ETR | Chapter 46

But with how Xiao Xueman was acting now, Qin Lou didn’t dare say much in front of him—he knew the more he said, the more likely he’d mess it up.

“Shen Guan,” he heard Xueman ask softly, “is what he said true?”

Shen Guan stepped forward. He had only recently stepped down from his position, so while these demon clan members didn’t recognize Xiao Xueman, they did know him.

“Huh? Shen Guan? Weren’t you dead?”

That big black bear, brain still as bear-like as ever, had no idea Shen Guan was even alive. He only knew that the Fox Clan had come up with their alliance leader and then got captured.

Truth be told, the demon clans had more or less guessed that the Fox Clan had done something stupid again. But they couldn’t just ignore it either, so they sent a bunch of hot-blooded rookies for the first time. The clever and shrewd ones? No way they’d volunteer to lead this charge.

“I didn’t die. Never have,” Shen Guan said. He couldn’t speak about the cultivation method, but everything else—he could.

“Back then, the current Fox Clan patriarch wanted power. He slandered me, maliciously, and sent people to hunt me down. I barely made it out alive.

“By some twist of fate, I came back—and he still wouldn’t let me go. He brought people to capture me and had the nerve to act arrogant in Wangtian Immortal Sect, spouting nonsense like he owned the place.

“And to think I raised him myself. I even handed him the patriarch’s position.

“Thankfully, the sect didn’t just stand by. They stepped up, restrained them, and—at my request—went to the Fox Clan to investigate what really happened. The persecution. The betrayal.

“But honestly? This whole mess is just a personal grudge between him and me. The sect only stepped in to support me.”

When I was the Fox Clan patriarch, how much did I do for the Fox Clan, for all the demon clans? You all saw it. If someone says Wangtian Immortal Sect is suppressing the demon clans, I’d be the first to step up and clarify things. This was just my clan cleaning house.”

The bear spirit blinked, like his brain had just lagged a bit. He reflexively wanted to scratch his head, but his hands were still bound and couldn’t move.

“Oh… so it’s a misunderstanding then!”

With his kind of personality, he didn’t even feel awkward about it.

“It’s all good if we talk things out!” he said cheerfully. “Mm, if that’s really how it is, then I’ll apologize. When we go back, I’ll explain things to the other demon clans too. If everyone’s honest with each other, there won’t be so many problems.”

Shen Guan: “……”

He’d deliberately left out the key info, and the guy just accepted it like that, found himself a nice little step to walk down, and now Shen Guan actually felt a bit bad about it.

The others who came weren’t as naïve as the bear, but they’d been taken down the moment they acted. Even if they didn’t fully buy Shen Guan’s story, no one dared to challenge it.

“If it’s really a misunderstanding, then why not bring the Fox Clan patriarch out now?” Xiao Xueman added, “Let’s all hear it straight from him, yeah?”

The black bear was immediately led by the nose again and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, I was thinking the same thing.”

But Xiao Xueman didn’t actually want a confrontation—he just wanted to see the patriarch himself. All it’d take was checking his spirit veins, and he’d know everything.

Technically, the Fox Clan patriarch wasn’t dead yet—just barely hanging on. Qin Lou had already interrogated him. The reason he was still alive, along with the elders, was because he’d left the final decision to Shen Guan.

“Qin Lou,” Xiao Xueman turned to look him dead in the eyes and said word by word, “Bring him out. Even if he’s dead, I want to see the body.”

Qin Lou sighed and gestured to Yin Ying—bring him up.

By now, Xiao Xueman had already figured it out. If they kept hiding things, he’d only keep digging deeper and deeper until he found the truth.

When Yin Ying brought the Fox Clan patriarch up, he didn’t look too bad on the surface. He’d resisted when Qin Lou first captured him, so he looked a bit battered. But most of the damage from interrogation had been internal—hidden wounds from spiritual force—so his outer injuries had already started to heal thanks to his Spirit God-level regeneration.

So even though he was barely alive, at first glance he just looked like he was unconscious.

The black bear spirit still felt that this elegant, soft-spoken beauty was the most reasonable one among the Wangtian Immortal Sect crowd—so polite, so calm, so proper. He had no clue who he was.

Even though they’d been taught a lesson today, meeting such a gentle beauty was still kind of a win.

Once the patriarch was brought up, that gentle-looking man walked straight over, knelt beside the unconscious patriarch, carefully examined him, then reached out to check his spiritual veins—as if to confirm something.

The moment Qin Lou saw the change in his expression, he knew—Xueman understood.

He sighed inwardly. They couldn’t hide it anymore.

“He can’t be allowed to live,” Xiao Xueman said coldly. “Already Spirit God Tier 4—keeping him alive will only bring more trouble. Shen Guan—”

He called Shen Guan’s name.

Shen Guan looked at him, understanding that this was Xiao Xueman asking for his opinion.

Shen Guan gave a slight nod.

And with that, Xiao Xueman’s wood-type spiritual power lit up. As always, he acted cleanly and decisively—before anyone could react.

The Fox Clan patriarch’s body went limp, like a puddle of mush, and dropped to the ground with a thud.

The surrounding demon clans nearly passed out at the sight.

They’d all assumed the patriarch was just beaten up a bit—Spirit Gods had insanely strong life force. So long as there was a breath left, they could be saved. But this soft-looking wood-type cultivator was absolutely terrifying—just one strike, and everyone could see his spiritual core vanish. That was a confirmed kill.

That was a Spirit God! Even in a weakened state, his body was still incredibly resilient. To kill him in one move—who the hell could do that?!

Aaaaah this guy is terrifying!

The big black bear stood frozen, unable to process the shift.

The beautiful and gentle person he saw earlier had now turned into a demon in human skin. Even though he looked gorgeous, his methods were chilling.

Aaaaa don’t come over here!!

“I’m not part of Wangtian Immortal Sect,” Xiao Xueman said calmly. “The grudge between Shen Guan and the Fox Clan has already been resolved. What I just did—was a personal matter. I killed the Fox Clan patriarch. If the demon clans have a problem, come find me.”

He said it so lightly, but who among them still dared to come forward?

All the “explanations” had been given. None of these demon clans knew about the cultivation method. Qin Lou had already made his point, so there was no reason to keep them. The Fox Clan members wouldn’t be handed over, but the alliance leader and the peacemaker—the white peacock, Bai Lu—who had already been “taught a lesson,” could be sent back.

The balance between spirit cultivators and demon clans still needed to be maintained. For the innocent demon clans, Qin Lou didn’t plan to go overboard.

After Yin Ying tossed them all out of the sect, Xiao Xueman remained behind.

He looked directly at Qin Lou and asked, “When did you find out? About Yuan Shu’s evil arts—I never told you anything.”

In Xiao Xueman’s memory, he had never said a word to Qin Lou about it. It was something he kept buried deep.

Now that things had come to this point, Qin Lou didn’t hide it either. He explained quietly, “During that battle at the sect, we captured a few people from Tian Shu Institute—including some core members. One of them, Zhong Tang, was badly injured. He held out till the end and told me everything.”

Even now, recalling that moment, Qin Lou’s heart ached. It had been something his beloved had truly gone through. Even more painful than if it had happened to him.

But by the time he learned all this, Xiao Xueman had already left. Yu Zhengrong had already spilled everything. And Qin Lou had been drowning in grief and regret. Hearing about it again only made the pain worse.

That was when he realized what Xiao Xueman had really suffered—and where he himself had gone so wrong.

Qin Lou had a rough life before adulthood, leaving scars that wouldn’t heal. But thankfully, he’d met Xiao Xueman—a complete, gentle soul who could soothe his broken heart. And yet because of his own fear, he thought he couldn’t hold onto someone so perfect.

He never considered that no one in this world was truly perfect. Xiao Xueman’s pain was no less than his. He just chose to carry it with quiet strength, without exposing his wounds or letting others worry.

Despite enduring so much, he still kept the purest part of himself—and gave nearly all his tenderness to Qin Lou.

But Qin Lou, trapped in his own paranoia and selfishness, failed to see what really lay in Xiao Xueman’s heart. Fate had battered both of them. They should’ve comforted each other, opened their hearts, healed each other, and then walked hand in hand into the rest of their lives. Instead, things ended up like this.

And in the end, Xiao Xueman only left him with a single, quiet: “We’re not suited for each other.”

Now, any apology Qin Lou could offer just felt… painfully hollow.

He had tried to show Xiao Xueman he had changed—that he’d let go of that selfish love, and was ready to become someone who could stay by his side. But Xiao Xueman didn’t want to look back anymore.

When Xiao Xueman heard the name “Zhong Tang,” he fell silent. If Qin Lou had asked him back then, everything would’ve been clear.

Now, he said nothing. He simply grabbed Shen Guan and left for Nan An’s small courtyard. Even if he had more questions for Shen Guan, he wouldn’t ask them in front of Qin Lou.

Though reluctant, Qin Lou didn’t follow. He just stood there, watching Xiao Xueman leave—until his figure completely disappeared.

At a moment like this, seeing him would only bring Xiao Xueman discomfort.

⸻

“When did you find out?”

Back at the courtyard, that was the first thing Xiao Xueman asked.

Shen Guan didn’t hide anything. He’d learned too much recently, and now he had no clue how to comfort Xiao Xueman.

Now he understood why Xiao Xueman didn’t want to tell Xiao Wan everything either. That little guy was such a daddy’s boy—just overhearing that Xiao Xueman had once been locked away had already hit him hard. He’d been acting different lately, quieter. At his age, his wood-fire dual spirit powers still weren’t fully stabilized—how could they risk telling him more and making things worse?

Neither Qin Lou nor Xiao Xueman had lived perfect lives. The phrase “Heaven gives great responsibility to those it tests” applied to both of them.

But Qin Lou’s pain was visible to the world—everyone knew what he’d suffered.

Xiao Xueman’s pain, though… was hidden deep. He never spoke of it, so no one ever knew.

But the suffering and torment he endured—was never any less than Qin Lou’s.