Ineffective Binding and Ineffective Common Sense (Continued)

The red bellyband with golden "Fu" characters, as if finding a long-lost relative(?), clung tightly to the true infant's chest. Red light flowed, emitting an extremely content, extremely reassuring wave of intention. It even nuzzled the infant's rosy chin in a very human-like way.

The true infant also seemed to find this glowing, warm "red cloth" interesting. He stopped crying, reached out a small hand, and curiously grabbed the edge of the bellyband, making babbling sounds.

For a moment, "fatherly love, filial piety"(?), the scene actually seemed a bit... heartwarming?

Ling Ye watched this utterly absurd scene, feeling a surge of blood rush to his head, his vision darkening, and his ears ringing!

His "son"! The one Madam had personally designated, the "Little Ye" he needed to "care for"! Was actually... actually holding a commoner's bastard! Looking all chummy and harmonious?!

If Madam were to see this... Ling Ye didn't dare imagine how miserably he would die! Being ground to dust would be a light punishment!

"Come back! You get back here!" Ling Ye shouted in exasperation. He no longer cared about his weakness and lunged forward, trying to snatch the bellyband from the infant's embrace!

However, the bellyband seemed determined to "rebel." With a flash of red light, it generated a flexible repulsive force, flicking away Ling Ye's fingers! Simultaneously, it transmitted a clear, displeased intention: "No! Comfortable! Want this!"

Ling Ye: "???" Comfortable?! You, a Fragment of a Congenital Sacred Spirit, find comfort in the embrace of a commoner infant?! Where is your dignity?! Your class?!

He tried again, even using a trace of Chaos Origin Qi. But the bellyband clung to the infant's chest like toffee, its red light becoming somewhat dazzling. It transmitted even more resolute resistance, and even a hint of... grievance? As if Ling Ye were a bully trying to separate it from its "good friend."

Ling Ye was hesitant to act, afraid of accidentally harming the fragile true infant if he used too much force (which would make things even harder to explain). For a moment, he was completely helpless against this rebellious piece of cloth!

Su Wanqing, holding her child, watched the powerful being wrestle with a bellyband. She was still in a daze, completely unable to comprehend this latest bizarre development.

Just as Ling Ye was at his wit's end--

"Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!"

The hotel room door was again knocked upon roughly! This time, it wasn't a polite doorbell, but carried an undeniable, official sense of power!

At the same time, a stern male voice came through the door: "People inside, listen up! We are the police! We received a report from a citizen claiming there are unusual noises and arguments in this room, possibly involving child safety! Please open the door immediately to cooperate with our inspection!"

Police?!

Citizen report?!

It must be that father of the neighbor, who was knocked unconscious earlier, who woke up and called the police! Or perhaps other guests disturbed by the commotion!

Ling Ye's face instantly turned extremely ugly!

It's always one disaster after another! Just as one trouble ends, another begins!

He was in a terrible state, his strength almost depleted. He had a "rebellious" bellyband in his arms, a stunned Su Wanqing and the true infant beside him... he had no power left to deal with ordinary official forces! Moreover, the room was a mess, and there was a man unconscious in the hallway (though he might have woken up). It was impossible to explain!

They absolutely cannot come in!

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Ye's eyes. Just as he was about to forcefully mobilize his last remaining strength to create an illusion or directly knock out the people outside--

The bellyband in his arms (though stuck to the true infant, it seemed to maintain some connection with him) seemed to sense his murderous intent and tension. It transmitted uneasy fluctuations once more.

And this time, its unease actually... triggered a faint trace of... the commoner bloodline that it was trying to fuse with... within the true infant?!

Hummm...

An extremely faint, yet undeniably real, wave of bloodline resonance, carrying the scent of milk and the unique aura of an infant, rippled outwards slowly, centered on the true infant, mixed with the bellyband's red glow...

This fluctuation wasn't intentionally emitted but was an unconscious resonance, so faint it was almost negligible.

However--

The moment this fluctuation occurred!

Ling Ye suddenly felt that the Chaos Origin Qi within him, which had been nearly depleted due to excessive consumption, had... extremely subtly... produced a trace of... indescribable... synchronized rhythm with it?!

It was like a dry riverbed being infused with a trickle of clear spring water!

Though insignificant, it was real!

Ling Ye suddenly froze! What... what was going on?!

Could it be... that this commoner infant's bloodline... could passively... nourish and activate his Origin?! Although the effect was so weak it could be ignored, but... how was this possible?!

Before he could figure it out--

"Click."

A faint sound, like ice crystals forming and shattering from an incredibly distant time and space, echoed vaguely... deep within his soul.

Immediately after, that cold female voice, tinged with a hint of fatigue and confusion, abruptly sounded directly in his mind again, but it seemed much more distant and blurry than before:

"Hmm...?"

"Little Ye's... aura...?"

"Why... has it suddenly... become a bit more active... and has a strange... smell?"

"Like... the milky scent... of the mortal world?"

"What... did you feed him?"

Ling Ye's heart leaped into his throat! Cold sweat broke out again!

Madam was "checking in" again?! And she had keenly noticed the subtle change in aura and the "milky scent"?!

He was terrified, his mind racing. He was about to continue fabricating a sob story about a "stepmother's persecution, forcing me to feed him commoner milk powder"--

However, Madam didn't seem inclined to probe further. After a moment of confusion, her tone actually softened, even carrying an almost imperceptible hint of... satisfaction?

"Never mind..."

"Be more active... that's fine..."

"Finally... a little... life..."

"Better than before... deathly quiet..."

The voice gradually faded, seeming to sink back into silence, with no intention of descending.

Ling Ye let out a long, cautious half-breath, his back already drenched in sweat.

So close... I got through it again...

But then, an even bolder, even crazier thought began to grow wildly in his heart like a weed!

Could it be...

Could it be that the bloodline of this mortal infant... not only had a slight nourishing effect on him... but could also... appease that Madam?! Make her feel that "Little Ye" had more "life"?!

If that were the case... wouldn't that mean... he temporarily... wouldn't need to find a real child?! This "tool infant" right in front of him... could be used to... fool... no, to "nourish" Little Ye?! And even... help him complete that damned "homework"?!

This thought was like a lighthouse in the darkness, instantly illuminating his desperate path forward!

When Ling Ye looked at the real infant clutching the bellyband and babbling again, his eyes had completely changed.

From extreme disgust and annoyance, they turned into... a fervent, "savior-like"... "lovingness" (?)?

Outside the door, the police's knocking grew more urgent and impatient: "Person inside! Final warning! If you don't open the door, we will take forceful measures!"

Ling Ye took a deep breath and quickly made a decision.

He no longer tried to pull off the bellyband. Instead, he turned to Su Wanqing and said in an unprecedentedly "kind" tone: "Hold the child well... our 'son'."

Su Wanqing trembled at his sudden change in attitude and the term "our son," nearly dropping the baby.

Ling Ye offered no further explanation. He walked to the door, composed his expression (though it remained stiff), and then... violently yanked the door open!

Outside stood several stern-faced police officers, hands on their gear, as if facing a formidable enemy. The awakened neighbor father also stood behind them, his face a mixture of surprise, uncertainty, and lingering fear.

The police saw Ling Ye opening the door (his face pale but trying to smile), Su Wanqing inside holding the child (with a glowing red cloth on the baby's chest?), and the room in disarray (torn sheets)...

The leading officer frowned and asked sternly: "What's going on?! What happened just now?! Someone reported someone here fainted and there was a violent argument! Involving child safety!"

Ling Ye put on an extremely "ashamed" and "tired" expression, his acting skills back online. He spoke with an apologetic tone: "Officers, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I'm the child's father. The baby choked on milk just now and cried terribly. I got a bit anxious and my movements were a bit rough. I might have scared the neighbor. I'm truly sorry."

As he spoke, he naturally blended a trace of weak but highly soothing Chaos Origin Qi (which had just recovered a little) with a sliver of "fatherly love" he had gleaned from the bellyband, quietly emitting it.

This fluctuation was extremely faint and couldn't control thoughts, but it could subtly lower the other party's guard and hostility.

As expected, the tense expressions of the police officers eased slightly, but the suspicion in their eyes hadn't completely disappeared. After all, Ling Ye didn't look like an ordinary dad.

"Choked on milk? Do you need an ambulance? Is the child okay?" the officer asked routinely, trying to look at the child in Su Wanqing's arms.

Just then--

Perhaps sensing the strangers' gaze and the tense atmosphere outside the door, the real infant's lips quivered, about to cry again.

And the bellyband on his chest, seemingly displeased by outsiders disturbing its closeness with its "new friend," flashed with a faint red light.

An extremely weak, yet incredibly pure fluctuation, carrying an innate nobility and a "mortals, do not approach" aura, mixed with the infant's own aura, emanated outwards.

At the same time, Ling Ye had an inspiration. He quickly moved aside, allowing the police to see the child, and seized the opportunity to inject a trace of Chaos Origin Qi into the infant, temporarily calming him. This made the baby's face look rosy and healthy, and he even... flashed a toothless, innocent smile at the police?

Seeing that the child was indeed fine and smiling adorably, and feeling the inexplicable aura that inspired goodwill (and a hint of self-deprecation?), the police officers' remaining doubts largely dissipated.

"It's good that he's okay. Be careful next time. Caring for a child requires patience," the leading officer's tone softened, even carrying a hint of admonishment.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're right. We'll be careful and learn," Ling Ye nodded and bowed, his attitude exceptionally good.

The police officers routinely recorded some information (which Ling Ye made up on the spot) and then left with the still somewhat bewildered neighbor father.

After seeing off the police and closing the door.

Ling Ye leaned against the door, feeling like he had survived another ordeal.

He looked at the infant in Su Wanqing's arms, and the bellyband clinging tightly to him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Now, this "tool infant"... couldn't be discarded for now... in fact... he had to be "taken care of" well?

He sighed, resigned, and walked forward. Awkwardly, he tried to use the little "technique" he had just learned, extending a finger, and very lightly... poked the infant's chubby cheek.

The infant grabbed his finger and giggled, babbling, while the bellyband on his chest emitted a pleased fluctuation.

Ling Ye looked at the two of them (one big, one small?), felt the faint but real Origin within him being stimulated and nourished, and then thought about the three-day deadline and Madam's "homework"...

He took a deep breath, as if making a major decision.

Then, he turned to Su Wanqing and said in an extremely serious tone, like issuing a primordial decree:

"From today onwards."

"He."

"Is Ling Xiaoye."

"My... son."

"You..."

"Are his... wet nurse."

"Be sure to... take good care of him."

"Especially... feed him well."

"Don't let him... cry again."