Qian Renxue's Dependence, Father Is the Best!

The tent flap was gently lifted by a slender jade hand, and a fiery red figure leaned against the doorframe with a lazy smile.

"Merely thirteenth place."

Gongsun Li's voice was crisp and pleasant.

She wore a fiery red Maple Leaf Short Skirt that revealed a pair of straight, long, shapely legs, her skin fair and smooth.

Under the dim lamplight, they gleamed with an alluring sheen.

Those legs alone were enough to drive people mad.

She stepped inside with the graceful gait of a cat, her gaze sweeping across the Heavenly Screen.

"Someone who has not even figured out the cultivation path of his own martial soul can make the list. It seems the Heavenly Screen's standards are nothing impressive either."

Gongsun Li stretched lazily, her perfect delicate body arching into a breathtaking curve as she continued with a soft laugh.

"The Blue Silver Emperor was known in ancient times as the grass of life. Its core mystery lies in its immense vitality: 'Wildfires cannot burn it all away; when the spring wind blows, it grows anew.'"

"Such a divine thing should follow the endless cycle of life in the Life System, yet it abandons the essential for the trivial and studies some Control System instead."

"It is utterly ridiculous!"

Her words were sharp and direct, mercilessly criticizing the Spirit Theory Yu Xiaogang had been so proud of.

Yet upon hearing this, an inexplicable anger rose in Qian Renxue's heart.

What did she mean, merely thirteenth place?

Tang San was thirteenth. Then what did that make her, ranked fifteenth?

This Gongsun Li was truly detestable!

Ever since she had appeared, she had clung to Father's side every day, always trying to outdo her. Now, she even wanted to steal Father's love from her!

No!

Father's love could belong to her alone. No one could take it away!

Alarm bells rang in Qian Renxue's heart, and a trace of hostility unconsciously entered her gaze as she looked at Gongsun Li.

However, something even more upsetting happened.

Qian Yu, who had remained silent all this time, slowly nodded, a hint of approval appearing in his deep eyes.

"A'li is right."

He spoke in an even tone, yet his voice carried an inherently convincing power.

"The essence of the Blue Silver Emperor is indeed life. Taking the Control System path is like letting a pearl gather dust."

Qian Renxue's little face instantly fell.

Father... Father had actually praised Gongsun Li!

She felt both sour and angry, as though the thing she cherished most was being taken away bit by bit.

Qian Yu did not notice his daughter's subtle change in mood. He rose from the seat of honor and turned his gaze toward Gongsun Li.

"A'li, get ready. Come with me to the Great Tang Empire."

"The Great Tang Empire?"

Gongsun Li was slightly startled, then seemed to understand something and smiled sweetly.

"Yes, Brother Qian Yu."

The moment Qian Renxue heard this, she became anxious.

Father was going out alone with this woman?

How could that be allowed!

She hurried forward, grabbed Qian Yu's sleeve, and coquettishly said in an innocent tone,

"Father, I want to go too!"

At that, Gongsun Li turned around and looked at her with a faintly amused smile.

"Little Sister Xue'er, Brother Qian Yu and I are going to handle important business. It would not be appropriate for a child like you to come along."

She deliberately stressed the words "important business," making her implication perfectly clear.

How could Qian Renxue fail to understand the hidden meaning in her words? She gritted her silver teeth in anger but could not lash out.

She could only release his sleeve and look pleadingly at her father instead. Her clear Purple Eyes shimmered with moisture, and she looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment, enough to make anyone who saw her feel pity.

"Father..."

She merely called to him softly, her voice full of grievance and expectation.

Seeing his daughter's pitiful appearance, Qian Yu's heart immediately softened, and his firm resolve instantly crumbled.

He raised a hand and affectionately rubbed Qian Renxue's soft golden hair with the pads of his slightly callused fingers.

"Fine. Xue'er can come too."

His voice was so gentle it seemed ready to melt.

"Yay!"

Qian Renxue instantly turned from tears to smiles and jumped up happily, casting Gongsun Li a triumphant glance.

Wonderful, I can cling to Father again!

Gongsun Li shook her head helplessly, though an indulgent smile rested on her face.

At Jialing Pass, atop the towering city walls.

The fierce western wind whipped up the clothes of the three of them. Beyond the pass stretched row upon row of military tents, and a chilling, murderous air rushed toward them.

Gongsun Li raised her delicate hand, and as Soul Power surged, an exquisite Red Oil-Paper Umbrella silently appeared in her palm.

Blooming Maple Leaves were painted across its canopy, lifelike in every detail. Its ribs were forged from some unknown metal and emitted faint ripples of Soul Power.

This was her martial soul—the Red Leaf Umbrella.

"Brother Qian Yu, come aboard."

Gongsun Li opened the umbrella, and the red canopy instantly enlarged, floating in midair like a small boat.

She turned toward Qian Yu, her beautiful eyes rippling with light and carrying a trace of nostalgia and affection.

"A'li has not flown together with you for a long time!"

Qian Yu's heart stirred at her words.

Did A'li mean that, in their eyes, my current strength is still insufficient to sustain long-distance flight?

The thought flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to step onto the umbrella, a fair little hand suddenly seized his arm.

"No!"

Qian Renxue stepped in front of Qian Yu, glaring warily at Gongsun Li.

This bad woman!

She actually wanted such intimate contact with Father!

She would never allow it!

Qian Renxue puffed out her chest and declared in a tone that allowed no argument,

"Father, Xue'er will carry you!"

Gongsun Li folded her arms and looked at her with amusement.

"You do not have a flying vehicle either. Surely you are not planning to... carry Brother Qian Yu in your arms all the way to the Great Tang Empire?"

Her tone held a hint of teasing.

Who would have thought Qian Renxue would raise her chin and retort with perfect confidence?

"What is wrong with carrying him?"

Qian Yu felt a headache coming on and hurriedly intervened.

"No."

He looked at his daughter, his expression gentle yet firm.

"Xue'er, you have grown up."

Although Qian Renxue was his daughter, men and women still had to observe proper boundaries. She was already sixteen and had grown into a graceful young woman.

It was no longer appropriate for them to be as intimate as they had been when she was little.

At those words, Qian Renxue's nose stung, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Grown up...

In Father's eyes, had she already grown up?

Did growing up mean she had to keep her distance from him?

She bit her lower lip, and her voice grew thick with tears and grievance.

"In front of Father, Xue'er will always be a child who never grows up..."

Crystal tears swirled in her eyes, ready to fall but not yet falling, tightening Qian Yu's heart.

Qian Renxue sniffled and continued in a tearful voice.

"If Father does not want Xue'er to carry you in her arms... then let Xue'er carry you on her back!"

She raised her head and looked at Qian Yu through misty tears, her expression incomparably earnest.

"When Xue'er was little, Father always carried Xue'er on his back, again and again, to watch the sunrise, to watch the stars..."