Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

The woman in his arms also woke up, looking at the man with some confusion. But without saying a word, she looked at the front of the carriage as soon as her senses returned.

The woman went first, slowly stepping down from the carriage. She saw a man in black ahead, his face covered, a long sword hanging at his waist, his left hand resting on it, facing the carriage sideways, his eyes looking up at the moon, yet he had the air of a master.

Behind him was another masked man in black, arms crossed, looking nonchalant, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, but unlike the man in front, he didn't have the air of a master.

"Hey! Yin Jin! What are you doing?! What do you mean by bringing us here?! Where are my students?!"

The moment the woman saw the man in black, her outstanding demeanor vanished, and she pointed at him with her hands on her hips, revealing his identity.

Even the expert-like Yin Jin couldn't maintain his composure any longer. He took off his mask, spread his hands, and asked the woman, "Seriously?! Big sister, even like this, you still recognize me?!"

"Who's your big sister! Everyone in the entire education system knows that sword of yours! Stop acting all high and mighty! Speak up, what's the matter? And who's that behind you?!"

Hearing the woman's shrewish words, Yin Jin couldn't help but say helplessly, "Shui Zhen'er, how old are you? Can you not be so irritable? If you keep acting like this, I won't be able to make a move later."

"Hehehe! Are you working overtime at the Ministry of Education until you're crazy? I won't even ask what stupid thing you did, but you and the person behind you think you can beat me and Xiao Zhi?" The woman was Shui Zhen'er, and standing behind her was Ling Yunzhi, who was rumored to have lost his memory and was Qian Shui's former teammate.

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and fight. After that, we can grab a late-night snack. There's still a lot to do."

Seeing that the person behind Yin Jin was speaking very aggressively, Shui Zhen'er was also furious. She pointed at her husband and said, "Who are you? They know each other, who gives you the right to speak?"

Yin Jin remained silent, sensing that this matter was unlikely to end well. Before he could finish this thought, the person behind him slowly removed their mask and calmly said, "Qian Shui."

That day, Shui Zhen'er recalled again the fear she felt during that elite tournament, when she was dominated by that boy and his other teammate.

……

"Wow~ The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's boost is amazing! I never expected you, Brother Shui, to have twin martial souls~ Hiss! Ning Huahua, it's you!"

As the saying goes, with the power of silver and gold borrowed from a thousand waters, once the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda and the Killing God Domain are activated, and with a few extra buffs given to silver and gold, along with the sharing of spiritual power, and finally the anti-armor that has developed the ninth ring of the Evil Emperor's Thorn Aura skill, it would be difficult for him not to win.

"You're only just realizing this? I always thought you'd guessed it a long time ago."

"I always thought it was my sister-in-law... Oops! You guys are the ones playing tricks!"

"Enough talk! Carry it! Let's go!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

When the couple who had been knocked unconscious were brought back to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Qian Renxue happened to be home from get off work.

"Come on, Xiaoxue, let's interrogate this guy who supposedly has amnesia!"

Once a man is separated from a woman, he remains a boy until death; at least Qian Renxue has deeply felt this over the past six months.

After some awkwardness and a lot of restraint, Qian Shui has had much more time for creative thinking, as seen in the current situation.

But at least it's fulfilling, even if it seems absurd.

"Tell me! Amnesia?!"

"Brother Shui, if you want him to talk, let him open his mouth!"

"Pah, you talk too much!"

In front of the amnesiac Ling Yunzhi and Shui Zhen'er, there were probably three human figures: two men and one woman. The woman was holding a child in her arms, while the extremely powerful Qian Shui, who had defeated the couple with just Yin Jin's help, was holding a chandelier and shining it in front of them.

Although Qian Renxue knew everything Qian Shui did and was aware of the whole process, she still couldn't resist bringing her son to watch the live show when Ling Yunzhi and Shui Zhen'er were bound like dumplings with their soul power sealed and appeared on her living room sofa.

"Xiao Shui, he has amnesia. Ask him how he lost his memory?"

"Ahem, it's my first time interrogating someone, I'm a little nervous~ Tell me, what's the female protagonist in the story?"

"The story begins in the frozen forest six years ago..."

It was roughly during the time when Qian Shui left the City of Slaughter that Qian Shui went to the far north once to treat Ruo You, who was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Back then, these teammates weren't as capable as they are now, nor were they all powerful figures in their own right. They were all just starting out and only had the strength of a Soul King.

This is why Qian Shui was unwilling to show himself back then, because once he appeared, unless he could gather them all under his command and make them a force to compete for power.

Otherwise, if they are left out inconspicuous, they will become the brightest targets, making them easy targets for other forces to point out one by one.

He didn't want to establish any organization or form his own faction within the Spirit Hall. Naturally, the best approach was to let them grow freely. At most, he would intervene to save them if they caused serious trouble, like Yin Jin, or were critically injured and on the verge of death, like Ruo You.

In the Frozen Forest, a place with a suitable environment, Ling Yunzhi had the highest cultivation level back then, reaching level 60 Quasi-Soul Emperor. Qian Shui's guess was correct; this guy had set his sights on the Ice Jade Scorpion again.

Practice makes perfect, and this time they provoked the Ice Emperor. The aftershock of the Ice Emperor's Wrath almost killed the two of them, but luckily they ran far away and escaped with their lives.

It's quite a coincidence that Shui Zhen'er was also hunting souls in the Frozen Forest when she broke through to the Soul King level. Although Qian Shui didn't know how she trained, she leveled up about five times in four years. Could it be that she was discouraged by the Elite Tournament?

Anyway, I couldn't get an answer from them, and they wouldn't answer anyway.

In short, Ling Yunzhi, whose brain had been damaged, was taken back to Tianshui Academy by Shui Zhen'er. Although the Elite Tournament made them famous, they were not even considered mid-level experts. The Spirit Hall reported them missing, but it was basically treated as if they were dead, since they were not high enough at that time.

In those days, news traveled very slowly and there were no photos or anything like that. Unless you've seen the person in person, you might not recognize them even if they changed their look a few times.

Furthermore, as he gradually developed feelings for Shui Zhen'er, who recognized Ling Yunzhi, and through deliberate concealment, few people knew about it.

It wasn't until the start of the education reform that Yin Jin obtained information on all the teachers within the empire and, after secretly investigating, confirmed the facts.

"This guy not only looks like the main character, but his experiences and encounters are also... well, why not let him travel through time?"

Mocking his teammate whose brain seemed to have been fried, Qian Shui shook his head and sighed.

"So, one last question: Was it you who went to the far north to hunt down a ten-thousand-year-old ice jade scorpion two years ago?"

Chapter 230 Business and Private Matters

"Your Highness, the Third Prince has solved another one."

"Thank you very much, Brother Yu."

"It doesn't matter."

Inside a modestly constructed government office near the Heavenly Dou Imperial City, members of the Imperial Dou First and Second Teams gathered.

A group of fourteen people sat cross-legged in two rows in the backyard with its high walls and thick tiles, meditating and cultivating their souls.

Meanwhile, the two ice and snow emperors, unfazed by any odds, would sit with their parasols up, sunglasses on, and reclined in rocking chairs, enjoying life as still as mountains.

The members of the Royal Fighting Team had seen this kind of formulaic communication countless times, and couldn't help but complain.

"Come to think of it, how many times have I seen this scene before?"

"I can't remember..."

Dugu Yan, whose green eyes seemed to have faded considerably, glared at the two people who were speaking and said irritably, "Cultivate properly! Maintain your best condition!"

"Sister Yanzi, we're a seeded team, we're not even participating in the qualifiers!"

"So that's why you were assigned here!"

With the reopening of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, the Holy Gathering, held every five years, naturally has its purpose.

Qian Shui and Qian Renxue were not focused on the outcome of the competition. Instead, the large influx of people put Tian Dou City's security and urban management to a major test. If this was handled well, it would be a plus for the reform.

Originally, for such a large-scale competition with both good and bad aspects, all that was needed was to focus on the competition itself; the upper echelons did not care about the lives of the lower classes.

But for Qian Shui, this is a huge opportunity. Not only can he make a fortune in government revenue, but he can also expose some problems.

For example, in his competition, he accidentally stumbled upon a cultist taking advantage of the chaos. Back then, he didn't think too much about it; he was simply unaccustomed to the realism of this world. Now, thinking back, if you can find cockroaches so easily, how many rats could have infiltrated?

With the mindset that you have to work to earn a living, the first and second teams of the Royal Fighting Team were all handed over to the Third Prince, who was in charge of the defense of Heaven Fighting City. He, the Peerless Douluo, could control Heaven Fighting City with his divine sense, but he could not personally appear to micromanage it.

These people can't rely on him for their entire lives. A sound system needs to be established to deal with this. No matter how well the coordination is done, there can't be a shortage of manpower. Anyway, the first team doesn't need to participate in the qualifiers.

"Sister Yanzi, you can't worship the Crown Princess as a god just because she cured your family's hereditary toxin, can you?"

"You know nothing!"

Dugu Yan wasn't the kind of person who was brainless and stupid. Ning Huahua gave her a soul bone, which helped her basically resolve the hidden dangers of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul. It was a great favor.

But setting aside any considerations of self-interest, there's still that elusive and powerful expert standing there, someone Ning Huahua probably doesn't have the ability to claim that favor.

Without the support of a titled Douluo elder, she would have to be extremely cautious no matter what, and the Crown Prince's Mansion, which controlled almost everything in the Heaven Dou Empire, would be an excellent patron.

Just then, Yu Tianheng's polite conversation with the Third Prince was interrupted.

Ning Huahua, wearing a red hoodie and with her hands in her pockets, led seven pretty girls in matching light blue combat suits into the room. Their target was the Third Prince, followed by the embarrassed Minister Yin Jin.

Seeing this, Yu Tianheng wisely withdrew and returned to the group to meditate.

"Tianheng, what's wrong?"

"It seems that the teacher in charge of the Tianshui Academy has disappeared without a trace, and the Crown Princess has brought them here on official business."

Dugu Yan's perception of Ning Huahua was further refreshed by her behavior: "Huh?! Such a big thing, and she can handle it all like an official?"

Upon opening her eyes and hearing about this, Ning Rongrong merely snorted, "That woman, what wouldn't she do!"

The boy closest to her was Oscar, and the girls thought he was the only one who was relatively clean. Ning Rongrong, who didn't have any strange thoughts, sat next to him. "Rongrong, don't talk about Sister Hua like that. Maybe she has some deeper meaning in doing this?"

After spending so much time together, everyone knew that Oscar still couldn't forget Ning Huahua, even though Ning Rongrong, who was almost identical to him, was sitting next to him, he didn't seem to care as much.

"Little Ao, the person is still here, aren't you afraid of being overheard?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, Boss Dai!"

Ning Huahua, who was in the distance, seemed to have heard it. She turned her head and smiled slightly at Oscar, which instantly made him blush.

Oscar's companion, Ma Hongjun, immediately chimed in, "Oh! You're blushing? Let me see!"

Everyone laughed, and the whole backyard was filled with a happy atmosphere.

"I'm entrusting Hai Zang to you."

"Yes, sister-in-law."

The Third Prince, Xue Haicang, was the most talented in cultivation among Emperor Xue Ye's four sons. He should have been in the Royal Fighting Team and made a name for himself in the Elite Tournament. Unfortunately, being in charge of the royal army meant he couldn't go to school. Over the years, he had been firmly pinned to the position of controlling Tian Dou City and couldn't move.

If you're given power, do you give up the chance to win big, or do you enjoy playing around in a crucial position? This is a difficult choice, at least for royalty, and can be considered a bit of a power play.

Immediately afterwards, Ning Huahua waved to Yin Jin, signaling him to follow. Before leaving, she exchanged glances with Bing Di, but it was unclear what message she was conveying.

"Brother Shui, this is way too perfunctory!"

"What's wrong with being perfunctory? Or should I go and call Hyotei to my house right now?"

"No, no, please spare his life!"

"I'm saving him, okay!"

While communicating with Qian Shui telepathically about this matter, Yin Jin also recalled what happened last night.

...