Douluo Continent: The True Body and Blood Soul, Starting from Blacksmithing

By psychological age, Lin Yu is in his twenties. But in this world, he is just a six-year-old child.

His withdrawn personality could be explained by "experiencing death," but he also had to put on a show of his childlike shyness.

"Dean, the auctioneer said minors can leave. Should I go out first?"

Liu Erlong was about to nod, after all, if the auctioneer deliberately emphasized the age, the next item to be auctioned must be something improper.

However, Emperor Xueye interrupted with a smile.

"What's there to be shy about? What will be auctioned off later are nothing more than some nicer flesh and skin. It will be good for you young people to get a feel for it beforehand."

Emperor Xueye said this to Xue Qinghe, but at the same time he was also saying it to Lin Yu.

Liu Erlong, who originally wanted Lin Yu to leave, felt that Emperor Xueye's words made some sense.

After all, given the talent his disciple has shown, he's sure to have many young women pursuing him in the future. It's better for him to broaden his horizons early on than to suffer later.

Ning Fengzhi understood the unspoken meaning in Xueye's words and couldn't help but gossip about it.

"Judging from Your Majesty's words, has the Crown Prince met a girl he likes?"

Xue Qinghe, who had been barely noticeable throughout, instinctively retorted upon hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, "That's not true, I... I didn't..."

However, his rebuttal was somewhat weak and unconvincing.

"Your Majesty, may I ask which sect or family the Crown Prince favors?"

Ning Fengzhi seemed very interested in gossiping and deliberately lowered his voice.

Emperor Xueye simply chuckled at Ning Fengzhi's "rhetorical question."

That little girl who captivated the Crown Prince's heart might be mistaken by others for just an ordinary maid.

However, after having someone investigate, he discovered that the girl who had recently bewitched the eldest prince had intricate connections with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School!

Of course, he wouldn't say it outright.

"It's nothing. She's just a sharp-tongued little girl. I'm sure Qinghe will forget about her soon."

The subtle distance in his words made Ning Fengzhi stop asking questions. He had a feeling that he had been tricked by someone.

It seems that the Snow Night Emperor has a deep misunderstanding about himself!

…………

Initially, considering that Emperor Xueye would be present, the auction organizers did not plan to prepare any special programs.

But halfway through the auction, someone came with a token from the Heavenly Dou Royal Family and ordered them to continue as usual.

It's said to be the same as before, but which Heavenly Dou noble will actually stay? In the end, those who remain at the auction house are just some shills from the auction house itself.

Normally, they would definitely engage in fierce bidding and performances, but with Emperor Xueye present, it would be good enough if they could even muster their strength.

A special auction was ultimately completed rather hastily.

The auction staff left the venue the moment the auction ended.

The once empty hall was soon reduced to only seven people in the red seats.

"At such a young age, being celibate and abstinent is not a good thing."

Bone Douluo, who only glanced at Lin Yu upon entering and then paid no further attention to him, couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

Except for a few individuals whose attention was not on the performance from the beginning, everyone else curiously followed Bone Douluo's gaze to look at Lin Yu.

Liu Erlong stayed here initially out of curiosity, after all, it was the first time she had ever seen something like this.

Although her performance on stage was somewhat stiff, she was inevitably affected to some extent.

Upon hearing Bone Douluo's words, she noticed that her disciple was not even out of breath, and was even staring thoughtfully at Xue Qinghe.

A somewhat absurd idea made Liu Erlong gasp.

The others were somewhat confused, but seeing Liu Erlong's expression quickly shifting between shock, disbelief, and gossip, they still got a rather unserious answer.

For a moment, whether it was a joke or a tease, everyone looked at Lin Yu strangely.

Lin Yu, who was pondering whether Xue Qinghe had been replaced by Qian Renxue at this stage, gradually noticed something was wrong from the strange looks in the eyes of the people around her.

Hey, hey, hey, what kind of looks are those?!

Just as Lin Yu was about to explain, Liu Erlong grabbed his shoulder and lifted him up.

"Let's go, let's go. We've wasted a lot of time at the auction. You haven't finished your forging quota for today, and there's a Soul Arena match tonight..."

Liu Erlong's departure seemed to be a signal, and Ning Fengzhi also quickly got up and bid farewell to Emperor Xueye.

The guard responsible for protecting Emperor Xueye was also sent away by Xueye.

Xue Qinghe finally realized something was wrong. Her flushed face gradually returned to calm and turned deathly pale.

Once the surroundings quieted down, Xue Ye patted Xue Qinghe on the shoulder.

"Qinghe, you're not a child anymore. There are some things you should think about and understand. Today, reflect on why I brought you here."

Suddenly prompted by his father, Xue Qinghe's face turned pale, and he moved his lips before cautiously offering his speculation.

"Father's actions are well-intentioned, and I can only think of three points."

"Firstly, Father Emperor saw that I was troubled by love today, so he brought me here only to help me break free from this emotional entanglement."

"Secondly, Father Emperor wants me to see the true face of Ning, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Father Emperor wants to sponsor a child, and Ning, the sect leader, even wants to compete with Father Emperor. This shows that Ning Fengzhi's ambition is extremely great."

"Thirdly, Father wants me to get to know that guy named Lin Yu. He has great potential and is backed by Liu Erlong from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, who can be used by our Heavenly Dou Royal Family."

Xue Ye shook his head at Xue Qinghe's answer, dissatisfied but not disappointed.

"If this were an exam, your answer would be considered perfect, but reality is not an exam, and there aren't that many standard answers."

The corners of Emperor Xueye's mouth curled up, his expression gradually turning cold.

"Is it possible that I just happened to gather information about that kid, and then Ning Fengzhi from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School happened to come looking for me at that time, and then I just happened to learn that you were troubled by love..."

If there are only one or two coincidences, that's understandable, but when there are so many coincidences, there's definitely a problem!

Could it be that the maid I've been longing for, and Lin Yu I met today... were all arrangements by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?

Since both the maid I've been longing for and Lin Yu, whom I met today, were arranged by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, then...

Seeing Xue Qinghe's brows furrowing more and more, Xue Ye smiled with satisfaction.

"Qinghe, if you wanted to be the ruler of a country, what would be the most important thing?"

When asked such a sophisticated question again, Xue Qinghe pondered for a moment before giving an uncertain four-word answer: "Overthinking?"

Emperor Xueye simply smiled and remained silent in response to this question, then sighed with emotion.

"Qinghe, outsiders always say that the heart of an emperor is the most ruthless, and that it is difficult to guess the emperor's thoughts; serving an emperor is like walking on thin ice..."

"Tell me, just how smart does someone have to be to keep everyone guessing what they're thinking?"

"If you ask me, the key to being an emperor can be summed up in three words: play dumb."

"The emperor's position, everything you can see and think about... is mostly something someone deliberately created to make you see and guess."

"There are so many smart people in this world, and a group of people who specialize in studying the art of rulership... Trying to outsmart them, to outmaneuver them... it'll exhaust you..."