First Soul Hunt (Please Follow! Please Bookmark!)

Very soon, Huo Yutong's quiet whimpers turned into tearful, heartrending sobs. The grievances she had suffered over the past two months seemed to pour out in this breakdown of tears.

Using voice transmission, the Old Butler also told Qian Chaoguang about the circumstances of the Huo Mother and Daughter over the past two months.

During those two months, the Duchess's abuse of the mother and daughter had only worsened, and Huo Yun'er had fallen seriously ill.

If not for the Old Butler forcefully standing up to the Duchess and summoning a doctor to treat her, this unfortunate woman might have died even earlier than in the Original Work.

Under this string of blows, Huo Yutong could only watch helplessly, powerless to do anything.

The only thing she could do was turn all her sorrow and anger into motivation for cultivation, striving to take her mother away from that den of demons as soon as possible.

After a long time, her crying gradually subsided. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes, her eye rims bright red.

Even Qian Chaoguang's heart softened at the sight of her pitiable appearance.

He said softly, "Don't cry. Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Tears welled up in Huo Yutong's eyes again, and her words came out in broken fragments.

"Waaah... Brother Chaoguang, brother, I'm so scared..."

Qian Chaoguang said nothing and pulled her into his arms once more.

His powerful heartbeat and scorching body heat soothed Huo Yutong's fragile heart, while his sturdy arms gave her an overwhelming sense of security.

The two embraced in the small courtyard for a long time, until her wildly pounding heart finally gradually calmed.

The Old Butler, who had been peeking through the crack in the door for quite some time, chuckled inside the room and muttered to himself, "That brat's head is like a block of elm wood, yet he's got no shortage of romantic luck. If those two little ones can end up together someday, then I'll be able to rest easy too—cough, cough, cough..."

It was not until they boarded the carriage bound for the Spirit Beast Forest that Huo Yutong, who had cried herself silly, gradually recovered from her earlier breakdown.

Qian Chaoguang said nothing, merely silently handing her a box of pastries.

Remembering what she had done in the small courtyard earlier, Huo Yutong blushed deeply and lowered her head to eat the food in her hands.

The carriage was utterly silent. The Old Butler personally drove it along the main road, heading northwest.

Qian Chaoguang looked out at the scenery beyond the window, listening to the carriage creak and Huo Yutong's soft chewing. His thoughts had already drifted far away.

The wings of this little butterfly of his seemed far larger than he had expected.

He felt somewhat guilty toward Huo Yutong.

He had originally wanted to raise her Innate Soul Power so that she and Huo Yun'er would not have to suffer as much as they did in the Original Work.

Yet who would have thought that his good intentions would end up causing harm?

He had not expected the Duchess to be so utterly deranged that she would not even spare a girl.

In this era, girls did not even have inheritance rights in most cases. How could she possibly threaten Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin?

He would find a chance to make it up to her later. After all, everything had Changed because of him.

It was impossible for him to feel no guilt at all.

The three of them traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping and going along the way. Before they knew it, three days had passed.

As the saying went, reading ten thousand books was no match for traveling ten thousand miles.

Over the past few days, Qian Chaoguang had gotten a glimpse of the unique customs and culture of Douluo Continent.

Freed from the restraints and oppression of Duke's Mansion, Huo Yutong's mood gradually relaxed over the course of the journey. The new sights along the way drew out her curiosity.

With a shout of "Whoa," the carriage came to a stop.

The Old Butler turned around and said to the two of them, "We're almost there. I'll leave the carriage in storage shortly, and then we'll proceed on foot."

"Okay, Grandpa."

The two answered in unison.

On the way here, the Old Butler had already explained some precautions and relevant knowledge regarding soul hunting.

This time, the Old Butler had not brought them to the famous Star Dou Great Forest from the Original Work, but to a smaller Spirit Beast Forest.

According to the Old Butler, although this forest was small, it was home to quite a few rare Spirit-Type Soul Beasts.

Because there were relatively few soul masters who specialized in Spiritual Power, and only a scattered few Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts at most, this place had survived the sweeping slaughter from ten thousand years ago and escaped the fate of total extermination.

As for those Soul Hunting Forests that had been enclosed and raised ten thousand years ago?

Please. Spirit Hall was gone, Martial Soul Awakening was no longer free, subsidies were no longer given to ordinary soul masters, and even the few subsidies granted to Shrek's outstanding students had become just one Gold Soul Coin per month.

That came to a pitiful twelve coins a year, nothing compared to ten thousand years ago.

In this age of inflation, if one neither ate nor drank for an entire year, that little bit was just enough to cover Shrek's tuition for one year.

The three empires busy fighting one another to the death would have to be insane to waste manpower and resources on something so thankless.

As they entered the Spirit Beast Forest, the air gradually became cooler.

Yet beneath that coolness lay a peculiar heaviness.

Qian Chaoguang had always been extremely perceptive.

In his senses, the Spirit Beast Forest before him seemed like a massive beast with its jaws wide open.

At any moment, that mouth full of fangs could snap shut and take away one fresh life after another.

This was also his first time personally entering the legendary Spirit Beast Forest.

After the brief tension passed, his emotions shifted more toward excitement, hot blood surging endlessly through his heart.

After more than three years of keeping his head down and cultivating, it was finally time to test the results of his training!

At the thought of fighting a Spirit Beast for real, Qian Chaoguang felt his blood boil. Even the hand Grasped around his sword hilt trembled slightly.

"Xiao Guang, slow down. Since we have this rare chance to come out, I'll teach you two some knowledge about Spirit Beasts as well. If we encounter weak Ten Year Soul Beasts later, you can try practicing on them."

The Old Butler walked behind them, holding the somewhat uneasy Huo Yutong's hand.

Though he wore a smile, his free right hand moved in a steady rhythm. His sharp gaze swept over the surroundings, guarding against danger that could appear at any moment.

"Look, over there is a Plant Spirit Beast—a ten-year Sword Bamboo. The way to identify it is..."

Knowledge learned from books always felt shallow; true understanding came only through personal practice.

As the Old Butler gave concise yet thorough explanations, the two gained considerable knowledge while searching for Spirit Beasts and developed a certain degree of understanding of the species.

Huo Yutong circulated Soul Power into her eyes. As a faint current of air swirled around them, her Spiritual Eye emitted a pale blue glow.

With the support of her Martial Soul, she possessed powerful early-warning abilities.

At the same time, the Spiritual Eye allowed her to see farther and more clearly, greatly enhancing her dynamic vision.

As they moved forward, a strange sensation suddenly appeared in her mind.

Huo Yutong drew a dagger from her waist with a backhand motion and warned, "Brother Zhaoguang, something is approaching us."

"Got it."

Qian Chaoguang stopped where he stood, gripping the sword hilt tightly with both hands and bending his knees slightly as he assumed a Defense Stance.

His eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit. He had long been eager to personally test himself against a Spirit Beast.

Unfortunately, the Spirit Beasts they had encountered earlier were all relatively powerful. Worried that the two might be in danger, the Old Butler had directly driven them away, which left Qian Chaoguang deeply disappointed.

This time, the Old Butler had not said anything. The one approaching had to be an opponent the two of them could fight.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed out from behind the bushes ahead and pounced before the three of them.

It was a jackal about a meter tall, covered in grayish-black fur. Its teeth were sharp, and an eerie green light gleamed in its eyes.