Seeing Qian Renjue running toward him, Qian Xunji happily squatted down and embraced his beloved son.
"Xiao Jue, why aren't you resting early?"
"I'm waiting for Grandpa Feather to report back. Where did Mom go?" Qian Renjue asked, holding a glass cup in his hands. He also suspected that Bibi Dong had discovered something unusual.
Hearing Qian Renjue's words, Qian Xunji's expression became somewhat unnatural. He held Qian Renjue and walked towards Qian Renxue.
"Dad," Qian Renxue's crisp voice came as she looked up with a small face.
"Mm." Qian Xunji smiled slightly, placing his right hand on Qian Renxue's head and ruffling her hair, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"Xiao Xue, Xiao Jue, don't go to see your mom for now."
"Why?" Qian Renjue was stunned.
Qian Xunji gently tapped Qian Renjue's nose, smiling as he explained, "Because your mom has to go on a long journey, and she'll be gone for a long time."
"A long journey?!" Qian Renxue reacted strongly; she immediately thought of that place—the "Slaughter City!" She didn't expect that her brother's arrival would prompt that woman to head there early for her trials.
Qian Renjue came back to his senses, a suspicion forming in his mind. He couldn't help but probe, "Dad, what's Mom going on a long journey for? How long will she be gone?"
"Haha, as a Soul Master, of course, it's to get stronger. Only by becoming stronger can she protect you both," Qian Xunji chuckled, holding the somewhat resistant Qian Renxue in his arms as well.
"As for how long she'll be gone, even Dad doesn't know right now."
Qian Renxue couldn't believe it; even in this new life, Qian Xunji was telling the same lies as before.
Qian Renjue said nothing further, lowering his head, looking a bit worried.
He knew that a place like the "Slaughter City" would only drive Bibi Dong further into madness.
To Qian Renxue, Qian Renjue's expression seemed to reflect his disappointment. She couldn't help but grasp his small hand. "Come on, cheer up. Mom is getting stronger for you."
Qian Xunji gently lifted the two children in his arms, but neither of them showed much enthusiasm.
He sighed inwardly, but still managed a smile, carrying Qian Renxue and Qian Renjue toward their living quarters.
"It's getting late. Dad will take you back to your rooms to wash up and sleep."
"But Jue still wants to wait for Grandpa Feather!" Qian Renjue now wanted very much to see Bibi Dong.
Just as he finished speaking, a white streak of light shot down from the sky.
"Xiao Jue, no need to wait anymore." As the voice of Glowing Feather Douluo fell, a youthful figure landed, explaining helplessly, "Little Dong'er is pretty smart; she's already noticed something was off. You two little ones should get some rest."
Hearing this, Qian Renjue lowered his head in disappointment.
"Fifth Uncle." Qian Xunji greeted the youthful-looking Guang Ling Douluo.
Glowing Feather Douluo nodded slightly, smiling, "Xiao Ji, take the children back. I'll be off now."
"Thank you for the news, Grandpa Feather."
"Haha, Xiao Jue, no need to be so polite. Just spend more time playing with Grandpa."
Glowing Feather Douluo laughed heartily and flew towards the depths of the worship hall.
Watching Glowing Feather Douluo leave, Qian Xunji slowly carried the siblings away.
"Xiao Xue, Xiao Jue, come on, Dad has some free time today. I'll help you fall asleep."
Hearing Qian Xunji's words, Qian Renxue resisted, "Dad, we're not that little anymore."
Qian Renjue chimed in, "Yeah, we can put ourselves to bed."
"Ah, well..." Qian Xunji smiled bitterly, feeling helpless, "Dad rarely has free time. You should let Dad do something, right?"
Qian Renxue and Qian Renjue looked at each other thoughtfully. Qian Renjue glanced at his dirty clothes, a small smile appearing on his face. "Then Dad, you can help us wash our clothes."
"Wash the clothes?!" Qian Xunji's face showed difficulty—he had never done such a thing in his life.
"Can't you do it?"
"I can, of course I can."
Seeing Qian Xunji's appeasing expression, Qian Renxue couldn't help but laugh, though her heart was still heavy with concern.
...
As night deepened, Qian Renjue and Qian Renxue had already bathed early.
Qian Xunji, clumsy and inexperienced, tore the clothes while scrubbing them, muttering curses at the tailor from a distance.
Then he declared that he would buy new clothes for the children.
Amid the eye-rolls from Qian Renxue and Qian Renjue, this old father left somewhat sheepishly, his face flushed red.
At that moment, the siblings huddled together, lying in the same bed. Qian Renjue buried his head in Qian Renxue's embrace, and Qian Renxue instinctively patted his back, lulling him to sleep.
However, Qian Renjue, who seemed so quiet, was secretly conducting his third system-opening session since birth. The system notifications echoed in his mind.
Ever since he was born, when the system had produced an "Infinite Pacifier," Qian Renjue had tried opening two more boxes when he turned one year old, yielding 100 points and a storage Soul Tool. It was as if bad luck was following him. Given his current status, there was no lack of storage Soul Tools.
This time, with Bibi Dong about to head to the Slaughter City, Qian Renjue wanted to see what useful items might come out of the system's boxes, hoping something might help.
[Host has 2050 points!]
[Four 'Mystery Boxes' have been redeemed. Remaining points: 50!]
[Do you wish to open the boxes?]
[Ding! Mystery Box opening...]
[Congratulations, host, you have received: Blood Jade Ring, Phantom Sugar Candy, Parent-Child Bells, and Soul Capturing Orb.]
[Blood Jade Ring]: From the northern desert, paired with a special bell, it can detect and confirm the life or death of the wearer, and sense danger.
[Phantom Sugar Candy]: Allows the user to enter a state of intangibility and invisibility for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the effect can be toggled on and off at will.
[Parent-Child Bells]: Used for communication; shaking the parent bell will cause the child bell to emit sound.
[Soul Capturing Orb]: Automatically attracts lingering souls in the vicinity, providing a resting place for deceased souls, even if only a fragment remains.
As he listened to the system's announcements, four items appeared in Qian Renjue's system space. Three of them were in simple, ancient boxes: the Blood Jade Ring, Soul Capturing Orb, and Parent-Child Bells.
The Phantom Sugar Candy, however, were stored in a brocade pouch containing three candies.
Although this time's unboxing session didn't yield anything useless, none of it seemed particularly helpful for Bibi Dong's journey to the Slaughter City, except perhaps those three candies imbued with spatial energy, which might help her pass through the Hell Road quickly and smoothly.
As for the other items, Qian Renjue could only consider them superfluous at the moment. The Parent-Child Bells, in particular, were the most useless of all!
Given the current situation, the other three items were of no use at all!
Qian Renjue closed his eyes helplessly, his luck still as poor as ever.
---
Buy the full version (280+ and still ongoing) here:
Patreon.com/rashta/shop
100++ chapter in advance
And soon will reach 200+ advanced chapters
Buy once and read it for a lifetime.
(No monthly membership)