Bibi Dong slumped back into her chair, limbs heavy, as if all strength had left her body. A single tear trailed down her cheek as a thought flickered through her weary mind:
'It's good… that he has someone to love now. I… I am impure. I'm no longer worthy of him.'
And with that, she buried her head on the desk, letting her pain sink into silence.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue was cheerfully nibbling on some snacks, savoring not the food, but the chaos she had subtly set into motion.
'I wonder… will Bibi Dong go and kill Liu Erlong in front of Yu Xiaogang?'
She giggled softly to herself. The idea was deliciously dramatic.
But her expression shifted when she sensed something unexpected. Her Psychiatrist power, was nearly digested.
A frown crept onto her face.
'That's odd. The digestion rate jumped... but when did I placate someone enough to trigger such a reaction?'
-----
A month later
Qian Renxue entered the quiet chamber, the sound of her light footsteps muffled by the thick carpet underfoot. The room was dimly lit, converging beneath the towering statue of the Angel God. Before it, Qian Daoliu stood motionless, hands clasped in reverence, eyes closed as if deep in prayer.
She waited patiently, not daring to disturb the solemn moment. Only when his eyes slowly opened, did she speak.
"Grandpa," she said softly, "you called for me?"
Without a word, Qian Daoliu turned and handed her a rolled-up parchment. "The scouts have returned. They found spirit beasts that match your description."
Renxue's eyes lit up slightly as she unfurled the report. "A family of three," she read. "In the zone between the middle and inner circles of the forest... Massive size, thick fur, consistent with high-thousand-year or possibly early ten-thousand-year bears."
She rolled the parchment back with a decisive snap. "So," she asked with a slight smile, "when are we leaving?"
Qian Daoliu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his back to her, walking toward the of the chamber, hands clasped behind him.
"Now."
Renxue blinked, surprised by the suddenness, but then a wide, childlike grin spread across her face.
"Yes!" she whispered to herself and quickly followed, her long golden hair swaying behind her as the two figures, grandfather and granddaughter, disappeared into the radiant halls of Elder's Hall.
....
The Star Dou Great Forest is known as one of the Douluo Continent's most infamous spirit beast habitats, lay nestled to the southeast of Balak Kingdom, with Soto City situated less than five hundred kilometers from its edge.
Vast and ancient, the forest's territory was nearly as large as the entire Balak Kingdom, straddling the borders between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of its domain lay within the Heaven Dou Empire, while the remaining three-fifths sprawled into Star Luo territory. A true primordial wilderness, the Star Dou Forest was a complex web of terrain, tropical vegetation interwoven with wetlands, swamps, and shadowy groves untouched by civilization.
Soul beasts within this forest were notorious for their viciousness and innate killing intent. Brutal, cunning, and feral, they had ruled the depths of the forest long before Soul Masters had learned to hunt them for rings. For those brave or foolish enough to venture in, the Star Dou Forest offered both peril and opportunity. If one possessed sufficient strength, caution, and a bit of luck, it was possible to obtain a spirit ring perfectly suited to one's martial soul.
The forest itself was divided into three zones: the outer circle, the middle circle, and the inner circle.
The outer circle teemed with spirit beasts ranging from one hundred to ten thousand years in age.
The middle circle was far more perilous, harboring beasts from ten thousand to seventy thousand years.
As for the inner circle, very little was known. What was known in this era, however, was this: no one ventured into the inner circle lightly… and few who did ever returned.
.....
Nestled on the very edge of the Star Dou Forest, a bustling soul best hunting town had taken root over the years, a chaotic, rugged settlement born of blood, ambition, and the eternal struggle between man and beast. The town was crudely structured with wooden buildings, many of which leaned with time and weather, patched by mismatched planks and old hides. The scent of roasted meat, dried blood, and medicinal herbs permeated the air.
This was a place where mercenaries, rogue soul masters, mingled, bartering everything from soul beast meat and bones to rare herbs and spirit rings' intelligence. The streets were uneven, the people rough, and the bars were always full.
Guards stood with spirit weapons drawn. Soul masters shouted their requirements like street hawkers to form a soul beast hunting teams.
Three people entered the town silently, without disturbing it's hustle and bustle.
Qian Daoliu wore simple but flowing robes, his silver-white hair fluttering gently. Ghost Douluo was clad in a black robe, his face obscured behind a skeletal mask, his entire figure flickering as if part illusion. Qian Renxue, dressed plainly with her long golden hair tied into a high ponytail, wore a traveler's cloak that barely concealed her noble temperament. Her eyes calmly swept across the town, taking in every detail.
The trio made their way to a tavern, where they had arranged to meet the scouts.
....
Inside the tavern, the dim yellow lighting and heavy scent of pipe smoke couldn't hide the nervousness of the three scouts seated at the corner table. Their bodies tensed the moment the three entered. One of them had a missing finger stood up. He was the leader and hurriedly saluted Qian Daoliu with a mix of fear and reverence after recognizing who had come in front of him.
"M-My Lord, and young master. We've spotted the soul beasts. A family of three, they were moving between the middle circle and just touching the edge of the inner circle."