"Good... Very good..."
Bibi Dong laughed in fury, a dangerously sharp glint in her eyes.
"Xuan Hao, you've got nerve!"
"You'd better hope I don't catch you. Because if I do..."
Bibi Dong clenched her fist. The air cracked with a sharp bang.
"Issue a wanted notice! No... a missing-person notice!"
"Turn the entire Douluo Continent upside down if you have to, but bring that brat back to me!"
"I'll break his legs myself!"
Yue Guan looked worried. "Your Excellency, you've always kept Xuan Hao's existence secret and trained him in private. If we make such a public announcement, those hostile to Spirit Hall—especially the remnants of the Clear Sky Sect, or even... Tang Hao—might learn about him..."
Bibi Dong's expression darkened further.
A wanted notice could put him in danger. A missing-person notice was even more likely to do so.
She wanted that boy back alive! She didn't want him dying out there!
Yue Guan ventured, "Your Excellency, perhaps this isn't as bad as it seems."
"Think about it. Why did Xuan Hao run?"
"He was frightened!"
Yue Guan gestured. "When he caused trouble before, you'd lock him up for ten days or a couple of weeks at most. Partway through, you'd send someone to scold him, or speak to him yourself, so he knew you were still paying attention."
"But this time, you ignored him for a full two weeks. You wouldn't even let him see the maid who brought his meals. Imagine what that did to a child of eight or nine."
"You know that despite his carefree appearance, Xuan Hao is deeply sensitive. And what happened this time was serious. He must have thought you truly meant to kill him."
"He's a child. After causing a disaster, his first instinct was to hide because he was afraid of being punished. That's understandable."
Bibi Dong snorted. The fury in her eyes remained, but her murderous intent eased slightly. "Understandable? I'd call it outrageous! So he does know he caused a disaster?!"
"He does, he absolutely does!" Yue Guan nodded quickly. "Look at that letter. You know what the Young Master is like. If he truly meant to abandon Spirit Hall and disappear, he wouldn't have left a letter, much less joked with you in it."
"The fact that he left one—and still had the nerve to joke—shows that he's still attached to you. He still wants to come back."
"Right now, he's probably hiding in some corner, waiting for your anger to pass."
"If we launch a public search, he might think you're coming to execute him. Then he'll be even less willing to show himself."
Bibi Dong drew a deep breath and sat back down in the chair that had been brought in for her. She tapped the armrest thoughtfully.
Yue Guan had a point.
That boy was stubborn. Gentleness worked on him; force did not.
Push him too hard, and he really might vanish into the mountains and live like a savage.
"What do you suggest, then?" Bibi Dong asked coldly.
"I suggest we do nothing in public and simply say he's cultivating in seclusion," Yue Guan said. "In secret, we can have our intelligence network look for him. We can also let word slip that... well, the Pope is in a good mood. Give him a way to come back."
"And..."
Yue Guan paused. "I don't think he'll hide in the mountains."
"Oh?"
"Think about it. After spending years as the terror of Spirit Academy, that boy has grown accustomed to extravagance and indulgence... Ahem, to a comfortable life. Living like a savage in the mountains? He couldn't stand it."
"So he'll go to a big city. Somewhere prosperous and lively, where he can still enjoy himself."
At that, Yue Guan hesitated. His eyes flickered, and he even used Sound Transmission, afraid someone might overhear.
"Your Excellency... I have a bold suspicion."
"He... may go to Heaven Dou City."
"Heaven Dou City?"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Why would he go there? It's the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. Prosperous, yes, but he doesn't know anyone there..."
"Well... Your Excellency..."
Yue Guan sounded increasingly uneasy. His voice even trembled. "Last year, while Xuan Hao and I were discussing Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs in the garden... I... I let something slip and accidentally mentioned Qian Renxue."
"What did you say?!"
Bibi Dong shot to her feet. Murderous intent surged from her as she fixed Yue Guan with a deadly stare.
Qian Renxue!
That name was her deepest taboo: her only remaining tie to the dead scum Qian Xunji, and a pain she never wanted to speak of again!
"You let it slip?!"
"You told him... that Xue Qinghe is Qian Renxue? That Qian Renxue is my daughter?!"
"I deserve death, Your Excellency! A thousand deaths!" Yue Guan dropped to his knees. "It truly was a slip of the tongue! The conversation just led there! Besides... Xuan Hao was perfectly calm at the time. He showed no unusual reaction."
"He's kept it to himself all year. He's never breathed a word of it to anyone—not even Nana. That shows he understands how serious it is."
"But..."
Yue Guan swallowed and forced himself to continue.
"But now he's caused a disaster and thinks he can't stay with you. He knows Qian Renxue is undercover in Heaven Dou City and has become the Crown Prince. She's at the height of her influence."
"He's clever. He may think... rather than wander alone, he should seek refuge with Qian Renxue."
"After all... she's your daughter. He may think that with that connection, even if you want to punish him, you'll show him mercy for her sake..."
"Enough!"
Bibi Dong cut off Yue Guan's speculation with a sharp shout.
Her temples felt ready to burst.
Seek refuge with Qian Renxue?
Did that boy have a death wish? Or did he simply want to make her life even more miserable?
If Qian Renxue learned Xuan Hao was her disciple, who knew how she might use him to get under her skin!
"Yue Guan!!"
Bibi Dong drew a deep breath and pointed at him where he knelt. Even her finger trembled.
"Go to Heaven Dou City. Right now!"
"Go yourself! Take Gui Mei! Turn the whole city upside down!"
"If that boy really has gone there, tie him up if you must, but bring him back!"
"And one more thing!"
Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened, murderous intent blazing in her eyes.
"If Qian Daoliu finds out about this, or Xue Qinghe's false identity is exposed..."
"Don't bother coming back! Take your own life out there to atone for it!"
"Yes! I'm going now! Right now!"
Yue Guan scrambled out of the hall as though he had been granted a reprieve.
Watching him disappear, Bibi Dong slumped back into the chair and rubbed her brow, utterly exhausted.
A cursed bond!
Had I taken on a disciple, or an ancestor sent to collect a debt?
"Xuan Hao..."
"You'd better not actually go looking for her..."
"Because when you come back, I'll skin you alive!"
Half a month later, in Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
As the heart of one of the continent's two great empires, Heaven Dou City was far more prosperous than a frontier town like Nuoding City. Its commercial bustle even surpassed that of solemn, imposing Spirit City.
On the street, a tall figure and a small one drew frequent glances from passersby.
Xuan Hao still wore a well-tailored brocade outfit, but now he held the hand of a little girl who drew even more attention.
Na'er had changed into a delicate pale-purple dress with a full skirt. Her short silver hair had been carefully styled and adorned with two crystal clips. Her amethyst eyes took in everything around her with curiosity.
Though she was still young, her innate air of nobility and exquisite features made her look like a little princess stepped out of a painting.
Together, they made a striking pair: a handsome boy and a beautiful girl, both with noble bearing. Anyone would take them for the children of some prominent Soul Master family out for the day.
In a world where people judged others by appearances, their clothes and the faint Soul Power Xuan Hao gave off ensured no one dared trouble them along the way.
Before long, Xuan Hao led Na'er into a lavishly decorated restaurant. He booked a private room by a second-floor window and ordered a table full of house specialties.
When the food arrived, Na'er maintained her elegant manners, but her chopsticks moved astonishingly fast. Her cheeks bulged like a cute little hamster's.
Xuan Hao poured himself a cup of tea and gazed at the bustling street outside the window, lost in thought.
I made it out, but I can't keep hiding forever.
Should I go to Qian Renxue?
Given the conflict between her and Bibi Dong, if she learns about my talent and my relationship with Bibi Dong, she'll protect me—whether to invest in a prodigy or simply to spite Bibi Dong.
But it's too risky.
Bibi Dong's feelings toward Qian Renxue are complicated and full of hatred. If she learns I ran to Qian Renxue after causing trouble, this stops being "running away from home" and becomes "betraying my side." It could enrage her completely. The first thing she does when we meet might be to hit me with Eternal Creation.
She might even expose the fact that I have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Then I really would have no choice but to hide in some remote mountain valley.
Even those old men in the Worship Hall would covet a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. They might come and take it by force.
Besides, Qian Renxue doesn't have a good temper either. The way I am, if we ended up together, sooner or later I'd probably provoke her into a fury.
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