Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City
In the eastern part of the Heaven Dou Palace, there stood a fortress-like mansion.
The walls of this mansion towered at a height of 30 meters, even higher than those of some major cities. The Heaven Dou Empire had strict regulations regarding the residences of officials, so the fact that this mansion had such towering walls meant that its owner was either incredibly wealthy or held a noble status.
Above the main gate of the mansion hung a gilded plaque with three bold characters inscribed: Prince's Mansion.
A young man strode toward the gate but was promptly stopped by the guards stationed there.
"Who goes there?"
Without hesitation, the young man held up a token. Upon seeing it, the guards immediately stepped aside without further questions.
"Take me to see His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince," Ye Feng ordered as he pocketed the badge.
"Follow me."
The guards did not dare to delay.
This badge was a personal token given by Xue Qinghe. Though it held no actual authority, it was a symbol of trust and access. Those who received it would subconsciously believe they were part of the Prince's inner circle, making it an effective tool for gaining loyalty.
Ye Feng followed the soldier through an elegant courtyard. After leading him inside, the soldier promptly left.
Eye of Hell
Out of curiosity, Ye Feng activated Eye of Hell. With his spiritual power on the verge of breaking through the Mustard Seed Realm, he instantly detected several hidden guards lurking in the shadows of the courtyard.
"No wonder this place seems deserted," he thought to himself.
Beyond just the secret guards, Ye Feng also sensed two incredibly powerful auras. Unlike the other guards, these two figures wore distinct clothing.
"If I'm not mistaken, these must be the two Titled Douluo assigned to protect 'Xue Qinghe.'"
Although the two Titled Douluo had concealed their presence well, they were still unable to escape Ye Feng's sharp perception, enhanced by his Eye of Hell and mental power.
It was already afternoon, yet the doors to the room ahead remained tightly shut.
"Is he even in there?" Ye Feng wondered.
As he approached the door, he noticed an unusual tension in the air. The hidden guards were clearly on edge, but what puzzled Ye Feng even more was the behavior of the two Titled Douluo. They seemed unusually anxious.
"Why the hell are they so nervous?"
Ye Feng could understand the secret guards being alert, but the anxiety of the two Titled Douluo struck him as odd.
Driven by curiosity, Ye Feng didn't bother knocking. Instead, he raised his foot and kicked the door open before the two Titled Douluo could even react.
Caught Off Guard
Ye Feng froze.
At that moment, everything became clear.
No wonder the two Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall were on edge.
Behind a silk screen, Xue Qinghe was bathing.
"Who?!" Xue Qinghe's voice trembled slightly.
Startled, Xue Qinghe instinctively surged his spirit power, grabbed his robes from the screen, and quickly wrapped himself in them.
"It's me, Ye Feng."
"Junior Brother?"
"Yeah."
"The hell are you doing here?" Xue Qinghe asked, still surprised.
Ye Feng's actions and Xue Qinghe's voice alarmed the secret guards outside the room.
"I have something to talk to you about." Ye Feng smirked and walked behind the screen.
"Don't come over!" Xue Qinghe shouted anxiously, fear evident in his voice.
"Why?"
"I'm bathing."
"What does it matter? You're my senior brother, and we're both men."
"Don't come over here!" Xue Qinghe cried out in a hurry, his face horrified, like a frightened bird. But his words had no effect at all—Ye Feng still walked behind the screen as he pleased.
Ye Feng had always been curious about how smart Ning Fengzhi truly was. Xue Qinghe was clearly Qian Renxue in disguise. Even with the Angel Spirit Bone's immense power, how had Ning Fengzhi not noticed anything odd about the fake Xue Qinghe after more than ten years? Ye Feng wanted to see for himself the disguise abilities of the Angel Spirit Bone.
Ye Feng quickly stepped behind the screen.
He was stunned.
Ye Feng instantly forgave Ning Fengzhi. He thought to himself that the Angel Spirit Bone's disguise abilities were indeed terrifying—so perfect and seamless that it deceived even the sharpest eyes. Because right in front of him, under that naked body, was indeed the physique of a man.
Xue Qinghe frowned, her face flushed, ears tinged with red from embarrassment. Since she became Xue Qinghe, she had never encountered such a thing—never met such a shameless, audacious bastard.
Using her spirit power, Xue Qinghe summoned a robe, quickly wrapping it around her body. She scolded Ye Feng in an irritated tone, "Junior brother, what was so urgent that you couldn't wait?"
"You should have heard that Dai Mubai and Tang San left the Shrek team this morning and transferred to Blazing Academy."
"Mm."
"Thanks to Erlong's efforts, we managed to recall a student from Blue Tyrant Academy who was originally supposed to compete. But Shrek Academy is still short one person."
"Oh."
"We need one more person for the team. I need your help finding someone."
"This was your urgent matter?" Xue Qinghe stared daggers at Ye Feng, her expression murderous. This bastard barged into her room so recklessly, just for a damn tournament spot? And... and... and...!
Xue Qinghe clenched her fists tightly in anger. She had suffered a huge loss today, and yet, she still had to help this bastard. Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe fumed, with nowhere to vent her frustration.
"Yeah," Ye Feng nodded.
"Your Shrek Academy isn't exactly short on people, right?" Xue Qinghe asked.
"Technically, no," Ye Feng admitted.
"Then why the hell are you coming to me for help?" Xue Qinghe was in no mood to entertain him after what just happened.
"You're my senior brother. If you don't help me, who will? Shrek has enough students, but not enough Spirit Ancestors who meet the competition's requirements. As far as I know, the three professors at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy are all your people. I need you to help me with this."
"You're right, they are my people. And since you've already called me senior brother, we should help each other." Xue Qinghe turned around, her gaze thoughtful as she suddenly changed her mind. She stared at Ye Feng intently.
Ye Feng was the youngest Spirit King in history and was about to become the youngest Spirit Emperor. Such talent could influence the future of the continent.
She finally said, "Alright, I'll take care of it. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team is just a supporting role. Not to mention the finals, they probably won't even make it past the promotion matches. I'll give you their information when the time comes—you can pick someone from them."
"No. I don't want any of them," Ye Feng shook his head.
"Then who the hell do you want?" Xue Qinghe frowned.
"Dugu Yan."
"Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan?"
"Yes."
"No. She's one of the main players on Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's seed team. I can't just hand her over." Xue Qinghe's tone turned serious. She wasn't stupid. If Emperor Xue Ye found out she was the one who let Dugu Yan go, she'd be punished for sure.
"Don't worry. I won't make things difficult for you. You just need to have your people stir up trouble at the right moment."
"What do you mean by that?" Xue Qinghe narrowed her eyes.
"If my guess is correct, Dugu Yan will voluntarily quit Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's seed team today."
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