After entering the city, Aether's sensing became even clearer.
The other Dull Blade was inside Spirit City—more precisely, within the grand, awe-inspiring Spirit Hall itself.
"Your Holiness the Pope…"
"Your Holiness!"
The guards stationed outside Spirit Hall raised their arms to their chests and bowed respectfully toward Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong nodded slightly, then noticed She Long walking swiftly toward them.
"Your Holiness, Lord Aether."
She Long greeted them with a cupped-fist salute.
Snake Lance Douluo?
Then Qian Renxue must be here as well!
Bibi Dong had mentioned earlier that She Long and Ci Xue had been sent back to protect Qian Renxue. Now that She Long appeared at Spirit Hall's headquarters, it was almost certain she was here too.
Aether gave a small nod, but before he could say anything, Paimon quickly asked,
"Uncle, since you're here, is Qinghe here too?"
"Lady Paimon~"
She Long bowed again, then chuckled as he replied,
"The Young Mistress is in the Worship Hall right now."
"That's great! Qinghe is safe!"
Paimon clenched her tiny fists in excitement, visibly relieved.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Worship Hall," Bibi Dong said, also visibly relaxing as she led the group toward the rear of Spirit Hall.
Inside the Worship Hall, seven towering statues stood in an elegant arrangement. Above them, at the top of a flight of stairs, loomed a statue even larger and more majestic than the rest.
Beneath this main statue stood a dozen people, all dressed in the robes of Spirit Hall elders.
Seven of them bore faces that clearly matched the statues below—these were none other than the final line of defense for Spirit Hall: the Seven Great Worships.
Following Bibi Dong into the hall, Aether's gaze quickly locked onto a familiar figure standing beneath the statues.
As if sensing their arrival, the gathered figures turned toward the entrance.
"Sir Aether! Paimon!"
A delicate voice called out as Qian Renxue pushed through the crowd, running straight toward them.
"Still in one piece, I see, Qian Renxue."
Aether waved with a smile. Seeing that she was unharmed, he teased,
"You're no longer the Heaven Dou Crown Prince now. Guess I won't be your royal guest anymore, huh~?"
Qian Renxue, already emotional, instantly flushed red at his words. Her lips parted, but no words came out—she had no idea how to respond.
This was only the second time she had appeared before Aether in her true female form. Part of her wished she could revert to her Xue Qinghe disguise, her heart overwhelmed with shyness.
"Waaah! Qinghe! We meet again!"
Paimon zipped up to Qian Renxue, scrutinizing her with sparkling eyes.
She had already seen through Qian Renxue's disguise back when she first awakened her power, so her reaction now was one of delighted admiration.
Still, with Paimon around, the awkwardness felt much more bearable.
"Paimon… long time no see."
"Hehe~ Qinghe, you're way prettier like this!"
Paimon had always been the affectionate type, and given how long they'd known each other, she showed no hesitation in admiring her friend out loud.
"Um… Paimon, why are you here with… her?"
Unable to take any more of Paimon's sparkling gaze, Qian Renxue quickly shifted the topic, glancing warily toward Bibi Dong.
"Eh? We've been looking all over for you!"
Paimon started ticking her fingers as she counted,
"We searched Heaven Dou City, Soto City, even all kinds of small towns and villages. But you were nowhere to be found."
"Huh? Wait—did you and the Traveler see the letter I left behind?"
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up with surprise.
"Yep!" Paimon nodded enthusiastically.
"We were headed to Heaven Dou to visit the old man, and we figured we'd drop in on you too. But when we got there, we heard you were wanted…"
Paimon began recounting the journey, telling Qian Renxue everything that had happened.
"I'm really sorry… Things were so urgent back then. It's my fault I didn't explain everything properly."
Qian Renxue apologized, her heart swelling with emotion.
She never imagined someone would care about her this deeply, enough to spend so long searching for her, fearing for her safety.
At the same time, she silently blamed herself.
If only I'd explained properly back then, they wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble…
"It's okay. What matters is that you're safe," Paimon said, waving a hand.
"Oh, and this big sis here was really worried about you too."
She gestured toward Bibi Dong.
"..."
The two locked eyes—but neither spoke.
Looks like things between them haven't changed much…
Aether observed the awkward silence, mentally noting the lack of progress.
"Xue'er, how have you been holding up?"
Bibi Dong finally mustered the courage to speak, her voice softening with maternal concern.
But the moment she opened her mouth, the complicated emotions in Qian Renxue's eyes turned cold.
She averted her gaze, ignoring Bibi Dong, and instead bowed slightly toward Aether.
"I'm sorry. I failed… I didn't fulfill our promise."
"No, you did well. Some things… are beyond our control."
Aether shook his head with a gentle smile. He knew exactly what she meant.
The plan had been for her to seize real power in the Heaven Dou Empire—slowly stripping authority from the nobles so that the common people could receive fair treatment.
But unexpected events had exposed her true identity, leaving her with no choice but to retreat to Spirit Hall.
"But… still…"
Even with Aether's reassurance, the guilt lingered in her heart.
No one else knew how much that promise meant to her.
"No buts. As long as you're safe, you can fulfill that promise anywhere."
Aether continued, seeing she was still troubled.
"The Heaven Dou Empire is just one empire. But this place… is something else entirely."
"Our promise—it counts, no matter where it's made."
"…Mm!"
Qian Renxue blinked, then turned to glance at her grandfather and the other Title Douluo. Understanding dawned in her eyes, and her gaze hardened with new resolve.
If I can take control of Spirit Hall, wouldn't that make it even easier to fulfill our promise?
"Ahem… Sir Aether, we meet again."
A hearty voice cut through the moment. Qian Daoliu strolled forward with one hand clasped behind his back.
"Elder Qian… seems like you're having some trouble here?"
Aether didn't wait for pleasantries—his tone carried a weight that instantly silenced the hall.
"…Oh? And what makes you say that, Sir Aether?"
Qian Daoliu raised a brow, feigning ignorance.
"Qian Renxue, that statue—what's going on with it?"
Aether didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to Qian Renxue with a curious expression.
"Huh? Oh, you mean the Angel God statue?"
Qian Renxue followed his gaze and nodded matter-of-factly.
"It mysteriously shattered a few days ago."
"..."
Qian Daoliu's eye twitched, his expression twisting into a complicated mix of disbelief and frustration.
You silly girl!
You're the heir to the Angel God's divine inheritance—how can you not know what the shattering of that statue means?!
Why would you just blurt that out like it's nothing…?!
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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