Douluo Continent: The Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, who intercepted the immortal herb

Chapter 58 The Crown Prince's Nighttime Summoning: A Single Word Breaks Through His Defenses

Half an hour later.

Outside the East Gate of the Tiandou Imperial Palace.

Su Chen stepped down from the carriage.

Two rows of heavily armored royal knights, wielding halberds, stood like iron towers. The cold metallic sheen reflected in the night, exuding a strong aura of slaughter.

An old eunuch carrying a lantern hurried forward to greet them.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has been waiting for a long time. Please."

Follow the eunuch through the many corridors.

Every ten steps, the eyes of hidden sentries would sweep across from the corners. The entire Eastern Palace was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, like a giant bowstring taut.

Su Chen walked steadily, seemingly oblivious to the murderous intent around him.

I walked to the door of the study.

The old eunuch pushed open the heavy, carved wooden door, bowed, and withdrew.

Su Chen stepped in.

The heavy wooden door closed behind us, completely shutting out the sound of the outside wind.

A rich, top-quality ambergris fragrance wafted towards us.

The underfloor heating in the spacious study was blazing. The air was almost scorching.

A person was sitting behind a long, narrow table made of rosewood.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, a jade crown on his head, and had a gentle and refined face.

Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Or rather, a thousand-foot snow.

She was flipping through files. Hearing footsteps, she didn't immediately look up. The rustling of pages turning was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

air.

This is a psychological tactic commonly used by those in positions of power.

Use silence and the environment to exert heavy pressure.

An ordinary official would have been sweating profusely and kneeling on the ground by now.

Su Chen didn't even glance at her, but walked straight to the mahogany chair on the side and sat down with an air of authority.

The sound of turning pages stopped.

Qian Renxue raised her head.

A barely perceptible glint of something unusual flashed in his golden eyes.

This Holy Son of the Spirit Hall was not only not oppressed by the environment, but his aura of taking the lead even subtly overshadowed hers.

"Your Highness, I apologize for the intrusion in inviting you so late at night."

Her voice, disguised by the soul bone, had a gentle, magnetic quality.

"Your Highness is too kind. I would also like to try some of Tian Dou's tea," Su Chen said calmly.

Qian Renxue smiled.

She stood up and walked to the tea table.

Lift the purple clay teapot. Boiling water flows into the white jade cup, stirring up a cloud of white steam.

Wash the tea, rinse with water, and the phoenix nods three times.

The movements were fluid and graceful, elegant to the core. The curve of each finger was just right.

A cup of tea was pushed in front of Su Chen.

"Your Highness's presence in Tian Dou brings great honor to our humble abode."

Qian Renxue picked up her teacup, looked at the leaves floating on the water, and her tone gradually turned cold.

"I wonder if the recent turmoil in the city is related to Your Highness?"

She raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Su Chen.

"Li Mu is in prison. Prince Xue Xing is too busy taking care of herself. Isn't the Spirit Hall overstepping its bounds?"

To test the waters.

A direct and oppressive probing.

This is a forcing move. Admitting it means giving the opponent a handle to use against you; denying it means you've lost the upper hand and completely lost the initiative.

Su Chen did not answer.

He leaned back in his chair and picked up the white jade cup.

My fingertips caressed the exquisite cloud patterns on the cup's surface.

The aroma of tea filled the air. He neither drank nor spoke.

The air in the study seemed to have been sucked out.

Qian Renxue's smile slowly faded. The other person's composure was completely unexpected.

The sound of breathing was amplified infinitely in the empty room.

Qian Renxue tightened her grip on the rim of the cup slightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white.

She had been secretly involved in the imperial court since childhood, and was used to seeing the cunning old foxes in the court, but she had never encountered an opponent who played by such unconventional methods.

I can't see through it. I can't figure it out.

After a long period of tug-of-war.

Su Chen finally put down his teacup.

The bottom of the cup touched the rosewood tabletop, making a crisp "tap" sound.

The sound was like a heavy hammer, striking Qian Renxue's taut nerves.

"Your Highness, you've misunderstood."

Su Chen raised his head.

His dark eyes, like unfathomable whirlpools, crashed straight into Qian Renxue's feigned sharp gaze.

Those eyes were so deep. So deep that Qian Renxue had the illusion that all her disguises, masks, and secrets had been completely seen through at that moment.

She even felt a sense of being detached. It was the soul of "Qian Renxue" trembling beneath the skin of "Xue Qinghe".

Su Chen leaned forward.

Place your hands on the table, crossed.

The distance between the two instantly closed.

He spoke slowly, in a volume that only two people could hear.

His tone was calm, yet it carried a destructive power.

"I'm helping you, not the Heavenly Dou Empire."

"It's not like we're helping the Spirit Hall."

Qian Renxue's brows furrowed sharply, and extreme wariness flashed in her eyes.

Su Chen stared into her eyes and uttered the last half of the sentence.

"I just wanted to help a girl named 'Xue'er'."

"To fulfill her mother's lifelong wish."

Clang!

A loud bang suddenly erupted.

The priceless jade cup beside Qian Renxue was swept away by her suddenly retracted arm.

The jade piece shattered. Shards flew everywhere.

Scalding hot tea was spilled onto the golden nanmu wood floor.

A few drops of boiling water splashed onto the back of her hand, scalding a patch of skin red.

But she was completely unaware.

That gentle and refined face completely crumbled in that instant.

His eyes were wide open. His pupils contracted sharply.

Shock. Horrification. Panic. Shame and anger.

Countless emotions that she had frozen for over a decade burst forth like a flood in her golden eyes.

Weave, surge!

More than a decade of walking on thin ice in hiding.

A flawless disguise.

The ultimate secret that even a titled Douluo cannot see through.

On this quiet night, she was torn to shreds by the man in front of her with the most nonchalant tone.

Blood rushed to her brain. Her vision even blurred briefly, and her ears were ringing.

Her chest heaved violently. The lines of her femininity were faintly revealed in her uncontrolled breathing.

"you----"

Qian Renxue suddenly stood up.

She knocked over the armchair behind her with a dull thud.

She stared intently at Su Chen. Her hands were on the table, her arms trembling uncontrollably.

His former elegance, princely demeanor, and composed strategic thinking vanished in an instant.

Stripped of all pretense, what stands before Su Chen now is a girl whose trump cards have been completely revealed, and who is in a state of panic.

Her throat bobbed a few times with difficulty.

The voice that came out was hoarse and shrill, having lost all pretense.

"Who are you?!"