What exactly did Qian Renxue mean in the note she left him?
Had something urgent come up at the time that prevented her from explaining it clearly?
Could it be that Bibi Dong's visit wasn't just to clarify the truth she'd uncovered, but carried deeper hidden motives?
A swirl of doubts churned in Aether's mind, disrupting the plans he had originally set.
"We should head back for now,"
He said to the others, leading them back to Dugu Bo's residence.
—
Inside the residence, Dugu Bo had already returned and was currently instructing the maidservants who were tidying up the courtyard.
"My lord, you've returned?"
Upon seeing them, he immediately came forward to greet them.
"We're back, Uncle,"
Aether replied with a nod, then asked,
"By the way, aside from the incident you mentioned before, has anything else strange happened in Heaven Dou recently?"
"Strange?"
Dugu Bo paused. "No, not really…"
He had been in the imperial city the whole time due to the Crown Prince's matter and hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary—not even a rumor.
"Let's talk inside."
After some thought, Aether led everyone into the sitting room.
"My lord, did something else happen while you were out?"
Dugu Bo accepted the tea from a maid, anxiety flickering across his face at Aether's serious expression.
Aether shook his head. The truth was still unclear, but he already had a plan forming.
He looked around at the others. After a moment of consideration, he finally spoke:
"There's something I need to investigate. But meanwhile, Keke and Zhuqing still need to go hunt their soul rings…"
"Big brother, we can delay the ring absorption for now."
"Yes, Your Excellency. The rings can wait."
Yu Keke and Zhu Zhuqing both quickly voiced their willingness to put the hunt on hold. They understood what it was Aether intended to investigate.
"No." Aether gently shook his head, continuing,
"I want the two of you to go with Uncle Dugu to hunt your soul rings first. I'll take Paimon to check things out."
Seeing Yu Keke's eyes start to mist over, Aether sighed, walked up, and patted her head.
"Keke, listen to your big sister. Zhuqing—once you two get stronger, you'll be able to help me more, right?"
Hearing that, both girls fell silent, then slowly nodded in agreement.
"My lord, this is…"
Dugu Bo looked startled by the sudden arrangement.
"Uncle, I'll leave the two of them in your care. Please look after them for me."
Aether clasped his fists in respect.
"My lord, what are you saying? Don't worry! I'll treat these two young ladies like my own Yan Yan!"
Dugu Bo returned the gesture earnestly, making a solemn promise.
He didn't know what this man was going to do, but since it was an entrusted task, he would give it his all.
"Mhm~ Fire Meow Meow, you go with Keke and Zhuqing too. Keep them safe."
Aether looked toward the flame-colored cat curled up at Yu Keke's feet. With it around, the two girls would be far safer.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't trust Dugu Bo—he truly did. Use people you trust, don't trust people you use. But Fire Meow Meow had already reached the hundred-thousand-year threshold.
And after that, by the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Forest, Aether had even force-fed it a massive amount of pyro elemental energy.
At this point, he wasn't even sure what stage Fire Meow Meow belonged to by age classification.
But what he did know was—this version of Fire Meow Meow could absolutely mop the floor with its previous self.
"Got it, my lord!"
Fire Meow Meow perked up with determination—this was its specialty!
Aether looked around again, then pulled a Dull Blade from the void and handed it to Zhu Zhuqing, instructing:
"Zhuqing, take this sword. It doesn't require soul power to wield. Its sharpness depends entirely on the definition you give it."
"Your Grace… what do you mean by definition?"
Zhu Zhuqing took the sword carefully. She was one of the few on the continent to have witnessed its might firsthand.
She still remembered vividly—back in the Star Dou Forest during her first soul ring hunt, it was with this sword that he severed Zhao Wuji's arm with ease. She'd been stunned by the display.
So this sword… didn't even require soul power?
That meant—back then, His Excellency had beaten a Soul Sage like Zhao Wuji just with brute force?
Thinking back to everything he'd done since… he must have been holding back hard that day.
Still, she couldn't quite grasp what "definition" meant and quickly followed up with a question.
"A definition can be any form of conviction. The stronger your belief, the sharper it becomes."
Aether explained patiently.
"Conviction, huh…"
Zhu Zhuqing mimicked what she'd seen Aether do before, holding the sword across her chest, her beautiful eyes studying it intently.
"Your Excellency… it's not responding."
She was already trying to focus on a belief, but the blade remained inert.
"Clear your mind. Focus solely on the belief that matters most to you. Then try to feel the sword."
Aether pointed at the Dull Blade in her hand.
Hummm—
After just two or three seconds, the blade responded. A faint glow shimmered along its dual edges.
"I did it!"
Zhu Zhuqing beamed and turned to Aether, as if showing him a prized accomplishment.
"Mm. Not bad."
Aether smiled softly and took the sword back. In his hands, it suddenly radiated dazzling brilliance like sunlight along the blade edges.
He twirled It once, then the light faded, and it returned to its plain, unassuming form.
He handed it back to Zhu Zhuqing again and said:
"Its sharpness depends entirely on how strong your conviction is. To put it simply, as long as your belief is unwavering, you could wield this blade to strike down…"
He paused for a moment, then found a suitable comparison:
"You've seen Qian Daoliu before. Yeah—that level of powerhouse. So, do your best."
"!!! Yes!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened first, then she lowered her head shyly. Was this sword really that powerful?
But in her hands and Aether's, it felt like two completely different weapons…
Still, she couldn't afford to get arrogant now. If His Excellency had entrusted her with the sword, she had to work even harder to deserve it!
"Hmm~ Keke, I only have one sword, but—here, take this."
Aether reached into his Serenitea Pot and retrieved five spheres wrapped in violet light. With a flick of his hand, they floated like stars and sank into Yu Keke's body.
"Brother, what are those…"
Yu Keke looked down at herself in confusion, holding her small hands over where the light had entered.
Despite the purple glow sinking in, her body didn't feel any different.
_
T/N: He gave Keke the Vermillion Artifact set, btw.
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