Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Xiao Feilian's straightforward remark didn't seem to surprise "Xue Qinghe" at all.

She, too, couldn't quite understand Xue Ye's reasoning.

This little cat girl had previously been nothing more than a commodity at an auction house. How could she not harbor resentment against the imperial family?

Unless Xue Ye truly believed that by offering her material goods, he could miraculously earn her gratitude?

Well, the truth is... Xue Ye really did believe that.

To prove his sincerity, the first spirit bone he gifted Xiao Feilian was a 90,000-year-old top-tier spirit bone.

A treasure of this caliber was worth more than anything a common soul master could hope to obtain in a lifetime!

Moreover, the resources funneled into her through the academy's preferential treatment were incalculable.

From Xue Ye's perspective, he had already gone above and beyond. Even a stone should have been moved by such generosity.

But what he failed to understand was that some wounds could never be healed with spirit bones or riches.

If not for Zhongli's intervention, Xiao Feilian's fate would have been unimaginable.

How could she not hate them?

As time passed, the food on the table gradually diminished. Knowing Xiao Feilian's appetite, "Xue Qinghe" wasn't particularly surprised.

After the waitstaff cleared the table and left, "Xue Qinghe" retrieved a very old and ornate box from her spatial storage device.

The moment they saw it, both Xiao Feilian and "Xue Qinghe" fell silent.

A box capable of isolating spirit power fluctuations could only contain one thing—a spirit bone.

And not just any spirit bone—it was one that even the heir to the Spirit Hall found tempting. Its value was self-evident.

"Put it away for now," Xue Qinghe advised gravely. "Its spirit power fluctuations could attract unwanted attention, which would only cause trouble."

If a strong soul master were present to shield the area, they could examine it openly. However, no such protection was currently in place.

As for She Long and Ci Xue, their orders were to avoid exposing themselves unless absolutely necessary.

After a moment of thought, Xiao Feilian took the box and stored it without hesitation. Before she could comment, "Xue Qinghe" spoke up again.

"I honestly didn't expect the imperial family to possess a 100,000-year-old torso spirit bone."

"Do you have any idea how rare and precious it is?"

First of all, a 100,000-year-old spirit bone was already invaluable. Just this alone made it a peerless treasure.

Secondly, the fact that it was a torso spirit bone elevated its significance even further.

Among the six conventional spirit bone slots, the torso bone was the most critical, providing unparalleled enhancements to a soul master's overall strength.

Simply put, the value of a 100,000-year torso bone was comparable to—if not greater than—that of two other spirit bones combined.

This offering from Xue Ye clearly signified his all-in approach.

Xiao Feilian was momentarily stunned, her mouth slightly open as if to say something, but the words failed her.

She hadn't expected that the box would contain such a treasure.

Good heavens! Was Xue Ye emptying the imperial treasury for this?

Her emotions became complicated, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

"Alright, little kitty," "Xue Qinghe" teased with a relaxed demeanor. "Just take it. Consider it your acting fee."

Xiao Feilian twitched slightly, clearly flustered by the nickname.

"Could you not call me that? Especially with that face—it's... unsettling."

"Xue Qinghe" shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright, Miss Chi Yu."

"Let's go. We'll stroll around the city a bit more. That'll be the end of today."

By this time, the day's matches had concluded, and the streets of Heaven Dou City were bustling once again.

"Zhongli! Zhongli!"

"Look over there!"

As if she'd spotted something extraordinary, Paimon excitedly pointed toward a certain direction.

Her eyes were wide, filled with disbelief.

Following the trajectory of her little hand, Zhongli saw amidst the crowd a man holding a folding fan, dressed in long robes, seemingly recounting a tale.

The sight made Zhongli pause momentarily, struck by an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

While storytellers did exist on the Douluo Continent, most were wandering bards whose tales were straightforward and lacked any dramatic flair.

But this man was different.

His words wove vivid imagery, as though recreating scenes of the past. With every flick of his fan, he captivated the crowd, their emotions rising and falling with his narration.

Even his attire stood out. The material and cut weren't something commonly seen in this world. How had he managed to fashion such clothing?

"This... familiarity..."

Murmuring under his breath, Zhongli walked toward the gathering.

"Wait for me!" Paimon called as she hurried to follow. She couldn't help but wonder: Could this be another Liyue native who had somehow crossed over?

"Once upon a time, a fearsome 100,000-year-old spirit beast terrorized the mountains. Lord Martial God, passing through, decided to intervene..."

The storyteller's fan waved theatrically. Though not a soul master, his gestures imbued the story with flair, drawing everyone's attention.

Approaching closer, Zhongli noticed it was a small establishment with only two tables inside. The growing crowd had no choice but to stand outside.

"With a mere flick of Lord Martial God's wrist, the spirit beast collapsed, paralyzed and unable to move!"

"The young boy, whose home had been destroyed, seized a stone weighing dozens of pounds and hurled it at the beast without hesitation!"

"Such courage deserves recognition! And so..."

As the tale continued, Zhongli and Paimon's expressions grew increasingly peculiar.

The events described bore a striking resemblance to something that had happened in Wang Chen's homeland.

However, the story had been... embellished beyond recognition.

What had actually been a few low-level bandits had somehow been transformed into a 100,000-year-old spirit beast.

And the Martial God mentioned? He hadn't even done anything in that incident!

Touching his chin thoughtfully, Zhongli seemed lost in contemplation.

Paimon, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered.

"Wait... did this really happen? Why don't I remember any of it?"

"Do you know why Lord Martial God helped the boy awaken his martial soul?"

"No idea!"

"This can't be true! A twelve-year-old not yet awakened? That's impossible!"

"The Spirit Hall provides free awakenings every year. Even if he missed one or two, there's no way he could've missed six years!"

The crowd began murmuring doubts, but the storyteller remained unfazed.

Impossible? Ha!

What these doubters didn't realize was that the story was based on truth—as told by the very person involved.

Though the details had been dramatically embellished, the core of the tale wasn't a complete fabrication.

"I think Lord Martial God acted out of pure goodwill. He just wanted to help, so he did!"

As soon as this was said, the storyteller's expression shifted.

"Who's spreading such nonsense?"

"Do you understand Lord Martial God better than I do?!"