Holding Qian Renxue Hostage to Command Qian Daoliu

"No cultivation, no work, just eating, drinking, and sunbathing every day, and occasionally passing the buck to that workaholic Bibi Dong—this is the retirement life I've always dreamed of."

Nan Feng stretched, then sauntered into the garden with a swagger that showed no regard for anyone. He found the white jade rocking chair that Bibi Dong usually favored, collapsed onto it with zero grace, and plucked a glistening purple grape from the fruit platter nearby, tossing it into his mouth.

"Mmm... sweet!"

Feeling the juice burst inside his mouth, Nan Feng narrowed his eyes in pure enjoyment.

This was the benefit of the Soul Blood Pact. This clone, which was originally just a mass of energy, now possessed the five senses almost identical to his true body.

Of course, there was a price to pay.

As the pulp slid down his throat into his stomach, that momentary sense of substance vanished instantly, decomposed into nothingness by the death-imbued Spider Emperor soul power within his body, leaving not even a trace behind.

"This appetite of mine really is 'eating people without spitting out the bones'."

Nan Feng sighed, just about to stuff a piece of pastry into his mouth to enjoy this rare moment of slacking off.

Suddenly, his movements froze.

A soul power fluctuation as biting as a cold wind, accompanied by a naive yet sacred Angel aura, abruptly intruded into the perception range of the Saintess Hall.

Nan Feng's previously narrowed eyes slowly opened, and he sighed helplessly.

"Level ninety-six... this aura, it's that one-eyed Guangling Douluo, isn't it?"

"And that milky Angel soul power... Qian Renxue?"

"Sigh..."

Nan Feng looked at the pastry in his hand, sighed again, and tossed it back onto the plate with a look of utter despair.

"Just got off work and now I'm back on the clock; even a donkey on a production team wouldn't be worked this hard."

"Her biological father just died, and instead of crying at the funeral hall, she comes to find me, her stepmother, for comfort?"

"What a sin. I want a vacation too, so why do I have to work overtime to babysit?"

Although he was a hundred percent unwilling, for the sake of the big picture and his own life, Nan Feng adjusted his posture.

He didn't stand up to greet them, remaining lazily reclined on the rocking chair, but the expression on his face shifted instantly from "lazy salted fish" to a "loving mother" mode, filled with a mix of confusion and tenderness.

Amidst the flowers, a small golden head peeked out from behind a massive Roman pillar.

Qian Renxue's eyes were red, her small hands gripping the edge of the stone pillar tightly, her body still trembling slightly.

She didn't dare to rush out directly; no matter how much her heart yearned for a mother's embrace, the fear etched into her marrow made her instinctively choose to observe first.

Her gaze passed through the flowers, and she saw that familiar figure.

At this moment, "Bibi Dong" was not sitting upright at her desk handling official business as usual, nor was she cultivating; instead, she was sprawled on that white jade rocking chair with no regard for decorum.

One foot was even dangling off the side, swinging back and forth, and she held a half-eaten mung bean cake in her hand, squinting at the sun with a lazy, contented look.

Seeing this, the heart that had been hanging in Qian Renxue's chest settled by half for some unknown reason.

If it were that cold, hateful "real mother," she would never show such a lazy demeanor.

Only that amnesiac, gentle "new mother" would be this casual.

"Mo... Mother?"

Qian Renxue called out tentatively, her voice thick with nasal congestion and a hint of a tremor.

On the rocking chair, Nan Feng, who had been enjoying his "retirement life," paused.

He slowly sat up, tossed the half-eaten mung bean cake back onto the plate, and turned his head, his purple eyes revealing just the right amount of surprise and confusion.

"Xue'er?"

Nan Feng looked at the small figure hiding behind the pillar, afraid to approach, his brows furrowing slightly as his tone carried a natural concern, "Why are you here? What are you doing hiding over there?"

Hearing that familiar, gentle voice, the last line of defense in Qian Renxue's heart completely collapsed.

"Mother!!"

She no longer cared about testing the waters or etiquette.

Qian Renxue let out a mournful cry, moved her short legs, stumbled out from the flowers, and threw herself into Nan Feng's arms.

"Wuwuwu... Mother..."

She hugged Nan Feng's waist tightly, burying her face in his embrace, which carried a faint, ethereal fragrance, her tears falling like broken beads.

Just a moment ago, her Second Grandfather told her that her father had died and had already been buried.

She hadn't even seen him one last time; she didn't even have a memento left behind.

She wanted to cry, to tell her mother that her father was dead, to say how sad she was.

But... the words reached her lips, only to be swallowed back down by force.

She couldn't say it!

She absolutely couldn't say it!

A few days ago, in order to keep this hard-won maternal love, she had told her mother herself: "Father died a long time ago; that Pope is not my father."

If she were to cry and say "Daddy just died" now, it would be tantamount to admitting she had lied.

What was even more terrifying was that if her mother learned the truth, would it trigger her again and cause her to revert to that cold, self-loathing state?

She had already lost her father; she could not lose her mother too!

"Wuu wuu wuu..."

Qian Renxue could only cry, sobbing desperately, yet she gritted her teeth and refused to explain a single word.

"Oh dear, what's the matter?"

Nan Feng felt the violent trembling of the little one in his arms and reached out, gently patting Qian Renxue's back.

"Why are you crying like this? Who bullied our Xue'er?"

Nan Feng asked softly, feigning ignorance, "Is cultivation too tiring? Or did some blind fool upset you?"

Qian Renxue shook her head frantically, burying her face deeper and gripping his clothes even tighter.

"No... no one bullied me..."

Qian Renxue sobbed, her voice intermittent, "I just... I just missed Mom... wuu wuu wuu..."

"Missed Mom?"

Nan Feng chuckled softly, reaching out to cup Qian Renxue's tear-streaked face and gently wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"Silly child, if you miss Mom, just come find Mom. Why cry?"

"Mom is always right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

As he spoke, Nan Feng pulled Qian Renxue back into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head, while his gaze drifted past the garden wall toward a figure hidden in the shadows in the distance.

Guangling Douluo.

At this moment, Guangling was not approaching; he was perched on the branch of a tall parasol tree, his single eye fixed intently on every movement in the garden, the Light Feather Divine Bow in his hand flickering in and out of existence, clearly in a state of high alert.

If Bibi Dong showed even the slightest sign of abnormality or any indication of wanting to harm Qian Renxue, he would immediately strike to save her.

But...

The scene before him left this naturally lively elder in silence.

The gloomy, cold Bibi Dong from his memories was gone.

In her place was a gentle, patient, and even somewhat doting mother.

"Is this... the other personality after falling into a cultivation deviation?"

Guangling Douluo watched Bibi Dong gently patting Qian Renxue's back and listened to those soft, soothing words, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"Big Brother was right... for Xue'er, this might truly be a good thing."

"The clear-headed Bibi Dong is a madwoman, but this muddled Bibi Dong... is a mother."

In the garden.

Nan Feng withdrew his gaze.

He knew Guangling was watching, and he knew Qian Daoliu was surely keeping an eye on this place as well.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

As long as he solidified this "loving mother" persona, no matter how cold and ruthless the real Bibi Dong became in the future, Qian Daoliu would show her leniency for the sake of keeping this "loving mother avatar" around.

This avatar was Bibi Dong's best get-out-of-jail-free card.

It was also his own protective talisman for the madness he planned to unleash next!

This was what one might call "holding Qian Renxue hostage to command Qian Daoliu"!

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

Nan Feng picked up the unfinished mung bean cake from the plate nearby and held it to Qian Renxue's lips, coaxing her like a child:

"Looks like you're famished. Come on, have a piece of pastry."

"Mom specifically saved this for you; it's very sweet."

Qian Renxue looked at the mung bean cake with a bite taken out of it, and though her tears hadn't dried, she couldn't help but let out a tearful laugh.

That was Mom's leftover...

But she didn't mind it at all.

She opened her small mouth and took a obedient bite, the sugary taste melting in her mouth and slightly diluting the bitterness in her heart.

"Is it sweet?" Nan Feng asked with a smile.

"Mm... sweet." Qian Renxue nodded, her voice still thick with tears.

"That's good."

Nan Feng stroked her hair and said meaningfully:

"Life is always bitter, so we must learn to find our own sugar."

"If you ever feel bitter in your heart again, just come find Mom."

"Mom has... plenty to go around."