A Mother-Daughter Relationship at Rock Bottom; Ye Xuan: I'm Here to Bring You Some Warmth!

Qian Daoliu glanced at Ye Xuan, who was hiding behind him, then at his granddaughter, who had just taken a thorough beating and was glaring furiously.

"Xue'er, put away your Martial Soul."

Qian Daoliu's voice carried an air of authority.

Though Qian Renxue was still fuming when she heard her grandfather, she nevertheless ended her Martial Soul Possession.

"Grandpa, he bullied me..."

Her voice held a hint of grievance, and she looked at Ye Xuan like a hungry wolf eyeing a little lamb.

Qian Renxue folded her arms across her chest, a trace of wounded indignation on her flawless, pretty face.

Qian Daoliu turned to introduce Qian Renxue to him.

"Ye Xuan, this is your master Bibi Dong's daughter and my granddaughter, Qian Renxue. She inherited the divine-grade Martial Soul of our Worship Hall lineage, the Six-Winged Angel."

Hearing the introduction, Ye Xuan widened his eyes in feigned surprise.

"You're Master's daughter? Then doesn't that make you... my senior sister?!"

Ye Xuan looked timidly at the golden-haired girl before him. His purpose in saying this was to make her think of their senior-and-junior-discipleship when she came to beat him up later.

"Oh, now you remember I'm your senior sister? Why didn't you remember that when you were hitting me just now?"

A wicked smile tugged at the corner of Qian Renxue's mouth as her golden boots rang crisply against the floor of the great hall.

Her steps were small, yet in the blink of an eye she had appeared in front of Ye Xuan.

Her eyes now curved like crescents. She narrowed them not to look cute, but to keep her grandfather from seeing the resentment in her eyes.

"Grandpa, may I have a little chat alone with my adorable junior brother?"

Qian Renxue put heavy emphasis on the word "adorable."

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu simply patted Ye Xuan's shoulder with a calm expression, then turned and headed deeper into the Worship Hall.

"Men have to endure a little hardship as they grow. Just grit your teeth and it'll pass."

"Besides, Xue'er, you should be able to sense that Ye Xuan's talent is no less than yours."

After Golden Crocodile, Guang Ling, and the others saw Qian Daoliu leave, they looked at Ye Xuan with expressions that said he was on his own.

A short while later.

Under Qian Renxue's coercion—no, guidance—Ye Xuan arrived at the garden behind the Pope Palace.

Feeling the strength of Qian Renxue's grip on his arm, Ye Xuan's lips twitched with pain.

"Senior Sister, you're so beautiful..."

Though it hurt, Ye Xuan still managed to squeeze out a smile.

Qian Renxue seemed to enjoy his praise. Even the strength of her grip on his arm eased a little.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to say something like that just to get beaten less, Junior Brother."

"But I like it. Tell me, what exactly is so beautiful about me?"

At Qian Renxue's question, Ye Xuan carefully studied her features and figure.

This was the first time Qian Renxue had experienced such an unabashed appraisal from a boy her age, and she felt an inexplicable flicker of nervousness.

After a long while, Ye Xuan finally spoke.

"Hmm... Your bearing is elegant and noble, your figure tall and graceful, your skin as white as snow and as smooth as fine jade. Your brows are like distant mountains, and your eyes resemble deep, blue, icy pools..."

Drawing on the knowledge he had accumulated over two lifetimes, Ye Xuan praised Qian Renxue's beauty and bearing from head to toe.

Seeing Qian Renxue freeze for a moment, Ye Xuan even took a mirror inlaid with colorful gemstones from his soul tool storage ring and offered it to her ingratiatingly.

A short while later.

Qian Renxue noticed a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Only then did she realize she had lost her composure. She hurriedly tossed the mirror back to Ye Xuan.

"You... You're so young, yet you've already learned to flatter people with such sweet words. I'm going to teach you a good lesson today."

A quarter of an hour later, Bibi Dong had finished handling her official duties at the Pope Palace and made a rare visit to the back garden for a change of scenery.

And what she saw was...

"Senior Sister! Sister Xue'er, I was wrong! Please... please go easy on me..."

"Wrong? You don't know you were wrong. You're just scared."

"Ahh—Senior Sister, don't hit me in the face! I still have to find a wife someday..."

Qian Renxue was beating Ye Xuan, Ye Xuan was taking the blows, and Bibi Dong watched in silence.

But soon, the corner of Ye Xuan's eye caught sight of a familiar figure.

Through the gaps between Qian Renxue's punches, which weren't all that forceful, Ye Xuan finally made out the person's face.

"Senior Sister... Senior Sister, stop! Teacher's behind you!"

Hearing Ye Xuan's words, Qian Renxue paid them no mind.

Teacher?

Could a teacher from Martial Soul Academy really control her?

But soon.

Qian Renxue realized something was wrong.

How could a teacher from Martial Soul Academy possibly have permission to come here?!

As Qian Renxue turned to look behind her, she discovered that the person standing there was none other than Bibi Dong!

Seeing that Qian Renxue had noticed her, Bibi Dong's pale violet eyes remained as cold as ever.

"You're still the same as you were before—spoiled and willful."

Qian Renxue slowly released Ye Xuan and faced Bibi Dong with a frosty expression.

"So what? What right do you have to lecture me, when you gave birth to me but never raised me? Is it only because you brought me into this world?"

Lying on the ground, Ye Xuan felt the air grow thick with hostility. He wondered whether he should slip away to the side.

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly at Qian Renxue's words.

It was clear that the remark had deeply wounded Her Holiness the Pope.

"Qian Renxue, if I could, I truly wish I'd never given birth to you."

As Bibi Dong spoke, her body trembled slightly.

Ye Xuan knew that a deep misunderstanding stood between the mother and daughter.

But with his abilities as they were, there was no way he could resolve something like this.

Qian Renxue swayed when she heard Bibi Dong's words. She clenched her fists, but even as her nails dug into her palms, she showed no reaction.

The atmosphere between them froze.

While they stood there staring at each other in silence, Ye Xuan, unable to bear the cold war any longer, finally snapped.

Two strokes across and one down meant action; two dots and a line meant getting it done.

He wasn't going to "kick the bucket" anyway, so he might as well try the desperate remedy.

"Teacher, actually, Senior Sister cares about you a lot. It's precisely because she cares that she keeps getting angry with you."

"Senior Sister, Teacher is a very sensitive person. I don't know why she said something so hurtful today, but I believe deep down she hopes you'll be able to live a better life..."

When Ye Xuan finished speaking, Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue both turned their gazes toward him.

Feeling their eyes on him, Ye Xuan's hard-won courage deflated like a punctured ball.

"Master, Senior Sister, once certain words are spoken, they can't be taken back. We're all family..."