After school that afternoon, Qian Jue left through the school gate with Gu Yue.
From his mother's memories before she died, Qian Jue vaguely remembered that his maternal grandparents lived in a villa community on the outskirts of Eastsea City.
"Xiao Qian, do you still remember your grandparents?"
At Gu Yue's question, Qian Jue shook his head.
"I don't remember much about my grandfather. He hardly ever came to our house."
"And he didn't seem very happy about my parents' marriage. My dad was rather timid, and the old man didn't like him much."
As far as he could remember, Qian Jue had only seen his grandparents once or twice. Although they hadn't liked his father much, they seemed to have cared for him.
It was just that Long Yeyue had swooped in too quickly. Otherwise, he would probably have lived with his grandparents.
He remembered the day he'd first entered the orphanage. Long Yeyue had come straight over and said she wanted to adopt him.
The staff had tried to fill out the paperwork, but that woman hadn't played by the rules at all. She'd simply said she was from Shrek Academy without completing a single form, then walked away.
What an overbearing display of authority.
Not long before the accident, his mother had had a huge argument with his grandfather over something. And with everything happening so suddenly, there was no telling whether his grandfather even knew that she had died.
After all, Qian Jue remembered his mother as a very stubborn person. Back then, unhappy with his grandfather's arrangements, she'd left home and traveled the world, eventually meeting his father, then a low-level employee at the Spirit Pagoda on Star Dou Continent.
Going more than a year without contacting her had become routine for his grandfather.
"I see. By the way, your grandfather must be someone pretty important, right, Xiao Qian?"
Qian Jue tilted his head, his little face showing confusion.
Gu Yue's heart leaped. So the dear girl didn't know!
This was her chance to shine!
"You just joined the Spirit Pagoda, so there are plenty of things you don't know yet."
"This villa community belongs to the Spirit Pagoda and is closed to outsiders. The people who live here are all either rich or powerful. At the very least, they have some clout within the Pagoda."
At Gu Yue's words, Qian Jue suddenly remembered that his grandfather seemed to have the surname Qiangu. He was probably a member of the Qiangu clan in the Spirit Pagoda.
His First Martial Soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, was proof enough.
The two of them walked along a quiet path and soon arrived at the villa he remembered.
"Ding—"
Qian Jue pressed the doorbell. A moment later, a gentle female voice came from the Soul Tool beside it.
"Who is it?"
"Ahem, Grandma, it's me, Qian Jue."
There was silence from the Soul Tool. Then the two of them saw the villa's front door open, and a graceful, attractive woman who looked to be in her thirties stepped outside.
"Grandma~"
"Is that really Xiao Qian? What brings you here? You should've let me know in advance. I could've had Qingfeng buy some more groceries."
Qingfeng. Qiangu. Qiangu Qingfeng?
A dead memory came back to attack his brain. At last, Qian Jue recalled this person from the memories of his previous life.
The elder brother of Qiangu Dongfang, a Level 99 Limit Douluo, a demigod-level powerhouse, and the Purgatory Titled Douluo.
He appeared later in the story, and his life could've been ripped straight from a protagonist's novel.
He'd been unremarkable in his youth, overshadowed by his younger brother Qiangu Dongfeng and even somewhat pushed aside.
At fourteen, he'd left home to study. When Qiangu Dongfeng broke through to become a Titled Douluo and was riding high, he'd returned to challenge him—and defeated him with ease.
In the end, he'd left behind a single sentence: "It's not that I couldn't beat you. I just didn't want to compete."
Then he'd left and chosen a life of seclusion, shutting himself away from worldly affairs.
Qian Jue could hardly believe that this formidable man was his own grandfather.
Holy crap, wasn't this a ready-made protector?
Xia Zhengleng took Qian Jue by the hand and led him inside, then rummaged around in the fridge and brought out a pile of little desserts like ice cream.
"Grandma doesn't know what you like, so this is all we have at home right now. Just take whatever you want. I'll go fetch your grandfather."
Qian Jue sat in a chair, staring blankly. Gu Yue sidled up to him, moving in close.
"Xiao Qian, your grandmother is Hanzheng Douluo herself. They say she's the greatest sound-wave Soul Master of her generation."
For the sake of her Soul Beast revival plan, Gu Yue had had Di Tian gather all kinds of information about the Spirit Pagoda, including details about Qiangu Qingfeng's wife.
She just hadn't expected to run into her in a setting like this.
Qian Jue turned his head and saw Gu Yue making a little face that clearly said, "Praise me!" So he went along with it and gave her a few perfunctory compliments.
To his surprise, Gu Yue was genuinely pleased.
As expected of someone who'd inherited the Dragon God's peerless wisdom. She was as easy to coax as a child.
Gu Yue sat beside Qian Jue, her fair legs swinging gently beneath the table.
Remembering his praise, she thought the ice cream in her mouth tasted even sweeter.
Before long, a middle-aged man who looked like the portrait of Qiangu Dongfeng at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters came home with Xia Zhengleng.
"Grandpa."
"Hello, Grandpa Qingfeng."
Qiangu Qingfeng gave a slight nod. His gaze settled on Qian Jue, complicated with joy and sorrow, before finally becoming a long sigh.
"Why did you come alone? Where's the guardian who adopted you?"
Qian Jue thought of all the heartache he'd suffered in this life, his last life, and the life before that. Then he let out a wail, ran up, and hugged Qiangu Qingfeng's leg.
With snot and tears streaming down his face, he told him all about the grievances he'd suffered over the past year or so.
When they heard that Long Yeyue had adopted him, the two old people's expressions shifted slightly.
But as Qian Jue kept crying and revealing more details about his life over the past year, the temperature in the room unknowingly dropped to freezing.
Three killing intents spread through the villa.
Even the birds outside were too scared to fly over it.
"Has that old thing lost her mind? She's still growing, and she fed you rice water?!"
Xia Zhengleng's chest heaved with anger, her beautiful face twisted.
Qiangu Qingfeng said nothing, but the teacup in his hand had crumbled to dust, laying bare how he felt.
His face was dark as night, and flames seemed to flicker in his eyes.
He was like a volcano on the verge of erupting. No one knew when he might blow.
A year earlier, after a huge argument with his daughter, he'd cut off contact with her. After much reflection, he'd decided he was in the wrong and prepared to apologize—only to learn that his daughter had died in an accident.
He'd never get the chance to say "I'm sorry." That regret would stay with him for the rest of his life.
And now he hadn't even managed to take proper care of her child, who'd suffered for more than a year for no reason.
"Child, you've had it so hard!"
Xia Zhengleng held Qian Jue tightly, soothing him as she said to Qiangu Qingfeng:
"Qingfeng, we have to get Xiao Qian justice!"
Qiangu Qingfeng drew a deep breath and spoke each word with deliberate force. "Shrek has gone too far. They have to pay for this."
"My younger brother has kept asking me to come out of seclusion and help him. I always turned him down before, but it seems there's no reason for me to keep living in seclusion now."
In Xia Zhengleng's arms, Qian Jue secretly celebrated.
Heh heh, Fireworks Douluo, just you wait. This time, I've found my people.
"Please rest assured, Senior. I'm Xiao Qian's senior sister, and I'm family to him, too."
"Neither I nor my family will stand by and watch Xiao Qian get bullied."
Gu Yue stood behind Qian Jue, her face icy as she spoke with grave conviction.
How dare they treat the Dragon Venerable like this—treat my beloved like this!
Long Yeyue and Shrek have earned their deaths!
Seeing her reaction, Qian Jue was deeply skeptical.
Little Silver Dragon King, are you putting on a show to win my grandparents' favor?
If you were going to pretend, you should at least have bloodshot eyes and be panting like a bull.
That wasn't convincing at all.
Verdict: not sincere enough.