Xue Qinghe sat rigidly in her chair, staring at the intelligence reports brought by Ci Xue and She Long. With a furious slam, she struck the table before her.
With a deafening crash, the square table shattered into pieces.
"That woman—how much longer does she plan to ruin me?!" Xue Qinghe's breathing was ragged, her chest heaving violently.
If not for her quick thinking earlier, she would have been exposed!
To travel all the way to the Heaven Dou Empire just to deliver the Heartbroken Acacia to Yu Xiaogang?
Bibi Dong, you really outdid yourself this time!
Do you even realize what I'm doing here? To stoop to such levels for a man—truly astounding.
Qian Renxue's rage burned fiercely.
The veins on her temples bulged. Behind her, She Long and Ci Xue exchanged helpless glances.
Even as Title Douluos, they dared not interrupt. They could only wait for their Young Master to vent before offering comfort.
This was the first time they had seen their Young Master so furious.
Not even when she had served as the real Xue Qinghe's maid—nearly forced to share his bed—had she been this enraged.
After a storm of destruction, Qian Renxue finally calmed slightly.
Returning to her seat, she surveyed the wrecked room and sighed inwardly: "How many years has it been since I lost control like this?"
She massaged her temples.
"She Long, Ci Xue, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Clear Sky Sect may already suspect something—all thanks to that woman!"
"His Holiness the Pope... may not have done it intentionally," She Long ventured cautiously.
"If not intentional, then deliberate. A complete fool for love, and it's only getting worse." Qian Renxue seethed.
"I hope that disciple she took in turns out the same way—let her suffer the same frustration. Then I can clean house properly."
Thinking of that little fox Bibi Dong had made her successor—she'd probably get tricked and sold without even realizing it.
"Uh..." She Long and Ci Xue glanced at each other. They didn't dare respond to their Young Master's words—nor did they know how to.
"Enough. Since things have come to this, I'll have Qian Renxue make an appearance. I've already mentioned her to Ning Fengzhi anyway."
"Young Master, is that wise? Your identity..."
"No one knows I'm the Grand Priest granddaughter. And even if they did, so what?" Qian Renxue said coldly. "The fact that Xue Qinghe has ties to the Spirit Hall is already known to the three upper sects."
"If they know, then they know."
"Let it be that Xue Qinghe won Qian Renxue's heart, and she becomes the Heaven Dou Empire's empress."
"When the time is right, we can arrange for Xue Qinghe's death."
"But Young Master, your reputation..."
How could Xue Qinghe, of all people, be worthy of marrying Qian Renxue? Even as an empress, it was unthinkable!
Names were just symbols—Xue Qinghe's bones might have long since turned to dust—but this would tarnish Qian Renxue's name.
If they didn't advise against it, the Grand Sacrificer would break their legs when they returned to the Spirit Hall!
"Reputation is irrelevant. My hands are already stained with blood."
"I am no longer the pure angel. From the moment I infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire, I accepted this fate."
"To gain something, one must sacrifice something else. As for love—I've long since abandoned such foolish notions."
The mere thought of Bibi Dong's actions made Qian Renxue's blood boil. What kind of mother sabotages her own daughter like this?
Truly, love-struck fools are beyond saving. She refused to become like that.
"But the Grand Priest only has you as his bloodline..." Ci Xue hesitated.
"Then I'll find a way to become a god. If the Sea God could do it in the past, there's no reason I can't."
"I have talent. With the Spirit Hall's resources, I can gather faith. I have a powerful background, and unifying the continent will amplify that faith."
"If even that isn't enough to ascend, then no one in this world can reach godhood."
"If Grandfather wants descendants, I can create life from my own blood after becoming a god. For a deity, such trivial matters of human reproduction should be effortless."
Ci Xue: "..."
She Long: "..."
You've said it all—what else is there for us to argue?
Clearly, Bibi Dong had pushed their Young Master past her limits.
To have given up on love entirely—was this a blessing or a tragedy?
While Qian Renxue was busy smashing everything in sight, Ning Fengzhi's group returned to their residence.
"Huh? Xue Qinghe revealed Qian Renxue and claimed it was love at first sight?" Ning Rongrong's face was the picture of bewilderment.
"Indeed. I don't know what she's thinking, even sacrificing her own reputation," Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"Is that so..." Ning Rongrong pinched her chin in thought. "If Qian Renxue no longer plans to play by the rules, then things are dangerous."
"Dangerous?" The Sword Douluo frowned. "Rongrong, what are you thinking?"
"If I were Qian Renxue, forced to reveal my real name and even claim Xue Qinghe fell in love with me at first sight, the next step would be..."
"To arrange Xue Qinghe's death at the right moment and ascend as empress."
"Using the combined forces of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall, she could wage war against the Star Luo Empire under the pretext of avenging Xue Qinghe."
"This..." Ning Fengzhi was stunned. "Would Qian Renxue really discard her reputation like that?"
After all, Qian Renxue was the Grand Priest's granddaughter. Such a thing couldn't be hidden forever—becoming Xue Qinghe's woman.
How could she possibly spin this to avoid scandal?
"Why would she care about reputation?" Ning Rongrong tilted her head in confusion. "If I have no morals, no one can morally condemn me."
She continued: "After Bibi Dong's stunt with the Heartbroken Acacia, Qian Renxue has likely abandoned all hope for love."
"Which means her next goal is singular—fulfill her dream of unifying the Douluo Continent, then ascend to godhood!"
"History cannot be changed, but history books are written by the victors."
"Even if someone digs this up in the future, they'll only see that Qian Renxue never married, avenged Xue Qinghe, and realized their shared dream of unifying the continent for peace."
"Who could possibly criticize her then?"
"Rongrong, aren't you overthinking this?" The Bone Douluo's lips twitched.
"No." Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Qian Renxue is an extremely proud person. No matter how approachable she pretends to be, she won't spare a glance for anyone without sufficient talent."
"With innate 20th-rank spirit power, her chances of godhood are incredibly high. Even without a god's inheritance, she could still forge her own divinity through faith."
"True." Ning Fengzhi frowned, mulling over Ning Rongrong's words. The Sword and Bone Douluo waited for his conclusion.
After a long pause, Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Rongrong, your analysis is likely correct. What should we do, then? Any ideas?"
"For now, there's no need to worry. Even if Qian Renxue plans to appear as empress, it will take years of careful planning."
"Mainly due to resistance from the old nobility, and she'll also have to consider Father's stance as her teacher."
"Focus on improving strength. If Father can reach Title Douluo, and Sword Grandpa and Grandpa Bone can reach Level 99..."
"Then everything can be resolved. We can sit back and watch the world unfold before us."
Ning Rongrong's words made the other three twitch.
Good grief, our girl is obsessed with Level 99!
Every other sentence is about reaching Level 99 for safety before doing anything else.