ETR | Chapter 62

The Purple Cloud Lynx Cat has excellent eyesight, and Yun Rong’s talent was once deemed the best ever by his own father.

If he cultivates well, he might even surpass him.

Just as Yun Heng could see that Xiao Xueman’s true form was off, Yun Rong could also tell something was up with Xiao Wan.

Yun Rong’s spiritual power was about the same as Xiao Wan’s, and he was a year older, at the third tier of a Great Spirit Master.

Because he sensed the special aura of Jian Tianyin in the Middle Realm, he knew a rare treasure was about to emerge. Since Jian Tianyin was conveniently located in the Middle Realm and had a spiritual power ceiling, he naturally wanted to go.

Before setting out, he had a hunch that he might meet the legendary son of Xiao Xueman inside.

Rumor had it they had gone to the Middle Realm. This mine was a big deal, and no matter which heaven it was in, that person wouldn’t miss the opportunity.

What he didn’t expect was to encounter Xiao Wan inside so soon.

There was no need for spiritual power probing or using his talent; Xiao Wan’s disguise quickly faded as they delved deeper into the mine.

Jian Tianyin wasn’t that simple, and at that moment, he had no time to worry about appearances, so Yun Rong recognized him on the spot.

Yun Rong didn’t immediately try to befriend him.

Although he was quite interested in making friends, he didn’t know what Xiao Wan’s personality was like.

His first impression was that Xiao Wan seemed a bit cold and didn’t like interacting with people—but he was impressive in a fight.

So, he observed for half a day.

In Jian Tianyin's mine, ninety-nine percent of the people came in teams, and there were few lone wolves. Although the two of them had good talent and decent spirit instruments, it was still necessary to compete for resources in the mine.

If he and Xiao Wan worked together, it would be quite fitting.

So, at the right time, he stepped forward and proposed a collaboration, openly sharing his talent.

The treasure-hunting ability of the Purple Cloud Lynx Cat was indeed enticing.

“…We can split the findings fifty-fifty. If it’s a special resource, we can discuss it further,” Yun Rong suggested, and he was honest about why he wanted to collaborate.

“I know you’re Xiao Xueman’s son. My daddy knows your daddy, so I want to get to know you too.”

When he made this suggestion, Xiao Wan had just retreated from a battle, stuffing healing and recovery pills into his mouth.

He had just suffered a setback, and if collaboration could save a lot of trouble, there was no need to be aloof.

The only question was whether this cat could be trusted.

He scrutinized him for a while and finally decided to give it a try.

After a few rounds of working together, they were very effective and even started to develop a tacit understanding.

They didn’t need to say much to cooperate well, and naturally, they became friends.

They stayed in Jian Tianyin for the last stretch because of a major resource vein Yun Rong had sniffed out.

This resource vein was well-hidden, and no one else had discovered it yet, but the guardian spirit within was quite troublesome.

Xiao Wan had been pushed to his limits by this mine several times, and this time it was even more extreme.

Even though they eventually got what they wanted, Xiao Wan felt his dual-type spiritual power was becoming unstable again.

Last time, when he had leaves growing on his head, he slept for a day and didn’t know what had happened.

But this time, after collapsing from exhaustion, he clearly saw vines sprouting on his arm, with green leaves growing all the way to his palm, and a small fiery red flower blooming at his fingertips.

The vines didn’t bind him or cause any harm; Xiao Wan just felt they were a natural part of him.

Yun Rong saw it too, and his expression was very calm, as if it was perfectly normal.

“This is your true form,” he said. “It’s normal for the demon clan. When you reach the limit of your spiritual power, your body will reveal part of your true form for comfort.”

Yun Rong lowered his head to show his own, revealing two cat ears on his head, not standing up but flopping softly hidden in his hair, barely noticeable.

“I’m the same. We’re still at the Great Spirit Master level, and our spiritual power isn’t stable,” he said. “Sit down and cultivate for a bit. Once it’s stable, it’ll disappear.”

Xiao Wan had seen this kind of situation before.

When Shen Guan was first picked up by his daddy, his ears and tail were exposed, but after healing, he could retract them.

But!

“How can I be part of the demon clan?” Xiao Wan was puzzled. “Daddy never told me.”

Yun Rong, having collaborated with Xiao Wan for so long, had already seen through Xiao Wan’s spiritual power composition. He had known about the dual-type spiritual power for a while, but the true form was a bit complex, and he had worked hard to discern it.

“You’re a hybrid. Your base is wood-type spiritual plant, inherited from your daddy, who’s wood-type.

As for the fire-type part, half is demon clan, and half is spirit cultivator.

Overall, three-quarters of your body is demon clan, and one-quarter is spirit cultivator. You’re a hybrid demon,” Yun Rong explained what he saw and assured Xiao Wan he wouldn’t tell anyone.

“I know your background is a bit complicated. I won’t tell anyone, I swear. But you didn’t know this yourself?”

Xiao Wan shook his head, not asking further. They had already decided to leave, so he could ask his daddy later.

Yun Rong’s reasoning wasn’t baseless.

He had seen his daddy use similar vines when fighting Lin Yuan. When they were at the Wangtian Immortal Gate, the treehouse his daddy created had these vines as support.

These were his daddy’s weapons, a manifestation of his spiritual power.

But using vines as weapons didn’t necessarily mean the true form was a plant. Many spirit instruments had all sorts of forms. However, the vines appearing on him now were very similar to his daddy’s, likely inherited.

Upon closer inspection, they were slightly different.

His vines were a lighter green and softer, and his daddy’s vines didn’t grow flowers, whereas his did.

As Yun Rong said, once Xiao Wan’s spiritual power stabilized, the vines disappeared.

Perhaps because of this experience, Xiao Wan found he could consciously summon the vines and use them as weapons like his daddy.

However, he wasn’t very skilled with them yet, and the vines weren’t as tough. They weren’t as effective as his current two-handed sword.

This probably marked Xiao Wan's evolution in using spiritual power.

Once they had rested and gathered what they needed, they left Jian Tianyin.

They had gained a lot this time and needed some time to recuperate. They could return later, as the mine was vast and couldn't be fully explored in just a few days. It would take a long time.

After soaking in a medicinal bath, the two youngsters felt much more refreshed.

Yun Rong sat on one side of the table, politely and quickly eating from his plate. Because of the earlier conversation, he occasionally glanced at Xiao Wan and Xiao Xueman.

Xiao Wan sensed his gaze and whispered, "Eat properly."

Yun Rong responded with an "Oh" and said no more.

Regarding his mixed heritage, he could confirm the wood-type side with his daddy, but for the fire-type side, he suspected it might involve Qin Lou, so he was reluctant to bring it up.

And based on what Yun Rong said, Qin Lou was also a hybrid.

So during the meal, he held back and didn't mention it. Besides, Xiao Wan felt that after returning, his daddy seemed occasionally distracted, as if pondering something.

Later, he and Yun Rong hurriedly sold some unnecessary resources to the Chamber of Commerce and kept some they might need. Xiao Wan exchanged for a larger storage spirit instrument. With everything done, he felt he had no reason to delay.

Xiao Wan was preparing to ask his daddy about this matter when he returned.

What he didn't expect was that while he was out selling things, his long-unseen Uncle Shen arrived at the Twelfth Heaven.

When Shen Guan saw Xiao Xueman leave after discovering a problem with the pill formula, he waited but didn't see him return. He didn't know if the issue was resolved, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he became.

So he quickly dealt with urgent matters in the Fox Clan, cleared a few days of free time for himself, and first went to the First Heaven to find Yu Zhengrong at the arena to ask about some things.

Yu Zhengrong didn’t tell him much, only gave him Xiao Xueman’s address and said that if possible, Xueman would tell him.

Shen Guan found it strange, so he arrived at the Twelfth Heaven today.

When he arrived, Xiao Wan happened to be out selling things, and Xiao Xueman, upon seeing him, was momentarily stunned, then visibly relaxed.

“Fortunately, you’re here,” he said. “I was thinking of looking for you in a few days. I have something to discuss with you.”

He brought Shen Guan inside and, after some thought, briefly explained what he had recently discovered.

“…I used to dislike seeking advice from others, thinking it best to solve everything myself. I always believed I could handle everything well,” Xiao Xueman said, talking about his and Qin Lou’s situation, rubbing his aching head.

“What I can’t figure out now is, what exactly is Qin Lou to me? Or rather, how should I treat him?”

It was his first time in a relationship, and it was a complicated one at that.

What was Qin Lou exactly?

An ex-boyfriend from a finished relationship? A former comrade who saved each other? A misunderstood enemy?

Shen Guan: “…”

He hadn’t been in a relationship yet.

Indeed, not being in a relationship meant no trouble.

He wanted to reply like that, but the situation had already happened, the relationship had been experienced, and they even had a child.

“I don’t care about that,” Shen Guan said. “Let me ask you a basic question: do you still love him? Do you want to be with him?”

Xiao Xueman thought for a moment, then solemnly shook his head.

“Isn’t that the answer?” Shen Guan saw his gesture and felt the matter was clear.

“If there’s regret, that’s normal,” Shen Guan continued. “Maybe the misunderstanding was revealed too late. Xueman, you always strive for perfection, so you’re struggling now, but not everything in life needs to be perfect. There will always be regrets.

Maybe both sides were wrong, or maybe neither was. The situation was complicated, and your mindset was already troubled. Honestly, if I were in it, I might not have made the right choices either. You and Qin Lou should accept that you missed each other.”

Xiao Xueman: “I thought… I had already accepted it, hadn’t I?”

“After everything that happened when you reunited, I think you resented him. If not, why were you so averse to Wangtian Immortal Gate, not even wanting to associate with Su Mingming and the others?” Shen Guan said.

“Cutting ties doesn’t mean truly letting go. Honestly, you still resent him.”

Xiao Xueman was taken aback, not refuting Shen Guan’s words.

“I used to think, after knowing all this, what would have been the best solution back then?” He rubbed his temples.

“I thought, if we hadn’t fallen in love, just remained friends and business partners, we wouldn’t have been so concerned and would have seen things more clearly.

Love is a double-edged sword. If Qin Lou and I had just been friends, would things have turned out differently?”