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After entering the house, Grandpa Dugu was very much looking forward to Shi Quan cooking today.
In a cheerful atmosphere, dinner concluded. As the school term hadn't started yet, the three of them stayed in the courtyard to rest. The courtyard was very large, with many empty rooms, and Dugu Yan quickly arranged rooms for Shi Quan and Ye Lingling.
"Shi Quan." After Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling returned to their respective rooms, Dugu Bo called out to Shi Quan.
"What is it, Grandpa Dugu?"
"Have you specifically looked into Ye Lingling's Family situation?"
Shi Quan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, Grandpa Dugu, what do you mean by that?"
Dugu Bo reminded him, "Although Ye Lingling is the current inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia, she doesn't seem to be well-regarded within the Nine Heart Begonia Family. I'm not sure of the specific reason, but you'd best pay attention."
Shi Quan asked confusedly, "The Nine Heart Begonia Family only has two Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit possessors. As the Martial Spirit inheritor, Lingling should be the next Clan Chief of the Nine Heart Begonia Family, so why would she not be well-regarded?"
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes at Shi Quan. "If you want to know the specific reason, there are two very simple ways. One is to ask Ye Lingling, and the other is to use your connections to investigate. The fact that Ye Lingling doesn't go home during holidays tells you that her relationship with her Family isn't harmonious. Otherwise, why would she come back with you, kid?"
"I will pay attention." Shi Quan nodded.
"But you don't need to worry too much. With me here, the Nine Heart Begonia Family wouldn't dare do anything to you," Dugu Bo said proudly.
"Thank you, Grandpa Dugu."
"Alright, nothing else. Go Cultivate."
Dugu Bo waved his hand towards Shi Quan, who then returned to his room.
"So, Lingling's current personality and inner loneliness are due to her Family?" Shi Quan thought to himself.
The next morning.
After breakfast, Shi Quan let Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling return to the academy ahead of him.
Shi Quan then went to the Crown Prince Residence.
"Stop, this is an important area of the Crown Prince Residence. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden." As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Crown Prince Residence, Shi Quan was stopped by two fully armed guards.
Shi Quan took out the token Xue Qinghe had given him. "I am Shi Quan, a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and I've come to request an audience with His Highness, the Crown Prince."
"Crown Prince's Token?" Seeing the token in Shi Quan's hand, the two guards' expressions changed. Their attitude immediately shifted from their previous sternness to one of obsequious deference. "Sir Shi Quan, please come in. A maid will guide you inside."
Shi Quan nodded and walked into the Crown Prince Residence.
This was Shi Quan's second time at the Crown Prince Residence, but he still felt that understated, luxurious, and grand atmosphere. Led by a maid, he walked for about ten minutes before being seated by the maid in a reception room nearly a hundred square meters in size.
Drinking the fragrant tea prepared by the maid, Shi Quan waited quietly. After about half an hour, Xue Qinghe's slightly magnetic male voice finally sounded from outside the room.
"Little Brother Shi, I've kept you waiting."
"Big Brother Xue, you're too polite. I hope my sudden visit hasn't disturbed you," Shi Quan said courteously to Xue Qinghe as he walked in.
Xue Qinghe quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "How could it? I'm delighted that Little Brother Shi could come. How could it be a disturbance?"
"Big Brother Xue, actually, I came today to ask you to help me investigate something," Shi Quan said directly.
"Oh?" A glint flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes, and he said with a chuckle, "Little Brother Shi, feel free to speak. As long as I can help, I certainly will."
"Big Brother Xue should know Ye Lingling, right?"
"Ye Lingling? The one with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit?"
"That's right."
"What do you want me to investigate, Little Brother Shi?"
Shi Quan said directly, "Big Brother Xue, could you help me investigate the matters between Ye Lingling and the Nine Heart Begonia Family?"
Xue Qinghe's lips curved into a smile. "It seems Little Brother Shi knows something? Is that why you're asking me to investigate?"
"Yes, I only just found out recently. I heard that Lingling and the Nine Heart Begonia Family seem to be at odds, so I'm just curious."
"Curious?" Xue Qinghe looked at Shi Quan meaningfully, but said nothing, just nodded in agreement. "I've also heard about Ye Lingling's situation. I will help you investigate. This isn't some secret. It will take at most two or three days. I'll have someone deliver the collected information to you then."
"Then I'll trouble Big Brother Xue."
"It's nothing, this isn't a big deal."
"Then Big Brother Xue, I'll go back to Cultivate now. I won't disturb you any further."
Shi Quan did not linger with Xue Qinghe and directly turned to leave.
Xue Qinghe watched Shi Quan's departing back with a faint smile on her lips. She hadn't expected the first thing Shi Quan asked her to do would be to investigate Ye Lingling.
"It seems he's quite interested in Ye Lingling." Xue Qinghe smiled faintly, then arranged for personnel to begin investigating the matter.
After all, it was the first time Shi Quan had asked for her help, so Xue Qinghe was quite attentive to the matter.
When Shi Quan returned to the academy dormitory, he found that everyone else, including Ning Rongrong, had already returned to the dorms.
"Oh, the lone ranger is back?" Ning Rongrong said blandly, looking at Shi Quan.
Shi Quan was equally blunt, saying directly, "Why are you here again? Didn't you say you'd only study with me for a year?"
"This Young Miss comes when she wants and leaves when she wants. Right now, I just want to come to the academy to study, what's wrong? Nya nya nya..." Ning Rongrong made a face at Shi Quan.
Shi Quan couldn't help but roll his eyes at Ning Rongrong. Their current relationship was like that of bickering rivals who argued every day. If a day went by without them squabbling, it would actually seem strange.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy's opening did not involve any grand ceremonies or miscellaneous rituals. On the first day of school, each class would simply hold a class meeting to ensure all students were present.
The second day of the academy's opening.
Xue Qinghe's people delivered the investigated information.
Looking at the contents of the document, Shi Quan's brows furrowed.
The Nine Heart Begonia Family is a Family that places great importance on Bloodline Legacy. Due to the special nature of their Martial Spirit, to ensure the Family's continuation, the Nine Heart Begonia Family is extremely strict about Bloodline management.
Family members must seek powerful Spirit Masters as partners, so that even if their offspring do not inherit the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit, they can inherit the other parent's Martial Spirit, become powerful Spirit Masters, and thus contribute to protecting the Family.
However, in Ye Lingling's lineage, when her father underwent his Awakening, he did not possess spirit power. In cases like his father's, the Family would directly execute them, euphemistically stating that the Nine Heart Begonia Family does not support idlers.
But Ye Lingling's maternal grandparents couldn't bear to see their son killed and performed a 'cat for a prince' scheme, finding someone who resembled her father by eighty or ninety percent to take his place.
Ye Lingling's father thus managed to save his life, marrying and having children outside as an ordinary person. However, no one could have imagined that with both of Ye Lingling's parents being ordinary people, they would give birth to Ye Lingling, the inheritor of the new generation Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit.
The news of Ye Lingling's Awakening of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit was quickly discovered by the Nine Heart Begonia Family.
The matter of Ye Lingling's maternal grandparents' 'cat for a prince' scheme from back then was also quickly investigated. To prevent similar incidents from happening again, the Nine Heart Begonia Family not only executed her maternal grandparents and parents with swift and decisive action but also severely punished their branch Family, serving as a deterrent to all other branch families.
Of course, to the outside World, Ye Lingling's parents were said to have died in an accident, killed by Spirit Beasts.
After Ye Lingling's parents were killed, the Nine Heart Begonia Family brought her back into the Family to begin her training. At first, everything was fine. Logically, Ye Lingling should never have known that her parents and maternal grandparents were personally killed by Family members.
But the internal affairs of the Nine Heart Begonia Family were not harmonious, and by accident, Ye Lingling still learned everything.
At that time, Ye Lingling had just turned twelve.
For the first six years, she grew up happily with her parents, enjoying a blissful and complete life. Then, her parents died together in an accident, which was already a significant blow to Ye Lingling. The appearance of the Nine Heart Begonia Family then offered Ye Lingling warmth. Within the Family, she received the best resources and the most attention. Six more years passed like this.
Yet, in the end, Ye Lingling discovered that all of it was a lie, and the people she loved most had died at the hands of her own clansmen. Such a blow was undoubtedly immense for a twelve-year-old child.
At that time, if Ye Lingling had shown even the slightest intention of rebelling, the Nine Heart Begonia Family would have immediately executed her and then cultivated a new inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit.
She was very clever; she chose to stay. And from then on, Ye Lingling became a different person, becoming silent and withdrawn, her eyes losing their former sparkle and gradually becoming hollow.
The Family members naturally noticed her abnormality. Fortunately, the Family had no direct evidence to prove that she already knew the full story, and coupled with their branch Family's strong efforts to protect her, Ye Lingling was able to survive within the Family. Otherwise, Ye Lingling would have long since reunited with her parents in another World.
The Elders of their branch Family had also continuously encouraged her to work hard, stating that if one day she could become the Clan Chief, the grievances and injustices she had suffered in the past could be redressed.
Ye Lingling knew that even if she became the Clan Chief in the future, she would only be a Puppet, because she was a support Spirit Master. The true power within the Family still lay with those Spirit Masters who possessed combat strength.
Although it was called the Nine Heart Begonia Family and focused on the Nine Heart Begonia, in reality, the two possessors of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit were merely tools to support the Family.
Within the Nine Heart Begonia Family, whichever branch inherited the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit, that branch's influence would increase linearly. This was also why the Elders of their branch Family had always supported her—it was merely for more power.
As for Ye Lingling, the support Spirit Master, they never worried that she would escape the Family's control.
This was a drawback of support Spirit Master families. If there were more possessors of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit, the Nine Heart Begonia Family would not have developed to such a pathological extent.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the unique nature of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit that such a unique Family as the Nine Heart Begonia Family came into being. The Douluo Continent is, after all, a World where strength is revered.
A school like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which achieved the name of an Upper Three Sects with a support Martial Spirit, is unique and unreplicable.