Noticing Lin Yu's gaze, Qian Renxue coldly said, "You're so young, and you're already staring at a woman's legs? Are you thinking about reaching out and touching them too?"
Lin Yu joked, "If Sister Xue is willing, I wouldn't mind giving it a try."
"You wish! Turn your head the other way. Don't look where you shouldn't!"
"Fine, I'll turn. No need to be so fierce!"
Lin Yu obediently turned his head and began enjoying Qian Renxue's massage.
"So comfortable!"
"Sister Xue, this feels amazing. I didn't expect you to be so good at it!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth. "Shut up!"
"Sister Xue, don't just focus on the neck, my shoulders need some attention too!"
Qian Renxue was getting increasingly annoyed. "I know!"
"And my waist too! It feels sore around there!"
"That's it! That's the right angle!"
Qian Renxue couldn't take it anymore. "Shut up! Stop giving instructions! Just lie there quietly!"
"A bit harder, Sister Xue!"
"Not enough pressure!"
"Yes, yes, that's the spot! That angle! That strength! Perfect!!"
"Aaaargh! Why do you talk so much? You're driving me crazy! Can't you just stay quiet?!"
In a fit of frustration, Qian Renxue fiercely pinched Lin Yu's waist.
"Ow—gah!"
Lin Yu howled in pain, "Are you giving me a massage or trying to kill me?"
Half an hour later, the massage finally ended, and Qian Renxue stormed out of the room in a huff.
Watching her leave, Lin Yu thought to himself, Looks like she's still not the Qian Renxue I remember. Makes sense—she's only been undercover for four years and is just thirteen years old.
The Next Morning – 7:00 AM
Qian Renxue came to Lin Yu's room.
Seeing him still fast asleep, she directly yanked off his blanket and woke him up by force. "Get up, training starts now!"
"What? It's so early! Let me sleep a little more!"
Lin Yu pulled the blanket back over himself and tried to go back to sleep.
"Heh." Qian Renxue gave a wicked grin, clenched her fist, and punched Lin Yu straight in the stomach.
Bam!
Smack!
"Damn! What was that for?!"
Lin Yu clutched his aching stomach.
Qian Renxue grinned, "Hehe, for the next few days, if you're not up by 7:00 sharp, this is how I'll be waking you up."
"You win." Lin Yu sighed—there was no sleep left in him after that punch.
Resigned, he got up, washed up, and began another day of combat training.
Five Days Later
Unnoticed, five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yu's combat skills and instincts had grown tremendously.
He was no longer a complete novice in battle.
In these five days, his fighting prowess had surpassed that of children who had trained hard for two full years.
During this time, he underwent intense daily training with Qian Renxue. They were together almost constantly—eating together, meditating together, training together. They shared this brief but close five-day experience.
Their relationship had grown much closer.
And then, on the night of the fifth day…
Lin Yu found Qian Renxue crying quietly by herself on the balcony.
It was the first time Lin Yu had seen the soft and vulnerable side of her heart.
He guessed why she was crying—because tomorrow, she would have to leave.
She would have to return to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, a place that never truly belonged to her.
"Why are you crying?"
Lin Yu calmly walked up beside Qian Renxue and looked at her quietly.
Qian Renxue had already wiped her tears in advance. "I wasn't crying."
Lin Yu reached out and gently touched her chin. There was still a single tear that hadn't dried. "Then what's this?"
Her lie exposed, something deep and fragile within Qian Renxue seemed to crack.
Her emotions, suppressed for so long, suddenly broke free. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lip and, with a choked voice, said:
"I... I don't want to go back. I want to stay in Spirit City with Grandpa and the others."
"I don't want to keep pretending, to keep suppressing myself and doing things I don't even like!!"
"But… but I have no choice anymore..."
Back then, Bibi Dong had convened a high-level meeting and suddenly proposed the plan to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire. The idea was to have Qian Renxue, who was highly skilled in disguise, go undercover in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
She would impersonate a crown prince, seize the imperial authority, and use the strength of the Heaven Dou Empire to join forces with Spirit Hall to destroy the Star Luo Empire—eventually unifying the entire Douluo Continent under one rule.
Once the plan was proposed, it received overwhelming support from Spirit Hall's upper ranks.
At that time, no one could have forced Qian Renxue to go if she didn't want to.
But under Bibi Dong's provocation and manipulation, the young Qian Renxue fell into her trap.
She lost her calm and had her competitive spirit ignited. She wanted to prove herself to Bibi Dong, and in the end, resolutely chose to go undercover in the Heaven Dou Palace.
However, shortly after arriving, she regretted it.
But some things, once begun, are hard to undo.
All she could do was grit her teeth and press on. Though she was starting to grow accustomed to it, deep down she still hated the life in that palace and desperately longed for her days in the Pope's Hall.
Seeing Qian Renxue crying, Lin Yu felt an ache in his heart.
In the past, Lin Yu was just the son of the Angel Clan's patriarch—essentially a powerless figure with no say among the higher ranks.
So he had never considered interfering with Qian Renxue's path in life.
But now, as the successor of a god and the personal disciple of the Grand Priest Qian Daoliu, Lin Yu's status in Spirit Hall was extraordinary.
He could try to change Qian Renxue's fate.
He took out a tissue he had already prepared and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Sister Xue, you do have a choice. If you don't want to go, then don't."
"What do you know? You're still a child. It's easy to say, but do you really think it's that simple?"
"I was the one who decided to go in the first place. And now, I'd be the one to quit halfway and return. For such an important mission, how could I just come and go as I please?"
"Right now, everyone is counting on me to successfully seize control of the Heaven Dou Empire—to unite its strength with Spirit Hall's and lead us to dominance over the entire Douluo Continent, bringing Spirit Hall to new heights!"
"Sure, I could force my way back. But if I give up halfway, what will people say about me? What will they say behind my back? As the young mistress of Spirit Hall, as the direct heir of the Six-Winged Angel Clan, the descendant of a god…"
"If I behave so childishly, so selfishly—quitting whenever I want—how can I ever command respect in the future?"
"I would be throwing away all my efforts and perseverance from the past four years… unless—unless my return can…"
"Unless your return brings Spirit Hall something even more valuable than taking over the Heaven Dou Empire, right?" Lin Yu cut in and finished her sentence, giving her a firm and confident answer:
"Then of course you can—because you will become the successor of the Angel God!"