Chapter 34: Regret, Blood, and a Shattered Door
"If Uncle does not abandon me today, Bu is willing to become his adoptive father…"
Bai Qingshan raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. "It's not that serious. Think about it carefully. I didn't actually help you all that much in the beginning."
But the truth was undeniable—medicine with almost no side effects that could upgrade someone to the fifth ring, and gold soul coins surpassing his original investment more than tenfold—these returns came so quickly and generously, they practically served as interest alone.
Bai Qingshan couldn't help but feel deep regret. Why did he give Xiao Qiang so few resources back then? Why didn't he try to borrow more money or pull more strings to provide more? Now, just the interest he was receiving was worth more than everything he had given, and it came so fast that he felt a little ashamed.
"Uncle Bai, don't say that. When we first met, I had nothing. No one was willing to help me… except you."
Zhao Yuanbu: "…"
He felt like those words were a pointed blade stabbed in his direction—but there was no way to argue against it.
"Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to obtain those two soul rings so close to the upper absorption limit. Without a good foundation, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Xiao Qiang's voice was calm and sincere. Back then, he truly had nothing. His innate level 5 soul power didn't qualify him as a genius. In the Sun and Moon Empire, where martial soul standards were generally low, he was merely "above average." The word genius didn't apply at all.
Without the title of genius, there was little goodwill surrounding him. Even when others tried to recruit him later, they turned him down flat when he asked for resources.
But then he met Bai Qingshan. Regardless of what Bai's original motives were, the benefits he gave Xiao Qiang were real. If it hadn't been for those resources, Xiao Qiang would have met Tianmeng with only a single white soul ring.
In that case, every plan Xiao Qiang had made would've been doomed. He'd have had no choice but to rely on luck and gamble everything against some "Child of Destiny," probably ending up dead and forgotten.
Only Xiao Qiang knew how desperate and powerless he was at the time. And only he knew how vital those early resources from Bai Qingshan had been.
That was why he had made sure to bring the best medicine to Bai Qingshan as soon as he could.
"Uncle Bai, there's no need for formalities between us. Just like you helped me back then, if you never reach Soul Douluo in your life, that's not your fault—it's my incompetence for not climbing high enough to lift you."
Bai Qingshan's face flushed slightly with shame. "You don't need to take it so seriously. Honestly, I'm already very satisfied with what you've given me. After all, when I helped you, my motives weren't entirely pure…"
He inwardly scolded himself for being so easily swayed by Zhao Yuanbu's words a few minutes ago. Xiao Qiang cared so deeply about him—and yet, for a moment, he'd been unsure. That was shameful.
"A gentleman judges actions, not intentions," Xiao Qiang replied. "No matter what you say, only you, Uncle Bai, really helped me back then. That's an indisputable fact."
"As for impure motives, who doesn't have their own little thoughts? But does that make the help I received any less real?"
"When I needed help the most, only you stepped forward. That's enough for me."
"The benefits I received were real. Your efforts were real. Everything else doesn't matter."
Pfft!
A muffled sound came through the soul guide communicator.
"Huh? What was that sound?" Xiao Qiang asked, puzzled.
Bai Qingshan casually glanced at Zhao Yuanbu, who had just coughed up blood in anger. "It's not important."
"Oh."
Since Uncle Bai didn't make a fuss, Xiao Qiang didn't press the issue. It didn't sound like he was in trouble, so it didn't concern him.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanbu had already silently walked away, claiming he needed to check on something. In truth, he had gone to the bathroom to clean up the bloodstains from his sudden hemorrhage and calm down.
Zhao Yuanbu had always been groomed by his family to defeat his cousin and become the next patriarch of the Zhao family. The drive to rise in social class had practically been engraved in his bones.
And now… the door to ascend had opened, but he had personally slammed it shut.
It would've been better if he hadn't known. But now that he knew what he missed out on, the emotional blow hit him harder than Fan Jin's mad celebration after passing the imperial exams.
The only reason he didn't faint from the shock was because he was a soul master—his physical condition was far more resilient than Fan Jin, who likely hadn't eaten properly for weeks.
Now, Zhao Yuanbu stood alone, wiping blood from his lips and trying to adjust his mindset. He definitely couldn't let the family know what happened. If they found out he had rejected Xiao Qiang, he'd be ruined. And not just him—his grandfather, the Great Elder, might even lose his position.
Although his decision was understandable at the time—after all, no one could predict the future—that didn't mean others would accept it.
If the Zhao family missed their chance to rise because of him, Zhao Yuanbu would become a sinner in their eyes. He didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.
And yet, all that felt secondary right now. The fear of family punishment was distant. What haunted him more was the sheer scale of what he had thrown away.
He remembered clearly: He had been the first to find Xiao Qiang. Xiao Qiang had even given him a list of the resources he needed. Zhao Yuanbu refused it without hesitation.
On the surface, it wasn't a big deal. Trading is a matter of mutual agreement. If one side refuses, the other can just move on.
But now, Xiao Qiang was being accepted by Jing Hongchen, the top figure among soul engineers. It was only a matter of time before Xiao Qiang became a ninth-level soul mentor.
A ninth-level soul mentor was a pillar of power in the Sun and Moon Empire. There were countless people who'd fight just for the chance to pour him a cup of tea.
And what had Zhao Yuanbu done?
He had rejected that man when he was weak. Even worse, he'd once considered halving Xiao Qiang's requested resources and treating him like a dog.
He hadn't had the chance to act on that thought yet, but the fact that he had the thought—that alone was dangerous.
There were no secrets that stayed hidden forever.
If someone found out he'd tried to humiliate a future ninth-level soul master, the Zhao family would be crushed like ants, and no one would bother listening to excuses.
This was a world where the strong devoured the weak. If you were weak, even a false suspicion from the strong could cost you everything.
"Damn it… What am I supposed to do?" Zhao Yuanbu gritted his teeth in frustration. "A ninth-level soul master… The only people I know who are even remotely close to that level are Xiao Qiang and Bai Qingshan."
"But I've already lost contact with Xiao Qiang… and I can't exactly cling to Bai Qingshan's thigh… right?"
He paused.
"…Wait a minute. Cling to Bai Qingshan's thigh?"
A crazy idea surfaced in his mind.
What if… What if I knelt in front of Bai Qingshan and confessed sincerely?
'Bu has wandered for half a lifetime. I only regret that I never met a wise master. If my uncle does not abandon me today, Bu is willing to worship as his adoptive father!'
The wording was awkward. The flattery was too obvious. It all sounded a bit desperate and ridiculous.
But…
It had to be better than doing nothing.
Right?