But the facts proved otherwise!
The Fire Qilin had guessed wrong.
In just one day, Lin Heng had been driven nearly mad by more than a dozen children.
When he wanted to meditate, the children climbed all over him to play.
When he wanted to handle matters concerning the Ascension Platform, several little ones used the Sage Token as a toy and nearly triggered the hall-protecting killing formation.
Lin Heng finally understood why Dugu Zixuan had insisted on having Xiao Lan help raise the children.
One child truly was adorable.
But when more than a dozen gathered together, even an immortal dad could be driven insane.
"Daddy, take us out to play!"
"Daddy, I want to ride the big snake!"
"I want to ride the qilin!"
Xiao Lan and the Fire Qilin lay outside the hall and heard those words at the same time.
The two hulking creatures exchanged a look, then silently shuffled away into the distance.
"Trying to run?"
Lin Heng appeared before them.
Xiao Lan immediately tucked in her head.
"Master, I... I only just ascended. My realm isn't stable yet, and I want to find somewhere to cultivate."
"Cultivation can wait."
Lin Heng patted her enormous head and said with a beaming smile, "First, take the children on a tour of our new territory."
Xiao Lan stuck out her tongue and could only lie down as though resigning herself to fate.
The Fire Qilin, meanwhile, hid its head beneath its paws and pretended not to hear.
"You too."
Lin Heng raised his foot and gave its backside a kick.
"You've trampled plenty of vegetable patches. Stop playing dead. The two of you can split the job evenly."
Half an hour later, Xiao Lan and the Fire Qilin once again had bamboo baskets hanging all over them