ETR | Chapter 48

Not long after, when Xiao Xueman left Wangtian Immortal Sect, it actually went pretty smoothly. Not a single person tried to stop him.

Nan An came to see him off—which was a bit of a surprise.

“Guess taking a loss really does change people,” she sighed. “It’s a good thing, though.”

Xiao Xueman didn’t say anything in response.

Even if Qin Lou had changed, it was already too late. Between them, maybe this really was it.

If they could at least maintain this kind of calm, non-interfering distance from now on… well, that wouldn’t be such a bad ending either.

As for Shen Guan going back to the Fox Clan, Xiao Xueman had tried to dissuade him, but since Shen Guan had made up his mind, he didn’t press further. While leaving, he planned to pass through Second Heaven and drop Shen Guan off.

Even though he didn’t try to stop Xiao Xueman from leaving, Qin Lou still secretly followed. Very carefully, of course—he didn’t let Xiao Xueman notice.

On one hand, he just couldn’t bear to let him go. On the other, the demon clans were a mess right now, and Qin Lou couldn’t help worrying that something might happen to him.

Just one escort. Nothing more, he told himself.

A long time ago, Xiao Xueman had visited the Fox Clan many times. Back then, Wangtian Immortal Sect even collaborated with them. Aside from the recent string of bad deeds, the Fox Clan had always been a powerful force among the demon clans. Shen Guan’s return this time was to save the day, and once he showed up, a whole bunch of foxes broke into tears the moment they saw him.

Within the clan territory, returning to beast form was the most comfortable. Xiao Wan saw a ton of huge, fluffy foxes gathering around Shen Guan—foxes of all kinds and colors—and his eyes went wide from the dazzling scene.

Some of the older ones even recognized Xiao Xueman. They were surprised to see him, but sensibly didn’t ask about what happened back then. They still treated him with respect.

Aside from handling clan affairs, Shen Guan had something else on his mind—Xiao Wan. One reason he came back was to rummage through his private stash and find a suitable spirit instrument for Xiao Wan. Though it wasn’t time for a life-bound spirit contract yet, it was still important for him to have a good protective item. It was about time he learned how to use one.

Previously, when Jiang Yan found out that Xiao Wan had dual-type wood and fire spiritual power, he practically turned the entire Artifact Pavilion upside down, sending over all kinds of spirit instruments. But Xiao Xueman didn’t accept any of them. Those were Nine-Star items—even in Wangtian Immortal Sect, they were considered top-tier. Xiao Xueman didn’t want to owe that kind of favor. After Su Mingming threw a small fit a few times, he finally took a plain old pill furnace for Xiao Wan. Really just an ordinary one—since Xiao Wan had just started learning alchemy and didn’t need anything fancy. As for the rest, he hadn’t taken a single piece.

The Fox Clan was in a temporary slump, mostly because they had no Spirit God-level anchor. Now that Shen Guan had returned and the culprits had been caught, Wangtian Immortal Sect wasn’t pursuing it further. That already resolved most of the problem. Plus, the clan had developed for many years. Shen Guan’s private collection alone was impressive. If he had something suitable for Xiao Wan, no one would complain.

Xiao Xueman understood this, and he didn’t plan to get all polite with Shen Guan either.

He didn’t know how to forge weapons—only refine pills. Good spirit instruments were rare and couldn’t just be bought with money.

He didn’t want to accept anything from Wangtian Immortal Sect, but if Shen Guan was willing to give something, he had no reason to refuse.

Xiao Wan was actually pretty happy to visit the Fox Clan. This was Uncle Shen’s home, so he felt mentally at ease here.

There were even a few little foxes about his age—gray-furred, fluffy-tailed prairie fox types, wood-type spiritual attribute. Though they didn’t know who Xiao Xueman was, they instinctively liked his wood aura. They also recognized he was someone important and didn’t dare get too close to him. But Xiao Wan carried a similar aura, so the little foxes carefully went over to rub up against him.

Their fur was soft and silky, with big floppy ears and fluffy tails. Their round, black eyes were impossibly cute.

Xiao Wan was only ten years old himself. He still had a bit of childishness to him, and with those little foxes being so friendly, he couldn’t help reaching out to pet them—once he started, he couldn’t stop.

Ah! So soft!

Xiao Xueman left him outside on the grassy field to play with the fox kits. This was Shen Guan’s former residence, and there were foxes guarding nearby—nothing unexpected would happen. Meanwhile, he and Shen Guan went inside to look for a suitable spirit instrument for Xiao Wan.

Generally speaking, spirit practitioners could already use spirit instruments, but in the lower realms, few could afford them. Most wouldn’t use one until they became spirit knights—and even then, usually just one- or two-star items.

Life-bound spirit instruments required a contract. Once formed, it couldn’t be changed for life. While this greatly improved compatibility between user and weapon, it also meant even if you found a better one later, you couldn’t switch.

Xiao Wan should’ve started using one earlier, but his situation was unique. Xiao Xueman hadn’t found the right one for him.

Even if it wasn’t a life-bound contract, the first weapon a spiritual cultivator used often decided their future fighting style, techniques, and overall growth path.

For dual-type cultivators, choosing a spirit instrument was always tricky. They could only contract with one, and dual-type spirit instruments were extremely rare. Most had to pick one element to specialize in.

“I have something that might suit Xiao Wan,” Shen Guan said. “Back when I found out about his dual-type spirit power, this came to mind. But I thought I’d never come back here, so I didn’t mention it.”

He took a box from the top shelf and handed it to Xiao Xueman.

Inside was something that looked like a lump of black rock—completely unremarkable, its attribute unclear.

“It has no innate attribute,” Shen Guan explained. “It’s a rare, non-elemental spirit instrument. They say it’ll adapt into the most compatible weapon based on the user’s own spirit power. The Fox Clan never had dual-types, so this seemed novel but impractical. It’s a six-star item, so we never found a proper owner for it. Now that Xiao Wan can use it, it won’t go to waste.”

Xiao Xueman thought it sounded perfect. He stepped out and picked his son up from the pile of fluff, handing him the black rock.

“Inject your spirit power slowly,” he instructed. “Close your eyes, and when you feel your power completely wrap around it, that means you’ve formed a basic contract. It’ll be yours.”

Being his first spirit instrument, Xiao Wan was a little nervous. He sniffled softly and clutched the rock.

It soon dissolved into tiny points of light, landing on his hands and transforming into a pair of twin swords—one fire, one wood. With more testing, he could retract and summon them at will.

He was fascinated and went off to play with them by himself.

Shen Guan, seeing how much Xiao Wan liked it, let out a breath of relief and glanced at Xiao Xueman.

Now that he thought about it, he’d never seen Xiao Xueman use a spirit instrument. Spirit plants turning into demons was something from the legends. The books never really explained how they were different from regular demon clans. Maybe Xiao Xueman just didn’t need a weapon.

He hit hard enough with just his bare hands.

No one really knew what the Tianxi Divine Tree was. Just the name alone sounded incredibly powerful.

Qin Lou was still hiding nearby. Xiao Xueman was too sharp—he didn’t dare get close. If he got caught, he’d definitely be kicked out.

From his position, he could just barely see the scene—looked like Shen Guan had given Xiao Wan a spirit instrument.

Of course, Qin Lou was happy that Xiao Wan found something suitable. But he couldn’t help the sour feeling creeping up. A little jealous too.

They were both giving spirit instruments… but he was the only one who never managed to give his.

No matter what he did, it just felt like interference to Xiao Xueman.

Then he saw Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan sitting closely together, chatting. Xiao Wan sat nearby on the grass, playing with foxes and inspecting his new weapon.

Even though he knew Shen Guan and Xiao Xueman were just friends… they really looked like a family.

All Qin Lou could do was sulk quietly up in a tree, not daring to make a sound. If Xiao Xueman caught him, he’d be done for.

Meanwhile, Shen Guan and Xiao Xueman were discussing what to do next.

“Are you and Xiao Wan still planning to go to Twelfth Heaven?”

If Ning Ling hadn’t taken Xiao Wan away, they would’ve been living in Twelfth Heaven by now. But life always had its detours. After all that happened, everything had changed.

Xiao Xueman thought for a moment. “Maybe. But we might go somewhere else. I still need to keep teaching Xiao Wan alchemy, and I have to find the right environment.”

He paused, then said, “This time… I should be able to send you letters. Bit of a hassle, though.”

Shen Guan lowered his head with a small smile, but then looked a little worried.

Qin Lou hadn’t stopped Xiao Xueman from leaving—but knowing him, it was hard to believe he’d really just let go. For all they knew, he could be lurking nearby.

“I’m just worried Wangtian Immortal Sect won’t let you go so easily,” Shen Guan said. “If something happens…”

Xiao Xueman didn’t seem worried.

“I’ve already seen everyone I needed to,” he said. “No point worrying about that now. I’m sure they’ll keep searching or tailing me—but so what?”

He wasn’t the same Xiao Xueman from before. No chains could bind him anymore.

He knew Qin Lou far too well. The fact that he didn’t stop him from leaving meant he’d listened—he wasn’t completely hopeless.

They’d already seen each other twice. No point pretending it didn’t happen. If he wanted to follow, let him. He probably didn’t even dare show himself now, scared of upsetting him again.

In any case, Qin Lou wasn’t a problem anymore.

“Let him do what he wants. Xiao Wan and I don’t need to hide,” Xiao Xueman said. “Maybe this way, life will be more relaxed.”

He had nothing left to fear, nothing left to ask for. Whether others gave up or not—didn’t matter, as long as they didn’t disturb his peace.

Xiao Wan was growing stronger day by day. After taking a few hard knocks, he was training even harder. It was only a matter of time before he grew into his power. Then, Xiao Xueman could be even more carefree.

He left Shen Guan a twig. It had a single curled green bud glowing faintly.

“If something ever happens—something urgent or dangerous—use your spiritual power to dissolve this branch,” Xiao Xueman said. “I’ll come. But I hope you’ll never need to.”

Shen Guan stared at it. It was probably part of Xiao Xueman’s original form. He’d seen so many spiritual plants… but never this one.

The Tianxi Divine Tree, huh…

As the two prepared to part ways, Xiao Xueman leaned in slightly to hand over the twig. Qin Lou, still hiding in the distance, felt even more bitter at how close they were standing—but he didn’t dare move.

That didn’t stop him from fidgeting though. The branch under his foot wobbled, the leaves rustling with a quiet shiver.

There was wind in the forest, and the sound of rustling leaves blended in almost perfectly.

Almost.

But Xiao Xueman wasn’t just any wood-type. That “almost” didn’t fool him.

He glanced subtly in that direction. No surprise. His mind quickly made the connection.

“…Do me one last favor,” Xiao Xueman whispered to Shen Guan, lowering his voice to the barest minimum. “Help me shake off a little trouble.”

⸻

Author’s note:

Continuing the “raise the kid” arc 🐾