Mu Xuanling was amused by Fu Lansheng’s words. After helping A Bao stand steady, she laughed and said, “Young Palace Master, this is A Bao!”
As soon as Mu Xuanling let go, A Bao couldn’t help but crouch down on all fours, saying in a childish voice, “Big Brother, don’t you recognize me?”
Fu Lansheng’s suspicious gaze darted between the three of them, finally settling on A Bao.
“The voice does sound very similar…” Fu Lansheng muttered as he approached to take a closer look.
Mu Xuanling caught between laughter and exasperation, pulled A Bao up from the ground again. “A Bao, you’re in human form now. You can’t act like a mouse anymore.”
A Bao wrinkled her nose, fidgeting with her skirt. Her large, dark eyes clouded with worry as she complained, “But standing on two legs is so tiring. Why can’t I stay on all fours?”
Fu Lansheng thought to himself, this is A Bao…
“How did A Bao turn into this form?” Fu Lansheng couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the bun-shaped hairstyle on her head. “Weren’t you a half-demon?”
Mu Xuanling explained, “I passed on the Jade Threshold Scripture to A Bao. She developed divine apertures, and then… she transformed into human form.”
Fu Lansheng was stunned. “The Jade Threshold Scripture is so miraculous? This is truly beyond comprehension. Are those born with ten apertures gods? This doesn’t just overturn our understanding; it changes the very essence of life. It would be less surprising if it were divine power, but how can human ability achieve such a transformation?”
Xie Xuechen was also puzzled.
Seven years ago, he had been gravely injured and near death at Moonlight Mountain Villa. After months in a coma, he had gained enlightenment of divine skills in his dreams, and his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds ever since. He knew the Jade Threshold Scripture was profound, but he didn’t know it could cause such changes. Fu Lansheng looked at him with curiosity and surprise, but he had no explanation to offer.
“A Bao, you need to act like a proper human now. Remember, don’t jump on people randomly, walk on two legs instead of all fours, use chopsticks when eating…” Mu Xuanling rattled off instructions on how to behave like a human.
A Bao said, “Sister, you can say all that, but why are you squishing my face?”
“Ahem…” Mu Xuanling laughed awkwardly as she kneaded A Bao’s chubby, rosy cheeks. “Because I like you.”
A Bao nodded, seeming to half-understand—after all, her sister used to rub her head all the time before.
She stood on tiptoes and reached up to touch Mu Xuanling’s face, saying seriously, “I like you too, Sister.”
Mu Xuanling smiled and lowered A Bao’s hand. “There’s one more important thing: from now on, only Sister and Mother can touch your cheeks. No one else is allowed!”
“Not even Big Brother?” A Bao asked, confused.
“Especially not him!” Mu Xuanling said sternly, glaring at Fu Lansheng. “Young Palace Master, don’t say things that will corrupt the child!”
Fu Lansheng felt wronged. “What did I say?”
A Bao answered honestly, “You said ‘daylight indecency.’ I just asked Sect Leader Xie what it meant.”
Mu Xuanling’s face reddened, while Fu Lansheng turned pale, choking on his saliva and coughing violently—why did you have to ask Sect Leader Xie of all people?
“It’s a misunderstanding! I wasn’t talking about you two!” Fu Lansheng’s handsome face alternated between red and white as he weakly tried to defend himself. “Oh right, I came to tell you that the Cloud Void Ship will be departing for Two Realms Mountain soon. I don’t have anything else to say, so I’ll be going now…”
Fu Lansheng turned to leave but paused at the door, looking back at A Bao.
“A Bao, I brought you lots of fun things…”
A Bao’s eyes lit up, and she was about to pounce on Fu Lansheng’s shoulder on all fours when Mu Xuanling caught her sleeve. Remembering Mu Xuanling’s instructions, she tried to adopt a human posture, stiffly walking towards Fu Lansheng.
“Big Brother, what did you bring?”
“Just some trinkets that young demons like… You might not need them anymore…”
“I do! Give them to me!”
“They’re in the room. Come on, walk faster.”
“Big Brother, walking on two legs is so tiring. Can I change back to my old form? You can carry me.”
“Carry you? Do you think I’m a mount?”
“Then can I hide in your qiezi bag?”
“…Your lazy and greedy nature reminds me of myself when I was younger. You’re practically my sister from a different father and mother.”
“Is Big Brother praising me?”
“Of course, Fu A Bao…”
Although the door was closed, the conversation outside could still be heard clearly by the two inside. Mu Xuanling couldn’t help but smile, covering her forehead with her hand. “It seems A Bao has picked up some bad habits from Fu Lansheng.”
Xie Xuechen said, “It’s easy to learn bad habits.”
Mu Xuanling’s eyes twinkled as she hooked her arms around Xie Xuechen’s neck. Her red lips barely grazed the corner of his mouth as she said suggestively, “Sect Leader Xie has learned quite a few bad habits from me…”
Xie Xuechen wrapped an arm around her slender waist, his sharp phoenix eyes softening. His cool voice carried a hint of amusement: “Still want to engage in daylight indecency?”
Mu Xuanling’s eyes sparkled with affection as she smiled coyly, “I’m worried about damaging Sect Leader Xie’s reputation.”
“I don’t care about others’ opinions. I’m more concerned about whether your body can handle it.” Xie Xuechen said this with a solemn face and righteous air, yet his words made the listener blush.
Xie Xuechen grasped Mu Xuanling’s wrist, sending a thread of spiritual energy into her meridians. He noticed her energy was significantly weakened.
“You’ve expended a lot of energy passing on the scripture to A Bao. You need to cultivate diligently to recover.” Xie Xuechen’s brows furrowed slightly.
So that’s what he meant by “handle it”…
Mu Xuanling smiled, resting her head on his chest to listen to his strong heartbeat. “Xie Xuechen… you must have been even more exhausted when you passed on your skills to me before. I had dispersed my demonic energy then, and my qi was in chaos. You had to save my life and transfer your power to me. I heard you stayed in my room for three days and nights.”
Xie Xuechen paused, tightening his arms around her. He lowered his head and chuckled softly, “Three days and nights? It seems my reputation was compromised long ago.”
“You had suffered severe injuries repeatedly, and then you depleted more than half of your energy to help me. No wonder that demon dragon injured you so badly.” Mu Xuanling’s consciousness had been nearly gone at the time, but she still remembered the last image she saw—him in blood-stained white robes, rushing to save her. “You went into seclusion for a month. The situation must have been extremely dangerous then…”
“Ling’er, it’s all in the past,” Xie Xuechen’s palm gently patted her back as he said softly, “Don’t be sad anymore.”
Mu Xuanling hugged Xie Xuechen tightly and said in a low voice, “I’m not sad… I just feel sorry for you…”
She raised her head and gently kissed Xie Xuechen’s chin. Xie Xuechen’s lips curled into a smile as he lowered his head to capture her soft red lips, lingering and entwining until her legs went weak. Only then did he lift her in his arms and place her on the bed.
“Shall we practice dual cultivation?” he asked with a smile, his voice husky. “It’ll help replenish your energy.”
Mu Xuanling’s eyes were filled with tenderness, her face flushed like a peach blossom, but she bit her lip and shook her head.
Xie Xuechen was taken aback.
“The gap between our cultivation levels is too great. While dual cultivation would benefit me, it wouldn’t help you. Moreover, you always transfer your power to me, which harms your cultivation.” Mu Xuanling’s voice was sweet and soft, yet firm and worried. “Sang Qi has been in seclusion, cultivating. You and he will inevitably have a battle. At this time, you can’t afford to deplete your cultivation for my sake.”
Xie Xuechen finally understood her concerns, and his heart filled with tender affection. He smiled and rubbed her head, his long fingers tracing her impassioned brows and eyes. She always loved him with such fervor, considering his needs in everything. How could he not be moved, how could he not adore her…
He leaned down and lightly pecked her moist, alluring lips. He didn’t deepen the kiss, only gently caressing and nibbling her soft lips, tender and restrained.
Mu Xuanling swallowed hard, her heart racing and breath quickening. Her soft fingers unconsciously caressed the skin of his neck as she greedily gazed at his handsome, smiling features. With difficulty, she pushed him away.
“Stop tempting me. I don’t have much self-control,” she said, her voice sweet and trembling.
Xie Xuechen’s lips curled into a smile as he buried his face in her neck, unable to suppress a low laugh. Their closely embraced bodies allowed her to feel the vibrations in his chest. Her arms encircled his shoulders, hugging his body contentedly.
Xie Xuechen tightened his arms, his palms gently caressing her slender, soft body. Compared to him, she seemed so petite, like an exquisite gem perfectly inlaid in his embrace, as if they were born to belong to each other. He craved the sweet softness of her body, intoxicated by the pleasure she gave him, yet also savoring this moment of silent embrace.
Suddenly, he heard Mu Xuanling speak softly, “Xie Xuechen, do you want to have a child?”
Xie Xuechen looked at her with slight surprise, seeing a hint of melancholy in her bright, lively eyes.
Was it because of what Fu Lansheng said…
Or because she saw how adorable A Bao was…
“In this world of cultivators, except for those who renounce emotions and love, most high-level practitioners have over a dozen children. You were born with ten apertures, so your offspring would undoubtedly be extraordinary. Many people would want to have children with you…” Mu Xuanling mumbled, thinking of Gao Qiumin as one of the women coveting Xie Xuechen. Afraid of losing him to someone else, she unconsciously hugged him tighter.
“What others do is of no concern to me,” Xie Xuechen said with a faint smile. Sensing her insecurity, he held her close and said gently, “Ling’er, before I met you, I only wanted to live alone. I never thought about having a Dao partner, let alone offspring. Having you by my side in this life is enough. What more could I ask for?”
His voice was steady and powerful, each word carrying great weight, smoothing out the wrinkles of unease in her heart, yet unable to completely put her at ease. “But I want to have many children with you, half like me, half like you.” She thought of the little Xie Xuechen she had seen in the illusion, with his soft black hair bun, jade-like tender face, and innocent yet determined phoenix eyes. Her heart softened even more, and she couldn’t help but smile, “Little Xie Xuechen must be so cute…”
In Xie Xuechen’s heart, little Ling’er would naturally be cuter, but…
He sighed inwardly, but outwardly said, “Since a half-demon can open divine apertures, perhaps one day we can have offspring too. After defeating Sang Qi, I will resign from my position as Sect Leader and guard the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Will you accompany me?”
“Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be,” Mu Xuanling said without hesitation.
Xie Xuechen chuckled softly, affectionately kissing her brows and eyes. “Then we have a thousand years to try slowly…”
Mu Xuanling gently bit her lip, her eyes so soft they could drip water. Her delicate fingertips roamed teasingly over his chest and abdomen, hooking onto his waist sash.
“Then let’s try now…” she said.
Xie Xuechen suppressed a smile and held her soft, boneless hand, saying in a husky voice, “I thought we weren’t dual cultivating?”
Mu Xuanling let out a soft moan, her voice sweet and alluring, “We don’t have to dual cultivate… we can just share a bed…”
How very logical, truly worthy of her…
Xie Xuechen couldn’t help but smile, skillfully undoing her clothes and immersing himself in her sweet softness.
The Cloud Void Ship flew above the sea of clouds, with sunlight shining unobstructed on the barrier, emitting a dazzling brilliance. Thanks to the defensive barrier, the interior of the Cloud Void Ship maintained a warm and tranquil spring-like atmosphere year-round.
The journey from Lingji Island to Two Realms Mountain would take two days at the fastest, or three days at the slowest. If the weather was good, they could arrive even quicker. Fu Lansheng, seeing A Bao in human form for the first time, patiently taught her how to behave like a human every day. To encourage her to walk upright more diligently, he even took out a bag of precious materials to tempt her.
“A Bao, you must use chopsticks to eat!” Fu Lansheng caught her small hand as she reached out, saying sternly, “You were just crawling on the ground with your hands, and now you want to use them to grab food. Isn’t that dirty?”
A Bao’s face fell in disappointment. “Chopsticks are so hard to use. I want a spoon.”
“How old are you now…”
“Two and a half,” A Bao held up three chubby fingers, then bent one halfway down.
“Hehe,” Nan Xuyue couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh softly. “She is indeed quite young.”
“Uh…” Fu Lansheng paused. He kept forgetting that A Bao’s true form was only just over two years old, despite her appearance of a seven or eight-year-old. “Even at two and a half, you should know how to use chopsticks. Otherwise, when you go out with me, people will say my sister doesn’t know how to behave.”
A Bao pouted, “I heard Sister Axiang and the others whispering that I’m not your sister, but your illegitimate daughter. What’s an illegitimate daughter?”
Fu Lansheng’s handsome brows twitched. Nan Xuyue curved his lips slightly and said gently, “A Bao is so clever, always asking the right questions.”
Fu Lansheng glared at Nan Xuyue—bringing up the most sensitive topics, he was starting to suspect A Bao was doing this on purpose!
A Bao said seriously, “Sister Axiang said that you must have left behind some romantic debts in the demon realm, and now you’ve brought me back to acknowledge my ancestry.”
Those maids love to gossip. Although he was a flirt, he did have his principles. He wasn’t the type of man to be irresponsible or a scumbag. He guessed they must have heard him call her Fu A Bao…
Her father was Fu Cangrui, so calling her Fu A Bao wasn’t wrong.
“A Bao, some things… you’ll understand when you’re older…” Fu Lansheng didn’t know how to explain the adult world to a two-and-a-half-year-old mouse spirit.
A Bao sighed, “Then can I wait until I’m older to understand chopsticks too…”
“No!”
A Bao ran off to wash her hands with tears in her eyes, bumping into Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling at the door.
Seeing her dejected face and misty black eyes, Mu Xuanling couldn’t help but gently rub her cheek in sympathy. “What’s wrong, A Bao?”
A Bao pouted, “Big Brother won’t let me eat.”
Mu Xuanling shot a glare at Fu Lansheng, who quickly explained, “I just won’t let her eat with her hands.”
A Bao stuck out her tongue and ran out, dodging around Mu Xuanling.
Mu Xuanling laughed and walked into the room. “I heard you shouting at her just now, Young Palace Master. A Bao is still young, please be more patient with her.”
Fu Lansheng smiled wryly, “I suspect she’s deliberately giving me a hard time.” He stood up and bowed slightly to Xie Xuechen. Although he was usually carefree and unrestrained, he always showed a degree of reverence towards Xie Xuechen.
Nan Xuyue also stood up, smiling and nodding to the two, his face showing no signs of abnormality, though his hand gripping the folding fan tightened imperceptibly. “Sect Leader Xie has come in person, is there an important matter?” he asked with a smile.
Xie Xuechen had already transcended the need for food and had no desire for sustenance, so he couldn’t be here for a meal.
Xie Xuechen nodded, “I wanted to borrow the Blood Mirror from the Young Palace Master.”
Fu Lansheng was somewhat surprised but immediately took out the Blood Mirror from his Qiezi bag.
Xie Xuechen took the mirror and looked at Mu Xuanling. “Do you want to see where your parents are?”
Nan Xuyue looked at Mu Xuanling in surprise, pondering, “Ling’er, you want to find your birth parents?”
Mu Xuanling lowered her eyes, feeling a bit hurt and scared. She didn’t know what she would see in the mirror…
When she was very young, she had imagined her parents’ appearances. Later, piecing together information from other half-demons, she imagined her mother might have been an ordinary human woman who abandoned her for being ugly, and her father an irresponsible demon who might have raped a human woman on a whim, perhaps not even knowing of her existence… Gradually, she stopped harboring such fantasies…
But Xie Xuechen’s words made her curious. What kind of demon was her other half? Like other half-demons, she had no demon core or divine apertures but was born with a physique far stronger than ordinary humans and carried an inexplicable demonic aura. When she was young, she had strange demonic markings on her face, leading the people of Moonlight Mountain Villa to guess her father might have been a vine or tree demon. But seven years ago, even those markings disappeared, and she looked no different from humans, except for the lingering demonic aura.
Xie Xuechen said that perhaps she wasn’t a half-demon at all…
If she wasn’t a half-demon, there was a possibility she could bear children with Xie Xuechen. This possibility made her heart race, and she wanted to uncover her origins.
Mu Xuanling extended her trembling hand, her fingertips touching the cold surface of the mirror. She took a deep breath and nodded, “I want to see.”
Xie Xuechen placed the mirror on the table, holding Mu Xuanling’s wrist with his left hand. With his right hand, he formed a sharp edge with his spiritual energy and gently cut her fingertip. A drop of crimson blood soon welled up from her fair, delicate finger and fell onto the dark surface of the mirror.
The four of them held their breath as they looked at the mirror. The drop of blood fell onto the surface, creating ripples as if it had fallen into a lake. The blood was instantly absorbed by the mirror, and a red light emanated from its edges. However, the surface remained pitch black, showing nothing…
“Could it be broken?” Fu Lansheng muttered, then carefully glanced at Mu Xuanling. “Or…”
Or they’re dead.
The words weren’t spoken, but everyone understood.
After a few moments, the red light around the mirror suddenly flashed, and the surface seemed to change, though it remained black.
“It must be broken,” Fu Lansheng murmured, but just then, the red light flashed again, and the mirror lit up.
Mu Xuanling’s pupils constricted, and she stepped forward to steady herself against the table.
A simple room appeared on the mirror’s surface. The view shifted from the tabletop to the bed, where a woman with a cold, pale face sat cross-legged. The image kept moving closer as if someone was walking towards the bed.
Suddenly, the mirror darkened, and the red light completely dissipated.
The woman sitting cross-legged was Su Ningzhen.
And the eyes through which the Blood Mirror had shown the scene belonged to… Gao Qiumin!
“Gao Qiumin?” Mu Xuanling suspected the Blood Mirror was malfunctioning. She frowned deeply, “How is this possible… She and I…”
Fu Lansheng said, “She does resemble you somewhat. Could you be sisters?”
Gao Qiumin did look like Mu Xuanling. She was also known as an ice beauty in the cultivation world, but next to Mu Xuanling, she appeared plain, lacking Mu Xuanling’s radiance and charming smile. They had only thought it was a coincidence that they looked similar, never imagining they could be sisters. After all, Mu Xuanling was a half-demon, and they were about the same age. Su Ningzhen had died in childbirth after giving birth to Gao Qiumin, so how could she have had time to bear another child, let alone a half-demon?
Xie Xuechen had guessed at the entanglement between Sang Qi and Su Ningxi, and Sang Qi had taken Mu Xuanling as his disciple. Could Mu Xuanling be the child of Sang Qi and Su Ningxi?
“Let’s go to Mirror Flower Valley,” Xie Xuechen said in a deep voice. “Su Ningzhen knows the truth.”