Xu Qian calmed herself. Although she wasn't certain, she generally understood what had happened.
Xiao Yuanshan's journey to Heaven Dou Imperial Capital this time was likely to be very difficult.
In fact, there was no need to perceive; it was clear from the mayor's bandaged body, haggard face, and strong medicinal smell.
"Qianqian, your father has other things to do and won't be back for a while. You'll stay in the Mayor's Mansion for now. I've already prepared a place for you."
"Where is his body?" Xu Qian was silent for a moment, then added, "I want to see him."
"Qianqian, you..."
Xiao Yuanshan was startled, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say something, but Xu Qian's voice blocked his words.
Xu Qian shook her head, her voice calm: "I know that being a Soul Master isn't a safe profession. Given your injuries and what you've said, it's not hard to guess some information."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuanshan sighed: "Ah! Come with me."
Xiao Yuanshan left the hall through the back door, and Xu Qian followed.
Neither of them spoke along the way.
Seven or eight minutes later, Xiao Yuanshan led Xu Qian to a large compartment.
Inside lay a quiet coffin made of mahogany. The lid of the coffin was already closed, and a faint smell of blood wafted from the cracks.
"Your father was too severely injured; he couldn't hold on until Notting City."
Notting City was just a small town without high-level healing Soul Masters. Xu Qian's father's injuries couldn't receive timely treatment. Moreover, the reason for his death was saving their team.
Xu Qian nodded, not asking further questions.
"Do you want to open it?" Xiao Yuanshan asked.
"Uncle Xiao, please go out first. I want to spend some time with my father."
"This..."
"I won't do anything foolish. I just want to stay for a while."
"Then I'll wait outside. Just call if you need anything." Although it felt a bit wrong to leave a child who had just awakened her Martial Soul alone here, seeing the determined expression on Xu Qian's face, Xiao Yuanshan swallowed the words he was about to say.
Xiao Yuanshan exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Ah! If there had been a better healing Soul Master in the team, Brother Xu might have survived."
Thinking of what they encountered on the way back, the lingering fear in his heart still hadn't dissipated.
He had initially thought that this trade trip to Tiandou City would be uneventful. For insurance, he had asked Xu Qian's father to provide protection. As expected, the journey was safe, and they didn't encounter any bandits.
However, on the way back, near Notting City, they encountered a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, a Gale Wolf King known for its speed.
"A ten-thousand-year Gale Wolf King, why would it appear in such a place?" Xiao Yuanshan was still baffled. He looked at the still-closed door, "Brother Xu, from now on, I will raise your daughter. You need not worry."
Xiao Yuanshan thought of what his subordinate had told him recently about Xu Qian's Martial Soul awakening.
"A useless Martial Soul that cannot be cultivated. Perhaps this is exactly what Brother Xu hoped for." Xiao Yuanshan sighed softly, shook his head, and stopped thinking about it.
Suddenly, the bushes and flowers in the courtyard, used for landscaping, began to shake.
Within a few seconds, the shaking became more intense.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Gusts of strong wind, from who knew where, began to blow.
Xiao Yuanshan was first startled, then reacted by looking towards the door.
"This pressure, it's coming from inside!"
Xiao Yuanshan no longer hesitated, reaching out to push open the door.
Just as he stepped one foot into the room and saw the scene inside, his pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes filled with shock, and even his voice became stammering:
"Tha-that..."
Three spirit rings, white and yellow, rose from beneath his feet. After Soul Power surged and covered his entire body, the pressure emanating from him finally subsided.
Xiao Yuanshan stared intently at Xu Qian, who was touching the coffin with her hand.
At this moment, Xu Qian's silver hair was being blown by the strong wind circulating in the room. The book, which was called a useless Martial Soul, hovered in front of her, slowly turning its pages.
A tangible sense of pressure emanated from the suspended book.
"Tha... that is definitely not some useless Martial Soul!"
Higher-ranked Martial Souls can sometimes exert strong suppression over lower-ranked Martial Souls.
Based on the current situation alone, Xiao Yuanshan concluded that the blank book Xu Qian awakened could not be a useless Martial Soul. Even if it was, it wasn't an ordinary useless Martial Soul.
After closing the door, Xiao Yuanshan let out a long sigh of relief.
Xu Qian's situation reminded Xiao Yuanshan of that person in the Moon Pavilion in Tiandou City. It was said that the Moon Pavilion Master was also an ordinary person who couldn't cultivate to become a Soul Master, but even a Soul King would willingly obey her commands.
"Perhaps, she might reach that level someday."
Who knew how much time had passed.
"Creak—"
Xiao Yuanshan, whose thoughts were scattered, heard the sound and once again looked towards the door.
The little girl, her eyes slightly red, pushed open the door and walked out.
"Qianqian, your father's matter..."
"This isn't Uncle Xiao's fault. Father already told me what happened." Xu Qian gently shook her head, "He even helped me awaken my Martial Soul again. Although I still don't have Soul Power, perhaps I can become a Soul Master after all."
Xu Qian's words left Xiao Yuanshan speechless.
Her deceased father told her what happened and even helped her awaken her Martial Soul? Had this child gone mad with grief?
"Don't be afraid, Qianqian. From now on, I'll treat you as my own daughter. Even if your father isn't here, no one in the entire Notting City will be able to bully you."
Xiao Yuanshan felt that the little girl in front of him was much more pleasing to the eye than his own mischievous son.
There was no way to repay the life-saving grace. If Big Brother Xu hadn't fought with all his might against the Gale Wolf King, he, and even the entire caravan, would have perished at the hands of the Gale Wolf King. Both emotionally and logically, he couldn't be ungrateful.
Xu Qian looked at Xiao Yuanshan, then nodded after a long silence: "Greetings, Godfather. If Father knows this in the afterlife, he will surely be very happy."
"Uh..." Xu Qian's direct act of recognizing him as a godfather completely shattered the basket of procedures Xiao Yuanshan had prepared.
He almost didn't react in time.
That was too direct.
Even if one recognizes a godfather, shouldn't there be a procedure?
Originally, in this situation, it was just a comforting remark, to keep Xu Qian from overthinking and from blurting out nonsense like her father helping her awaken her Martial Soul and telling her the truth.
Before Xiao Yuanshan could recover, Xu Qian spoke again: "Godfather, I'll trouble you with Father's funeral arrangements. I'm a bit tired and want to rest for a while... Should I go back or stay in the Mayor's Mansion?"
"Stay in the Mayor's Mansion. This will be your home from now on." Xiao Yuanshan, realizing it was a done deal, no longer struggled.
After arranging everything and instructing the maid to take good care of Xu Qian to prevent any accidents, Xiao Yuanshan went to attend to his own matters. After all, it wasn't just Xu Qian's father who had died this time, but also a large number of his trusted associates, leaving behind a mountain of troubles both before and after their deaths.
"Hoo—" Lying quietly on the bed, Xu Qian's gaze was somewhat vacant. She murmured, "My biological father just died and hasn't even been buried, and I've already recognized a godfather. This is practically on par with Lu Fengxian, who specialized in stabbing godfathers with his Fangtian Huaji."
She might need external help to cultivate her Martial Soul, and in Notting City, the only prominent figure who met her expectations and was accessible to someone who wasn't a Soul Master was currently the Notting City Mayor, Xiao Yuanshan.
So, at an inappropriate time, she said inappropriate things, and even leveraged Xiao Yuanshan's guilt in front of her father's corpse to achieve the desired outcome in one fell swoop.
Was she really excessively rational, worried that Xiao Yuanshan's emotional outburst would expire if she didn't act quickly?