Chapter Ninety-Eight: It Seems... I've Fallen Into a Trap!

“Uh...”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t mean it. Do you believe me?”
Lin An said awkwardly.

Qian Renxue’s face remained cold as she snorted disdainfully. At this point, the battle had clearly taken a strange turn.

“Waaah...”
“You’re bullying me! You all like to bully me!”

What Lin An never expected was that Qian Renxue would start crying right then—crying in a way that was utterly ungraceful.

Lin An was stunned.

Qian Renxue, are you out of your mind? You are the next Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, and at worst, you might become the supreme Empress of the Heavenly Dou Empire someday. How could you possibly cry in front of a stranger like this?

For a moment, Lin An didn’t know how to respond.

He was skilled in fighting and killing, but he had never encountered a situation like this before.

He felt utterly helpless.

“Why are you crying? Now is not the time for tears! Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The moment he finished speaking, regret washed over him. Even if he had lost his composure, was it really necessary to scold her like that?

Even the Master looked speechless. When a girl is crying, if you patiently comfort her, it usually isn’t a big problem. Sometimes, it might even earn you a special place in her heart.

With just a little effort, friendship could easily deepen, and goodwill be fully established.

But Lin An was such a straightforward man that even the Master couldn’t think of a way to help him persuade Qian Renxue to stop crying.

Lin An’s words left Qian Renxue frozen in place, momentarily forgetting to cry.

Apparently, she had never met anyone as blunt as Lin An, nor heard anyone curse her in such a way before.

Lin An nodded to himself. Although his words were harsh, at least they seemed to have some effect.

“If you were wearing women’s clothes now, I bet you’d be stunningly beautiful.”

Lin An struggled to find a topic and thought about how Qian Renxue was a woman after all, renowned for her unparalleled beauty—the most beautiful woman on Douluo Continent—and held the highest status.

Yet now, for the sake of the Martial Soul Hall, she had served as a maid beside Xue Qinghe for a year and had lived for a long time disguised as a man. She might not even know what it felt like to wear women’s clothes again.

Lin An’s words made Qian Renxue recall her time in the Heavenly Dou Empire...

Even she didn’t understand why she could cry so freely in front of Lin An. She had never cried like this before—not even in front of her mother or father.

“What you’ve seen today, I hope you can forget.”

Soon, Qian Renxue seemed to realize her loss of composure and instantly returned to the cool, aloof demeanor she had at the beginning.

“Actually, crying a few times might be good for you—to vent your frustrations and pent-up emotions...”

“Enough! Crying is a sign of weakness. I, Qian Renxue, will never cry...”

Before Lin An could finish, Qian Renxue interrupted him again. Clearly, she didn’t want him to bring up her crying.

“The Martial Soul Hall’s protectors should arrive here soon. Tell me what you want me to do for you now. If it’s not too difficult, I can help!”

At that moment, Qian Renxue said something that even surprised Lin An.

“If I ask you to help me, why should you bear all the burden alone?”

“This is the bloodline of the Twelve-Winged Angel. Once you fuse with it, your Martial Soul will definitely undergo a transformation. There’s a high chance you’ll ascend to become a Twelve-Winged Angel!”

With a hopeful heart, Lin An searched the bloodline market for the Twelve-Winged Angel bloodline from the Western world of his past life—and unexpectedly, he found it.

The purest bloodline was beyond his means, but a slightly weaker version was affordable.

Qian Renxue stared in astonishment at the twelve-winged angel Lin An conjured in his palm, bathed in a sacred white light so pure it demanded reverence. Facing it, she felt a profound sense of inferiority, and deep within, a sudden urge to possess it.

“How could you possibly have something like this?”

Qian Renxue asked in shock. Even in the Divine Realm, the Twelve-Winged Angel was likely one of the most powerful beings.

“Don’t ask how I got it. Just tell me if you want it!” Lin An replied.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I want it?”

Qian Renxue took the bloodline orb directly from Lin An’s hand. Without any hesitation, the Twelve-Winged Angel bloodline transformed into a gentle white light and merged into her body.

Instantly, a milky white holy light enveloped Qian Renxue. Countless white feathers fluttered in the air, as if someone had just attained divinity and was about to ascend to the Divine Realm.

Half an hour later, all the supernatural phenomena faded. Qian Renxue opened her eyes again. In their depths, a pure white light flickered faintly, revealing the image of the Twelve-Winged Angel.

“This time, I, Qian Renxue, owe you.”

She looked at Lin An with a complexity of emotions.

Today’s events experienced countless twists and turns. Even the wildest imagination couldn’t have predicted such an ending.

Qian Renxue could clearly feel that some inner restraint within her body had been broken, and her life level had been elevated. If no one were around, she would have summoned her Martial Soul to see if it had changed.

Yet... Qian Renxue still felt something strange deep inside.

It was as if, after fusing with the Twelve-Winged Angel bloodline, all her hostility and suspicion toward Lin An vanished in an instant, leaving her bewildered.

She recalled that when she snatched the bloodline from Lin An, she had planned to kill him once the Martial Soul Hall’s reinforcements arrived, to eliminate any future threat.

Lin An, of course, had no idea what she was thinking—and even if he did, he likely wouldn’t care.

“If you take something from me, you’re going to be mine.”

Faced with such temptation, even someone like Qian Daoliu would find it hard to resist.

For a fleeting moment, Lin An wondered if he should use these bloodlines to recruit top experts from Douluo Continent.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. The path had to be taken step by step—and besides, he didn’t have that many Soul Points.

Maybe he could try it in the future.

Lin An shared his plan: once Qian Renxue returned to the Heavenly Dou Empire, she would help him establish the City God Temple and serve as its keeper.

The more she learned, the more shocked and speechless Qian Renxue became.

It seemed... she had fallen into a trap!