"Tumult in Heaven Dou?"
"Yes. According to my spies embedded in Heaven Dou, the Emperor, Xue Ye, has passed away. The noble factions are in complete disarray."
Qian Renxue casually picked up the teacup beside her and drained it in one gulp.
"Xue Ye left behind only two sons—one is Xue Beng, the other is Xue Qinghe… which is me."
She smiled faintly before continuing:
"Right now, I've been expelled from the capital. Most of the nobles support Xue Beng's claim to the throne. A smaller faction—my diehard loyalists whom I cultivated over the years—are still waving my banner."
"I heard from Uncle Dugu that your cover as a Spirit Hall mole had already been blown. Can you still go back?"
After hearing Qian Renxue's explanation, Aether began to realize she still harbored intentions of contending for the throne.
Back when they traveled to Heaven Dou with Paimon and the others, the identity of "Xue Qinghe" as an imposter had been nearly confirmed. Aether hadn't expected anyone would still support her at such a critical juncture. Could there still be a twist waiting?
"Do you know why Emperor Xue Ye issued the arrest warrant against me?" Qian Renxue asked, deliberately teasing, one long leg crossed over the other as she leaned her chin against her palm. Her beautiful eyes stared at Aether with unreadable depth.
"Uhh… because 'Xue Qinghe' was suspected of being a Spirit Hall infiltrator?"
Aether hesitated, then replied tentatively.
"Correct." Qian Renxue nodded.
"Even back then—let alone now—no one had any solid proof that I was from Spirit Hall. They never even uncovered my true identity~"
"Xue Ye was a man of great suspicion. Once he had a notion, he'd rather kill the wrong person than let one go free."
"That was why I had to flee the city."
At this point, Qian Renxue's tone shifted.
"But now that Xue Ye is dead, the imperial succession cannot be arbitrarily denied. My biggest obstacle… is my half-brother, Xue Beng~"
"All the power backing Xue Beng is already within my grasp. The greatest of them being Prince Xue Ye himself."
"And the foundation of Prince Xue Ye's influence was none other than Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo, standing behind him…"
"..."
Hearing this, Aether couldn't possibly miss her meaning.
She wanted his help.
"Next time, Your Highness, just say what you mean. All this going around in circles—I'm not used to it."
"Hehe~"
Qian Renxue giggled into her hand, her demeanor once again like the composed crown prince of the past.
"I was just afraid you'd say no~"
To Aether, it felt like the old Qian Renxue—the one who once wielded great power and ambition—had returned.
"Uniting Heaven Dou isn't a bad thing…"
He considered for a moment. Events had developed too quickly. He had originally intended to restore his strength as soon as possible to prepare for the unknown challenges ahead.
But as fate would have it, Keke and the girls had—through sheer coincidence—stirred up the sealed-up Clear Sky Sect.
And behind them, the Asura God had already made an appearance.
Now that Tang San—the key chess piece—was out of the game, who knew what the gods of this plane were planning?
As for the mysterious being who had once pleaded on behalf of Fire Meow Meow, they had gone utterly silent.
Aether had hoped to use them to glean insight into the divine movements—but clearly, that path had closed off.
The situation was beginning to slip out of his control…
Aether turned to Qian Renxue.
"Let's do this. I'll call over Uncle Dugu. You can tell him what's on your mind."
"Mm-hmm!"
Qian Renxue nodded firmly. As long as Aether supported her, she trusted the Poison Douluo would see reason.
Not long after, Dugu Bo arrived in the courtyard with a large group.
Among them, Paimon, Yu Keke, and the others stood out—especially since they were all wearing sunglasses.
As soon as they saw Aether, Yu Keke awkwardly tried to take hers off, but Paimon quickly stopped her.
Yu Keke, Zhu Zhuqing, Fire Meow Meow—even Dugu Yan—seemed to have been "converted."
All of them stepped forward in unison, arms crossed, striking a very deliberate "don't mess with me" pose.
Fire Meow Meow, meanwhile, sat properly on the ground with her head tilted up at a cool 45-degree angle, trying to look extra mysterious.
"…What are you all doing?"
Aether looked at the posing group—plus one very confused Dugu Bo beside him—and couldn't help the wave of exasperation that washed over him.
"Hmph~" Paimon placed her tiny hands on her hips, proud as can be.
"Traveler! So? Don't we look super cool in our new outfits?"
"..."
Aether's mouth twitched. He reached out and plucked the sunglasses from Paimon's face.
"Where did you even get these things?"
"Give it back!" Paimon snatched the glasses back.
"These are custom-made! Here—this one's for you!"
She gestured, and Yu Keke obediently produced another pair from her soul tool storage and handed them over.
Paimon raised them up proudly toward Aether.
"Uh… I get one too?"
Aether took the sunglasses and examined them. Huh. The craftsmanship was surprisingly refined…
"Of course you do!"
Paimon gestured again. Another pair appeared.
"Qinghe, this one's for you—hee hee~"
"I get one too? Thank you, Paimon! They look so… novel."
Qian Renxue took the oversized sunglasses with curiosity, unable to put them down.
They looked like ordinary spectacles, but she had never seen black-tinted ones before.
"Heehee~ This is a limited-edition exclusive by Paimon~!"
"Are these… called glasses? Can I still see while wearing them…?"
Qian Renxue cautiously put them on, and to her surprise, not only could she see just fine, but the afternoon sun, despite the rare shade trees in the courtyard, had been quite dazzling.
Yet now, it was as if the harsh light had been magically blocked, making her vision clearer and more comfortable.
"They're called Paimon Glasses!"
Paimon announced proudly. And seeing Qian Renxue's stunning face partially hidden behind the lenses—now with an air of mystique—she couldn't help but exclaim:
"Qinghe, you look so cool wearing them!"
"Aha~"
Qian Renxue smiled at the praise, lowering the sunglasses slightly to peek at everyone through the gap.
She didn't realize that this pose—intended to look cool—made her look rather playful instead.
Seeing this mischievous side of her, even Aether couldn't help but laugh.
"Mmm~ These things are pretty amazing. Paimon, where did you buy them? I've never seen them before."
Qian Renxue looked up toward the sun again, marveling at how effective the glasses were.
"I'm just glad you like them~"
Paimon struck a thoughtful pose, pushing her sunglasses up with a single finger.
"These aren't for sale, remember? Limited-edition Paimon Originals~!"
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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