Tailong endured a grueling class period.
When class ended, Tailong was about to challenge Ma Hongjun. He was truly frustrated this time, being forced to endure two different kinds of public displays of affection for the entire class.
"Hongjun, Elder Bai is looking for you."
Before Tailong could speak, Lu Qibin had already called out to Ma Hongjun.
Elder Bai was naturally Bai Baoshan. Currently, Shrek Academy had two honorary elders: one was Long Gong Meng Shu, and the other was Bai Baoshan.
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Ma Hongjun said goodbye to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing and left, leaving Tailong, who had stood up to challenge him, standing there dumbfounded.
"Zhu Qing, who is this guy?"
"He's my boyfriend, now you can give up."
Tai Long's burly body trembled slightly as he pointed at Ning Rongrong.
"And her?"
Ning Rongrong laughed and answered quickly, "I'm his sister."
"Then you guys..."
"You did it."
"Then the three of you..."
"The three of us are very happy!"
"Impossible, what's so great about that kid? I want to challenge him."
"You can't even beat Sister Chengxian, and you want to fight him? Are you a masochist?"
"What do you mean? Is he stronger than Sister Chengxian?"
"Yeah, he's level 48 now, and you still want to challenge him?"
"How can he be so awesome?"
Tai Long had a terrible day; he suffered the biggest blow of his life.
Bai Baoshan now has a dedicated residence and office at Shrek Academy. He basically lives at Shrek Academy.
"There's news about the Soul Bone."
"Where?"
Bai Baoshan brought good news. He had found out about the Soul Bone and had already contacted the other party, but the other party didn't make any requests, just wanted to meet and discuss it in detail.
Ma Hongjun found the Shuang'er sisters and prepared five million gold soul coins.
This was the maximum amount of liquid funds he could currently provide.
However, it was still uncertain. Ma Hongjun knew that it was difficult to buy soul bones with just gold soul coins; those who possessed soul bones generally didn't lack gold soul coins.
That evening, Bai Baoshan led Ma Hongjun to a hotel near the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace.
The hotel was very deserted, with no one else besides the staff.
Following Bai Baoshan, they entered a secluded room.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with crystal chandeliers in the four corners and a white jade table in the center, on which various delicacies and wines were already prepared.
Judging from the interior arrangement, it resembled a candlelight dinner prepared for a romantic date, only with softer crystal chandeliers instead of candlelight.
However, there was no one else in the room except Bai Baoshan and Ma Hongjun. If he hadn't known beforehand that they were there to exchange soul bones, Ma Hongjun would have thought it was this old man…
"Old Bai, what's going on?" Ma Hongjun asked, puzzled.
Bai Baoshan was also somewhat confused; clearly, the arrangement was unexpected.
"Let's wait a moment, they've arranged for us to sit here."
There were only two seats in the room, so the two had to sit down and wait.
About ten minutes later, a young man walked in.
He wore a black robe, which he immediately unfastened to reveal a white, fitted outfit with dark gold trim, giving him an air of nobility. He
was clearly a young master from a wealthy family, exuding a composed and natural air, as if his nobility was innate.
His clear eyes held a hint of cunning, and his skin was so fair it seemed to glow. His appearance, compared to Tang San, was more suited to a pure and innocent image.
Ma Hongjun suddenly felt a flutter in his heart; he was actually attracted to this young master.
"Could it be that when someone is beautiful enough, people forget their gender?" Ma Hongjun wondered to himself. This was the first time he had ever had such thoughts about someone of the same sex. It was
somewhat unacceptable, because he had always considered himself a tough, unyielding man, and as a man, he found this kind of pretty boy extremely repulsive.
He was clearly a man, yet his attire made it impossible to tell his gender.
However, the young nobleman before him wasn't deliberately dressed up; he was naturally handsome.
"Old Bai, please sit outside for a while. I'll talk to Brother Ma."
His voice was magnetic, even Ma Hongjun found it pleasant to hear.
"Your Highness, I haven't eaten yet." Bai Baoshan gazed wistfully at the table laden with delicious food, somewhat reluctant to leave.
The young nobleman smiled slightly and said,
"I've had a table prepared next door. Please eat there."
After Bai Baoshan left, the young nobleman closed the door, leaving only Ma Hongjun and him in the room, the two sitting opposite each other.
"May I ask your name, young man?"
Seeing the other man staring at him, Ma Hongjun decided to break the awkward silence first.
"Young man, that's a rather unique way to address you. Brother Ma is quite amusing."
"If you don't mind, young man, just call me Hongjun. 'Brother Ma' sounds awkward to you, and it doesn't suit my ears either."
"Then I'll call you Hongjun. My name is Xue Qinghe. If you like, you can call me 'young man' too. That sounds quite nice to me."
"You're Xue Qinghe?"
Ma Hongjun said, somewhat surprised.
"Hongjun knows me?"
"That name sounds familiar."
How could Ma Hongjun not know Xue Qinghe? He should have been able to guess from her appearance.
So beautiful, she must be a woman.
Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire,
Qian Renxue, Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall.
Ma Hongjun scrutinized the cross-dressing Crown Prince with even greater curiosity. He wanted to see how she had managed to deceive the eyes of an entire empire.
Xue Qinghe wasn't surprised that Ma Hongjun had heard her name. As the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, his name wasn't a secret. She even guessed that Ma Hongjun already knew her identity, but she didn't reveal it. Xue Qinghe
, or more accurately, Qian Renxue
, had long been keeping an eye on Ma Hongjun. From the moment he arrived in Heaven Dou City, she tried to recruit him. Bai Baoshan was sent to Ma Hongjun's side under her instructions.
Ma Hongjun's talent had already greatly impressed her, but Bai Baoshan had recently given her an even bigger surprise:
Ma Hongjun possessed twin martial souls.
Moreover, Bai Baoshan said that Ma Hongjun had more than just this secret; he had something else hidden.
Therefore, Qian Renxue increased her efforts to recruit Ma Hongjun. When she learned that Ma Hongjun needed a soul bone, she spared no effort in using all her connections to find one.
With her dual identities, finding a soul bone was much easier.
After learning Xue Qinghe's name, Ma Hongjun roughly understood what was going on; Bai Baoshan was undoubtedly on Qian Renxue's side.
However, this isn't very important; there's nothing wrong with Bai Baoshan following him.
For the time being, although Bai Baoshan is an unstable factor, as long as Ma Hongjun and Qian Renxue's interests don't conflict, there's no real tension between them.
Qian Renxue is actually a pitiful woman; she lost her father at a young age and received no mother's love.
Currently, Qian Renxue is plotting against the Heaven Dou Empire, laying the groundwork for the future unification by the Spirit Hall.
Ma Hongjun isn't Tang San; he has no grudge against the Spirit Hall and no connection to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will be drawn into this struggle, as will his own Fairy Robe Pavilion, which might also be affected. Ma Hongjun needs to consider how to deal with this.
In general, getting involved with Qian Renxue isn't a big deal; he's an outsider anyway. He
should focus on improving his strength. With strength, he'll have a voice when the great war breaks out, and he can play a role in mediating conflicts.
Qian Renxue took out a box and placed it on the table.
Ma Hongjun's gaze eagerly shifted to the box. After searching for so many years, the torso and soul bones were now right before his eyes.
Qian Renxue smiled slightly and said to Ma Hongjun,
"No rush, let's eat first!"
Suddenly, I realized it's double monthly votes these two days! How amazing!
It's just a pity my kidneys aren't good, so I dare not ask for more.
So I can only weakly plead,