Chapter 14: If Gods Block Me, I Will Slay Gods
"NO!"
Qian Zhaoguang roared in fury. The Extreme Ice Light erupted with unprecedented power, instantly painting everything within the room an icy blue.
Huo Yutong, who had been cultivating next door, was startled awake by this powerful surge of icy energy and quickly rushed into the room.
"Brother Zhaoguang, what happ— Grandpa!"
As she entered the room, the sight that met her eyes was Qian Zhaoguang cradling the old butler's lifeless body.
The Extreme Ice Light flickered on his chest, pulsing with intense coldness that made Huo Yutong shiver involuntarily.
The light itself was already extremely faint.
All that remained was endless cold.
"Grandpa... is gone..."
Qian Zhaoguang's voice was devoid of any inflection, like eternally frozen ice.
He looked up at Huo Yutong, his eyes now bloodshot, filled with sorrow and hatred.
Huo Yutong covered her mouth, suppressing the urge to scream.
Tears streamed from her eyes as well, only to freeze into ice on her cheeks due to the chilling air.
How could she not be heartbroken by the old butler's passing?
In Huo Yutong's heart, the old butler held a position equal to that of her own mother, Huo Yun'er.
Who could have imagined that their farewell half a month ago would be their last?
She could still clearly remember the old butler's kind smile just before he left.
"Be good, Xiao Tong. Stay home and cultivate diligently with Xiao Guang. Grandpa is going on a long trip. When I come back, I'll bring you some Perilla Crisp Candy, okay?"
"Mm-hmm. Goodbye, Grandpa."
Huo Yutong crouched on the floor, weeping silently.
This was the second time she had experienced the departure of a loved one.
Tears blurred her vision.
She huddled on the floor, sobbing continuously, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She wanted to ask the heavens why fate was so unfair, why the heavens treated her this way!
Qian Zhaoguang sat on the bed, holding the old butler's body, completely lost and devastated.
With trembling hands, he gently laid the old butler down flat, tenderly closing the eyes that had lost their light.
Rationality gradually returned to his mind at this moment, yet an indescribable sorrow permeated his entire being.
Grandpa, I will not let you die in vain like this.
When my cultivation is accomplished, I will search the highest heavens and the deepest underworlds, I will snatch your soul back from the Netherworld!
No one can stop me from resurrecting you!
The Extreme Ice Light flared violently once more, causing a layer of frost to condense even on the walls.
Huo Yutong was forced out of her extreme grief by the cold, exhaling a puff of white mist as she opened her mouth.
"Brother Zhaoguang... cold..."
Hearing Huo Yutong's voice, Qian Zhaoguang finally snapped out of that strange state.
Instantly, the ice and snow melted, the temperature receded.
The Extreme Ice Light stopped flickering, and the room's temperature gradually began to rise.
What... what happened to me?
Without time to dwell on his previous state, Qian Zhaoguang subconsciously hugged the shivering Huo Yutong, circulating his own Qi and Blood to radiate warmth.
Tears had frozen into tiny ice pellets on her pale little face.
The intense grief combined with the prolonged exposure to cold had left her somewhat dazed.
Huo Yutong murmured, speaking unclearly.
"Mama is gone... Grandpa doesn't want me anymore either..."
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Tong. I'm still here. Brother is still here. From now on, I am your real brother."
"Brother..."
Under the weight of successive devastating blows, Huo Yutong could no longer hold on and fainted.
Her Sea of Consciousness was currently in violent turmoil.
Qian Zhaoguang held her for a while longer, confirming her body temperature had returned to normal before carefully carrying her back to the bed she slept in daily.
Returning to his own room, Qian Zhaoguang took several deep breaths, forcibly calming his turbulent emotions somewhat. He placed the bed covers stained with black blood, along with the old butler's body, entirely into the storage bracelet.
Under the cover of night, he quietly slipped out of the city.
Running wildly, he reached the mountain where he and Huo Yutong usually did their morning training.
A grave mound already stood there.
It was Huo Yun'er's grave.
Digging a pit, chopping wood, starting a fire.
Watching the old butler's body gradually being consumed by the flames, Qian Zhaoguang cried again, this time letting out completely unrestrained sobs.
When the fire burned out, he collected the old butler's ashes into a porcelain jar and buried them here, laying him to rest.
He carved and erected a tombstone, kowtowed, and burned incense.
Engraved on the tombstone were a few simple yet powerful characters—
[Grave of Zhu Qichen]
By the time he finished everything, dawn was breaking.
Light and warmth once again scattered across the land, covering the darkness.
When Qian Zhaoguang returned to the small courtyard, the sky was already bright. Huo Yutong was still unconscious.
He went back to the now empty room, used his soul power to open the storage bracelet, and began taking stock of the items the old butler had left behind.
One thousand fifty-six Gold Soul Coins, thirty-two Silver Soul Coins, seventy-eight Copper Soul Coins.
For an ordinary family, savings of over a thousand Gold Soul Coins would be considered extremely wealthy, enough to live without worrying about food or clothing.
However, for a Soul Saint level expert, one who was even close to breaking through to Soul Douluo, this amount of money was truly too little.
Qian Zhaoguang's heart felt heavy.
The old butler had spent almost his entire life's savings on his and Huo Yutong's cultivation over these past few years.
Just the vast amount of medicinal herbs and heavenly treasures used for his own medicinal baths represented a considerable expense.
Besides the direct currency, there were also three boxes, an identity token, and some miscellaneous items.
The weighty token had a lifelike tiger head pattern carved on the front – the symbol of the White Tiger Duke.
The back was blank.
Qian Zhaoguang opened the first box. Inside lay a type of heavenly treasure called Golden Spirit Fruit, which had excellent effects for tempering a Soul Master's physique and was incredibly rare and valuable.
The second box didn't contain anything particularly precious, just a simple box of Perilla Crisp Candy.
As soon as Qian Zhaoguang picked up the third box, he felt the weight was somewhat off.
Opening it, he found two envelopes neatly placed inside, along with a crumpled piece of letter paper.
On the back of the letter paper, purplish-red characters, varying in size and written extremely hastily, penetrated through the paper, carrying a faint smell of blood.
Qian Zhaoguang's heart tightened. He carefully unfolded the letter paper.
"Xiao Guang, by the time you read this letter, I should already be dead. Do not seek revenge for me. Do not make needless sacrifices, unless one day, your cultivation can break through to Titled Douluo."
"Here are two recommendation letters personally written by the City Lord, addressed to you and Xiao Tong respectively. If possible, try to get into Shrek Academy before the age of twelve. I was once a member there myself."
"If you can't get into Shrek, it doesn't matter. As I've told you before, there is a sect on the continent called the Body Sect. Go try your luck in the Heaven Soul Empire; perhaps they will recognize that strange Martial Soul of yours."
"The Golden Spirit Fruit... find the remaining medicinal ingredients yourself, it should be able to help you..."
The letter's contents ended abruptly here, with nothing further.
Qian Zhaoguang smoothed out the letter paper, folded it, and placed it back into the box with extreme care, along with the two recommendation letters, storing them all together in the storage bracelet.
Shrek, huh?
If this is your last wish, Grandpa, I will give it a try.
Previously, when initially planning his future path, Qian Zhaoguang had considered whether he should go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Although Shrek was indeed powerful and possessed abundant resources that other sects and academies lacked, there were many of Shrek's educational philosophies he truly found difficult to agree with.
Now, that consideration was unnecessary.
The Holy Spirit Cult was the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire. Qian Zhaoguang held an irreconcilable hatred towards them.
Given this, how could he possibly join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?
Author's Note: The Douluo Continent indeed has a briefly mentioned setting of the Underworld (Netherworld). In the original work, Huo Yun'er's soul was brought out from the Underworld by Dai Mubai.
(End of Chapter)