I'd Be Willing to Watch a Spectacular Fireworks Display with You (Part 1)

Rumble~

Accompanied by a tremendous roar, the ground shook violently as the small hill began collapsing from within.

Wu Jian shook his head with a wry smile. In a flash, he arrived beside Li Qing, who had exhausted all his strength and collapsed to the ground, then quickly picked him up and carried him away from the mountain that was about to cave in.

"Kid, you're something else! You actually came up with a way like that."

"Hehe, isn't that because Uncle Jian is just too powerful? Since I couldn't move your feet, I could only move the mountain beneath them."

Li Qing said modestly.

Basic stuff—no need to praise me!

Meanwhile, in Kus City.

Xue Ye struggled to open his eyes. They were bloodshot, his lips pale, and he looked utterly haggard.

Beside Xue Ye, a blond youth was slumped over the edge of the bed. It seemed that after keeping watch for too long, the youth had unknowingly fallen asleep.

"Qinghe..."

Xue Ye laboriously forced out those two words. His voice was frail, barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Yet the sleeping youth's body trembled, and he immediately lifted his head.

"Father, you're awake! I'll get you some water."

Xue Qinghe did not even bother wiping away the pale yellow crust at the corner of his eye before hurriedly rising and walking to the table to pour a cup of water.

Xue Qinghe returned to the bedside. With the lingering poison of the Mysterious Nether Absolute Powder still unresolved in Xue Ye's body, he was incomparably weak and had not a shred of strength left.

Xue Qinghe could only hold the cup in one hand while slowly helping Xue Ye sit up with the other.

"Father, drink some water."

Then he brought the cup to Xue Ye's lips.

After drinking some water, Xue Ye seemed to recover a little strength. Looking at the utterly haggard Xue Qinghe, a trace of comfort appeared in his eyes.

It was his son, Xue Qinghe, who was caring for him so meticulously at this time, worrying about him every moment.

"Qinghe..."

Xue Ye's lips moved a few times as he shakily extended a hand.

Xue Qinghe immediately grasped Xue Ye's hand and said sorrowfully, "Father, your body is far too weak right now. You should hurry and rest. Your son will definitely do everything in his power to find an antidote for you."

With that, Xue Qinghe wanted to rise, but Xue Ye tightly gripped his hand and refused to let him leave, his gaze resolute.

"Father..."

Xue Ye raised his other hand and waved it weakly, signaling for Xue Qinghe to come closer.

Xue Qinghe leaned his face close to Xue Ye.

Xue Ye whispered softly into Xue Qinghe's ear.

"Qinghe... I... I feel like I'm not going to make it..."

"No, Father, you won't! I'll definitely find an antidote for you, definitely!"

When Xue Qinghe raised his head again, his face was already covered in tears.

"Qinghe, listen to me..."

"No, no, no, Father, I won't listen. Rest well. Your son will go find an antidote for you right away!"

With that, Xue Qinghe resolutely left the room.

Seeing this, Xue Ye shook his head helplessly.

Qinghe, Qinghe, why are you so indifferent to the throne?

However...

Clang~

After Xue Qinghe left the room, a crisp sound rang out behind him.

There were no tears left on Xue Qinghe's face, nor was there any sorrow. In their place was a cold smirk at the corner of his lips...

Stone Forest Village.

After Liu Lin returned from Old Cai at the village entrance, he began packing his luggage and changed into clothes completely different from what he had been wearing before.

His official robes.

"Dad, what are you going to Kus City for today? And why are you wearing that?"

Liu Hu asked with a bewildered expression.

Liu Lin stood before a mirror, adjusting his clothes. From time to time, he nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"Oh, this? I heard Cai Guangtou say that His Majesty Xue Ye has actually gone to Kus City to watch the competition. As it happens, I still haven't submitted the memorial on the previous battle, so I plan to go to Kus City and personally pay my respects to His Majesty Xue Ye."

A puzzled look appeared on Liu Hu's face.

"Dad, are you sure it's not because you want to try that food?"

The smile on Liu Lin's face immediately froze. He turned to Liu Hu and said indignantly.

"Do I look like that kind of person to you?"

Liu Hu nodded seriously, his tone extremely solemn.

"You do!"

Liu Lin rolled up his sleeves.

"Looks like I need to teach you the Liu family rules again today!"

At an unnamed hilltop.

Because Li Qing had directly wrecked the previous hilltop, Wu Jian brought him to another one.

There were no houses on this hill, only wild grass everywhere and towering trees. It felt even more natural, and the distant scenery could be seen clearly from here, without anything blocking the view.

Li Qing sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, faint Soul Power fluctuations emanating from his body. Before long, once he sensed that his depleted Soul Power had filled up again, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes.

The feeling of having his body completely drained really wasn't pleasant.

"Grrr~"

Just then, Li Qing's stomach let out another disappointing growl.

Several hours had passed since he ate two large steamed buns that morning. After his earlier test with Wu Jian, the energy from those two buns had been completely used up.

Li Qing stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes.

Wu Jian had concealed himself. Though Li Qing could not see him, he knew that Wu Jian was nearby.

"Uncle Jian, I'm hungry. Can I go into the mountains to find something to eat?" Li Qing asked.

"Sure. Go quickly and come back quickly!"

Wu Jian's voice came from somewhere. Although Li Qing stared hard in that direction, he still could not find Wu Jian's figure.

What a joke. If a Titled Douluo could be found after hiding by a mere Soul Grandmaster like him, then a eunuch could have descendants.

However, Li Qing did not feel disappointed at all. The gap in their strength was right there.

Li Qing then entered the forest and released his tide-like Mental Power.

Before long, a small porcupine entered the range of his mental detection.

Li Qing licked his lips, his eyes burning with excitement.

"Hehe, you'll do!"

Half an hour later, Li Qing had finished preparing the porcupine beside a small river and stored it in his spatial ring before returning to that little hilltop.

A Titled Douluo was personally guiding his cultivation—shouldn't he show some appreciation?

On the way back, Li Qing also gathered plenty of branches for starting a fire later.

After returning to the hilltop, Li Qing summoned the Scythe of Judgment. With a flash of the blade, a branch on a large tree in front of him...

...came crashing down.

Li Qing swung the scythe, sending blade shadows dancing through the air as wood chips flew everywhere.

Taking out the porcupine's corpse, Li Qing placed it over the fire and began roasting it.

As he roasted it, Li Qing took out all kinds of seasonings and spread them over the porcupine.

Before long, a rich fragrance began wafting from the porcupine...