Chapter 397: Ren’s Guide to Babysitting Idiots

For several seconds, nobody said anything.

Miona immediately stepped forward, breaking the silence. "What the hell happened in there?"

Linsey leaned forward curiously. "Yeah, Master. Did you actually find something?"

Aiko looked even more excited as she quickly asked, "Was there really an inheritance?"

Ren, meanwhile, noticed that several nearby cultivators were beginning to glance toward Damian and Cassandra with growing curiosity.

After all, too many people had witnessed the two of them disappear into the circular carving, only to suddenly reappear some time later.

Damian also noticed the curious gazes directed toward them, but he simply smiled casually. "Relax, everyone. Nothing bad happened."

Cynthia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That answer usually means something very good happened."

Damian grinned mischievously. "Hehe, you know me too well! But let’s not talk about it here."

He glanced at the surrounding cultivators before lowering his voice. "Let’s get out of here first. There are too many eyes watching us."

The others immediately understood what he meant and nodded in agreement.

Ren quickly waved his hand and gestured toward a nearby mountain path. "Follow me. I know a quieter route leading toward the exit."

Without wasting any more time, the group quickly moved away from the shrine and followed Ren toward one of the less crowded mountain routes.

Only after they had put a considerable distance between themselves and the curious crowd did Ren finally slow down.

He then turned toward Damian and cautiously asked, "Uh... Master Damian, what exactly did you obtain inside?"

Damian simply smiled. "Something good."

Ren waited for him to continue, but Damian showed absolutely no intention of explaining further.

Aiko blinked in surprise. "That’s all you’re going to tell us?"

Damian’s smile remained, but his expression suddenly carried a faint warning. "Yes, that’s all. And if you really want to know what’s inside, there are still eight other circular patterns around the valley."

He shrugged casually before continuing. "You can try figuring them out yourselves. Whether you’ll actually succeed or not, though... that’s none of my business."

Hearing his words and noticing the warning hidden behind his smile, Ren and Aiko immediately fell silent.

They weren’t fools. Both of them understood that Damian was reminding them of their positions.

As mere guides, they had no right to pry into his secrets. They only needed to know what he was willing to tell them.

Ren quickly lowered his head respectfully. "Yes, Sir. I apologize for asking too much. I’ll investigate the other patterns myself later."

Aiko also lowered her head, no longer daring to ask any more questions.

Seeing their reactions, Damian’s expression softened into his usual carefree smile. "Good! Now that we’ve gotten what I came here for, let’s head toward our next destination."

Ren quickly took the lead again, guiding everyone along the mountain road leading away from Raijin no Tani.

After traveling for some time, he finally glanced back toward Damian. "Our next stop is a hot spring region."

Hearing this, Damian immediately perked up, his expression turning interested.

Ren continued explaining, "Once we pass through that region, we should be able to reach one of the Sakura Empire’s main cities."

Damian blinked in surprise. "Huh? That fast?"

Ren nodded calmly. "Well, you chose the dangerous route, remember?"

Damian crossed his arms and shrugged. "Yeah, but honestly, that route wasn’t even that dangerous."

Ren gave him a flat look. "For normal cultivators, Thunder God Valley is an extremely dangerous place."

He gestured toward the group following Damian before continuing. "Most cultivators who don’t specialize in thunder wouldn’t dare casually stroll through a valley filled with unstable lightning."

Ren paused for a moment before sighing helplessly. "But considering how ridiculously strong all of you are, I suppose it makes sense that you didn’t find it dangerous."

Damian immediately grinned smugly. "Exactly!"

Aiko then stepped forward and added, "Alright, then! Just like my brother said, our next destination is the hot spring region, a place famous for its countless natural hot springs."

Hearing this, Damian immediately grinned with excitement. "Hehe, now that sounds so much better! A hot spring region is definitely a great choice for our second destination!"

Miona immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Damian simply smiled innocently. "What? Isn’t the Sakura Empire’s hot spring region basically a bathing resort?"

Hearing his question, Aiko and Ren looked slightly surprised before nodding in agreement.

Aiko smiled and explained, "That’s right! There are plenty of hot spring resorts there, and many cultivators visit the region just to relax."

The other girls were also pleasantly surprised upon hearing that their next destination was a bathing resort.

However, rather than looking annoyed or suspicious of Damian’s excitement, several of them actually smiled with anticipation.

After all, it had been quite some time since they had enjoyed a proper, relaxing bath in a natural hot spring.

And as women, they certainly wouldn’t complain about finally having an opportunity to relax, soak in warm water, and enjoy themselves after all their traveling.

Seeing their excited expressions, Ren quickly raised his hand and interrupted. "Please, hear me out first! Although the region is famous for its hot spring resorts, the area we’re passing through isn’t some ordinary bathing resort."

Aiko nodded in agreement before adding, "That’s right! The place we’re heading toward is called [Jigoku no Onsen], or in your language, [The Hot Springs of Hell]."

Ren continued explaining, "Just like its name suggests, the water there is so ridiculously hot that people compare it to hell itself."

He paused briefly before adding, "The real danger isn’t just the boiling water, either. It’s the extremely high temperatures throughout the entire region. Even cultivators can have trouble enduring the heat."

Damian stared at the siblings for several seconds before suddenly grinning. "So... basically, it’s still a hot spring, right?"

Ren and Aiko exchanged helpless glances before sighing in unison.

They already had a pretty good idea of what Damian was thinking.

Ren could only nod reluctantly. "Well... technically, yes."

Damian’s grin widened immediately. "Hehe, then what’s the problem? A hot spring is a hot spring!"

He casually waved his hand dismissively. "So there’s no need to worry! Can’t you see that we’re all powerful cultivators? A little heat isn’t going to hurt us!"

Cassandra, who was walking behind him, also nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah! We’re all strong enough to handle ourselves, so stop worrying so much. Just focus on being our guide."

Ren could only sigh helplessly before continuing to lead the group toward the Hot Springs of Hell.

However, he couldn’t help reminding them one last time. "I’m just saying, please don’t underestimate that place. Even Golden Core cultivators can have trouble surviving there."

Damian immediately waved his hand again, cutting him off. "Alright, alright! You don’t need to say anything more. Dangerously hot or not, we’re not exactly weak either."

He pointed toward the road ahead before adding, "So I’m telling you one more time. Just focus on being our guide and leave the rest to us!"

Damian then glanced back toward his harem with a cheerful smile. "Besides... a hot spring sounds like the perfect place to relax before entering the Sakura Empire."

Ren could only sigh in defeat, realizing that no matter what he said, Damian wasn’t going to change his mind.

Aiko, walking beside him, simply nodded silently and gave her brother a knowing look, as if telling him to stop talking before he made things worse.

In the end, Ren decided to keep his mouth shut and focus on guiding the group toward their next destination.