Her mother's scalding blood splashed across her face.
The Asura God Sword shattered the Angel God's divine core, and the god-level cultivation that had once towered over the Douluo Continent vanished without a trace.
Watching her mother die right before her eyes, Qian Renxue howled in despair and defiance:
"No!!!"
The lofty Asura God spoke in the most casual tone, delivering the coldest words:
"Qian Renxue, I won't kill you, but you must repent for the sins committed by your Spirit Hall!"
"Tang San! There are two things I regret most in this life. First, I never spent enough time with my family. Second, I fell in love with you, my enemy! I made only two mistakes in my whole life, yet they turned my life into a joke!"
Qian Renxue struggled to her feet, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stubbornly declared:
"It's true that Spirit Hall killed many innocent people, but you, Tang San—ask yourself honestly: have you, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Clear Sky Sect killed any fewer?!"
"Repent? I do need to repent to my mother, but not to you!"
Summoning the last of her strength, Qian Renxue raised the Angel God Sword and took her own life.
Tang San, if there's another life, I'll make you pay in blood!
"Ugh, it hurts..."
"Where... where am I?"
Qian Renxue struggled to open her eyes. A crowd of familiar yet unfamiliar faces came into view.
"Grand... Grandpa... It really is Grandpa! Where am I? Wasn't Grandpa... dead?"
"Come on, let your auntie hold you!"
"Qian'er, don't be naughty. Don't you know your elders come first? Come on, let Grandpa hold you first!"
"Have I... been reborn? No! No! Impossible! I was supposed to be born in that secret chamber, with only Mom by my side! This can't be happening!"
"Qian'er! You've held her long enough, haven't you? Let your uncle hold her!"
"No, no! Look, Xue'er is smiling at me! She likes me, her auntie!"
"Let me see! Let me see!" Qian Daoliu was practically dying of impatience, bickering with a little girl despite his age.
Even after Qian Xunqian had held her to her heart's content, she still wouldn't hand Qian Renxue to Qian Daoliu. Instead, she placed the baby back in her mother's arms.
Qian Daoliu was an honest sort. Seeing the child back with her mother, he couldn't very well ask for her again, so he merely shot Qian Xunqian a fierce glare.
Qian Xunqian pretended not to notice and even stuck her tongue out at her dear eldest uncle.
Lying in the hospital bed, Qian Yun'er lovingly stroked the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to. In the future, the child's father might not care much about her.
But no matter what talents the child might have, and no matter whether that bastard of a father wanted to take responsibility for her, Qian Yun'er would do everything she could to raise and teach her, and keep her safe from harm.
Above all, she would make sure the child never suffered the same nightmare she had!
As a branch of the Angel Clan, Qian Yun'er's devotion to the Angel God was as strong as Qian Daoliu's.
She could never accept that Spirit Hall's Pope was a rapist—and that he had violated her.
The triple blow to her faith, mind, and body had driven her to despair. For a time, she had wanted to end her own life.
As these thoughts came to her, Qian Yun'er raised her head and fixed her gaze on Qian Xunqian.
"Qian'er, could I ask you for a favor?"
Qian Xunqian thumped her chest confidently and said:
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Not just one favor—even if you asked me for ten more, I'd do everything I could to help!"
Qian Yun'er, the frail beauty, spoke gently:
"Qian'er, I know you're naturally clever. You may be young, but your wisdom far surpasses that of ordinary people. I'm only a maidservant; I've had little schooling, and my talent is poor. I don't think I can teach Xue'er. As for... the Pope, he's busy with the daily affairs of state and can't spare the time. S-so I hope you'll be Xue'er's teacher. Would you?"
Qian Xunqian sat on the bed and stroked Qian Renxue's "shiny bald head," smiling as she said:
"Don't worry, Sister-in-law! Leave Xue'er's future path as a Soul Master to me! I won't let you down! Here, Sister-in-law, this is a gift for you: a Dragon Ganoderma Leaf."
"Eating it will strengthen your foundation, speed up your recovery, and quickly make up for the weakness caused by childbirth. And this is a Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma. Wait until you've mostly recovered before taking it. It can break through cultivation bottlenecks and improve your cultivation talent."
"Sister-in-law, don't hold back. I can grow plenty more of these. Don't worry, I'll prepare even better things for Xue'er, things that suit her more!"
Qian Yun'er looked at Qian Xunqian, whose face was still that of a child but whose expression was serious and earnest. She gave a slight nod and uttered two words:
"Thank you."
Qian Daoliu's heart tightened. He felt as if he had lost something.
Dear daughter-in-law, shouldn't you choose me—Qian Daoliu, the one with the highest cultivation, the most years behind me, and the most experience? Why choose a child who's only nine years old?!
"Daughter-in-law, why don't you think it over? Qian'er is still just a child!"
Qian Yun'er hesitated for a moment. "Well..."
She looked at her kind and gentle father-in-law, then at her energetic sister-in-law.
Her life experience told her that letting an old man raise a child was likely to ruin the child. They said grandparents doted on their grandchildren, after all; a grandpa would surely love and protect his granddaughter with all his heart.
That was especially true of Qian Daoliu, the originator of positive-reinforcement parenting.
Besides, hadn't her own bastard of a husband been raised by her father-in-law? If Xue'er followed Qian Daoliu too...
No! That wouldn't do!
Qian Yun'er shook her head. You had to choose a good teacher. Qian Daoliu had clearly already ruined one student, so even Elder Yue Guan would be a better choice.
Yue Guan: I swear, I'm not doing anything wrong! So what if I'm a little effeminate and a little eunuch-like? Do you have to pick on me like this?!
Of all people, she trusted Qian Xunqian most.
After the secret-chamber incident, Qian Xunqian had been the first to notice that something was wrong. She came every day to soothe her and help her work through the trauma.
She had dragged Qian Yun'er back from the edge of death itself.
She had also immediately reported the matter to the Worship Hall, bringing Qian Daoliu and the other worshippers into it. They pressured Qian Xunji into marrying her, at least giving her the proper status.
On top of that, Qian Xunqian—who usually went along with her eldest brother more than anyone—had made a rare show of defying Qian Xunji. She had given her big brother a thorough dressing-down in the Pope's Palace, leaving him utterly humiliated and with no way to save face.
It could be said that without her sister-in-law, Qian Yun'er might never have escaped the shadow of that time.
Clever, gentle, capable and orderly, yet filled with a sense of justice—where could she ever find a teacher like that?
There was one right before her. More importantly, she mustn't be fooled by Qian Xunqian's appearance.
Qian Yun'er finally made up her mind and said to Qian Daoliu:
"Though I feel bad for Qian'er, what mother doesn't want her child to be exceptional? I trust Qian'er, so I'm willing to entrust Xue'er to her!"
With that, Qian Yun'er handed Qian Renxue in her arms to Qian Xunqian.
"Xue'er, this is your auntie, and she'll be your teacher in the future! Take a look—isn't your auntie pretty?"
Qian Xunqian bared her teeth in a grin, doing her best to look like a fool. But why wasn't this baby smiling?
Was Qian Renxue naturally not fond of smiling?
No! That wasn't it. Qian Renxue wasn't a girl who didn't like to smile. She was scared to death.
Holy crap! Where had this auntie, who looked so grown-up, come from?!