"Lu Xiaoyu is gone?!"
"Lu Xiaoyu is really gone!"
"Lu Xiaoyu finally left!"
The news spread through the Star Dou Great Forest like wildfire, and for the first time in years, the soul beasts felt the crushing mountain on their shoulders vanish.
With Lu Xiaoyu gone, the Titan Giant Apes could no longer bully them under his name.
The black bear sat down and ate honey with tears streaming down his furry face.
Finally. Finally, this long-lost feeling of relief was back…
Over the past five years, he had grown so thin he lost an entire layer of fat. And now… that little devil was gone.
The good days had returned at last!
"Wooo~!"
"Mooo!"
"Caw!"
One by one, the beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest raised their voices, crying, humming, and bellowing as if the entire forest had thrown a party to celebrate this momentous day.
Farewell at the Forest Edge
On the outskirts of the forest, an enormous shadow towered above them all.
"Lu Yuan, we'll send you here." Er Ming's huge form cast a heavy presence over the group.
"Mm… alright!" Lu Yuan nodded lazily, hugging his wine jar.
"Little rabbit, don't look so gloomy! If you miss me, you can always come find me," Er Ming rumbled cheerfully.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan had stashed away a few jars of fine liquor beforehand—otherwise this trip out of the forest would have left his body unbearably itchy with craving.
Xiao Wu puffed up her cheeks. "You wish! Who would come looking for you?" She stuck out her tongue playfully.
Chen Xin, ever calm and dignified, stepped forward to address the giant ape. "Lord of the Forest, Little Dance Girl, thank you for taking care of Lu Yuan these past years. We have no other gifts to repay your kindness, but I can promise you this: the soul masters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect will never step into your forest's core region in the future."
That was Ning Fengzhi's solemn pledge, delivered through Chen Xin.
"Never step in again?" Er Ming frowned, seeming dissatisfied. "What's that supposed to mean—never?"
Patient as always, Chen Xin explained again. "I mean, we will no longer enter the core region to hunt for spirit rings. That is our pledge."
Er Ming blinked, then smacked his chest with his broad palm. "Well then, that's fine! As long as you come here for drinks in the future, we're friends!"
The shake of the forest ground under his self-satisfied thump.
Choices and Partings
"Big sis, are you coming home with me?" Lu Yuan turned and gave Tang Yuehua a slow, meaningful smile.
Tang Yuehua shook her head immediately. "No. I want to return to Yuexuan!"
As the mistress of Yuexuan, she had simply disappeared for five years without word. She didn't even know if her pavilion still stood, let alone functioned. At this moment, more than anything, she wanted to hurry back, get her long-abandoned nails fixed, and retreat into silence until her heart steadied again.
Going back with this shameless man to the Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect? Not now. Absolutely not.
"Alright then," Lu Yuan shrugged, unconcerned. He never liked forcing anyone anyway.
Rumors in the Sect
Back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect, whispers were already spreading.
"I heard Lu Yuan is coming back!"
"Is that true?"
"I overheard it from some Outer Sect disciples earlier…"
Voices buzzed with nervousness. Even after so many years, the mere mention of his name made some of them feel weak at the knees. That shadow, that suffocating pressure—they remembered it all too clearly.
"Hey, come on. That was when he was twelve years old! Now he's twenty. We've all grown up. What's there to be afraid of? He can't bully us like children anymore!"
Some disciples tried to reassure the panicked crowd. Time hardened people, gave them maturity. Surely things wouldn't be like before.
Just as the atmosphere began to settle, the stench of heavy liquor cut through their gathering.
"Hiccup~"
Burp.
The sound came from right within their midst.
By the time anyone noticed, Lu Yuan was standing there like a ghost, his expression blurred by drunken haze.
"The wine cellar moved?" he muttered as if he had simply appeared to himself. He hadn't even gone to the Sect's main hall. He had gone straight to the old wine cellar. But when he arrived… it was gone.
No mistake. He wasn't wrong. The place had been changed.
"Lu… Lu Yuan?!"
Several Outer Sect disciples stumbled backward in shock.
Appearing silently like this—when did he arrive?
"You lot were just talking a lot of nonsense," Lu Yuan slurred, but his words were sharp. "Answer me. Did the wine cellar move?"
As he spoke, he let out a surge of spirit power, the cold pressure pinning one unlucky disciple down.
"B-Brother Lu Yuan! I'll—I'll take you there!" the disciple stammered, twitching like a nervous rabbit.
He was doomed. They were all doomed.
Time might pass, but some things never changed.
"You damn brat, of course you know the way!" Lu Yuan threw his arm over the man's shoulder with drunken camaraderie, dragging him off. He acted as if nothing was amiss—as if this had been his plan all along.
Reunion in the Chamber
Meanwhile, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect's main chamber, Ning Fengzhi's voice was warm with surprise and welcome.
"Xiaoyu, let Grandpa Ning take a look at you."
It had been more than five years since he had last laid eyes on Lu Xiaoyu. The boy stood before him, bright-eyed, lively, and growing into his father's shadow.
Lu Xiaoyu blinked, unsure. "Grandpa Ning?"
He turned toward his mother, confusion plain on his little face. In the forest, he had spent all his time running around with soul beasts. He had no memory of this man with the kind smile.
"Xiao Yu, this is Grandpa Ning," Liu Erlong gently explained, patting her son on the back. "When you were very little, you lived here for a while."
"Ohhh…" The boy still didn't quite remember, but curiosity shone in his eyes.
"Little Feather," Ning Fengzhi chuckled, "this is a gift for you from Grandpa Ning."
From within his robes, he drew out a sleek black bracelet.
"Eh? A present?!"
At once Lu Xiaoyu's mood lit up. His tiny hands snatched the bracelet eagerly, turning it over before sliding it onto his wrist. His eyes widened as he realized what it was—a storage soul guide!
"Awesome!" he squealed. "Grandpa Ning, your house is a hundred times bigger than mine. You must be really rich, right?"
"Haha! Our Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect can hardly complain about being poor." Gu Rong finally gave a short laugh. Indeed, across the entire Douluo Continent, aside from the two great empires and the Spirit Hall, no organization could match their wealth.
"Since you're so rich…" Lu Xiaoyu's big eyes sparkled mischievously. "…then you must have a lot of soul bones lying around, don't you?"
Gu Rong: "…"
This little kid! It was a trap… he had been waiting for the right moment! If he said no now, wouldn't that be a slap in his own face?
But then he remembered—this was Lu Yuan's son.
Forget it. Some things were destined.
"Xiaoyu, once you reach the rank of Great Soul Master, Grandpa Ning will definitely give you a soul bone. How about that?" Ning Fengzhi promised with perfect calm.
It wasn't that he begrudged the bones—they had accumulated quite a number in recent years—but Gu Rong's embarrassed face after being cornered by a child almost made him laugh out loud.
"Pfft—hahaha!" Chen Xin broke first, clutching his stomach. "Gu Rong, who would've thought you'd end up like this. Fengzhi, make sure he personally hands over the soul bone when the time comes!"
"Fine! Fine, I'll give it!" Gu Rong scowled, but slapped his chest all the same. "Xiaoyu, after you become a Great Soul Master, Grandpa Bones will help you find the most suitable soul bone for your martial soul. Guaranteed."
He comforted himself silently. Even if this kid had inherited Lu Yuan's freakish talent, it would take at least another two or three years before he advanced that far. Surely, in that time, he could get his hands on a proper soul bone without trouble.
But just as he reassured himself, Lu Xiaoyu turned to his mother and said innocently, "Mom, I didn't ask for it. Grandpa Bones said it himself."
His big round eyes blinked pitifully. "I'm innocent."
Gu Rong: "…"
Perfect. This child had completely inherited his father's shamelessness.
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