Goodbye Angel

In the Heaven Dou Empire, within Heaven Dou City.

On the bustling streets, a carriage moved slowly along the main thoroughfare, two burly men sitting at the front, waving their hands to clear a path through the pedestrians ahead.

"Wow, so this is Heaven Dou City? It's quite prosperous. It truly lives up to its reputation as one of the two great capitals of the continent; compared to this, Martial Soul City seems a bit monotonous."

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Oscar's little head poked out to look around.

"Brother Zhen, where are we going? Are we going to find Sister Xue first?"

Oscar closed the curtain and turned to look at Su Zhen, who was sitting cross-legged inside the carriage.

Su Zhen opened his eyes and lifted a corner of the curtain to peer at the surrounding streets.

"Let's eat first. After the meal, we'll buy some gifts before heading to the Crown Prince's Mansion. Yang Fan, which restaurant in Heaven Dou City is the best?"

Su Zhen asked Yang Fan, who was driving the carriage ahead. Yang Fan was a local of Heaven Dou, having grown up in the city. It was only after breaking through to become a Soul Grand Master that he went to Martial Soul City to study at the Martial Soul Hall's advanced soul master academy, and after graduation, he had served the Worship Hall ever since.

"Young Master, the Green Jade Pavilion in the inner city is the best restaurant in Heaven Dou City, but it requires a reservation in advance. The Heaven Dou Grand Hotel is also an option and doesn't require a reservation, but we would be restricted to the bottom three floors. The Four Seasons Heavenly Mansion is off-limits to anyone who isn't a noble, and we..."

Seeing Yang Fan list several hotels, all of which had entry requirements, gave Su Zhen a headache.

"Forget it, let's just eat something by the side of the road."

"As you command, Young Master."

The carriage traveled a bit further before stopping in front of a small stall.

"Young Master, this is a place I always visit whenever I'm out on a mission. Although it can't compare to the level of the Green Jade Pavilion or the Heaven Dou Grand Hotel, the taste is not a bit inferior."

Yang Fan introduced it to Su Zhen.

"Little Ao, how does this look to you?"

Su Zhen didn't mind, but he wanted to consider Oscar's opinion.

"I'll listen to Brother Zhen."

Oscar replied obediently, putting on the act of a well-behaved child.

Su Zhen couldn't help but laugh at Oscar's display. He patted his head and led Oscar off the carriage.

"Yo, is that Master Yang? What will you be having today? The usual bowl of plain noodles?"

The stall owner saw Yang Fan and greeted him enthusiastically. It was clear they were very familiar with each other; usually, no ordinary person would dare speak to a soul master like that.

Yang Fan didn't speak, instead signaling the owner with his eyes to pay attention to the two children—one big, one small—beside him.

"Are these your children? I haven't seen you bring them out before. They're quite cute."

The stall owner's eyes lit up when he saw Su Zhen and Oscar. He came over and ruffled Oscar's hair. As for Su Zhen, he looked old enough and didn't seem easy to get along with, so he didn't dare to take such liberties with him.

Yang Fan watched this scene, his eyes nearly popping out of his head, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

"Old Zhang, these two are..."

"Uncle, we are Uncle Yang's nephews. We heard your food was good, so we came to try it."

Oscar spoke up, cutting off Yang Fan.

Yang Fan could only nod; Oscar's words made him so nervous he couldn't even speak properly.

"Ol-, Old Zhang, four bowls of plain noodles."

"Alright, coming right up!"

Old Zhang replied and turned to prepare the noodles.

Su Zhen and Oscar sat on wooden stools. Seeing Yang Fan and the other man standing to the side, Su Zhen waved his hand to signal them to sit as well.

"Yang Fan, I can tell you eat here often."

"Yes, Young Master. Old Zhang's martial soul is a type of spice; the noodles he makes are quite delicious, even more fragrant than those in the big hotels."

Yang Fan smiled awkwardly.

"Four bowls of plain noodles, please enjoy."

Before long, four bowls of plain noodles were placed on the table.

Su Zhen picked up his chopsticks, lifted some noodles to his mouth, and the moment they touched his tongue, a unique fragrance flooded his palate.

"This taste is impressive. With a martial soul like this, why haven't you gone to work at a big hotel?"

Su Zhen liked the flavor and asked Yang Fan, who was eating beside him.

"The minimum requirement for a chef at those big hotels is to be a soul master. Old Zhang is just an ordinary person."

Yang Fan swallowed the noodles in his mouth and replied.

"I see. After we finish eating, take him to the Heaven Dou City Martial Soul Branch to find Salas. Send him to Martial Soul City to open a restaurant, and tell them it was my order."

"Yes, thank you, Young Master."

Yang Fan replied with eyes full of gratitude. Old Zhang could be considered his friend, and with Su Zhen's word, Old Zhang's future would surely surpass that of ninety-nine percent of the ordinary people on the continent.

The noodles were quickly finished. When Yang Fan told Old Zhang about Su Zhen's plan, the man, upon hearing the news, went straight to Su Zhen and kowtowed heavily three times before leaving under Yang Fan's guidance.

The three of them finished their meal and walked toward the Crown Prince's Mansion.

"Brother Zhen, what kind of gift should we bring for Sister Xue?"

Oscar gazed at the dazzling array of goods and snacks lining both sides of the street, unsure of how to choose.

Su Zhen also found himself lost in thought; as the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, there was very little in Heaven Dou City that Xue Qinghe could not obtain.

"Buy some candy! Delicious Blue Silver Candy, sweet and tasty Blue Silver Candy!"

At that moment, the hawking of a roadside vendor reached Su Zhen's ears.

Su Zhen walked up to the small stall, looked at the Blue Silver Candy, which was identical to the kind found in Suotuo City, and used a single Gold Soul Coin to buy the entire stock.

"Let's just bring this for Sister Xue. She's been the Crown Prince for so long, she's probably never eaten these roadside snacks."

Su Zhen handed a piece of candy to both Oscar and Li Hao, then unwrapped one for himself. The sweetness he had anticipated never came; instead, his mouth was filled with a burnt bitterness and sourness.

"Little Ao, spit that candy out. It's gone bad."

"No it hasn't, Brother Zhen. It's quite delicious and sweet."

Oscar said, his words muffled by the Blue Silver Candy in his mouth.

Su Zhen assumed the piece he had eaten was spoiled, so he unwrapped another and ate it, yet the same sour bitterness remained. When he asked Li Hao, Li Hao also claimed it was quite sweet.

Su Zhen stood rooted to the spot for a long time, the candy wrapper crinkling loudly as he clenched it in his hand.

"Brother Zhen, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Su Zhen was acting strangely, Oscar asked with concern.

"It's nothing, Little Ao. Let's go, let's go find Sister Xue."

The three of them soon appeared before a magnificent, gold-adorned mansion, where a gilded plaque inscribed with "Crown Prince's Mansion" hung high above the door frame.

Li Hao stepped forward and handed a token to the guards at the gate. The guard took the token, glanced at it, and immediately looked at the three of them in shock before rushing inside the mansion.

"Brother Zhen, do these guards recognize our token? What if they mistake it for something else? Wouldn't we fail to see Sister Xue?"

"That won't happen. The guards and maids of the Crown Prince's Mansion were long ago replaced by people from our Worship Hall. Teacher told me this before we set out."

Sure enough, before long, the guard who had gone inside returned with a maid.

"My three lords, the Crown Prince invites you in. Please allow this servant to lead the way."

The maid bowed slightly before the three of them and gestured for them to follow her inside. After winding through the grounds, they arrived before a side hall.

"Two young masters, the young lady is inside."

The maid stood before the side hall and signaled for Su Zhen and Oscar to enter, while Li Hao remained outside with the maid to stand guard.

Su Zhen gently pushed the door open, and a golden figure within the room came into view. A man dressed in golden finery with short, ear-length golden hair sat at a table, slowly sipping tea.

Seeing Su Zhen and his companion enter, the golden-haired man set down his teacup and gestured for them to sit.

"Sister Xue, this look of yours is truly unsightly. There's no one else here, why not revert to your true appearance?"

No sooner had Oscar sat down than he began to complain to the golden-haired man before him.

Thump.

The golden-haired man rose, walked behind Oscar, and brought a fist down onto his head. Then, golden light bloomed from his body, and a stunning woman dressed in a golden palace gown appeared in the room.

"You little brat, Little Ao, complaining about your sister the moment we meet."

Qian Renxue raised a pink fist, speaking with feigned indignation.

"Sister Xue." X2

After a long time, the two of them had finally reunited with their big sister.