How About You Become My Adopted Daughter?

Since Ran Zirou was Immortal Ziyang's daughter, they might as well send her back to her mother.

Mist instantly veiled Ran Zirou's watery eyes.

She cautiously reached out a delicate hand and clutched the hem of Fu Chaoqing's robe.

"Uncle, are you sending me away? I won't cause you any trouble if I stay."

"I don't even know that Immortal Ziyang."

How could this be happening?

This was nothing like her previous life!

In her previous life, that fool Fu Chaoqing hadn't even known about Immortal Ziyang.

Who had told him?

At the sight of the beauty's tears, Fu Chaoqing's throat stirred. An inexplicable tenderness welled up inside him.

But then he recalled Li Zi's thoughts. A bone-deep chill swept over him, dousing that flicker of tenderness at once.

"Immortal Ziyang came to our Sect today. You look exactly like her, so I think you might be related by blood."

Ran Zirou trembled.

Immortal Ziyang had come to the Sect?

That had never happened in her previous life.

How could it be?

She knew what she looked like. Anyone who had seen Immortal Ziyang would suspect a connection between them.

But in her previous life, even the Second Elder had never suspected she was Immortal Ziyang's daughter.

And now...

"No!"

For once, Ran Zirou panicked.

She snapped out a denial, fierce in voice but weak at heart.

Events had slipped beyond her control.

"I'm not her daughter! You've got it wrong! I'm a princess from the Mortal World. I grew up in the imperial palace. My father is an emperor, and my mother is an empress. I don't have another mother."

How could that filthy, vulgar woman possibly be her mother?

Fu Chaoqing found her reaction strange.

"You seem awfully opposed to the idea. Immortal Ziyang is a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse. If she really might be your mother, wouldn't that be better than having Mortals for parents?"

Tears streamed down Ran Zirou's cheeks, leaving her lovely face streaked with them.

"Senior Brother, I really don't want to leave. I want to stay in the Sect. I love it here. Please don't send me away, all right?"

The system relayed what was happening outside Ji Zheng's home to Li Zi in real time.

Ji Zheng sat nearby, pretending to consult a medical text while listening with relish.

How About You Become My Adopted Daughter?

[Ran Zirou was spoiled from childhood. She was used to getting wind when she wanted wind and rain when she wanted rain. She couldn't stand having any blemishes to her name. Poor cultivation talent and a lowly birth were blemishes to her, so she coveted your Divine Bone, Host, and Ji Zheng's Pure Yang spiritual energy. She also despised having a mother like Immortal Ziyang.]

Li Zi thought of the woman in the Main Hall who had used her fiery temper as a shield, and felt indignant on her behalf.

[What's wrong with a woman like Immortal Ziyang? She was born into hardship. Her father beat and scolded her, and even tried to sell her for money. She climbed up from the very bottom, step by step. Now she's succeeded at Immortal Cultivation and become a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse. If she were my mother, I'd be proud of her.]

[Besides, Immortal Ziyang treated Ran Zirou really well. She even had Ran Zirou raised in the imperial palace as a Little Princess.]

Listening beside her, Ji Zheng nodded despite himself.

His little junior sister had a sound Worldview.

Both his parents practiced Immortal Cultivation. He knew exactly how great an advantage it was to have Immortal parents.

Ran Zirou was simply too greedy. Nothing was ever enough for her.

He couldn't even understand why he always went soft on her whenever he saw her.

The system agreed. [Exactly. Being the child of an Immortal comes with plenty of benefits. If Ran Zirou settled down and cultivated properly, Immortal Ziyang would surely give her plenty of Cultivation Resources. But Ran Zirou had lived through her previous life and tasted what it was like to have power poured straight into her. She'd never cultivate honestly.]

Li Zi took a sip of medicine, her little face scrunching up.

[So if she won't go back to her birth mother, she's still after my Divine Bone?]

The system added, [And your Eldest Senior Brother's Pure Yang Physique.]

Ji Zheng shuddered.

He was a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, for heaven's sake. Did Ran Zirou not see him as a person at all, only a Furnace Cauldron?

The nerve of her!

Li Zi grumbled inwardly, [When can I start cultivating? Being in the female lead's sights makes my skin crawl.]

The system replied, [Cultivating won't help. Your Eldest Senior Brother is a Golden Core Stage powerhouse, and she's after him too.]

Li Zi glanced at Ji Zheng, who sat there looking perfectly serious.

[That's different. She wants his body. She wants my bones.]

Ji Zheng put down his book and said sternly, "Li Zi, have you finished your medicine? Keep practicing your punches."

Li Zi rose, crestfallen.

"Coming, Senior Brother."

[Host! Things have blown up on Ran Zirou's end. Lots of disciples are gathered around. The whole Sect knows she's Immortal Ziyang's daughter now!]

Li Zi let herself imagine it. [If only Immortal Ziyang were here. She could take Ran Zirou away right now, and Eldest Senior Brother and I would both be safe.]

The system added, [The entire Sect would be safe.]

Ji Zheng frowned slightly. He took out a jade tablet, wrote a few strokes on it, and it turned into a jade bird that fluttered away.

He stood and beckoned to Li Zi.

"Someone just sent word. Your Fourth Senior Brother has been cornered. Let's go see what's happening."

Gossip was best enjoyed at the scene.

He wanted to see Ran Zirou taken away with his own eyes. Otherwise, he wouldn't be at ease.

Excitement flushed Li Zi's oval face.

"All right, Senior Brother!"

[Senior Brother's the best! I'll wave a banner for him!]

Ji Zheng's smile deepened.

By then, quite a few disciples had gathered near the Small Courtyard.

Ran Zirou knelt before Fu Chaoqing, looking frail enough to collapse at any moment.

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