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The courtyard was deep and the corridors were winding. Lu Ming closed his eyes, and a sense of oneness with nature spread like mercury across the entire mansion.

He could "hear" the swaying of fish in the underground river beneath the artificial hill, and "smell" whether the incense burner in the west wing was burning ambergris or sandalwood. Ten breaths later, in the study in the very center of the mansion, he detected two auras completely different from the rest of the mansion.

The aura was as deep and profound as an abyss, as calm and steady as the sea. On the surface, it appeared to be a fluctuation at the Soul Master level, but Lu Ming repeatedly probed it with the unity of heaven and man, and found that deep within that aura lay a sharp edge that even he felt a chill.

That's not a Soul Master. That's a Title Douluo.

Lu Ming opened his eyes, no longer concealing his presence. He deliberately made a lantern behind the artificial hill sway slightly, creating a barely perceptible sound, and then waited for someone to arrive.

Three breaths later, two dark figures silently landed behind him. There were no footsteps, no sound of clothes rustling in the wind, only the temperature in the air suddenly rose by several degrees.

Ming didn't turn around, but tightened his gray robe, his tone as calm as water: "Please tell His Highness the Crown Prince that someone knows his secret and wants to make a deal with him."

There was no response from behind.

But one of the auras had already disappeared.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the vanished aura reappeared. Along with it came a young man dressed in a moon-white robe.

He had a handsome face and a composed gait, but his eyes were as sharp as knives. Lu Ming knew at a glance that this was not Xue Qinghe. Or rather, this body was Xue Qinghe, but deep within the flesh and blood was someone else entirely.

A thousand feet of snow.

"You've got some nerve." Qian Renxue sat down opposite him, her tone gentle, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. But the aura of light, unique to the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, was already subtly spreading, turning the entire study into an invisible cage.

Lu Ming looked up and met Qian Renxue's gaze calmly.

"Your Highness, or rather... Miss Qian Renxue. I've come to tell you a name." He paused, making sure each word was clear, "Tang Hao."

The air in the study froze instantly.

Qian Renxue's smile didn't disappear, but the temperature beneath it had plummeted to freezing. He lightly tapped the table with his right index finger, a barely perceptible gesture, but Lu Ming noticed that the candlelight in the four corners of the study dimmed simultaneously.

"Go on."

"Tang Hao is hiding near Heaven Dou City, secretly protecting his son Tang San." Lu Ming paused deliberately to give Qian Renxue time to process the information before continuing, "Tang San is currently studying at the New Shrek Academy in the northern suburbs of Heaven Dou City. He is thirteen years old this year, possesses twin martial souls, and has innate full soul power. His other martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer."

Qian Renxue's smile vanished completely. The face that belonged to Xue Qinghe was expressionless, only a fleeting golden light flashed deep within her pupils.

"Your name, age, lineage, address—you know all about them so clearly, there's no reason you shouldn't do it yourself."

"There are indeed reasons."

Lu Ming removed his bamboo hat, revealing an excessively youthful face. Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed slightly, a scrutinizing glint in them—this person was too young, so young that it didn't match the weight of this intelligence at all.

"No one knows better than me that Tang Hao killed Pope Qian Xunji back then."

Lu Ming stared directly into Qian Renxue's eyes, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool. The woman opposite him, disguised as a man, showed the first crack in her composed mask—her breath caught in her throat.

"He killed the previous Pope of the Spirit Hall and has an irreconcilable hatred for the Spirit Hall. Tang San, who has twin spirits and innate full spirit power, is his hope for revenge and his possibility of returning to the Clear Sky Sect. Therefore, he will not allow anyone to touch his son."

Lu Ming slowly uttered his last sentence, his tone calm yet each word carrying immense weight: "And for some reasons, I might become mortal enemies with Tang San, so I want to eliminate him completely..."

Lu Ming did not reveal Xiao Wu's identity as a 100,000-year-old soul beast, nor was he sure whether Qian Renxue would be tempted. If she were, he might suffer a greater loss than gain, and might even create a new enemy for himself.

He took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it in front of Qian Renxue. It was a piece of intelligence, detailing Tang Hao's whereabouts over the years and Tang San's martial soul information. Once Qian Renxue checked it, she would definitely believe what he said.

Qian Renxue glanced down at the letter. Her expression remained unchanged, but the fingers gripping the letter turned slightly white. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself with that, Miss!" Lu Ming smiled slightly. "I believe that as the true young master of the Spirit Hall, you know what to do!"

Qian Renxue remained silent.

She tapped her fingers three times slowly on the table. The movement was so light it was almost silent, but Lu Ming knew that all the Title Douluos around the study were waiting for this moment.

Why should I believe you?

"Believe it or not?!" Lu Ming chuckled softly, cupped his hands in a salute, and disappeared into the night outside the window in an instant.

Why should I believe you?

"Believe it or not?!" Lu Ming chuckled softly, cupped his hands in a salute, and disappeared into the night outside the window in an instant.

Qian Renxue was left alone in the study. She gazed in the direction Lu Ming had left, lost in thought.

The pufferfish and She Mao emerged from the darkness. She Mao's cold eyes stared in the direction Lu Ming had left, and he said in a chilling voice, "Young Master, this person actually knows your identity. Should we...?"

He didn't speak, but simply gestured a few times across his neck, his meaning crystal clear.

"Not for now, let's find out his identity first." Qian Renxue's voice was soft, but carried an undeniable weight. "Notify the Spirit Hall and have them start their investigation from Holy Soul Village to see if the information this person provided is accurate. We'll make a decision after the investigation is complete."

"Interesting. A descendant of a fallen soul master family from a small town on the northern border, who wasn't registered with the Spirit Hall, suddenly appeared in Soto City, and later became friends with Dugu Bo, knowing my identity and even Tang Hao's whereabouts. How interesting!"

Three days later, Qian Renxue looked at the information about Lu Ming with curiosity in her eyes. She wanted to know how Lu Ming got involved with Dugu Bo, how he knew Tang Hao's whereabouts, and even more so how he knew about her existence. How could a declining soul master family possibly know?

After getting up and straightening her clothes, Qian Renxue stepped out of the Crown Prince's residence and headed towards Lu Ming's house.

In Tiandou City, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

As usual, Lu Ming practiced his sword in the backyard. The Xuan Tie Heavy Sword felt as light as a feather in his hands. Each strike was in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth. Where the sword passed, the air parted silently and then quietly closed again afterward, without even stirring up a wisp of wind.

He has firmly established himself at the threshold of achieving harmony between humanity and nature.

Just then, he sheathed his sword and stood still, his gaze calmly fixed on the outside of the courtyard wall.

Three breaths later, a knock sounded on the door.

He was unhurried, methodical, and impeccably polite.

Lu Ming put down his heavy sword, walked over, and opened the door. Standing outside was a man in a moon-white robe, with a handsome face and a gentle, jade-like smile—it was none other than Xue Qinghe, the eldest prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, or rather, Qian Renxue.