"—You gave Zhu Si a rat as her protector?"
Zheng Qing withdrew his gaze, tilted his head, and looked at the equally speechless Rat Immortal nearby, his brows tightly furrowed. But before he could come up with harsher words of criticism, the Yellow Calico Cat beside him burst into loud laughter.
"—Isn't this the rat you've kept for over a decade?"
The Flower Cat's enormous eyes looked down at the crystalline Small World below, its voice carrying a hint of teasing. "Its current name was even given by you... Fei Rui?"
Zheng Qing's face immediately darkened.
The silence in the void was deafening.
After a while, Zhongshan Old Madam, who had quietly watched them make a fuss, finally spoke in a slow, exceptionally kind voice. "—It's only a small hole. What's the worst that could happen? With so many adults watching beside them, what could possibly go wrong..."
These were the classic words of indulgent doting.
Zheng Qing could not help opening his mouth, intending to tactfully remind her that this was an incorrect way to raise children.
But the old woman's next words silenced everyone.
"...As the saying goes, 'without destruction, there can be no renewal.' For this Small World to advance and establish itself, it won't be easy... This instance of 'destruction' is an excellent auspicious omen... And this breach happens to be very slight, causing no harm to the Small World, elevating this auspicious omen by another degree... It can be considered top-tier."
At those words, everyone turned to look at her.
Sure enough, one really ought to listen more to one's elders. That thought had barely crossed Zheng Qing's mind when the old woman added, "...And the one Little Jade sent to deal with this matter was a bat. Though it was not her intention, that