Chapter 53: Handling Yu Xiaogang, An Accidental Eye Contact
Listening to her grandfather's persuasion opposite her, looking at the scenery flashing past outside the window, Qian Renxue fell into a long silence.
After a while, she finally spoke slowly: "Grandfather, I am not going back. The plan will be executed as usual, or rather, I must push this plan to the end."
Her tone was calm and waveless, and no emotion could be heard in her voice, but at some point, her hands had already clenched into fists, and pale green veins bulged on the back of her fair, jade-like hands.
"I am not trying to prove anything, I just want to take away her power and status step by step. Isn't she the Supreme Pontiff? Then I will destroy Spirit Hall and let the entire continent be shrouded under the glory of the Heaven Dou Empire."
Qian Daoliu opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
As for Qian Renxue's words about "destroying Spirit Hall," he didn't take it to heart.
It was not that he didn't believe in his granddaughter's ability, but in his view, as long as the continent could be unified in the end, and the winner was their Angel Family, what difference did it make whether Spirit Hall or the Heaven Dou Empire remained in the end?
Besides, that woman had indeed been quite restless recently.
Recalling her various recent abnormal movements, Qian Daoliu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Letting you sit on the Supreme Pontiff's throne was, after all, mixed with a bit of guilt—even if you personally killed Xunji, this guilt had not completely dissipated.
But ultimately, the Supreme Pontiff's throne of Spirit Hall should have, and must, belong to our Angel Family.
You are sitting on it now, and I can ignore it, but in the future, this position must be reserved for Xiaoxue; I absolutely cannot let you act recklessly.
As the collected information flashed through his mind, the corners of Qian Daoliu's mouth rose slightly.
A fox girl with Innately Full Spirit Power; from now on, let her become a stepping stone on Xiaoxue's path to the top.
"Grandfather? Grandfather?"
Qian Renxue's voice, filled with doubt, came from the pendant. Qian Daoliu hurriedly suppressed these thoughts and responded to his granddaughter with concern: "Don't worry, Xiaoxue. If you really want to destroy Spirit Hall, when that time comes, all of your grandfathers can become patrons of the Heaven Dou Empire. I won't stop you. But you must not forget to Cultivate."
"Power struggles and schemes are ultimately minor paths; profound cultivation and absolute power are the Great Dao."
"Grandfather, rest assured, I will not slack off in my training. After all, if I can't even catch up to that woman's cultivation, how can I take away her Spirit Hall in the future?"
Qian Renxue responded earnestly, exchanged a few more simple pleasantries, and hung up the communication.
Looking at the majestic angel sculpture in the hall, Qian Daoliu, a Limit Douluo who had lived through long years, suddenly felt a trace of confusion in his heart: Was his choice right or wrong?
Inside the luxurious carriage, Qian Renxue quietly gripped the pendant in her hand, remaining motionless for a long time.
A thousand thoughts swirled in her eyes, eventually settling into the depths of those azure pupils.
"Yu Xiaogang, what a Yu Xiaogang. Don't worry, I won't kill him; that would be too easy on him, and too easy on you."
"Grandmaster—I will find him, lift him up to the altar, and then expose Yu Xiaogang's deeds to the public, beat him down into the dust, and make him the laughingstock of the entire continent, a clown in the Spirit Master's world. By then, as the Supreme Pontiff, you will only be able to watch him fall to the bottom of the valley. That must be very interesting, right?"
Qian Renxue's cold and pleasant voice drifted out from the carriage, gradually dissipating into the scorching sky.
"Young Lord, Iron Wall City has arrived. The military commander of the city defense force has already come out of the city personally to welcome you." The voice of Porcupinefish Douluo came from the front of the carriage.
"I will get off the carriage now."
As her voice fell, Qian Renxue activated the disguise ability of her Spirit Bone again, transforming back into that heroic First Prince of Heaven Dou, and her voice returned to its usual gentleness and humility.
"Why is this room in Iron Wall City like an army barracks?"
Looking at the room with its simple furnishings and a clean, efficient vibe, Su Yuntao couldn't help but complain.
"Perhaps it's because most people only stay in Iron Wall City temporarily before heading straight to Heaven Dou City, so it was designed this way." Tang Shan studied it for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a small bed from under the wooden bed.
"Look, this room was never meant for just two people. If a war really broke out, a room could easily fit more soldiers."
"Forget it, why worry about so much. Once we've challenged enough opponents in this Great Spirit Arena, we should head to Heaven Dou City quickly; there surely won't be a shortage of strong opponents there."
Su Yuntao stretched, called out, and pushed the door open to walk outside.
Tang Shan followed him, but realized his big brother had suddenly stopped at the second-floor window and didn't continue walking.
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Tang Shan curiously leaned over.
"Shan Zi, look, that seems to be the Imperial Guards." Su Yuntao narrowed his eyes, looking at the army approaching rapidly in the distance with neat formations, his tone filled with surprise.
"Imperial Guards?"
Tang Shan also became interested and looked in the direction Su Yuntao pointed.
Rows of soldiers with solemn military demeanor and murderous Aura were marching on the wide street, and an invisible sense of oppression rushed towards them. In the center of the army, a carriage bore the swan emblem representing the Heaven Dou royal family, undoubtedly highlighting the noble identity of the passenger.
"People from the Heaven Dou royal family, why would they come to Iron Wall City?" Su Haichao had walked up to them at some point, looking at that army with a face full of confusion.
"Anyway, it definitely doesn't have much to do with us; maybe they are here to inspect Iron Wall City. After all, this city is their last line of defense, so it must be checked frequently."
Tang Shan didn't pay much attention and turned to leave, but subconsciously glanced out the window again before leaving.
At the same time, the curtain on the carriage was gently lifted, revealing a face that was slightly immature but already had the contours of a handsome man.
"He," while possessing a touch of youthful spirit, could not hide the noble demeanor in his bones, with a gentle smile on his face that made people feel goodwill involuntarily.
The jawline was firm yet gentle, adding to his handsomeness. A pair of pitch-black eyes were clear and deep, yet they didn't make people feel uncomfortable as if they were being seen through.
Their gazes collided suddenly, and both were obviously stunned—neither had expected that their casual glance would result in eye contact with a stranger across the distance.
Tang Shan withdrew his gaze and didn't take this little episode to heart.
So what if the other party was a member of the royal family? As long as it wasn't Xue Qinghe, it meant nothing.
Inside the carriage, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue), who had withdrawn her gaze, frowned slightly.
For some reason, at that moment, her heart had skipped a beat inexplicably. And the other person's eyes.
The emblem on the carriage clearly indicated her identity, but why was there not a trace of awe in his eyes, only a calm surface?
"Big brother, let's go." Tang Shan called out.
Su Yuntao didn't pay any more attention to that royal family member. In his view, the other party was just a person with two hands, two legs, and one head; fundamentally, there was no difference.
Su Haichao, however, took a few more looks at that carriage, then looked at Tang Shan who was walking downstairs, secretly calculating in his heart:
He didn't know the character of this royal family member, and whether it was suitable for Shan Zi to temporarily defect to them?
The Heaven Dou Empire's royal family was indeed a good choice. It's just that he wasn't sure which faction Tang Shan would choose to temporarily rely on.
As for permanent attachment, or living under someone else's roof, Su Haichao didn't think it was very likely.
Having raised Tang Shan since he was a child, he considered himself to have some understanding of Tang Shan.
Tang Shan usually didn't seem to have many emotional fluctuations, and his personality seemed peaceful, but there seemed to be an indescribable pride hidden in his bones.
This kind of pride was very special; if Su Haichao had to describe it, it was more like a kind of "equality view"—even if a Titled Douluo and an ordinary person stood together, in his eyes, there didn't seem to be any difference.
This pride was silent, yet it influenced the people around him subtly.
Take Su Yuntao, for example; his increasingly warlike nature seemed to be influenced by Tang Shan, combined with other factors.
If Tang Shan hadn't been by his side, Su Haichao wouldn't believe that his son could turn and walk downstairs so indifferently when facing a member of the imperial family.
If Tang Shan knew Su Haichao's thoughts, he would surely find it laughable.
Where was there any pride in him? It was just that he had brought the worldview formed in his previous life into this one, and his words and deeds naturally carried an attitude of equality.
After all, in his previous life, no matter how high your status or how great your power, you couldn't escape birth, aging, sickness, and death in the end, and you couldn't feel the level oppression between true living beings.
Even after transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, which possessed extraordinary power, and being familiar with the original plot, he naturally wouldn't feel awe for so-called dignitaries.
"Big brother, have you planned where the first stop of your travels will be?" Looking at the army gradually disappearing from view in the distance, Tang Shan asked Su Yuntao beside him casually.
"Not fully determined yet. Mainly, I want to see if I can get a special token from Bishop Salas; with that, I might be able to get a lot of convenience while traveling the continent."
Su Yuntao wasn't stupid; traveling the continent didn't mean he had to suffer; the key was to set a goal first.
His goal was simple: go to the Spirit Fight arenas of major cities to participate in competitions, improve himself in actual combat, and speed up his cultivation progress.
As for the rest, whatever was convenient, he would do.
"Big brother, don't be reckless outside. If you encounter danger, run if you can, hide if you can; if it really doesn't work, it's okay to compromise temporarily. Protecting yourself is the most important thing." Tang Shan reminded him earnestly.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid, and I don't have such a strong sense of justice. Within my capabilities, I will definitely help if I can; if it's beyond my capabilities, I can only say goodbye.
Besides, the continent is generally safe; I won't be so unlucky as to run into Fallen Ones or Evil Spirit Masters, right?"
Tang Shan's eyelids twitched inexplicably, feeling that his big brother was frantically setting a flag for himself.
Thinking of the various labels currently on his big brother, as well as his recent encounters, Tang Shan suddenly fell silent.
Good guy, this is stacking the "bad luck buff" to the max.
"Big brother, I believe in you. Also, remember to wear a mask when you are outside; you must not travel using your real name. If it really doesn't work, just pick a fake name or nickname for yourself. If something big really happens, you must carry it yourself; you must never give me and father away."
Su Yuntao was a bit confused, but still nodded subconsciously.
Looking at his confused big brother, Tang Shan didn't say any more, just wished him a smooth journey.
At the same time, he had already made up his mind: when he went back, he would figure out a set of fist techniques to teach his big brother.
After all, his big brother had already practiced Ming Jin, and although there was still a long way to go in tempering his physique, what if he encountered some Opportunity?
It was better to teach him the method of cultivating An Jin in advance.
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