Chapter 31: The Young Master

Tang Xi swiftly carried the leader a safe distance away. Only when she sensed that the oppressive aura had faded did she drop the silver mass encasing him onto the open ground. She sat atop it gracefully, legs crossed elegantly, and tapped the silver block, asking in a direct, simple tone:

"How many Spirit Hall agents remain in the Imperial family?"

The leader gritted his teeth and retorted with disdain, "How could I possibly know that?"

Tang Xi shook her head, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile as pure as snow:

"You do know."

No sooner had she spoken than the leader felt the silver block constricting inward from all sides simultaneously. The air was forced from his lungs, and the crisp sound of his ribs snapping echoed in his ears—

"I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!"

Tang Xi’s eyes shimmered with a smile as she leaned down, peering into the man's terrified, pale gaze. He stammered in explanation:

"I am merely a low-level sleeper agent. Aside from those at the Royal Academy, I truly don’t know—"

Tang Xi lowered her gaze, watching him with a chilling intensity. Under the moonlight, her eyes appeared increasingly monstrous:

"It seems you are trying to deceive me."

The leader felt the pressure constricting his body intensify. Avoiding her gaze out of sheer panic, he whispered, "No... no, I’m not..."

Tang Xi looked up, kicked the silver block meaningfully, and asked in a leisurely tone: "A Spirit Saint is considered a low-level agent? Is it that your talents go unrecognized, or that Spirit Hall lacks the ability to use its people properly? You should know that the Cardinal stationed in Heaven Dou is only a Spirit Emperor."

She was no ignorant village girl isolated from the world; she was Princess Xue Yuan, supported by the wealth of an entire nation. As the leader’s terror deepened, Tang Xi raised her leg and stomped hard upon his temple.

"I’ll speak! I’ll speak! I’ll tell you everything!"

The girl’s delicate features finally revealed a look of satisfaction. She eased the pressure of her foot slightly and nodded:

"You still have one hundred and seventy intact bones left. For every name and detailed piece of information you provide, I shall spare one."

The leader’s voice trembled. "O-one hundred and seventy?"

Tang Xi nodded with great mercy:

"If you wish to count the skull, then it shall be one hundred and seventy-one."

"No, no, I’ll speak, I really will!"

Feeling a warm trickle flow between his legs, the leader swallowed hard. Under Tang Xi’s enigmatic, half-smiling gaze, he wracked his brain to recount every name he knew.

From high-ranking Heaven Dou diplomats to lowly palace chefs, the leader’s account revealed that Spirit Hall’s spies were embedded everywhere. Yet, as he spoke, his despair grew; he helplessly realized that even if he listed everyone he knew, he could not reach one hundred and seventy. Seeing that he was still short by thirty or forty, he choked on his words, stammering until tears welled in the corners of his eyes.

Seeing him reduced to tears, Tang Xi chuckled softly and asked casually: "Who is your supreme leader?"

The leader’s mind went blank for a moment, and Tang Xi answered for him:

"Xue Qinghe... oh, my mistake. It is the person disguised as Xue Qinghe, isn't it?"

The leader’s pupils contracted violently: "You... how do you know?"

Tang Xi laughed lightly, looking down at him from above: "What is the true identity of this current Xue Qinghe?"

Cold sweat streaming down his face, the leader shook his head, answering: "I—I don’t know. I only hear certain dignitaries refer to her as the Young Mistress."

This was the first time Tang Xi had heard such a title. She pressed on: "Does the position of 'Young Mistress' exist within Spirit Hall?"

"I don’t know, I truly don’t know! Even the Titled Douluo seniors call her that; how could I possibly know her true identity?"

As he spoke, the leader suddenly shivered. His gaze drifted upward to meet Tang Xi’s smiling eyes, and his heart sank.

He had let something slip!

Tang Xi crouched down, placed a hand gently on his forehead, and said brightly:

"Oh my? It seems you’ve neglected to tell me the identity of yet another Titled Douluo."

Spirit power began to coalesce in her hand, and a silver glow became visible on the girl’s jade-like fingertips.

The leader finally realized what she intended to do. He tried to recoil, but he was pinned, unable to move. He cried out in desperation: "I—I am a Spirit Saint!"

"Indeed, a Spirit Saint. And now, you are going to die at the hands of a Spirit Elder."

Tang Xi chuckled softly as a slender silver thread shot from her fingertip, piercing deep into the man’s temple.

The generation-defining Spirit Saint didn't even have time to utter his final words before his eyes widened, staring blankly in death.

Tang Xi retracted her spirit. Looking at the foul-smelling remains of the leader, she frowned slightly, sighed, and stowed the corpse into her storage bag before flying swiftly back toward the original campsite.

Too much time had already been wasted. Tang Xi beat her wings, carving a path like a shooting star through the night sky. She soon located the camp, retracted her wings, and used her spirit bone to revert her appearance to its previous, ordinary state. However, as she turned, she saw that Qin Ming had slowly opened his eyes.

Though a thousand thoughts of silencing Qin Ming flashed through her mind, Tang Xi decided to test the waters first:

"Teacher Qin, you’re awake?"

Qin Ming seemed to have just finished absorbing his spirit ring. He looked at Tang Xi with a momentary sense of confusion, but upon feeling a heavy object in his arms, he looked down and found himself face-to-face with the severed head of Teacher Zhong.

He was truly startled: "What is this thing!"

"It’s... your colleague!"

Feeling somewhat guilty, Tang Xi hid her hands behind her back, averted her eyes, and added: "One-tenth of your colleague. But the good news is, this is the most important tenth."

Qin Ming stared at her, genuinely horrified. He grabbed the head by the hair with both hands, tossed it aside, and asked: "How did he get here?"

Tang Xi didn't even blink, her face remaining calm as she replied:

"He was the one who swept through this camp earlier. I took a look around the perimeter and found him lying not far away, seemingly killed by someone else. I was afraid that spirit beasts would eat him and destroy the evidence, so I brought him back for you, Teacher."

Qin Ming, filled with doubt, took a deep breath, blinking repeatedly. Finally, he offered a patient piece of advice:

"Tang Xi, next time... you don’t have to be quite so honest."

Tang Xi looked up, responding earnestly: "Yes!"

Qin Ming looked into her eyes, recalling the silver silhouette he had seen flash by just as he woke up. He sighed helplessly and continued:

"When we return, you are not to say a word. I will explain it to the Academy."

"Let’s go. We are returning to the Academy."