Douluo Continent: My name is Yang Jian, and I achieved sainthood through my physical body

Those vague questions that had accumulated in my mind are now emerging with clearer outlines.

The outline surprised her a little, yet it wasn't entirely unexpected.

Qian Renxue's gaze swept over everyone at the table before finally settling back on Yang Jian.

It was as if she was waiting for him to respond, or perhaps she was simply enjoying the moment.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the courtyard was carried into the house in gusts of evening breeze, sweet and delicate, floating in the warm light of the dinner table.

What exactly is the relationship in Chapter 230?

Yang Jian withdrew his gaze, neither replying nor even glancing at Qian Renxue again.

He lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of roasted pork and put it in his bowl, then began to eat.

His movements were steady and natural, his fingers holding the chopsticks relaxed and stable, as if Qian Renxue's appearance was no different from a gust of wind blowing outside the window. She came and went as she pleased, not worth paying any more attention to.

He chewed his food, his gaze fixed on the plate of greens in front of him, as if those greens were more worthy of attention than a newly enthroned emperor.

Qian Renxue stood by the table and waited for a moment.

Her gaze remained fixed on Yang Jian's profile, as if trying to find even the slightest response, but she found nothing.

She pursed her lips slightly, swallowing back the soft sigh that was already on her lips, and then sat down in the empty chair next to Yang Chan.

The chair legs made a slight dragging sound on the ground. She naturally picked up the extra pair of chopsticks on the table, took a bite of food, and put it in her mouth.

After chewing a couple of times, he nodded slightly, as if silently commenting on the taste of the dish.

She ate with ease and composure, her posture relaxed, like someone sitting at their own dining table rather than a newly enthroned emperor.

She picked up another piece of meat and took a sip of soup, her movements completely natural, yet each gesture exuding an innate elegance and composure.

The desktop remained quiet for a long time.

The crisp sound of chopsticks hitting the rim of the bowl and the subtle sounds of chewing food alternated, becoming the only sounds in this quiet moment.

The air was filled with the steam of food and the faint sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms drifting in from the window. The two scents mingled above the table, bathed in a warm, hazy glow from the lamplight.

Zhu Zhuqing sat diagonally opposite Yang Jian, holding a bowl and slowly stirring the rice with her chopsticks along the rim, putting each grain into her mouth.

Her movements were very slow, as if she was deliberately prolonging the dinner, or as if she was waiting for something.

Her gaze would occasionally rise, sweeping over Qian Renxue's handsome and gentle face, over the way she held her chopsticks, over the less than two feet between her and Yang Jian, before falling back down to the grains of rice in the bowl.

She quickly pieced together all the scattered clues she had gathered over the past few days in her mind.

Those frequent visits, those half-hour silences spent sitting in the courtyard, those fleeting moments of disappointment in her eyes whenever Yang Jian was not around.

Those doubts that she had previously brushed aside with the excuse that "Xue Qinghe was just here to talk to Yang Jian about something" are now becoming clearer one by one, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being placed in the right positions.

She couldn't quite explain what that feeling was.

But she knew things were much more complicated than she had initially thought.

Yang Jian was not surprised by Xue Qinghe's arrival, and Xue Qinghe's posture while sitting there did not seem like that of someone who had come to see an ordinary friend.

She tightened her grip on the chopsticks slightly, then slowly loosened it again.

Yang Jiao sat on the other side of the table, his gaze slowly shifting between Yang Jian and Qian Renxue, trying to find some clues from their expressions and movements.

Yang Jian's face remained expressionless, neither warm nor cold, like a perfectly polished mirror that reflected whatever was reflected on it, leaving nothing of itself behind.

Qian Renxue would occasionally turn her head to glance at Yang Jian, her gaze carrying a natural sense of intimacy, as if she were looking at someone she had known for a long time, only that person's response was always silence.

Yang Jiao silently sorted through the details he hadn't paid much attention to before, and several different possibilities surfaced in his mind, each one more surprising than the last.

But he didn't show any emotion on his face. He simply picked up the bowl, took a sip of soup, and his gaze lingered between Qian Renxue and Yang Jian for a moment before casually looking away.

Yang Chan was much more straightforward.

As she chewed her food, her round eyes darted back and forth between Qian Renxue and Yang Jian, her little head moving back and forth between the two.

It's like observing two cats slowly approaching.

Her gaze darted back and forth between Qian Renxue's undisguised naturalness and Yang Jian's nonchalant casualness.

Her cheeks were bulging, and her chewing slowed down because she was distracted, her eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.

After eating a few bites of food, Qian Renxue put down her chopsticks and turned to face Yang Jiao and Yang Chan.

She turned slightly toward them, her hands gently folded on the table, her gaze gentle and focused, every detail conveying just the right amount of concern.

"Are you all settling in well at the academy in Tiandou City? Is the course schedule demanding? How are the teachers? Have you encountered any difficult relationships with classmates or problems in class?"

She asked one question after another, each one very specific, as if she genuinely cared about the lives and growth of the two children.

Her voice carried a natural patience, as if she had spent a long time practicing this way of listening.

Yang Jiao put down his chopsticks and sat up straighter, pulling his shoulders back slightly.

His voice was steady and respectful, with a restraint and orderliness that was not common for a boy of his age: "Your Majesty, the courses in the academy are well arranged. The theoretical foundations are taught in the morning and practical exercises are conducted in the afternoon. The teachers are all very experienced and the content they teach is solid."

"My cultivation level is about to break through to level 40. According to the academy's training plan, I should be able to break through to the Soul Sect next year."

His answer was calm and concise, without unnecessary formalities or excessive humility, as if he were stating a confirmed fact.

Yang Chan also put down her chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and her eyes were shining, as if she had a lot to say that she wanted to pour out all at once.

"The college is really great! The food in the cafeteria is delicious, better than what I cook at home—uh, second sister-in-law, I don't mean you cook badly, I just mean the cafeteria food is good, it's just a bit different in style..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she realized that what she had said might have been inappropriate, so she quickly turned her head to Zhu Zhuqing and made amends before turning back.

"My Lotus Lantern Martial Soul has recently developed a new auxiliary effect, which can provide teammates with a continuous healing aura. Although the coverage area is not very large and the duration is not very long, my teacher said that if it continues to develop like this, I may become a very powerful healing-type Soul Master in the future."

Chapter 231 Qian Renxue: We'll talk about it later.

Yang Chan's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement and pride, and her fingers lightly traced the shape of the Lotus Lantern blooming on the table.

Qian Renxue listened and nodded, a gentle smile on her lips.

She would occasionally ask a question or two, specifically asking about the college environment, whether there were enough books in the library, whether the teachers in the practical courses gave them enough time to guide them, and whether the workload was too heavy.

Each question was addressed appropriately, without appearing overly concerned or perfunctory.

That concern was genuine, not just superficial politeness.

Yang Jiao and Yang Chan answered honestly, and the restraint in their voices gradually melted away during the conversation.

Yang Chan even started to tell interesting stories that happened in class, saying that a classmate almost smashed the teacher's flowerpot by missing his soul skill during a practical lesson.

Zhu Zhuqing sat to the side without joining the conversation.

She ate quietly, occasionally glancing up at the natural concern that Qian Renxue showed when she spoke, before lowering her head again.

She slowly stirred the rice along the rim of the bowl with her chopsticks.

Her intuition told her that the answer to that question would come sooner or later, but not now, and not in front of so many people.

All she had to do was wait, wait for the fragments to piece together into a complete shape on their own.

By the time dinner was almost over, most of the food on the table had been eaten, and there were still some oil stains and traces of seasoning left on a few empty plates.

Qian Renxue put down her chopsticks, picked up the water glass in front of her, took a sip, and gently pressed the rim of the glass against her lips. Then she put the glass down and turned to look at Yang Jian.

She uttered a sentence that seemed to freeze the air around the table for a few moments: "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Her tone sounded casual, and she didn't even try to lower her voice.

Her gaze fell on Yang Jian's profile, as if waiting for an answer, or perhaps admiring any possible change in his expression.

Yang Jiao's hand paused.

He froze in mid-air, the rim of the bowl about two or three inches off the table, as if some invisible force had stopped him from moving.

Yang Chan's chopsticks slipped from her fingers, fell onto the table with a crisp sound, bounced, and rolled to the edge of the table.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head, her gaze quickly shifting between Qian Renxue and Yang Jian.

Her expression didn't change much, but her fingers gripping the chopsticks tightened slightly, her knuckles turning a faint white.

The table remained quiet for a couple of breaths.

Yang Jiao and Yang Chan's gazes shifted back and forth between Qian Renxue and Yang Jian.

Looking at Qian Renxue's handsome and gentle face, and then at Yang Jian's expressionless face, a slightly different thought simultaneously arose in their minds.

The idea slowly took shape in their minds, taking on a shape that they found hard to believe yet became increasingly clear.

Qian Renxue smiled slightly: "We need to have a talk tonight. There are many things that you need to decide."

Yang Jian thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.

His movements were not forceful, but they were very clear.

He certainly knew that these matters did need to be discussed. Although Qian Renxue had already ascended the throne, the transformation of the behemoth that was the Tiandou Empire could not be accomplished in a day or two, and many decisions required his participation.

He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and walked towards the stairs: "Hmm."

Yang Jiao's expression became even more complicated.

A complex mix of confusion, surprise, and a nascent understanding slowly surfaced in his eyes.

He lowered his head and took a sip of the now-cold soup, as if using that action to cover something up.

Yang Chan's mouth was slightly open. She looked at Qian Renxue and then at Yang Jian, as if she was reassessing many things she thought she knew with her round eyes.

Then she blinked quickly a few times, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and started clearing the dishes, moving faster than usual.

Her fingers paused as they slid along the rim of the bowl, her fingertips resting on a small notch in the edge, as if savoring the rough texture.

Then, she continued stacking the bowls, picked them up, stood up, and walked towards the kitchen.

The sound of rushing water filled the air, mixed with the soft clinking of bowls and plates.

Yang Jiao and Yang Chan exchanged a glance, and they saw the same confusion and the same tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

Yang Jiao coughed lightly, gestured with his eyes towards the stairs, then stood up and patted Yang Chan on the shoulder: "Let's go, let's cultivate. Tonight's progress isn't finished yet."

Yang Chan stood up and bowed slightly as she passed Qian Renxue, whispering "Good night, Your Majesty," before quickly following Yang Jiao.