"Why did you suddenly ask about this?" Dugu Bo's expression changed slightly.
Changes in imperial power were never something to be discussed lightly, at any time.
"Did you forget what happened at noon?" Xiao Yan reminded him. "The Fourth Prince you support, Xue Beng, has been pretending to be a debauched wastrel and deliberately showing weakness. From the looks of it, he's clearly at a disadvantage in the current struggle among the princes."
"You figured that out too?" Dugu Bo stood up straight from his rattan chair, staring at Xiao Yan as if he were some kind of monster.
Throughout the entire Heaven Dou City, even Xue Beng's own father—the Heaven Dou Emperor Xue Ye—believed that Xue Beng was nothing but a useless playboy. And yet Xiao Yan had only met Xue Beng once.
Xiao Yan raised a hand and rubbed his nose. "Is that really so hard? Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. If someone is excessively stupid, then unless he's rotten to the core, there must be another reason behind it.
"With a Titled Douluo backing him, all he did was kick us out of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. That shows he's not evil to the bone—yet Xue Beng still chose to act that way.
"We didn't actively apply to join the Royal Academy; we were invited. Making such a big fuss only to produce a result that was basically harmless to us means Xue Beng was deliberately putting on a show for someone else.
"And in the imperial capital, the only people worth putting on such a show for would be his brothers."
After hearing Xiao Yan's analysis, Dugu Bo thought about it carefully. Indeed—sending out a Titled Douluo just to expel a few students really was like killing a chicken with a butcher's knife. If the goal had truly been to appear debauched, outright killing them would have been far more effective.
Coming back to his senses, Dugu Bo looked at Xiao Yan with a complicated expression."If intelligence had levels, your brain would be classified as demonic."
Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly. "It's not that exaggerated. Careful observation and serious thought—many people could figure this out."
Xiao Yan had never considered himself particularly smart. He was simply more observant than most, and he thought about things from more angles.
That habit came largely from the battle at Ghost-Seeing Sorrow Cliff back then.
One mistake in judgment, and his life was gone.
Fortunately, even the heavens seemed to think his first transmigration was a bit too absurd, so he was given a second chance. Although this second transmigration was full of its own absurdities, at least he was still alive.
Dugu Bo said, "At the very least, before you came to Heaven Dou City, Xue Beng's disguise was flawless except to a handful of insiders."
Xiao Yan stood up and waved his hand, dismissing the rattan chairs and table."A prince who knows how to endure, with a Titled Douluo supporting him—if his brothers completely ignore him as a competitor, then the probability of Xue Beng ascending the throne in the future is actually quite high.
"But once the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. Emperors often share hardship with others, but rarely share prosperity. If possible, you should distance yourself from the imperial family sooner rather than later, and devote more of your time to cultivation."
Being at the center of the vortex, Dugu Bo naturally understood his own situation. With a long sigh, he said to Xiao Yan, who didn't yet know the full picture,"Matters within the imperial family are extremely complicated. I'll explain them to you in detail another time. For now, you should focus on figuring out how to remove the snake toxin from my body."
The Soul Hall was still small, and Xiao Yan had no interest in deeply probing the imperial struggle at this stage.
Compared to expanding influence, he cared far more about martial soul evolution.
"Since I came prepared, I already have a complete plan. All that's needed now are some rare medicinal ingredients. Go back and pack your things—we need to head to the Star Dou Great Forest overnight to gather herbs."
Dugu Bo laughed heartily. "If you want medicinal herbs, there's no need to go all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest. My medicinal garden has plenty. As long as you can help Yanyan and me remove the snake toxin, you can take whatever you like."
"Your medicinal garden?" Xiao Yan smiled as well. The herbs he needed were all thousand-year-old specimens—would Dugu Bo's garden really be enough?
With a faint smile, Xiao Yan said, "Let's go take a look."
"My place is in the Sunset Forest. It's not far," Dugu Bo replied.
Following Dugu Bo, Xiao Yan headed deep into the Sunset Forest.
Meanwhile, at the Crown Prince's residence.
After bathing, Xue Qinghe—no, rather, Qian Renxue—changed into women's clothing.
Compared to when she was disguised as Xue Qinghe earlier, she was now the Crown Prince in name and authority. The entire Crown Prince's residence was fully under her control, and she no longer needed to be as cautious as before.
Qian Renxue appeared to be around twenty years old. Her skin was as fair as snow, her nose tall and straight, her phoenix-like eyes slender and sharp, lending her an air of authority to her peerless beauty.
She wore a golden palace gown, a single-piece long dress seemingly woven from golden threads. There were no excessive decorations—its style was ancient and elegant. The golden high collar protected her long, fair neck. Her golden hair cascaded loosely down her back without careful styling, forming a striking contrast with her impeccably neat attire.
The luxurious dress complemented her natural aura perfectly, fully accentuating her graceful figure. Her curves were alluring, and the sacred soul tool she wore constantly radiated an imposing presence, as if it could tear through the fabric at any moment.
Beneath the gauze skirt, her slender waist swayed like a serpent, supple as willow branches in the wind. Her full, rounded hips were outlined beneath the thin fabric, highlighting flawless lines. Her entire body exuded a mature, enticing charm, suffused with the fresh fragrance of a maiden, making her all the more captivating.
She sat on the sofa in the sitting room, her long jade legs clad in golden knee-high boots casually crossed together.
After waiting a few minutes, a rhythmic knock sounded at the door.
Qian Renxue's full lips parted slightly. "Enter."
Her calm voice was crisp and melodious, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
A man clad in golden armor pushed the door open and entered, bowing respectfully."Young Mistress!"
"Uncle She, did anything noteworthy happen in Heaven Dou City today?" Qian Renxue asked as usual.
She Long replied, "Nothing major. There is one matter worth mentioning. Prince Xue Beng had a conflict at the entrance of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy today. After getting beaten up, he lost a gamble and paid out two hundred thousand gold soul coins."
"Two hundred thousand gold soul coins?" Even Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes flickered at the number."That amount is enough to cover a month's stipend for twenty thousand Great Soul Masters. And that wastrel lost it all in a single gamble? What was the wager about?"
She Long continued, "According to the spies around Xue Beng, it was over six extremely beautiful young girls."
Qian Renxue let out a disdainful sneer. Trash like that wasn't even worth her lifting a finger.
"Afterward, using the excuse of being assaulted, Xue Beng joined forces with Prince Xue Xing and the guest elder Dugu Bo to expel seven geniuses who were supposed to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Qian Renxue smiled faintly, clearly satisfied with Xue Beng's actions."With such useless princes around, how could Heaven Dou possibly not fall?"
.........................
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(End of Chapter)