Elsewhere.
In an unknown space.
"Bastard!" An enraged curse rang out.
Tang Hao's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like an ox, looking utterly beside himself with rage. But there was not even a table nearby for him to slam his fist on. He could only throw a few punches at the air before seething in helpless fury.
"Who was it?!"
"Which damned bastard was it?!"
He had thought the earlier passage between the Netherworld and the Douluo Plane had been the Plane Spirit's final, feeble struggle, fueled by strength she had accumulated over a long time. After that, she should have had no chance of turning the tables.
Yet, barely any time had passed before someone traveled between the Douluo Plane and the Netherworld again.
A tiny fissure created an enormous pressure difference.
The vast energy within the far more powerful Netherworld surged through the fissure, battering the Douluo Plane.
Although the Douluo Plane's planar barrier had automatically healed that tiny fissure in time, the two impacts, only hours apart, had undeniably occurred.
Caught off guard, he had nearly been knocked unconscious.
Damn it!
"Brother Hao." Ah Yin looked at Tang Hao worriedly.
"I'm fine." Tang Hao tried to calm himself down.
"No one in the Douluo Plane can become a god now. In other words, no one can travel between the Netherworld and the Douluo Plane through their own strength. Something like this can only mean the Plane Spirit is using what little strength she has left for one last desperate struggle."
That's right. That has to be it!
The harder the Plane Spirit struggled, the more it proved she was an arrow at the end of its flight. A gleam of excitement flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.
"Keep going," Tang Hao said coldly. "Let's see how much longer the Plane Spirit can hold out!"
In Mingdu, morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with warmth.
Xu Qingjia leisurely savored his breakfast, completely unaware that his two inadvertent trips between worlds had already sent Tang Hao into a towering rage in that distant, unknown space.
"Mmm~"
A soft whimper, still thick with drowsiness, rang out. A fluffy little "white-haired dumpling" came stumbling out of the bedroom, following the scent of food. Her long silver-white hair hung messily over her shoulders, with a few strands stuck to her smooth forehead. She had clearly just startled awake and still carried a lingering air of sleepy languor.
She wore a loose white slip nightdress, its hem barely covering her knees. Her exposed skin was as fair and soft as milk. With pale sandals on her little feet, she made straight for the dining table, her brisk footsteps tapping out a crisp, pleasant rhythm.
"Something yummy?!"
Na'er's bright, dewy eyes instantly lit up. Her sleepy gaze cleared at once, sparkling with the wild joy reserved for food lovers, as though the heavens and earth might be vast, but nothing mattered more than eating.
Before Xu Qingjia could speak, she had already picked up the utensils, grabbed a piece of fragrant pan-seared steak, and stuffed it into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged, and her single-minded devotion to eating made her seem like an entirely different person from the sleepy girl of a moment ago. With her mouth full, she mumbled, "Xu Qingjia, you're such a bad friend! I specially brought you grilled skewers last night, and you didn't even call me when you had something yummy this morning!"
"Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you." Watching her astonishing eating speed, Xu Qingjia shook his head helplessly. His gaze fell on the silver strands about to dip into her plate, and he reached over to gently brush them aside. "There's plenty more in the kitchen. Help yourself if that isn't enough."
"Mm-hmm," Na'er answered indistinctly, without slowing down in the slightest, as though she had gone days without a meal.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
A burst of cheerful footsteps rapidly approached.
Brilliant golden hair shimmered with flecks of starlight in the sunshine. Dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and long trousers, the spirited girl had a healthy flush on her cheeks and an expression full of happy excitement.
Ye Xinglan could hardly wait to share the joy of obtaining her Soul Spirit with Xu Qingjia. With practiced familiarity, she pushed open the door to Xu Qingjia's Bedchamber.
"Xu-"
The word that slipped from her mouth seemed to get stuck.
The happy expression on Ye Xinglan's face froze, as though someone had pressed pause.
Her beautiful azure eyes reflected a warm, harmonious scene. A boy and a girl, as perfectly matched as a golden boy and a jade maiden, sat together enjoying breakfast. The boy was handsome and noble-looking, the girl dreamlike and adorable, as though they were a match made in heaven. The silver-haired girl ate happily, looking so cute that the sight seemed enough to melt anyone's heart. The black-haired boy sat beside her, reaching over to tuck her loose silver hair behind her head.
"Mm."
Ye Xinglan pressed her cherry lips tightly together, suddenly overwhelmed by a crushing sense of hurt. She tried to be strong and swallow it down, but a mist of tears gathered in her azure eyes, blue as the sky and sea.
Obtaining a Soul Spirit was supposed to be one joy.
Sharing that joy with my good friend was supposed to be another.
But why had it turned out like this?!
"Xinglan." Xu Qingjia noticed the girl standing frozen in the doorway.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Ye Xinglan felt a sour ache in her heart, as though someone had suddenly snatched away her favorite little wooden sword.
Xu Qingjia: ?
How was this a bad time?
Wasn't he already awake and out of bed?
"Not at all." Xu Qingjia shook his head gently. "I woke up a little late this morning. Want to sit down and have some?"
Ye Xinglan wanted to refuse; she had already eaten at home that morning. But her body reacted before she could, carrying her swiftly over to sit beside Xu Qingjia.
Na'er barely reacted to Ye Xinglan's arrival. After a glance, she went right back to eating.
"Who is she?" Ye Xinglan eyed Na'er warily.
She had only gone two or three days without seeing Xu Qingjia. Why was there suddenly another girl by his side?
And this was Xu Qingjia's Bedchamber. The girl was actually wearing a nightdress and looked exactly as though she had just woken up.
She wasn't living here, was she?
"Her name is Na'er," Xu Qingjia explained.
"My parents adopted her yesterday."
"Adopted?" Ye Xinglan sounded puzzled.
"Yes." Xu Qingjia nodded gently. "According to her, her mother didn't want her anymore, wouldn't let her eat her fill at home, and sold her to human traffickers."
He could hardly introduce her as an avatar of the Silver Dragon King, a God King-level powerhouse.
"Huh?" The shock in Ye Xinglan's heart instantly overwhelmed her earlier wariness. She clearly had not expected such a tragedy to happen in the present-day Federation.
As Ye Xinglan watched Na'er diligently devouring her meal, the wariness in her eyes turned to pity.
She...
She's so pitiful. She must be wolfing down her food because she never had enough to eat before.
As though sensing Ye Xinglan's gaze, Na'er raised her head from her meal, her bright, dewy eyes filled with bewilderment.
She did not quite understand why this human child was looking at her so strangely.
Oh well. Food, food.
Xu Qingjia continued enjoying his breakfast, and Ye Xinglan ate a little with them.
Once the three had eaten their fill, Shen Xi arrived.