Where did he go?"

"Your Highness, I'm truly sorry; our young master only returned yesterday, and early this morning he left again. As for where he went, I have no idea,"

Yin Shu forced an awkward smile; the Crown Prince had been asking about his family's young master all year, yet each time the young master was absent. Yin Shu continued, "Rest assured, Your Highness, when he returns I will certainly report to him."

"Damn, that bastard seems to be deliberately avoiding me!" Qian Renxue clenched her teeth inwardly, but still smiled gently at Yin Shu, "Then I shall trouble you, Teacher Yin Shu."

Having said that, she left Lan Ba Academy accompanied by her guards.

Watching Qian Renxue's back, Yin Shu was full of doubt, "The Crown Prince before me seems overly concerned about the young master. Though the sect has recently been close with the royal family, it needn't be so. Could the Crown Prince have a secret affection for him? The young master is indeed tall, mighty, and handsome, and I've heard the Crown Prince has always shunned women; could it really be..."

Yin Shu, thinking this, felt a chill down his spine, legs clenched, a wave of nausea rising.

Meanwhile, Yu Tianyun left Lan Ba Academy early in the morning.

After departing Tian Dou City, he sped like a gust of wind toward the Sunset Forest.

In less than an hour, Yu Tianyun arrived at Sunset Forest.

This vast Sunset Forest, according to Dugubo, has no soul beasts older than eighty‑five thousand years; none reach a hundred thousand. Thus there was no threat to Yu Tianyun, who breezed through the sky unimpeded. Perhaps due to his strong draconic aura, no hostile soul beasts attacked him. Yu Tianyun couldn't help but quip, "Xiao Bie San hasn't been ambushed by spider‑type soul beasts much, which shows that evil soul beasts despise him."

Because he faced no obstruction, Yu Tianyun traversed the poisonous mist for a long time and arrived at the valley where the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye resides.

"Hey kid, what brings you here?" Yu Tianyun said as he arrived, coincidentally meeting Dugubo who was strolling.

Yu Tianyun smiled, cupped his hands and said, "Tianyun has seen you, Grandfather."

Dugubo's face darkened, and in a cold voice he said, "You stinky brat, I heard from Yan Yan that you abandoned her and ran alone to the Breaking Clan of the Star‑Luo Empire to learn gunmanship?"

"Grandfather, I'm doing this to strengthen myself so I can better protect Yan Yan and the others. Grandfather, perhaps you could test the results of my cultivation over the past year?" Yu Tianyun suggested insincerely.

"No, no, I have been cultivating my body and spirit lately, and I dislike using force," Dugubo's eye twitched, then his expression straightened as he spoke, exuding an air of immortal elegance.

But in his heart he gritted his teeth, "That cunning little brat, Yan Yan already told me you broke through to level sixty; the sixth Soul Ring is still two hundred thousand years old. Hmph, I won't be fooled."

(End of Chapter)