Qian Renxue returned to her room, her thoughts a chaotic mess.
Nan Feihuang's expression and tone earlier had been unmistakable—he was clearly smitten.
It wasn't hard for her to see through his situation. Despite the political engagement between Nan Feihuang and Xue Ke, theirs was no more than a standard alliance. Perhaps Xue Ke had developed feelings for him due to his exceptional talents, but it was evident that Nan Feihuang's respect for her didn't extend to love.
"Could it be me he likes? Hmm, you're not quite qualified just yet. But..." Qian Renxue smiled faintly, a trace of calculation flashing in her golden eyes. "If I can use his affection for me to bring him under my control, it might serve my goals well."
When not overwhelmed by sentimentality, Qian Renxue always prioritized her ambitions. In her mind, emotions were tools—useful, but ultimately expendable.
---
Meanwhile, in his room, Nan Feihuang was lost in confusion.
"Strange... Is Qian Renxue really going to die this early?"
He recalled the earlier moment when he had first noticed her ominous aura. It hadn't been present at the start but had appeared after she refused his father's suggestion to collaborate.
"Could her death somehow be connected to me?"
As far as he could tell, nothing about their current circumstances should have placed Qian Renxue in mortal peril. Hunting a soul beast of twenty thousand years with two Titled Douluo as escorts shouldn't have been a problem.
The only variable in this timeline was himself.
Could my presence here be the cause of her impending danger?
The thought troubled him deeply. If Qian Renxue were to die now, the intricate strategies that Xun Yu had painstakingly laid out would collapse entirely.
"Ah, I should've brought Xun Yu along," Nan Feihuang sighed, feeling the absence of his trusted strategist keenly.
With Xun Yu present, he wouldn't need to rack his brains over contingencies. Xun Yu would simply devise an alternative plan to adapt to Qian Renxue's fate, leaving Nan Feihuang to focus on execution.
But now, he had to weigh his options alone.
If Qian Renxue's death could be avoided with little risk to himself, he would consider saving her. However, if it posed too much of a threat, there was no choice but to let events unfold as they would.
Her death would lead to Xue Beng inheriting the throne, which would complicate his plans for controlling the Heaven Dou Empire.
The most straightforward alternative—assassinating Xue Beng—was riddled with risks. No matter how clean the execution, such an act would inevitably leave traces.
And the crime of regicide wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Although Nan Feihuang wasn't afraid of the consequences, he disliked the notion of ruling through brute force alone. A violent takeover would inevitably result in unnecessary bloodshed, something he sought to avoid.
War is one thing, but slaughtering innocents? That's not who I am.
Though Nan Feihuang didn't shy away from morally dubious tactics, he held firm boundaries. He could kill corrupt nobles without hesitation, but he wouldn't harm virtuous ones or innocent civilians.
He often thought of himself as a hypocrite—a man of contradictions. But even hypocrites could uphold certain principles.
Killing generals is fine, but indiscriminate slaughter crosses the line.
This belief shaped his ideals, which leaned more toward figures like the noble Wei Qing than the ruthless Xiang Yu or Lü Bu.
After pondering for hours without reaching a conclusion, Nan Feihuang made a simple decision.
"Forget it. I'll let fate decide."
If he couldn't pinpoint the cause of Qian Renxue's impending death, there was no use agonizing over it. He'd take things as they came—saving her if he could, but not at any significant cost to himself.
In the end, his relationship with Qian Renxue was one of mutual exploitation. No matter how friendly their interactions seemed on the surface, there was little genuine affection between them.
If it were Lü Lingqi in danger, however, he wouldn't hesitate to risk everything.
---
The next morning, the group prepared to set off. They were now just half a day's journey from the Star Dou Forest.
Outside the inn, Nan Feihuang noticed Qian Renxue and her two guards leaving as well.
To his surprise, even the two Titled Douluo accompanying her—She Long and Ci Xue—were shrouded in a faint aura of black energy.
This... They're all marked for death?
The realization left him baffled. What exactly were they planning to do that would spell doom even for two Titled Douluo?
Are they planning to pick a fight with the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape?
While unlikely, it was one of the few scenarios where their deaths seemed plausible. Yet even then, with two Titled Douluo, at least one of them should have been able to escape.
Could it involve one of the forest's legendary beasts?
The idea made more sense. In the depths of the Star Dou Forest resided creatures so powerful that even Titled Douluo would stand no chance.
Still, those beasts should have been deep in hibernation, focused on absorbing the power of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Shaking his head, Nan Feihuang dismissed his thoughts. If he couldn't figure it out, he'd simply let things play out. Their paths were unlikely to cross again, anyway.
---
Upon entering the Star Dou Forest, the two groups immediately went their separate ways.
Qian Renxue and her party ventured deep into the forest, seeking a soul beast with holy attributes to become her sixth soul ring. Its strength had to exceed twenty thousand years, a tall order that could only be fulfilled in the forest's inner regions.
Meanwhile, Nan Feihuang's group remained in the forest's outskirts to find soul beasts suitable for Nan Feiling and Dian Wei.
Their luck seemed to hold as they soon encountered a creature that perfectly suited Nan Feiling.
Having followed Nan Feihuang's advice, Nan Feiling had focused her cultivation on a balance between control and support. Her Ancient Thunder Tome spirit possessed all attributes but lacked strength in any single one.
To maximize her potential, she had chosen to specialize in earth and wind elements.
Her first two soul skills, Rock Prison Array and Tailwind Array, reflected this focus.
The former created a sturdy stone cage to trap enemies, while the latter provided a 20% speed boost to allies—a practical, group-oriented skill.
Now, as she prepared to hunt her third soul ring, her excitement was palpable.
"Third-ring breakthrough... I'll be one step closer to the top!" Nan Feiling thought, determination shining in her eyes.
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