Expressions Must Be Spot-On, Tone Must Be Miserable

"Tsk... This is a pain."

Xuan Hao irritably scratched his head.

"Gege, aren't you eating?" Na'er swallowed a piece of braised pork and blinked her big eyes at him. "It'll get cold if you don't eat soon."

"You eat. I'm not hungry yet." Xuan Hao picked up some greens for her. "Don't just eat meat. Have some vegetables too."

Na'er obediently nodded and ate the greens.

Watching the well-behaved Na'er, Xuan Hao felt slightly more at ease.

Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts—anyone would be driven to kill over that.

If he wanted Bibi Dong to calm down, he had to bring back something of equal value as an apology.

After thinking it over, there was only one thing he knew of that could quell Bibi Dong's fury. It might even make her not only spare him from punishment, but praise him instead.

The Immortal Herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

He definitely could not tell Bibi Dong directly about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. There had to be limits in everything; using benefits to test human nature was the stupidest thing in the world.

Even the closest family members needed to know where to draw the line.

Sunset Forest was so vast that blindly searching it like a needle in a haystack was out of the question. Even if he found it, not even a Soul Sage could withstand the Poisonous Barrier around its perimeter.

Not to mention that if he ran into Dugu Bo, that Old Poison, he would truly be courting death.

Although Na'er was a protective talisman of sorts, this matter was ultimately uncertain. He would not entrust his life to something so uncertain.

Otherwise, he would not have run away.

Before Xuan Hao had even finished sorting through his thoughts, an intense sense of danger suddenly appeared outside the inn without warning.

Then, with an overwhelmingly domineering presence, that aura instantly locked onto this private room on the second floor!

"Hm?!"

Xuan Hao's heart lurched. He grabbed Na'er and instinctively prepared to use Teleportation to flee.

Bang!!

The private room's tightly shut redwood doors flew open!

A golden afterimage rushed inside, bringing with it a fragrant breeze.

"Ancestor!!!"

A shrill voice laden with tears, boundless grievance, surprise, collapse, and the relief of surviving a disaster suddenly exploded within the room.

"I finally found you!!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan had huge dark circles beneath his eyes, and even his hair was somewhat disheveled. He had completely lost his usual glamorous, meticulously groomed appearance.

The moment he charged in, he planted both hands directly on Xuan Hao's dining table. His peach blossom eyes stared fixedly at the dumbfounded Xuan Hao, who was holding a teacup, tears welling in his eyes.

"My little ancestor!"

"Do you know what I've been through these past two weeks?!"

Xuan Hao looked utterly bewildered. "I only just entered Heaven Dou City, and I haven't even warmed the bench yet. You came right in after me? Do you have to be this efficient?"

"Efficient?!"

The moment Yue Guan heard that, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. No longer caring about his image, he dragged over a chair and sat down, gritting his teeth as he said:

"My little ancestor! Do you know how many informants I planted throughout Heaven Dou City just to catch you?"

"All the deacons and spies from Spirit Hall were sent out! Any child eight or nine years old, with Soul Power above Rank 30, silver hair, and either blue or red eyes was to be reported immediately upon sight!"

Yue Guan took a deep breath and pointed at Xuan Hao. "Across the entire Douluo Continent, besides a freak like you, can you find another eight- or nine-year-old with the cultivation of a 35th Rank Soul Elder? The moment you stepped into this inn, word reached my ears right after!"

"Enough nonsense! Come with me now! Before His Holiness the Pope completely explodes, go back and plead guilty with a rod on your back. Maybe you can still keep an intact corpse!"

As he spoke, Yue Guan reached out to grab Xuan Hao's arm.

"Stop!"

Xuan Hao leaned back, avoiding Yue Guan's hand. The expression on his face instantly turned solemn.

"Elder Ju, if you take me back now, do you want me dead, or do you want yourself dead?"

Yue Guan froze. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Teacher is still in the middle of her rage. That was the loss of two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!" Xuan Hao analyzed with complete seriousness. "If I go back now, I'll be walking straight into the line of fire. Teacher's rage will cloud her judgment. If she loses control and cripples me, or directly cripples my cultivation..."

"Once she calms down and comes to her senses, seeing her prized disciple crippled, who do you think she'll blame?"

Xuan Hao pointed at Yue Guan. "She'll definitely blame you. 'Yue Guan! Why did you bring him back? Couldn't you have let him hide outside for a few more days?!'"

Yue Guan's eye twitched furiously.

Come to think of it, with Bibi Dong's unreasonable, fiercely protective nature, that really could happen!

"And besides..."

Xuan Hao lowered his voice, his gaze turning deep. "You found me in Heaven Dou City. If you bring me back, Teacher will definitely ask, 'What was that traitorous disciple doing in Heaven Dou City? Did he go looking for Qian Renxue?'"

"By then, the blame will be pinned on both of us. Teacher will think I betrayed her, and she'll think you leaked classified information and incited me to seek out Qian Renxue..."

"Then we can hold hands and walk to the execution block together?"

"Hiss—"

Yue Guan sucked in a sharp breath, a chill running down the back of his neck.

This logic... was simply flawless!

If Bibi Dong thought this kid had come to Heaven Dou City to defect to Qian Renxue, Yue Guan would absolutely be skinned, dismembered, and burned alive!

"Then... then what should we do?"

Yue Guan was completely flustered. He dropped into his chair, having lost all of his earlier momentum. "Her Excellency gave a death order: dead or alive, I have to bring you back. If I don't take you back, I'm dead too!"

"Simple," Xuan Hao said. "Did you come alone, or did you come with Elder Ghost?"

"Lao Gui is outside, keeping watch in the shadows," Yue Guan said.

"Then this is easy."

Xuan Hao snapped his fingers. "Have Elder Ghost stay behind and watch me from the shadows. With his elusive abilities, are you afraid I could run right under his nose?"

"This way, you can ensure I remain under control while preventing me from disappearing again."

"And then?" Yue Guan pressed.

"Then you go back and report in yourself."

Xuan Hao Cleared His Throat and began giving an impromptu lesson.

"After you return, report to Teacher that you've found me. But—"

"You should say, 'That boy is scared out of his wits. He knows he caused a catastrophic disaster and simply doesn't dare return. He said that unless he finds a way to redeem himself through merit and recover Teacher's losses, he has no face to return to Spirit Hall, much less face Teacher.'"

"Redeem yourself through merit?" Yue Guan paused. "Will Her Excellency believe an excuse like that?"

"Whether she believes it isn't important. What matters is the attitude." Xuan Hao continued, "When Teacher hears that, she'll definitely sneer and say I'm just making excuses to stall for time. That's when you can start playing the victim."

"Playing the victim?"

"Right! You say..." Xuan Hao Cleared His Throat and put on a miserable expression. "'That child has been wandering outside for over a month, living in fear every day, unable to eat his fill or dress warmly. He's lost so much weight that it breaks one's heart just to look at him. The moment he heard I was taking him back, he trembled all over and cried that Teacher would surely kill him...'"

Yue Guan looked at Xuan Hao, whose complexion was rosy and who was dressed in fine clothes and eating rich food, with a pretty little girl sitting beside him. The corner of his mouth twitched. "...You call this unable to eat his fill or dress warmly?"

"Oh, it's artistic embellishment!" Xuan Hao waved his hand. "The point is to make Teacher think I'm miserable and afraid of her. As long as she knows I'm scared, half her anger will disappear."

"Now comes the most important part!"

Xuan Hao tapped the table, his tone becoming incomparably solemn.

"You absolutely must casually mention this: 'Although Xuan Hao has stayed in Heaven Dou City for half a month, he has been living in an ordinary inn. He never went anywhere near the Crown Prince's Mansion, nor did he even inquire about any information regarding the Crown Prince. He came to Heaven Dou City purely because there are many people here, and he feels safer hiding among the crowd.'"

Yue Guan's eyes lit up.

Brilliant!

This was the true trump card!

As long as it was confirmed that Xuan Hao had no intention of contacting Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong's greatest concern would be erased. What remained would only be her frustration at his failure to meet expectations.

As for killing Xuan Hao?

If Bibi Dong had truly been willing to do it, she would have acted directly back in the Star Dou Great Forest!

"As long as you deliver this explanation, Teacher's anger will definitely settle down," Xuan Hao said. "Then she'll surely tacitly allow me to hide outside for a while. If I really manage to obtain something good and bring it back, that would naturally be best. Even if I can't, I'll suffer outside for a while, come back looking bedraggled, play the victim again, and at worst take another beating. Wouldn't this matter be over then?"

After hearing him out, Yue Guan looked at this child of only eight or nine years old and could not help but write a huge word of admiration in his heart.

No wonder this stinky boy had been constantly causing trouble in Spirit City these past two years, yet Bibi Dong had never truly exploded. Her tolerance of him had even grown greater and greater.

This scheming, these methods—he had Bibi Dong's thoughts completely in the palm of his hand!

"Fine! We'll do as you say!" Yue Guan gritted his teeth and stood up. "I'll go explain things to Lao Gui right now and have him keep a close eye on you! If you dare run, Lao Gui really will make a move!"

"Don't worry, I won't run." Xuan Hao lifted his teacup. "I wish Elder Ju a smooth journey. Remember to describe my miserable state vividly."

"Your expressions have to be spot-on, and your tone has to be miserable. Don't botch the performance!"

Yue Guan rolled his eyes at him, then glanced at Na'er, who had been obediently eating beside them the entire time. He sighed, and with a flash, vanished from the private room.