Dai Chengfeng's letter was very short, containing only three lines.
The first line read: 'Thank you! The brocade box contains my gift to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.'
This sentence had no beginning or end.
But Qian Renxue instantly understood its meaning.
"Dai Chengfeng must be thanking me for not killing Li Zhizhao. At least he has some conscience."
However, soon after,
Qian Renxue's face twisted in disgust as she let out a soft snort. "But who asked you to thank me?"
"You spineless disappointment of a bastard!"
Despite her words—
The corners of Qian Renxue's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, revealing a faint, barely noticeable smile.
Her gaze fell on the brocade box, brimming with curiosity as she murmured softly, "A gift, huh?"
Nevertheless, Qian Renxue resisted her curiosity about the gift and decided to finish reading the letter first.
But when her eyes landed on the second and third lines, her previously amused and delicate face froze instantly.
'Next time we meet, I'll try not to bully you…'
'By the way, regarding the little beggar girl at your door—I promised her that if she delivered this letter, you'd provide her with food, clothing, and schooling. Remember to fulfill my promise to her, and put it on my tab.'
"Bastard!"
A flicker of angry embarrassment flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes as she abruptly stood up, clenching her small, pale fists.
"What do you mean, 'next time we meet, I'll try not to bully you?'"
"Who do you think I am?"
"I'm the young master of the Spirit Hall, the Crown Prince of the Tian Dou Empire, and the future Angel God, Qian Renxue! When have you ever managed to bully me, you little tiger?"
"You, Dai Chengfeng, are only fit to lick my feet!"
But as soon as the words left her mouth, Qian Renxue's expression faltered slightly, a hint of guilt flashing across her face.
After all, recalling her past encounters with Dai Chengfeng, she realized she hadn't exactly come out on top—she had been repeatedly outwitted by him.
How infuriating!
The angrier she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Finally, clenching her pale fists, she could only punch the pillow beside her twice, muttering under her breath, "You little brat, I'll kill you, how dare you…"
"And making me take care of some random pitiful person—are you treating me like your personal wallet?!"
But soon after, Qian Renxue called out toward the door, "Elder Porcupinefish, go and keep that little girl at the door. Arrange for her food, lodging, schooling, and everything else."
"Yes, Young Miss!"
The voice of Porcupinefish Douluo echoed from outside the door.
With arrangements settled, Qian Renxue finally turned her attention back to the brocade box, her eyes once again filled with curiosity.
"Dai Chengfeng, I've already arranged for that little girl as you asked. So, what's the gift you gave me?"
"I hope it doesn't disappoint me."
Thinking this, Qian Renxue reached out and slowly opened the brocade box.
The next second—
"Huh?!"
Qian Renxue gasped in surprise. "Dai Chengfeng, is he some kind of pervert?"
In her hand was a bracelet made of cold star iron.
The surface of the bracelet was intricately carved with a lifelike phoenix design. Every feather was meticulously detailed, as if it were about to spread its wings and take flight at any moment.
The phoenix's eyes were embedded with two dazzling rubies, glowing like ignited flames, complementing the subtle glow of the cold star iron beautifully and harmoniously.
"To give me, a man, this kind of gift?"
Though men could wear this bracelet, it was clearly more suited for a young girl.
"He can't possibly be… into that, can he?"
"Eww!"
Qian Renxue's eyes filled with fear and revulsion.
But in the blink of an eye, she waved her hand, her soul power surging.
In an instant, the disguise of Xue Qinghe faded, and she reverted to her own breathtakingly beautiful appearance.
Gracefully stepping forward, she walked to the large bronze mirror in the room and slowly placed the bracelet on her slender wrist.
The intricate patterns on the bracelet shimmered softly in the dim light filtering through the window, perfectly complementing her snow-white skin.
Qian Renxue tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting as she carefully examined herself in the mirror. Her eyes sparkled with delight, and her lips unconsciously curved upward, revealing a radiant smile. She softly murmured,
"Dai Chengfeng, you actually have pretty good taste, don't you?"
"This looks much better."
Just then, Porcupinefish Douluo's voice sounded from outside the door. "Young Miss, the little girl has been arranged as you instructed."
"Mm, good."
Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh, and—"
At this moment, Porcupinefish Douluo entered and spoke again.
"Earlier, I received news that Dai Mubai has also arrived in Tian Dou City."
"Dai Mubai?" Qian Renxue's eyebrows arched slightly. "Are you sure it's Dai Mubai and not that little tiger, Dai Chengfeng?"
Porcupinefish Douluo nodded firmly. "It's definitely Dai Mubai!"
"After all, Dai Chengfeng left Tian Dou City an hour ago with Ye Renxin."
"Dai Chengfeng left?"
Qian Renxue exclaimed in surprise. "He's already gone? Why are you only telling me now?"
Porcupinefish Douluo's eyes filled with confusion. "Didn't you say earlier that there was no need to report anything about Dai Chengfeng to you?"
Qian Renxue instinctively glanced at the bracelet on her wrist, her expression faltering slightly. "That was before!"
"From now on, you must report anything related to Dai Chengfeng to me immediately!"
"Yes!"
Porcupinefish Douluo's eyes were filled with bewilderment.
Why was his Young Miss's attitude toward Dai Chengfeng so inconsistent?
Though puzzled, he dared not ask further and kept his thoughts to himself.
Seeing Porcupinefish Douluo's probing gaze, Qian Renxue coughed lightly to mask her unease, her eyes darting around. "So, what about it?"
"How did you determine that the person is Dai Mubai?"
Porcupinefish Douluo quickly refocused and continued, "The youth who arrived this time, though similar to Dai Chengfeng, has a completely different demeanor."
"Moreover, as soon as he arrived in Tian Dou City, he went to the Rose Flower Hotel and ordered two hostesses. His behavior was extremely unrestrained."
"Therefore, I'm certain it's not Dai Chengfeng."
"Dai Chengfeng may be our enemy, but I know well that his ambition is like a tiger's, swallowing the world whole. How could he possibly go to such a place?"
Hearing this, Qian Renxue nodded slightly, her doubts instantly dispelled.
She absolutely refused to believe that Dai Chengfeng would go to the Rose Flower Hotel and order hostesses.
Thinking of this, Qian Renxue subconsciously glanced at the letter on the table.
'Next time we meet, I'll try not to bully you…'
"Perfect, I was looking for a place to vent my anger!"
Qian Renxue looked up at Porcupinefish Douluo. "Go and arrange for someone to beat that Dai Mubai up for me!"
"Beat him up?"
"Yes!" Qian Renxue gritted her teeth. "Just don't kill or cripple him!"
"Yes, I'll get it done right away!"
Porcupinefish Douluo bowed and left to carry out her orders.
---
An hour later
In a private room of the Rose Flower Hotel in Tian Dou City—
Dai Mubai was drinking when suddenly, several burly men burst in and began beating him up.
Ten minutes later.
Dai Mubai lay on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, his eyes blackened.
Watching Porcupinefish Douluo prepare to leave, Dai Mubai felt utterly wronged. "I don't even know who you people are…"
"If you want to blame anyone, blame your younger brother for making our Young Miss angry. But since he's gone, you'll have to pay for his sins!"
With that, Porcupinefish Douluo swaggered off with the group of burly men.
"Brother?"
For a moment, Dai Mubai's eyes filled with grief and indignation. After all, he only had one younger brother.
"When I was in the Star Luo Empire, your existence made my parents constantly criticize me, thinking I was nowhere near as good as you, Dai Chengfeng!"
"Now that I've left the Star Luo Empire, I still have to take the fall for you."
"Dai Chengfeng, one day you'll regret this!"
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his eyes full of resentment.
His already bruised and swollen face twisted further with anger. "I, Dai Mubai, practice the orthodox methods of our ancestors, while you're nothing but a deviant!"
"I will prove myself!"
"I'm the strongest, most talented, and most accomplished prince of the Star Luo Empire!"
At this moment, Dai Mubai instinctively recalled the information he had overheard earlier in the carriage about the powerful Shrek Academy, which only accepted prodigies.
"A school as strong as that—if I can graduate from there, I'll definitely defeat Dai Chengfeng!"
"Dai Chengfeng, just wait and see!"
Meanwhile—
A hundred miles outside Tian Dou City, inside a modest carriage.
The interior was cozy, with soft cushions lining the seats.
"Achoo…"
Dai Chengfeng rubbed his nose, frowning slightly with a look of confusion.
Strange, can soul masters catch colds too?
But soon, Dai Chengfeng shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. Instead, he turned to Ye Renxin sitting across from him, his eyes curious as he asked,
"Elder Ye, you just said we'll be passing through… Nuoding City?!"
"The Nuoding City near Holy Spirit Village, with the Nuoding City Junior Soul Academy—is that the Nuoding City you're talking about?!"
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