Kent walked through the door the next second. As soon as he entered the small house, he saw an old lady sitting in a pool of blood, her face deathly pale.
Kent quickly moved toward her, but a gentle force stopped him before he could get much closer.
“No need. I am beyond saving, young man,” the old lady said weakly.
Kent’s eyes scanned the room, noticing signs of a struggle and several bloodstains scattered around. To his right lay a body—a lifeless figure clad in a black cloak. A dagger was sheathed at the figure’s leg and waist.
“What happened here?” Kent asked, his voice edged with concern. He added, “Let me look at your wound. I am an Alchemist, maybe I can help.”
The old lady shook her head slowly. “It’s of no use. I am long dead. You cannot save me.”
Kent stared at her with a perplexed expression. The woman was sitting right in front of him, yet she claimed she was already dead.
It made no sense—at least, not until the tower, having had a few seconds to analyze the situation, provided clarity.
[Master, that is not a human. From her blood, she appears to be a spirit beast, specifically a Golden Tail Soul Fox. They are a race of spirit beasts renowned for their powerful souls and strong mental strength. If I am not mistaken, she is using a technique called Afterdeath Incarnation to hold her soul for some time.]
<There’s something like that?> Kent’s eyes widened as he absorbed this new piece of knowledge.
“Are you really the big brother who gave her the spirit stones?” the old lady asked, her voice barely audible.
“Yes. And I’m sorry if it has caused her any trouble. I never intended for that,” Kent apologized earnestly.
“Nothing is your fault, young man. Because of you, we even had a shot at escaping this time,” the old lady said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“Escaping this time?” Kent raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.
“You seem like a perceptive young man, so I know you know Li Hua is no ordinary human. That aside, she is indeed not a normal human. She was born with a rare type of Heavenly Body Constitution; because of this, her life was in constant danger.
“We have to keep moving now and then just to escape those who mean her harm. Finally, we managed to come here, and for the past 11 years, we have had peace until a few days ago when danger found us again.
“We managed to escape, and thanks to your spirit stones, we were going to disappear, which could have helped us live for a few more years until Li Hua could start to cultivate. Once she did, nobody would have been able to find her again.
“Yet, I underestimated the danger this time, and, well, as you can see, I am dead, and Li Hua has been taken away,” the old lady said with a painful expression.
Kent immediately knew where she was going with everything, so he didn’t let her finish.
“I want to help. Please tell me where they have taken Li Hua, and I promise I will bring her back,” Kent said with a determined expression.
The old lady looked at him for a moment. Within that moment, Kent felt a gentle yet potent energy wash over him like it was probing him.
A few seconds later, the lady sighed. “You look capable, but you’re still too weak to protect her. However, I don’t have much time, and it isn’t like there’s much else I can do. So, I will have to trust you.
That being said, I must warn you that the moment you take the next step, your life will become much more chaotic since Li Hua is a rather unique human.
Are you willing?” she asked.
So far, the conversation had been cryptic and strange. Kent knew the old lady was Li Hua’s grandmother. However, knowing that she wasn’t human left him rather taken aback. Then again, if she isn’t human, why does she look like one?
That answer came faster than he had expected. Vexthra, his first wife—the goddess—wasn’t human, yet she looked human. This meant the lady before him had simply disguised herself as one.
Another question quickly arose: If she isn’t human, why is she with Li Hua, acting like some kind of guardian? That answer came the next moment.
“I don’t have much time, but since Li Hua seems to think you’re a good person, even in those few seconds she had known you, I will have to trust you,” she said.
The next second, the lady transformed, revealing her true form—a cute-looking white fox adorned with intricate golden patterns tracing across her body. Her golden eyes shimmered with a soft, ethereal glow, and her single tail radiated a gentle brilliance.
“My name is Janice. I am a Golden Tail Soul Fox. For the past 13 years, I was tasked by Li Hua’s father to guard his daughter with my life. Let’s just say…I failed,” she said, her voice trembling with weakness.
“This is why, even though I don’t know you and you have no obligation to help me…I would still like to beg you to look after Li Hua,” Janice continued, her tone laced with desperation.
“You want me to become her guardian?” Kent asked, his expression serious.
“Yes. I want you to protect her until she is able to start cultivating and defending herself,” Janice replied hastily. Her presence began to dim, her form fading as she struggled to hold onto her soul.
“Okay. I’m willing,” Kent responded without hesitation.
“Thank you,” Janice said, a faint smile crossing her face. A small stone emerged from her body and floated toward Kent, who caught it deftly.
<What is this?> Kent asked internally.
[It’s a guardian stone. If you fuse with it, you will form a link with the one you are meant to protect. This link allows you to sense them within a certain radius,] the Tower explained.
<I see,> Kent thought.
“That is a guardian stone,” Janice said aloud. “Fusing with it will connect you to Li Hua. There isn’t much time left, so please do it before I cease to exist entirely,” she pleaded, her voice faint and strained.
Kent nodded, channeling his energy into the stone. As he did, a series of messages began to appear before him.
***
[You have fused with a Guardian Stone. +100 added to your spiritual strength permanently.]
[Requirement met… Guardian Tower has been unlocked. You must become a Root Grandmaster to awaken it fully.]
[You have added the human named Li Hua to your Guardian Tower.]
[Because this is your first time becoming a Guardian, the skill named [Guardians Protect] has been unlocked.]
[Guardians Protect]
Grade: Divine
Rank: SSS
— You can sense those under your protection from 2 miles away. This will continue to increase as your soul grows.
— Whenever someone under your protection is harmed, you will get a 500% boost to all your attributes for 10 minutes.
> Side Effect: Extreme anger and bloodlust.
— All those under your protection will inherit a part of your strength when in a life-and-death situation.
> Note: You will not get weakened in any way.
— You will gain a part of the spiritual qi from those under your protection while they are cultivating.
— Once every day, you can use the skill [Guardians Fury] to protect those linked to you. This skill will give you a 2,000% boost in all your attributes.
‘Damn.’