Aether carefully traced back the timeline in his mind. As far as he could recall, even the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament hadn't started yet. There was no reason for Qian Renxue to have exposed herself so early.
Could something else have triggered this?
"Forget it. Let's not stick our heads into this mess. Brothers, let's find somewhere else to go."
The bounty hunters hesitated. The man's words, while cryptic, carried a foreboding weight—especially after what had just happened. Eventually, they turned and left.
Likewise, others in the area also grew uneasy. Rather than keep waiting in line, they grumbled their discontent and departed with a wave of their sleeves.
"Traveler, do you think that 'His Highness the Crown Prince' they were talking about… could it be Qinghe?"
Paimon, having heard the gossip from nearby, looked confused.
Aether nodded. "If it's really her, then chances are we won't be getting in either. Let's go find a place to rest first. Dugu Bo should be somewhere in the city. I'll try to contact him and get the full story from him."
They had previously stayed at the Prince's Mansion. With the current state of heightened security at the gates, showing up there now would definitely lead to trouble.
After all, the precautions were likely aimed at flushing out spies or insiders connected to the prince. Given their close past interactions with him, they were probably already on Emperor Xue Ye's blacklist.
Aether led the group to a relay inn just outside the city. After settling into a modest room, he released his elemental energy, letting it quietly diffuse toward Heaven Dou City.
Earlier, when he had activated his Elemental Sight, he sensed two powerful soul shadows in the city—both bearing the deep aura of a Titled Douluo.
One of them was unfamiliar, but the other gave him a sense of familiarity—it had to be Dugu Bo.
By releasing his elemental power now, he was hoping Dugu Bo would sense it. If the old man wasn't completely dense, he'd surely come find them.
The Inn was sparse, offering little in the way of food. As the group waited in their room, the innkeeper had just brought in a pot of tea when a figure in dark green suddenly appeared outside the door.
"Y-you're… Poison Douluo?"
The innkeeper had sharp eyes. He immediately recognized the man standing outside—the long-time Heaven Dou resident, Dugu Bo—and nervously offered a respectful greeting.
"My lord, it really is you!"
Dugu Bo ignored the innkeeper, his eyes instead brimming with emotion as they locked onto Aether and the others in the room. He stepped forward, bent his knees, and cupped his fists in a respectful bow, voice trembling slightly.
"Huh? Grandpa! It's been so long!"
Paimon greeted him warmly. Ever since Aether had repaired the flaw in Dugu Bo's martial spirit, the old man no longer reeked of his signature poison stench. Yet, in her mind, she still associated him with that unique odor.
"Miss Paimon, long time no see." Dugu Bo smiled kindly and returned the greeting with a cupped fist.
His gaze then shifted to the two young women beside Aether—Yu Keke and Zhu Zhuqing. He recognized both, but seeing them together left him a bit surprised.
One had long been with Aether, a girl he was familiar with. The other he'd only heard about through his granddaughter, supposedly a student from that other academy. How had she ended up traveling with the lord?
Back then, Aether had left Heaven Dou precisely because of what had happened to this girl—the way she'd been persecuted by the rabble from that so-called Shrek Academy.
But wasn't she… dead?
Could it be that Aether had somehow resurrected her?
The thought sent a chill down Dugu Bo's spine. He didn't dare ask. Instead, he quickly shifted his attention back to Aether.
"My lord, did you return because of Xue Qinghe?"
Aether shook his head, but before he could speak, Paimon jumped in.
"Grandpa Dugu! We overheard people outside saying something happened to Qinghe. What exactly happened?"
She was visibly anxious. Among all the people she'd met on this continent, Xue Qinghe truly counted as a friend. She'd been hoping for a reunion—only to be met with news of trouble the moment they arrived.
How could she not be worried?
"My lord… you don't know yet?"
Dugu Bo looked at their uncertain expressions and realized they were in the dark. He walked over, waved the innkeeper away, and closed the door before continuing in a lowered voice:
"My lord… you already know that Xue Qinghe may be someone from Spirit Hall, correct?"
He immediately regretted how bluntly he had phrased it.
During Aether's stay in Heaven Dou, he had lived in the Prince's Mansion. The prince had even addressed him respectfully as a guest elder. Their relationship had been far from distant.
If anyone knew Xue Qinghe's true identity, it would be the man in front of him. What Dugu Bo had just said might come across as a probe.
Just as he was about to explain himself, Aether nodded.
Apparently, he hadn't taken offense. Dugu Bo let out a breath of relief and bowed slightly again.
"My lord, here's what happened…"
As Dugu Bo recounted the events, everyone finally began to understand the situation.
About half a month ago, an immensely powerful Titled Douluo aura suddenly erupted from the Prince's Mansion.
Such a presence appearing unannounced within the royal city naturally drew the immediate attention of the royal guards and hidden enforcers.
Dugu Bo had also been in Heaven Dou at the time. Feeling the aura, he rushed to the scene—only to find none other than the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, within the mansion.
Under normal circumstances, her appearance wouldn't have meant much. It would only imply that someone within the Prince's Mansion had ties to Spirit Hall.
But that day, something was clearly wrong.
Bibi Dong had been emotionally unstable, and she had an intense argument with the prince, even releasing her spirit power inside the mansion.
When the Heaven Dou royal guardians tried to intervene, they were blocked at the entrance by two Spirit Hall Titled Douluo.
In no time, elite guards and hidden experts from across the royal court arrived and completely surrounded the mansion. The situation became a standoff.
Emperor Xue Ye personally donned armor and arrived at the scene. Just as things were about to explode, Bibi Dong emerged from the mansion—looking completely dazed and defeated.
When the emperor questioned her, she said nothing and left the city with her two Titled Douluo escorts.
Enraged, the emperor stormed into the Prince's Mansion for an explanation—but was coldly turned away at the door by the prince himself.
Fuming in a fit of rage, Emperor Xue Ye returned to the palace. Following clues gathered by his many spies, he soon discovered that the Spirit Hall Titled Douluo guarding the mansion's gate had long been hiding beside Xue Qinghe.
If not for the incident, no one would've known that Spirit Hall had secretly embedded two Titled Douluo within the heart of Heaven Dou!
This revelation deeply shook the emperor's trust. What exactly was the relationship between his crown prince and Spirit Hall?
As the investigation deepened, Emperor Xue Ye began to uncover the truth...
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