The next morning, as I made my way downstairs, I was greeted by the cheerful sound of laughter. Grandpa was sitting on the floor, holding Dugu Yan as she giggled and squirmed in his arms. He was making exaggerated faces and noises, much to her delight.
Dugu Xin stood nearby, watching them with a soft, loving expression on his face. It was a rare sight to see him so at ease, and it brought a sense of relief to my heart. Whatever he and Grandpa had discussed the previous day seemed to have lightened his mind significantly.
As soon as he noticed me, Dugu Xin's expression changed. He walked over with a mischievous grin and, before I could react, he grabbed me by the shoulders and hoisted me into the air as if I were a child.
"Look at you! You've grown so much, Bei!" he said with exaggerated enthusiasm, shaking me slightly for emphasis.
"Put me down!" I protested, struggling in his grip. "I'm not six anymore, Uncle Xin!"
He laughed heartily but complied, setting me back on the ground. "Alright, alright. My apologies, oh great Spirit Emperor."
I brushed off my clothes, pretending to be annoyed, but his laughter was infectious. It felt good to have him back. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box.
"I brought you something," he said, handing it to me. "A promise is a promise."
Curious, I opened the box to reveal a necklace. The pendant was a striking black spider with a green snake coiled around it. The craftsmanship was impeccable.
"When I saw this, it reminded me of you immediately, a spider living with snakes, although, I guess father should be considered a dragon now," Dugu Xin said with a grin.
I held it up, admiring the design. "It's perfect," I said honestly. While I wasn't particularly fond of jewelry, the necklace's design was pretty cool. "Thank you, Uncle Xin. I'll take good care of it."
His grin widened. "You'd better. It suits you."
The peaceful moment shifted slightly when Dugu Xin asked about what I'd been up to during his absence. I casually mentioned my two years away, and his expression turned from curiosity to incredulity.
"You left for two years? Alone?" he asked, his voice rising with disbelief. His gaze snapped to Grandpa. "And you let him go? What were you thinking?"
Grandpa, who had been blissfully entertaining Dugu Yan, looked up with a sheepish smile. "Bei's stronger than you think," he said. "He needed the experience."
I quickly stepped in to ease the situation. "Uncle Xin, it's fine. I was perfectly safe. In fact, I made a lot of progress during those two years."
He crossed his arms, still frowning. "Oh? And what kind of progress justifies running off like that?"
I couldn't help but smirk a little. "Well, for starters, I reached Spirit Emperor. I'm rank 66 now."
His eyebrows shot up. "I noticed you were a Spirit Emperor, but rank 66, that is indeed impressive."
"That's not all," I said, enjoying the moment. "Grandpa and I hunted an 80,000-year-old Mutated Spider Emperor for my sixth spirit ring. It even dropped a skull bone."
The astonishment on his face was priceless. "An 80,000-year-old soul beast? And a skull bone?" He looked between Grandpa and me, his mouth opening and closing as he processed the information. "You two... you're insane."
Grandpa chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. "What can I say? The boy's got guts."
Dugu Xin shook his head, still in disbelief. "I don't know whether to be proud or terrified."
The conversation shifted when Grandpa brought up our future plans. "By the way, Xin," he said, his tone more serious now, "I've found the perfect location for the academy Bei wants to open. It's in Heaven Dou City. We'll be moving there in a week. We wanted to wait for you so we could go together."
The mention of waiting for him seemed to touch something deep in Dugu Xin. He looked down at Dugu Yan, then back at Grandpa and me. For a moment, he didn't speak, but the emotion in his eyes said everything. "Thank you," he finally said, his voice soft but firm. "I'll have everything ready to move in a week."
I nodded, feeling the anticipation build. But before we could fully focus on getting to the academy, there were a few other things I needed to take care of.
"By the way," I said, breaking the contemplative silence, "I have an appointment in a year with a soul master. It's a potential future teacher for the academy."
Dugu Xin's interest was piqued. "A soul master? Who is it?"
I grinned mysteriously. "You'll see."
He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly intrigued but also annoyed by my secrecy. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
I shook my head. "Nope."
Grandpa laughed, clapping Dugu Xin on the back. "You should know by now that the boy loves his secrets. Get used to it. "
Unable to resist, I added, "Before we head to the academy, we need to make a stop at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the expert I want to recruit should live near that zone."
Dugu Xin's eyes widened. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
My grin widened, but I didn't say another word. The curiosity burning in his eyes was worth the restraint.
The rest of the day was spent in preparation. While Dugu Xin and Grandpa discussed logistics, I found myself drawn to Dugu Yan. She was asleep now, her tiny hands curled into fists, her breathing soft and steady.
While I looked at my sleeping cousin, I thought about doing a quick trip by myself to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to store all the good herbs, I didn't feel very comfortable leaving our home near the Sunset Forest without taking those treasures with me. I also had to pick one herb for Liu Erlong. I need her to reach Titled Douluo fast if she agrees to join my academy.