526. Set Sail

For about half an hour.

Qian Renxue finally returned to her small home halfway up the mountain, satisfied, with Qian Renjue in tow.

It was just about mealtime.

“Teacher!”

Before they even entered the door, Xiao Fei Die came running out with excitement.

“Teacher, you’re finally back!”

“Yes, I’m back.”

Qian Renxue smiled, hugging her disciple warmly as she walked inside. She asked with concern:

“How’s your training? Have you been slacking off?”

“Disciple hasn’t been slacking! Little Senior Uncle and the others can vouch for me.”

Xiao Fei Die smiled, wrapping her arms around Qian Renxue’s neck.

Suddenly, her smile froze. She noticed Qian Renjue behind her, his right arm exposed, and looked puzzled.

“Little Uncle? What happened to you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. I just slipped when coming down the mountain,” Qian Renjue explained with a smile.

“Don’t worry about him, Fei Die. He’s an adult who still grabs things recklessly—serves him right for falling.”

Qian Renxue’s expression changed slightly as she turned to glare at Qian Renjue.

She then carried Fei Die inside without looking back.

“How is everything suddenly my fault?”

Qian Renjue muttered, feeling a bit indignant. A little playful mischief was normal—he hadn’t meant to use that much strength.

“Miss Xue!”

In the kitchen, Hu Liena popped her head out, pleasantly surprised by the commotion.

“Yes, keep cooking,” Qian Renxue responded casually, setting Fei Die on her lap.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Hu Liena replied cheerfully, but her expression turned odd when she noticed Qian Renjue's disheveled state.

“Senior Brother?”

“I’m fine, just need to change clothes.”

Qian Renjue smiled, tugging at his collar to cover his neck and shoulders.

“Are you really okay?” Hu Liena asked, her eyes suspicious.

“I’m fine.”

Qian Renjue shook his head, catching a faint scent of something burning. He reminded her:

“Focus on your cooking—it’s about to burn.”

“Ah! Goodbye, Senior Brother!”

Hu Liena exclaimed in alarm, rushing back with her spatula.

Qian Renjue quickly headed to his room to change.

Qian Renxue watched his retreating figure, her expression momentarily curious.

Xiao Fei Die chuckled and explained:

“Teacher, while you were in seclusion, Little Uncle got kicked out by Grandmaster.”

“I see.”

Qian Renxue nodded slightly, rubbing her temples without a word.

Her expression held a trace of amusement and reproach.


---

In the room, Qian Renjue quickly changed his clothes and had Ah Yin heal the bite marks on his shoulder.

By the time he came back out, Bibi Dong had returned and was sitting beside Qian Renxue.

The mother and daughter were chatting and laughing, their cheeks slightly flushed.

“Jue, come here quickly,” Bibi Dong called softly, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Coming,” he replied.


---

Night descended gently.

In the master bedroom, Qian Renxue shared a pillow with Bibi Dong. She leaned against her mother’s shoulder.

“Mom, why did you kick him out?”

“Do you expect me to pamper him? Out of sight, out of mind,” Bibi Dong said, stroking her golden hair and rolling her eyes.

“Haha, true, he deserved a few kicks. But it feels a bit quiet without him,” Qian Renxue said with a chuckle.

“A little quiet is good—it keeps things from getting too lively in the morning.”

“That’s true.”


---

In the side room, Hu Liena and Xiao Fei Die were meditating in cultivation.

Meanwhile, Qian Renjue stood atop the mountain, letting the cold wind blow over him.

Under the moonlight, he gazed at the ancestral tablets inside the house, popping a crispy peanut into his mouth.

Crunch!

“Sigh~ Why do I feel like a favored consort? Will someone else take my place in the second half of the night?”

Qian Renjue muttered, lying on the steps beneath the eaves.


Unknowingly, he lay there with his eyes half-closed, completely unguarded.

In his drowsy state, he suddenly felt warmth and softness in his arms, pressing down on him, making it slightly hard to breathe.

But the weight and size didn’t feel quite right—almost as if there were two people.

It wasn’t until soft touches brushed against his face from both sides that Qian Renjue drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Under the eaves, Qian Renjue slept straight through until dawn. Only when the sun’s glare became unbearable did he groggily wake up.

Lying on the steps left him with a sore back, and he sat up with a wince.

Looking around and seeing no one, he muttered, “Sigh, no wonder I had such restless dreams.”

He leaned back and patted his sore back, finally straightening up after some effort.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a scorching beam of light shot down from above, forcing him to shield his eyes. Squinting, he looked up at what seemed to be a second blazing sun in the sky.

" Sister?”

“Humph! Can’t you wake up earlier? Here’s your breakfast.”

Suspended in mid-air with six golden wings, Qian Renxue tossed a bundle down to him.

“Hurry up and wash up!” she continued. “Once you’ve eaten, we’ll head to the coast. It’s time for you to break through to Titled Douluo.”

Qian Renjue caught the bundle and nodded. “Got it.”

“Move it!”

Qian Renxue folded her arms, landing gracefully atop the courtyard gate as she sat down to wait.

Qian Renjue ran into the house to wash up.

Standing in front of the mirror, he frowned and touched his neck on both sides.

“Did Ah Yin not finish her work last night? Did she bite me? No… it wasn’t her.”

Thinking back, he realized his poor sleep likely had a reason. Sleeping while being pressed down—no wonder he felt so tired.

“Ah Yin.”

“I’m here!”


---

After breakfast, there was no need to exchange many words with Bibi Dong and the others.

Two streaks of light, one golden and one black, shot out from the mountaintop and disappeared into the distance.

The siblings barely stopped along the way.

With the Life Ring, they alternated their efforts and traveled without rest.

The vast ocean stretched endlessly before them.

In just a few days, they had reached the sea, covering an immense distance.

The Evil Spirit Orca pod was about 500 kilometers from Sea God Island. Mortal enemies of the Demon Soul Great White Shark, the adult Evil Spirit Orcas measured between 20 to 25 meters, with powerful physiques, sharp teeth, and formidable skills.

According to the intelligence passed on by Jiang Jun Douluo, the Evil Spirit Orca pod had around 300 members, with about 200 fully grown.

In this ocean, the Evil Spirit Orca was among the most ferocious creatures.

While the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was lazy and preferred to sleep while waiting for food to come to it, the Evil Spirit Orcas killed indiscriminately, even when full.

Though opposites in behavior, both had been labeled as evil spirit beasts by the Seagod and were used as trials in the divine examination.

Thinking of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, Qian Renjue furrowed his brows.

That creature, a million-year-old soul beast, could potentially fill the gap in the Sea God’s Heart with its brain. Perhaps it could even replace Qian Daoliu’s sacrificial role and assist Qian Renxue in becoming a god.

“Jue, we should be nearing the location marked on the sea map, right?”

Now on the ocean, Qian Renxue remained hidden in the Life Ring for the time being.

“Yes, we’re close,” Qian Renjue replied, nodding.

“Let me cast the net first, and then you can come out.”

“Understood. When the time comes, we’ll end this quickly,” Qian Renxue said with a serious tone.

In this vast ocean, she dared not let her guard down.

Having once been a god and possessing some ancestral memories, she understood the dangers of divine power all too well.

Respect and caution were only natural.