That Third Brother Was an Ungrateful Wretch After All!

After Ghost Douluo left.

Huo Yuhao did not leave right away.

Instead, he stood where he was, gazing at Qian Renchuan from afar.

The two brothers.

At that moment, they looked at each other across a dozen meters.

Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with a tangled mix of reluctance and guilt.

He knew very well what his departure would mean.

If his eldest brother took all the responsibility, he would surely suffer terribly at Qian Xunji's hands.

Someone like Qian Xunji would never let his eldest brother off lightly.

He had...

Once again incurred an enormous debt to his eldest brother.

At the thought, Huo Yuhao fought back his tears.

At the same time, he swore to himself that once he grew stronger, he would return to protect his eldest brother and repay this kindness tenfold, a hundredfold.

"Take care, big brother."

Only after murmuring those words did Huo Yuhao turn and hurry away, disappearing into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Not long afterward.

When Qian Renchuan followed Gui Mei back to camp, a pale glow had already appeared on the horizon.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Qian Renxue were both awake.

Both frowned deeply at the pair returning from the depths of the forest.

Qian Renxue hurried forward and glanced behind Qian Renchuan. When she failed to see Huo Yuhao, her expression immediately changed.

"Big brother, where's our third brother?"

Yue Guan likewise watched the two returning figures, his gaze grave.

Whatever else might be true, the youngest young master was the Pope's own son.

His position in Spirit Hall was far from ordinary.

Before they set out, His Holiness the Pope had repeatedly ordered them to ensure the safety of all three children.

And now the youngest young master, Qian Yuhao, had suddenly disappeared?

How were they supposed to explain this to the Pope when they returned?

Faced with Qian Renxue's confusion, Qian Renchuan did not explain immediately. Only after sitting beside the campfire did he pick up a branch and stir the fire.

"He left."

"Left?"

Qian Renxue and Yue Guan's expressions changed at once.

"What?"

Yue Guan's voice was shrill.

"Where did he go?"

Qian Renchuan did not look up, his tone casual.

"He said he wanted to go out and clear his head. He'd come back once he'd had enough fun, so I let him go."

"Big brother."

Qian Renxue hurried over with an anxious expression and sat beside Qian Renchuan.

"That was foolish of you."

"How could you let him leave?"

"How could you do that? It's so dangerous out there. He doesn't even have a soul ring. What if he encounters a soul beast?"

"Now that he's gone, you..."

Before finishing, Qian Renxue quickly turned toward Gui Mei.

"Uncle Gui Mei, you agreed too? You just watched him leave?"

Gui Mei spread his hands helplessly.

"Miss Xue, this wasn't my fault."

"The youngest young master held the Carving Knife against his neck and said he would die if we didn't let him leave. The Eldest Young Master stepped in and said the same thing. I..."

"I really had no choice..."

"Old Ghost, you..."

Yue Guan stamped his feet in agitation.

"No, we absolutely cannot let him leave!"

"The youngest young master is the Pope's own son. If anything happens to him, we'll have no way to explain ourselves when we return. I'm going after him right now!"

With that, Yue Guan made to rush out of camp after Huo Yuhao.

But Qian Renchuan's voice stopped him.

"Uncle Yue Guan, stop."

"If Father or anyone else asks, I'll take full responsibility."

"Just say I let him go and you couldn't stop me. Whatever the punishment is, I'll bear it alone."

The entire camp fell silent.

Everyone looked at Qian Renchuan with complicated expressions.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, both inwardly lamenting their predicament.

Take responsibility?

How could you possibly take responsibility?

Even if Qian Yuhao's talent fell short of yours, he was still the Pope's own son, and he still had innate full soul power.

The Pope himself ordered us to take you out to hunt for soul rings, and now one of you was missing.

You're a six-year-old child. How could you possibly bear the Pope's wrath?

Qian Renxue was also watching Qian Renchuan.

Seeing how unconcerned he looked left her with a bitter feeling.

She likewise had no idea how Qian Renchuan could bear the consequences.

But then.

A thought stirred in Qian Renxue's mind.

Her third brother had been strange ever since his birth.

Every morning, he went to the cliffside to cultivate, and he tinkered with those strange metals. There was definitely more to him than met the eye.

And now he had suddenly left.

He must have planned it.

Qian Renxue even suspected that, like her, he was someone who had reincarnated with his memories intact.

If that really was the case.

Then he had probably left to seek some special opportunity.

Besides, if he dared to leave, he must have been confident he could survive.

But by leaving, he had dumped the entire mess onto their eldest brother. That brat was an ungrateful wretch after all, no matter how kindly he was treated.

After gritting her teeth for a while, Qian Renxue took a deep breath and spoke gravely.

"Forget it. If he's gone, he's gone. Big brother, this isn't your fault either."

"They're his legs. If he wants to leave, none of us can stop him."

"In the end, he's just an ungrateful wretch who'll never appreciate what we do for him."

Seeing that even Miss Xue had said as much, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan could only agree with a grim expression, however helpless he felt.

"Since both the Eldest Young Master and Miss Xue say so, we can only report the truth. It's just..."

"Ah, let's hope His Holiness the Pope doesn't fly into a rage."

That morning slowly passed in this strange atmosphere.

Over the next few days, the mood within the group did not improve much.

They all made their way through the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo were preoccupied, deeply uneasy as they thought about the punishment awaiting them upon their return.

Naturally, neither had much inclination to talk. They only wanted to finish their task quickly and find suitable soul rings for Qian Renxue and Qian Renchuan without any more mishaps.

Qian Renchuan, on the other hand, did not mind. He continued eating and sleeping as usual each day.

He looked utterly carefree.

Qian Renxue remained silent, staying constantly alert as she searched for the target she needed.

Fortunately.

On the third day, they finally found the second soul ring Qian Renxue wanted.

It was a Golden-Feathered Vulture around two thousand years old.

The Golden-Feathered Vulture was enormous, its feathers looking as though they had been cast from gold and gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The two Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, attacked together.

In no time at all, they beat the Golden-Feathered Vulture within an inch of its life and tossed it in front of Qian Renxue.

Because Qian Renxue had already exceeded the limit when absorbing her first soul ring, the two Titled Douluo did not object too strongly to her choosing a two-thousand-year-old Golden-Feathered Vulture for her second soul ring.

Still, they remained vigilant, ready to interrupt the fusion at any moment, afraid that Qian Renxue's body might burst and kill her.

Qian Renxue stepped forward as well.

She drove a short blade into the Golden-Feathered Vulture's vital point, killing it outright. Then another purple soul ring slowly rose.

Looking at that purple soul ring.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, her expression solemn, then sat cross-legged and guided the soul ring slowly into her body.