On the other side, Dugu Bo had also arrived at the family of the Peerless Dragon Snake couple.
After a series of tactics involving wit, bravery, martial prowess, intimidation, and incentives, Dugu Bo successfully persuaded the Dragon Duke Meng Shu and the Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang to submit to Lin Rong.
"Mr. Dugu, my wife and I still need to pack our things. Will you wait here for us to leave together, or will you go ahead?"
As Meng Shu spoke, he lowered his head and sniffed the two Dragon Rhyme Immortal Ganoderma Pills in the jade bottle, unable to contain the smile on his aged face.
Across from him, Dugu Bo watched this scene, his heart bleeding.
If only I hadn't offered a pill at the very beginning. Now this old rascal Meng Shu has tricked me out of more than one pill.
But fortunately, I insisted afterwards that there were only two pills, which saved the last one out of the three.
However, such matters could not be spoken of openly, so Dugu Bo could only offer a fawning smile and politely decline:
"I have other important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further. Farewell."
After Dugu Bo left, the Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang looked at her husband, asking in confusion:
"Old man, why would you believe Dugu Bo's lie about only having two pills?"
"This Dragon Rhyme Immortal Ganoderma Pill, one can take at most three pills. It's almost obvious that Dugu Bo has three pills."
"Since he's here on his master's orders to recruit us, why can't we just ask him for that last pill? Does he dare to refuse?"
"With three pills, my husband, myself, and our granddaughter Yiran will each get one."
"My dear wife, that's where you're mistaken," the Dragon Duke Meng Shu said, stroking his beard and calmly explaining:
"If we were to forcefully demand it, Dugu Bo, bound by his master's orders, naturally wouldn't be able to refuse."
"However, from now on, we will both be subordinates of that Lord. We'll see each other frequently, and it wouldn't be good to damage our relationship."
"You must understand, Dugu Bo is ultimately a Titled Douluo, while I am only a Soul Douluo. Even with our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, allowing us to temporarily contend with a Titled Douluo, we must still maintain a sense of awe to avoid losing ourselves."
Chao Tianxiang understood her husband's intentions after hearing his explanation. She then looked at the two pills in the jade bottle and said:
"There are only two pills here. One of them will definitely go to Yiran, and the remaining one can go to you, old man. Perhaps..."
"Alas!" Meng Shu sighed and refused:
"My dear wife, one pill is not enough to give me hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo, but it's different for you."
"My Martial Soul is the Dragon Head Cane. The slight improvement in my Martial Soul's quality from this pill wouldn't even be considered adding icing to the cake."
"But your Martial Soul is the Serpent Cane. The improvement this pill brings to your Martial Soul's quality can be considered a lifesaver."
"If you take this pill, perhaps you'll also have a chance to cultivate to the realm of Soul Douluo. Then, if both of us are Soul Douluos, the power of our Dragon Snake Combination attack will be able to rival a Level 95 Titled Douluo."
After speaking, Meng Shu saw that his wife was still hesitant and added:
"Don't worry, my dear wife. That Lord should still have these pills, and there will be opportunities in the future. Please don't hesitate."
...
Time flowed by quickly.
When the Peerless Dragon Snake couple arrived in Heaven Dou City with their family, the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament had already reached the final stages of the qualifying rounds.
Outside Heaven Dou City, at the Royal Hunting Ground.
This place was vast and its terrain varied, serving as a hunting ground for royal family members and a training area for the Royal Knights.
Normally, no civilians were allowed near this area, but whenever the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament reached its qualifying rounds.
It would be used as the venue for the qualifying matches.
On a wide grassland, within a certain military camp.
Lin Rong gazed at the Royal Knights soldiers patrolling various parts of the camp, contemplating how to gain control of this force without bloodshed.
As an elite unit fully developed by the royal family, the Royal Knights numbered fifty thousand, all of them cavalry.
The mounts they rode were not ordinary horses, but Heaven Soul Horses with Spirit Beast bloodlines.
These horses themselves possessed no offensive capabilities, but their extreme speed, immense carrying capacity, and exceptional endurance made the Heaven Soul Horse the best choice for cavalry across the continent.
Furthermore, all captains of the Royal Knights at the level of one hundred men or more were Spirit Masters. The higher the military rank, the higher the Spirit Master's cultivation.
Undoubtedly, the Royal Knights were a trump card held by the Heaven Dou imperial family.
An extremely terrifying price would need to be paid to annihilate such a trump card unit.
Moreover, rather than annihilating the Royal Knights, it would be better to control them.
This was Lin Rong's thought, and it was also Qian Renxue's thought.
As long as Emperor Xue Ye died under the potent "Seven-Colored Splendor" poison, "Xue Qinghe," who would inherit the throne as Crown Prince, would legitimately gain control of the Royal Knights.
Conversely.
If all members of the Xue family died in the great battle between Qian Renxue and Tang San, the commander of the Royal Knights might very well become a warlord.
Although the Royal Knights would certainly have to obey the new emperor chosen by the ten hereditary noble families.
They could also place their bets in advance, and the noble family they supported would become a strong contender for the throne.
If the noble family they bet on failed to win the competition, the commanding Knight commander, to avoid being held accountable, might even launch a rebellion to fight for survival.
"The original work states that when Dugu Bo was being hunted by elders from Spirit Hall, it was Prince Xue Xing who led the army to force the Spirit Hall elder to retreat."
"The location was the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, so the army led by Xue Xing very likely consisted of the Royal Knights."
"Looking at it this way, Xue Ye truly treats his own brother quite well."
"Xue Xing was given full authority over the Royal Academy, and he was even granted partial command of the direct royal troops."
"It's no wonder Xue Xing dared to support Xue Beng in a power struggle against Xue Qinghe. Xue Ye's favoritism towards his own brother is the very foundation of his confidence!"
"Although Dugu Bo has submitted to me, besides those present from the Tang Sect that day, only that old fox Ning Fengzhi has any suspicions."
"No one else knows about this matter, and Dugu Bo is still officially a guest of the royal family."
"Perhaps I can start from here and have Dugu Bo subtly inquire with Xue Xing about the Royal Knights."
As Lin Rong was thinking, the old butler quietly approached him from behind and whispered in his ear:
"Young master, the Peerless Dragon Snake couple has arrived in Heaven Dou City with their family. This old servant has already sent people to settle them."
"They've arrived?" Lin Rong looked towards Heaven Dou City.
"After all this time, traveling with the whole family is bound to be slow!"
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