"Daddy, it's Xue'er. Please wake up."
"Daddy, I'm begging you. Please open your eyes and look at me, okay?"
"Daddy, I miss you. Please don't die..."
Qian Renxue knelt before Qian Xunji's funeral altar, crying as though her heart would break, her words filled with longing for him.
As Qian Daoliu listened to Qian Renxue's sobbing cries, tears misted his eyes as well.
Qian Xunji had been his only son, the son he valued and loved most.
Now that his son was dead, his granddaughter was the only family he had left.
Seeing Qian Renxue cry so bitterly weighed heavily on his heart.
"Grandpa, what happened? Why is Daddy lying here?"
"Daddy was so strong. How could someone have killed him?"
"Grandpa, you have to avenge Daddy."
Unable to accept reality, Qian Renxue buried herself in Qian Daoliu's arms, her scalding tears gradually soaking his clothes.
"Xue'er, don't worry. I will avenge Xunji. No matter the price, I'll find Tang Hao and hang his head before your father's grave."
Qian Daoliu gently patted Qian Renxue's back, his eyes filled with heartache.
In truth, he had dreaded Qian Renxue learning of Qian Xunji's death, afraid that she would be unable to accept it, lose control of her emotions, and remain crushed for a long time.
But paper could never contain a fire. Qian Renxue would find out sooner or later, and he feared even more that she would blame and resent him if she learned he had deliberately concealed it.
That was why he had thought long and hard before announcing Qian Xunji's death.
In the end, he had chosen to let Qian Renxue know, hoping she could grow quickly through her grief.
Yet he had still underestimated how much Qian Xunji meant to her.
Ever since Qian Renxue returned, she had not stopped crying.
By now, she had been crying for nearly half a day. If she continued like this, she would cry herself sick.
With no other choice, he gave Chrysanthemum Douluo, who was standing nearby, a meaningful look, signaling for him to fetch Ye Tian.
Perhaps at a time like this, only Ye Tian could make Qian Renxue feel a little better.
Chrysanthemum Douluo understood Qian Daoliu's look immediately and went to inform Ye Tian.
Knowing that Qian Renxue had been crying for so long, Ye Tian was worried too. After saying a few words to the equally worried Bibi Dong, he ran to Qian Xunji's funeral altar.
Seeing Qian Renxue still sobbing in Qian Daoliu's arms, he called out with aching concern, "Xue'er..."
At the sound of his voice, the sobbing Qian Renxue trembled slightly, then slowly raised her head and looked at Ye Tian.
"Brother Tian..."
Qian Renxue cried out pitifully, rose from Qian Daoliu's embrace, and threw her arms around Ye Tian.
Qian Daoliu gave Ye Tian a meaningful look, then quietly slipped away.
At a time like this, he needed to make himself scarce and leave Ye Tian and Qian Renxue alone, giving her room to let all her emotions out.
Sometimes, the people closest to someone could instead become obstacles to releasing their emotions.
However, Qian Daoliu did not truly leave. He watched from the shadows, afraid that something might happen to Qian Renxue.
"Be good, Xue'er. No more crying!"
"Your daddy wouldn't want to look down from heaven and see you so sad."
"Actually, you could look at it another way. Maybe your daddy fulfilled his responsibilities and returned to the Angel God's embrace a little early. He might be enjoying himself in heaven right now."
"If your daddy knew you were crying so bitterly, he would be sad too. Even in heaven, he wouldn't be happy."
"Xue'er, would you want your daddy to be unhappy even after going to heaven?"
Ye Tian let Qian Renxue cry for a little while, then gently patted her back and began comforting her in a soft voice.
No matter what, Qian Renxue was still a little girl.
Even after spending half a year undercover in Heaven Dou City, she was still somewhat innocent at heart.
To help Qian Renxue feel better, he could only try coaxing her with this kind of deception.
"Brother Tian, is that true?"
"My daddy didn't really die? He just returned to the Angel God's embrace early and is living happily in heaven?"
Qian Renxue trusted Ye Tian deeply, and after hearing his words, she began to believe him a little.
The Qian Clan's records did indeed contain accounts of such things.
"Of course it's true."
"Think about it, Xue'er. Your Qian Clan consists of believers blessed by the Angel God, who spend their entire lives striving for her."
"Your daddy devoted himself to Spirit Hall and to spreading faith in the Angel God, bending his back to the task and exhausting every ounce of his strength."
"Although the Angel God is far away in the Divine Realm, she must have seen all your daddy's efforts over the years."
"I heard your daddy passed away very suddenly."
"For that to happen, the Angel God herself must have acted, taking his soul to heaven so he could enjoy a life of bliss."
"Maybe your daddy has already become a star in the night sky and is looking down at you right now."
"Look, that brightest star is your daddy. He's waving to you."
Seeing that Qian Renxue seemed to believe him a little, Ye Tian pointed up at the sky and found the brightest star.
To make Qian Renxue believe him, Ye Tian deliberately sent a strand of qilin origin power into her body, causing her to experience a slight hallucination when she looked at the night sky.
Just as Ye Tian expected, Qian Renxue spotted that star at once.
After she stared at it for only a few seconds, the star took on Qian Xunji's appearance, his face radiant with a happy smile.
"Brother Tian, I think I saw Daddy. He was smiling so happily just now."
"He must have gone to heaven and stayed beside the Angel God."
Seeing Qian Xunji's smile instantly lifted Qian Renxue's spirits. She happily pointed at the brightest star, as though greeting him.
Seeing Qian Renxue's reaction, Qian Daoliu looked up curiously, but saw no change at all. He could only find that brightest star.
Qian Daoliu knew Ye Tian must be fooling someone again.
Still, he could not help admiring the way Ye Tian's mind worked. He had actually devised such a way to coax Qian Renxue into accepting this almost impossible claim.
Although the method was utterly implausible and built on a lie, he very much hoped Qian Renxue would keep believing it.
Only then could Qian Renxue shake off her grief and continue to grow.
"That's right. He's right beside the Angel God."
"So you shouldn't cry now. You should be happy for your daddy."
"What you need to do now is grow up quickly and improve your cultivation as fast as you can, so you'll have a chance to inherit the Angel God's divine position."
"Only then can you go to heaven to find your daddy and live happily with him."
Seeing Qian Renxue's mood begin to improve, Ye Tian continued coaxing her, turning her thoughts and emotions around.
Qian Renxue nodded resolutely and replied, "Mm, Brother Tian, don't worry. I'll work hard at my cultivation."
In truth, Qian Renxue was not foolish.
Her half year undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire had already taught her how to think calmly.
She could tell that Ye Tian was deceiving her, but she understood that his words were a well-intentioned lie. He only wanted her to pull herself together rather than remain crushed.
Although his earlier words were not very believable, there was still some truth to them.
If Qian Xunji were still alive, he certainly would not want to see her suffering.
For her daddy, for her grandpa, and for Ye Tian, who worried about her, she had to pull herself together, bury her grief deep in her heart, and turn it into the drive to cultivate diligently.
Once she grew stronger, she could kill Tang Hao with her own hands and avenge her daddy.
She swore she would not call herself human if she failed to kill Tang Hao.
Before you continue