Let's Go Find a Grave!

Where had the ring come from?

The vendor looked miserable. It was already gone, so what was the point of asking where it had come from?

Xu Yuan swept his gaze around and noticed that plenty of people nearby were still watching. He could not help frowning.

"How about this? Come with us to the nearest Spirit Hall and tell me in detail about that ring.

If it truly is as I suspect, Spirit Hall will reward you handsomely!"

Hm?

The vendor looked at Xu Yuan in confusion but did not dare ask further.

"A few of you, help pack up his cart."

Xu Yuan called to the Hall Protection Knights nearby, then looked at the vendor and gestured for him to proceed.

"Let's go!"

Hu Liena had not asked anything until now, merely watching the situation unfold quietly. Seeing that the matter was more or less settled, she finally voiced her confusion.

"Xiao Yuan, why did you do that?

Such a valuable storage ring, and you just gave it away? To someone from the Heaven Dou Empire, no less?"

She was not the only one who could not understand it. The Hall Protection Knights around them, along with the vendor, were equally baffled.

"There are too many people here. You'll find out soon enough."

Xu Yuan did not explain further. Based on his memories from strolling around the previous day, he took the lead toward Spirit Hall in Tianxing City.

Before long, the group arrived.

Using his identity token, Xu Yuan obtained an empty office. He brought Hu Liena and the vendor inside, then shut the door.

Seeing this, the vendor immediately became a little uneasy.

"Young master..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand, pulled over two stools, gave one to the vendor, and sat on the other himself.

"Same question as before. How did you get that ring?"

Hearing the question, Hu Liena came back to her senses as well. That was right—the vendor showed no fluctuations of Soul Power. He was obviously an ordinary man.

How had he gotten a ring that even many Soul Douluo did not possess?

"I... I picked it up!"

The vendor swallowed, looking nervous.

"How did you pick it up? Where did you find it?" Xu Yuan took a deep breath, faint excitement rising within him.

"Are you trying to pick up another one?"

Seeing his expression, the vendor asked cautiously before shaking his head.

"That's impossible. I searched that place countless times. There was only one."

Xu Yuan waved his hand.

"No, I just want to know where you found it, and when."

Upon hearing that, the vendor thought for a moment.

"It was a long time ago, probably over half a year ago. I remember it rained all night.

The next day, I went to check on the crops, and I found that ring in my family's field.

Someone must have dropped it nearby, and the rain washed it over during the storm."

Xu Yuan felt his heartbeat quicken considerably and asked eagerly, "Where is your family's field? Can you take me there?"

His anxious appearance completely bewildered the vendor. He had already said there was nothing left, so why was Xu Yuan still so excited?

Still, he was only being asked to show them the field, so he did not refuse.

"Of course."

"Then let's go now?"

As Xu Yuan spoke, he suddenly remembered the stall outside that he had asked the Hall Protection Knights to pack up.

"Right, your cart is still outside. How about we go another day?"

The vendor waved his hand. "It's fine. I can come back to Spirit Hall for it later. I'm happy as long as I can help you.

Spirit Hall has always awakened Martial Souls for our children without asking for anything in return. I'm glad to be able to do something for you."

The three of them soon left Tianxing City.

On the road, Xu Yuan suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I still don't know your name."

The vendor smiled. "My surname is Yu. Just call me Lao Yu. Speaking of which, my youngest son should be undergoing his Martial Soul awakening this year. I hope he gets a good Martial Soul."

Xu Yuan gave him a thumbs-up.

"Judging by the way you stood up to Xue Celou earlier, Uncle Yu, I dare say your youngest son definitely won't be lacking."

Lao Yu smiled but did not respond. He knew his own family's circumstances.

Neither he nor his wife had much talent, and neither of their parents had any exceptional aptitude. How good could their child possibly be?

But parents always hoped their children would soar to great heights.

So Xu Yuan's words were particularly pleasing to hear.

Two hours later.

Standing on a ridge overgrown with weeds, Lao Yu let out a breath. "We're here. This whole area used to belong to my family."

Following his finger, Xu Yuan saw only a stretch of wilderness.

This place had once been farmland, but it was now abandoned and covered in thick weeds.

"Uncle Yu, where exactly did you find that ring?"

Xu Yuan asked again.

Lao Yu looked around, then pointed toward a patch of grass near the foot of a mountain not far away.

"There, right there.

After I found it, I took it home and showed it to my eldest son. Oh, I didn't mention it, did I? My eldest son has some talent and is a Soul Master now.

Back then, he took quite a few Gold Soul Coins out of the ring, which was why our family had enough money to move into Tianxing City."

Xu Yuan looked in that direction for a while, and he immediately understood.

"Oh? Your eldest son is a Soul Master too? Then didn't he tell you that this ring couldn't be taken out?"

Lao Yu nodded. "He did say that, but it's been so long. The person who lost the ring hasn't come back for it all this time, so they've probably forgotten about it already."

Xu Yuan: "..."

Wasn't that screwing over his father... no, wasn't that screwing over his son?

A man was innocent, but the possession of a treasure made him guilty. Today, they had happened to run into Xu Yuan. Otherwise, after Xue Celou failed to get the item, he definitely would have come looking.

With Lao Yu's straightforward temperament, his entire family might have been wiped out by then.

Xu Yuan surveyed the area once more, committing every detail to memory, then let out a long breath.

"All right, Uncle Yu. Let's head back."

"Huh?"

Lao Yu looked at him in surprise. "We've already come all this way. Aren't you going to look around and search?"

Xu Yuan smiled. "One look was enough."

Hu Liena rolled her eyes beside him. He made it sound so real.

If she had not gotten to know this fellow so well over the past few months, she might actually have believed him.

Lao Yu sighed. "You should have listened to me back then. You should have kept that ring for yourself. Look at you now—you regret it, don't you?"

Xu Yuan only smiled without saying a word.

Soon after, the three of them returned to Tianxing City.

At the city gates, just as they were about to part ways, Xu Yuan gave Lao Yu quite a few Gold Soul Coins. This was the handsome reward he had promised Lao Yu before coming.

Lao Yu initially tried hard to refuse, but he ultimately could not outargue Xu Yuan and accepted them after some hesitation.

Watching Lao Yu's back gradually disappear into the crowd, Xu Yuan chuckled and shouted loudly.

"Elder Gui, come out and get to work!"

The space not far away twisted, and Gui Mei, dressed in black robes, emerged expressionlessly.

Without even asking why Xu Yuan had summoned him, he placed one hand on Xu Yuan's shoulder and the other on Hu Liena's.

His figure flickered.

The three of them vanished from where they stood.

When they reappeared, they had returned to the previous wilderness.

Xu Yuan rolled up his sleeves, his face full of excitement.

"Come on, come on! Let's go find a grave and see which senior had such rotten luck that the heavy rain washed his grave open!"