"Young Master, Young Master?"
It was only when the continuous calling reached his ears that Xue Qinghe slowly came back to his senses.
"Elder, what's the matter?"
He looked towards Porcupine Douluo, asking with confusion.
Porcupine Douluo replied, "I've been asking what we should do next, but you seemed like you've lost your soul, not hearing a word I say."
Ah!
This!
Embarrassment immediately flashed across Xue Qinghe's face.
He had indeed been slightly distracted and had not quite caught what Porcupine Douluo had said.
"Does the elder have any good strategies?"
"No!"
Faced with Xue Qinghe's question, Porcupine Douluo shook his head almost without any hesitation, "Qin Xiao's strength is too strong, and his actions are hard to predict; facing him, I really have no solution."
As he spoke, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Facing him, I feel as powerless as a child against an adult; it's unbelievable that he is still so young."
"Elder's evaluation of him is so high..."
Xue Qinghe's gaze flickered.
In fact, if Porcupine Douluo thought so, wasn't he the same?
He, Xue Qinghe, considered himself top-notch in terms of intelligence, strength, and strategies. Yet, compared to Qin Xiao, he felt inferior.
More than once, he had wondered how Soul Land could have such a monstrous existence like Qin Xiao.
"This evaluation, I've actually put it mildly."
"To tell the truth, within the Martial Soul Hall, I think the only ones with the ability to suppress Qin Xiao are Pope His Holiness and the Great Priest."
Porcupine Douluo thought for a moment, then added, "Hmm... though Second Priest's cultivation level is higher than Qin Xiao's, he is far less competent in other aspects. If they really came to blows, I would think Qin Xiao has a higher chance of winning."
"Hisss..."
After listening to Porcupine Douluo's words, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but gasp, "Martial Soul Hall is full of talents, with strong people like a forest, yet there are only a few who can overpower Qin Xiao?"
He wasn't a Titled Douluo himself and only knew that Qin Xiao was formidable, but not how formidable he was.
Now, after listening to Porcupine Douluo's explanation, he gained a more concrete understanding.
Without realizing it, Xue Qinghe fell silent once again.
"Qin Xiao, where's Qin Xiao?"
Suddenly, just at this moment, Snakelance Douluo abruptly stood up.
He looked around and realized that Qin Xiao was nowhere to be found.
Porcupine Douluo rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Don't make such a fuss; the guy left a long time ago."
This guy was knocked out by Qin Xiao in one hit, lay on the floor, and played dead for quite a while, and now he's all spirited.
"He left?"
Snakelance Douluo was stunned, then angrily said, "That damned kid, ran after ambushing me, afraid of my revenge, huh? Hmph, lucky he left early; otherwise, I would've made him kneel and beg for mercy."
"Afraid of you?"
Upon hearing this, Porcupine Douluo paused, then seriously nodded, "Indeed, he is afraid of you, afraid that he might accidentally hammer you to death and have to kneel and beg you not to die."
"Porcupine, what do you mean?"
"Snakelance, there are no outsiders here, no need to put on an act to save your face."
Having his thoughts laid bare by Porcupine Douluo, Snakelance Douluo became somewhat angrily embarrassed and said, "How about we have a sparring match?"
"Come on then, you think I'm scared of you?!"
Porcupine Douluo said while rolling up his sleeves, ready to have a showdown.
"Enough!"
Suddenly, Xue Qinghe's voice overpowered the other two.
The room once again fell silent.
The gazes of Snakelance Douluo and Porcupine Douluo, both Titled Douluos, landed simultaneously on Xue Qinghe.
And Xue Qinghe also made his decision, "Snake Lance Elder, go back to Martial Soul Hall immediately and report everything that happened here to my grandfather."
"Yes."
Snakelance Douluo's figure then disappeared into the darkness.
After Snakelance Douluo left, Xue Qinghe spoke to Porcupine Douluo, "Elder, I plan to extend imperial prince treatment to Qin Xiao, what do you think?"
"Imperial prince!"
Porcupine Douluo was shocked.
Xue Qinghe simply smiled, "Hehe, I actually want to see if he truly doesn't care about anything."
...
On the main street.
Qin Xiao suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He said to the two people not far ahead, "Sect Master Ning, what a coincidence. You're out for a stroll this late too?"
In his line of sight, under an open pavilion, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were sitting at a table, drinking a pot of hot tea.
"Brother Qin, this isn't a coincidence, Uncle Jian and I were actually waiting for you here," Ning Fengzhi said, shaking his head.
"Initially, we thought we'd have to wait a while longer."
"Waiting for me?"
Qin Xiao was curious, noting indeed an empty seat next to the table.
"It seems you really were waiting for me."
He took his place at the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
"I heard that thanks to Brother Qin, the disorder in the imperial palace was smoothly quelled," Ning Fengzhi said nonchalantly.
"I owed Xue Qinghe a favor and agreed to help him once; it was only right for me to intervene during the Heaven Dou Palace incident," Qin Xiao replied indifferently. "But what I'm more curious about is, did Sect Master Ning not notice anything about such a big incident in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi suddenly smiled, "Brother Qin, you might not know, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect once made an agreement with the Tiandou Empire, to help externally, not internally."
"Oh? There is such a rule?" Qin Xiao was somewhat surprised.
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, "That is to say, when the Tiandou Empire faces an external threat, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will naturally lend a hand. But when it comes to the battle for the throne, even if there is a power grab within the rule of law, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will not intervene. Even if those affected are my disciples, it's the same."
"Oh," Qin Xiao's face showed a sudden realization.
Upon reflection, Ning Fengzhi was not wrong.
Otherwise, with the power of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, whoever they wanted to support would become the emperor, wouldn't they?
Then the situation of the Tiandou Empire would have been completely different.
"Even to say, not just our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, but the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon and the erstwhile Hao Tian Clan as well would not lightly intervene in the power struggles of the empire,"
Ning Fengzhi went on, "For your actions during the coup at the Heaven Dou Palace, being able to protect Qinghe, I should thank you."
"Thanks are unnecessary; Xue Qinghe has already spoken to me about that personally."
"Besides, I think Sect Master Ning waiting here for me today is not just to express your gratitude, right?"
With that said, Qin Xiao stopped talking, poured himself a drink, and waited for Ning Fengzhi's response.
"Haha, it seems nothing can be hidden from Brother Qin," Ning Fengzhi suddenly laughed. "Indeed, I have come this time with another matter."
"I've heard that a few days ago, a powerful figure from the Hao Tian Clan arrived. If I'm not mistaken, they probably didn't get any benefits from you, right? My offer still holds; if Brother Qin is in need, my Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will fully support you."
Qin Xiao nodded, "Thank you for your kind offer, Sect Master Ning."
But he said no more, for now, he was in no rush to destroy the Hao Tian Clan.
It was undoubtedly a better choice to let them and Tang Hao bite each other like dogs.
"Moreover, out of the two Titled Douluo-level powerhouses, only one left in the end. I assume Brother Qin, you did not let the other go?"
"Sect Master Ning, you can speak your mind,"
His intentions seen through, Ning Fengzhi was not embarrassed, "I was thinking, if the elder from Hao Tian Clan has any soul bone that you do not need, perhaps it could be sold to my Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
Soul bone?
Qin Xiao was startled; Tang Lao San, oh, Tang Lao San, look at your popularity—people are eyeing your soul bone even before you're dead.
"Sect Master Ning, to be frank, the third elder from the Hao Tian Clan is still alive. I have imprisoned him in a place seldom visited by people."
"What? He's still alive?"
Hearing Qin Xiao's words, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
This was odd.
Very odd.
Qin Xiao, cruel and ruthless once he identified his enemy, why would he let his foe live?
Could it be that the sun had risen from the west?
"Cough, cough,"
Noticing the underlying meaning in the eyes of Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo, Qin Xiao could not help but cough dryly, "Sect Master Ning, Senior Sword, don't misunderstand.
Doesn't everyone deserve a chance to correct their errors after making a mistake?
I made a demand to the Hao Tian Clan; if they want Tang Lao San back, they'll have to exchange him for Tang Hao. How is that unreasonable?"
Driving a tiger to devour a wolf!
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo instantly understood Qin Xiao's plan.
"What a dark-hearted boy, is this what you call allowing people to turn over a new leaf? You're asking them to kill each other!"
"In the end, don't you just want to wait until both sides are injured and then reap the benefits like a fisherman?"
Sword Douluo hummed indignantly.
He had already decided to stay far away from Qin Xiao in the future; this youngster was always thinking about how to trap people—too sinister.
"What are you saying? What is this?"
Qin Xiao shook his head, "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't force them. When I asked them to do so, they didn't object. If in the end, the Hao Tian Clan is destroyed, they can only blame their own disunity for being a so-called 'uncoordinated mess.'"
"Haha, you're right, Brother Qin, let's drink our tea,"
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi raised his teacup, inviting Qin Xiao to drink together.
Qin Xiao did not refuse.
However, after drinking a cup, he suggested departing.
"There are some matters that I need to attend to, so I will not keep you both company any longer."
"Brother Qin, don't worry about us; attend to your own affairs."
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo had no objections to this.
...
At the same time.
A hundred miles away from Tiandou City, atop an unnamed peak.
A woman dressed in palace garb suddenly halted in her tracks.
Rustle...
Pebbles at her feet tumbled down the cliff.
She looked down; below was an abyss that seemed bottomless.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
In the dense forest behind her, the underbrush stirred.
A man in purple emerged from the woods, his face showing helplessness, "I've finally caught up with you, Madam Yuehua, why put yourself through this? Stop being headstrong and come back with me willingly."
"Steward Tang, I, Tang Yuehua, haven't treated you poorly, why can't you just let me go?"
Tang Yuehua became even more desperate.
"If it were anything else, I might consider it, but the sect has an order I cannot disobey. Moreover, the third elder captured by Qin Xiao is my grandfather."
Yue Xuan's purple-clothed steward became increasingly helpless, shaking his head with a sigh.
"What?"
"You are actually the third elder's man!"
Tang Yuehua was shocked; she hadn't expected her most trusted subordinate to be someone else's spy.
"That doesn't matter."
The purple-clothed steward shook his head, "Madam, the urgent matter at hand is to rescue the third elder. It took years for the sect to train you, letting you live a life of luxury and glory. Now it's time for you to repay that debt."
"Besides, entrancing Qin Xiao to spare the third elder doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing yourself. You are the master of Yue Xuan, and even Emperor Xue Ye had a liking for you back in the day. Enchanting men shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Shut up!"
Tang Yuehua trembled with rage, pointed at the purple-clothed steward, and said fiercely, "I, Tang Yuehua, would rather die than betray myself and do such a thing!"
"If you die like this, can you justify the sect's cultivation of you?"
"Ha! Cultivation? What cultivation has the sect ever given me? Since I was six years old, they treated me as an intelligence agent, putting me through extremely harsh training."
"After reaching adulthood, I left the sect and infiltrated Tiandou Empire to gather all kinds of information for the sect. Over the years, who knows how much I've benefited the sect? Have you ever counted?"
Tang Yuehua suddenly burst into laughter.
Yet, her laughter was filled with icy intent.
Honestly, she was truly disappointed with the sect now.
"Exactly because of your loyalty to the sect, you should go all out to rescue the third elder!"
The purple-clothed steward spoke again.
"Heh, such a sect deserves my loyalty?"
"Let me tell you, give up on that idea; I can't betray myself!"
In Tang Yuehua's voice, there was resolute determination.
"Ah."
The purple-clothed steward sighed, "After saying so much, you're still stubborn, Madam. But this is no longer up to you!"
As his words fell, a powerful soul power fluctuation erupted.
Clearly, he was prepared to use force. "Now, you either come with me, or you jump off from here; there is no third option. As the saying goes, a bad life is better than a good death. I advise you not to be impulsive."
However.
Tang Yuehua's response was beyond the steward's expectations.
"I, Tang Yuehua, have lived for decades, never having lived for myself."
"This time, I want to live for myself."
"I'm tired! Let it end!"
Her voice was exceptionally firm.
As her words fell, she leaped forward from the cliff!
"What!"
"She actually chose suicide!"
"No!"
The purple-clothed steward was profoundly shocked; he had never expected Tang Yuehua to be so resolute.
But by the time he realized and ran to the edge of the cliff, where was Tang Yuehua's shadow to be found?
The purple-clothed steward was stunned, "It's over, it's really over."
"If Tang Yuehua is dead, who can entice Qin Xiao? How am I supposed to explain this to the many elders?"
...
The sun was rising at dawn.
In the square of Blue Tyrant Academy.
Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, and others were lined up neatly.
They were waiting for Zhao Wuji's command to start a new day of training.
Across from them stood Zhao Wuji, Liu Erlong, and Flander.
"Wait."
"Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, stay behind."
Just as Zhao Wuji was about to speak, a voice came from afar.
Instinctively, pairs of eyes turned towards the distance, momentarily startled.
His Majesty the Thunder Emperor!
Dazzlement immediately filled Zhao Wuji's eyes.
"Who is this kid? So arrogant, daring to disturb Zhao the Devil King's training?"
Among them, Jing Ling, who was new to the Shrek squad, asked in confusion.
"Don't know, but he looks so snooty, there'll be a good show to watch for sure."
Another new member, Huang Yuan, said with a sly expression.
He was also aware of Zhao Wuji's explosive temper and greatly disliked interruptions during training.
"Ah, these two really say whatever they please."
Oscar silently shook his head, knowing that Huang Yuan and Jing Ling were in for trouble.
Did they think everyone was at their mercy to comment on?
...
A little over four thousand words, more to come later.
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