“Hahahahaha! This young master is finally free!”
Perceiving that Hundred Flowers Valley had been left far behind, Hua Yan stretched and could not help but laugh at the sky.
She reached out to remove the elaborate hair accessories from her head, but then she caught sight of the pink-haired girl beside her, staring with wide, puzzled eyes.
In these past few days, Hua Yan had not had much contact with Hua Xiangrong.
For one thing, the lower half of the girl’s face looked just like Yun Xuechang’s, which irritated her whenever she saw it.
Second, her grandmother always praised the girl for being well-behaved, which only made Hua Yan look even more unruly.
Not to mention, the girl’s previous comment about her being a “heartless man” had earned her a sound thrashing for nothing.
Furthermore, during this half month, she had been forced by the Protector Elders to learn the speech, behavior, and dress of a woman every day.
Meanwhile, Hua Xiangrong was always kept by Hua Yuheng’s side to nurture her body in preparation for cultivation—the two of them had rarely even met.
With all these reasons combined, Hua Yan truly felt very little affection for this daughter who had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
“What are you looking at?” Hua Yan waved her hand. “Go, go, go play by yourself.”
“Great-grandmother said you have to teach me how to cultivate.”
Hua Xiangrong opened her large pink eyes and looked straight at her, seemingly oblivious to the other’s dismissiveness.
“When will we start our cultivation?”
“Heh, little girl, you want to fly before your wings have even sprouted?”
Hua Yan turned and walked into the Flower Boat, tossing an introductory manual into her arms.
“Look at it yourself first. If there is anything you do not understand—come and ask me later.”
‘This young master is going to change back into men’s clothing now. I don’t have time to teach you such elementary things.’
‘I’ve been a woman for over half a month. Whoever wants to wear this wretched dress can have it!’
As if her thoughts had been seen through, a tender and clear childish voice immediately rang out behind her.
“Are you going inside to change? Back into men’s clothing?”
“So what if I am?”
Hua Yan smirked, completely indifferent.
“Great-grandmother said that when you are out, you must wear women’s clothing, cultivate your character, dress gently, and not cause trouble.”
The pink-haired little girl spoke like a miniature adult, her reasoning sound and clear.
“Great-grandmother this, great-grandmother that. You’re a deadly dull child, just like those blockheads from the Righteous Path.”
Hua Yan impatiently picked at her ear, not taking it to heart at all.
“I simply won’t do it. What are you going to do about it?”
“Then I will tell great-grandmother that you aren’t being obedient out here!”
As she spoke, Hua Xiangrong pulled out a cloth amulet and held it high over her head.
With a snap, that finely sewn amulet was snatched away by a slender, jade-like hand.
“What, do you really think I would be afraid of a little child like you just because you have this so-called Voice-Transmission Talisman?”
Hua Yan held the talisman high with one hand, watching the pink-haired little girl jump up and down in front of her.
She put her other hand on her hip and laughed loudly.
“Hahahahahaha! Grandmother is truly getting muddled in her old age! Why should I listen to a little brat like you just because of one Voice-Transmission Talisman? Isn’t it easier to just snatch it away?”
“As for your mother from the Righteous Path, I won’t even bother looking for her. One day, when this young master gets tired of playing outside, I’ll just knock her out, pack her up, and bring her back to the valley. Won’t that be the end of it? Hahahahahaha!”
“Hua Yan, do you dare repeat what you just said?”
“Oh? Since you didn’t hear clearly, what’s the harm in me saying it again?”
The triumphant smile on Hua Yan’s face did not fade at all as she tilted her chin and spoke loudly.
“I said, I simply won’t listen to Grandmother’s words. I’m going to play out here for three or five years. What can you do to me?”
“Heh, what can I do to me?”
Hua Yuheng’s voice came out of the talisman in her hand, sounding sinister and as cold as midwinter frost.
“Your courage has certainly grown! You really think my words are just wind passing your ears, and that they don’t count for anything?”
“Uh…”
The smug expression on Hua Yan’s pretty face instantly froze, looking as if someone had cast a body-binding spell on her.
‘That’s impossible! I clearly used Spiritual Power to isolate this talisman! I didn’t even give that girl, Xiangrong, a chance to activate it before I snatched it! How on earth did it connect to Grandmother’s side?!’
“Are you very curious about how this talisman contacted me?”
As if guessing the confusion in her heart, Hua Yuheng’s voice continued to come from the talisman.
“It’s very simple. I injected the Power of Laws from my cultivation path into it. I also set it so that—as long as this talisman is more than two feet away from little Rongrong, it will automatically trigger.”
‘Wait? Laws?! Could it be that Grandmother has broken through again? When did this happen?!’
Before Hua Yan could think further, Hua Yuheng’s voice rang out again, still bone-chillingly cold.
“I originally intended to add an extra layer of protection for Rongrong’s safety, fearing the talisman might be stolen. I never expected the first person to trigger it would be you, her mother.”
“Snatching your own daughter’s things and then bragging about going against me… Hua Yan, you’ve really outdone yourself.”
“Wait, Grandmother, I can explain…”
“Kneel!”
A furious roar erupted from the talisman, and Hua Yan reflexively dropped to her knees on the spot.
At the same time, Hua Xiangrong, who had been silent for a long time, tilted her little face up and made a face at Hua Yan. Then—
“Waaaaah! Great-grandmother! Mother is bullying me! Boo-hoo, waaaaah!”
Hearing this loud, energetic crying, Hua Yan’s face turned green.
“You brat! Shut u—”
“Hua Yan! You shut your mouth!”
Inside the talisman, Hua Yuheng’s roar was deafening.
“Bullying your daughter! Snatching the life-saving talisman I prepared for Rongrong! Disrespecting your elders! You don’t have a shred of maternal responsibility!”
“Do you really want to be a bastard who abandons her wife and child? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you into a pulp when you get back!”
“Go coax your daughter this instant!”
“…Yes…”
After a long silence, Hua Yan could only crawl up from the ground.
She slowly shuffled to Hua Xiangrong’s side, bent down, and coaxed her with a fake, stiff smile.
“Rongrong, what do you want me to do to forgive your mot… Mother?”
The girl’s voice was sickeningly sweet. When she said the word “Mother,” she clearly hesitated, obviously still not used to the title.
“I want to play horsey!”
“Don’t you dare push your lu—”
“Hua Yan!”
“Fine. Come, Rongrong, let’s play horsey! Mother will take you for a ride!”
Hua Yan immediately flattened herself on the ground, enduring her shame and indignation while speaking through gritted teeth.
“Yay! Horsey ride! Giddy-up! Giddy-up!”
Hua Xiangrong did not hold back at all. She immediately turned her tears into a smile and scrambled onto her back, using both hands and feet.
‘Um, Host, by doing this, aren’t you afraid of making your relationship with the villain too strained?’
099’s voice sounded hesitant in Hua Xiangrong’s mind.
‘Oh, after all, this mother of mine is a villain. She definitely won’t listen to her daughter very much, so why should I be polite to her?’
‘Besides, my setting is that I was raised solely by the female lead. If I got too close to the villain mother this quickly, it would actually seem very strange, wouldn’t it?’
After saying this, Hua Xiangrong stopped talking to 099. Instead, she lay on Hua Yan’s shoulder and laughed loudly.
“Wow! So fast, so fast! Mother, you’re amazing! Go, go, go!”
The clear sky was pure, and a single Flower Boat glided leisurely above the sea of clouds.
On the deck, a pink-haired girl sat on the shoulders of a red-haired young woman, raising her hands high to cheer for her mother.
Her bell-like laughter scattered across the sky.
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