Xue Qinghe's cold shout wasn't very loud; in fact, he deliberately kept his voice down. However, he showed no mercy, and his fist, wrapped in soul power, struck the mirror heavily.
Unable to withstand the force, the mirror shattered into pieces.
Sharp, jagged fragments of the mirror splattered onto the back of my hand and sleeve. With a slight ripple of my soul power, I shook off the fragments, leaving even the hand that shattered the mirror completely unharmed, without a scratch.
The sound of the mirror breaking was quite loud.
Hidden in the shadows, the Dark Soul Guards emerged, their black robes billowing to reveal armor identical to that of the Heavenly Dou Royal Guards. Disguised as stationed guards, they nervously inquired about the situation inside the room from outside the door.
"Your Highness, what has happened?"
Xue Qinghe stared in astonishment at his attack, which missed twice after he had turned around nimbly.
Qian Renxue looked at the fist that had pierced through her collarbone, snapped out of her surprise, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "It seems you can't hurt me."
She had regained her composure and calmly looked at this "self".
Xue Qinghe quickly realized this as well, and soon regained his composure. He scrutinized Qian Renxue, who was like a ghost, with an ethereal and semi-transparent form, and narrowed his eyes as he said:
"It's nothing, I was just startled by a mouse that scurried by."
"What?! A rat?! Your Highness, please forgive me, I will find that rat immediately!"
The Dark Soul Guard, disguised as a member of the Imperial Guard, feigned surprise outside the door. He apologized profusely while quickly breaking open the door, raising his knight's lance and scanning the room with sharp eyes.
Qian Renxue frowned and assumed an attack stance.
Once trapped in this "illusion," her soul power and mental power became stagnant, offering no response. Only the most primitive physical techniques remained as her means of attack.
However, something unexpected happened to both Qian Renxue and Xue Qinghe.
The two Soul Emperor-level Dark Soul Guards who broke in to check were clearly facing Qian Renxue. They should have seen someone who shouldn't be in the room as soon as they entered. However, after entering the room, their expressions of being on high alert turned into expressions of frustration after scanning the room. But they still pretended to spread out, looking like they were thoroughly searching for mice.
Xue Qinghe's eyelids twitched violently.
Qian Renxue also: "......"
She regained her composure from her initial wariness, and after watching the two Dark Soul Guards thoroughly inspect the room, she exchanged an awkward glance, lowered her head to hide her embarrassment, and said, "Um, Your Highness, I'm very sorry, we couldn't find the rat... it may have escaped from some corner of the room. We will inform the maids to clean the room carefully later."
The Dark Soul Guards, unable to find anyone, genuinely thought that "Xue Qinghe" had been startled by a rat that suddenly darted by, and then subconsciously smashed the mirror.
"It seems that only you can see me." Qian Renxue confirmed this conclusion.
Xue Qinghe looked at his two subordinates, who were caught in a misunderstanding, with an inscrutable expression. He glanced at Qian Renxue out of the corner of his eye, remained silent for two seconds, and then waved them away.
"You may all leave now. All other servants in the bedchamber may also withdraw. No one is allowed to enter the palace without my order."
"yes."
The two Dark Soul Guards bowed their heads in agreement, not questioning why "Xue Qinghe" would issue this order, but simply carrying out their master's command rigorously.
The young master must have his own reasons for doing this!
The two Dark Soul Guards, who had full confidence in "Xue Qinghe," left the room to convey "Xue Qinghe's" orders.
Qian Renxue looked at "Xue Qinghe" and made a gesture towards the now empty room.
That was a gesture she knew all too well—
He gestured for the two Title Douluos who were secretly watching the room—Bloodthirsty Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo—to step back and temporarily avoid the situation.
"Who exactly are you?"
With no one else around, Xue Qinghe lowered his gaze, his sharp eyes seeming to see right through Qian Renxue.
"I know what you really want to ask is why I'm here in 'your' original form, right?"
Qian Renxue understands herself.
Although the development of this "illusion" is different from what I remember, it is clear that while some things have changed, others, even if they have split into two different development paths, have remained unchanged.
For example, her personality.
Xue Qinghe, whose thoughts had been exposed, frowned and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Qian Renxue calmly looked at "Xue Qinghe," who was disguised as a man using the angelic inheritance soul bone: "Isn't this answer already in your heart? Although it sounds absurd."
Xue Qinghe's eyes flickered slightly as he said calmly, "Although people have souls, I never knew that a soul could split itself and create a new 'me'."
This is a state that Qian Renxue is familiar with: when she enters negotiation mode, she also wants to control the situation.
Qian Renxue sighed silently in her heart and said in a calm tone, "I am neither a fragment of 'your' soul nor a remnant of your soul."
"Then what are you?"
Xue Qinghe directly expelled Qian Renxue from the human race.
"I am Qian Renxue, and I was once the Qian Renxue who replaced the original 'Xue Qinghe'." Qian Renxue's eyes were clear.
"Before I appeared here, I was fighting my inner demon. Just as the inner demon stabbed me with its sword, I was pulled into a deep darkness. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in this illusionary space."
A mocking smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's handsome face: "You mean, the current me, and this world, are all fake? Just an illusion? A test from your inner demons?"
Qian Renxue, who was still unaware of the concept of "parallel worlds," paused for two seconds before giving an uncertain answer: "I don't know either... but I did arrive here in the blink of an eye during the fourth trial of the angels. I witnessed the entire process of another 'me' from birth to the present."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue revealed some memories that only she herself knew.
Now it was Xue Qinghe's turn to fall silent.
His expression changed several times. Qian Renxue noticed that her fingers, hanging by her side, were slightly clenched, and the pad of her thumb was rubbing against the side of her index finger. It was a little habit of hers when she was struggling with something.
...Sometimes knowing yourself too well isn't a good thing.
Qian Renxue silently said to herself, hiding her emotions tightly and not revealing a trace of them.
Completely unaware that he had been seen through, "Xue Qinghe" remained silent for several seconds before speaking with a complex expression: "...Even if you really might be 'me,' I still don't believe what you're saying—that this world is fake."
"There are still many unknowns in the Douluo Continent. Although it sounds incredible, I'm more inclined to believe that the 'me' of the future accidentally traveled back to the past through some coincidence, which is why only I can see you..."
"It's not the past."
Qian Renxue suddenly spoke, interrupting Xue Qinghe.
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