Qian Daoliu bent over the swaddled baby and gently brushed her warm little hand with his fingertip. Her fingers curled instinctively, hooking around it.
His gaze softened at once, and even the sacred pressure surrounding him vanished completely. He looked no different from an ordinary old man doting on his grandchild.
"Has Xiao Xue been behaving?"
His voice held a rare warmth, utterly unlike his usual stern authority.
"She's very good. She hardly ever cries, just makes a little noise when she's hungry."
Bibi Dong's eyes brimmed with maternal tenderness. She held the baby a little closer, her fingertips patting the swaddling cloth in a gentle, steady rhythm.
"I'm going to Slaughter City. I'll be back in a few days."
Qian Daoliu withdrew his gaze and instructed Qian Xunji,
"You needn't worry about Spirit City's affairs. Leave them to Golden Crocodile and the others to handle together. Your main responsibility is looking after Dong'er and my granddaughter. Nothing must go wrong."
Qian Xunji promptly agreed.
"Rest assured, Father. Be careful out there yourself. Slaughter City is a treacherous place."
Bibi Dong also spoke softly.
"Father, I packed some tender leaves from the Tree of Life for you. Steeped in water, they soothe the mind and steady the soul, and they can dispel sinister energies too. Take them with you."
As she spoke, she offered him a brocade box embroidered with an angel motif. Its golden threads shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Qian Daoliu accepted the box, brushing his fingertips over the fine silk, and nodded.
"Good."
He took one last look at Qian Renxue in her swaddling clothes, a flicker of reluctance passing through his eyes. Then he turned and joined the Ice Empress, the King of Slaughter, Tuoba Xuanfeng, and the Enforcement Squad, who were already waiting outside the