Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"Standing at the gate of the Crown Prince's residence, no unauthorized persons are allowed. Leave immediately!"

As soon as Cheng Xiao arrived at the entrance of the Crown Prince's residence, two heavily armed guards blocked his path. He was slightly surprised—judging by the aura emanating from these two, their spirit power was at least at the level of Spirit King.

Casually employing Spirit Masters to guard the gates—this must mean that Qian Renxue has nearly fully infiltrated the Heaven Dou royal family. Otherwise, given the resources of the Heaven Dou Empire, they wouldn't be wealthy enough to use Spirit Masters of this level for mere gatekeeping duties.

After all, most of the Spirit Kings from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy serve as teachers.

"Gentlemen, would this token allow me to enter?" While thinking this, Cheng Xiao retrieved a golden token from his sleeve. This was the token left to him by Qian Renxue, with a bright "Xue" character engraved on it.

"The Crown Prince's token!" The guards were taken aback when they saw the token in Cheng Xiao's hand. They exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then allowed him to pass. "Sir, please proceed."

"Thank you." Cheng Xiao smiled politely and calmly walked into the Crown Prince's residence under the respectful gazes of the guards.

Inside the Crown Prince's residence, soft golden light poured down, and the bustling noises from the streets were immediately cut off.

The interior of the residence was filled with guards, all wearing emotionless expressions and clad in full armor. These guards bore the royal family's swan emblem on their chests, clearly signifying that they were directly under the Heaven Dou Empire. Yet, in critical moments, their allegiance may not be so certain.

Upon entering the residence, Cheng Xiao keenly felt more than twenty sharp gazes sweep over him, all carrying unclear intentions. They seemed surprised that a boy who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen could gain entry to the Crown Prince's residence.

However, none of them troubled him. Anyone who could enter the residence was either someone useful to the Crown Prince or someone important; those without purpose wouldn't be allowed in at all.

"The massive Crown Prince's residence... under Qian Renxue's manipulation, it's probably already become her private garden, hasn't it?" Cheng Xiao thought to himself. He was about to find someone to ask how to meet Xue Qinghe when he suddenly heard the sound of crisp footsteps approaching.

Following the sound, Cheng Xiao looked towards a corner of the hall and saw a man who appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Although his appearance wasn't as good as Cheng Xiao's, he had a clean, refreshing look with a straight nose and well-formed lips. He wore a simple, clean cyan robe, and his long golden hair was tied neatly behind him with a cyan ribbon.

Although his attire was ordinary, he exuded a special aura. Seeing him, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit amused. 'Ah, the ability to disguise—able to be both a man and a woman.'

"Hello, Cheng Xiao," the young man smiled at him.

"And you are?" Cheng Xiao asked, pretending to be puzzled.

The young man gazed at Cheng Xiao's slightly confused face for a moment before smiling softly, "I've heard my cousin mention you before. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe. You can just call me Brother Xue."

"Cousin?" Cheng Xiao muttered to himself in surprise. He didn't expect Qian Renxue to go so far as to concoct a "cousin" excuse, but it was a rather fitting one.

Noticing Cheng Xiao's odd expression, Xue Qinghe's smile became a bit unnatural. For some reason, he felt as though his identity was being seen through, but back in the Star Dou Forest, he had appeared as a woman, not as Xue Qinghe.

"Um, Cheng Xiao, may I ask what business you have with my cousin?" Xue Qinghe asked after hesitating for a moment.

"Nothing much, really. I just wanted to thank Sister Qian Xue for helping me enroll, and I also need her help with something," Cheng Xiao shamelessly called her "sister," curious to see how Xue Qinghe would react.

"Sister?" Xue Qinghe's mouth twitched slightly. This was the first time someone had called him "sister," though he didn't exactly dislike it.

After a brief moment of surprise, Xue Qinghe shook his head with a smile. "Cheng Xiao, please wait here. I'll go call my cousin for you. I still have official duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

"Alright, Brother Xue," Cheng Xiao smiled in response.

Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then casually summoned a maid, whispered a few words into her ear, and disappeared from Cheng Xiao's sight along with the maid.

After waiting for a short while, the sound of crisp, melodious footsteps echoed again, like a beautiful string of musical notes.

With the sound came a light, clear voice, and a woman in a golden long robe walked out. Her attire was simple yet elegant, with no excessive patterns or decorations. The golden high collar covered her fair neck, and her long golden hair draped casually down her back, reaching her waist.

The source of the melodious sound was the golden boots Qian Renxue wore. The slightly sharp heels clicked against the marble floor. "Little one, I heard from Qinghe that you came to thank me in person?"

With a playful tone in her voice, Qian Renxue, now back in her female form, appeared before Cheng Xiao.

Looking at her delicate and beautiful face, Cheng Xiao retorted without backing down, "Sister Qian Xue is right, but there's one thing you got wrong—I'm not a little one."

"Heh, you little rascal," Qian Renxue chuckled as she gazed at the young man before her. Her delicate face tilted slightly upwards as she smiled. "So, tell me, what kind of problem are you here for me to solve?"

"Well, kind of," Cheng Xiao scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I wanted to ask if Sister Qian Xue could help me contact my teacher. I have some things I don't quite understand and need his guidance."

"Hm? You mean Chrysanthemum Douluo?" Qian Renxue was slightly surprised, not expecting Cheng Xiao to seek her out just for this. Still a bit unconvinced, she asked again, "Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's all," Cheng Xiao replied, puzzled by her question.

"Nothing else?" Qian Renxue lightly bit her lip, refusing to give up.

"Really, that's it," Cheng Xiao confirmed.

In the shadows, two Title Douluo—Snake Spear and Porcupinefish—observed Qian Renxue's unusual behavior. They couldn't understand why their usually cold and authoritative young master was acting so differently in front of Cheng Xiao.

"Yu Long, what's going on with the young master?" Porcupinefish Douluo couldn't make sense of it. "First, she disguises herself as Xue Qinghe, then shows her real face to this kid. I don't get it. What's our young master thinking?"

Snake Spear Douluo glanced at Porcupinefish Douluo, paused for a moment, and speculated, "I think something must have happened between this boy and the young master during their last trip to the Star Dou Forest. Didn't you notice her strange behavior?"

"I noticed, but so what?" Porcupinefish Douluo was confused.

"It doesn't prove anything," Snake Spear Douluo sighed, looking at Porcupinefish Douluo like he was a fool. "Working with you really saves me a lot of mental energy."

"What do you mean by that?" Porcupinefish Douluo asked, still bewildered.

"Nothing, just keep watching," Snake Spear Douluo said, completely speechless. He had known Porcupinefish was a bit slow, but this was something else!

"Forget it, I don't want to argue with you," Qian Renxue said, covering her forehead with her hand, trying to hide her disappointment from Cheng Xiao. She had waited for so long, only for him to come here and talk business. If he brought up official matters again the next time, she would have someone kick him out of the residence.

"I'll take care of this immediately. Afterward, how about you accompany me for a stroll around the residence?" Trying to suppress her annoyance, Qian Renxue asked, staring at Cheng Xiao.

"Maybe another time, Sister Qian Xue. I have other things to take care of. I'll take a rain check on that walk," Cheng Xiao waved his hand, declining her offer.

It wasn't that he didn't want to accompany her, but he really had things to do. He still had to help Dugu Yan with her poison, and if Dugu Bo couldn't find him, it would lead to a lot of trouble.

"You..." Qian Renxue was momentarily speechless, staring at Cheng Xiao for a while. She waved her hand, dissatisfied, "Fine, go ahead and leave. Stop getting in my way."

Feeling her words were too harsh, she softened her tone, "I just hope you won't come to me only for official matters."

After saying that, Qian Renxue turned and left without looking back, her golden hair swaying slightly behind her, her slim figure looking unusually lonely.

Watching her retreating figure, a glint flashed in Cheng Xiao's eyes as a smile tugged at his lips. "I won't."