Having been turned away, Mi Long had no desire to linger. He only shouted a few more things at the top of his lungs before leading his men away.
"Little brother, he should be on duty today. Since I happen to be here on business, I can go see him."
Mi Long strolled leisurely toward Lingdou City's gates.
As for the Mysterious Underworld Sect's mission, he was sure the mother and daughter would come around.
After all, who could turn down the chance to hitch their wagon to the Mysterious Underworld Sect?
With such an easy job, he ought to be able to get plenty of face time with the young sect master again.
"Nannan, what will you do if I leave?!"
After Mi Long was gone, Mother Jiang leaned weakly against the door, thinking about his parting words as she murmured to herself.
Of the seven people who had been walking down the street, only three people and one beast remained.
The two academy teachers had taken the students back to the academy to register first.
Only Jiang Nannan had stayed, volunteering to show them around the city.
And that was how they had ended up in this scene.
The girl led the way, introducing the various shops and snacks lining the road, chatting away without pause.
Behind her came a little golden beast, with a young boy sprawled across its back.
His head rested on the soft fur atop the little beast's head, while his arms and legs swung carelessly with each of its steps.
He was the picture of ease.
Bringing up the rear was a dignified middle-aged man who looked like a powerhouse at a glance.
What was more, Di Tian made no effort to rein in the soul pressure around him. Instead, he deliberately let a little of it seep out.
It might not have been enough to make the weak collapse on the spot, but it was certainly enough to let people know this group was not to be trifled with.
So even though the Auspicious Beast's many wonders drew gasps of amazement from the people around them, no fool came forward to pick a fight.
Once had been more than enough.
"That over there is the Nine Treasures Pavilion. I heard it's a branch of a major power, with more treasures than you could count! But it must be really expensive."
"Bright Soul Shop. I think they sell Soul Tools, but I've never gone inside."
"And over there is the Mysterious..."
The little girl chattered all the way, bringing up anything and everything she spotted. She was terribly cute.
But everyone present knew the little girl was just clumsily trying to distract Fang Le in her own way.
She wanted to cheer up Fang Le, who had been quiet ever since they left the city gates.
But it didn't seem to be working very well.
Fang Le looked like a brooding onlooker. He looked around, but didn't say a word.
No one could tell what he was looking at or what he was thinking.
"Fang Le, are you feeling better?"
The normally lively Auspicious Beast didn't know what to say now, either.
She just kept walking steadily, then asked him cautiously.
She actually knew quite a bit.
For example, for ordinary humans, killing one of their own was a huge hurdle to overcome.
Having grown accustomed to the strong preying on the weak and beasts killing their own kind, she couldn't understand such squeamishness.
But Fang Le was unhappy, and as his... well... anyway, the Auspicious Beast just wanted to comfort him.
"Kid, you only killed a person. Why be so squeamish? The strong preying on the weak is simply the law of this world. As a Soul Master, this is something you'll inevitably have to face.
"Besides, you didn't even kill him, did you? And you were pretty quick about killing those Soul Beasts before."
It wasn't just the Auspicious Beast who wanted to comfort Fang Le. Even Di Tian had racked his brains, sorted out his thoughts, and tried to reassure him.
He was Di Tian, the great Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, the Beast God of the Star Dou Forest. When had he ever had to comfort someone like this?
But they had been worrying for nothing.
"Thanks for asking. I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things."
At that, Fang Le came back to himself from his silence.
He stroked the soft fur atop the Auspicious Beast's head, then rested his chin on it as he spoke.
"Then what were you thinking about? You haven't said a word since we left the city gates."
The Auspicious Beast was still a little worried as she asked.
She was afraid he'd bottle things up and hurt himself.
"Thinking about what? I just suddenly realized that I'd lost my reverence for life, and took a moment to reflect on myself."
Jiang Nannan: ????
Auspicious Beast: ????
Di Tian: ????
What did he mean, he'd lost his reverence for life? And then he'd reflected on himself?
Why had they suddenly stopped understanding him?
"Ha! You didn't understand?"
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Fang Le chuckled.
"Mm." x3
The three of them—two people and one beast—honestly nodded.
"I'm just an ordinary person. I don't want to be a good person, and I don't want to be a bad person.
"I came from a pretty good place—or, more accurately, an incredibly good place.
"It just hadn't become the best version of itself yet when I was born.
"But even then, it was still a wonderful place. At least a hundred, a thousand times better than Douluo Continent.
"It was peaceful there..."
Fang Le rolled over, shifting from lying on his stomach to propping himself up. Gazing at the blue sky above, he spoke as if lost in memories.
"Was it really that good? Then the noble lords there must all be wonderful people, right?"
"It was wonderful. As for nobles, there weren't any..."
"The people were their own masters."
Unlike Jiang Nannan, who was simply curious, the Auspicious Beast was more concerned about what he'd said before.
As she walked, she asked Fang Le, who was perched above her,
"Does that have anything to do with what you were thinking about earlier?"
"Not really. I just suddenly remembered who I used to be. I lived in peace, and the only thing I'd ever killed was probably a chicken for the New Year.
"But what about here in Douluo Continent? The strong preying on the weak is the rule, plain as day. I can't change that rule, so I can only adapt to it.
"But I adapted too fast. Too fast, and with my strange abilities, I seemed to sink into it. I became someone I didn't recognize.
"Do you know what I was thinking before I killed that guy?"
As if he had reached the heart of the matter, Fang Le began to speak faster.
"Damn it, I was thinking that if I killed him, I could probably reach level 20, right?!
"I was thinking about leveling up!
"This isn't a game. That guy, and all the Soul Beasts I'd killed before, were living, breathing lives.
"How did I become like this?! What had I turned life into? Lines of code giving experience.
"I still had other ways to improve myself. Those ways were shortcuts too, but they weren't so extreme.
"And yet I sank into the path I should never have taken, enjoying the convenience it brought.
"One step further, and I would've been doomed for all eternity. Luckily, the person I used to be pulled me back."
Jiang Nannan and the Auspicious Beast were completely lost, but Di Tian heard a different meaning in Fang Le's words.
"What do you think now, then? About humans, and about Soul Beasts?"
There was a hint of anticipation in Di Tian's question.
He hoped to hear an answer unlike any other.
An answer unlike those of everyone else on Douluo Continent.
"This world is warped, and so is the age we live in. They're determined to turn every living thing into a ghost.
"But I don't care about any of that.
"I just want to be human—to be someone who looks and acts like a person, a person with the dignity of the people of Huaxia.
"Morality is my guide, but not my shackles.
"I respect every living being I meet, and I lend a hand to those in need.
"But I won't interfere more than necessary.
"I can accept fighting back to protect myself, hunting to survive, and rooting out evil in the name of justice.
"But I won't indulge in meaningless, malicious killing.
"I can take shortcuts to improve my strength,
"but I won't become a puppet that stops at nothing in pursuit of power."
As Fang Le's words fell, a glimmer of white light flickered discreetly in his eyes, hidden from everyone else.
At the same time, unbeknownst to Fang Le, the power within him grew ever more harmonious.
Before you continue