Watching Shi Hao standing atop the city wall, the crowd murmured in excitement, eyes glinting with anticipation.
Spirit City had stood tall on the Douluo Continent for countless years. Anyone who dared to stir up trouble here was either dead or crippled. And now, with Spirit Hall stronger than ever, it had been nearly a century since anyone had dared make a scene.
Yet today, a boy barely six or seven years old was shouting that Spirit Hall had taken his mother and demanded her release.
What a spectacle.
Just then, a troop slowly approached down the avenue. The moment their golden insignias became visible, the crowd parted instinctively—they represented Spirit Hall.
Over twenty knights marched in formation, clad in golden armor that shimmered under the sun, emanating authority.
At their front stood the knight-captain, dressed in ornate ceremonial armor. His broad figure and sharp gaze embodied the might of Spirit Hall's knight order. He glanced up at the red-clad child on the city wall, frowning in disbelief.
A child? That's the cause of this commotion?
He had assumed it was a serious disturbance when Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo issued the order. Turns out it was just some kid playing hero. Annoyed, he decided to wrap this up quickly and report back.
He raised his voice and shouted, "Hey, kid! What are you doing on the Spirit City wall? Get down here right now!"
Shi Hao glanced down and replied in a clear, childish voice, "Who are you people? I'm looking for someone from Spirit Hall. Go get them."
"We are Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall's Knight Order!" the captain declared.
Shi Hao's tiny fists clenched.
As soon as he heard "Spirit Hall," the rage he'd bottled up erupted. He yelled, voice sharp as thunder, "You people from Spirit Hall better give my mother back right now!"
"My father and my six little siblings miss her every single day! You hear me?! Bring my mom back!!"
His roar echoed across the entire plaza.
The bystanders gasped. They hadn't expected that.
He's got six younger siblings?!
Now even more people began to pity the child, and their sympathy quickly turned to scorn directed at the knight squad.
"Spirit Hall's gone too far. Even stealing mothers away from kids now?"
"Poor little ones at home… some probably haven't even seen their mother's face."
"Tch. Just because they've got power doesn't mean they can do whatever they want."
Spirit Hall's arrogance had been grating on the people for years. The mood was turning sour.
The knight-captain was stunned. What the hell is this?!
But he quickly reined in his anger. "You little brat, don't spout nonsense! Spirit Hall would never do such a thing! We even provide free spirit awakenings for the people—we're not some band of kidnappers!"
But the crowd wasn't having it. They sneered and jeered.
"Ha! Maybe someone in Spirit Hall thought the kid's mom was too pretty and took a fancy to her?"
"Or maybe she was too talented, and Spirit Hall couldn't take no for an answer!"
The ridicule grew louder and more cutting.
The captain's face darkened. If it weren't for the explicit order not to use force unless absolutely necessary, he would've grabbed the kid already.
The mob was eating this up.
Then someone shouted, "Hey kid, what's your mom's name? If Spirit Hall really has her, we'll get her released."
Shi Hao yelled back without hesitation, "Her name is Xiaoxue!"
"Xiaoxue?" the knight-captain repeated with a frown. "I mean her full name!"
Shi Hao huffed. "Xiaoxue is Xiaoxue! That's what Dad calls her!"
The captain squinted, mentally flipping through the list of names in Spirit Hall. That wasn't a proper name—how was he supposed to find anyone with that?
But then, something clicked.
Wait… a few months ago there was that big scandal. The Grand Worship brought his granddaughter and some useless man back to Spirit Hall. The man left, and the girl said she was going into closed-door cultivation. That girl's name… wasn't it Qian Renxue? It does have 'Xue' in it…
But this boy was already over six years old. That timeline didn't add up—right?
The captain grew impatient. "If you don't even know your own mother's name, then you're just slandering Spirit Hall!"
"Get down here now, or don't blame us for what happens next!"
Shi Hao's tiny body trembled with rage.
It was Spirit Hall who took my mother—how are they acting like they're the victims here?!
He planted his fists on his waist and shouted, "I'm not coming down! If you've got the guts, come up here and drag me down yourself!"
The captain finally lost it. He turned and barked at his squad, "Get up there and grab him! Now!"
…
Meanwhile, in the Pope's Hall, Bibi Dong was busy reviewing Spirit Hall's daily affairs. The continent had been anything but peaceful lately, and she was swamped with work.
Her mood? Predictably foul.
A knight in full armor came sprinting in, panicked.
Bibi Dong raised her cold, commanding gaze. "Why is there still noise outside? Where's the troublemaker? Has he been brought in yet?"
"N-not yet…" the knight stammered, visibly trembling.
"Useless! Can't even handle a child?! Or is there a powerful protector with him?" she snapped.
"N-no… he's alone."
Bibi Dong slammed her scepter to the floor, the resulting boom shaking the chamber.
"Send another two squads. Handle this quickly. Don't let this brat disrupt Spirit Hall's prestige!"
A four-ring Soul Ancestor leading a squad should've been more than enough for a child.
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
But before long, the same knight returned, even more flustered.
Bibi Dong glanced up sharply. "Still not done?"
"N-not yet…"
Her brows furrowed deeply. "What are those squads doing—eating dirt? If they can't handle one child, what good are they?! Send ten more teams!"
She waved her hand and barked coldly, "No—send the entire city gate garrison. I don't care what it takes. Take him down!"
Her irritation boiled over. Everything these days felt like it was going against her.
A moment later, the knight came stumbling back again, face pale.
"Your Holiness, still—still not…"
Before he could even finish, Bibi Dong erupted, slamming her scepter once more and releasing a blast of murderous aura.
"You useless wretches!!"
Her voice thundered across the palace.
_
Please support my patreon, patreon. com/TravelerDouluo
And get early access to my 30 advance chapters.