The ornate sedan swayed gently as it made its way through the stone-paved streets of Soto City, carrying Qian Yu and Xiao Wu inside. Sunlight shimmered on lacquered wood, and the clatter of the city faded into the rhythmic jostling of the carriage.
By the time they arrived, the towering structure of the City Lord's Mansion stood before them like a silent sentinel. It was a sprawling estate, imposing in scale—far grander than anything Qian Yu had seen back in Nuoding City. Carved pillars framed a grand archway above which hung a polished plaque engraved with three gilded characters: City Lord's Mansion.
Qian Yu stepped out first, offering a hand to Xiao Wu as she followed, her eyes wide with awe.
Before they could approach the entrance, a rotund man in embroidered robes hurried toward them with surprising agility. His smile was oily, his demeanor groveling.
"Master Qian," the man said with a slight bow, wiping sweat from his forehead despite the morning chill. "The Lord of the City awaits you inside. Please, this way!"
Word of last night's events had traveled fast.
After all, when a youth accompanied by a titled Douluo from Spirit Hall defeats two renowned Soul Sages—Flander and Zhao Wuji—on the same night, it tends to attract attention. That the boy's surname was Qian, the same as Spirit Hall's upper echelons, had only deepened the sense of awe... and fear.
City Lord Chen Hai had understood the gravity of the situation immediately. He had spent the morning pacing in front of the Rose Hotel, waiting for a glimpse of the young man. Now, face to face with Qian Yu, he dared not show even a hint of arrogance.
He knew that treating this "living Buddha" well could only bring him blessings.
The main hall of the mansion was just as lavish as expected—polished floors, crystal chandeliers, intricate frescoes spanning the ceiling. Qian Yu took it all in silently, his gaze calm, unreadable. The extravagant décor whispered tales of corruption, of wealth drained from the common folk.
But Qian Yu wasn't here to play hero. Justice had never been his domain.
As they entered a dining hall, the city lord shuffled forward again with a proud flourish.
"Master Qian, breakfast has been prepared in your honor. Please, do enjoy!"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up like twin lanterns as she spotted the feast laid out before them—roasted meats, golden buns, candied fruits, and savory broths.
"So much food!" she exclaimed, barely restraining herself from diving in.
Chen Hai gestured toward the table. "Please, have a seat!"
Qian Yu chuckled softly, his voice warm as he tousled Xiao Wu's hair. "Go ahead, if you're hungry."
"Mm-hmm!" she beamed and immediately began eating with the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't tasted joy in days.
Qian Yu watched with quiet amusement. For all her elegance, Xiao Wu was undeniably a little gluttonous. No matter where they went, she gravitated toward food. If it weren't for the mine-filled storage space he carried, she might have eaten him out of fortune by now.
Still, no matter how much she indulged, her figure remained effortlessly graceful. Some mysteries defied logic.
"So… I hear you're from Spirit Hall?" Chen Hai asked cautiously, eyes scanning Qian Yu's expression.
Qian Yu nodded lightly. "I'm affiliated with them, yes."
That one simple acknowledgment caused the city lord's heart to pound. Affiliated? A boy this strong, bearing the Hall's name? He must be someone of considerable importance—perhaps the son of a high-ranking elder. Maybe even…
Chen Hai suppressed a shiver. The last thing he needed was to offend someone with the power to erase him with a snap.
"We had no idea you would be visiting Soto City, Master Qian," he said quickly, eyes wide with concern. "Forgive us for not welcoming you sooner."
"It's nothing," Qian Yu replied, his tone unreadable.
Puffing up his chest, Chen Hai bowed again. "My name is Chen Hai, and I serve as the city's lord. If there's anything you ever need while you're here, please—do not hesitate to command me. I would go through fire and water for your sake."
Qian Yu tilted his head slightly, considering the man. There was something he needed.
"Actually," he began, "I do have a small request."
"Of course! What is it?" Chen Hai responded, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"We've just arrived in the city and haven't found a place to stay yet. I'd appreciate it if you could arrange for a quiet residence."
"Say no more!" Chen Hai beamed. "I'll see to it personally!"
As the portly lord scurried off to fulfill his promise, Xiao Wu continued devouring everything in sight—roast chicken, duck, steamed dumplings. Within minutes, the feast looked like a battlefield left in her wake.
Qian Yu glanced over, a wry smile on his lips. A little rabbit... who loves meat. Go figure.
Elsewhere in Soto City…
A young girl skipped down a cobblestone path, her white dress flowing like wind-blown silk. Her short, neatly trimmed hair framed a delicate face with skin soft and luminous as a lychee's sheen. With a noble bearing and bright, curious eyes, she looked like she had stepped out of a painting—or a dream.
Ning Rongrong. Daughter of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan. Heir to prestige. Escapee from a gilded cage.
She had slipped out of her family's estate without a word, tired of endless lectures and suffocating expectations. Her heart, however, carried a singular purpose.
"I wonder where Big Brother Qian Yu is," she murmured, her voice barely louder than a breeze.
It had been five or six years since that fateful encounter in the Star Dou Forest, but she still remembered him—the boy who had saved her, the one who had promised nothing and yet left everything behind in her heart.
"When I grow up, I'll marry you," she had said back then, a vow as innocent as it was stubborn. But after that day, she had been locked away, buried in studies and etiquette lessons, far from the world she wanted to see… and the boy she wanted to find.
Now, after tracking his trail from Nuoding to Soto City, she had arrived.
"The clan was boring anyway," she huffed, hands on her hips. "Soto City's way more fun!"
Her mission had temporarily been hijacked by her other passion—shopping.
As the clan's only daughter, she lacked neither money nor confidence. With her father's generous allowance, she quickly disappeared into the bustling market, arms soon filled with clothes, shoes, and ornate bags.
After a while, she found a bench by a fountain and sat down to rest. The city buzzed around her with laughter and footsteps.
Then, as if on cue, trouble arrived.
Three young men approached, their faces smeared with the kind of smugness that only comes from too much money and not enough dignity. The leader wore expensive robes, but they only emphasized the lecherous glint in his eyes.
"Well, well," he purred, stepping too close. "A pretty girl like you, all alone?"
Ning Rongrong didn't even blink.
"Leave," she said coldly, her voice sharp as crystal.
Normally, guards or attendants would have stepped in by now. But today, she was alone.
The young man sneered, unbothered. "Feisty little kitten. I wonder if you're just as fierce in bed?"
The world seemed to hold its breath for a second.
Ning Rongrong's eyes narrowed. There was no one here to shield her.
But that was fine.
She didn't need saving.
Not anymore.
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