After hearing Yun Xuechang’s words, Hua Yan could not help but freeze on the spot.
Why did she agree so readily? It was completely irrational…
Hua Yan stared suspiciously at that nearly perfect, cold face as if trying to discern something from it.
*Stare—*
Yun Xuechang’s pair of red eyes were as clear as a shallow spring. She simply stared back openly, without even blinking.
…It did not seem like she was faking it.
For some reason, Hua Yan inexplicably drew this conclusion from a face that had been frozen for ten thousand years.
But why—
Wait…
‘Could it be… Did Grandma say Yun Xuechang was in love with me? Is that why she gave birth to Rongrong?’
Thinking of this, the corners of Hua Yan’s mouth could not help but curl upward. She quickly pursed her lips to stifle a laugh.
‘Ha! It must be that! Yun Xuechang must have never forgotten me, which is why she agreed so quickly!’
‘She should have said so earlier! Had I known she was so deeply infatuated with me, why would I have put in so much effort? I would only have needed to stand before her, and wouldn’t she have followed me back to the valley like a good girl?’
‘Yun Xuechang, oh Yun Xuechang, even you have a day like this!’
The pride in the red-haired girl’s eyes could no longer be hidden. It sparkled, almost overflowing.
‘Wait, something still isn’t right…’
She suddenly became alert again.
According to the girl’s description, Yun Xuechang clearly disliked the Demon Cult and even told the child that the Demon Cult consisted of Evil Cultivators…
‘Then why is she willing to return to the valley with me?’
‘Did she not know my background back then, or has she developed a love-hate relationship over the years and wants to take this chance to seek revenge?’
‘If it’s the latter and I trust her blindly, wouldn’t that be dangerous? What if she finds an opportunity to cut me down with her sword…’
The smile in the red-haired girl’s eyes gradually faded.
‘To be safe, I should pretend to agree for now and then slowly test her.’
‘Of course, if the opportunity arises, it would be best to just knock her out and pack her back to the valley.’
She silently added a final thought in her heart.
“Fine, then I’ll believe you.”
Hua Yan’s lips curled into a half-smile. “I hope you can fulfill your promise.”
“I will,” Yun Xuechang replied with a serious nod.
“Hooray! Mommy and Mother have finally made up!”
Hua Xiangrong cheered and hopped down from Yun Xuechang’s arms.
“So, does this mean Rongrong can stay with Mommy and Mother forever from now on?”
She took Hua Yan’s hand, pulled her to Yun Xuechang’s side, and then grabbed Yun Xuechang’s hand. She tilted her small face up and asked with a grin.
‘This girl…’
Looking at that innocent and brilliant little face, the anger Hua Yan felt toward her inexplicably dissipated by half.
“Yes. As long as Rongrong is good from now on and stops running off alone, Mother will always stay with you.”
She reached out with her free hand and rubbed Hua Xiangrong’s fluffy pink head.
“What about Mommy?” the girl asked, looking up at Yun Xuechang.
“I will also stay with you.”
‘I will do my duty as a mother and make up for the companionship you and your mother have missed all these years.’
Yun Xuechang’s gaze softened significantly.
“That’s great!”
The girl cheered, stacking their hands together.
She then took two steps back, her eyes sparkling as she said, “Then Rongrong wants to see Mommy and Mother shake hands and make peace! You have to hold tight for it to count!”
This…
Suddenly feeling the soft, boneless, and slightly cool sensation of Yun Xuechang’s palm, Hua Yan was slightly dazed.
‘Isn’t Yun Xuechang… a Sword Cultivator? How can her hand feel so… good to hold?’
It was completely different from being held by her daughter. Holding Yun Xuechang’s hand now, while facing her visage so close at hand, Hua Yan felt her palms start to sweat.
On the other hand, Yun Xuechang was somewhat oblivious.
Feeling the warm and soft touch of Hua Yan’s hand, she quietly looked back when she saw the other party looking at her.
‘Oh my! Kiss her already! Kiss her! Such a good opportunity—just go for it!’
Hua Xiangrong, who had already retreated to the side, picked up the plate of snacks Lin Qianqian had left behind. She shoved snacks into her mouth while screaming frantically in her mind.
‘Host, stop making a fuss!’ 099’s helpless voice rang in her head.
“Alright! We’ve already held hands!”
Hua Yan suddenly snapped back to her senses. She shook Yun Xuechang’s hand and turned to glare at the pink-haired furball eating snacks.
For some reason, even though the girl was just eating, seeing her leisurely manner caused the anger Hua Yan had just suppressed to flare up again.
“Stop eating!” She snatched the plate away. “It’s almost time for dinner, and you’re still eating snacks? Do you still want to eat dinner tonight!”
After saying that, she shoved the remaining snacks from the plate into her own mouth all at once.
“Wah—Mother, you stole my snacks!”
“So what if I stole them? I haven’t even settled the score for you sneaking out today! You should be glad I’m not spanking you!”
Hua Yan used one hand to suppress the flailing, screaming pink-haired girl, while the other hand held the empty plate high, shouting with a mouth full of food.
Watching the mother and daughter mess around, Yun Xuechang blinked, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously tilted upward.
“Alright, Rongrong, don’t be angry with Mother.” She gently picked up the struggling girl and soothed her softly. “I’ll take you for a big feast later, okay?”
While stroking the girl’s head, she looked up at Hua Yan, who had swallowed the snacks and was now standing triumphantly with her hands on her hips.
There was a faint smile in those cold red eyes. The tenderness that unconsciously leaked out caused Hua Yan to stare blankly for a moment.
“You… should come along too.”
The white-haired girl invited softly, the smile in her eyes lingering.
“We will call my junior sister and Daoist Friend Qu. Let’s find a restaurant and have a good meal together, shall we?”
/
In the private room that evening, a warm fragrance greeted them.
The round table was covered with Fulong City’s local specialties: large pieces of golden, crispy lamb chops, steaming mushroom and chicken stew, several stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pitcher of the local specialty, highland barley spiritual wine.
“Come! Congratulations to Daoist Friend Yun and Daoist Friend Hua on their reunion after so long! Congratulations on your family’s gathering! I’ll toast to the two of you first!”
The petite black-haired girl was the first to raise her cup, her voice crisp.
After a clinking of cups, Qu Linglong tilted her head and drained the wine in one go.
“Ha, that feels good!”
She set down the cup and looked toward the family of three with a grin. “Looking at this, have the matters between you two been successfully resolved?”
“Yes.”
Yun Xuechang set down her cup after only a small sip and nodded. “I have promised her that once this Evil-slaying Mission is over, I will follow her home to meet her grandmother.”
“Oh?”
Qu Linglong blinked, her mind immediately becoming active.
‘Meeting the grandmother…? If this Daoist Friend Hua Yan’er is really from the Hundred Flowers Valley, then wouldn’t her grandmother be the Old Valley Master? Taking a wife back to meet the family… this doesn’t sound like something an illegitimate daughter would do…’
‘Could it be that this Miss Hua Yan’er wants to use Daoist Friend Yun’s status to go back and compete with that Hua Yan for the position of Young Valley Lord? Should I continue to stay on good terms with her? I’m just a businesswoman; I don’t want to get dragged into the Succession Struggle of the Hundred Flowers Valley…’
Despite her thoughts, the smile on her face did not fade in the slightest.
“Hahaha, I knew Daoist Friend Yun was not an irresponsible person! The feelings between you two are truly deep and enviable. Congratulations, congratulations!”
As she spoke, she toasted Hua Yan again, and Hua Yan returned the gesture with a smile.
“By the way, I wonder how the story of you two began? How exactly did you fall in love, and how… well, did you have Rongrong?”
Qu Linglong winked at Hua Xiangrong, who was sipping milk from a cup, her tone full of gossip.
“That’s right, Sister! How did you and her have Rongrong back then?”
Lin Qianqian also followed up with a curious inquiry.
Her senior sister usually cared for nothing but cultivation and sword practice, a veritable immortal who did not eat the food of the common world.
It was truly hard to imagine she had such a lingering romantic past.
“Actually…”
“Actually, it’s nothing! We simply didn’t know each other until we fought!”
Just as Yun Xuechang was about to speak, Hua Yan hurriedly interrupted her, throwing her a warning glare.
“Yes.”
Yun Xuechang met her gaze and nodded quietly.
“Oh… so that’s how it was…”
Qu Linglong rubbed her chin, her mind unable to stop wandering.
‘So according to that, when Daoist Friend Yun was traveling down the mountain back then, she sparred with this Daoist Friend Hua? And as they sparred, they eventually sparred all the way into bed?’
‘Impressive, truly worthy of a Sword Cultivator. Even falling in love is so hot-blooded…’
“Wow! It was actually a relationship forged through combat? Then Daoist Friend Hua, you must be very powerful!”
Lin Qianqian looked at Hua Yan with shining eyes.
“It’s alright, just the Late Nascent Soul Stage.”
The corners of Hua Yan’s mouth could not help but curl up high, her tone full of pride.
‘Hmph, I’ve been cultivating day and night for these past ten years. I’m not who I used to be! Yun Xuechang, you must be—’
“Wow! Then aren’t you at the same realm as Sister? Daoist Friend Hua, you’re amazing!”
Lin Qianqian’s cheer caused the smile on Hua Yan’s face to freeze instantly.
‘Are you kidding me! Back then, Yun Xuechang was clearly one realm lower than me! I’ve been cultivating tirelessly; how is it that I haven’t surpassed her, but was instead caught by her?!’
“Then, Daoist Friend Hua, would you like to join us in Evil Purging next?”
Just then, Qu Linglong took the initiative to extend an invitation.
‘Late Nascent Soul Stage… she’s actually a minor realm higher than Daoist Friend Lin and me. This Daoist Friend Hua’s talent is indeed impressive…’
‘I’ve heard that the young master of the Hundred Flowers Valley spends his days idling and causing trouble; his cultivation level certainly won’t match this Daoist Friend Hua Yan’er…’
‘In that case, it’s not impossible to dip a toe into the Succession Struggle of the Hundred Flowers Valley! I’ll bet on it! I’ll build a good relationship with her first!’
“With an expert like Daoist Friend Hua joining us, our mission progress will surely be much faster. This way, you can go back to meet the family with Daoist Friend Yun sooner. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
Qu Linglong said with a smile, her tone very inviting.
Hmm… that made sense.
If she slowly waited for Yun Xuechang to finish the mission, who knew how long it would take.
It would be better to join personally to speed things up.
And by staying at her side, she could carefully observe her intentions and see if she was truly willing to return to the valley.
“Fine. Evil Purging is the duty of us cultivators, and I naturally cannot decline.”
Hua Yan spoke with righteous indignation, raising her wine cup.
“Even without the relationship between Yun Xuechang and me, I would never stand by and watch!”
“I shall go with you!”
“Hooray!”
Amidst the enthusiastic applause of Lin Qianqian and Hua Xiangrong, Hua Yan drained her cup.
Yun Xuechang silently turned her head to look at her.
Under the warm yellow light, the red-haired girl’s expression was heroic.
The wine slid down her upturned neck, gleaming faintly.
‘So, is she this kind of person…?’
Yun Xuechang blinked softly.
She did not actually understand this red-haired girl who had suddenly burst into her life.
Between them, there had only been that single encounter at the Hehuan Sect.
Agreeing to go back with her was more out of her responsibility as a mother.
She still knew very little about the daughter who appeared out of nowhere and the Hua Yan before her.
But at least for now, it seemed this mother of her daughter was a good person.
And her daughter was a well-behaved and adorable child.
A faint smile drifted into the white-haired girl’s cold eyes.
She reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of lamb chop, and gently placed it into Hua Xiangrong’s bowl.
“Here, Rongrong, eat more. Don’t go hungry.”
“Mhm! Thank you, Mommy!”
The pink-haired girl looked up and returned a sweet smile.
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