Wait for Me to Come Back and Protect You!
Of course.
Besides wandering around those towns,
whenever they reached the outskirts, Qian Renchuan would sometimes ask them to stop the carriage and rest awhile.
If he spotted a particularly beautiful view, he would take sketchboards and pencils out of his Storage Soul Tool.
He would even pull Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao down with him, seat them on the grass or on a rock, and draw their portraits.
This was where Qian Renchuan's talent for dabbling in everything but serious study came in handy.
He had tried his hand at nearly every practical skill.
Drawing
was no exception.
Before long, a porcelain-doll girl and an adorable little boy sprang to life on the paper.
Seeing how lifelike they looked, Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao both broke into rare smiles.
Huo Yuhao, in particular, treasured the portraits. He gathered them up and placed them carefully in his Storage Soul Tool.
Sometimes, while resting in the carriage,
Huo Yuhao would take out a portrait and gaze at himself in a daze, though no one knew what was going through his mind.
Now,
the closer they came to the Star Dou Great Forest, the more torn Huo Yuhao felt.
The less he wanted to leave.
The more he wanted to stay beside his elder brother.
He wanted to protect his elder brother and safeguard the bond of blood he had longed for throughout his previous life and had finally gained in this one.
But deep down, he knew he had to go.
He still had a blood-deep feud to avenge.
And there were people waiting for him—people he wanted to find, people he wanted to make things right with.
Brother Sky Dream and Qiu'er were both ties he had to seek out and knots in his heart he had to untangle.
If he stayed in Spirit Hall,
his every move would be under the Pope's watchful eye. He would never have a chance to carry out his plans.
Boss, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't stay with you forever.
Once I've claimed the power that belongs to me, once I'm strong enough, I'll come back for you.
Then you can sit back and do nothing.
I'll protect you!
Because Qian Renchuan had spent the journey stopping wherever he pleased and taking in the sights,
a trip that should have taken just over half a month to reach the Star Dou Great Forest had taken a full month and a half.
When the five of them finally reached the forest's edge, the sun hung high overhead, pouring golden light across the land.
The view was beautiful in a way Huo Yuhao had rarely seen even in his previous life.
Once they entered the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest,
the terrain grew treacherous.
Thick roots twisted across the ground everywhere, amid waist-high weeds and thorny bushes.
The carriage could go no farther.
At Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's suggestion, the five of them left it behind for the time being and entered the forest on foot.
The moment they stepped beneath the trees,
the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Towering trees blotted out the sky. Their dense branches wove together overhead, letting only slivers of sunlight fall onto the leaf-strewn earth in scattered patches.
The air carried the scent of soil and the fresh fragrance of plants.
All around them,
everything was quiet.
Only the occasional roar of an unknown Soul Beast sounded in the distance, bringing home the wildness and vastness of this ancient forest.
Only then did Yue Guan stop, turn to the three children, and get down to business.
"Eldest Young Master, Miss Xue, Third Young Master.
"We're now inside the Star Dou Great Forest.
"From here on, we could encounter dangerous Soul Beasts at any moment.
"Do the three of you have plans of your own?
"What kinds of Soul Beasts do you want, and roughly how old? Tell us now, so Old Ghost and I can keep an eye out."
Yue Guan had barely finished speaking
when Qian Renxue stepped forward without hesitation.
"Elder Yue Guan, I want a Light Butterfly over a thousand years old for my First Soul Ring.
"And a Golden-Feathered Vulture around two thousand years old for my Second Soul Ring."
At those words,
the air fell still.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stared wide-eyed, stunned.
Under Qian Renxue's original plan, her First Soul Ring would have come from a Light Butterfly around seven hundred years old.
Her Second Soul Ring would have come from a Golden-Feathered Vulture around a thousand years old.
But after the finest-grade Whale Rubber had strengthened her body, Qian Renxue felt her limits had far exceeded her estimates.
She could challenge Soul Rings of a much greater age!
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan came to his senses and shook his head like a rattle, refusing at once.
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Miss Xue, have you remembered the ages wrong?"
"An ordinary Soul Master's limit for a First Soul Ring is only four hundred and twenty-three years. For a Second Soul Ring, it's only seven hundred and sixty-four!"
"And you want a thousand-year First Soul Ring and a two-thousand-year Second Soul Ring?"
"There's no way your body could withstand that!"
"That immense Soul Power would burst you apart!"
Gui Mei frowned deeply beside him, just as anxious.
"Miss Xue, Old Chrysanthemum is right.
"This is no joke.
"If you absorb a Soul Ring beyond what your body can bear, you'll be crippled with all your meridians destroyed at best. At worst, your body will explode and you'll die on the spot.
"We cannot let you take that risk!"
But faced with the two Titled Douluo's desperate objections, Qian Renxue refused to back down. Her resolve was absolute.
"Elders, I know exactly what I'm saying.
"My body has been through special training. I've gone far beyond the limits of an ordinary Soul Master.
"If I'm asking for Soul Rings this old, it's because I'm confident I can absorb them."
Yue Guan nearly jumped in his agitation.
"Miss Xue, however strong your body is, you're still only six years old!"
"That's too great a leap! We can't take responsibility for this!"
Qian Renxue's voice grew firmer.
"Don't worry. I discussed this with Grandfather beforehand.
"He's already agreed. Even if something does happen, neither of you will be blamed.
"You only need to find those two Soul Beasts for me.
"Beat them half to death. I'll handle the rest."
At the mention of Grand Priest Qian Daoliu, Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance. Both their faces darkened.
The Grand Priest agreed?
How could that be?
He dotes on Miss Xue. How could he agree to something so reckless it borders on suicide?
But Miss Xue sounds so certain. She doesn't seem to be lying.
Both men were troubled.
Still, they dared not agree so easily.
Those Soul Beasts were far too old. An ordinary Soul Master would burst apart.
If anything happened to Miss Xue right under their noses, the Pope and the Grand Priest would flay them alive.
But Qian Renxue's stance was firm, leaving no room for discussion.
For now, the two men could only suppress their misgivings.
They had not found the Soul Beasts yet. They could take things one step at a time.
If it came down to it, they would catch two younger Soul Beasts and pass them off instead.