"Your Holiness, I have no desire to be involved in the struggle between you and the teacher. Having traveled widely and experienced much over the years, Ye Xuan now only wishes to live as a free and untethered crane, enjoying a peaceful life."
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Therefore, Your Holiness, you can rest completely easy."
"As for the position of Holy Son—haha, Holy Maiden Hu Liena has committed no faults at all, so she should simply continue to hold it."
Ye Xuan's words brought a great deal of inner peace to Bibi Dong.
She truly did not wish to make an enemy of Ye Xuan. Although she had failed to draw this monstrous talent to her own faction today, she had at least secured his guarantee that he would not side with the Consecrated City.
Putting on a show of regret, Bibi Dong said, "Very well. Since ancient times, geniuses have always possessed exceptionally strong personalities; I suppose they would be unwilling to be bound by fame and fortune."
With a smooth flash of the purple spirit tool ring on her finger, a brilliant golden token materialized in her hand.
She handed the token to Ye Xuan and explained, "This is the Pope's Decree. No matter where you are, as long as it is within the sphere of influence of Spirit Hall, you may freely mobilize troops and personnel."
Ye Xuan put the token away, then cupped his fists and said, "Many thanks, Your Holiness. Ye Xuan takes his leave."
...
The rumbling sound of carriage wheels...
Ye Xuan departed from Spirit City, traveling further and further away.
Inside the carriage, Ye Xuan sat with his eyes closed in deep thought.
On this trip to Tiandou City, he had two matters to attend to.
The first matter was the only thing Qian Daoliu had ever asked of him, and once this matter was settled, Ye Xuan would no longer owe Qian Daoliu anything.
That matter was for Ye Xuan to immediately head to Tiandou City and assume the role of Qian Renxue's guardian, protecting her safety with his life until she achieved godhood.
The second matter was his grandfather's dying behest.
The kind-faced old man, his breath as thin as gossamer, had told Ye Xuan, "Xuan'er, do not blame your parents. They only hoped for you to have a better future, which is why they took such desperate risks..."
With trembling, withered hands, the old man had drawn a red marriage contract from his bosom, upon which a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water was painted.
"Xuan'er, this marriage contract is stained with your parents' blood; it was bought with their lives. You must cherish it dearly, and in the future, revitalize our Ye Family..."
The old man's breathing grew weaker and weaker.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.
Yet suddenly, his complexion flushed rosy once more.
His voice regained its full vigor.
"Xuan'er, remember, you are the sole remaining shoot of the Ye Family. Even though our branch has been reduced to just you, a tiny spark can still prairie-fire the entire plain when the day comes!"
Having said that, the old man drew his last breath and passed away.
Ye Xuan had read the marriage contract, which contained the following terms:
"Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, establishes a marriage alliance with the Tiandou Ye Family. Ning Fengzhi promises that if he has a daughter in the future, she shall be given in marriage to Ye Xuan, Young Master of the Ye Family. If he does not have a daughter, he shall adopt a collateral female relative of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan as his daughter and give her in marriage to Ye Xuan, Young Master of the Ye Family, and make this publicly known."
At the very bottom of the marriage contract.
Stood the signatures of his grandfather and Ning Fengzhi, plain as day.
"Heh, what a cruel trick of fate..."
Ye Xuan smiled self-deprecatingly. Back when he used to read Douluo Continent, among all the female leads, the one he disliked the most was the willful Ning Rongrong.
One had to bear in mind, in a Douluo Continent where the nobility did not regard the lower classes as human beings.
For someone like Ning Rongrong to possess a personality that even the nobility had to call "willful."
How much unreasonable behavior was concealed behind that single word "willful"? Names could be given in error, but nicknames never were—was the little witch's reputation for naught?
Still, this was his grandfather's dying wish.
Even if Ye Xuan was less than enthusiastic, he had no choice but to hold his nose and accept it.
Ning Rongrong was still young; with some proper discipline and training, she should still be able to change her ways, right?
Inside the carriage, Ye Xuan was still agonizing over another matter.
"Before he died, Grandfather also instructed me that as the sole heir of the Ye Family, I couldn't just wander about enjoying myself; I had to multiply and spread branches for the family..."
"But given Ning Rongrong's temperament, would that even work?"
"Forget it, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
...
Tiandou City.
Ye Xuan felt a touch of emotion. "As expected of an imperial capital, Tiandou City is in no way inferior to Spirit Hall, and in terms of sheer luxury, it even surpasses it."
Spirit Hall believed in spending money where it mattered most; aside from the Pope's processions which were bathed in supreme luxury, the construction of Spirit City prioritized practicality and grandeur.
While Spirit City surpassed Tiandou City in majestic imposingness, it fell slightly short in sheer dazzling splendor.
"How handsome..."
"I've never seen a man this handsome in Tiandou City. Is he new here?"
"He has such a dignified bearing, he must be a very powerful Battle Spirit Master."
"Hey, I think his temperament is gentle, like a refined gentleman of jade. He might even be a gentle Auxiliary Spirit Master..."
"Slut, you've never even spoken to him, how do you know if he's gentle?"
"Pfft—true enough. He might look gentle with his clothes on, but he could be a complete beast when he takes them off..."
Walking through the bustling streets of Tiandou City, Ye Xuan constantly overheard whispers floating past.
As a Title Douluo, his five senses were exceptionally sharp, allowing him to hear every single one of these murmurs clearly.
He shook his head helplessly.
The social customs of Douluo Continent were open-minded, and among the nobility, they could even be described as uninhibited.
He had originally only wanted to experience the local customs and culture of Tiandou City, but now it seemed it would be best not to draw too much attention to himself.
In the span of a breath, Ye Xuan vanished into thin air right in the middle of the street.
"Eh? Where did he go?"
"Aiyah! It's all your fault, horsing around with your nonsense—now the young handsome man is gone..."
...
Crown Prince's Palace.
Xue Qinghe dismissed the servants, leaving the Serpent Spear Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo standing before him.
Qian Renxue frowned and asked, "Grandfather sent word saying Ye Xuan should arrive in Tiandou City around today, so why hasn't even a shadow of him been seen?"
The Pufferfish Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo exchanged glances. It was only noon; it was entirely normal for Ye Xuan not to have arrived yet. Perhaps he would arrive by evening, or even if he didn't make it today, being a day or two late was perfectly normal.
Princess Qian Renxue truly shared a deep sibling-like bond with Lord Ye Xuan after all.
That was why she was acting so anxious.
The Pufferfish Douluo smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, if you ask the two of us, we wouldn't know either. But one would imagine the Supreme Douluo should be arriving soon. We ask that you please exercise a little more patience."
"Wait?" Qian Renxue sneered, a hint of lingering resentment in her expression.
"Back when Ye Xuan left Spirit Hall to go out and temper himself, he also told me to wait for him, and as a result, that wait lasted for eight full years! In those eight years, Ye Xuan has become a Title Douluo, while I am still stuck at the Spirit Saint realm."
"Who knows if this brat even remembers I exist?"
The young boy who used to call her Sister Xue at every turn had now become Qian Renxue's guardian, leaving her feeling more or less unbalanced inside.
She didn't even know whether that boy from back then had changed now...
"Sister Xue, even if I forgot about everyone else in the world, I would never dare to forget about you."
Hearing a youthful voice ring out, a ripple of spirit power stirred in the room, and Ye Xuan appeared out of thin air.
Both the Pufferfish Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo were inwardly shocked.
Neither of them, seasoned Title Douluos that they were, had sensed the slightest trace of Ye Xuan's arrival. This meant Ye Xuan possessed the strength to assassinate the two of them with ease! Both men couldn't help a silent sigh of awe.
"He truly deserves to be Spirit Hall's greatest monstrous genius in history..."
Hearing that familiar voice, a flash of momentary joy crossed Qian Renxue's face, and her footsteps instinctively carried her forward. But then she suddenly stopped, spun around, and said petulantly, "You still remember I'm your Sister Xue? Then why didn't you come back even once in a full eight years?"
"I didn't even know whether you'd died out there or not!"
Ye Xuan smiled bitterly. "Sister Xue, that's going a bit too far."
"Didn't I write letters all these years to report that I was safe?"
Qian Renxue's delicate brows knitted together.
"Being a Title Douluo makes you something special, doesn't it? You even dare to talk back!"
At this moment, because everyone present in the study was part of her inner circle, Qian Renxue had already removed her disguise and reverted to her original appearance.
Looking at her soft, pink lips, Ye Xuan felt entirely helpless.
"I wouldn't dare talk back! I wouldn't dare!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, he had no choice but to humble himself and play the subservient role.