Whoosh—!
With a sweep of her jade hand, the formation that had sealed the entire changing room shattered, just like her heart.
Chu Yuan flicked his sleeve and stormed out.
The door opened, then slammed shut heavily.
The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.
Su Xuanxuan stood in place, staring at the door that had closed again. For a long time, she didn’t move.
The candle flame swayed gently, casting her shadow on the wall—solitary, like a withered tree bent by the wind.
She suddenly remembered, over a decade ago, the current Holy Lord had once asked her, “Sister Fox, are you really sure this is good for my child?”
Faced with Chu’s father’s question, she hadn’t been able to answer then.
Now she knew the answer, too.
It was merely an excuse she had made for her own cruelty. “For his good.”
But she didn’t regret it. She couldn’t regret it!
If she regretted it, then everything she had done all these years would become a joke. The death of his foster parents would become a meaningless sacrifice.
And she…
Su Xuanxuan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions deep in her heart.
But in the end, her eyes still reddened.
She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, and her fingertips touched a hint of dampness. Suddenly, she smiled.
The smile was bitter.
‘Whether my methods were right or wrong, I did it all for the Holy Son’s good!
‘If the Holy Son doesn’t appreciate it, so be it!
‘From now on, I will still protect the Holy Son in my own way!’
Even though she was now loathed by Chu Yuan, Su Xuanxuan stubbornly chose to walk her own path. Let the Holy Son say what he would.
At the same time.
Chu Yuan walked out of the room. After a few steps, he saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the corridor.
Chu Zhenshan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression heavy, his brow furrowed into a shallow “川” character.
Earlier, after Chu Yuan left with Fox Venerable, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became, so he turned back to check.
Now, seeing Chu Yuan come out alone while Fox Venerable was nowhere to be seen, he was both shocked and uncertain.
His gaze swept around behind Chu Yuan, then fell back on his face. Chu Zhenshan asked suspiciously, “What’s going on? Did Fox Venerable get taken down? Or did she already acknowledge the Holy Son…”
He opened his mouth, his voice lowered to a barely audible whisper, hesitant: “Chu Yuan, what is this?”
Chu Yuan held the young dragon in his left hand while his right hand withdrew a piece of warm sun jade from his sleeve.
The jade was warm and lustrous, glowing with a faint golden light—exactly Fox Venerable’s token.
He handed the jade to Chu Zhenshan and said calmly, “This is a gift from Fox Venerable. Grand Elder, this disciple… already knows.”
He emphasized the last words, speaking each syllable deliberately.
Staring at the warm sun jade, Chu Zhenshan shuddered.
He raised a trembling hand, wanting to take the jade, but his fingers hung in the air, unable to close in. All these years, he had been waiting for this day to come. He had thought he would have to wait another hundred years; he never expected the acknowledgement to happen like this.
Chu Zhenshan took a deep breath, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply. His voice was choked as he transmitted his voice: “Your… Your Highness! All these years… this old servant has been remiss!”
Chu Yuan quickly waved his hand and replied, “Grand Elder, don’t say that. This disciple should thank you for secretly protecting me all these years!”
He truly didn’t blame the Grand Elder.
Even in his past life, Chu Yuan had long seen through it: on the surface, the Grand Elder was stern and scolding, but in secret, he had always been protecting him.
For one thing, back when his foster parents were attacked in the wilderness, it was this Grand Elder who had led the rescue.
He still remembered when Chu Zhenshan arrived—his foster father had already stopped breathing.
His foster mother, with her last breath, had held Chu Yuan’s hand and said, “A-Yuan… the Grand Elder… is a good person.”
In his past life, Chu Yuan had wondered why his foster mother said that. It was only after he was acknowledged that he understood everything.
Seeing that his Holy Son did not blame him, Chu Zhenshan felt an inexplicable relief: ‘The Holy Son… is truly benevolent!’
He had thought the Holy Son would resent him for failing to protect his foster parents, for only being able to secretly look after him all these years as the “Grand Elder” without daring to acknowledge their connection.
But the Holy Son did the opposite—he even expressed gratitude for his contributions.
Such a character made Chu Zhenshan deeply comforted.
He turned his face away and quickly wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve.
Clearing his throat, Chu Zhenshan tried to steady his voice: “Your Highness, does Fox Venerable have any arrangements for later?”
Chu Yuan shook his head. “We’ll talk after the Divine Hunt Grand Ceremony is over. For now, can you give me a room, and prepare some food that spirit pets like to eat?”
Thinking it over, this was the first time the Holy Son had raised a spirit pet, so he needed to be extremely careful.
Hearing this, Chu Zhenshan finally noticed the young dragon sleeping lightly in the Holy Son’s arms.
Having only just acknowledged Chu Yuan, Chu Zhenshan quickly responded, “Of course, of course! Your Highness, this way, please!”
He turned to guide the way, his posture now much more respectful than before, his waist bent a little lower.
Chu Yuan stepped forward to follow.
They passed through the corridor and had just turned into the main hall of the venue when they heard a sharp voice from a distance:
“Yo! Isn’t this our Chu Family’s rising star?”
Chu Yuan paused mid-step and looked up.
A figure leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, with a sarcastic smile on his face.
Looking closely, the young man wore a brand-new brocade robe, and his face was plainly etched with jealousy.
Chu Linfeng. A few days ago, he had been suppressed by Chu Yuan in the mine matter, and he was already nursing a grudge.
These past few days, he had heard that this waste was being favored by the Successor, eating and drinking well, enjoying himself so much he had forgotten to come back.
Chu Linfeng grew angrier the more he thought about it.
Especially now, seeing Chu Yuan return with Grand Elder Chu, holding an unknown demon beast—whether a cat or a dragon—the fire in his heart blazed up:
‘Good heavens!
‘This waste has only lived well for a few days, and he can already afford to buy a spirit pet?
‘How rich has he become?’
‘No way!
‘I have to teach him a lesson!’
With that thought, Chu Linfeng waved his hand, his tone as dismissive as if he were ordering a servant: “You waste, don’t think that just because you’ve climbed into the Successor’s favor you can slack off. Get over to the logistics team and start working! In my Chu Clan, you’re nothing but a fart!!!”
Facing his arrogant orders, Chu Yuan smiled at him, his gaze like he was looking at an idiot.
Chu Zhenshan’s face turned even darker.
Seeing the Grand Elder like that, Chu Linfeng became even more smug. “Are you deaf, waste? I told you to get your ass over to logistics and help. Look at the Grand Elder’s face—so dark! Do you need my Grand Elder to get angry before you get your act together?”
After speaking, he held his head high, looking thoroughly punchable.
As everyone knew, for all these years, Grand Elder Chu had tacitly allowed them to bully this waste.
As long as they didn’t kill him, they could bully him as they pleased.
That was why Chu Linfeng didn’t hesitate to show off in front of Chu Zhenshan, growing more arrogant by the second. “Also! That spirit pet of yours looks nice. Let me have a little fun with it!”
At those words, Chu Yuan’s gaze toward him instantly flickered with nine-tenths murderous intent.