Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Her target was the Northern Territory, not Eve. As long as the Northern Territory was incorporated into the Martial Soul Empire's territory, it wouldn't matter whether Eve lived or died.

“I can grant your request,” Bibi Dong raised her eyes, her voice still calm, “I will spare Eva’s life.”

Qian Daoliu's brows relaxed slightly, but then furrowed again.

He never knew whether this woman's next words would be a compromise or a trap.

She agreed to spare Eva's life, which sounded like a concession. But knowing her as he did, her concessions were always calculated; she would take a step back in order to take three steps forward elsewhere.

But he did not argue further.

He wasn't there to speak on Eva's behalf. He was simply there to confirm one thing: whether Eva would die in this war.

Now he has the answer.

Whether the North could be held was beyond his control. The only thing he could do was ensure Eva's survival should she be defeated and captured.

Qian Daoliu turned around and walked out of the hall.

The deep blue robe cast a silent shadow on the white marble floor. The palace knights guarding the temple gates lowered their heads instinctively upon seeing Qian Daoliu.

They didn't know what the Pope and the High Priest discussed, but they knew that as the High Priest walked past them, something extremely complex was churning deep within his eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well.

The palace doors slowly closed behind him. Qian Daoliu stood on the steps in front of the Papal Palace, looking up at the sky dyed golden red by the setting sun.

The snowstorms of the North, the power struggles of Heaven Dou City, and the ambitions of the Spirit Hall—things he once thought he had under control—now resemble a disrupted chessboard, with each piece sliding in an unexpected direction.

He sighed softly, then vanished in a flash.

……

Haotian City.

Tang San sat by the window, holding a pipa made of sandalwood in his hand. His slender fingers pressed on the strings. His posture was not unfamiliar, but it was definitely not skilled either.

This was his third day learning musical instruments from Tang Yuehua. Tang Yuehua said that people with overly sharp and murderous auras need to harmonize their minds with music.

Her original words were, "Music can cultivate one's inner strength and also conceal one's sharpness." Tang San neither agreed nor disagreed with this, but he did need to restrain his killing intent, and Tang Yuehua's method seemed to be much easier than what he had thought of.

Tang Yuehua sat opposite him, holding a guqin in her arms. Her slender fingertips occasionally plucked the strings, producing a clear and melodious sound.

She didn't rush to teach Tang San to play a piece of music, but instead let him get used to the tension of the strings and feel the subtle vibration between his fingertips and the strings.

"Your fingers are very steady." Tang Yuehua looked at Tang San's fingers on the strings, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes. "Have you studied musical instruments before?"

"No," Tang San answered truthfully.

He had never learned a musical instrument, but he had learned how to use concealed weapons. Concealed weapons require much higher precision in finger control than musical instruments; even the slightest error in the aim of a steel needle can result in a completely different angle at which it is launched.

In contrast, the tension of the strings is actually easier to control.

Tang Yuehua nodded, and was about to say something when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

The footsteps approached from afar, echoing heavily on the bluestone corridor. The person stopped in front of the door, and before they could catch their breath, they spoke: "Miss, Haotian Douluo has returned."

Tang San's fingers suddenly stopped.

The string was pressed too deeply, producing a very short, sharp vibrato, as if something had been snapped.

He raised his head, his eyes churning with extremely complex emotions: urgency, anticipation, and a hint of burning anxiety, like molten lava, suppressed beneath a cold surface.

"Let's go."

Tang Yuehua also stood up, gently placing the guqin on the table beside her. She glanced at Tang San, then walked towards the door first.

Tang San put down his pipa, got up and followed.

He walked very fast, so fast that Tang Yuehua had to quicken her pace to keep up with him.

The two walked one after the other through the bluestone corridor, turned several archways, and saw several Haotian Sect disciples standing at the entrance of the main hall in the distance. They all stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to breathe loudly.

In the main hall, Tang Hao stood with his back to the door. He was still wearing the same black clothes, his messy hair covering half his face, but his back was ramrod straight.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, his cloudy eyes falling on Tang San, looking him up and down.

"I'm out," Tang Hao said, his voice hoarse.

Tang San stood at the entrance of the main hall and did not go any further.

Looking at Tang Hao's weathered face, he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, layer by layer, beneath the surface of ice.

He didn't want to exchange pleasantries or say anything polite; he didn't even care where Tang Hao had gone or what he had done in the past few days.

"Where is my sister?"

Tang San spoke, his voice not loud, but each word clear: "Where is she?"

Tang Hao looked into Tang San's eyes, which were as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, and sighed.

"I do not know."

“After we parted ways in the City of Slaughter, she went on her own travels. Every now and then she would send me a letter to let me know she was safe, but she never wrote where she was or when she would return. All I know is that she is still on the continent and safe.”

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly.

He took half a step forward, and that half step landed on the bluestone ground with a very soft thud, but it made Tang Yuehua, who was standing next to him, feel a tightness in her heart.

"The letter."

Tang San's voice remained steady, but Tang Yuehua could hear the extreme tension suppressed beneath that calmness.

Tang Hao took out a stack of letters from his soul tool and handed them to Tang San.

Tang San took the letters and opened them one by one. The handwriting on the letters was neat and tidy, and every stroke was written carefully, without any trace of carelessness or perfunctoriness.

Chapter 515 Three Title Douluos

There are seven letters.

Stacked chronologically, the earliest letter was written shortly after Cinderella left, and the latest one was written two months ago.

Tang San started reading from the very first letter. His fingers gripped the edge of the letter, unconsciously tightening their hold, creating fine creases on the paper beneath his fingertips.

Each letter was short.

Cinderella was not one for lengthy writing; her letter-writing style was as concise as her speech.

Each letter contained only a few lines. She only mentioned that she had traveled to a small town she had never been to before, tasted a delicious pastry, and had some new insights into her cultivation.

She didn't mention a single word about which city she was in, who she met, or what happened.

Tang San read the seven letters over and over again, trying to find some clues in those concise, almost stingy words.

No.

Cinderella revealed nothing. She hid all the danger and hardship behind those few lines of understated "all is well," showing Tang San only what she wanted him to see.

Tang San put down the last letter. His movements were very light; the letter landed on the table almost without a sound. But his fingers lingered on the letter, his fingertips gently caressing the delicate handwriting, as if he were touching something extremely precious.

"I'm going to find her."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an undeniable and resolute tone.

Tang Hao frowned. "No."

Tang San raised his head, his deep eyes looking directly at Tang Hao.

The father and son's eyes met in the air, one as cold as a knife chilled to the bone, the other as heavy as a hammer weighing a thousand pounds.

“You just came from the City of Slaughter, and your murderous aura is overwhelming. You’re like a firefly in the dark wherever you go. But look at the world outside now. The Spirit Hall’s spies are everywhere in every city. If you stand on the street with that murderous aura, you’ll be mistaken for an evil spirit master in no time.”

Tang Hao's voice was hoarse and deep, each word carrying an undeniable weight.

Tang San couldn't refute it. He knew Tang Hao was telling the truth. Ever since leaving the City of Slaughter, everyone he'd met had looked at him with the same kind of fear.

Zhao Wu was like that, as were the Haotian Sect disciples at the city gate, and the people in the martial arts arena. Their murderous aura was indeed too conspicuous.

Tang Yuehua stepped forward and stood beside Tang Hao. Her voice remained gentle, but her tone carried an undeniable firmness.

"Xiao San, your father is right. If you go out like this, you can't even guarantee your own safety, let alone find Cinderella."

"Contain your murderous intent first. Your father will send people to inquire about Cinderella's whereabouts. When your sister writes again, we can use the information in the letter to pinpoint her location. It won't be too late for you to go find her then."

Tang San remained silent. He looked at the stack of letters on the table that he had repeatedly read, at Cinderella's delicate handwriting, and her face appeared in his mind.

With blonde hair, blue eyes, and a faint smile always on her lips, she never showed any weakness in front of him, no matter what difficulties she encountered from childhood to adulthood.

After a long silence, he spoke.

"it is good."

There was only one word, but Tang Yuehua could hear all the suppressed anxiety and resentment behind it. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Tang Hao. Tang Hao didn't say anything, only nodded slightly.

"Stay put in Haotian City until you've calmed down." Tang Hao's voice remained calm, but the commanding tone had lessened.

“I will send people to inquire about Cinderella. As long as she is still on this continent, we will find her one day.”

Tang San did not respond. He picked up the stack of letters again, folded them one by one, and neatly put them back into the envelopes in their original order before putting them into his pocket.

After doing all this, he turned and walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he stopped but did not look back.

"Father, Aunt, I'm going back to my room now."

Tang Yuehua watched his figure disappear at the end of the corridor and sighed softly.

She turned her head to look at Tang Hao, only to find that he was also looking in that direction. His usually expressionless face now displayed an extremely complex emotion.

“This child,” Tang Yuehua said softly, “cares more than he seems.”

Tang Hao didn't say anything. He simply turned around and walked in another direction.

Tang Yuehua stood there, watching the two men disappear one after the other into different ends of the corridor.

……

The wind from the North felt like knives on my face.

At the edge of the endless ice plains at the end of October, even the air carries a chill that can freeze one to the bone.

The weeds on both sides of the official road had long since withered and turned yellow, and were frozen hard by the frost, making a crunching sound when stepped on.

The Martial Soul Empire's Northern Expeditionary Army set up camp thirty miles from the northern border defense line. The continuous gray tents stretched like a dark cloud suddenly emerging from the ground, extending from the end of the official road all the way to the horizon.

Inside the central command tent, the lights burned all night long. Outside, the paladin knights patrolled in silver armor, their hands on their sword hilts, their steps so precise they looked as if measured with a ruler.

Inside the tent, the commanders of the three legions were discussing in hushed tones around an open map of the northern defenses.