Additional chapter for reaching 50 powerstones. I was busy today so I was unable to post. Anyway, let's reach 100 powerstones
.....
"Paimon's a god?"
Dugu Yan's eyes widened in disbelief when Paimon openly admitted it.
That floating little creature in the air… a god?
Her grandfather had always referred to "that lord" with such reverence—could it be that Paimon was the true "lord" he had spoken of all along?
Even Xue Qinghe was stunned. Based on his deductions, Paimon could arguably count as a divine being—but only in a loose sense. Wasn't she supposed to be a companion to a true god?
Meanwhile, Yu Keke stared at Paimon, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"Lady Paimon~ what kind of god are you?"
Dugu Yan, ever the straightforward one, spoke up first while everyone else remained dumbfounded.
Paimon glanced at Aether, proudly pointed a tiny finger at him, and declared,
"I'm the Traveler's guardian deity! Hehe~"
"And a god who cries, too~"
Hearing that, Aether recalled their previous conversation and affectionately pinched Paimon's cheek. She leapt into the air, flailing in protest.
"..."
Everyone was left speechless by the scene.
Yu Keke, however, murmured softly to herself,
"To become his guardian deity…"
No one noticed the flicker of never-before-seen determination in her wide, bright eyes.
…
"Your Highness, Lord, Your Excellency…"
In front of the Prince's Manor, the guards stood straight and saluted respectfully as the group entered one by one.
Once Xue Qinghe and the others had gone inside, two guards began whispering to each other.
"Hey, why is His Highness walking with the Poison Douluo? Isn't the Poison Douluo aligned with Prince Xue Beng?"
"Quiet down! Are you trying to get yourself killed for gossiping about the prince?"
The second guard looked around cautiously before whispering,
"You seriously don't know? His Grace, the Poison Douluo, is seeking help from that lord accompanying His Highness…"
"Really? Even a Titled Douluo has things he can't handle?"
"Pfft. You clearly don't know what kind of figure that lord is. I heard he— Ow!"
Suddenly, a palm-shaped red mark appeared on each of their faces. They clutched their cheeks and lowered their heads in fear, falling completely silent.
They knew this was punishment for daring to gossip about that lord.
And as for who dealt the punishment, they didn't even need to guess—it was surely the temperamental Poison Douluo.
The burning pain on their cheeks was nothing compared to losing their lives. If it weren't for the presence of that lord, even His Highness the Crown Prince might not be able to save them for speaking so carelessly.
…
Inside the courtyard, Xue Qinghe tactfully had the servants bring out a few trays of delicious pastries. Paimon and Yu Keke naturally began devouring them with gusto.
Aether sat on a stone bench, quietly observing the grandfather and granddaughter before him.
"My lord, about my granddaughter's condition…"
Dugu Bo spoke first, bowing anxiously when he saw Aether's somewhat complicated expression.
"She's recently been injured. The toxin from her martial soul is unstable and currently rampaging through her system, though it's been somewhat weakened…"
Aether looked at Dugu Yan and shared his assessment.
Her face was pale, but it wasn't the usual symptom of martial soul poison. Instead, it was the aftereffect of another type of toxin.
Strangely enough, the martial soul poison in her body was far less active than what Aether had previously seen in Dugu Bo.
Dugu Yan's eyes flickered with surprise.
She had only just returned before her grandfather brought her here. There was no way word of her injury could've spread this quickly.
This boy—whom her grandfather called "lord"—actually saw through her condition at a glance?
Because she had been away for some time, she hadn't heard anything about Aether's deeds. From appearance alone, he didn't look anything like a mighty expert.
What kind of master plays in the mud?
What kind of master looks even younger than she is?
If not for her grandfather going on and on about him, she would've never believed it.
"My lord, it's true—Yan Yan was gravely injured by a reckless brat. Fortunately, she was treated by a young girl from the Ye family and managed to return safely."
Dugu Bo held nothing back, sharing everything he knew.
He understood that nothing could be hidden from this lord anyway.
Just thinking about Yan Yan being hurt made a cold light flash through his eyes.
That damn brat!
Once this lord helped eliminate the hidden dangers in Yan Yan's martial soul, he would hunt the culprit down and tear him to pieces!
"Mm. The Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul is indeed powerful in healing."
Aether nodded. The Nine-Heart Begonia reminded him of Teyvat's restorative food items.
"My lord knows of the Ye family?"
Dugu Bo couldn't help but ask.
Then he remembered—this lord possessed unimaginable abilities. What secrets could the Ye family possibly have?
Even things he thought were well hidden had been exposed with a glance…
"I've heard a bit," Aether replied casually.
In truth, he had simply recalled a few scattered memories from long ago about the Ye family.
"Eh? Traveler, didn't we just arrive here not long ago? What's this Ye family? I don't remember us ever visiting them?"
Paimon mumbled between mouthfuls of pastry.
Why did it feel like the Traveler knew everything about this place already? She, the so-called guide, hadn't even been needed!
"I heard about it from someone else… Are you full yet?"
Aether shot her a look. Was she trying to blow his cover?
"Ah—Nope! Not yet! And you'd better not try to steal my share!"
Distracted by the thought of losing food, Paimon redoubled her efforts to eat as fast as possible.
This glutton…
Aether shook his head. Once he had successfully diverted her attention, he extended a hand. A small, glowing green seed bloomed in his palm.
Unlike the snack-devouring Paimon, the others in the courtyard—Dugu Bo and Yan, Xue Qinghe, and Yu Keke—were all instantly drawn to the luminous object.
"What's that?" Xue Qinghe was the first to speak.
He could sense that this seed radiated a powerful vitality.
With his greater soul power, Dugu Bo sensed not only intense life energy but also a distinct aura of purification.
"This is an Elemental Seed," Aether explained calmly, noting their astonished expressions.
"Elemental Seed?"
Even Dugu Bo, with his wealth of experience, had never heard of such a thing.
Xue Qinghe remained silent, remembering something Paimon had said earlier about wind elemental power and their travels.
But this seed didn't seem like it belonged to the wind element, did it?
"This Elemental Seed can completely purify the martial soul toxins in this young lady's body. However…"
"My lord, as long as it can cleanse Yan Yan's poison and let her grow up safe and healthy, nothing else matters!"
Dugu Bo cut him off decisively.
He had caught on—Aether was about to mention some kind of consequence.
But he had already made up his mind.
As long as Yan Yan could live a healthy and happy life, he didn't care if it meant she could never use soul power again—or even if it cost him his own cultivation or life.
_
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