Chapter 19: Unwilling Brothers
When Jiang Long (Falling Devil Douluo) summoned his Coiled Dragon Staff, he was surprised. After fusing with Qin Xuan's Martial Soul, the bottleneck in his Soul power, which had been dormant for years, showed signs of loosening. He looked at his disciple with a hint of affection, and the bitterness on his face instantly vanished, replaced by excitement and joy.
With a creak, the door of the Elder's Hall opened. Qian Xunji, wearing a nine-curve purple-gold crown and golden armored robe, strode in with the grace of a dragon and a tiger. Behind him were two personal guards and 12 Cardinals. The Cardinals split into two rows outside the hall, while the two guardian Douluos followed him in.
[Ding, opposing character Qian Xunji detected. Do you want to bind?]
"Bind," Qin Xuan murmured.
[Ding, binding successful.]
"Your Holiness," Chrysanthemum and Ghost immediately knelt and greeted him respectfully.
"Get up," Qian Xunji said calmly. To him, everyone below the Titled Douluo level was insignificant, but Chrysanthemum and Ghost were different. With their Martial Soul fusion skills and level 89 Soul power, they were close to becoming Titled Douluos, making them noteworthy. However, when his gaze fell on Qin Xuan, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
[Qian Xunji's Resentment +18,888]
[Qian Xunji's Resentment +28,888]
[Qian Xunji's Resentment +28,888]
"This guy really lives up to his reputation as Douluo's number one pervert. He didn't say a word, yet he gave me 60,000 to 70,000 emotion points," Qin Xuan sighed internally. At the same time, he wondered if he really had to kneel. As he struggled, Qian Daoliu's voice reached him. "Xuan'er, you are a disciple of Qianjun and Jiang Long and of the same generation as Ji'er. You don't need to kneel. You can call each other brothers in private."
The six great priests and Chrysanthemum Douluo were stunned but quickly reassured themselves after recalling the recent Martial Soul fusion technique. Qin Xuan's talent, which allowed him to defeat a level 89 Soul Douluo without using Soul skills and perform Martial Soul fusion with Falling Devil Douluo at the Soul King level, was commendable. On the other hand, Qian Xunji and his personal guards looked visibly displeased.
They knew Qian Daoliu had high expectations for Qin Xuan, but they didn't anticipate he would be treated on par with the Pope. Qian Xunji, however, agreed, knowing how to handle such situations.
"Grand Elder, how can Qin Xuan be worthy of being called a brother by His Holiness the Pope? This is truly too much for me. Please retract your order," Qin Xuan said, feigning humility.
Humph! At least you have some self-awareness, Qian Xunji snorted internally and avoided the topic. "Father, I came to congratulate you. Just now..."
Before Qian Xunji could finish, Qian Daoliu interjected, "Do you think I was joking?" He narrowed his eyes at Qian Xunji. Qian Daoliu had seen Qin Xuan's strength and talent and was considering training him as a new generation of Angel gods for the Qian family. But his son was lowering his status for a woman and targeting a genius of the Spirit Hall.
"I don't dare," Qian Xunji replied.
"Qin Xuan doesn't dare," Qin Xuan followed.
Both of them nodded and clasped their fists.
"Good," Qian Daoliu said, looking at Qin Xuan. "Xuan'er, why don't you call him brother?"
"Brother," Qin Xuan said, nodding and clasping his fists, then turned to Qian Xunji.
"Second brother," Qian Xunji responded, stepping forward to support his father.
"Brother!"
"Second brother!"
"Brother!"
"Second brother!"
"Haha."
They exchanged greetings and laughed, though secretly they had their own agendas. Qin Xuan wanted to eliminate Qian Xunji, who was unaware of his place on Qin Xuan's kill list.
Seeing this, the seven great priests nodded with satisfaction. With them now being brothers, Qian Daoliu hoped Ji'er wouldn't act foolishly. He said to Qian Xunji, "Since you've acknowledged Xuan'er as your brother, you should show your appreciation. Xuan'er is going to the Slaughter City for training. How about giving him the Wisdom Skull you obtained from the 50,000-year-old Soul Beast you killed?"
Qian Daoliu's wishful thinking clashed with reality. From the moment Qin Xuan requested Qian Xunji to marry Bibi Dong, he was already on Qian Xunji's kill list. Similarly, Qin Xuan knew Qian Xunji would not spare him.
Qian Xunji agreed without hesitation. His generosity surprised even his two Douluo guards. Though the Wisdom Skull was valuable, Qian Xunji had a better Angel Set head Soul bone and felt it was better to give it away than let it gather dust. This way, he could deal with a rival for Bibi Dong and curry favor with his father and the other priests.