Chapter 1837: Picking Up Girls

In the Yu Nu Feng pavilion, all the women were gathered, resting their chins in their hands and staring eagerly at Ye Chen.

"When will he wake up?"

"His Yuan Shen has already recovered, so he should be fine by now!"

"How about we give him a little nudge?" Shangguan Yuer rolled up her sleeves. "A good beating might just wake him up."

"Sounds reliable." The women exchanged glances, a hint of excitement in their eyes.

"Am I really that punchable?" Before the women could make a move, Ye Chen woke up and rubbed his head vigorously.

"Hey, it actually worked." Shangguan Yuer chuckled.

"Are you feeling okay anywhere?" Chu Xuan stepped forward, eyeing Ye Chen tentatively, with a touch of worry.

"I'm alright." Ye Chen was still rubbing his forehead. Though he was awake, his mind felt foggy and disoriented.

For instance, he had no memory of certain events, only recalling the full moon celebration, with everything after that a complete blank.

But he was certain something had happened, only to be erased from his mind.

The women fell silent, and the girl Xi Yan stopped her antics.

After sleeping for so long, he needed time to clear his head. From the look of it, Ye Chen's mind was still quite muddled.

Waah!

The tranquility of the scene was broken by a cry from outside.

Without a second thought, everyone dashed out of the room.

What they saw was a comical sight: on the lush green grass, two little kids were play-fighting. One was their own Xiao Ling'er, and the other was Xiong Xiao Er from the Xiong family.

When they arrived, their little girl was being quite fierce, holding Xiong Xiao Er down with one hand and spanking his bottom with the other.

Though her hands were small, the spanks landed with loud smacks. She was spanking away happily, while Xiong Xiao Er was crying in pain. He kept trying to get up but couldn't, so he just had to take it.

"What the heck is going on?" Xiong Er shouted as he burst out from behind a rock and rushed over, twisting his body as he ran.

He had seen the whole thing clearly earlier—his son Xiong Xiao Er had barely said a word before the girl took him down.

"Xiao Ling'er, don't be naughty." Chu Ling picked up the little girl and put on a stern face, exuding the authority of a mother.

Xiao Ling'er stuck out her tongue playfully, full of mischief—as always, her go-to move whenever she got in trouble.

"She's a real handful." Ye Chen grinned and scooped up the little girl. After sleeping for three months, he had really missed his precious daughter.

"Daddy." Xiao Ling'er nuzzled her little head against Ye Chen. It had been three months since she'd been held, so she was extra affectionate.

"She hasn't grown at all." Ye Chen looked her up and down, scanning her with his Lun Hui Eye. The little one's cultivation had advanced quite a bit.

"This isn't over, not by a long shot." Xiong Er bounced Xiong Xiao Er up, jumping three meters high and making a racket.

His little one was crying his eyes out, tears streaming down his face, especially on his chubby bottom, which Xiao Ling'er had spanked until it was swollen and red.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin, glancing at Xiong Xiao Er with a strange expression. "This kid has grown so big?"

"We fed him the wrong Dan Yao." The women all covered their mouths and laughed.

"Feeding him the wrong Dan Yao is one thing, but don't feed him He Huan San." Ye Chen coughed. That would make things way too chaotic.

"Don't give me that nonsense." Xiong Er cursed loudly. "This isn't over! I want an explanation."

"He was trying to pick me up, so I hit him." Xiao Ling'er said in her childish voice, pouting with a grievance.

At her words, everyone's eyebrows shot up, and their gazes turned in unison toward Xiong Er's direction—more precisely, toward Xiong Xiao Er in his arms. You little fatty, already thinking about picking up girls at your age?

"My dad told me to do it, and he said he'd buy me candy." That's how naive Xiong Xiao Er was—he didn't understand a thing and just blurted it out, selling out his dad in the process. And he looked so wronged about it.

Talk about a classic case of betrayal; he was definitely a prime example.

Xiong Xiao Er's words didn't help matters—the women's gazes shifted collectively to Xiong Er. You could see the fire in their beautiful eyes: You fat bear, playing all these tricks! Daring to egg your son on to pick up my daughter.

"Uh-heh-heh..." Xiong Er's dark face instantly turned jovial, laughing shamelessly.

He was laughing it off, but Ye Chen's face darkened completely. How dare you set your sights on my daughter? Unbelievable!

"Misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding." Xiong Er laughed while backing away, and before long, he turned and bolted.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bi You was the fastest, slapping him down with one hand.

"Come on, come on, let's get the kid out of here." Xiao Xi Yan snatched Xiong Xiao Er away. "We're not ones to hit kids."

With Xiong Xiao Er moved aside, the women all perked up.

The screams were like a pig being slaughtered—loud, over-the-top wails that echoed through Heng Yue, making anyone who heard them shudder.

Xiong Er was in for it; once he was pinned down, he never got up. The women hit hard, beating off over ten pounds of his fat.

"There, this is for you." While the adults handled their business, the kids stayed out of it. Xiao Ling'er and Xiong Xiao Er sat on the grass, and the little girl handed him a Ling Guo.

What a kid Xiong Xiao Er was—he not only betrayed his dad but was also very filial. With his dad getting beaten nearby, he just ate away happily, with quite an appetite, polishing off several pieces.

The night on Hua Fan Xing was peaceful and serene, with stars twinkling in various colors across the vast, profound sky, hiding stories and endless possibilities.

This was an ancient mortal star, devoid of any cultivator's aura.

In a deep mountain, there was a bamboo grove, and deep within the grove stood a bamboo house with a peach blossom tree nearby.

Under the tree, Ji Ning Shuang sat, gently rocking a cradle. In the cradle, a little baby slept soundly.

On the baby's forehead was a Lei Ting mark, and faint lightning would sometimes tear across his tiny body. In his sleep, he would murmur, "Mother, it hurts."

Ji Ning Shuang clenched her jade hand tightly. In the dead of night, hearing those murmurs felt like a knife twisting in her heart.

The little one was strong; he never complained when awake, only letting it slip unintentionally in his sleep.

A breeze blew in, and a figure stepped into the bamboo grove.

It was a young man, dignified and imposing, surrounded by Long Xi. His black hair flowed like a waterfall, and his pair of dazzling golden eyes were deep and profound, brimming with Dao principles and evolving laws.

This person was none other than Long Jie, looking a bit worn out and travel-worn, like a wanderer.

He had walked all this way, looking around as he went, until he reached the depths of the bamboo grove and saw Ji Ning Shuang sitting with her back to him.

"Yao Chi, is that you?" Long Jie's body tensed. He had searched nearly every corner of the realms for her.

"I hope you've been well." Ji Ning Shuang spoke softly, her tone cold and detached. She didn't stand up, still gently rocking the cradle and watching her child, as if she already knew who was behind her—or perhaps, from the moment Long Jie entered the bamboo grove, she had realized it was an old acquaintance.

"It's really you." Long Jie was thrilled, striding forward with a smile. "I've been searching for you for over a hundred years."

As he got closer, he noticed the baby in the cradle.

He froze, mouth agape. "Whose child is this?"

"Mine." Ji Ning Shuang's words remained calm.

At that, Long Jie's body relaxed instantly, his smile turning forced. "So, you've gotten married."

Ji Ning Shuang said nothing, but a self-mocking smile crossed her lips, her beautiful eyes growing misty.

Married? What a wonderful word, yet she had no fate with that person, no destiny for that crimson wedding dress.

"What about his father?" Long Jie asked tentatively.

"He's dead." Ji Ning Shuang lowered her head, her eyes filled with tears.

Long Jie fell silent, standing quietly and looking at the baby. For some reason, the child reminded him of an old friend.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze and turned to Ji Ning Shuang, hopeful. "Would you give me a chance?"

"Yao Chi is already dead." Ji Ning Shuang said softly.

"You should have died long ago." Before Long Jie could respond, a cold female voice echoed through the bamboo grove.

No sooner had the words fallen than a graceful figure burst in, wielding a crimson Xian Jian, like an icy female god of death.

Her sword strike was devastating, aimed straight at Ji Ning Shuang.

Blood splattered immediately, staining the petals and bamboo leaves.

But the one pierced by the sword wasn't Ji Ning Shuang—it was Long Jie, who had stepped in front of her.

The attacker was the Ling Zu Shen Nu.

The Wu Zu Shen Zi and Gu Zu Shen Nu also entered from outside the bamboo grove, their hearts trembling at the bloody scene.

"What are you doing?" Long Jie ignored the others, his golden eyes fixed only on the Gu Zu Shen Nu, his words ice-cold.

"See? For her, you're even willing to give up your life." The Ling Zu Shen Nu laughed through her tears, crystal-clear drops sliding down her sorrowful cheeks, crying out in agony. "Have you ever risked your life for me like this?"

"You should understand my feelings." Long Jie said flatly.

"I understand, I've always understood." The Ling Zu Shen Nu gave a self-mocking smile and slowly withdrew her sword, turning to leave step by step, her soul adrift and utterly desolate. Only her heartbreaking words lingered: "You've searched for her for a hundred years, and I've waited for you for a hundred years. The ways of love in this world are truly laughable, and I am the joke."

"Long Jie, from this day forward, we are no longer brothers." The Wu Zu Shen Zi said coldly and followed the Ling Zu Shen Nu, for Long Jie had hurt the one he loved most.

"A joke, I'm a joke too." The Gu Zu Shen Nu laughed, tears filling her eyes as she looked only at Ji Ning Shuang. "There was a time I really wanted to kill you."

With that, she turned and left, her back as forlorn as the Ling Zu Shen Nu's, her steps unsteady.

Long Jie loved the Yao Chi Shen Nu, the Ling Zu Shen Nu loved Long Jie, the Wu Zu Shen Zi loved the Ling Zu Shen Nu, and she loved the Wu Zu Shen Zi. What a cruel cycle.

The bamboo grove fell silent again. Ji Ning Shuang continued rocking the cradle, never once turning around.

Having entered Hua Fan Xing, she no longer cared for the world's troubles, yet the peace here was shattered by those lost in love.

"I'm waiting for your answer." Long Jie asked with a smile.

"I only love Ye Chen. Is that answer enough?"

"Ye Chen?" Long Jie frowned. "Which Ye Chen?"

"Our homeland is called Da Chu." Ji Ning Shuang gently lifted her gaze, as if she could see through the stars to that vast land, to that tumultuous fate.

"Da Chu, what a fine name." Long Jie abruptly turned, the gaping wound on his chest still oozing bright blood.

In his hand appeared a Long Dao, his killing intent surging wildly, rampaging and bone-chilling.

But this killing aura wasn't directed at Ji Ning Shuang—it was for Ye Chen. He was going to Da Chu to settle the score with that man.