Did Fule Cry?

Fule strode into the courtyard, a smile on his face even more hearty than it had been ten years ago.

"Brother Luo, you and sister-in-law were worried sick. If it had been me, I'd have been even more anxious!"

Fule plopped down on a stone stool in the courtyard and poured himself a cup of water. "Your own child goes missing—who has time to worry about manners? If I couldn't understand that much, then I'd have wasted all these decades eating and drinking."

Luo Dashan felt a little embarrassed in front of the city lord. Fule said, "When all's said and done, I was also in the wrong. I shouldn't have let Luo Chen go in the first place."

Luo Chen scratched his head sheepishly. He really hadn't expected that once he left, ten years would pass.

Lin Xiaomei hurried to the kitchen, while Luo Chen, Luo Dashan, Fule, and Luo An'an sat together in the courtyard.

Fule patted An'an's head. "What Martial Soul did you awaken today?"

Luo Chen explained the details to Fule. Fule furrowed his brow and pondered. "I've never heard of anything like this before. Maybe going to see the chief is the right choice. He might not know the answer himself, but Heaven Dou City has many ancient books in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's library. You could try looking there."

After a while, Lin Xiaomei had the meal ready. Luo Chen went to help his mother carry out the dishes, and little tagalong Luo An'an came along too.

Hailun City was a coastal city. The people there generally liked fruit wine, as well as malt-brewed liquor. They didn't call it beer, though. They just called it malt liquor.

After a few rounds of drinks, Fule suddenly grew a little wistful.

He looked at Luo Chen. "You were gone for ten years. How could you not send your family a single letter?"

Luo Chen didn't know how to explain.

Fule continued, "You don't know this, but for the first few years after you left, your father came to ask me every few days whether I'd heard anything about you. But later on, when he realized you really were missing, he stopped coming to see me. I sent so many people to look for you, but we couldn't find you anywhere..."

Fule's eyes grew moist. He'd felt guilty about it all these years.

Luo Dashan spoke up. "City Lord Fule—no, Brother Fule. To be honest, I did resent you. I wondered why you hadn't stopped Luo Chen. But then I thought I shouldn't blame you. Luo Chen had always been independent, and he was already a Soul Master. We were the ones who still treated him like a child."

Even so, the family was curious about what Luo Chen had experienced over those ten years.

Luo Chen said, "Actually, from your perspective, it was ten years. But for me, only ten days passed."

"What do you mean?" Fule, Luo Dashan, and Lin Xiaomei all looked puzzled.

Luo Chen explained what had happened to him, leaving out the God of Time. He didn't want his parents to learn too much about it. The more they knew, the more danger they might be drawn into.

Only then did everyone understand. So that was what had happened. If Luo Chen had been out there all this time, he would certainly have written home.

Then Lin Xiaomei asked, "Chen'er, will you go back into that hourglass again?"

Luo Chen paused. He didn't want his parents to worry, but he couldn't lie to them. "Maybe. But I probably won't be gone for so long again."

"That's good, that's good." Lin Xiaomei let out a long breath of relief.

Luo An'an was sprawled across the table, a piece of braised pork stuffed in her mouth. She asked indistinctly, "Brother, you went in for ten days, and I grew from one year old to six?"

"Mm... more or less."

"Then next time I see you, will I be twelve?"

Luo Chen opened his mouth, unsure how to answer. The little girl's thoughts were certainly strange.

Fule came to his rescue. "An'an, your brother probably won't leave this time. And even if he does, he'll have to take you with him, little one!"

At that, Luo An'an's eyes lit up. She turned to Luo Dashan. "Dad! Brother said he'd take me to Heaven Dou City! I want to go to Heaven Dou City!"

Luo Dashan rarely smiled. "We'll go, all of us. Your mother and I will go with you, too!"

Fule asked, "Brother Luo, is your whole family going to Heaven Dou City?"

"That's right. The children are going, so your sister-in-law and I can't very well stay behind. We might as well go along."

"True enough. Your family has finally been reunited."

Luo An'an hopped down from her chair, ran two laps around the table, then flung herself back into Luo Chen's arms. She tipped her head back and asked, "Brother, do they have candied hawthorns in Heaven Dou City?"

"Of course!"

"Then... do they have grilled fish?"

"They have grilled fish. And there are lots of other tasty things, too!"

"Will there be fun friends?"

Luo Chen pondered for a moment. "Of course. An'an will go to school there and make lots of friends. I'll let you in on a secret: I have a friend named Su Heng. He's even more fun than your brother."

Luo An'an was overjoyed. Nestled in Luo Chen's arms, she went on chewing her braised pork.

Watching them, Fule raised his cup to Luo Dashan. "Brother Luo, your son has a bright future. I'd say his cultivation is almost catching up to mine!"

Luo Dashan clinked cups with him without a word, but he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

Night fell, and the gathering ended on a high note.

Fule went home as well.

Luo Chen returned to the courtyard. Luo Dashan and Lin Xiaomei were clearing away the dishes. Luo An'an had already fallen asleep with her head on the table, a bone still dangling from her little mouth.

"Dad, Mom, let me do that!" Luo Chen took the bowl from Lin Xiaomei, and they carried it to the kitchen together.

Lin Xiaomei carried Luo An'an back to their room, while Luo Dashan tidied the courtyard. Luo Chen was alone in the kitchen.

As he washed the dishes, he thought about what came next. He didn't know when the God of Time's Second Trial would begin. For now, he should go to Heaven Dou City first, then head to the Star Dou Great Forest to capture a Soul Beast!

What kind of Soul Beast should he get for the Dark Gulu Ball? And he still needed to add a Soul Ring to his Evil Eye.

Spirit-type Soul Beasts were quite rare. There were the Three-Eyed Suanni, the Evil Eye Clan, the Mermaid Princess, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, the Ice Silkworm Clan, and...

The Purple Spirit Wolf-hound!

The Purple Spirit Wolf-hound had been Huo Yuhao's third Soul Ring, and the Soul Skill it granted was group weakening.

For now, this Soul Beast was an excellent fit for Luo Chen.

And then there was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Luo Chen had to get that Soul Beast!

It had six attributes, including time and space—the very things Luo Chen needed most!

Luo Chen still remembered that in Heavenly Jewel Change, Zhou Weiqing's power had come from the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Tang San encountered.

Thinking of this, Luo Chen couldn't help grinning. The Gulu Ball would surely grow stronger and stronger, and he would capture more and more Soul Beasts. Maybe one day he'd capture several Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, or even those Ferocious Beasts.

That 990,000-year-old Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, along with his wife, the Demon Empress. Perhaps even the Ten Great Fierce Beasts led by Di Tian would all end up in his hands.

Before he knew it, Luo Chen was letting his imagination run wild.