Heaven Dou Empire, imperial palace.
"Has Lucien returned? Is he hurt?"
The moment Snake Lance Douluo and Dolphin Douluo stepped quietly into the palace, Qian Renxue stood and asked urgently.
"Don't worry, Miss. He's fine!" Snake Lance Douluo nodded stiffly.
Fine? That brat was more than fine—he was terrifying. But the two of them had nearly lost their old bones.
Qian Renxue's tense shoulders relaxed. "That's good."
For nights she hadn't slept properly, worried Lucien would meet Tang Hao face-to-face and never return. Hearing he was safe lifted an enormous weight off her chest.
"Tell me everything."
The two Titled Douluo recounted the entire encounter in detail.
"You mean Lucien obtained… something?" Qian Renxue frowned.
"Yes. While we were fighting Tang Hao, Lucien slipped past. When Tang Hao returned, he was utterly furious—as if something precious had been taken from him," Snake Lance replied grimly.
What Lucien took, they dared not guess. Better not to know. And after seeing Lucien fight in that strange half-drunken state, the two of them certainly weren't going to drag him back forcibly.
"Understood. You may go and rest."
They immediately bowed. Finally—it was over. They had survived. Next time, they vowed, they would avoid this sort of mission at all costs.
"…Something that could drive Tang Hao into madness?" Qian Renxue murmured to herself as they left.
Only one possibility remained in her heart.
But more pressing still—who had Lucien gotten pregnant?
She glanced down at the scouts' reports piled on her desk. She had all the suspicious women listed and checked.
Ning Rongrong. Zhu Zhuqing. Dugu Yan. Shui Bing'er. Meng Yiran.
No signs of pregnancy among any of them.
"…Then who is it?"
Her fingers massaged her temples. The one person she couldn't track closely enough was Lucien himself—any scout tailing him would be caught immediately, which would end even worse.
Frustrated, she threw the papers aside.
Tianshui Academy.
After Shui Bing'er discovered she could accelerate her training near Lucien, several other girls had come to try.
But none of them worked.
It seemed only Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Martial Soul resonated with him. The dean, who had even bribed Lucien with dozens of jars of wine for this experiment, nearly coughed blood at the wasted effort.
Only Shui Bing'er… what a cruel twist of fate!
On a hill behind the academy.
"Sis, don't sulk," Shui Yue'er teased, lips pouting dramatically. "Lucien may have left, but your soul's already flown after him."
Usually, her older sister lectured her for being frivolous. But now, look who waited every night like a lonely wife abandoned by her husband.
"What does it matter whether he's here or not? I'm just fed up with the rumors!" Shui Bing'er snapped. Her cheeks flushed hot.
Those rumors had spread far and wide among the students—first that she and Lucien had a "thing", then that they were caught sharing a bed. Recently, someone even claimed they saw her leaving Lucien's room clutching the wall like a woman exhausted from… indecency.
Absurd!
Yes, she had walked out holding the wall—but only because her body was weak after pushing cultivation beside him too long. People twisting this into scandal infuriated her.
But beneath the anger, a worry gnawed quietly.
He left without a word. Will he come back?
With his presence, she was certain she could break through rank 46 before the Continental Tournament, raising her team's chances immeasurably.
…If he doesn't return, will my whole plan collapse?
"You say it has nothing to do with you, but you're worrying like a lovesick girl," Yue'er teased, standing up with a huff. "Hmph, keep lying to yourself. I'm leaving."
Shui Bing'er bit her lip, staring at the horizon, both heartache and joy flickering across her eyes.
Lucien's home.
"Lovely Little Grass," Lucien crooned, taking out the shimmering stalk of Blue Silver Grass he'd plucked from behind the waterfall. He cradled it as though it were a jewel. "From now on, this'll be your home. Do you like it? Plenty of sunshine here—it'll help you grow!"
He scratched his head. "Now… where to put you?"
He was talented at drinking, but caring for plants? Absolutely clueless.
After an awkward quarter-hour of trial and error, he finally set the Blue Silver Grass carefully into a wine jar at his window sill.
There it swayed happily in the breeze.
Lucien folded his arms with pride. "Hah! Beautiful! I always thought drinking was fun… who knew growing flowers could be fun too?"
He leaned in with a grin. "Little Grass, do you drink?"
The Blue Silver Grass shivered.
"Alright, alright! Here, have some!" He tilted a bit of liquor directly into the jar like water.
"Lucien!"
A familiar voice cut in.
Lucien turned, startled as Shui Bing'er stepped into his room.
"Bing'er? How'd you know I was back already?"
He'd barely arrived and she showed up right on his heels. Coincidence? He doubted it.
"…I was passing by," she replied quickly, eyes darting away, fingers brushing her bangs. "Your door was open, so I thought I'd… check."
But then her gaze caught the window sill.
"Lucien…" she asked slowly, "are you… soaking Blue Silver Grass in wine?"
Lucien blinked innocently. Then scowled. "Nonsense! That's my green plant! Do you have any idea how hard I worked?"
Shui Bing'er was speechless.
You planted a Blue Silver Grass… in liquor?
Of course Blue Silver Grass was a plant—but who in the world watered theirs with wine? At least eighty percent of that jar was still filled with alcohol!
Lucien puffed with satisfaction, patting the jar. "See? Look how happy my flower is!"
Shui Bing'er glanced at the grass, its blades trembling madly.
Happy? More like drunk!
She sighed. "Let me help you clean this up."
"Not a chance. Don't touch my green plant!"
She stared at him speechless.
This boy was a lost cause.
--
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