Qian Daoliu: Carry On

"Heh, when all was said and done, it was that kid's fault..."

After thinking it over from every angle, Qian Daoliu suddenly felt rather troubled and could not help cursing a certain little Wang in his heart.

Of course, that was all.

After all, Qian Daoliu was a genuinely honest man who upheld the spirit of chivalry. He would not casually take his anger out on innocent people like some villain, much less when Wang Zhao was only a little kid.

He had seen everything that had happened earlier from start to finish. He was not stupid—his granddaughter had specifically asked him not to accompany her to the Library, such unusual behavior could hardly escape his notice.

That kid was quite tactful, but he was still too naive.

How could he know that while keeping his distance might work on ordinary people, for a proud daughter of heaven like his granddaughter, it would only have the opposite effect?

For now, let us not discuss what sort of heart-to-heart Qian Daoliu planned to have with his granddaughter.

Elsewhere.

After shaking off Qian Renxue, Wang Zhao continued reading as though nothing had happened.

He was not putting on airs. To him, nothing was more important at the moment than making himself stronger.

Qian Renxue was practically guaranteed godhood, which was why she could freely choose how she wanted to live. He could not.

Potential! Strength! Influence!

Those were all things he lacked the most right now.

He still had a long way to go.

I hope that, in the near future, I will no longer retreat because of these things.

On the third day, Wang Zhao once again found himself sitting beside Qian Renxue.

"Why are you here again?"

He tilted his head toward the blonde girl who seemed to have appeared out of thin air and asked expressionlessly.

Qian Renxue seemed to have prepared for this already. She pointed at the floor, a faint smile curling her lips.

"This is a public area. I just happened to sit here. Don't flatter yourself."

"..."

Wang Zhao said nothing and shifted his butt farther away.

Qian Renxue did not speak either. Holding her book with an earnest expression, she casually shifted her little butt over as well, following Wang Zhao.

The two of them ended up sitting together again.

"..."

This time, Wang Zhao did not move away. He had already realized that this blonde girl was incredibly stubborn. If he moved again, he would only further provoke her determination.

How was he supposed to focus on reading then?

He could only hope she would not bring him too much trouble.

Wang Zhao stopped paying attention to her, and Qian Renxue likewise said nothing. Amid this strange atmosphere, the two immersed themselves in the sea of books...

As if.

"You're holding your book upside down."

Wang Zhao glanced at the blonde girl beside him, then quickly looked away, as though speaking to himself.

"Huh?!"

The girl's cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

Neither of them knew that, within a magnificent golden hall, a group of old men were observing them through a special mirror-type Soul Tool.

"Big Brother, if we let them continue like this, won't something go wrong?"

An elderly man in golden robes embroidered with silver, his hair and beard entirely white, pointed at the mirror and questioned the angelic-looking elder seated at the head of the hall—Qian Daoliu.

His name was Tian E, a Level 98 Super Douluo with the title Golden Crocodile Douluo.

The identities of this group of old men went without saying. They were the Titled Douluo of the Worship Hall within the legendary Spirit Hall, and every one of them was a Super Douluo above Level 96!

Little Xue'er had been raised under the watchful eyes of these old fellows. Those without descendants of their own treated her as their biological granddaughter, cherishing her like a treasure and fearing she might be hurt by the slightest mishap. Yet now they had to watch her take the initiative to approach some wild brat, while that brat repeatedly pushed her away. How could they not be annoyed?

In their eyes, if Little Xue'er truly liked him and wanted a companion, these old fellows could simply take action and tie him up. Xue'er could play with him however she pleased.

There was no need to go through so much trouble.

However, Qian Daoliu calmly shook his head.

"You all know that Xue'er is destined to undergo my Divine Nine Trials. But do you know what her ninth trial is?"

"It is the seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, fear, love, and desire."

"I once thought that I should protect Xue'er's pure, unblemished heart. But yesterday, I suddenly realized that was impossible."

"Without entering the world, how can one transcend it?"

"We old fellows have kept Xue'er so tightly sheltered. Are we really helping her?"

"What if, somewhere beyond our sight in the future, Xue'er suddenly became entangled in a complicated emotional relationship with some man? If inexperienced Xue'er suffered emotional trauma as a result, would it affect her ninth trial?"

"Perhaps that is why I can only be an Angel Great Priest. After all, becoming a god requires more than talent—it also requires a sufficiently steadfast heart."

"Big Brother, then what do you mean?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo asked tentatively.

Could it be that they were to arrange for someone to bring Xue'er and this boy together?

Qian Daoliu shook his head again.

"Let nature take its course. All we need to do is keep our people in line and not disturb them."

"But what if Xue'er truly falls for this boy?"

"As long as Xue'er is happy, that is enough. At worst, she will only become a god a few years later. Back then, even my god spent a full thousand years gathering faith in order to become a god. I believe this little trial will be nothing to Xue'er."

"Hmph, he's getting off easy!"

One of the worshippers stared at Wang Zhao in the mirror Soul Tool and grumbled.

Qian Daoliu said no more.

After all, from the moment he had noticed Xue'er taking an interest in Wang Zhao, he had already arranged for someone to investigate every detail of Wang Zhao's background.

There was something he kept to himself for the time being—

I have a feeling this kid may not be so simple...

"By the way, should we tell Ji'er about this?"

In the days that followed.

Wang Zhao lived a "hellish" life every day.

During the day, he trained his body with his little teacher, Sister Dong'er; at night, he sat together with the blonde girl, Qian Renxue.

Do not misunderstand. Everything was completely proper.

What puzzled him, though, was that no trouble had come looking for him from beginning to end. His little teacher and the blonde girl only met with him at fixed times and never interfered with any other part of his life.

He was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

He had thought his days would continue peacefully like this, until...

One late night.

Inside the Library of Spirit Academy, Wang Zhao was tidying the shelves as usual, preparing to close up for the night. Qian Renxue stood quietly beside him, keeping him company. At this time, only the two of them remained in the Library.

"Xue, hand me the keys."

Without turning around, Wang Zhao skillfully extended a hand behind him. Qian Renxue tacitly placed a ring of keys in it.

Not long after, there was a bang as Wang Zhao shut the Library's doors and locked them.

With that, it was time for the two to part ways.

But suddenly, Wang Zhao's brows rose as though he had sensed something. He hurriedly said goodbye to Qian Renxue, then jogged away.