Chapter 339: The First Meeting Between Qian Ruxue and Su Yue

Disguised as Xue Qinghe, Qian Ruxue noticed a black-haired boy approaching from across the Moon Pavilion.

Though the boy seemed young, appearing to be just over ten years old, his delicate features and calm gaze emanated a special aura that was hard to ignore.

The guards accompanying Qian Ruxue also noticed the unexpected guest and instinctively prepared to step forward and block him.

As the impersonating prince, her public persona was friendly and approachable; naturally, she could not take on the task of obstructing outsiders herself.

The soul masters who served as her personal guards were all trusted confidants brought over from the Spirit Hall. They were accustomed to handling such trivial matters during outings.

However, this time felt different.

Seeing the boy's youthful face, Qian Ruxue inexplicably felt a ripple in her heart. She raised her hand to stop the guards' movements.

Thus, she halted her steps and waited quietly at a distance in front of the Moon Pavilion for the boy to approach.

When the boy arrived before Xue Qinghe, he slightly bowed and said, "I am Su Cheng, a soul master from Fenghua Town in the Balak Kingdom. I have come to meet Your Highness."

"Fenghua Town?" Xue Qinghe looked him up and down and replied gently, "I recall that it is a small town near the Star Dou Forest, right? It's quite a distance from there to Heaven Dou City. You're quite young, and it must have been tough for you to make the journey alone. Didn't any elders accompany you?"

Su Cheng was slightly surprised upon hearing her words, not expecting her to know about such a place. He quickly answered, "My parents died during a soul beast hunting incident when I was very young. For these years, I've been living with my younger sister, relying on the help of neighbors to survive."

"That must have been very difficult for you. When I was your age, I was still just a naive child," Xue Qinghe said, her gaze softening as she sighed lightly. A rare sense of compassion welled up in her heart. "Little brother, what brings you here today?"

"Your Highness, although I have lost my parents, I am fortunate to have good talent. I have already reached the Four Ring Soul Master level, so I was hoping to see if I could find an opportunity to join you."

"Four Ring Soul Master?" Hearing this, there was a flicker of surprise in Xue Qinghe's eyes as she asked, "How old are you?"

"I'll be thirteen in less than half a year."

"A twelve-year-old Soul Master?!"

Xue Qinghe felt even more astonished.

Even with her innate talent, she had only reached that level at twelve years old. Despite her royal duties causing some delay in her training, her talent was far from what ordinary soul masters could compare with.

"Are you speaking the truth?"

"I wouldn't dare deceive Your Highness." As he spoke, a light golden mist appeared behind Su Cheng, and two yellow and two purple soul rings circled around his feet.

"An optimal soul ring configuration? What is your martial soul?"

"I'm not entirely sure. When I awakened my martial soul, the soul master from the Spirit Hall who guided me could not identify it. They said there was a high probability it was a useless martial soul. However, over the years, as I experimented with its development, I found that my martial soul can significantly enhance my physical abilities, and in battle, it performs on par with ordinary martial souls, seemingly being some kind of unknown beast martial soul."

"Ah, I see. It's likely a mutated martial soul," Xue Qinghe nodded gently, taking another look at the golden mist behind Su Cheng. She then turned to the Moon Pavilion's entrance and said, "Since you possess such exceptional talent and wish to join me, I would be delighted. How about we sit down and talk?"

"Will it take up too much of your time?"

"That's merely trivial matters."

Xue Qinghe waved her hand dismissively, then noticed that Su Cheng appeared somewhat troubled. She asked, "What's wrong? Is there something inconvenient?"

"My sister came with me and is still waiting over there," Su Cheng pointed in Su Yue's direction.

"I thought it was something serious. Not a problem; it's just right to invite your sister over to join us. Since you're siblings, I assume her talent is not lacking either. Although my personal strength is average, I have many capable subordinates who might be able to offer you some guidance."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness."

With that, Su Cheng waved at Su Yue across the street.

Upon seeing his gesture, Su Yue slightly frowned, suspicious of what Su Cheng was up to.

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to walk over.

Once she approached, she fell silent, her gaze shifting between the two, uncertain of what to think.

"Your Highness, this is my sister, Su Yue."

"I'm your—uh—"

Hearing Su Cheng introduce himself this way, Su Yue raised an eyebrow, almost blurting out, "I'm your father."

She didn't care that such nonsense might lead to trouble; she absolutely would not allow anyone to take advantage of her.

Regardless of whether the person opposite her was a prince or possessed divine qualifications, she looked down upon him.

After all, he was merely a human.

Moreover, she had an instinctive aversion to the veiled figure before her.

Fortunately, Su Cheng was quick-witted. Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, he promptly covered her mouth, awkwardly explaining to Xue Qinghe, "This child is going through a rebellious phase; I hope you understand."

He then transmitted to Su Yue, "Lord Dragon King, please hold back a bit. Once this is over, I'll call you 'sister' if you want."

"..."

As her lips and cheeks were suddenly covered, her body stiffened, and her brain momentarily froze. But soon, she reacted, forcefully pushing his hand away, breathing a bit heavily.

Su Yue lowered her head, her bangs falling over her eyes, obscuring her expression. She did not continue to speak, merely standing silently to the side, the atmosphere growing somewhat awkward.

Xue Qinghe watched the intimate interaction between the two from the side, feeling a surge of displeasure.

This feeling of displeasure was inexplicable, but the boy before her possessed extraordinary talent, and his sister exuded a hint of mystery, indicating that they were not ordinary.

For the sake of her future endeavors, she naturally wouldn't let such sudden, inexplicable emotions cloud her judgment.

With an unchanged expression, Xue Qinghe smiled lightly and said, "Your sister doesn't seem to be yet ten years old; a little mischief is understandable."

With that, she turned first, signaling to the coachman behind her with her eyes, then stepped toward the Moon Pavilion. "Little brother, come with me; this place, even in the bustling Heaven Dou City, has an environment that is absolutely among the best."

"Alright."

Su Cheng nodded, and together with Su Yue, followed behind Xue Qinghe as they entered the Moon Pavilion.

Watching the prince's back, Su Cheng appeared calm, yet his mind was racing with thoughts.

Given his current strength, he could use more direct methods for probing.

Just like earlier with Zhu Zhuqing, he could reveal his identity as a peerless powerhouse, straightforwardly expressing his intentions, and using threats or enticements to alter Qian Ruxue's short-term goals or even future development paths.

However, he chose not to do so.

Because of his previous experiences in Fenghua Town, he had sensed a faint, eerie atmosphere, realizing that the simple and rough methods might not work this time.

The constraining force of fate was astonishingly strong in this simulation.

Moreover, Qian Renxue, whether in terms of breadth of knowledge or the complicated relationships she was involved in, was far from being comparable to the solitary Zhu Zhuqing.

To put it mildly, she had the Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and others backing her. Even a peerless Douluo's strength might not intimidate her. If things went wrong, it could instead accelerate the unfolding of various events, which would be quite troublesome.

On a more serious note, Su Cheng still wasn't sure about the nature of the Angel God and Rakshasa God from the original events.

At the moment, he was far from being invincible, and with someone as sensitive as the Silver Dragon King by his side, he couldn't act recklessly.

Instead of blindly attempting something, it would be better to use other means to push things forward.

It was essential to accumulate enough variables and detonate them at a critical moment. That way, the outcome might be much more favorable.

Small changes in the details were insignificant. The key lay in those crucial moments.

Would there really be any fundamental difference if Qian Renxue returned to the Spirit Hall now or after failing her mission and returning later?

There actually wasn't.

The final outcome would still be the Spirit Hall's defeat, with her and Bibi Dong both losing to the Shura God Sword.

After all, this wasn't reality. If potential future developments were not considered, it wouldn't hurt to let Qian Renxue remain in the Heaven Dou Empire for a while longer.

---

On the third floor of Moon Pavilion, in a private tea room, the three of them sat down, with each taking their respective seats.

Xue Qinghe personally poured fragrant tea for Su Cheng and Su Yue, smiling as he said, "The green tea here tastes quite good. You should try it. I know that genius Soul Masters like yourselves usually don't care much for such material enjoyments, but it's okay to relax once in a while."

Seeing this, Su Cheng quickly thanked him and accepted the tea.

This interaction made Su Yue, who was sitting nearby, inwardly scornful, secretly cursing Su Cheng for being so good at pretending.

Xue Qinghe smiled and waved his hand, speaking in a warm tone: "Brother Su, there's no need for such formality. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Xue."

Watching her every movement, Su Cheng was now almost certain that this was not the "Little Xue" he knew.

When had the person he remembered ever been so humble?

Even if it was an act, she could never pull off something like this.

Su Cheng's thoughts stirred, and he followed Xue Qinghe's lead, replying, "Brother Xue, you truly are as down-to-earth as the rumors say. On our way here to Heaven Dou City, we encountered quite a few of the Empire's nobles. Most of them were arrogant, acting superior to everyone else. I had thought the rumors exaggerated, but it turns out that the Imperial Family really is different. Whether it's you or Prince Xue Beng, both of you are nothing like the other nobles."

"..."

Hearing the first part, Xue Qinghe's expression remained natural, but by the end, her smile froze slightly.

Saying that she was down-to-earth was true.

In order to one day usurp the throne, she had paid great attention to her public image over the years.

But as for her "fourth brother"? She knew all too well what kind of person he was. How could he be described as anything close to a "virtuous gentleman"?

"And besides, Brother Xue, I'm not bragging, but my younger sister, though mischievous, is quite the rare beauty. Yet, neither you nor Prince Xue Beng showed even a hint of desire when you saw her, which leaves a great impression on me."

"?"

Su Cheng's words were blunt and straightforward, delivered with the innocent demeanor of a young man. However, Xue Qinghe, who had been lifting her tea cup, momentarily paused.

Xue Beng, indifferent to beauty?

That was simply laughable!

Over the years, Xue Beng had indulged in pleasure to the extreme, earning a terrible reputation among the common people, much of which was tied to his obsession with "beauty."

But hearing Su Cheng's praise of Su Yue, she subconsciously glanced at the quiet girl sipping tea beside him.

At that moment, Su Yue also happened to look back at her.

"..."

Xue Qinghe's gaze faltered.

What kind of eyes were those?

Like the moon in the night sky, deep and mysterious, yet emanating an indifferent coldness, colder than frost on a winter's night.

And there was a blatant hint of suspicion and wariness, as though she had seen through Xue Qinghe's disguise, piercing straight to the heart.

"This little girl…"

Xue Qinghe felt a sinking feeling inside, her impression of Su Yue growing even worse.

It wasn't jealousy over her outstanding beauty, but rather a vague sense of unease and threat.

This feeling of threat was something even she found puzzling.

Of course, the girl's beauty and temperament were truly exceptional. Even though she was still young, she already shone with brilliance.

But there were countless beautiful women in the world, and Xue Qinghe had never concerned herself with them before.

So why did this young girl, who seemed no more than eight or nine years old, seem so repulsive?

She glanced at Su Cheng again, feeling an inexplicable sense of irritation.

Suppressing the strange emotions inside, Xue Qinghe turned her gaze away from Su Yue and focused back on Su Cheng. She asked, "Brother Su, are you sure the Xue Beng you're referring to is my fourth brother?"

"It seems like he's the Fourth Prince. That's how the people beside him introduced him..." Su Cheng replied, appearing to recall Xue Beng's appearance.

Of course, the earlier words had been pure fabrication. He hadn't had the time or interest to meet someone like Xue Beng.

However, even though Su Cheng had never seen Xue Beng in this world, he had met him a few times in the real world and knew what he looked like, so describing him wasn't difficult.

"Coincidentally, I was outside the city testing my fourth spirit ability, and it just so happened that Prince Xue Beng saw me. At the time, he invited me to his mansion, saying that he had many talented young Soul Masters there and that we could exchange knowledge. But I wanted to visit Heaven Dou City first, so I didn't accept right away."

After finishing his story, Su Cheng lowered his head to sip his tea.

At the same time, taking advantage of the moment, he secretly observed the changes in Xue Qinghe's expression.

As expected, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, as if she had just developed murderous intent.