The person was already gone—left three months ago. Comparing the dates carefully, it turns out that when Qin Lou arrived at the Seventeenth Heaven, those few days happened to be the same time Xueman left. If he had been lucky enough to come straight to this little town back then, maybe they could’ve met. But clearly, luck wasn’t on his side.

By now, Qin Lou was too anxious to sit still. He stayed in this small town for several days.

Xueman had lived here for five years. He had to at least take a look—he couldn’t just leave without doing that.

When Xueman left, he had only gently closed the door behind him. Probably didn’t plan on coming back. The townspeople were simple folks, no one paid much attention to this plain little courtyard.

Qin Lou pushed the door open and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was the vine-covered trellis in the garden. The cradle swing hanging there swayed lightly in the wind as he opened the door, as if someone was still sitting in it.

Most people in the town had weak spiritual power, and couldn’t sense anything unusual here. But Qin Lou—who was still being tormented by the rules despite forcibly suppressing his spiritual power—was different.

Just like Shen Guan, who had escaped here back then with nowhere else to go, this place was like an oasis in the desert. Standing under the vine trellis, Qin Lou could still feel that gentle, imperceptible protection from wood-type spiritual power. It was like medicine, soothing his body that was close to collapse from the torment of the rules.

This was Xueman’s aura.

He had always been like this—consistently gentle. But behind that gentleness was a powerful strength, like a backbone. Anyone who had ever been under his protection would never forget that feeling for the rest of their life.

Qin Lou walked a few laps around the small courtyard, trying to find traces of Xueman’s life here—some fragments of memory.

Past the courtyard, there were two rooms in the back of the house, besides the kitchen. Altogether, there were three beds. One of the rooms seemed to have been sectioned off from the living room—very simple, with just a wooden bed, and nothing else. The remaining two beds, one big and one small, were in the room on the right. The small one had a wooden fence around it, clearly a child’s bed.

When Xiao Xueman left, he traveled light, only taking the essentials. The quilts and bedding were left behind, folded neatly at the head of the bed. After three months, a layer of dust had already settled on them.

The vendor earlier had been chattering endlessly to Qin Lou, mentioning stuff about the medicine shop’s business, how well-behaved Xiao Wan was, how many first-place test scores he had… He also mentioned that a quiet assistant joined the medicine shop over a year ago, lived in the courtyard, and nobody knew his name. After the Xiao family moved out, he also disappeared. The bed in the partitioned room was probably his.

Hiring an assistant wasn’t a big deal, but Qin Lou knew Xiao Xueman’s personality well. Letting someone move into his home—that was a sign of deep trust. This assistant probably wasn’t that simple.

Qin Lou brushed the dust off the bedding, and could still smell a faint scent left behind by Xueman. That night, he stayed in the courtyard. He almost didn’t want to get up the next morning, but he had other things on his mind, so he cleaned up a bit and headed to the school.

Teacher Lin had been Xiao Wan’s homeroom teacher for two years. Compared to the easygoing vendor, she was much more cautious when facing this stranger.

“Sorry, just based on your word alone, I can’t let you see the child’s information,” she refused flatly. “Besides, the enrollment forms only list Xiao Xueman as the parent. There’s no one else’s name. I find your story suspicious.”

Qin Lou didn’t want to resort to force in this place. Even though he was worried, he patiently explained, “Xueman and I were separated for a long time. He didn’t tell me he had a child… I just want our family to be reunited.”

Even after a night’s rest, he still looked like a worn-out traveler—a pitiful sight. But Teacher Lin was unmoved.

“No,” she said firmly. “Please leave.”

Qin Lou was helpless here too. He didn’t want to break anything or ruin the place where Xueman and his son had once lived. Fortunately, although the school wouldn’t give him any information, Xueman and Xiao Wan were quite well-known here. Asking around outside got him a decent amount of information.

People in town had a consistent impression of the Xiao family: a “very good-looking, kind pharmacist” and a “very obedient, top-of-the-class kid everyone envies.” But aside from what the butcher vendor had already said, there wasn’t much else to dig up.

Xiao Xueman didn’t like going out. In others’ eyes, his life was simple and uneventful—nothing special. Xiao Wan was a little more unique. A girl in his class mentioned something.

“So what if Xiao Wan’s spiritual power is higher than ours? He never liked to play with us,” she pouted. “Before he left, his spiritual power jumped from Level 2 to Level 4 all of a sudden. Of course he had to go.”

That was odd.

Not to brag, but for a child of him and Xiao Xueman, being born with full spiritual power and awakening at Level 9 should’ve been expected. It should’ve been in his blood—not something so low.

Something about Xiao Wan was unusual. And that extra bed in the house… maybe things were more complicated than he thought.

By the time Qin Lou had gathered all he could, it was almost time for him to leave.

Those worthless quilts and dishes Xueman left behind—Qin Lou treated them like treasures. He packed them up carefully and placed them in his storage spirit instrument. The vine trellis in the courtyard couldn’t be taken, so Qin Lou stood under it for a long while, reluctant to go, before finally preparing to head to the Sixteenth Heaven.

He felt like Xueman was very close. These past few days might’ve been the happiest he’d been in over a hundred years.

No one in town knew where the Xiao family had gone. But judging by their guesses and Xiao Wan’s condition, it was likely they moved upward. Xiao Wan had also gone to the Sixteenth Heaven for an exchange before. Maybe they were in Baixue City, the place Qin Lou had visited before.

The Sixteenth Heaven was full of memories for Qin Lou too.

Back then, he thought he’d never return. That place was where he suffered the most—it was the site of his humiliation and hardship.

But the Sixteenth Heaven also had something good. If he hadn’t been forced to hang on there, he wouldn’t have met Xueman. That was the brightest light in his life. Just for that, all the suffering was worth it.

Qin Lou carried hope in his heart. If he could find Xueman in the Sixteenth Heaven, it would be like a beautiful echo of the past—coming full circle.

That was the place where they first met. It could also be the place they started over.

Xiao Xueman, unaware of all this mess, had already packed up his little family and moved to Frostwind City three months ago. Because he and Shen Guan had both used spiritual power sealing to hide their strength and suppress themselves to spirit knight level, they just barely met the entry requirement for Frostwind City. At the gate, after their strength was tested, they were given a long-term pass and let in.

Frostwind City was huge—after all, it was one of the largest cities in the Fifteenth Heaven. A rough estimate put the population at over a million. Totally different from that little town in the Seventeenth Heaven, where you could see the end of the road in one glance.

Even the spirit power testing machine at the gate was different. It could accurately assess anyone above spirit knight level. The device was expensive—the more advanced it was, the more expensive it got. Totally different from the basic spirit-testing stone used in the Seventeenth Heaven’s schools. Each use of this machine burned through a lot of resources. Some average cities in the Fifteenth Heaven couldn’t even afford to maintain it—let alone leave one at the city gate for anyone to use.

But… stuff here was expensive too.

Back in the Seventeenth Heaven, Xiao Xueman never cared much about money. But now that he’d arrived, he counted and realized he didn’t actually bring that much.

Currency was universal across the continent, and similar to cultivation ranks—layered step by step. The most basic was spirit stone, then a hundred spirit stones could be exchanged for one spirit jade, then a hundred spirit jades for one spiritual crystal. Higher up, there were more types of advanced currency. Compared to the Seventeenth Heaven, the cost of living in the Fifteenth Heaven inflated by six or seven times. But of course, the goods were also way better.

The world was just too realistic. Even the same grain seeds grew tastier in places with stronger spiritual energy—like the Fifteenth Heaven.

Xiao Xueman booked two rooms at an inn upon arrival. Quietly doing the math, he realized that just with lodging and food, their money would only last for two months. That’s not even counting Xiao Wan’s tuition.

Xiao Wan leaned against him, munching on some sesame candy they’d brought from home, and asked with his mouth full, “Daddy, do we not have money?”

If they didn’t, he could eat less.

Shen Guan, however, wasn’t worried at all. He laid lazily on a chair nearby. “No money? Then we earn some. No bounty posters of me here, and I can use spirit knight level power again. Making money? Easy.”

Xiao Xueman wasn’t worried either. One of the big reasons they didn’t care about money was because, for them, it wasn’t hard to earn. Any spiritually powerful cultivator had that kind of confidence.

Running a medicine shop wasn’t going to work anymore. They couldn’t afford the rent, nor could they find suitable herb fields. Plus, with Xiao Wan’s situation, they probably wouldn’t stay long in the Fifteenth Heaven. No need to plan long-term.

For cultivators, the most common ways to make money were still the classic three.

Fighting in the arena, selling strength via the Mercenary Guild, or trading through the Chamber of Commerce.

Both the arena and Mercenary Guild required identity registration—usually done with a drop of blood. Neither Xiao Xueman nor Shen Guan wanted to leave such a clear trace. After comparing, they agreed the Chamber of Commerce was the easiest.

Merchants did some data recording too, but if you were just selling goods at a big market, you didn’t need any proof. You could wear a mask, hand over the goods, take the money—no questions asked.

Xiao Xueman learned from his initial mistakes and spent some time getting to know the place—its customs, the local market, and the school Xiao Wan would be attending. He even went to take a look at it.

The place was nice. The only problem was, the school wasn’t accepting transfer students at the moment. The next enrollment period was in two months. After checking the requirements, he was relieved—Xiao Wan met all the conditions.

Once he’d figured all this out, it was time to go earn money.

“Tonight’s fine,” Xiao Xueman said to Shen Guan. “Don’t bother with ordinary stuff. We’ve got a target tonight. Let’s get it done and come back early. Wan’er will get scared being alone.”

Shen Guan stretched and made an “OK” gesture.

Raising a kid wasn’t easy. It made sense for the adults to be the ones earning the money.

They were still staying at an inn in Frostwind City, though now they’d switched to a better one. The city was full of all sorts, but this inn had its own full security team, all at Spirit Knight Tier 3. Pricey, yeah—but safe. Saved a lot of trouble. Even if Xiao Wan was left alone at night, there’d be no danger.

It was close to the school too. Xiao Xueman planned to stay long-term—but still, money had to be made.

At night, there were fewer people in the woods. Both Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan wore black, moving swiftly like shadows, barely leaving a trace.

Xiao Xueman was a wood-type cultivator, so the forest was like home ground to him. He even reminded Shen Guan, “Better not fight. Your seal is weak. If you make a move, it might come undone. That’d be a whole new mess. Just keep watch and help me carry stuff later.”

The former fox clan patriarch, Spirit God Tier 3, Shen Guan: roger that. Anyone else saying this to him would’ve been punched, but Xueman had the right.

Xiao Xueman’s chaotic spiritual power still hadn’t been fully smoothed out, and to adapt to the Fifteenth Heaven, he’d suppressed himself to spirit knight level. Shen Guan’s seal was way lighter than his, but even just running caused a bit of lag. His usable spiritual power was limited. Meanwhile, Xiao Xueman moved like he wasn’t even burdened—steady as a rock. If Shen Guan didn’t know better, he’d think Xueman hadn’t sealed his power at all.

Their target tonight was Layer-Born Epiphyllum, a rare spiritual plant. It only bloomed once, at night, for a short time. Only during that window could it be harvested as high-grade medicinal material—perfect for making Peiyuan Pills. Taking one could directly raise a spirit knight’s rank. In the Fifteenth Heaven, it was one of the most luxurious items among cultivators.

There was a patch of Layer-Born Epiphyllum in the forest outside Frostwind City—not exactly a secret. But the plant was aggressive, and the swamp where it grew was guarded by poisonous scorpions. Tricky stuff. Add the tight time window, and if your strength wasn’t enough, you’d lose your life before you even got close.

By the time Xiao Xueman arrived, many cultivators had already set up ambushes around the forest.

“The plan’s simple,” Xueman whispered. “Once I pick them, I’ll toss the package to you. You take it and go, stash it safely. I’ll lose the tails. Got it?”

“Got it!”

Not everyone here was going for the flowers. Some were just waiting to snatch others’ loot. Xueman wasn’t bothered, but he’d wrapped himself up tight tonight—didn’t want attention. So it was better to keep things clean and fast.

“Time’s almost up,” Xiao Xueman crouched, ready to move. “Shen Guan, be ready.”

No matter how many times he saw it, Shen Guan couldn’t help but marvel every time Xueman moved.

He’d climbed to Spirit God Tier 3 through countless life-or-death battles, yet even he couldn’t replicate movements this clean and elegant—it was like watching art. Only Xueman could pull that off.

The moment the Layer-Born Epiphyllum bloomed, it released a faint fragrance. Lower-tier cultivators who smelled it fainted on the spot.

There were only about seven or eight flowers in that swamp. Shen Guan watched as Xueman leapt forward—his black outfit almost vanished into the night. Only the green glow of wood-type spiritual power lit up the tips of his fingers.

Before anyone else could react, all the flowers in the swamp were yanked up by that glow, bundled together, and swept away. By the time everyone realized what happened, Xiao Xueman was already far away.

“…Chase him!”

Shen Guan was at the pre-arranged location and caught the bundle Xueman tossed. Hidden under the night, no one saw the handoff. As planned, he ran.

Not gonna lie—even Shen Guan was dumbfounded.

He’d wondered why Xueman had been so meticulous in his earlier instructions. He thought, even with suppressed strength, the two of them were more than enough to grab a few flowers. With their combat experience and physical strength, they could crush most cultivators here—why be so careful?

Well… turns out Xueman didn’t just grab a few.

He took the entire swamp.

No wonder they needed a plan. No wonder they pulled so much aggro.

Xiao Xueman, man… truly living up to the name.