ETR | Chapter 18

Shen Guan heard those words too, but he didn’t find them strange. He’d long since noticed that Xiao Wan was more mature than other kids his age.

But it was exactly because of those words that he glanced at the small figure nestled in Xiao Xueman’s arms and felt a strange, indescribable emotion.

Before, he never really thought Xiao Wan resembled Qin Lou. They didn’t look alike, and their personalities were completely different—well, aside from the fire-type spiritual power they both inherited. But at this moment, he realized it clearly: Xiao Wan was the child of Xiao Xueman and Qin Lou, with blood from both flowing deep in his bones.

And that wasn’t a bad thing.

Xiao Wan was destined to stand at the top of the continent one day. If he were just sweet and naive like an ordinary child, that might actually hurt him in the long run. Xiao Xueman was somewhat aware of that, but in practice, he still spoiled his little cub rotten, treating him like a precious little treasure. In front of him, Xiao Wan acted like a clingy, innocent child—always sticking close and completely dependent.

This wasn’t an act. It was just a kind of emotion that probably only Xiao Xueman ever got to see.

Shen Guan figured he maybe got a little of that treatment too, but only because he was Xiao Xueman’s friend—honestly, just riding on his coattails.

Just then, there was a frantic knocking outside the classroom door. Probably that teacher who’d been shoved out earlier had gone to get the school’s leadership.

“Not a word of what happened today is allowed to get out. Got it?”

President Luo, clutching his daughter, wiped the blood from his face and nodded like a bobblehead.

Dealing with people who bully the weak and fear the strong was actually pretty easy—just be scarier than them, and they wouldn’t dare try anything.

Xiao Xueman waved a hand, and everything in the office returned to its original state. The papers that had been flying everywhere due to spiritual power all stacked themselves neatly back on the desk—just like nothing had ever happened.

Shen Guan picked up the unconscious boy and set him in a chair to the side. Not long after, the office door was pushed open.

Xiao Xueman stood off to the side holding his son, while Shen Guan leaned against the wall. As for the other three—honestly, they didn’t look hurt at all.

Shen Guan’s flames only caused pain, not physical damage, so the boy he restrained looked perfectly fine. Because he couldn’t move, even his clothes weren’t messed up.

And the whole digging-for-the-core incident didn’t leave any external wounds either. Luo Yinyin was wrapped tightly in her father’s coat—nothing looked out of place. As for President Luo, he’d only watched, and he’d wiped the blood from his eyes in time, so there was nothing to see on the surface.

The school leaders barged in, looking left and right, clearly expecting some horrific scene of violence—but found nothing of the sort.

Xiao Xueman looked calm and collected, totally at ease. “We’ve already settled things privately. It’s fine now. Isn’t that right, President Luo?”

President Luo nodded so hard it was almost pitiful. His voice came out hoarse and dry. “Yes, yes, it was our fault. We’ve already officially apologized to Student Xiao Wan. Let’s just… call it resolved?”

As he said that last part, he glanced hesitantly at Xiao Xueman. When he saw the man give a tiny nod, only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With both sides saying that, the school couldn’t really press the issue any further.

The whole morning had basically been consumed by this mess. Xiao Xueman brought his son back to the inn, carefully checked over his injuries again, and once he was sure everything was fine, he finally sighed—and turned serious with his kid.

“You—was it really necessary to go head-to-head with people at school? I’m right here. If you’re wronged, just come get me. You’re not the strongest in the world yet. The truth is, the other guy’s spiritual power was stronger than yours. This time it was just a school scuffle. But what if it happens outside? You think people will hold back?”

“A wise man knows when to yield. There’s nothing wrong with backing down when the situation calls for it. Protecting yourself is the most important thing. Got it?”

Xiao Wan could tell his daddy was a little angry, so he clung tightly to his neck, rubbing his head against his chest, then squirming into his arms like a little piglet digging for food.

“Spoiling won’t work this time,” Xiao Xueman said, though his tone was already much softer. “Did you hear me?”

“Got it,” Xiao Wan mumbled while still rubbing up to him, attitude for admitting his mistake perfectly on point. “I won’t do it again.”

Only then did Xiao Xueman fully relax. He hugged his son and stared at him for a while, finally letting the whole matter go.

“What do you want for dinner?” He went from strict dad back to soft idiot dad in a flash. “How about I make some little milk cakes for you?”

Xiao Wan was always extra sweet in moments like this. He chirped, “Everything Daddy makes is yummy! I’ll love whatever you cook~”

Xiao Xueman felt bad for him today, so he didn’t ask the inn to send food. He went out himself to buy ingredients and planned to cook something tasty.

Shen Guan couldn’t cook and didn’t want to get in the way, so he stayed behind. That left just him and Xiao Wan in the room.

He couldn’t help asking, “Xiao Wan, weren’t you scared at all? If the people at school aren’t good, we can always switch to another place.”

“Why switch?” Xiao Wan tilted his head at him. “This place is nice. The teachers are good at teaching. I’m satisfied.”

Especially a few of the culture-class teachers—they were kind, knowledgeable, and always willing to explain in detail. Xiao Wan, freshly out of the Seventeenth Heaven, didn’t know much about the wider continent. He was like a sponge, absorbing every bit of knowledge he could. The academy here in Frostwind City provided exactly what he needed at this stage.

And after what happened today, he had even less reason to leave.

“They won’t dare say anything. And because of this, Luo Yinyin won’t bother me again. Most people at school follow her lead—if she’s scared, the others will be even more so.” Xiao Wan saw it all clearly. “Even if we switch schools, people like Luo Yinyin won’t magically disappear. If I run into someone even worse, we’ll just have to go through all this again. Even if Daddy doesn’t get tired of it—I already am.”

He wasn’t going to change his path for people like them. Especially ones that had already been dealt with.

The reason he’d asked Daddy to spare Luo Yinyin at the end wasn’t because he pitied her, but because making too big of a scene would make it hard for things to quiet down. This way was just right—no one dared stir trouble, and he could study in peace.

Shen Guan didn’t say anything else after that.

That night, Xiao Xueman made sweet, fragrant little milk cakes. Xiao Wan sat obediently at the table, ate a ton, and ended with a soft, satisfied burp.

Xiao Xueman rubbed his tummy, and Xiao Wan, all comfortable, turned into a purring kitten. He squinted lazily for a while, then leaned in and whispered in his daddy’s ear.

“Daddy,” he said. “I wanna show you something.”

“What is it?”

Xiao Xueman thought it was a little gift or something. But then Xiao Wan stretched out his hand, fire-type red light glowing faintly on his palm. Two or three small fireballs burst out and landed on a decorative flower on the table. The flower quickly withered and blackened under the flame.

But then, the fireballs didn’t go out. Instead, they changed color—from fire’s red to wood’s green. The charred flower began to regain life under that green energy, and in a few seconds, it was back to full bloom, vibrant and beautiful.

The entire thing took barely ten seconds.

After advancing to spirit practitioner, due to his dual-type spiritual power, Xiao Wan had stopped focusing on rank advancement. He was currently at Spirit Practitioner Tier 2—a lot slower than when he first broke the seal, but that was fine.

At this stage, kids usually started learning basic spirit techniques. Fire-type had the little fireball, and wood-type had healing.

But what Xiao Wan just showed wasn’t something taught at school. His cultivation class didn’t suit him anyway—he usually just went through the motions. Plus, the school wouldn’t teach him any fire techniques. Shen Guan was fire-type too, but he was a demon race, and his early path was different from Xiao Wan’s—he couldn’t teach him either.

Xiao Wan had just learned this on his own. That morning, when the other boy attacked, Xiao Wan didn’t just stand there and take it—he was observing carefully, sensing how the technique was cast and controlled. Later, when Daddy came and tidied up the whole mess using wood power, Xiao Wan watched closely.

While Xiao Xueman was cooking, he’d tried it out for himself.

He hadn’t practiced long, but once he got it, he couldn’t help showing Daddy to earn some praise. “Am I awesome or what?”

The fireball was basic, and healing flowers with wood power was also pretty standard. For someone at Tier 2, it was impressive—but not shocking.

What was shocking was that Xiao Wan could do both—at the same time—and how quickly and accurately he learned and controlled his dual powers. It was clear he was improving fast. That’s why there was no need to rush to release the sealed power in his body. Building a solid foundation was more important.

“Super awesome,” Xiao Xueman said with love in his eyes, clapping. “My Xiao Wan is the best!”

Probably only Shen Guan had deeper thoughts about it. But after seeing so many unusual things from this father-son duo, he’d gotten used to it and genuinely hoped no more brainless people would come messing with them.

At the same time, far away in the Sixteenth Heaven—

Qin Lou, who had been stuck there for quite a while, was starting to seriously doubt whether Xueman was even here.

The suppression here was much lighter than in the Seventeenth Heaven. Though his body still ached, he’d already learned to handle it. He first went to Baixue City, where Xiao Wan had exchanged studies—not a single trace. Then he rushed to the faraway Muye City.

Why that city? Because he and Xueman had some memories there. Even if he knew it was unlikely, he still went to the place they once lived together.

But Qin Lou hadn’t expected one thing: the fanatic worship of him in the Sixteenth Heaven. Muye City was the worst.

Most people here had never seen his face. They were just swept up by the legend. Qin Lou stared at all the different statues of “him” in the city center—felt absolutely nothing. Not a single one looked like him. Even if he ripped off his cloak, no one would recognize the real deal.

A bit ironic. Back when he actually lived here, he hadn’t received any kindness from anyone. Now there was all this bizarre fanaticism.

Still, there was one good thing about the Sixteenth Heaven—it was where he met Xiao Xueman.

He remembered that time very clearly. Back then, he lived outside the Muye City forest. Someone had targeted him on purpose—every beast he hunted got stolen by other teams. After days without income, he had no choice but to sneak into the forest at night.

No one else competed with him at night, but he ran into a stronger beast. He barely won, but ended up seriously injured. When he closed his eyes, he thought he was either going to die or be crippled.

He couldn’t say he wasn’t bitter.

But when he woke up, he found himself saved—lying in his own bed. His terrifying injuries had mostly healed. The beasts he hunted were placed beside him. The valuable bones, teeth, and pelts were processed, sorted, and stacked neatly.

A bit away, a wooden chair.

On it sat a youth.

Qin Lou could only see his back. His long hair was loosely tied with green vines, reaching down to his ankles. As if sensing movement, the boy turned—and met Qin Lou’s eyes.

He was beautiful—so beautiful the famed beauties of Muye City couldn’t compare. If elves existed in the world, they probably looked like this.

Qin Lou’s wounds had healed, but his clothes were in tatters. In front of someone like this, he instinctively shrank back.

“Who are you?” he asked, warily. “Why did you save me?”

“I’m Xiao Xueman,” the elf-like youth smiled. “Don’t be nervous. I’ve known you for a long time, Qin Lou. You were never meant to suffer like this. Come, make a deal with me. I’ll make you the strongest on the continent—so no one will ever bully you again.”

At the time, Qin Lou didn’t believe it. He’d been tormented by fate for too long to trust pretty words.

But as he stared at that face, the sarcastic reply he wanted to say… never came out.

Later, Xiao Xueman really did keep that promise. Only—they had gotten separated.

The little house they’d once lived in on the Sixteenth Heaven had long since burned down in Qin Lou’s first explosive cultivation breakthrough. They’d moved on quickly and never planned to return.

Now, coming back, Qin Lou found that spot covered by a ridiculously fancy mansion labeled “Former Residence of the Dijun,” attracting flocks of people coming to worship and take tours.

It was absurd.

He asked around the city for a few days—no one had seen Xiao Xueman. He wasn’t here.

Just as he was about to leave for the next city, someone stopped him at the gate.

It was an old man, looking nervous as hell.

“I… I’ve been watching you for a few days now. When you first entered the city, I thought I was seeing things…” the old man stammered, his voice shaking. “Dijun… Qin, Qin Lou… is it really you? I was the leather trader who did business with you back then. Do you remember me?”