"Su Zui, stop right there! I'll beat you to death today!"
The sun had just risen above the high walls of the Worship Hall when a despairing roar of anger pierced the sky.
Qian Daoliu's powerful voice rang throughout Spirit Hall. At once, figures flew out of their rooms to enjoy the spectacle.
Qian Daoliu was so angry that he no longer cared about his image. The old gentleman who had been graceful for a hundred years was now gripping a broomstick backward in his right hand, stretching his arm as far as he could to swat Su Zui's backside. Where was even a trace of the bearing of the world's number one?
A good show first thing in the morning was practically a perk for Spirit Hall's elders and Enshrined, who spent years in seclusion.
Chrysanthemum Douluo had taken special care to put on his makeup before leaving his room to watch. Dressed in a long white gown, he watched the two chasing each other with undisguised schadenfreude.
Fortunately, he didn't drink, so there was no way Su Zui could steal from him.
As he watched, he gently poked Ghost Douluo beside him, a hint of indulgence in his voice. "Speaking of which, how many times has Xiao Zui stolen wine this month?"
Ghost Douluo remained expressionless. Like an unfeeling machine, he produced the exact figures. "On July third, he stole Worship Golden Crocodile's Immortal Drunk. On July sixth, he drank the imperial wine His Holiness the Pope had treasured. On July tenth, he stole a jar of the Great Enshrined's fine wine. Today is July thirteenth, and this is the second time he's stolen the Great Enshrined's wine."
Chrysanthemum Douluo drew a sharp breath. "That brat's getting bolder and bolder. How many days do you think he'll be laid up in bed this time?"
Ghost Douluo looked at Qian Daoliu's bristling beard, a trace of uncertainty in his voice. "I don't know either, but this time the Great Enshrined seems genuinely angry. The jar of wine he just stole seems to have had a special significance to him."
A sense of foreboding crept into Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart at Ghost Douluo's words.
He ventured, "I heard there seems to be something between the Great Enshrined and that person from Sea God Island. For this jar of wine to make him so angry, could it have been from her..."
Ghost Douluo nodded expressionlessly. "That's probably not far from the truth. After all, when has the Great Enshrined ever been this furious?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed. "I hope Golden Crocodile can stop the Great Enshrined. If he really loses his temper and goes too far, hurting Xiao Zui, the Young Master will tear Spirit Hall apart when she returns."
Ghost Douluo wasn't interested in what Chrysanthemum Douluo was saying. His gaze remained fixed on Su Zui, his eyes sparkling with surprise and delight.
"Old Chrysanthemum, look! There seems to be something unusual about Su Zui's condition."
Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped watching for amusement and focused carefully. His eyes, too, lit up with delight.
"Dragon Swimming Nine Steps! That's Worship Golden Crocodile's Dragon Swimming Nine Steps, but isn't Little Zui's execution a little too graceful?"
Their gazes were practically glued to Su Zui, unwilling to miss the slightest detail.
Su Zui was still drunk, his eyes half-closed. Even so, he dodged every one of the Great Enshrined's attacks with precision. This level seemed to have reached...
"His Dragon Swimming Steps have already reached the realm of returning to simplicity."
An aged voice suddenly rang out.
The moment they heard it, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo hurriedly turned and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Second Worship."
Golden Crocodile Douluo raised a hand, signaling that they needn't stand on ceremony. His gaze remained fixed on Su Zui the entire time.
Then Golden Crocodile Douluo circulated his Soul Power, rose from the ground, and shot into the sky, pursuing Su Zui and Qian Daoliu.
As he flew through the air, Golden Crocodile muttered to himself, "Xiao Zui really is getting bolder and bolder. He actually dared to steal the wine Bo Saixi gave big brother. I'd better go stop him. After all, he's Spirit Hall's future pillar of support. I can't let big brother beat him up too badly."
"Su Zui, don't run! Come face my broom..."
No one knew how long the two had been chasing each other. Even the broom had shed its bristles, yet Qian Daoliu was still pursuing him.
Had it been ordinary wine, Qian Daoliu wouldn't have bothered holding it against a troublesome child. But this was the last jar of wine Bo Saixi had left him!
He had guarded against everything, but never expected a thief in his own house!
Qian Daoliu had originally planned to bring it out and savor it slowly on his hundred and twentieth birthday. Yet in the space of a single night, Su Zui had drunk it all, not leaving a single drop. He felt as though his heart were bleeding.
Meanwhile, Su Zui was truly panicking.
Qian Daoliu's still chasing me. What do I do? Waiting online, urgent!
He had to admit, Qian Daoliu's wine was really strong. He had been drinking for seven or eight years and had never tasted anything so potent.
A whole night had passed, and his head was still heavy and muddled.
But he really couldn't take much more. He could barely run anymore!
Speaking of which, didn't I just drink one jar of wine? Why is Qian Daoliu looking at me like I stole his wife? We've run all the way to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, so why is he still chasing me?!
In his haze, Su Zui decided to take the initiative and say something conciliatory, at least to calm Great-grandpa down.
And so, emboldened by the wine, Su Zui spoke his first words of the day.
"Hey, old geezer, did you skip breakfast?"
Qian Daoliu: ?
Su Zui: ...
All right, looks like it's time for me to challenge the Douluo World's marathon record.
Qian Daoliu, behind Su Zui, had obviously heard him too. He was utterly dumbfounded. In his extreme astonishment, he was forcibly stunned for a full three seconds.
What did three seconds mean? It was enough for Su Zui to plunge headlong into the Star Dou Great Forest and vanish without a trace.
"Was... was he talking about me?"
Qian Daoliu turned back in disbelief and asked Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had just landed.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's attention, however, was clearly on something entirely different.
The Second Worship of Spirit Hall gazed in amazement at Su Zui's retreating figure as he disappeared, his voice full of pride. "Big brother, Little Su seems to have broken through again. His Soul Power has reached rank thirty."
A young man so full of vigor was truly someone to aspire to.
Perhaps influenced by Golden Crocodile Douluo's words, Qian Daoliu joined in the praise.
"Yes. No one in a thousand years can hold a candle to Xiao Zui's talent. Heaven truly blesses Spirit Hall, granting us both Xiao Zui and Xiao Xue, two peerless geniuses..."
Then, as though something had occurred to him, Qian Daoliu murmured, "Today seems to be Xiao Zui's eleventh birthday..."
A trace of guilt suddenly rose in Qian Daoliu's heart, guilt born of a father's failure toward another child.
And now, that guilt had shifted onto Su Zui.
"Ah, it's Xiao Zui's birthday today. How could I behave like this? Wasn't it just a jar of wine? It's gone, so be it. How could I act this way over a jar of wine... I'm truly an unfit guardian, whether as a father or a grandfather..."
Qian Daoliu's eyes gradually grew moist.
"I'm going to find Xiao Zui and bring him back to Spirit Hall to celebrate his birthday."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Daoliu made to plunge into the Star Dou Great Forest, only for Golden Crocodile Douluo to stop him.
Golden Crocodile Douluo looked into Qian Daoliu's eyes, his voice firm. "Big brother, Xiao Zui has grown up. It's time to let him go out and temper himself alone."
"But today is his birthday..."
The more Qian Daoliu spoke, the guiltier he felt.
Golden Crocodile Douluo patted him on the shoulder. "I know. We raised him ourselves, and I can't bear to see him leave either. But it's time to let him temper himself alone for a while. Even if he didn't leave today, I would have sent him away in a few days."
Qian Daoliu sighed and ultimately did not pursue him.
He stood where he was and threw the broom in his hand to the ground. Seemingly recalling something, he spoke with a hint of helplessness. "Yes, he's too kind. His heart is too soft. If all we wanted was for him to grow up in peace, we could let him grow up in a greenhouse forever. But he happens to be Spirit Hall's future, so he must grow up quickly."
As he listened to Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile Douluo involuntarily looked at the towering ancient tree beside them. Its trunk was covered in a dense web of scars.
Some of those scars had been left by lightning strikes, others by blades and swords.
And in the end, those scars would become the tree's strongest armor.
In the end, Golden Crocodile Douluo left only these words.
"Ghost Leopard, protect Xiao Zui along the way and make sure he stays alive. Unless his life is in danger, do not interfere with his training."