Nuwa looked at Lin Shen, and for the first time, a maternal glow appeared in those beautiful eyes that created all living beings.
She had been born a deity, a one-of-a-kind existence between heaven and earth.
Though she wielded the Dao of Creation and could shape all things and living creatures, an indescribable loneliness had always lingered deep within her heart.
Until this moment.
The instant she saw Lin Shen, that loneliness melted away in warmth.
Her heart softened, and an impulse arose—to hold this little fellow in her arms and protect him with everything she had.
"Nuwa greets the three Dao brothers."
Suppressing the stirrings in her heart, she gave the Three Pure Ones a graceful bow, her voice clear and pleasant.
"Congratulations to the three Dao brothers on attaining the Primordial Golden Immortal realm, free and unfettered between heaven and earth, indestructible through countless calamities."
Her bearing was exceedingly humble and her words sincere, without the slightest trace of jealousy.
This greatly increased the favorable impression of the initially wary Three Pure Ones.
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, you are too courteous."
Taiqing Laozi smiled and raised a hand in a gesture of support.
"Your visit brings glory to Kunlun Mountain. Please, sit."
With a wave of his hand, a jade stool carved from Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade appeared beside the stone table.
"Thank you, Dao brother."
Nuwa bowed once more and slowly took her seat.
Yet her gaze never left Lin Shen in Tongtian Jiaozhu's arms.
Her eyes were filled with curiosity, affection, and tenderness.
Lin Shen was secretly studying her as well.
Wow! This big sister is so beautiful!
She's ten thousand times prettier than every celebrity I ever saw in my past life!
She even has a faint fragrance, like grass and flowers in spring. It feels so nice to smell.
Lin Shen's little heart pounded wildly.
In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary office worker. Let alone a goddess this beautiful, he rarely even spoke to the receptionist at his company.
And now, Nuwa from the myths and legends sat right before him.
Lin Shen felt his little face heating up.
He hurriedly hid the picked-clean Phoenix Wing bone behind his back and wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with his tiny hand.
I can't let pretty big sister see me looking so unhygienic!
Naturally, this adorable gesture did not escape the notice of the four great powers.
Tongtian Jiaozhu burst into laughter, thinking his disciple truly had good taste. At such a young age, he already knew to maintain his image before a beauty.
Yuanshi Tianzun nodded approvingly, believing Lin Shen's actions conformed to the etiquette expected of a Kunlun Mountain disciple.
Taiqing Laozi's eyes narrowed into slits as he thought his little disciple was innocent, lively, and utterly adorable.
Seeing Lin Shen's shy, flustered appearance, Nuwa felt her heart melt.
The smile on her face grew even gentler as she took the initiative to speak.
"This must be the new little disciple the three Dao brothers have taken in? He truly gathers the spiritual grace of heaven and earth and is exceedingly adorable."
"Hehe, indeed. This is my unworthy disciple, Lin Shen."
Tongtian Jiaozhu puffed out his chest with pride, as if showing off a peerless treasure.
"This child is merely a little greedy. He doesn't have any great abilities."
Had Ancestral Dragon and the others outside heard that, they would probably have coughed up blood on the spot.
Doesn't have any great abilities?
He swallowed Calamity Fiend Qi in one bite, ate Primordial Violet Qi in another, and even casually raised the cultivation of your Master and the Dao Ancestor.
And that counts as having no abilities?
Then who in the entire primordial world would dare claim to be capable?
Naturally, Nuwa did not believe Tongtian's nonsense.
She could clearly sense just how terrifying the incomparably pure Origin Qi within Lin Shen's body was.
She even had a premonition that this seemingly harmless infant before her was more important than the three Primordial Golden Immortal Dao brothers!
"Lin Shen..."
Nuwa silently repeated the name in her heart, her beautiful eyes gleaming with wonder.
"What a fine name."
The more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
I really want to hold him and pinch those chubby little cheeks.
Lin Shen was also locked in an inner struggle.
This big sister is so beautiful and gentle. I really want her to hold me.
But I'm a transmigrator with an adult soul. Wouldn't it be too shameless to actively ask a pretty young lady to hold me?
But I'm only a three-year-old baby now!
It's only natural for a baby to want to be held!
That's right! I'm just a baby!
What bad intentions could a baby possibly have?
Having thought it through, all of Lin Shen's concerns vanished.
He gathered his courage and struggled to poke his little head out from Tongtian Jiaozhu's arms.
Facing Nuwa, he stretched out both chubby little arms.
"Yiya... h-hold..."
Using all the strength in his body, he uttered the first clear word since transmigrating, a word with unmistakable meaning.
Hold me!
Those two words struck everyone's hearts like heavenly thunder.
Tongtian Jiaozhu's arms froze abruptly. He lowered his head to look at his precious disciple, who was desperately stretching out his arms with a face full of longing, and his eyes instantly reddened.
My disciple can talk!
And the first thing he said wasn't "Master," but "hold me"?
And he was asking someone else to hold him!
Tongtian Jiaozhu's heart shattered.
A sorrow akin to watching the cabbage he had painstakingly raised get rooted up by a pig surged through him.
Yuanshi Tianzun and Taiqing Laozi were equally stunned.
They had never expected their disciple's "debut" to happen under such circumstances.
When Nuwa heard that soft, sweet "hold me" and saw Lin Shen's clear, longing eyes—
she felt as though the entire world had burst into seven-colored flowers.
Her heart was instantly filled with an emotion called happiness.
She could no longer care about the bearing of a great power or the reserve of a female immortal.
She rose to her feet, crossed the distance in two strides, took Lin Shen directly from Tongtian Jiaozhu's hands, and hugged him tightly against her chest.
"Oh, my good baby!"
Nuwa held Lin Shen's soft little body in her arms, breathing in his unique fresh scent of grass and wood, and felt as though her entire being were melting.
She gently rubbed her smooth, jade-like cheek against Lin Shen's chubby little face.
"Alright, alright, alright. Big sister will hold you, big sister will hold you..."
Her voice overflowed with affection and joy.
Held in the arms of the beautiful big sister, smelling her lovely fragrance and feeling her warm, soft embrace—
Lin Shen happily narrowed his eyes. His little head nuzzled against Nuwa's chest, found a comfortable position, and no longer wanted to move.
Being held by a pretty big sister feels so good!
He was happy over there.
But watching this scene, Tongtian Jiaozhu felt his heart nearly shatter into pieces.
He stared longingly at Lin Shen in Nuwa's arms like an abandoned, resentful wife.
"Big Brother, Second Brother..."
With a tearful tone, he sent a divine thought to his two elder brothers, seeking help.
"My disciple... he doesn't want me anymore..."
Seeing his pathetic appearance, Yuanshi Tianzun snorted coldly.
"Serves you right! You're scruffy and unkempt all day long. Of course the disciple prefers someone fragrant and soft!"
Though he said that, seeing Nuwa and Lin Shen so intimate made his own heart feel sour.
Why? I haven't even held him enough yet!
Taiqing Laozi shook his head helplessly.
The three Primordial Golden Immortals of their household, top-tier great powers of the primordial world, were actually getting absurdly jealous over which of them a little child was closer to.
If word got out, would Kunlun Mountain have any face left?
Still...
Seeing Lin Shen's adorable, contented, happy expression in Nuwa's arms, a faint sourness rose in Taiqing Laozi's heart as well.
It seemed that Kunlun Mountain would have one more person coming to snatch their disciple in the future.
Before you continue