Qian Daoliu: My Grandson Is Still Alive?!

Shui Bing'er froze for a moment.

"You knew?"

"You'd been looking for a chance to say it all along."

She pressed her lips together, embarrassment rising to her face.

"And you kept waiting."

"I wanted to hear you say it yourself."

Shui Bing'er stood up.

She did not immediately move closer, only looked at him.

"I like you."

"Not because of the Immortal Herb, nor because you can defeat a Titled Douluo."

"Back at the academy, I already wanted to spend more time with you."

"When you were in seclusion, whenever I passed by your courtyard, I would always check whether the door was open."

She paused. Her fingers slowly loosened, then clasped his palm again.

"I've been thinking about these words for a long time."

Qian Chen set the cloth towel on the table.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was afraid that after saying it, I wouldn't even have the chance to stay by your side like this."

Shui Bing'er raised her eyes.

"But I don't want to keep making you guess."

"Qian Chen, are you willing to let me stand by your side?"

He reached out and tucked the hair that had fallen beside her cheek back into place.

"I am."

Shui Bing'er looked at him for a moment.

Only after confirming that he was not avoiding her gaze did she slowly move closer.

She placed both hands on his shoulders.

She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him first.

The kiss was very light.

Shui Bing'er's movements were clumsy. After their lips met, she wanted to pull away, yet she could not bear to release her hands from his shoulders.

Qian Chen held her by the waist and waited for her to steady herself.

When they parted, she lowered her eyes and rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"This isn't a thank-you gift."

"I know."

"You're not allowed to tease me about this later."

"Okay."

Hearing his answer, Shui Bing'er finally smiled.

She hugged him and earnestly did what she had not dared to do before.

Qian Chen did not let go of her either.

The inn delivered dinner.

The Snow Orchid Pastry Shui Bing'er had protected all the way sat beside two bowls of hot soup.

Qian Chen opened the paper wrapping and handed her a piece first.

"Didn't you buy it for me?"

"I bought it for you, but I can still have a piece."

She accepted it and took a small bite.

The rain outside the window had never stopped.

By the time the waiter cleared away the dishes, Shui Bing'er realized that the lanterns along the street had already lit up.

Qian Chen took out a Soul Tool for communication and sent word to the Crown Prince's Residence that the two of them would be staying at the inn for the time being.

Shui Bing'er sat on the edge of the bed and watched him finish.

"Will Sister Ice Empress come looking for you?"

"I already told her that we're both safe."

She nodded, then lowered her head to smooth the skirt over her knees.

Qian Chen placed the dry cloak beside her.

"You rest first. I'll sit by the window for the night."

Shui Bing'er reached out and caught him.

"Qian Chen."

He turned back.

She shifted a little farther inward on the bed. Her cheeks were burning, but she did not let go of his hand.

"Stay."

Qian Chen looked at her.

"Have you thought this through?"

Shui Bing'er lifted her head.

"I have."

She pressed his hand against her cheek.

"I don't want you to stay just because it's raining."

Qian Chen sat down beside her and removed the silk ribbon pressing into her hair.

Her water-blue hair spilled over her shoulders.

She leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around his waist.

Before the candlelight went out, Qian Chen kissed her again.

Shui Bing'er did not pull away.

The curtains shut out the lights of the long street, leaving the embracing pair in the quiet night.

The next morning.

When Shui Bing'er woke up, the rain outside had already stopped.

She turned her head and found Qian Chen beside her.

The confessions and intimacy of last night came flooding back. She lifted the blanket and hid half her face.

Qian Chen noticed the movement and turned to look at her.

"Awake?"

She nodded.

After a while, Shui Bing'er peeked out from behind the blanket again.

"You're not allowed to laugh at me."

"I wasn't laughing."

"And don't tell Yue'er that I confessed to you first yesterday."

Qian Chen brushed aside the hair that had fallen beside her pillow.

"What if she asks?"

Shui Bing'er thought for a moment, then reached out and held his hand.

"Just tell her we're together."

The moment she said it, her face turned red first.

Qian Chen gave a quiet response.

"Okay."

Far North.

When Qian Daoliu landed at the edge of the ice plains, dawn had just broken.

Wind and snow swept against his robes, only to be pushed aside by pale golden Soul Power.

He held an old piece of cloth in his hand.

The corner bore an embroidered pattern used by Spirit Hall in its early years. The stitching had worn away, but it was still recognizable.

Eighteen years had passed, and the original traces could no longer be found.

He stood there for a long time, then put away the old cloth and continued deeper into the ice plains.

Alive, he would find the person.

Dead, he would find the body.

Since he had come this far, he would not leave after merely looking at an empty cave.

As he neared the ice palace, a massive figure blocked his path.

The Ice Bear stopped on the snowy slope, and the surrounding Soul Beasts retreated one after another.

"Human, this is not a place you should be."

Qian Daoliu did not summon his martial soul.

He raised his hand and spread out the old cloth.

"I'm looking for a child."

"Eighteen years ago, a newborn boy was abandoned in a stone cave outside the ice plains."

"Have you seen him?"

The Ice Bear's gaze fell on the corner of the cloth.

It did not answer immediately.

Noticing its hesitation, Qian Daoliu took a step forward, then stopped.

"You've seen this piece of cloth?"

"I've seen a similar pattern."

"Where?"

"On the swaddling clothes Snow Empress brought back."

The hand holding the old cloth suddenly tightened.

"Snow Empress saved that child?"

"That's right."

"What happened to him afterward?"

The Ice Bear looked at him.

"He grew up here."

Qian Daoliu stood in the snow without speaking for a long while.

Along the way, he had already considered the worst possible outcome.

He had even prepared himself to bring back whatever bones the child might have left behind.

But now, the other party was telling him that the child had survived.

Not only had he survived, but he had grown into an adult here.

Qian Daoliu raised a hand to his chest, joy appearing in his eyes.

"What is his name?"

"Qian Chen."

At the sound of that name, Qian Daoliu abruptly raised his head.

The intelligence from Heaven Dou City.

Ice Empress.

Eighteen years old.

All the scattered clues connected at that moment.

"Qian Chen..."

He repeated the name once, then suddenly laughed.

"So it was him."

The Ice Bear took half a step forward.

"You know Qian Chen?"

Qian Daoliu put away the old cloth and looked at him solemnly.

"He may very well be my grandson."

"I need to see him in person and confirm it."

The other party did not move aside.

"He has already left the Far North."

"I know where he is."

Qian Daoliu looked southward, the smile on his face lingering for a long time.

"Please tell the Soul Beasts here that I did not come to cause trouble."

"I, Qian Daoliu, will remember Snow Empress's kindness in saving the child."

He stepped back, turned, and walked down from the snowy slope.

Golden wings unfolded behind him.

This time, he did not stay any longer.

He was going to Heaven Dou City.

To find Qian Chen in person.

Spirit Hall.

Papal Palace.

Shadow Mantis knelt beneath the steps, half of his silver mask already removed.

Several finger marks remained along his neck, and his Soul Power circulated far less smoothly than before he had set out.

Bibi Dong closed the document in her hands.

"You didn't even force out his martial soul?"

"Yes."

The attendants inside the hall lowered their heads and withdrew.

Shadow Mantis did not attempt to defend himself.

"After I used my Martial Soul Avatar, he pulled me directly out of the shadows."

"His strength exceeded what the intelligence reports recorded."

Bibi Dong stared at him.

"Why did he let you come back?"

Shadow Mantis lowered his body.

"He told me to pass on a message."

"Speak."

"He said that some debts would have to be repaid sooner or later."

"He told you to wait for him."

Bibi Dong's hand, resting beside the table, stopped moving.

The intelligence report bearing Qian Chen's name was still pressed beneath the document.

She pulled out the page and read it again.

Eighteen years old.

Background unknown.

Had traveled with a powerful figure from the Far North.

Qian Daoliu's words from the day he had left the Papal Palace suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

"Alive, I want to see the person. Dead, I want to see the corpse."

Bibi Dong rose to her feet.

"What else did he say?"

"Nothing."

"Did he mention his parents?"

Shadow Mantis raised his head.

"No."

She walked down two steps, then stopped.

"Repeat everything that happened after you met him, from the beginning."

Shadow Mantis recounted the events on the street one by one.

Bibi Dong did not interrupt.

Even after he withdrew, she remained standing on the steps, staring at the name in her hand.

"What do you really know?"

She slowly placed the page back on the table.

Several days later.

When Qian Renxue arrived at the Papal Palace, the doors had yet to close.

She walked straight inside and placed a record from Heaven Dou City on the table.

"Did you send Shadow Mantis?"

Bibi Dong lifted her eyes.

"You came back because of this?"

"You're trying to kill Qian Chen."

"He has already affected your judgment."

Qian Renxue stood before the table without retreating.

"He hasn't obstructed the Heaven Dou Plan, nor has he attacked Spirit Hall."

"What right did you have to send someone to kill him?"

Bibi Dong pushed the record aside.

"Are you questioning me?"

"I'm waiting for an explanation."

Soul Power suddenly pressed down throughout the hall.

Qian Renxue's shoulders sank. Golden light ignited beneath her feet, and the outline of a Six-Winged Angel appeared behind her.

She remained standing.

Bibi Dong walked up to her.

"For the sake of someone you haven't known for long, you left Heaven Dou City without permission."

"Do you still remember your identity?"

Qian Renxue raised her head.

"I remember."

"But my identity should not become an excuse for you to kill people at will."

Bibi Dong raised her hand, and several streams of Soul Power landed on Qian Renxue's shoulders and wrists.

The golden radiance scattered.

Qian Renxue caught hold of the table's edge, barely keeping herself from falling backward.

She tried to circulate her Soul Power, but her meridians had been temporarily sealed.

"From today onward, you will remain confined in the side hall for three days."

"Without my order, you are not to leave."

Qian Renxue looked at her.

"Punishing me won't change what happened."

Bibi Dong's fingers pressed against her scepter.

"You still want to speak?"

"Qian Chen did nothing wrong."

"If you believe I failed in my duty, you can punish me."

"But you should not have attacked him."

The attendants outside heard the summons and hurried into the hall.

Bibi Dong turned around.

"Take her to the side hall."

Qian Renxue brushed away the attendant's reaching hand and straightened herself.

She did not ask Bibi Dong to change her decision again.

At the hall entrance, she stopped.

"Mother."

Bibi Dong did not turn around.

"He once told me that failing to receive recognition from one's family did not mean a person was unworthy of love."

"Only now do I understand how important those words are."

Qian Renxue walked out of the hall.

Bibi Dong gripped her scepter and remained motionless for a long time.

A corner of the intelligence report on the table was lifted by the draft blowing through the hall.

Qian Chen's name was revealed once more.

She walked back to the table and reached out to press down the page.

"Someone come."

A black-robed steward bowed outside the door.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

"Investigate Qian Chen."

"I want his date of birth and his experiences before he entered Skywater Academy."

Bibi Dong paused for a moment.

"Especially the Far North."

"Find out exactly how he got there."

The steward accepted the order and withdrew.

She called out to him again.

"Submit this matter to me alone."

"Also, cancel the assassination order against Qian Chen."

The hall doors closed once more.

Bibi Dong opened the drawer beneath the desk and took out the yellowed diary.

She turned to the page recording the child's being sent away.

Her fingertip stopped beside the date.

Eighteen years.

She stared at it for a long time before closing the diary.

"Qian Chen."

"Who are you, really?"

Crown Prince's Residence.

The rear courtyard's cultivation chamber.

The Soul Master Tournament was about to begin, and everyone from Skywater Academy had entered the final stage of cultivation.

Shui Bing'er sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

A Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone floated before her, its pale-blue radiance continuously merging into her body.

Qian Chen stood behind her.

Golden Soul Power slowly entered her meridians along her shoulder blades, guiding the Immortal Herb's medicinal energy for her.

Shui Bing'er's aura gradually rose.

Thirty-ninth level.

Fortieth level.

The instant her Soul Power broke through, pale-blue radiance spread from her body.

The temperature inside the cultivation chamber dropped accordingly.

Shui Bing'er opened her eyes.

She turned around and looked at Qian Chen, who stood close behind her.

"I've broken through to rank forty."

"But you haven't prepared your Soul Ring yet."

"I know."

Shui Bing'er rose to her feet.

Her pale-blue dress clung to her slender waist, its hem swaying gently with her movements.

She came before Qian Chen and looked up at him.

"Guiding the medicinal energy for me must have consumed a lot of your strength, right?"

"It's fine."

"You say that to everyone."

Shui Bing'er raised her hand, her fingertip coming to rest between Qian Chen's brows.

"But your face is a little paler than before."

Qian Chen grasped her wrist.

"Stabilize your Soul Power first."

"I'll watch over you."

Shui Bing'er did not withdraw her hand.

Her fingertip rested in Qian Chen's palm, feeling its warmth, while a faint smile appeared in her water-blue eyes.

"As long as you keep watching me, I can cultivate with peace of mind."

"Then continue."

Shui Bing'er nodded.

She sat down again and circulated her Soul Power.

Qian Chen walked to the side and set up a barrier that isolated her aura.

Outside the cultivation room.

Shui Yue'er sat on the steps, holding a jade box as she waited.

When she saw the door open, she immediately rose to her feet.

"Has Sister finished cultivating?"

"She's stabilizing her Soul Power."

"Then when will it be my turn?"

Shui Yue'er quickly walked up to Qian Chen.

Her aqua-blue short skirt swayed with her steps, revealing her long, slender legs.

She held the jade box out before Qian Chen.

"I'm ready."

"Your Soul Power is too active. After taking the Immortal Herb, you can't immediately attempt to break through your level."

"I know."

Shui Yue'er nodded.

She reached out and grabbed Qian Chen's sleeve.

"Then stay with me."

"Alright."

"Just stay with me?"

Shui Yue'er lifted her face, her eyes full of anticipation.

Qian Chen glanced at her.

"I'll also guide the herb's medicinal power for you."

"That's enough."

She wrapped her arms around Qian Chen's arm, pressing her whole body against his side.

"When Sister cultivates, do you stay with her like this too?"

"Mm."

"Then I want to be the same as Sister."

Shui Yue'er rested her cheek against Qian Chen's shoulder.

"Not even a little less."