Chapter 9: Signing In with Qian Renxue, A Million-Year Angel Soul Bone!

Time passed.

In Heaven Dou Imperial City, there was an old tavern—

A place beloved by the common folk of the imperial capital.

After a night of sorrow in Spirit City, Qian Renxue returned here.

This time, she was not disguised as Xue Qinghe.

That was merely a role she played to gain Bibi Dong's approval, a mission she worked tirelessly to carry out.

In the role of Xue Qinghe, she could not allow any personal emotions to interfere.

But that wasn't who she was.

Right now, she just wanted to be herself, if only for a moment.

So, the first thing she did upon returning to Heaven Dou Imperial City was change into her favorite pink dress, apply some exquisite rouge, and come to this old tavern to drink to her heart's content.

She desperately needed this release—if not, she would lose her mind.

At this moment, she was not Xue Qinghe, nor was she Qian Renxue—she was just a girl on the verge of breaking under the torment of her own mother.

At an age when she should have been carefree, she instead bore a burden no child should have to carry.

Had she done something wrong?

Should she have never been born?

Qian Renxue downed another cup of wine, and as sorrow overtook her, she suddenly broke into tears.

The other patrons of the tavern, seeing such a beautiful young girl drinking alone and weeping so bitterly, couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"Another heartbroken girl, suffering for love, I suppose... sigh..."

The bartender, wiping a glass, shook his head and sighed.

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the tavern, Xue Tianyu sat, sipping his wine in silence. Seeing Qian Renxue crying so sorrowfully, he felt an inexplicable unease in his heart.

He knew why she was in such pain.

After thinking for a long moment, he picked up his wine cup and walked over to her table, taking a seat.

"Drinking alone is no fun. I'll drink with you," Xue Tianyu said, raising his cup and clinking it against hers.

Hearing the crisp sound of the cups meeting, Qian Renxue, already slightly intoxicated, lifted her misty, beautiful eyes.

Unexpectedly, she found this young man before her oddly pleasing to the eye.

"You enjoy drinking too?"

Xue Tianyu downed his cup of wine with a faint smile. "A little."

"Your voice... it has a strange sense of familiarity," Qian Renxue murmured, her eyes lowering. "Maybe you're a long-lost relative of mine, haha..."

She emptied her cup in one gulp.

"But that's impossible... Though, I really do wish I had a relative like you..."

Her eyes were red as she gazed at Xue Tianyu, and suddenly, she reached out and gently touched his face.

"Would you... be willing to listen to my story?"

"I've kept some things buried in my heart for too many years..."

Xue Tianyu's heart ached for her. He raised his hand and gently held hers.

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

In all these years, no one had ever been willing to listen to her like this.

For a moment, Qian Renxue was dazed.

She hesitated briefly, but then, reminded that he was just a stranger, and emboldened by the alcohol, she let her guard down.

With a bitter smile, she slowly began to recount her story.

"They say even a tiger doesn't eat its own cubs. But can you believe there are people in this world who despise—no, hate—their own children?"

"You didn't mishear me. Not just dislike. Not just resentment. But hatred."

"And the only crime that child committed... was being born, and surviving."

"To earn their approval, that child tried her best in every way she could. But no matter how much she achieved, she was never recognized—only loathed even more."

"Tell me, what's the point of living a life where you're only hated?"

Qian Renxue didn't mention any names, nor did she reveal any details. But every word she spoke felt like it had been drenched in blood and tears.

As she spoke, she could no longer hold back, and the tears she had swallowed along with her wine now flowed freely from her eyes.

The other patrons might not have understood the deeper meaning of her words, but Xue Tianyu did.

He knew exactly how it felt to be despised by Bibi Dong.

At this moment, he actually felt fortunate that he had been abandoned.

Otherwise, wouldn't he have ended up just like Qian Renxue?

Or perhaps, even worse?

"I don't know why, but even though we just met, you feel so familiar to me," Qian Renxue muttered, wiping her tears. "I must look ridiculous to you."

"You're not alone. Everyone has their struggles," Xue Tianyu said gently, patting her shoulder.

But deep inside, his resolve grew stronger.

He would personally take revenge on Bibi Dong.

He would return everything she had done—tenfold.

Gazing at the teary-eyed Qian Renxue, Xue Tianyu made a silent vow.

'Don't worry. I will help you take back everything that's rightfully ours.'

Sister.

With that thought, he silently activated his system—

Sign in!

Sign in with Qian Renxue.

A familiar system prompt rang in his mind.

But this time, the reward was far beyond his expectations.

Twelve-Winged Angel, Million-Year Right Arm Bone!

This reward was nearly on par with the one he had received from signing in with Bing Di and Xue Di!

In an instant, the details of four powerful abilities appeared in his mind.

Angel Barrier—Nullifies all damage for a short period.

Divine Light—Has an immensely powerful suppression effect.

Holy Light Sword—Summons a sword of light to assist in battle.

And lastly—

Angel Light Blade—An instant-release, deadly attack!

Xue Tianyu hadn't expected to obtain an angel soul bone so easily.

Perhaps... this was fate.

Just as he finished absorbing the details of the soul bone, the entrance of the old tavern swung open.

A group of thugs stormed in.

Xue Tianyu opened his eyes and glanced at them.

Three hooligans, each carrying an iron rod, barged in and began smashing empty wine cups off the tables.

"Bartender! You still haven't paid last time's protection fee! Today, we're here to—huh? Well, well, well, look what we have here!"

One of the thugs caught sight of Qian Renxue, her face still streaked with tears, and immediately motioned for the others to follow.

"Hey there, sweetheart. What are you doing drinking with this brat? Come have a drink with us instead. We'll show you a real good time!"

"Heh, dressing like that... aren't you out here looking for a man?"

"We're very good at taking care of ladies like you~"

Hearing their lewd remarks, both Xue Tianyu and Qian Renxue frowned at the same time.

But Qian Renxue didn't respond—she simply ignored them.

The thugs, however, felt insulted by her silence.

"Hey, little girl, we're talking to you. Didn't you hear?"

None of them paid Xue Tianyu any attention—after all, what could a mere kid do to them?

The three of them reached out toward Qian Renxue simultaneously.

The other patrons held their breath, unwilling to provoke these thugs who had been terrorizing this street for some time.

Xue Tianyu's eyes turned cold.

These bastards dared to lay a hand on his sister?

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Without hesitation, he smashed his wine cup down on their outstretched hands, pinning them to the table.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of bones shattering filled the silent tavern.

____

Translator's N0te: I know some will ask for the raw link even if I already typed the raw name in the synopsis. So to those who are interested, I can share the raw link in my discord server.

Here's the discord server link: https://discord.gg/aZjz3Qe9AN

Also, don't forget the powerstones if you have em. Furthermore, I also have advanced 5 chapters in patreon for both this fanfic and my other translated fanfic so those who are interested can join.

Patreon: patreon.com/PhantomHand69