Unknown Enemy, Handing Over the Spirit Bone

"Why?"

Hearing her son refuse to absorb the spirit bone, even Xia Shi was puzzled.

"Because word of this spirit bone has already gotten out."

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

The couple spoke in unison, their faces filled with shock.

"Look at this."

Xia Yang picked up an ordinary sheet of white paper from the desk.

Other than a few creases, the paper appeared completely blank.

Xia Yang handed the paper to his father.

Xia Shi accepted it doubtfully. After examining it carefully, his eyes suddenly widened as he stared fixedly at the marks on the paper.

"Th-this is...?"

Xia Shi stammered.

"What is it?"

Huo Yang asked anxiously from the side.

She looked at the white paper in her husband's hand but could not make anything of it.

"Look carefully."

Xia Shi raised the white paper toward the window.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto the paper. At once, several concealed marks emerged on its surface.

Some outlines of writing were clearly visible on the white paper.

It turned out that this sheet had once been placed beneath another while someone wrote on it, leaving behind impressions.

Huo Yang carefully made out the information on the paper.

It showed that as early as a month ago, Zhao Tianba had told a noble he had been currying favor with about the spirit bone.

Zhao Tianba had intended to present the spirit bone to that person in exchange for an opportunity to be transferred out of Xiling Harbor.

However, the spirit bone was too valuable. Zhao Tianba feared that the other party would accept the gift without keeping their word, so they agreed that Zhao Tianba would only hand over the spirit bone once the transfer order had been issued.

Who could have known that before Zhao Tianba had the chance to deliver the spirit bone, he went to sea because his daughter needed to hunt for a spirit ring. In the end, he died at sea, and the Zhao Family was also wiped out by the Xia Family.

That spirit bone had thus fallen into Xia Yang's hands.

"So, this spirit bone had actually already caught the attention of a noble from the Heaven Dou Empire?"

Huo Yang frowned.

"For now, it seems so."

Xia Yang nodded.

"We just don't know who this noble is or how strong he is."

"If his influence and strength are only average, then even if we keep the spirit bone, there would be nothing he could do to us."

Huo Yang still clung to a sliver of hope.

"Don't dream."

Xia Shi shook his head and analyzed the situation. "For Zhao Tianba, a Soul Emperor, to curry favor with him, his strength is at least above that of a Soul Emperor. He could very well be a Soul Saint."

"Even if he isn't a Soul Saint, the fact that he can influence a city lord's appointment means he must be a Noble with real power."

"Ah, this is troublesome."

Huo Yang lowered her head dejectedly. "The spirit bone is in our hands, but if we secretly absorb it, we'll inevitably draw the attention of enemies lurking in the shadows."

"This spirit bone has become a hot potato. What are we supposed to do?"

"Why not hand it directly over to Spirit Hall?"

Xia Yang suddenly suggested, "We were already going to hand over the secret of Whale Rubber. Now, with this Three Thousand Years spirit bone added in, the combined merit should be considerable."

"That's our only option."

"Ah, what a pity."

Xia Shi sighed.

"All right, all right. Don't look so dejected."

Huo Yang forced herself to perk up and comforted her husband and son. "You just returned from hunting spirit beasts and went through another battle before you even had the chance to rest."

"What you need most now is a good rest."

Encouraged by his mother's words, Xia Yang pulled himself together.

Then Huo Yang carefully put away the spirit bone, and the three of them headed out together.

"You two go rest first. I'll handle the aftermath."

"I'll send someone to deliver a message to Spirit Hall, reporting in detail the cause and outcome of this operation, as well as the matters concerning the spirit bone and Whale Rubber."

"I imagine Spirit Hall will send someone soon."

Huo Yang made arrangements as they walked.

"Got it, Mom."

Xia Yang replied.

"Sorry to trouble you, my lady."

Xia Shi added.

"By the way, what do you want for dinner tonight? I'll have someone order from the hotel next door."

"Anything is fine, as long as it isn't fish."

"I don't want fish either. And no other seafood besides fish, either."

"We were adrift at sea for so long that we're sick of fish already."

"We finally made it home. I absolutely refuse to eat seafood."

Laughing and chatting happily, the three left the City Lord Manor together.

The setting sun's afterglow fell over them, bringing this long and bloody day to an end.

Though it was regrettable to gain and then lose the spirit bone, having the family safely reunited was already the greatest comfort.

Not to mention that Spirit Hall would certainly reward them after they offered up the spirit bone and Whale Rubber.

At the thought of the reward, Xia Yang's family began looking forward to it.

Over the following days, news of Zhao Tianba's entire family being wiped out seeped silently into every alley of Xiling Harbor like the cold wind of early winter.

After tea and meals, the Common People whispered among themselves, embellishing and spreading the thrilling tale.

However, one side of this conflict had been a city lord appointed by the Heaven Dou Empire, while the other had been the Bishop of the Martial Soul Hall Branch. Both were ultimately figures far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Therefore, although the outside world buzzed with discussion, the Spirit Hall in Xiling Harbor maintained its usual tranquility, as if nothing had happened.

During this period, the Xia Family had not been idle.

On the contrary, they had done many things.

Huo Yang had long since dispatched trusted subordinates to document the secret of Whale Rubber, the full story behind the spirit bone, and the events of the campaign against the City Lord Manor, then send the report to Spirit Hall Headquarters by fast horse.

At the same time, she carefully inventoried the gains from this operation.

After detailed calculations, nearly half of the Zhao Family's assets—including land deeds, house deeds, farmland, shops, and other fixed assets—were all transferred under the name of the Martial Soul Branch Hall.

This gift would undoubtedly serve as the finest offering to present to the headquarters.

All of the Zhao Family's remaining wealth was converted into hefty piles of Gold Soul Coins.

Huo Yang distributed forty percent of it as rewards among the branch hall's people—the Spirit Hall Soul Masters who had followed her into action that day.

As for the remaining sixty percent, Huo Yang kept it for her own use.

This move suddenly added nearly a million Gold Soul Coins to the Xia Family's wealth and made everyone in the branch hall respect the Female Bishop even more.

Meanwhile, Xia Shi was also dealing with the loose ends from their return from sea.

The old Cargo Ship they had seized was ultimately sold for 1,200 Gold Soul Coins.

Then Xia Shi paid out of pocket to deliver compensation to the families of Zhang Feng and Li Zhishu.

Afterward, he held respectable funerals for the two deceased men.

As for Sun Chuanjun—the former traitor—Xia Shi chose to hold a simple sea burial for him by the shore.

Since the man was already dead, all grudges vanished with him.

Xia Yang silently followed beside his father, watching the wooden raft carrying Sun Chuanjun's body drift with the waves until it gradually disappeared at the edge of their field of vision.

The passing of a life was always a melancholy thing, whether that person had been an enemy or a friend in life.

Only after the sea waves completely swallowed the raft did father and son turn around and silently head home along the road they had taken.

After that, Xia Yang's life quickly returned to its old rhythm.

Xia Yang began throwing himself back into his daily cultivation.

Meditation, tempering his body, and sparring with his parents to hone his skills.

Time quietly flowed by amid those peaceful days, as if nothing had changed, yet as if everything had become different.