565. Destined for Manipulation and Murder

"Ah!"

Qian Renjue raised his hand and smacked Ice Empress back into his clothes.

Thinking fast—

Before Ning Rongrong could react, he quickly turned to Snow Empress and gently introduced:

"Snow Empress, these two... are my fiancées."

"Fiancées?!"

Snow Empress delicate lips parted slightly, and her slender brows furrowed.

Her ice-blue eyes reflected the two women, carrying a trace of confusion.

Ning Rongrong’s already displeased face flushed even deeper, while Ye Lingling smiled softly.

She was pleased with Qian Renjue’s approach.

It was better to be upfront like this—
Instead of hiding things from both sides, which would only hurt everyone involved.

And then she’d have to clean up his mess.

Seeing this—

Qian Renjue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he reacted quickly.

Snow Empress tilted her head, still puzzled.

"Is there a difference between fiancées and wives, Qian Renjue?"

"There is."

Qian Renjue stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and gave an answer that Snow Empress could easily understand.

"A fiancée is simply someone who is destined to become a wife in the future."

"Destined…"

Snow Empress murmured the word, her gaze shifting between Qian Renjue and the two women—
A hint of envy flashing in her eyes.

"Hmph! So sneaky!"

Ice Empress popped out from his collar again, huffing in irritation.

【Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully spreading great love!】

As the words fell, Qian Renjue heard the system’s cheerful broadcast.

Nice! This is absolutely secured now!

"Holy Son Brother~"

Ning Rongrong gazed at Qian Renjue with starry eyes.

Even Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan were impressed by his explanation.

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists tightly.

Destined to be the teacher’s wife…
That thought alone made her blood boil!

"Jue, let’s sit down first."

Ye Lingling’s eyes softened, and her voice carried a gentle charm.

She gracefully stepped forward and linked her arm with his.

"Alright."

Qian Renjue smiled, effortlessly pulling her into his embrace and placing a light kiss on the corner of her eye.

"Holy Son Brother~"

Ning Rongrong rushed to his side, squeezing into his arms.

Looking up at him with serious determination, she declared:

"I will work even harder from now on—I won’t let Holy Son Brother down!"

"Then start by drinking a little less alcohol."

Qian Renjue chuckled, lowering his head to plant a kiss on Ning Rongrong’s flushed lips.

"Mm~"

Ning Rongrong stood on her tiptoes, savoring the intoxicating taste.

Blushing deeply, she murmured:

"As long as Holy Son Brother doesn’t make me mad..."

"……"

Qian Renjue rolled his eyes and let go of both women.

"Ah!"

Ning Rongrong pouted, immediately grabbing his arm again.

Couldn’t he sweet-talk her just a little more?!

Snow Empress watched the interaction with longing in her eyes.

But when her hand brushed against warmth, her expression gradually calmed down.

"Alright, Yan Yan, all of you sit down first."

Qian Renjue gently grasped Snow Empress delicate hand and turned toward Xiao Wu and the others.

"I have something important to discuss with you."

Ye Lingling pulled out a chair for Snow Empress as a gesture of goodwill, then sat down beside her.

"Your Highness, what kind of ‘important matter’?"

Dugu Yan and the others quickly sat up straight.

Xiao Wu, eyes gleaming with excitement, eagerly asked:

"Could it be that Holy Son Brother has another devious plan involving Tang San?"

"Exactly!"

Qian Renjue shot her a look of approval.

The little rabbit beamed with pride.

"Hehe~"

"Then hurry up and tell us! How are we messing with Tang San this time?"

Qian Renjue accepted the tea Zhu Zhuqing respectfully handed him, then looked at Xiao Wu with a teasing smirk.

"This plan... mostly depends on your acting skills, little rabbit.

Tonight, I’ll have someone kidnap you."

"And then lure Tang San into a trap?"

Zhu Zhuqing’s brows arched slightly—this sounded similar to the Titan Giant Ape incident.

"You could put it that way—but this time, we’re using a borrowed knife to kill."

Qian Renjue nodded.

"Holy Son Brother, who are we killing?"

Ning Rongrong placed a fresh cup of tea in front of him, curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Qian Renjue didn’t hide it.

"Prince Xue Beng of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Ah?!"

Ning Rongrong gasped in shock.

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were also visibly startled—but they didn’t question it further.

When it came to things like this—
Qian Renjue never explained much to them, and they didn’t need to understand.

As long as he was safe, that was enough.

Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, was already familiar with Wuhun Hall’s ambitions.

"So, Teacher—you're planning to have someone take Xiao Wu to the prince’s mansion?"

"Mm, but it’s just an act."

Qian Renjue nodded, sending a reassuring glance at Xiao Wu.

"My sister and I will be watching from the shadows."

"Even Miss Xue is coming?"

Xiao Wu’s expression filled with surprise.

"Yes. Once we finalize the plan, I’ll go meet up with my sister."

Qian Renjue smiled and nodded.



Just as he was about to continue, a faint groan came from the side, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Ugh~"

Yu Feng, still groggy, raised a hand to rub the back of her neck and attempted to get up.

Thud!

With a dull thump, Zhu Zhuqing appeared in a flash and chopped down with her hand again.

"Urgh!"

Yu Feng’s eyes widened.

She barely caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar figure before her delicate face slammed back onto the table.

"……"

The private room fell into silence.

Qian Renjue finally understood what Zhu Zhuqing meant when she said, "I’ll take care of it."

Dugu Yan sighed in exasperation.

"Lingling, you should heal Yu Feng later."

"Of course."

Ye Lingling nodded.

"Yu Feng…?"

Qian Renjue’s eyes flickered.

This cross-dressing troublemaker seemed to be from the Speed Clan?

Zhu Zhuqing stood behind Yu Feng with her hands clasped behind her back, speaking respectfully:

"Teacher, please continue. With me here, he won’t wake up."

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu couldn't hold back their laughter.

Dugu Yan, on the other hand, looked at Yu Feng with sympathy—hopefully, he’d stay unconscious.
Otherwise, he’d just get knocked out again.

Ning Rongrong snuggled up to Qian Renjue’s side and urged,

"Holy Son Brother, please continue."

"Alright."

Qian Renjue set aside his amusement and resumed explaining his plan.


---

In less than half an hour—

Qian Renjue finished giving out orders and then left the tavern alone.

As per Ye Lingling’s request—

Snow Empress was left in their care, and she didn’t resist.

The moment Qian Renjue stepped out—

Ye Lingling and the others efficiently began carrying out their tasks.

"Sister Snow Empress, let’s go. We should leave this room first."

Xiao Wu grabbed Snow Empress hand with a fawning smile.

This was, after all, a 700,000-year-old fierce beast—
Someone they would normally bow down to in fear.

"Mm~"

Snow Empress remained calm, allowing Ning Rongrong and the others to pull her along.

Ye Lingling withdrew her martial soul and said softly,

"Yanyan, I’ve already healed Yu Feng. It’s your job to wake him up."

"No problem."

Dugu Yan nodded, watching her sisters leave before turning back to Yu Feng.

"Ugh~"

Hearing Yu Feng’s groggy voice, Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.
How was he even more dramatic than her?

"What’s going on? Where am I…?"

Yu Feng lifted his head, rubbing his aching head, and noticed a bag of money in front of him.

"Ah!"

The sharp pain in her head sobered her up instantly.

Dugu Yan knocked on her forehead, smirking.

"This is Heaven Treasure Tavern. You were just drinking against Miss Rongrong—these are your winnings."

"Right! I was drinking! And then… what happened?!"

Before she could finish—

Yu Feng suddenly shot up from her seat.

"Yanyan! Are you saying I won?! All of this money is mine?!"

"Yep. Three whole bags. All yours."

Dugu Yan crossed her arms, teasing her.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

Yu Feng let out a sharp, excited scream, placing her hands on each of the three bags.

Her eyes widened in shock, her heart nearly stopped.

Her face turned bright red as she turned to Dugu Yan and asked seriously,

"Yanyan! Does Miss Ning’s family… need any maids?"

"…What?"

Dugu Yan was stunned.

"A-ah! N-nothing! I was just asking randomly! Hahaha!"

"S-So much money! It’s all mine!"

"All of it is money! So much money!"

Yu Feng hugged all three money bags, her eyes and heart overflowing with gold soul coins.

She wasn’t thinking about anything else anymore.

This was at least 3,000 gold soul coins—a small fortune!

"Wait… something’s wrong."

Yu Feng suddenly snapped out of it.

Dugu Yan’s body tensed slightly, and she instinctively raised her hand like a cat preparing to strike.

"Yanyan, our bet was for one bag, wasn’t it?"

"Ahaha…"

Dugu Yan laughed dryly, casually placing a hand on Yu Feng’s shoulder.

"Miss Ning said she doesn’t mind spending money."

"Yanyan, are you sure I can’t work for Miss Ning? I’d go through fire and water for her! Sis!"

"Stop with that nonsense! You’re paying for this meal."

"Cough, cough! Yanyan, just now, I… I didn’t say anything.
You… didn’t see anything."

Yu Feng hurriedly stuffed all three money bags into her clothes,
looking ridiculously mismatched.

Dugu Yan’s eye twitched.

Seems like Miss Rongrong’s money saved her a lot of trouble.

As for why there were three bags instead of one?

Well… Yu Feng almost woke up twice during that half-hour and got knocked out again.