Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 166 The Truth
……

"It seems there really is something going on between you two."

Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes slightly. After being mercilessly rebuked by Xuan Ming, he felt an inexplicable fire burning in his heart, and his irritability kept rising. His tone of voice was no longer as polite as before.

"Your Highness, this is my private matter," Xuanming said calmly.

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and put on that seemingly gentle but sharp smile again. "Xuanming, I didn't come here today to argue with you about these trivial matters. I have something important that I want to talk to you about alone."

“Speak freely,” Xuanming said.

Xue Qinghe glanced at Hu Liena standing to the side and raised an eyebrow slightly. "This matter is of great importance. The fewer people who know about it, the better."

Seeing this, Hu Liena stood up tactfully. "Xuanming, I'll go wait for you over there."

After saying that, she walked away to a spot not far away, but her gaze kept turning to Xuanming, her eyes full of worry.

"When did this happen?" Xue Qinghe turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Xuan Ming.

"Is this the important matter His Highness the Crown Prince spoke of?" Xuanming asked.

“That’s one of them.” Xue Qinghe’s expression remained unchanged.

"Given your current status, you cannot associate with such shady people."

"What is my identity?" Xuanming asked.

"What do you mean by 'neither fish nor fowl'?"

"Your Highness, would you mind explaining this?"

Xue Qinghe frowned, "You..."

"Could you please explain?" Xuanming asked again.

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath. "Now that the Pope has arrived in Tiandou City, the situation is complicated, and you are under the spotlight. If you rashly have excessive contact with these people of unknown identity, it will inevitably cause turmoil."

“Hu Liena is from the Spirit Hall and is the Pope’s disciple,” Xuan Ming said calmly.

Is there a problem with me contacting her?

Xue Qinghe was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Xuan Ming to expose Hu Liena's identity so directly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Does Qian Renxue know?"

"What does this have to do with her?" Xuanming retorted.

"Do I need to report everything I do to her? Or do I need her permission for everything?"

Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. "Don't you think it shouldn't be like this?"

Xuanming laughed in exasperation, "Shouldn't it be so?"

"What does Your Highness mean by this?"

"Does she think I'm just a dog she keeps?"

Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly, and he quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing. "I didn't mean that, I..."

"If Your Highness has nothing else, I shall take my leave." Xuanming's expression turned cold.

"It's getting late, Your Highness, you should get some rest."

After saying that, Xuanming turned and left, heading in the direction where Hu Liena was.

Xue Qinghe stood there, his fists clenched, and after a moment of silence, he turned and left.

"Their relationship... is a bit problematic." Yue Guan's playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious look.

Why does this atmosphere feel so much like when Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong had their falling out back then?

Serpent Spear Douluo ignored Yue Guan and quickly followed Xue Qinghe away.

He contacted the Grand Elder because he noticed that the relationship between the two was becoming increasingly strained.

If this continues, something really bad is going to happen!

……

Prince's Mansion.

As soon as Xue Qinghe returned to the Crown Prince's residence, he went straight into the study, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.

"Have they been meeting there in secret all this time?" Xue Qinghe asked in a low voice, with a hint of anger and accusation.

The study was silent; no one responded.

"I'm asking you a question, Elder She Long." Xue Qinghe frowned, raised his voice, and asked again.

"She Long isn't here." A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Xue Qinghe's expression changed. She turned around and discovered that Qian Daoliu had been sitting in the study at some point.

"Grandpa? What brings you here?"

"If I hadn't come, you might have been in trouble, right?" Qian Daoliu frowned slightly.

"I..." Xue Qinghe lowered his head in silence, slowly removing his disguise to reveal Qian Renxue's stunningly beautiful yet slightly haggard appearance.

"I heard from She Long that you and that kid have a bad relationship?" Qian Daoliu asked.

Qian Renxue clenched her fist. "There's been a problem."

Upon hearing this, Qian Daoliu frowned even more deeply. "It seems the problem is indeed quite serious." If it were truly just a minor issue, Qian Renxue would have simply said it was nothing.

But since she herself admitted there was a problem, it must be a serious one!

"I don't understand." Qian Renxue raised her head.

"Why is it that woman can gain his trust so easily, while I can't do it for so long?"

"He trusts Bibi Dong?" Qian Daoliu raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

When did you develop this misconception?

“Isn’t that right?” Qian Renxue said, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

"He's already hooked up with Hu Liena. He even made a special trip back to Tiandou City before, and now the Pope has come all the way to Tiandou City just for him."

Qian Daoliu sighed, "After I arrived in Tiandou City, I went to the Spirit Temple first. Bibi Dong said that you haven't made any progress over the years. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems that she was right."

"I..." Qian Renxue was about to retort, but she was silenced by a look from Qian Daoliu.

“You two have known each other for so many years, and She Long has figured that kid out perfectly, but you haven’t,” Qian Daoliu said, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Those involved are often blinded by their own interests," and this saying has certainly come true for you.

"How come I don't understand him?" Qian Renxue said indignantly.

"If you understand now, why did you end up like this with him?" Qian Daoliu asked.

"You mean he's ungrateful? But why doesn't he act like that with others?"

“Not only Bibi Dong, but also She Long, the Great Soul Arena, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and even Dugu Bo, who once threatened him, did not have it.”

"Only you."

Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, a hint of anger and resentment flashing in her eyes, "So you're also saying this is my problem?"

Qian Daoliu's gaze remained calm. "It's not that I want to say it, it's just the truth."

"Xuanming is a man of great loyalty and righteousness, yet he is also unruly. He will treat those who are sincere with honesty, but if he feels that the other party has ulterior motives or is hypocritical, he will raise his thorns and keep them at arm's length."

Qian Renxue frowned, a hint of grievance in her eyes. "Grandpa, I've always been sincere to him. I've done so much for him over the years. How could he think I'm being insincere?"

Qian Daoliu shook his head slightly, slowly stood up, and paced around the study. "Sincerity is not just about doing a few superficial things."

“You approached him with a purpose from the very beginning, with the mission of the Spirit Hall and the schemes of the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. How could he, with his intelligence, not sense the utilitarianism and manipulation behind it?”

Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback, then retorted, "But I also genuinely admire his talent and potential, and want to work with him to create a great future. Doesn't that count as sincerity?"

Qian Daoliu stopped, turned around, and looked at Qian Renxue with a deep gaze. "The line between appreciation and exploitation is often very thin."

"While you admire him, have you never given up the idea of ​​bringing him under your control? Your so-called joint efforts to create a great cause may just be nothing more than a pawn on your chessboard in his eyes."

“I don’t think you can’t see that.”

Qian Renxue was speechless for a moment, her lips trembling slightly, but she couldn't say a word.

"Isn't that woman the same?" Qian Renxue asked unwillingly after a moment of silence.

“She’s not like you,” Qian Daoliu said.

"She would not try to gain benefits from feelings, much less try to exchange feelings for benefits."

“One thing at a time, she never mixes them up.”

"Moreover, when she hires people, she always only considers the immediate benefits and doesn't use those boring tricks."

"But you want to use your relationship with that kid to motivate him to do things for you, and when he gets annoyed, you want to use benefits to win his heart."

"It's a complete mess!"

Qian Daoliu frowned, looking at the descriptions in She Longxin's letter. He even wondered if Qian Renxue had lost her mind when it came to Xuanming's matter!
Xue Qinghe is adept at dealing with others, but he made a complete mess of this kid's situation!

If this continues, it might turn into the situation that happened to Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong back then!

“I…” Qian Renxue lowered her head, unable to refute.

"Tell me honestly, are you trying to psychologically break him down?" Qian Daoliu asked.

"First destroy his heart, then firmly grasp him in your grasp, making him unable to leave you?"

Qian Renxue felt a little guilty, and after a moment of silence, she nodded.

"Foolish!!" Qian Daoliu shouted, his voice booming and echoing throughout the study.

"You're just as stupid as your father!!"

Back then, Qian Xunji attempted to use this method to keep Bibi Dong and completely control her mind!

Now Qian Renxue is actually trying to use the same method to control Xuanming!
It was one thing to deal with Qian Xunji back then, after all, he had turned Bibi Dong into a fool who was oblivious to everything else!
Even that cowardly and incompetent brat, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, could easily outmaneuver her!
But now, who is that kid Xuanming?

Even in the face of certain death in the Hall of Worship, he still dared to risk his life?

How could someone like this use this method?
To break his spirit?

Are they trying to create yet another lunatic?!

(End of this chapter)