Chapter 85: Xue Qinghe's Generous Investment, A New Beginning.
The carriage slowly came to a halt in front of a magnificent mansion. The vermilion gates were inlaid with gilded patterns, and as the sunlight hit them, they reflected a warm yet heavy luster.
Tang Shan was the first to step down, followed by Xue Qinghe.
"This is my Prince's Mansion. I will have someone arrange your accommodations first. In a little while, I must head to the Imperial Palace to report the gains of this trip to my Father Emperor."
Xue Qinghe's subordinates pushed open the gates. The hinges turned with a steady sound. Two rows of soldiers flanking the entrance, clad in silver armor with long sabers at their waists, bowed to her in greeting.
She nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Tang Shan, who was standing beside her.
Tang Shan nodded. "Your Highness, should I accompany you to the Imperial Palace?"
"There is no need. You are my person now. If your talent were exposed to my Father Emperor or School Master Ning, it would be hard to say whether you could still remain by my side in the future."
Xue Qinghe shook her head and continued to explain.
"My two younger brothers might not want you assisting me either. If they were to harbor any schemes by then, it would be troublesome."
The two of them stepped onto the bluestone path leading deep into the Prince's Mansion. The surface was kept polished year-round, reflecting the scenery on both sides.
Carved corridors and painted buildings were arranged with refined elegance.
Rockeries and strange stones could be seen everywhere, with emerald green vines crawling through the crevices, their tips adorned with scattered small flowers. Below the stones, a koi pond shimmered with light, the water so clear that the pebbles at the bottom were visible.
Well-trained maids dressed in plain-colored skirts shuttled back and forth within the estate. Their steps were light and silent, keeping the entire Prince's Mansion in perfect order.
Xue Qinghe led Tang Shan to a small pavilion deep within the mansion, supported by dark wooden pillars.
In the center of the pavilion sat an ancient and exquisite stone table with natural grain patterns. The stone stools around it were covered with soft cushions that felt warm to the touch.
After sitting down, Xue Qinghe looked at Tang Shan and spoke slowly. "You will stay in my Prince's Mansion for a period of time. This way, after a few days, it will be as if you bear my mark. With your talent, you will certainly be valued by my Father Emperor and School Master Ning when the time comes, but because you already have my mark, they will not harbor other intentions and will only focus on nurturing you. After all, a future powerhouse ally is well worth winning over, even if they aren't personally trained by them. "
"Especially my Father Emperor; once he learns of your talent, there is a high probability he will tilt some special resources toward your Cultivation. If you have any requirements for resources, just tell me. Later, I will enter the National Treasury and personally help you select them."
Such generous conditions made Tang Shan feel a secret sense of appreciation, while he also quickly calculated the cultivation resources he needed.
"Your Highness, prioritize looking for any Heaven And Earth Treasure that can enhance mental force, followed by those that improve physical constitution, and finally, medicinal herbs that assist in cultivating Soul Power without side effects."
Tang Shan listed his needs one by one.
Xue Qinghe nodded in agreement. "I have noted all of these. What about Spirit Bones? Do you have any requirements in that area?"
"As I said before, by joining me, I can provide at least two ten thousand year spirit bones."
Tang Shan's cheek twitched slightly, once again marveling at Miss Angel's grand generosity. He knew in his heart that these Spirit Bones certainly weren't provided by the Heaven Dou Empire.
After all, Spirit Bones were incredibly precious. Even if he was a Genius with a first thousand-year spirit ring, it might not be worth investing so many resources in such a short time, especially since the Body Martial Soul had yet to prove its value on the continent and still carried uncertainty.
Therefore, the Spirit Bones Miss Angel mentioned were most likely requested directly from Spirit Hall.
ten thousand year spirit bones were extremely rare. Even for Miss Angel, getting them out of Spirit Hall would likely involve significant difficulty.
Thinking about it, Tang Shan suddenly felt he might be wrong. Given how much the various Enshrined Priests in the Hall of Worship doted on Xue Qinghe, let alone two ten thousand year spirit bones, they might even be willing to form a group and head to the Star Dou Great Forest to help her gather a full set of hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones.
After all, among the seven Enshrined Priests in the Hall of Worship, excluding Qian Daoliu, half of them died to save Qian Renxue, sacrificing themselves at Jialing Pass.
"Your Highness, there is no rush regarding the Spirit Bones. I am currently still focusing on cultivating Soul Power."
Tang Shan tactfully declined Xue Qinghe's suggestion. In his view, a ten thousand year spirit bone was not good enough for him.
Tang Shan's standards had long been raised by the age of the protagonist's Spirit Bones in the original work. Setting aside the Mountain Dragon King Spirit Bone like Tang Wulin had in the Late Stage, at the very least, a full set of hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones was a must. If they could match his own attributes, that would be even better.
"By the way, Your Highness, if there is an external Spirit Bone, I would be willing to trade two ten thousand year spirit bones for one."
Tang Shan said this casually, mostly as a joke.
external Spirit Bones were basically fused when a Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring. Once they were completely bound to a Soul Master, the Spirit Bone would disappear upon the Soul Master's death.
The way an external Spirit Bone appeared, like that of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, was extremely rare, if not unique.
"I will look for one later. I seem to recall that there was—"
Xue Qinghe responded subconsciously, her voice growing softer toward the end. Meeting Tang Shan's slightly strange gaze, she coughed lightly and said seriously, "You should know the uniqueness of an external Spirit Bone. There is a high probability the National Treasury does not have one, so do not get your hopes up too high."
Tang Shan hurriedly nodded. It was normal for the Heaven Dou treasury not to have one, but whether Spirit Hall had one was another matter.
He noticed that Xue Qinghe had recently become increasingly relaxed around him. Sometimes her responses made it easy to doubt her identity as a prince. If Tang Shan hadn't reacted quickly enough to play dumb every time, Xue Qinghe's disguise would have likely been blown long ago. 'Girl, can't you be more careful? Weren't you better at this in the original story?'
"Alright, I will take you to your residence. They should have finished tidying it up by now. After seeing the residence, I still have to go to the Imperial Palace to report to my Father Emperor."
Xue Qinghe stood up and signaled Tang Shan to follow, leading the way herself.
Tang Shan also stood up and quickly followed behind Xue Qinghe.
"Your Highness, I was just joking with you earlier. I probably won't absorb a Spirit Bone in the short term; for now, I should focus on my training. By the way, how is the search for the Soul Beasts we discussed going?"
Xue Qinghe had already recovered from the "crisis" of nearly exposing her identity, her tone returning to its previous gentleness.
"I understand, of course. After all, the conditions for the birth of an external Spirit Bone are too harsh. I can only try to keep an eye out for you in the National Treasury. There are still many special items stored there; perhaps an external Spirit Bone is among them."
"Then I shall trouble Your Highness."
Since the other party had already found an excuse for him, Tang Shan didn't say anything more.
"As for the Soul Beasts, a lot of information should have been gathered at the mansion during this time. I'll check for you once I return from the Imperial Palace."
Seeing this "First Prince of Heaven Dou" so dedicated to planning his cultivation, Tang Shan was moved and secretly made a decision:'Setting everything else aside, Your Highness Xue, I will protect those grandfathers of yours in the Hall of Worship.'
In the shadows, Porcupinefish Douluo couldn't help but transmit his voice to Snake Lance Douluo: "Old She, what did I tell you? I said the Young Lord has taken a liking to this Tang Shan. She's even going to ask the family for a Spirit Bone to help this kid."
Snake Lance Douluo, who was protecting them in secret, kept his tone calm: "You're overthinking it. Just based on the Standing Stake Method Tang Shan taught a few days ago, he's worth that Spirit Bone."
His tone was certain, carrying a faint hint of disdain for Porcupinefish Douluo's shallow perspective.
"If I were the Young Lord, facing such a Genius, I would certainly be willing to invest resources to nurture him, even not sparing a Spirit Bone."
"After all, after a Soul Master dies, the Spirit Bone can still be recovered. As for the Young Lord taking a liking to this kid, that's impossible."
"The Young Lord is destined to stand above the Nine Heavens; her standards are incredibly high. No matter how brilliant Tang Shan is, to her, he is at most a meteor."
"The sun sweeps up the meteor not because the meteor has piqued the sun's interest, but simply because the meteor is close enough to the sun to be caught in its pull."
"That actually makes sense?"
Porcupinefish Douluo was "awakened" by Snake Lance Douluo's words. After a moment of thoughtful consideration, he came to a sudden realization.
"It seems I was shallow. I thought the Young Lord was showing favoritism because of Tang Shan's status as a teacher. I clearly thought wrong."
Tang Shan and Xue Qinghe were completely unaware of the exchange between the two elders in the shadows. Before long, they arrived at a small courtyard next to Xue Qinghe's sleeping quarters.
The courtyard spanned several hundred square meters. Pushing open the door, they were greeted by a yard full of life. In the center was a two-story pavilion. The wooden window frames were carved with lotus patterns, and the window paper was white and translucent. Sunlight filtered through the frames into the room, casting hazy shadows.
In front of the pavilion was a square flower bed where various flowers bloomed in competition. Pink, purple, and white petals were layered upon each other, their refreshing fragrance detectable from afar. When the wind blew, petals drifted down, settling on the bluestone path and creating a thin floral carpet.
Next to the flower bed stood a tall rockery. The stones were rugged and covered in moss, exuding a sense of ancient strength.
Below the rockery was an exquisite pond. The water was as clear as a mirror. Several koi with red and gold patterns swam leisurely in the water, their tails stirring up fine ripples that reflected the blue sky and white clouds above, swaying with the waves.
At the bottom of the pond was a small spring. A continuous flow of fresh water emerged from the spring with tiny bubbles, keeping the pond water always clear and vibrant. Stepping closer, one could hear the light tinkling sound of the spring water.
After a brief introduction of the courtyard, several maids filed out of the pavilion. They stood in an orderly line before Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan, bowing as they said, "Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, Young Master."
These maids were exquisite in appearance and had excellent figures. They were dressed in light pink skirts embroidered with dark patterns, and their every movement exuded a gentle charm.
Xue Qinghe's brow furrowed imperceptibly as she looked at Tang Shan. "I fear these maids might interfere with your cultivation, so I will have them withdrawn for now."
Tang Shan didn't think much of it. He just glanced at the young women and nodded casually. "As Your Highness arranges."
Although the girls before him were stunning, there was still a considerable gap compared to the beauties in the short videos of his previous life.
After all, with the blessing of the three or even four great mystical arts of Asia, no matter what they looked like in reality, what appeared on the phone screen were all top-tier beauties who looked natural, harmless, and as if they wore no makeup.
Seeing Tang Shan agree, for some reason, Xue Qinghe let out a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted. She quickly dismissed the ten young women, as if afraid Tang Shan would change his mind.
"Alright, from now on, this will be your residence in Heaven Dou City. I must head to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible to report to my Father Emperor, so I will be going now."
"There are not many rules in the Prince's Mansion. Make yourself at home here. The cultivation resources will be sent over as soon as possible within the next few days."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Tang Shan escorted Xue Qinghe to the courtyard entrance and watched her figure disappear at the end of the path before turning back into the yard.
He sat down on a bluestone stool by the pond, his fingertips resting on the cool edge of the pond. He watched the several koi swimming in the water, lost in thought.
He had finally arrived in Heaven Dou City. A brand new path of cultivation was about to begin. He wondered to what extent he would eventually be able to improve here.
Letting his thoughts fly and his mind wander without restraint, the sun overhead gradually sank to the west, taking on an orange-red afterglow. It cast long shadows of the rockery and pavilion onto the flower carpet and the pond's surface.
The moon quietly climbed onto the branches, casting a pale moonlight that intertwined with the sunset's glow, covering the small courtyard in a soft radiance.
When Tang Shan came back to his senses, he realized he had been in a daze for the entire afternoon. But thinking back to that feeling of soaring thoughts—
that sense of being completely free and unfettered—he didn't feel like it was a waste of cultivation time.
Feeling the peace within his heart as the evening breeze brought the cool scent of flowers and the spring, he slowly closed his eyes. He began to organize the gains from his cultivation during this period while establishing his goals for the next stage of training.
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