ETR | Chapter 28

Before this, Xiao Wan had never associated his own Daddy with the title of Empress.

Xiao Xueman rarely spoke of the past. With only bits and pieces of information, Xiao Wan had drawn his own conclusions based on Shen Guan’s experiences, naturally veering off-course and assuming his daddy was a fugitive wanted by First Heaven. Even though he had later met Qin Lou face to face, the atmosphere between them was downright bad. Xiao Xueman hadn’t shown the slightest hint of affection, which only deepened Xiao Wan’s misunderstanding.

The very first time Xiao Wan learned anything about the Empress of the Wangtian Immortal Sect was in an open class, from some gossipy guy sitting next to him. That guy was all sighs about how the Dijun was a total love-struck fool, stuck in the past. But Xiao Wan had the complete opposite reaction: if the Dijun couldn’t even protect the one he loved, then that Empress who died must’ve been seriously not worth it—just too pitiful.

But the second he realized this “character” might actually be his own daddy, Xiao Wan suddenly couldn’t stay neutral.

The Empress of the Wangtian Immortal Sect was named Xiao Xueman.

My daddy is the Empress of Wangtian.

…

A million thoughts were crashing like waves in Xiao Wan’s mind. He finally understood why he had both wood-type and fire-type spiritual power. He now knew exactly where the fire came from.

But Xiao Wan didn’t blame his daddy for keeping it a secret—not even a little. He just felt his chest tighten, and for the first time, truly got what Uncle Shen must’ve felt every time he brought up the past with that hesitant, conflicted look.

How many people thought the Empress was already dead? Just that one idea alone was enough to hint at how painful it all must’ve been. If someone hadn’t actually brushed up against death itself, why would such rumors even exist?

Ning Ling had been pushed by the others to leave, and eventually he left, setting up another meeting with Xiao Wan. Xiao Wan agreed, but it was totally half-hearted.

That so-called message said the “Empress” was in the next city over, but Xiao Wan knew they were chasing the wrong lead.

He sat there for a long time, hugging that jar of candied fruits all the way home.

Xiao Xueman was in the kitchen, simmering soup. When he saw Xiao Wan come in, he waved him over and scooped a ladleful from the pot, cooled it a bit, and handed it to him.

“Does it taste good?” he asked. “Bone broth. It’s been simmering forever. I’ll toss in some noodles later—it’ll taste even better.”

The broth was rich and savory, delicious all around. His daddy’s cooking was always amazing—seriously, he seemed good at everything.

“It’s good,” said Xiao Wan. His nose tingled a little, like he was about to cry, so he quickly shoved the jar he was holding into his daddy’s arms and mumbled, “For Daddy.”

Xiao Xueman opened it right away and popped one in his mouth. The candied fruit was much sweeter than fresh ones—so sweet it was almost too much. But recently, he was kind of into this kind of thing. He even stuffed one into Xiao Wan’s mouth.

“Super sweet,” he said. “Tomorrow I’ll make flowing-heart milk pudding for Xiao Wan with these. I’ll add some of the candied fruit as a filling—it’ll be delicious.”

No wonder Xiao Wan never made the connection—most of the time, Xiao Xueman didn’t give off any vibe like the legendary Empress of Wangtian.

That kind of title felt way too heavy and noble for someone like him. It felt distant. But in reality, he was right here—just a reach away. So close that Xiao Wan could feel the gentle warmth radiating off his daddy.

Xiao Wan had never been jealous of kids who had both parents. Xiao Xueman had already given him more than enough. In front of his daddy, he would always be that spoiled little kid—no matter how old he got.

That’s why he always believed they were each other’s most important person. One day, when he was strong enough, he’d be able to return that favor—to protect and pamper his daddy just like his daddy always did for him. But now, he was realizing… Daddy’s past was way more complicated than he ever imagined. Maybe even in his whole lifetime, he’d never be able to wipe away those old wounds.

Daddy never wanted to be the Empress of Wangtian Immortal Sect. Those people treated him terribly.

Xiao Wan reached out and grabbed a fistful of Xiao Xueman’s sleeve. He’d always told Daddy everything, but this… this was his first real secret—one he didn’t want to say out loud.

“What’s wrong?”

Xiao Xueman could tell his son was feeling down. He turned the soup to a low simmer and came over to hold Xiao Wan’s hand.

“Something bothering you?”

Xiao Wan thought for a moment and said, “Daddy, let’s leave.”

“Huh? What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“There’s a bunch of people from Wangtian Immortal Sect here. I’m scared they’ll take you away.” He repeated, “Let’s leave, okay?”

Xiao Xueman already knew about the alchemist tournament from last month, but they’d been keeping a low profile in Thirteenth Heaven. Whenever they went out, they were super cautious, and even if people asked around in the city, they probably wouldn’t find anything unusual—so he hadn’t been in a hurry to go.

This city had one huge plus—the forest outside had a rich supply of resources. Xiao Wan was learning alchemy now, and a lot of materials for one-star and two-star pills could be found locally.

“No rush,” Xiao Xueman reassured him. “We’ll go eventually. I want to finish teaching you two-star pills first. Once we move to the Middle Realm, things will get more complicated. We might not have such a perfect environment there.”

Xiao Wan was progressing fast—it was only a matter of time before they moved up. Leaving Thirteenth Heaven was inevitable.

The people from Wangtian Immortal Sect coming to look for them was bound to happen. Xiao Xueman had already met Qin Lou once—since they knew he wasn’t dead and was somewhere in the Lower Realm, tracking him to Thirteenth Heaven made sense.

Xiao Wan couldn’t argue. He had just about mastered one-star pills and was now diving into two-star ones, but still had a ways to go before reaching fluency.

He was anxious, so he adjusted his daily routine, putting even more time into alchemy.

But things weren’t quite as bad as he feared. The news from Ning Ling’s side was clearly fake—though pretty convincing, it would take time to chase down and verify.

Xiao Wan heard the gossip himself while he was out: folks were whispering that Wangtian Immortal Sect people had been causing a stir in the next city for ages and still hadn’t returned.

“They say they’re looking for someone really important,” someone murmured in the library. “All big shots. Tsk. I wouldn’t dare talk about it.”

Xiao Wan let out a small sigh of relief. He was also making solid progress with his alchemy, which made Xiao Xueman happy. Lately, they’d even been talking with Shen Guan about leaving.

“Sounds good to me,” said Shen Guan, stretching. “Lived here for a few years—I’m bored of it anyway.”

Didn’t make a difference to him—it was just relocating his retirement lifestyle.

Two months later, Xiao Wan’s alchemy was progressing at lightning speed. He was now attempting to make the Peiyuan Pill that Xiao Xueman had once refined—one of the top two-star pills. A major hurdle for him. He tried several times, but all failed.

Alchemy was draining. Back-to-back failures left Xiao Wan looking totally out of it.

He seemed really anxious, but Xiao Xueman had no clue why.

“Stay calm,” he told him. “You can’t rush it. Alchemy’s the same—go too fast, and it backfires. Take a break first.”

But right then, Shen Guan came back from outside, looking weirded out. The moment he walked in, he pulled Xiao Xueman aside and said, “Xueman, I saw someone in the street.”

“Who?”

“Silver Eagle. They’ve found us.”

Xiao Xueman fell silent.

He rubbed his brow and let out a long, slow sigh.

Shen Guan had just gone for a post-lunch stroll—living like a full-on old man these days—and bam, ran into Yin Ying.

He’d dodged just in time, luckily Yin Ying hadn’t spotted him.

Shen Guan knew Yin Ying was a demon race Xiao Xueman had saved, a trusted confidant and close friend. They used to be tight—but from Xiao Xueman’s reaction, something clearly went wrong later on.

What on earth had happened back in First Heaven, for things to fall apart this badly?

“I think Xiao Wan wants to leave too,” Xiao Xueman finally said. “We’ve been getting ready anyway. Let’s go in the next few days.”

Shen Guan had no objections. Honestly, he didn’t like Qin Lou, but he’d always thought Yin Ying was decent.

In his memory, that guy had been the most loyal guard by Xiao Xueman’s side. How did things get this bad?

“Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding?” Shen Guan couldn’t help but say, “I know I shouldn’t butt in—it’s easy to talk when I’m not the one hurting—but…”

He just couldn’t stand it. Qin Lou was one thing, but to fall out with all his old companions and avoid them completely… it didn’t sit right.

Xiao Xueman understood what he meant and didn’t get mad.

“If someone sees me like this—abandoned by everyone, not getting along with anyone—they’d probably think it’s all my fault,” Xiao Xueman said. “Shen Guan, have you ever thought… maybe I’m not the person you imagined I was?”

That question actually stunned Shen Guan for a second. He had never thought Xiao Xueman was the one in the wrong.

“They’re… all regretting it,” Shen Guan said. “But I don’t regret anything—because I know it wasn’t your fault.”

Xiao Xueman gave a little smile and explained, “I don’t want to see Yin Ying, or Qin Lou—not because I’m running away. To me, those relationships are already over. The ties are cut. Seeing them now would just stir up more trouble. No need for that.”

With him saying that, Shen Guan didn’t push anymore.

He’d been betrayed by the fox clan before—he knew some relationships just… change. You can’t always rely on them.

Shen Guan sighed too, heart feeling a little heavy. “Then let’s go.”

This move wouldn’t be as simple as the last one. Every six heavens was like a massive barrier, and moving from the Lower Realm to the Middle Realm would take some prep time.

Even though Yin Ying had come to the city, it would still take time before he found their exact location.

In fact, Yin Ying had come looking for Ning Ling and the others—he had no idea the person he was really after was right under his nose.

Who even thought sending junior sect members down to “help” was a good idea? Probably someone in the sect getting greedy over Qin Lou, trying every dirty trick in the book.

Ever since that crystal ball got smashed, Qin Lou hadn’t found a single trace of Xiao Xueman. The necklace had been taken, and though he still had one or two keepsakes left behind, they were way too meaningful—no way he’d use them for star chart operations. So now he could only keep searching blindly, even if he hated relying on those kids.

The tyrant couldn’t find him and was already losing sleep over it—this mess just made it worse.

Yin Ying ended up escorting all the kids—Ning Ling included—back to the sect. But it didn’t stop there. The pavilion masters who’d sent people down all got slapped with punishments. The Chamber of Commerce who helped with intel? Also warned to mind their own business.

This whole search for Xiao Xueman was one-sided from the start—he didn’t even want to see them. Now, the way they were going about it made it look like they were hunting down a criminal. Even setting Qin Lou aside, just from Yin Ying’s point of view, this whole thing was unbearable.