Watching the two women bicker, Yuhua Mebis smiled. "All right, you two. Let me have some peace and quiet."
"Right, Sister Yuhua has to compete for the Star Tower. We can't disturb her. Lulu, you should go," Grandini said sweetly, gripping Yuhua Mebis's arm tightly.
Lulu bared her teeth. "Why don't you go? I'm staying."
Yuhua Mebis sighed. "You can both stay. Tell me what you've seen out there. The academy—is it fun? Have either of you met someone you like?"
Lulu hurriedly said, "Sister Yuhua, I once tamed a giant turtle on a Doomsday Planet called Earth. It was so, so huge!"
"Yeah, right. Was it bigger than Ancestor Turtle?"
"Are you picking a fight? It's only at the Exploration Realm and isn't even grown yet!"
"You're so noisy."
In the New Universe's Western Region, Gu Xiaoer stood in the Smoke Swallowing Mountain Range with a vacant look, as if he'd gone stupid.
A shaft of sunlight fell upon him. His father, Old Ghost Gu, appeared before him with a crafty grin. "Xiaoer, you can come out now. Take a break, and then we'll go to the Shanhai Realm."
Gu Xiaoer looked up blankly. "I... I can come out?"
Old Ghost Gu nodded.
Gu Xiaoer shouted, "You're lying to me! I'm not coming out. You're trying to hurt me again!"
"Xiaoer, your father only wants what's best for you. Think about it: if you become one of the Starry Sky Five Sons, won't all those women at the brothel be yours? Just think about that courtesan!"
Gu Xiaoer swallowed. His eyes held anticipation and unease, along with a little hope for the future and a hint of lechery. "I... I'll come out."
"Come on, Xiaoer. Come to your father. Have a smoke first."
"You're tricking me again—"