Chapter 140: Royalty, Nobility, and Commoners

Words : 1454 Updated : Sep 30th, 2025

Seeing that the three deans couldn't speak up, Xue Qinghe simply walked straight into Xue Beng's dormitory. At this moment, Xue Beng wore a nonchalant expression, sitting in the corridor with his legs crossed, looking utterly insolent. "Xue Beng, stand up! What exactly happened? Tell me!" Xue Qinghe shouted angrily at Xue Beng. Deep down, she looked down on this so-called younger brother; if Xue Beng had possessed even a fraction of the talent of the second or third princes, Xue Qinghe would have disposed of him long ago. "Hey, royal brother, don't be so angry. It's just a small matter. Why did these maids make such a fuss and even call you over?" Xue Beng replied with a rebellious tone. "I just accidentally played a little too rough and killed a commoner. What's the big deal?" "What did you say?" Xue Qinghe shoved open the door and saw a young girl lying on Xue Beng's bed, bleeding from the mouth, barely clothed. On the floor lay a coarse linen dress—clearly something a commoner would wear. This girl must have been abducted by Xue Beng, and he had purposely killed her, especially since he'd heard Xue Qinghe was coming to the academy today. Tian Lin shot Xue Beng a cold glare. Of course, he knew that this prince was not as simple as he appeared. But if he was just trying to act like a playboy, why go this far? Even in the original story, Xue Beng never went to such extremes. But from Xue Beng's perspective, this wasn't a big deal. He wouldn't be punished for it; after all, he was a prince and a soul master, his status far above that of a commoner girl. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was crawling with corrupt nobles. Even if the matter spread, other playboys wouldn't blame Xue Beng for his cruelty. Instead, they would praise his dominance and unrestrained demeanor. As for gossip among the commoners, Xue Beng didn't care. His reputation was already bad enough. Besides, in a fantasy world, public opinion didn't matter; "he who wins the people wins the world" didn't apply to the Douluo Continent—strength was everything. The only consequence would be displeasing the three deans. But they were already die-hard supporters of Xue Qinghe, and Xue Beng's standing with them was already zero—how could it go any lower? Seeing Tian Lin's icy stare, Xue Beng remained indifferent. "Just another of my brother's loyal dogs—what can he possibly do to me?" "Xue Beng, kneel!" Xue Qinghe stormed out of the room and glared at Xue Beng. "Your Highness, why get so angry? It's just a commoner." At that moment, Prince Xue Xing walked over slowly. "The fourth prince was just a little excessive. Give the girl's family some compensation and scold Xue Beng a bit, and that's enough. If this gets out to His Majesty, no one will benefit. Don't forget His Majesty's warning to you." The deaths of the second and third princes were related to Xue Qinghe. The higher-ups were aware, but because of Xue Qinghe's outstanding abilities, Emperor Xue Ye didn't probe further. However, he had warned Xue Qinghe: now that her position as crown prince was secure, she must not touch Xue Beng. Xue Qinghe didn't have full control of the empire's power yet. If not for Emperor Xue Ye's warning, would she let Xue Beng off just because he was a worthless playboy? "Then I'll trouble you, Uncle, to take Xue Beng back and teach him properly. Make sure this never happens again," Xue Qinghe said, visibly suppressing her anger. "Sigh, looks like I'll be grounded for a few days over this trivial matter," Xue Beng sighed helplessly, smiling as he walked past Xue Qinghe and Tian Lin. Just then, a hand suddenly reached out, grabbing Xue Beng by the neck and lifting him. "Jun Tian Lin, what are you doing? Are you defying your superiors?" Prince Xue Xing shouted in alarm, not expecting Tian Lin to act out. With his roar, the surrounding guards all pointed their spears at Tian Lin. "Xiao Tian, let go of Xue Beng!" Xue Qinghe was also startled, instinctively trying to intervene. In truth, if Xue Beng died at Tian Lin's hands, it would benefit her the most—eliminating a troublemaker and souring relations between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the royal family, which would be a boon to Spirit Hall. But she didn't want Tian Lin to be the one to start it. If it were someone else, she'd be glad to see it happen. Tian Lin ignored them, speaking coldly to Xue Beng, "Xue Beng, Fourth Prince, I don't care what kind of person you are, but what happened today—I hope it's the last time. Otherwise, I'll snap you like a twig with just one finger." "You—you dare threaten me?" Xue Beng looked at Tian Lin in terror. Their power gap was too great; he could not resist. "Threaten? You think too much. I'm just stating facts. Since my debut, I've slain countless bandits, tyrants, and evil soul masters. Don't forget how I earned the title Sword Prince. I kill without hesitation—do you think I'm joking?" Tian Lin flung Xue Beng against the wall, leaving him dizzy and battered, then left without looking back. "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan dares to provoke our royal family!" Prince Xue Xing fumed. "With four titled Douluos, why wouldn't they dare?" Xue Qinghe retorted. "Uncle, let me remind you: let this matter end here. As you said, if it reaches my father, none of us will benefit." Seeing that Tian Lin didn't kill Xue Beng, Xue Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it didn't go that far, with his current power, he could handle the consequences. "Pass down my orders: bury that girl well, send her family ten thousand gold soul coins, and protect them from harm or exploitation," Xue Qinghe instructed a nearby maid, then turned to Xue Beng. "Xue Beng, you'd best behave. If this happens again, I might not be able to stop Xiao Tian." "Curse it! Damn it all!" After Xue Qinghe left, Xue Beng could no longer suppress his rage, pounding the ground furiously. "Xue Beng, what's wrong with you? You're getting more and more violent lately," Xue Xing asked in confusion. "I know this was aimed at your brother, but do you need to act like such a playboy?" "Uncle, don't worry—I know what I'm doing." Xue Beng stood up and walked into another room. No one noticed the difference in his demeanor today—a faint black mist lingered in his eyes. After leaving the dormitory, Xue Qinghe quickly caught up with Tian Lin. "Thank you for what you did just now, Xiao Tian." He now understood why Tian Lin had acted as he did—Tian Lin was not someone reckless; he was helping her. This whole affair was aimed at her. Xue Qinghe's reputation among the commoners was excellent, but among the nobility, it was declining. The relationship between royalty, nobility, and commoners was like big fish eating little fish, and little fish eating shrimp. Xue Qinghe had stood up for the commoners many times, offending many nobles. If news of today's incident spread and Xue Qinghe insisted on punishing Xue Beng, it would surely anger the nobles and Emperor Xue Ye—they valued royal dignity far more than a commoner's life. But if Xue Qinghe let Xue Beng off lightly, her prestige among the commoners would suffer, making her seem biased and corrupt. Tian Lin's outburst changed everything. Everyone knew Tian Lin was Xue Qinghe's best friend. To commoners unaware of the truth, it would seem the crown prince had ordered Tian Lin to act but was powerless to carry out justice. To the nobles, who knew the truth, it was the opposite. They understood that Tian Lin, as a disciple of a Titled Douluo, couldn't be ordered around by the crown prince. This must have been his own decision—in attacking a prince for a commoner, he was betraying his class. In short, the blame that would have fallen on Xue Qinghe now landed on Tian Lin. This was the only thing Tian Lin could do for Xue Qinghe in this situation. He could deal with Spirit Hall, but he could no longer bring himself to confront Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe.

Chapter 140: Royalty, Nobility, and Commoners

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