Back then, he'd left in such a hurry that he'd completely forgotten—he still had that treasured land to gift him!
According to his memories, it was only after the Child of the Plane, Tang San, obtained that patch of land that he truly began to rise to prominence.
Otherwise, with his innate talent—even with Mysterious Heaven Skill—he probably wouldn't have even made it to the finals of the Continental Soul Master Tournament…
So many unexpected events had happened along the way, and since those immortal herbs were of no use to him, he hadn't given the matter much thought.
But now that he had Keke and Zhuqing—both native-born soul masters—it seemed like a great opportunity to make good use of that place. Harvesting some immortal herbs to boost their soul power wasn't a bad idea at all.
With his decision made, Aether looked to the group.
"Since that's the case, why don't we head back to Heaven Dou first?"
"Yay! I get to play with Qinghe again!"
Paimon was the first to raise both hands in support.
"Mhm, I'll listen to big brother~"
"All at His Excellency's command~"
Yu Keke and Zhu Zhuqing chimed in simultaneously.
As for Fire Meow Meow…
Fire Meow Meow?
Aether looked at the cat, who had already picked herself up off the ground. "Seems like we forgot about her. If we're talking about soul beasts, shouldn't she know more than any of us?"
"Rawr~ Milord, if you want me to find soul beasts, I can do that. But I don't know what kind of soul beast Miss Keke and the others need to absorb…"
Fire Meow Meow let out an instinctive growl before speaking. She had been listening to their entire conversation but hadn't dared speak up. Just as she said, though she knew of soul beasts, she had no idea which types suited these delicate young masters.
To her, soul beasts were simply categorized by strong or weak, tasty or not. Attributes? She had no clue.
"…Forget it. We'll handle the soul rings later."
Aether gently patted Yu Keke's head. Zhu Zhuqing wasn't in a rush, but Keke was ready to absorb her fourth soul ring anytime now.
"Let's go, let's go! I can't wait to see Qinghe again!"
The group climbed onto a now-enlarged Fire Meow Meow. Paimon, eager and restless, pointed the way like a little commander. She was practically vibrating with excitement to reach Heaven Dou.
"Wow~ I didn't think you were so attached to him."
Aether shot her a mischievous smirk.
"Hehe, Qinghe is super nice—he always treats us to big meals~"
"…"
The corner of Aether's mouth twitched. He bet that somewhere hundreds of kilometers away, the real Qian Renxue—still disguised as Xue Qinghe—would never have imagined that Paimon's fondness for "him" was all thanks to regular food bribes…
…..
The eastern edge of Star Dou Forest wasn't far from Heaven Dou City—just a few hundred li away. Still, since they were departing from the forest's central region, and even with Fire Meow Meow's swift pace, they had to rest once along the way. It took them over a day to reach the outskirts, about ten li from the city walls.
"Eh? Why are there so many more guards at the gates? What happened?"
Nearing the entrance, Paimon was the first to notice the unusual number of guards stationed at the gates. She blinked in surprise.
"Traveler, I'll fly ahead and take a look—"
"Wait—!"
Seeing Paimon zip ahead, Aether had no choice but to hasten his pace along with Keke and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Sir soldier, please let us in—we're law-abiding citizens!"
"Yeah, sir, I'm just visiting relatives. I'm no spy, honest~"
"Quiet! Outsiders must undergo strict inspection!"
A long line stretched out from the gate, where guards were sternly inspecting everyone coming and going.
"What?! I live inside the city! I've only been away for a month, and now you're telling me I can't return home?!"
A burly young man confronted the guards, face red with frustration.
"You're not allowed in. Your reported whereabouts are suspicious. You'll need to come with us."
The guard didn't bother with further explanation. With a simple glance, several soldiers stepped in and restrained the man, dragging him away.
"What the hell?! Since when is going home a crime?!"
As his angry voice faded into the distance, a buzz of discussion broke out among the crowd.
"What… We can't even get in now? They'll take us away too?!"
"Yeah, it's one thing to deny entry—but arresting people too?"
A few soul masters in line looked on with frowns, muttering quietly.
"You folks—what line of work are you in?"
A well-dressed man nearby turned and asked, curious.
"We're bounty hunters. Just finished a mission and came back to blow off some steam."
"Then I'm afraid you're not getting in."
The man shook his head, his gaze darkening.
"Oh? What do you mean by that, brother?"
One of the soul masters—a rugged man with a thick beard—asked suspiciously.
"If you're ordinary civilians, you might stand a chance. But soul masters? Heh… Nine times out of ten, you won't make it. And those who don't—they're all taken away."
"What the hell happened?! We go on one mission, come back, and the whole world's flipped upside down?!"
"Shh!"
The man quickly cut him off and nervously glanced at the nearby guards. He leaned in, lowering his voice like a conspirator.
"It has flipped. Everything's changed!"
"Huh?"
Not just the bounty hunters, but even the nearby bystanders began turning their heads to listen in.
Aether and his group also grew more curious.
"Come on, brother, we just came back from the countryside. We don't know anything. Spill it."
"Keep your voices down!"
The man waved his hands in alarm as the crowd grew more focused on him. Only after making sure no guards were paying attention did he speak in a hushed, conspiratorial tone:
"I'm telling you—unless you've got important business, turn around and go back. Heaven Dou City's a total mess right now!"
"What the hell are you talking about? Just spit it out already! If you keep mumbling, I swear I'll beat it out of you!"
The bearded man was getting fed up with the guy's vagueness. He grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground, scowling menacingly.
"H-Hey! Let go! I can't breathe!"
The man flailed, powerless against a soul master.
"Talk!"
With a snort, the bearded man dropped him unceremoniously.
"Th-The reason for all this… it's because… ah, screw it! The Emperor Xue Ye and Crown Prince had a falling-out! The Emperor's claiming the Prince is a spy!"
The man cut to the chase the moment he saw that large, threatening hand coming back again.
"Huh?!"
This time, it wasn't just the crowd that reacted in shock—even Aether and his companions stiffened with serious expressions.
Qian Renxue's identity… was exposed?!
At this point in time?
That shouldn't be possible!
_
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