Meng Hongchen looked at her grandfather, her delicate and beautiful face wearing a sweet, adorable expression.
"Grandpa, don't worry. When I come back, I promise I'll train even harder."
Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed at his beloved granddaughter. Suddenly, he remembered that the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament had already ended several days ago.
By the timing of it, that brat Wang Chen should have returned by now.
At that moment, an alarm bell went off in Jing Hongchen's heart.
Just judging from the recent actions of the Wang Family in court, there was no way he could allow his granddaughter to continue interacting with that brat from the Wang Family. Their relationship had to be cut off.
Otherwise, if they got entangled in this matter, it would bring endless trouble...
Though vigilant inside, Jing Hongchen still wore a kind, gentle smile on his face.
"Hong'er," he said softly, "Grandpa happens to have some free time today. How about Grandpa accompanies you and keeps you safe, hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Hongchen's little face immediately scrunched up like a steamed bun.
What? If Grandpa comes along, I'll definitely have no chance to see Brother Wang Chen. No way! I can't let Grandpa come with me!
Meng Hongchen smiled sweetly and said, "Grandpa, I've already grown up. You don't need to follow me. I'm going out to play!"
As soon as her voice fell, the propulsion soul tool behind her unfolded, and in the blink of an eye she flew straight out past the main gate.
Just as she thought she'd successfully snuck out, a giant hand of soul power whooshed out and grabbed her midair, dragging her back effortlessly.
Suspended in the air, her legs were still frozen in a running posture. After a brief moment, she finally realized she had been caught — by her grandfather.
Pouting, Meng Hongchen said pitifully, "Grandpa, put me down!"
Jing Hongchen set her down but could no longer keep up his pretense. His face grew stern and expressionless, his voice deep and serious as he got straight to the point.
"Were you trying to see that brat Wang Chen again? Hong'er, I've already told you — stop looking for Wang Chen."
"In terms of family background, he's merely the great-grandson of a marquis. Your grandfather, on the other hand, is a duke."
"In terms of status, our Hongchen Family is deeply trusted by His Majesty. Your grandfather is not only the principal of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy but also the head of Mingde Hall. In the entire Sun Moon Empire, there are only a handful whose status surpasses mine."
"As for talent, you were born with full innate soul power, while Wang Chen only has innate soul power of rank nine — he's not even fit to carry your shoes."
"Status, position, talent — he's inferior to you in every way. You should associate with people who are more exceptional. Hong'er, Grandpa is doing this for your own good. I won't harm you. Keeping you away from that brat from the Wang Family is for your sake."
Meng Hongchen lowered her head, mumbling in a soft but stubborn voice, "Grandpa, I don't understand or care about any of that. Besides, Brother Wang Chen isn't a brat!"
Looking at his precious, obedient granddaughter daring to talk back to him for the sake of some boy, Jing Hongchen felt a sudden surge of outrage — like his cherished cabbage was about to be eaten by a pig.
His blood pressure shot up instantly, his face turning red as his heart ached. He wanted nothing more than to slap that brat Wang Chen into dust.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his anger, Jing Hongchen called out coldly, "Number Three."
"Hall Master!"
A middle-aged woman in a soul tool battle suit, plain-faced and expressionless, appeared beside him, kneeling on one knee to salute.
Jing Hongchen's tone was heavy. "From now on, when the young miss goes out, you will personally guard her. You don't need to interfere with what she does — but if she dares go to the Wang Family, bring her back immediately."
"Yes, Family Head," the woman replied at once.
"Grandpa, you're bad! Wuu— I hate you! Wuuuuu—!"
Upon hearing that her grandfather had ordered a guard to stop her from seeing Brother Wang Chen, Meng Hongchen burst into tears, wiping her eyes as she ran toward her room.
Watching his beloved granddaughter cry made Jing Hongchen feel terrible, and he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
In truth, though he often called Wang Chen a brat, at the very beginning he hadn't actually minded his granddaughter seeing him.
According to his investigations, Wang Chen's talent in soul tools was exceptional — no worse than his own grandson, Xiao Hongchen. A true gem in the making.
As for soul power cultivation, with innate soul power of rank nine, Wang Chen had the potential to one day break through to Title Douluo and become a Rank 9 Soul Engineer.
So, though Wang Chen's family background was slightly inferior, he was still barely worthy of his granddaughter.
Thus, while Jing Hongchen disliked Wang Chen personally, he hadn't interfered before. He had let things be, prioritizing his granddaughter's happiness.
But things were different now.
His Majesty the Emperor's health was failing, and recently, even the morning court sessions were being canceled frequently.
The princes who were eligible to inherit the throne had all sensed that the Emperor's life was nearing its end, and for that supreme position, their eyes had gone red.
Some were promising benefits to win over officials and soul engineers.
Others were attacking rival princes and the factions backing them.
At present, it was still too early to tell who would win.
Whether it was the eldest prince Xu Tianran, the second prince Xu Tianyu with powerful maternal backing, or the third prince Xu Tianshi supported by royal relatives — any one of them could ascend the throne.
No one dared to predict who would ultimately become the new ruler of the Sun Moon Empire.
Thus, all true top-level powerhouses of the Empire were watching and waiting, unwilling to place their bets too soon.
After all, though supporting the right dragon could bring great rewards, betting on the wrong one meant facing the wrath of the new emperor — and that was no joke.
However, at such a delicate time, that old fool Wang Yan, the patriarch of the Wang Family, had actually jumped into the imperial succession struggle, throwing his full support behind the second prince Xu Tianyu — all to break through his bottleneck and advance to Title Douluo.
To Jing Hongchen, that was sheer madness.
If it succeeded, fine — the second prince would surely repay Wang Yan with resources to help him reach level ninety, extend his lifespan, and live a few more decades.
But if the second prince lost, Wang Yan would almost certainly be purged by the new emperor — his family annihilated, his line wiped out. With only a peak Soul Douluo's strength, he wouldn't be able to protect the Wang Family.
And considering Wang Yan was already over a hundred years old and had little time left anyway, dying in the process wouldn't be much of a loss for him.
The real tragedy would be for the younger generation of the Wang Family.
Jing Hongchen couldn't help but sigh at how ruthless that old man was.
To gain a few extra decades of life by breaking through to Title Douluo, he was willing to completely ignore the fate of his descendants.
Jing Hongchen prided himself on being ruthless and calculating — yet compared to that old bastard Wang Yan, he had to admit he was still inferior.
Thus, ever since learning that Wang Yan had involved himself in the struggle for the throne, Jing Hongchen had forbidden any contact between his granddaughter and Wang Chen.
Otherwise, if that old thing used the relationship between Wang Chen and his granddaughter to claim that he, Jing Hongchen, was backing the second prince…
That would truly be like swallowing bitter herbs without being able to complain — suffering in silence.