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"Back during the qualifiers of the Continental Elite Soul Master Academy Competition in the Heaven Dou Zone, I felt that this young man was extraordinary. It was a pity that he had already become the son-in-law and Honorary Elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School back then. I simply couldn't afford the price to win him over."
"I never expected that this child, Ye Lan, would later turn to Spirit Hall and even become their Holy Son."
"Now, I sit on this throne with great unease."
"The greatest reliance of our Heaven Dou Empire is Ye Lan's father-in-law, yet Ye Lan himself is the Holy Son of Spirit Hall."
"Fortunately, Spirit Hall is currently hostile toward the Beast Sect and the Star Luo Empire. We can use this to cooperate with Spirit Hall; otherwise, our Heaven Dou Imperial Family would be in imminent danger."
Xue Qinghe lowered 'his' head slightly. To her surprise, Emperor Xue Ye, whom she usually considered a useless drunkard, actually possessed such clarity and cognitive ability.
"Nowadays, with Ye Lan creating 'Artificial Spirit Rings,' many nobles are restless. They are eager to trade with Spirit Hall for ten-thousand-year soul rings."
"During this period, these nobles have been constantly urging me to negotiate with Spirit Hall. It is endlessly annoying."
"Qinghe, you once recruited Ye Lan and had him represent the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy to win the championship."
"Do you think we should try to win Ye Lan over again? We could seek to change Spirit Hall's stance toward our Heaven Dou Empire and further push for hostilities between the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall," Emperor Xue Ye suggested.
"Royal Father, the 'Artificial Spirit Ring' and 'Spirit Soul System' are now unstoppable trends on the Douluo Continent. Whether it is us or the Star Luo Imperial Family, we ultimately have to consider the faces of Spirit Hall and the Beast Sect."
"Back when I recruited Ye Lan, I felt that he was a man who valued emotion and righteousness. Now that he has become the Holy Son of Spirit Hall and the Master of the Holy Temple, he will definitely not forget the grace I showed him in supporting him back then."
"Therefore, I think winning over Ye Lan is feasible. As long as we can obtain the corresponding ten-thousand-year soul ring resources through Ye Lan's channel, the nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire will be forced to value our Imperial Family. Otherwise, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven for them to obtain those rings."
"Since we are choosing to court Ye Lan, we should adopt a stance of closeness to Spirit Hall, rather than restraining each other as before. I believe the most urgent and important matter now is to hold a memorial service for the 'Sunset Forest Meat Grinder' battle—to mourn the five hundred members of the Douluo Samurai Corps and the thousands of Heaven Dou soul masters who died there."
"Only in this way can we ease our relationship with Spirit Hall."
"Additionally, I feel that someone must have been secretly fueling the recent anti-Spirit Hall demonstrations. Royal Father, do you know who it is?" Xue Qinghe asked.
Emperor Xue Ye closed his eyes and began to weigh the pros and cons. Xue Qinghe was right; 'Artificial Spirit Rings' were the future trend of the continent. Any force that tried to block it would be nothing more than a pebble crushed by the torrent of history.
Now, what the Heaven Dou Imperial Family needed to do was not to confront Spirit Hall or secretly trip them up, but to do their best to mend the relationship. After all, they still had external enemies: the Star Luo Empire and the Beast Sect.
He knew perfectly well what that woman, Tang Yuehua, represented—it was just the Clear Sky Sect. This was also why he had allowed the 'Moon Pavilion' to carve out a large piece of flesh from the aristocracy. An important reason he was eager to obtain that graceful woman was that Tang Yuehua was the biological sister of the Clear Sky Sect Master. If he could obtain Tang Yuehua, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family could connect with the Clear Sky Sect and not rely solely on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, which had led to their current passive situation.
But now, he had to consider whether to give up on Tang Yuehua.
Choose Spirit Hall or the Clear Sky Sect?
Choose Tang Yuehua or Ye Lan?
The result was obvious. The Clear Sky Sect didn't even dare to show its face against the current Spirit Hall, and Tang Yuehua's value was far inferior to Ye Lan's.
Emperor Xue Ye slowly opened his eyes and sighed.
"Qinghe, I am getting old. This throne will be yours in the future. I will leave the communication with Ye Lan and Spirit Hall entirely to you."
"As long as you can make the Heaven Dou Imperial Family maintain good relations with Spirit Hall, I will have the nobles interface with you for the ten-thousand-year soul rings they desire."
"Qinghe, your reputation among the commoners has always been good."
"In the future, as long as you control the access to Spirit Hall's ten-thousand-year soul rings, the empire's nobles will be inseparable from you."
"When the time comes for me to hand over the throne to you, it will satisfy all the forces in the empire," Emperor Xue Ye said earnestly.
Xue Qinghe looked at Emperor Xue Ye's cloudy eyes and sighed in her heart.
She hadn't expected that in his later years, Emperor Xue Ye would be so willing to hand over power to her. It was just a pity that she wasn't truly Xue Qinghe; she was merely the Young Miss of Spirit Hall disguised as him.
But this was good. She could now perfectly complete the mission Spirit Hall had assigned her.
"I understand, Royal Father!"
"I will do my utmost to win over Ye Lan and build a good relationship with Spirit Hall!!" Xue Qinghe cupped her fists and bowed.
Emperor Xue Ye nodded and continued, "A unilateral courtship is not enough. It would be best for our Imperial Family to form a marriage alliance with Spirit Hall directly."
"I have heard that there are many women who have ambiguous relationships with Ye Lan. Presumably, he is not a man who shuns female company."
"Among your generation, Xue Ke has the most outstanding appearance and the most innocent and romantic personality."
"Presumably, she can win Ye Lan's favor. In this way, our relationship with Spirit Hall can be more solid."
Xue Qinghe pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I will explain everything to Xue Ke. It just so happens that she worships Ye Lan greatly, so she will likely be very satisfied with this marriage."
"Tell Xue Ke to be open-minded. If Ye Lan does not agree to make her the main wife, let Xue Ke be a concubine."
"Royal Father, if we do this, won't our Imperial Family be..." Xue Qinghe feigned hesitation.
"The situation is stronger than people. However, nowadays, I fear all the nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire are wishing they could send their legitimate daughters to be Ye Lan's concubines," Emperor Xue Ye mocked himself.
"I understand, Royal Father. I will communicate this well with Xue Ke." Xue Qinghe nodded.
"Besides the marriage alliance with Spirit Hall, there is one more matter you can hand over to Ye Lan."
"That is the mastermind behind the soul master demonstrations in the Heaven Dou Empire," Emperor Xue Ye said.
Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up. "Royal Father, you know who it is?"
Emperor Xue Ye nodded. "This person is precisely Tang Yuehua. She contacted me back then."
"At that time, considering my relationship with Spirit Hall, I chose not to cooperate with her. However, I did not stop her plan."
"I never expected her to cause such a huge commotion; Spirit Hall was almost pulled down from its pedestal by her."
Tang Yuehua?
Isn't that the Master of the Moon Pavilion?
Why is she an enemy of Spirit Hall?
But this wasn't something for her to worry about right now; she only needed to report it to the Young Master.
"I understand. With these two great gifts, I am confident I can win over Ye Lan," Xue Qinghe said.
"You may withdraw. Let me have some quiet," Emperor Xue Ye said.
"Yes, Royal Father." Xue Qinghe silently turned and left.
After a long time, Emperor Xue Ye looked at the empty palace and lamented, "Ye Lan, what exactly are your thoughts?"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Spirit Hall, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family are all influenced or even swayed by you. If you wanted to proclaim yourself Emperor, Qinghe wouldn't be able to stop you!!"
"I hope that child Xue Ke can be a bit clever."
Spirit City.
One man, one bear, and one tiger walked slowly toward the main gate of Spirit City.
Ye Lan was currently sitting on Xiong Er's shoulder. Before even reaching the gate, he saw Hu Liena waving at him from the side.
Strangely, he didn't see Little Xue (Qian Renxue) today.
Hu Liena looked with amazement at the Bloodthirsty Demonic Bear beneath Ye Lan and the Vajra Tiger beside him.
These two soul beasts were distinct from wild ones; their eyes revealed a goofiness, and there were smiles hidden at the corners of their eyes and mouths, as if following Ye Lan was an incredibly happy thing.
"Ye Lan!! What is going on with these two soul beasts? Is Spirit Hall lacking blood from these two species now?" Hu Liena exclaimed in surprise.
"Senior Sister, let me introduce you. These two are pets I took in a long time ago. The one I'm riding is called Xiong Er (Bear Two), and the other is called Da Ju (Big Orange)," Ye Lan laughed.
At this moment, the residents, warriors, and clergy of Spirit City looked on with great curiosity at the scene of the Holy Son getting along amicably with soul beasts.
These two soul beasts looked even more benevolent than the stray dogs on the roadside. They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts: As expected of His Highness the Holy Son, he can even tame soul beasts!
Under Ye Lan's subtle influence, the looks they cast toward soul beasts slowly changed from vigilance to friendliness.
Sensing the change in the soul masters' eyes, Ye Lan nodded.
Presumably, with him as an example, soul beasts and humans would slowly learn to coexist, and perhaps a 'Beast Tamer' profession would even appear in the future.
Seeing Hu Liena slowly approaching Da Ju and even starting to knead Da Ju's massive tiger paw, Ye Lan asked, "By the way, Senior Sister, where is Little Xue?"
Hu Liena covered her mouth and giggled. "Pfft, Junior Brother, you're dead meat today!! Little Xue is extremely angry. You'd better prepare yourself mentally."
Ye Lan scratched his head and said, "That shouldn't be. That night, she shouldn't have been there."
As soon as Ye Lan's words fell, the nearby warriors and clergy immediately looked at Ye Lan and Hu Liena with gossiping eyes.
Hu Liena's cheeks instantly turned red. She hurriedly covered Ye Lan's mouth and shouted loudly, "It's not about that! It seems to be related to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Teacher is also looking for you. I heard that Heaven Dou has already identified the true culprit behind the chaos there. Go to Teacher quickly!"
Ye Lan nodded. "Senior Sister, help me take Da Ju and Xiong Er to my courtyard."
Then, a golden soul light flashed in Ye Lan's palm as he created some slender Blue Silver Grass.
After feeding some to Xiong Er and Da Ju, he instructed, "Da Ju, Xiong Er, go with Senior Sister to my house. No running around, and no scaring passersby."
The two beasts widened their eyes and nodded cutely.
They knew the difference between one full meal and a lifetime of full meals.
Hu Liena was already interested in these two soul beasts. Hearing Ye Lan's instructions, she jumped directly onto Da Ju's back and said excitedly, "Junior Brother, don't worry. I guarantee I'll take good care of them."
Ye Lan nodded and then sped toward the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Moments later, he arrived inside the main hall and saw his teacher.
"Teacher, I'm here!"
"Xiao Lan?! You're finally here. You didn't encounter any danger, did you?!" Bibi Dong exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
The figure of the silver-haired girl under the moonlight flashed through Ye Lan's mind. He shook his head; he hadn't felt a trace of hostility from Gu Yuena.
Bibi Dong noticed a hint of loss in Ye Lan's eyes and subconsciously stroked Ye Lan's right cheek.
Only after touching him did Bibi Dong realize she had somewhat crossed a line, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Seeing that Ye Lan did not seem repulsed by her touch, Bibi Dong breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Ye Lan's thoughts were interrupted by his teacher's touch. Looking at his teacher, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, ripples rose in Ye Lan's heart.
Faced with Ye Lan's gaze, Bibi Dong's breathing grew heavier.
After a long while, Ye Lan realized his lapse in composure and hurriedly changed the subject. "Teacher, I didn't encounter any danger. You also know that the Star Dou Great Forest no longer has any ten-thousand-year soul beasts."
Bibi Dong quickly calmed her flustered emotions and spoke, "Presumably, Hu Liena told you about Little Xue being angry, right? Do you know why she is angry?"
Ye Lan looked at Bibi Dong in confusion and shook his head.
"Emperor Xue Ye has betrothed his daughter, Xue Ke, to you. are you willing?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Ah!?"
"Xue Ke? I've only met her a few times. Why did Emperor Xue Ye betroth his daughter to me?" Ye Lan asked in surprise.
Bibi Dong smiled. "Naturally, it is because my disciple, Ye Lan, is now the object of everyone's curry favor. The nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire are rushing to send their daughters to you."
"Can I refuse?" Ye Lan asked.
"If you could refuse, Little Xue wouldn't be this angry."
"Emperor Xue Ye directly arranged for Xue Ke and Little Qin to come to Spirit City. You must know what it means for a princess of a country to leave her borders. if we send Xue Ke back now, her reputation will be ruined."
"Moreover, during the time Little Xue was disguised as Xue Qinghe, she was closest to Xue Ke. She doesn't want Xue Ke to marry you before she does, nor does she want to see Xue Ke's reputation destroyed."
"So, Xue Ke cannot go back."
Ye Lan scratched his head helplessly. So Little Xue was angry because of this.
Given the situation, he had no choice but to marry Xue Ke.
But he was innocent too!!
Okay, fine. Ye Lan actually felt a tiny bit of secret joy inside.
After all, who wouldn't be happy about getting a wife for free?
And when Ye Lan was at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he had indeed met Xue Ke a few times. At that time, Xue Ke was accompanying Little Xue to see him.
Xue Ke was the same age as him and looked very cute.
Ye Lan pondered for a moment and said, "Teacher, what do you think?"
Ripples surged in Bibi Dong's heart.
What do I think?
If only I were Xue Ke, then I could walk hand in hand with you without a care in the world.
For some reason, Bibi Dong suddenly felt a trace of jealousy toward Xue Ke, whom she had never met.
After a long silence, Bibi Dong said resentfully, "Teacher supports you marrying Xue Ke. You also know that the 'Heaven Stealing Plan' is now being executed by Little Qin in place of Little Xue, but Little Xue expended a great deal of energy on it."
"If you take Xue Ke as your wife, it will be a marriage alliance between the Holy Son of Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family."
"In the future, when we annex the Heaven Dou Empire, the resistance will be much smaller."
"When that time comes, the people of Heaven Dou might even be eager for us to annex their empire."
"Teacher thinks so far ahead. I didn't even think of that layer," Ye Lan nodded.
Bibi Dong shook her head. "Xiao Lan, you just don't use your mind on these twists and turns."
"I'm afraid, Xiao Lan, you have never thought about using a woman's feelings to achieve your own goals, have you?"
Ye Lan lowered his head and furrowed his brows, thinking of Xiao Wu, whom he had threatened.
Although he hadn't played with Little Xue's feelings, he had indeed used Xiao Wu to achieve his goals.
No, it was better to say that hatred drove him to despise everything about Tang Hao.
Towards an enemy, whether man or woman, he would use any means necessary.
After a long while, Ye Lan looked up at Bibi Dong and said, "Teacher, if I use unscrupulous means to achieve my goals, will you forgive me?"
Bibi Dong saw the change in Ye Lan's eyes, but she knew Ye Lan's character and background deeply.
Bibi Dong pulled Ye Lan tightly into her arms and said gently, "No matter what Xiao Lan becomes in the future, Teacher will always support you from behind."
Ye Lan lay in Bibi Dong's warm embrace, smelling her faint fragrance. He closed his eyes tight, and his heart began to gradually calm down.
After a long time, sensing that Bibi Dong's body was getting hotter and hotter, Ye Lan realized that he was holding his teacher's waist very tightly.
He slowly loosened his hands, not daring to look his teacher in the eye, and whispered, "Thank you."
Sensing Ye Lan letting go, Bibi Dong felt as if a corner of her heart was missing.
After both of them calmed down for a while, Bibi Dong was the first to speak to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Apart from the Xue Ke matter, how do you plan to handle the other issue?"
"Teacher? What other issue?" Ye Lan asked, puzzled.
"The true culprit behind the chaos in Heaven Dou was found by Little Qin. Emperor Xue Ye is using her as a bargaining chip to befriend you. That person is the Master of the Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua," Bibi Dong said.
Tang Yuehua?
Isn't that Tang Hao's biological sister?
Tang Hao's lingering ghost again?
In his previous life on the Blue Planet, reading the original Douluo Dalu, there was an ambiguous relationship between Tang Yuehua and Tang Hao. If they weren't siblings, they would probably have a relationship like Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
"Tang Yuehua... Teacher, can I handle this matter?" Ye Lan requested.
Bibi Dong saw a trace of hatred flash in Ye Lan's eyes and hesitated. "Xiao Lan, is it because of Tang Hao?"
Ye Lan nodded. "Tang Yuehua is Tang Hao's sister. Although disasters shouldn't extend to family, what Tang Yuehua did to our Spirit Hall is no less severe than Tang Hao."
"Plus, she is Tang Hao's kin."
"I don't plan to show mercy. I want to make them feel pain."
Bibi Dong looked at Ye Lan with heartache and nodded. "Go ahead and do it. Teacher supports you forever."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher! I'm going to Little Xue's place now. Teacher, take care of your health and don't work too late." Ye Lan nodded.
Bibi Dong nodded, her eyes never leaving his departing back.
Even after his figure disappeared, Bibi Dong continued to stare blankly for a long time.
After being dazed for a while, Bibi Dong finally sensed the strange sensations in her body.
She braced her will and flashed into her sleeping quarters.
Bibi Dong went to rest earlier than usual. Her legs tightly clamped the silk quilt, her mind constantly occupied by the scene of hugging Ye Lan. In that moment, it was as if she had been holding the entire world.
Time passed slowly. Bibi Dong's face was flushed, her eyes blurred, and she murmured, "Xiao Lan... Xiao Lan..."
The closer Ye Lan got to the snowy peak of the Douluo Palace, the more hesitant his steps became. After all, an angry Little Xue was terrifying!
Moments later, Ye Lan arrived at the empty Angel Temple.
After passing the familiar Angel Statue and greeting several Enshriners, Ye Lan walked into Little Xue's bedroom.
Through the window, Ye Lan saw a golden-haired figure lying on the large snow-white bed.
The fire in his heart that had been stoked by his teacher was instantly ignited.
With a flash, Ye Lan cleanly vaulted through the window and pounced directly onto the golden-haired figure, pinning her beneath him.
At this moment, the golden-haired girl pressed beneath him let out a soft hum.
However, Ye Lan felt that the dimensions seemed a bit wrong.
A little angel with short golden hair and snow-white skin opened her misty eyes and gradually saw Ye Lan's face clearly.
She immediately hugged Ye Lan's waist and said blankly, "Husband, hug!"
Ye Lan's body instantly froze. It wasn't that he didn't dare to hug the little golden-haired angel before him.
It was that he only just realized that the person lying on the bed wasn't Little Xue, but Xue Ke!!
And the most terrifying part wasn't that Xue Ke was beneath him, but that while he was on top of Xue Ke...
As Xue Ke hugged him, a furious angel—Qian Renxue—was standing right next to him.
Xue Ke did not sense the tension in the atmosphere at all; instead, she happily rubbed her face against Ye Lan's chest.
Ye Lan's neck turned slowly like a rusted gear toward the side, where a furious angel with flying golden hair stood.
At this moment, Qian Renxue's golden soul power erupted completely, sending her hair dancing wildly in the air.
Her originally snow-white skin had turned blood red, looking like a demon.
"Ye Lan!!!!!!"
Ye Lan shuddered at Qian Renxue's roar. He hurriedly pushed away Xue Ke, who was clinging to him, and flashed to the wall.
Where he had just been, a golden sword shadow slashed through the air.
"Murdering your husband!!"
Ye Lan screamed miserably, then constantly activated Flash and Shunpo to dodge Little Xue's endless sword dance.
Watching Sister Qian constantly chasing her husband, Xue Ke was stunned.
Is this the normal way couples interact?
Shouldn't it be kissing, hugging, and lifting high every day?
After a long time, Ye Lan was sat upon by Qian Renxue like a doll.
Feeling the elastic curves, Ye Lan sighed helplessly.
Who told Little Xue to be thirty ranks higher than him?
And at the critical Spirit Sage versus Spirit Douluo stage, without activating his martial soul or soul skills, he didn't have a shred of a chance to fight back.
Still, Leng Leng is the best...
Qian Renxue suddenly felt a green light over her head and said discontentedly, "Ye Lan, who are you thinking about?"
"Me?! Who could I be thinking about? Of course, I'm thinking about my Lord Wife."
Qian Renxue's cheeks blushed. She pouted, "Who is your wife? If I wasn't here just now, were you planning to..."
"Planning what?" Ye Lan feigned ignorance.
"Ah!!!"
Flying into a rage out of humiliation, Qian Renxue used an iron grip to pinch Ye Lan's waist and twist. In the past, she would only pinch Ye Lan this hard when Sister Leng Leng was present.
"Sister Qian, what are you and Husband doing?" Xue Ke asked in confusion.
Qian Renxue looked helplessly at Xue Ke. Her once most beloved little sister had actually become her man's arranged marriage partner.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
Happy that her sister found a good husband.
Sad that the object of affection was her man.
The conflicted and frantic Qian Renxue ravaged Ye Lan again, eliciting constant cries of pain.
"Sister Qian, Husband looks like he's in a lot of pain," Xue Ke said with heartache.
"Sister Xue, his skin is thick," Qian Renxue said.
Hearing Xue Ke's concern, a trace of comfort flashed through Ye Lan's heart.
"Really?!"
"Sister Qian, isn't this the time we should be sleeping together with Husband?"
"Why are you still pressing down on Husband? Why not let him come to bed with us?" Xue Ke opened her big, cute eyes and asked in confusion.
Hearing Xue Ke's question, Qian Renxue's cheeks instantly turned red. Transforming into a steam engine, she frantically covered Xue Ke's small mouth and panicked, "Sister Xue, where did you learn these things?!"
(End of Chapter)