Ten days earlier, Chrysanthemum and Ghost had been driven back by Xiong Jun's rebuke.
Bibi Dong had wanted to go herself, but Qian Daoliu had barred her way.
He had claimed that the Blacksmith Association had avenged his son's death at Tang Hao's hands.
Right in front of her, that old bastard had ordered the Star Luo Empire's Platinum Bishop to issue Lou Gao an Elder Token!
Remembering the meaningful look Qian Daoliu had given her before leaving...
Bibi Dong wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood!
She was the Pope!
The Qian Family, Spirit Hall-you all deserve to die!
Towering resentment surged like a flood, washing away the last trace of clarity in Bibi Dong's eyes. A wisp of purple divine power flashed, and her exquisite face twisted into something resembling a vengeful ghost.
Once I gather enough Soul Bones and capture that child with god-bestowed Soul Power...
Rakshasa Oracle: Devour the aura of an unknown deity. Reward: Fifty percent Rakshasa compatibility. Open the Inheritance Gate at no cost.
Holy Soul Village, Fasinuo Province, Heaven Dou Empire.
The morning air carried a damp hint of early autumn chill.
The blue silver grass beside the road swayed gently in the breeze.
Fields spread around the village, its houses neatly scattered, wisps of cooking smoke curling upward. The peaceful pastoral scene was utterly unlike Gengxin City's cold, hard metallic style.
The three entered the village, asked the villagers about the surrounding terrain, then climbed the slope on the village's eastern side.
The trees were dense, the mountain path treacherous and rarely traveled. The faint murmur of flowing water reached their ears.
Xiong Jun cleared the way ahead. Soul Power rippled around him, pushing the tangled shrubs aside to open a narrow path.
Xiao Wu followed behind Lou Xu. She ruefully brushed the dust from the trailing hem of her pink dress and asked in confusion.
"Xu, weren't we going to the Heaven Dou Branch? What are we doing here?"
"Just keep up. You'll find out soon."
Without turning around, Lou Xu guided Xiong Jun toward the faint sound of flowing water.
Before long, a waterfall burst into view.
Sunlight spilled across the water, and the thunder of the falls echoed in their ears. Water poured from a cliff seven or eight meters high, crashing into the pool below, where a few fish gathered to frolic.
It matches the original novel's description, and the villagers said this was the only waterfall... this is the place!
Lou Xu perked up and hurriedly asked Xiong Jun to probe inside the cliff with his spiritual power.
"Huh? It's hollow inside. Your Bear Lord senses a plant-type Soul Beast's aura. Very weak."
Xiong Jun narrowed his eyes and glanced unobtrusively at Lou Xu.
There's clearly a trace of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast's aura hidden in there. How did the Lou kid... know about this place?
Unable to figure it out, Xiong Jun scratched his head but did not ask.
Forget it. Nothing to do with your Bear Lord.
Before Xiao Wu could even cry out, he released a Soul Power barrier, wrapped it around all three of them, and flew through the curtain of water into the cave behind the falls.
Only a curtain of water separated them, yet outside, the sunlight was warm and bright, while inside, the cave was dark and damp.
Lou Xu opened his palm. A scorching bloom of primal fire blazed to life, driving away the penetrating chill.
Xiao Wu hugged her arms and rubbed them, quietly edging closer to his side.
Deep within the cave, the aura of life grew stronger, like a warm spring breeze brushing their faces.
A natural round opening pierced the stone chamber's ceiling. The midday sunlight shone straight down through it, falling on a mound of earth in the center.
On the mound, a distinctive stalk of blue silver grass swayed gently, its leaves drooping.
"The Blue Silver Emperor?"
Xiong Jun's pupils contracted.
Xiao Wu only recognized that she was a Soul Beast. She crouched and tenderly lifted the Blue Silver Emperor's limp leaves with her fingertips.
"She... looks so weak."
With nothing but a small patch of midday sunlight on clear days, no fresh water, and no careful tending, even the Blue Silver Emperor's formidable vitality had been reduced to this half-dead state.
Both turned toward Lou Xu, their gazes questioning.
Meeting their eyes, Lou Xu spoke calmly.
"She's Ah Yin, Tang Hao's wife."
Ah Yin?
Xiong Jun remembered. That name had been among the five Lou Xu had listed for Tang Hao.
He simply had not expected Ah Yin to be the Blue Silver Emperor's name.
Years ago, the Myriad Demon King had controlled most of the plant-type Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, coveting the Lake of Life.
At her peak, the Blue Silver Emperor had spread across a thousand miles, commanded countless followers, possessed extraordinary scouting abilities, and was impossible to kill. Even Di Tian had found her troublesome.
As he spoke, Lou Xu walked slowly along the stone wall, occasionally tapping it twice with his knuckles.
"Like Xiao Wu, she chose to take human form. But just before reaching level seventy, she sacrificed herself for love. The seed she left behind was trapped in this stone cave, never seeing the light of day."
"Love between a human and a Soul Beast already defies heaven. And with her terrible taste, she just had to meet a coward whose sect was all he cared about."
"She held Tang Hao in her heart, and Tang Hao kicked her into a ditch."
"Barring any surprises, she'll remain locked up here for another ten years, until their precious son grows up and comes to claim this inheritance of hers."
"..."
Knock, knock!
His knuckles struck a hollow section of wall. Lou Xu gripped the Star Iron Hammer and slammed it against the stone.
Rumble!
The wall shattered, revealing a round opening with a rectangular wooden box resting quietly inside.
Delight showed on Lou Xu's face. He picked it up and slowly opened the lid.
A rich aura of life surged from the wooden box, filling every corner of the chamber.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!
A faint smile curved Lou Xu's lips. He turned toward Ah Yin, whose leaves had begun trembling violently after hearing his words.
That trembling was not from fear. His words had truly struck a tender spot.
Still conscious?
Lou Xu sneered, took a flowerpot and a shovel from his Storage Soul Tool, and handed them to Xiao Wu with a tilt of his chin.
"Pot her up. We're leaving."
Xiao Wu's lips stirred. She looked up at the wooden box, now closed again in Lou Xu's hand, a pleading look entering her eyes.
"Xu... you've already taken the Soul Bone. Could you please not hurt her?"
"Little rabbit, Tang Hao nearly killed my whole family. Are you saying I should heal her, let her find her son, and give them a happy family reunion?"
Lou Xu's gaze abruptly turned cold. He stepped up to her in two strides, seized her chin, and pulled her face close to his.
Of all things, he hated sanctimonious do-gooders most.
Forced to tilt her face upward, Xiao Wu met Lou Xu's faintly murderous gaze and shook her head in panic.
"No, no, that's not it. I just... thought she was a little pitiful..."
"Pitiful?"
Lou Xu laughed once, tightening his fingers.
"If Big Bear hadn't been there, I'd be buried in Gengxin City, and tomorrow you'd be the one penned up here. You still pity her?"
"If you're so full of compassion for all living things, get the hell back to your Star Dou Great Forest right now. A pet rabbit thinks she can tell me what to do? I've really let you get above yourself!"
Get the hell back to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xiao Wu's eyes instantly reddened, glistening tears welling up in them.
This was the first time she had seen killing intent directed at her in Lou Xu's eyes. Although he had often scolded her before, far more of their time together had been happy moments of play. Whenever he had time, he would also take her out to buy delicious food and pretty clothes.
Her voice trembled, and tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks.
"I was wrong, Xu. Please don't send me away. I'll listen to everything you say from now on, okay...?"
Xiao Wu hastily bent down and picked up the flowerpot and shovel that had fallen to the ground. Crying as she worked, she dug Ah Yin out of the mound.
Her hands trembled a little. The shovel struck the Blue Silver Emperor's roots several times, sending clods of earth flying and smearing her brand-new skirt with dirt.
After several attempts still failed to reach the bottom of the roots, she simply tossed aside the shovel, gripped the Blue Silver Emperor's stem, and gritted her teeth as she yanked hard, uprooting her entirely.
The leaves trembled even more violently.
Their fine golden markings flickered, seemingly sending some kind of message in a desperate struggle against death.
But Xiao Wu's mind held only one thought: she did not want to be sent away.
She could not bear to leave her current life, much less Lou Xu.
Compared with the endless drudgery of the forest, where ten thousand years passed like a single day, her days with him always felt fulfilling.
Xiao Wu placed the Blue Silver Emperor in the flowerpot, scooped up damp soil from the ground, and stuffed it haphazardly into the pot, pressing it down. She straightened the slightly tilted Blue Silver Emperor, wiped the tears from her face, and brought her before Lou Xu as though presenting a treasure.
"Xu, I've potted her."
She lifted her little face, tear tracks mingled with mud. Where was the immaculate girl who had arrived?
Her eyes glistened as she looked at Lou Xu, her expression a little ingratiating.
"Shall we go?"
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