Was it Tang Hao who killed him?

"Little Fan, want some beef jerky?"

Inside the carriage, Fang Qingshan picked up a bag of beef jerky and handed it to Duan Fan.

Duan Fan shook his head gently. "I can't eat any more. I just had dinner, and my stomach is still quite full."

"Haha, you need to eat more. You're at the age where you're still growing."

Fang Qingshan took a piece of jerky from the paper bag and put it into his mouth. While chewing, he said, "I originally planned to have us set off tomorrow morning, but I thought about it—since we're taking the main road, it's flat and wide, so traveling at night is no different from traveling during the day."

Duan Fan looked around the space inside the carriage and asked, "Uncle, this carriage must have cost a lot of Soul Coins to rent, right?"

"Actually, a regular carriage would have been fine. There was no need to waste these Soul Coins."

Duan Fan had seen carriages back in Notting City, and he could tell at a glance that the one Fang Qingshan had booked was the best of its kind.

The space was large and furnished very comfortably, like a small, mobile house. He could barely feel any bumps, and most importantly, it was very fast.

Fang Qingshan waved his hand dismissively. "These few Soul Coins are nothing. As long as you're sitting comfortably, that's all that matters."

"Is it comfortable?" Fang Qingshan asked with a smile.

Duan Fan answered honestly, "It is."

Fang Qingshan laughed. "Then that's enough!"

"You can continue your cultivation. If you're tired, just take a nap. By the time you wake up, we should be almost there."

"Mm."

Duan Fan nodded. He didn't sleep, choosing instead to sit in meditation.

Perhaps driven by the novelty of having just unlocked his cultivation, Duan Fan, who had already practiced for an entire day, didn't find the process tedious or dull. On the contrary, he relished the feeling of slowly growing stronger.

The next morning.

Duan Fan finished his meditation and slowly opened his eyes, only to find Fang Qingshan staring straight at him.

"Uncle, what's wrong?" Duan Fan asked instinctively.

Fang Qingshan smiled. "Nothing, I was just thinking that your focus is incredible. You practiced for almost the entire day yesterday, and then continued through the night. You've only just awakened your Martial Soul, yet you're able to cultivate for such a long time."

"I feel like I'm seeing your father as he was back then. Whenever he started cultivating, he simply couldn't stop."

It was rare to hear Fang Qingshan bring up his father, and Duan Fan immediately perked up.

"Uncle, can you tell me more about my dad?"

"Didn't you say before that once I completed my Martial Soul awakening, you would tell me everything about the past?"

Fang Qingshan chuckled. "So you've been keeping that in mind all this time. I thought you had forgotten."

Duan Fan replied immediately, "How could I!"

As for his parents, only two blurry faces remained in Duan Fan's mind.

He had seen his parents before, but he was only an infant at the time. Because his body was constantly falling into deep sleep, he hadn't seen them very often.

Everything he knew about them afterward had come from Fang Qingshan.

And Fang Qingshan hadn't said much.

Duan Fan only knew that his parents were both deacons of the Spirit Hall and had unfortunately passed away during a mission.

Fang Qingshan sighed softly. "There was a reason I didn't tell you. If you weren't a Spirit Master, knowing more would only bring you more pain."

"Even as a Spirit Master, if your innate spirit power had been below level six, I wouldn't have intended to tell you about those past events."

Duan Fan was slightly stunned. If his innate spirit power hadn't been modified, it would have only been level five.

A look of reminiscence appeared on Fang Qingshan's face. "I should have told you before that your parents were both very powerful Spirit Masters."

Duan Fan nodded. "Yes, but you never mentioned their Martial Souls or their ranks."

Fang Qingshan began to speak slowly. "Your father, Duan Chengjun, had the Black Axe Martial Soul and was a level fifty-four Spirit King."

"Your mother, Ye Lanxin, had the Paintbrush Martial Soul and was a level fifty-one Spirit King."

"They were both Spirit Kings, and they were only in their early thirties at the time."

"You must understand, a Spirit King is a height that most Spirit Masters struggle to reach in their entire lives."

"Yet, even as Spirit Kings, they lost their lives during a mission, and not even their bodies were recovered."

"When I received the terrible news, I couldn't believe it."

"I used every connection I had to find the true cause of your parents' deaths."

"But back then, I had only just reached the rank of Soul Exalt, and your father had taken me to obtain my third Soul Ring right before he left on that mission."

"The influence of a Soul Exalt is far too limited, and with the Spirit Hall sealing off information, I couldn't find anything. The only thing I knew was that before your parents left, they said they were heading to the Spirit Hall branch in White Stone City."

"So I went to White Stone City, hoping to inquire about your parents at the branch there, but I came up empty-handed."

"It was only later that I accidentally learned the original Spirit Hall branch in White Stone City no longer existed; the one I had visited was a newly built replacement."

"Just how powerful must one be to destroy an entire Spirit Hall branch, especially one that housed two Spirit Kings?"

Fang Qingshan's eyes were bloodshot by now, and his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked. "I hate that I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't find the murderer who killed your parents, and even if I had, I lacked the ability to avenge them."

"If you failed to become a Spirit Master, or if your innate spirit power level was too low, what good would knowing these things do? It would only add to your suffering."

"I have already experienced that feeling of powerlessness, and I don't want you to have to go through it as well."

"Fortunately, you have promise and awakened with full innate spirit power. As long as you are willing to cultivate diligently, your future achievements will surely surpass those of your parents."

"When you become strong enough, you will be able to investigate everything that happened back then. It would be best if you could kill the culprit with your own hands and avenge your parents!"

Fang Qingshan looked at Duan Fan with a face full of anticipation: "This is also my wish!"

Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, Fang Qingshan continued: "Let me tell you more about the past between your father and me."

"Your father and I grew up together. He was a few days older than me, and to me, he was like my own older brother."

"Your grandparents passed away early, so your father had to fend for himself from a very young age. Even though he had a harder life than I did, he always looked after me."

"When I was a child, I was thin and dark-skinned, and I was often bullied by the other children in the village. It was your father who always protected me and stood up for me."

"At the age of six, during the Spirit Awakening, both your father and I became Spirit Masters, and we went to the Elementary Spirit Master Academy together as work-study students."

"I was timid and weak, and it was always him taking care of me and protecting me."

"When I was twelve, the village suffered a natural disaster, and the entire village was buried by a landslide. It was he who accompanied me to dig out my parents' remains so I could bury them."

"That same year, my spirit power reached level ten. By then, your father was already a two-ring Great Spirit Master, and he went with our teacher to help me obtain my first Soul Ring."

"We encountered an accident while searching for a Soul Beast; the teacher was injured, and I nearly lost my life. It was your father who saved me at the critical moment."

"Afterward, we both successfully graduated from the Elementary Spirit Master Academy. With his high talent, he went directly to a high-level Spirit Master academy, while I went to an intermediate one."

"Although we were at different academies, we kept in touch often and would get together whenever we had the chance."

"Later on, your father successfully graduated from the high-level academy. He had promised never to join Spirit Hall, but he ended up joining because of your mother."

"As for me, my talent was limited. I didn't pursue further studies at a high-level academy and chose to become a teacher at the Elementary Spirit Master Academy instead."

"We still kept in touch frequently; there was no difference between us and a single family."

"Your mother was also a wonderful person. The only reason I am with your aunt is thanks to her matchmaking."

"As for what happened after that, you already know. Your parents went out on a mission and never returned."

"Alright, I've said it all. Just treat it as a story. You are only six years old, after all; you can't understand too much."

"You only need to remember one thing: your uncle and aunt will always love you. Cultivate well, strive to become stronger, and aim to become a powerful Spirit Master in the future!"

Fang Qingshan had completely regained his composure by now, a faint smile lingering on his face.

He wore the helpless expression of an adult who had just realized, after rambling on for so long, that he was talking to a child.

Duan Fan, who had listened in silence, noticed the change in Fang Qingshan's expression and suddenly understood a great deal.

That's right, I am still just a six-year-old child. What adult goes around telling a kid about all those past events?

If I hadn't already attained the status of a Spirit Master and taken the initiative to ask Uncle Fang, he probably wouldn't have said a word.

It seems that as a transmigrator, it is very easy to overlook the normal experiences appropriate for one's current age.

Isn't that exactly how Tang San is? A child of a few years old running so far away every day to cultivate—that's how I managed to find an opportunity to modify his stats.

Returning to everything Uncle Fang just said.

So, Uncle Fang and my father shared a bond forged in life-and-death situations. No wonder he treats me so well.

As for the cause of my parents' deaths, it can basically be deduced.

To be able to easily wipe out a Spirit Hall branch guarded by two Spirit Kings, the opponent's strength must be at least that of a Spirit Douluo.

And at that point in time, the person most likely to dare to strike against Spirit Hall in such a way is that man.

Tang Hao!