Running Into Trouble

Thinking of how Bibi Dong had smiled while spanking him, Deng Tianxin ground his teeth.

He swore to himself that one day, he'd pull off something huge against Bibi Dong.

Remembering that Bibi Dong had already left, Deng Tianxin's expression changed.

He took a deep breath, then threw his head back and laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha! The old hag is finally gone!"

Deng Tianxin laughed with wild abandon, standing at the entrance to the Saintess Palace with his hands on his hips and his little legs planted apart. He looked as swaggering as a general who had just captured the enemy's headquarters.

He laughed for a full ten seconds before reluctantly stopping. Then he wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.

"Two years! A whole two years without seeing her!" Deng Tianxin counted on his fingers, growing happier with every number. "Two years without her holding me while I sleep, two years without her forcing me to bathe, two years without getting spanked. Just thinking about it makes me feel blissful!"

He turned and strode back into the Saintess Palace, plopped down in his lounge chair, crossed his legs again, picked up his teacup, and took a contented sip.

The tea had gone cold, but that didn't matter. The taste of freedom was sweeter than any tea.

"Cook! Cook!" Deng Tianxin shouted at the top of his lungs.

The cook at the Saintess Palace quickly poked her head out from the kitchen, looking at the swaggering little master in confusion.

"Make extra dishes tonight!" Deng Tianxin swept his hand grandly, full of bravado. "Braised ribs, sweet-and-sour fish, soy-braised pork knuckle, and a pot of old hen soup! The old hag's gone, so let's celebrate!"

The cook stifled a laugh and answered before ducking back to prepare dinner.

After a year together, she was used to the love-hate relationship between the little master and Bibi Dong.

Deng Tianxin contentedly reclined in his chair, gazed at the ceiling, and began imagining the wonderful life that awaited him over the next two years.

He had tomorrow off, and could take a two-month break. He could go out and have some fun.

No, he wasn't going out to have fun. He was going to look for fragments.

His strength had now reached level 27. As long as he didn't go looking for trouble, no one could hurt him with his abilities.

"Cook!" Deng Tianxin shouted again.

The cook poked her head out of the kitchen once more, still holding a spatula. Her face was full of the helplessness of someone thinking, "Little master, what do you want now?"

"I'm going on a long trip tomorrow, probably for two months." Deng Tianxin hopped down from the lounge chair and dusted off his clothes, though there was no dust on them. "What kind of travel rations do we have in the kitchen? Pack me a bag."

The cook froze, and the spatula nearly slipped from her hand. "A long trip? By yourself, little master? Her Ladyship just left. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to her?"

"What can she do to me?" Deng Tianxin waved dismissively. "Besides, the old hag went to Slaughter City herself. She won't be back for two or three years. By the time she returns, I'll be lounging in the Saintess Palace, drinking tea. She won't know a thing."

The cook wanted to persuade him further, but when she saw how determined he looked, she swallowed the words.

Over the past year, she had learned the hard way what this little master was like. Once he made up his mind about something, not even ten Soul Beasts could drag him back.

Even Her Ladyship often got so angry with him that her blood pressure shot up. What could a mere cook do?

"Th-then please be careful." In the end, the cook gave in.

The next morning.

The cook had packed the travel rations early. She filled a bundle to bursting with cured meat, dried flatbread, candied fruit, and a waterskin. It was as round as an oversized steamed bun.

She had even tucked in two extra packets of Deng Tianxin's favorite osmanthus cakes, wrapped tightly in oiled paper.

The little master never held back with his words, but he always praised her cooking. Whenever he ate something delicious, he'd lavish her with a few compliments, which had made her genuinely fond of the young master she was only technically supposed to serve.

When the carriage left Spirit City, the sky had only just begun to brighten.

The morning mist had yet to lift, and most of the shops along the streets were still closed. Only a few breakfast stalls were open, sending up clouds of steaming white vapor.

Deng Tianxin lifted the carriage curtain and looked back at the towering city walls of Spirit City. Suddenly, an indescribable sense of exhilaration surged through him.

He was free.

He had truly escaped the cage. No one would tell him when to get up, nag him to practice, or pinch his cheeks and make him call them "big sister."

He was a wild colt with its reins cut, free to run wherever he pleased.

Thinking of this, Deng Tianxin couldn't help but chuckle. The driver turned to look at him, utterly baffled.

The carriage headed toward the Heaven Dou Empire and traveled for two whole days.

Deng Tianxin wasn't in a hurry. He ate and drank as he pleased, stopping to wander whenever they passed through a town and ducking into markets to see if he could find anything unusual.

He had the pocket money Bibi Dong had left him before she departed. It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for his daily expenses.

The only regret was that he had no one to banter with. He had a bellyful of cheeky remarks and nowhere to unleash them.

On the evening of the third day, Deng Tianxin ran into trouble.

Deng Tianxin was leaning against the carriage wall, chewing on a piece of cured meat, when he suddenly felt the carriage jolt to a stop. The driver's frightened voice followed from outside. "Sirs, I'm just a carriage driver. There's a child inside, and nothing valuable..."

"Cut the nonsense! Hand over anything valuable!" a gruff voice roared, followed by a few mocking laughs and the sharp clink of weapons clashing.

Deng Tianxin set down the cured meat, wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve, lifted the carriage curtain, and jumped down.

Seven or eight men stood outside, all broad and burly, armed with knives and axes. They looked like seasoned bandits.

Their leader was a bald giant with a scar running from his brow to his chin. He pointed a chipped broadsword at the driver, who was trembling so hard his legs could barely support him.

When Deng Tianxin came around the back of the carriage, the bandits stared for a moment, then burst into earth-shaking laughter.

"Ha ha ha! He really is just a little kid!"

"He's even got horns growing out of his head! What's that supposed to be? Some kind of headdress?"

"Hey, kid, are you weaned yet? Did you tell your mother before you left home?"

Bald Scar laughed loudest, his whole body shaking with fat.

Brother Scar rested his broadsword on his shoulder and walked over to Deng Tianxin. He looked down at the little runt, who didn't even reach his waist, his voice full of mockery. "Hey, little one. You got any money on you? Hand it over, and uncle here will let you off today."

Deng Tianxin looked up at him expressionlessly.

His opponents had the numbers, but aside from Brother Scar, they were all ordinary people. Before a level-27 Soul Grandmaster like him, they were no different from a bunch of scarecrows.

Just as Deng Tianxin was about to strike, a cool, clear female voice rang out from a tree beside the road.

"A whole bunch of grown men picking on a child. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"