Chapter 20

Qiduo never hid her disdain for Hawke.

This was because Hawke had once been a "grave robber" who roamed various ruins and tombs.

Also, this "grave robber," whom she despised so much, had taken away her most cherished "close friend."

If that were all, it would have been fine, but this damned bastard not only failed to bring happiness to her "close friend" but also made her "close friend" pay with her life to bear the consequences that should never have been hers to bear.

Qiduo could never understand why her "close friend" would fall for a man like Hawke.

So, after that "incident" ended, she often felt that her "close friend" was not treated fairly.

Now—

Just one formal meeting, and Qiduo's impulse to take Moyou away could not be suppressed.

The memories that kept surging in her mind only intensified her emotions.

This led her to lose control and blurt out her thoughts.

"Uh."

Moyou was taken aback by Qiduo's words and was momentarily at a loss for what to say.

He could vaguely sense—

That something must have happened between Hawke, Qiduo, and the mother of his previous life, who left no memory behind.

However,

Regardless of Qiduo's motives for wanting to take him away, he did not want to leave the temple for the time being.

The location of the temple was sufficiently remote and quiet, providing him with an excellent environment for cultivation.

His current plan was to quickly solidify the foundation of the "Four Great Elements" and then master the advanced techniques of "Condensation" and "Firmness."

Only when he reached that level would he consider leaving the temple.

Even if he were to leave, he would not choose to go with Qiduo.

The Sky Arena, where he could gain experience, was where he wanted to go in the future.

Regarding this—

He had already made his plans. He would wait until his mental power techniques were sufficiently proficient and then fight the building owners in the Sky Arena without using his "Nen abilities."

He would not use his "Nen abilities" to avoid exposing his capabilities in public, and he would only use mental power techniques to accumulate strength more quickly.

Qiduo, of course, had no idea what Moyou was thinking.

She looked at the silent Moyou and wanted to further explain that she was not joking.

But her timely return to reason stopped her.

The most urgent matter was not to take Moyou away but to completely eliminate the "Cost Power" that threatened his life.

"My point is—"

Qiduo regained her composure and said in a gentle, elder's tone, "The city I come from is very bustling and lively. If you have time later, you can come back with me and stay for a few days before returning."

"Sure, I've never seen a 'big city' before."

With the help of the memory fragments of his previous life, Moyou timely displayed a look of anticipation and excitement.

Qiduo smiled slightly and then raised her index finger, saying, "There's one more thing."

"Hmm?"

Moyou looked at Qiduo in confusion.

Qiduo emphasized, "Don't use honorifics with me in the future."

"..."

Moyou felt something was off, but he chose to go along with it.

Subsequently—

Qiduo took the initiative to start a conversation with Moyou.

What she called a conversation was more like a one-sided interrogation by Qiduo.

For example—

Whether Hawke had ever hit him, what Hawke usually fed him, whether Hawke made him do part-time jobs to support the household, and various other questions.

It was unclear how Qiduo came up with so many questions, but she managed to ask from morning until noon, and she asked in great detail...

Moyou almost couldn't keep up. Seeing that it was already noon, he quickly used the excuse of making lunch to try to escape Qiduo's relentless "concern."

However, as soon as he stood up, Qiduo pressed him back into his seat.

"Stay seated, I'll do it."

Qiduo took charge with an authoritative tone that brooked no argument.

Her confident and assertive attitude made Moyou go along with it again, sitting obediently in his chair.

Qiduo then headed straight for the kitchen.

"..."

Walking into the kitchen, Qiduo lowered her head slightly.

The reflection on her glasses obscured her eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, Qiduo adjusted her glasses and began to cook.

Half an hour later.

Thick black smoke billowed from the chimney of the kitchen, accompanied by a strong smell of burning.

"?"

Moyou watched the black smoke mixed with the smell of burning coming from the kitchen, and the confident look Qiduo had when she pressed him back into his seat flashed through his mind.

A two-star Hunter who specialized in solving various difficult problems couldn't cook?

A classic setup, right?

Moyou couldn't help but sigh, pushing through the black smoke to the kitchen. He saw a blackened, unrecognizable object in the iron pot.

Looking down, he saw that the stove was stuffed with wood, and the flames were roaring as if trying to escape, spewing out of the stove.

Qiduo stood by the stove, holding a spatula, looking somewhat at a loss.

"Let me do it."

Moyou looked at Qiduo and suggested.

"O-Okay."

Qiduo slunk out of the kitchen.

A while later.

Moyou cooked a pot of noodles. The taste couldn't be guaranteed, but the quantity was sufficient.

At mealtime, Qiduo, perhaps feeling embarrassed, kept her head down and ate the noodles without asking Moyou many more daily questions.

This made Moyou much more relaxed.

After a simple meal, Moyou went to clean the guest room to make it more comfortable for Qiduo to stay overnight.

"Half a day, and she asked me so many trivial questions... but she didn't ask me anything about 'Nen.' What's the reason for selectively ignoring it?"

Moyou swept the floor, his head lowered in thought.

"Whatever, I'll wait for Hawke to come back."

Sweep, sweep—

The broom stirred up dust in the room.

Night fell.

After dinner, Moyou returned to his room to practice the foundation of the Four Great Elements.

He usually practiced in the courtyard, but with an extra person in the temple, Moyou had to continue his practice in his room.

As the night deepened, it became quiet and still.

Qiduo slowly walked out of her room and came to the pond in the courtyard.

"It's so quiet."

Qiduo looked down at the pond.

It was ordinary, with nothing special about it.

If not for the "informed," who would know—

That beneath this ordinary pond was sealed a "Post-Death Object" that even professional Hunters had to handle with caution.

Typically, the items materialized by Nen users would disappear without a trace upon their death.

But Nen—

Under certain conditions, it could become even stronger due to death, transforming into an independent entity that continued to exist in the world.

The so-called "Post-Death Object" was actually a special item that remained after a Nen user's materialized item was nourished by death.

It also had another name: Nen Tool.

Since it was created by Nen, most Nen Tools possessed at least one special ability.

However, due to the extremely stringent conditions for the birth of Nen Tools, very few Nen users owned one.

Notably—

In modern times, few new Nen Tools have been born.

The Nen Tools currently controlled by Nen users are mostly found in various ruins or royal tombs.

The "Post-Death Object" sealed beneath the pond was also something Hawke had stolen from a certain ruin.

However, the "Post-Death Object" Hawke brought out was of a type with extremely poor controllability and high risk and threat.

What it brought was not a once-glorious ability from hundreds or even thousands of years ago but a complete disaster...

"What should I do—"

Qiduo's gaze turned cold as she looked down at the pond, and she said in a low voice, "to completely remove you..."

As an "informed," she had personally witnessed the terrifying nature of this "Post-Death Object" and even developed a hypothesis—

Could such a terrifying existence have originated from the dark continent beyond the world's map, and could it be an unverified disaster?

When Qiduo had this hypothesis, as a member of the Twelve Earthly Branches of the Hunter Association, she should have reported all known information to Netero at the beginning.

But she did not.

Between her "adoration" for Netero and her "selfishness,"

She almost did not hesitate to choose "selfishness."

Because—

At that time, she did not want to see a newborn baby be assumed to be a certain unknown disaster from the dark continent and be taken into custody by international organizations.

Qiduo stood by the pond for a long time, finally silently withdrew her gaze, and then headed out of the temple.

Outside the temple, Qiduo, who was already familiar with the terrain of the mountain, determined the direction with just a glance.

She walked down the steep slope and into the forest.

"Rip—"

Moving through the forest, Qiduo's expression was calm, and as she pulled her hands, a faintly glowing thread appeared.

At first glance, it looked like the "Nen Thread Sewing" ability of the Phantom Troupe's Machi.

Theoretically, Nen abilities are not unique.

Under equal conditions, two different people have a probability of developing the same Nen ability.

However, the Nen threads materialized by Qiduo were far inferior to Machi's in terms of functionality and extensibility.

They were not in the same league.

Strictly speaking, Qiduo's Nen threads, in terms of quality and strength, were no different from ordinary sewing threads.

Why develop such a seemingly less useful ability?

If someone were to ask Qiduo, her answer would only be—because I think it will be useful.

Qiduo moved back and forth in the forest, laying ordinary-looking Nen threads in various corners.

She was setting up a warning network to prevent potential enemies.

The reason for such caution could be attributed to Hawke.

"Buzz—"

The phone in her pocket vibrated slightly.

Qiduo took out her phone, and the caller was Hawke.

At the same time.

Inside the temple room.

Moyou stared at his shadow.

He was thinking—

Whether it was necessary to develop the "Shared Vision" ability first.