Divine Family Mansion, Chen Zhenlong Residence, Patriarch's Office
Two women can be seen sitting inside, taking a break after spending the entire afternoon cleaning the place.
Sitting in front of Chen Zhenlong's table was a woman in her thirties with flawless milky-white skin and brown hair tied in a bun. Large round glasses framed her small, delicate face, making it even more appealing as her red lips moved slightly while she studied the scroll on her hands.
This person is Chen Wenrou, Divine Family's resident alchemy master and the mother of Chen Zhenlong's firstborn, Chen Li Jiang.
Not far away from her, is another woman lounged in Chen Zhenlong's chair, her feet resting on his table as she lazily rocked her chair back and forth. Her long teal hair was tied loosely behind her, her fiery red eyes and delicate features failed to hide the boredom painted on her face.
This person is none other than Chen Yinying, the second wife of Chen Zhenlong and the mother of the Divine Family's only princess, Chen Linlin.
It has been a full year since their husband, along with their daughter, left for the outside world to find a cure for their youngest daughter's illness.
Their husband's journey to the outside world is kept secret from everyone and only known by few close people, them and their father-in-law.
In the official statement spread to the public, Chen Zhenlong had gone into secluded cultivation in order to cover the fact that Chen Zhenlong had journeyed to the outside world.
Which would explain to the public why he'd been missing for an unknown length of time.
The public did not find the news strange. It is normal for cultivators to enter seclusion every once in a while, especially when they encounter a bottleneck in their cultivation.
The same is true for a Black Gold Rank demon spiritualist like Chen Zhenlong, who is known to have been stuck at his rank for years now.
No one would complain if Chen Zhenlong went missing for a while. On the contrary, the public wouldn't mind his absence if it meant he could break through, and become the second Legend Rank demon spiritualist of glory city.
If that were to happen, Glory City would become a much safer place to live.
Although they were praying for it, most people did not raise their hopes too much.
It was a fact that breaking through to Legend Rank was not a simple matter.
Among many Black Gold Rank demon spiritualist experts who had attempted to break through to Legend Rank, only one person had successfully achieved it while the rest remained unable to.
That person is none other than Lord Ye Mo. Glory City's war god.
Besides Lord Ye Mo, none of the Demon Spiritualist experts of glory city had managed to reach such a height, not even Lord Ye Mo's own son, the City Lord.
So everyone simply crossed their fingers about Chen Zhenlong's seclusion and hoped that this time a miracle would occur, and Glory City would give birth to another super expert.
"That's it! I'm going out there to look for them!"
Startled by the sudden outburst, the scroll in Chen Wenrou's hands flew into the air as the woman instinctively stood up in panic.
At the same time, Chen Yinying jumped from her chair. A resigned expression appeared on her face as she marched toward the exit.
"No… no. NO YOU DON'T!"
Seeing Chen Yinying's actions, Chen Wenrou immediately ran toward the door and used her voluptuous body to block the way, preventing Chen Yinying from leaving.
Being Blocked, Chen Yinying's eyebrows furrowed as she crossed her arms in front of her twin peaks, giving Chen Wenrou an annoyed look.
"Rou'er, this is stupid. Our husband and our baby have been out there for almost a year now, and there's still no sign of them returning!"
Chen Wenrou sighed in dejection. She herself hadn't been able to sleep properly, constantly worrying about their whereabouts.
But rushing blindly into the outside world was extremely dangerous.
Even their father-in-law, only second to Chen Zhenlong's in terms of strength, wouldn't dare to do it.
"Ying'er, look…" Chen Wenrou shook her head and reached for Chen Yinying's hands grasping it. "I know what you're feeling right now, but we both promised our husband that we would trust him, right?"
Hearing Chen Wenrou's words, Chen Yinying's annoyed expression disappeared. Her shoulders dropped as she looked downward, tears streaming down her beautiful face.
"Ooh!, Yin'er, it's okay. They're going to come back soon."
Watching her sister-wife cry, Chen Wenrou gently pulled Chen Yinying into an embrace to comfort her.
To comfort both of them.
Chen Wenrou herself was on the verge of breaking down.
The longer their husband and daughter stayed out there, the more "what if" scenarios flooded her mind, and none of them were good.
Unknowingly, Chen Wenrou's own tears began to fall, as they streamed down onto Chen Yinying's shoulder.
Noticing this, Chen Yinying wrapped her own arms around Chen Wenrou's back as she embraced her.
The two women stayed in that position for quite some time, sniffling as they comforted each other.
Until a pair of powerful arms wrapped around their bodies and pulled them into a warm embrace.
A familiar aura enveloped the two women, bathing them in the warmth and affection they had been longing for.
"Yin'er, Rou'er… I wronged both of you. I'm sorry for worrying you this much."
Both women's breaths hitched as a familiar voice flooded their ears.
They both looked up to see Chen Zhenglong remorseful looks.
"HUSBAND!"
"BABE!"
The two women jumped in surprise, as they desperately clung to their husband.
All status and prestige were forgotten as they held onto Chen Zhenlong like little children.
Chen Zhenlong, being the absolute powerhouse that he was, didn't budge even a little and simply let the two women cling onto him.
The next ten minutes were spent with hugs, kisses, and excessive apology on Chen Zhenlong's part.
Although the two women barely listened to any of his words, as they were simply happy that their husband was finally back with them.
Until Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying suddenly remembered that they were also mothers.
"LIN'ER! WHERE'S MY BABY!?" Chen Yinying escaped on Chen Zhenlong embrace and shrieked in panic, making Chen Zhenlong and Chen Wenrou to wince from her voice.
Chen Zhenlong himself couldn't decide whose shriek was more painful to listen to, his wife or Guān Ning.
Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying both turned their heads toward the door, sensing an unfamiliar aura hiding behind the door.
With careful movements, a small figure stepped out from behind it, cautiously peering inside.
"Y-you guys done k-kissing!?" Chen Linlin asked while looking at her parents with the expression of embarrassment and horror combined on her face.
Chen Linlin had seen her parents kiss in front of her before. It had always been quick and formal.
But what Chen Linlin witnessed earlier, with the sounds and the tongues, had scarred her for the rest of her life.
Too bad for Chen Linlin, since Xue Hui doesn't have any medicine that could cure her of an awkward childhood trauma.
The two mothers didn't say a word as they stared dumbfoundedly at her.
Gone with her frail, emaciated body. Chen Linlin had a much healthier physique than before.
Fair complexion, flushed red cheeks, vibrant teal hair, and eyes full of vitality, Chen Linlin's current state was like heaven and earth compared to how she looked before they last saw her a year ago.
But the most important detail the two mothers were more surprised about, is Chen Linlin was standing on her own feet.
Cupping her mouth, Chen Yinying's entire body began to tremble. Tears burst from her eyes as her knees gave out, as she fell on her knees.
'When…?' Chen Yinying asked herself inwardly. 'When was the last time I saw my baby like this? Standing, healthy, and completely free from the aura of death?'
What stood before Chen Yinying was the same Chen Linlin she had lost years ago after she fell ill.
Chen Yinying almost didn't want to move. She was afraid that if she did, the moment in front of her would instantly vanish.
Because to Chen Yinying, this was the kind of moment that would only happen in her dreams.
"Ma… ma…"
Hearing the trembling voice of her daughter, Chen Linlin's body moved on its own. In an instant, she was in front of Chen Linlin.
Gently wrapping her baby in her embrace, Chen Yinying released the most gentle and soothing aura a loving mother could muster, enveloping her daughter with it. This was followed by a beautiful song.
The same one Chen Yinying would always sing whenever her baby needed extra comfort.
And judging by how Chen Linlin's body melted into her Chen Yinying's embrace as she was showered by affection, everyone in the room could already tell that this method was extremely effective.
Seeing his wife and daughter reunited, Chen Zhenlong tried his best not to break down. He knew that everyone would be emotional during their reunion, so someone needed to stay strong and calm to soothe the others.
But looking at the sight of his wife and daughter, Chen Zhenlong couldn't stop a few beads of tears from escaping
Beside him was Chen Wenrou. She was holding tightly onto her husband, her face also a mess from crying.
The only reason she didn't lunge toward her daughter just like Chen Yinying l was because Chen Zhenlong was unknowingly holding her trapped within his arms, hugging her.
The family remained locked in their embrace for quite a while. No one uttered a word nor tried to ask anything. They simply enjoyed everyone's presence, drowning themselves in each other's aura.
In the distance, Xue Hui watched the scene before him, with a small smile tugging at his face. He decided that his presence was not needed at the moment, and turned around, leaving them to themselves as he walked toward the direction of Chen Linlin's courtyard.
"C'mon, Silver. I'll show you around."
"Ra-ra-ra-uul!"
The sobbing mess of a demon beast donkey replied, as Xue Hui guided Silver away.
Half an hour later.
Chen Zhenlong, Chen Linlin, Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying all decided that they could postpone the hugging for later and instead wanted to know everything about their daughter's recovery.
The three adults sat cross-legged in the center of the room while Chen Linlin rested in Chen Yinying's lap, as she excitedly retells the story of their adventure, especially their time in Wu Zhen Yi's ruins.
"And Father was like, YOU!"
The two mothers burst into laughter upon hearing how their husband had been forced to dig a tunnel so they could cross the hills filled with nerve-attacking flowers.
But not shortly they both looked at their husband with perplexed gazes once Chen Linlin began retelling the story of Xue Hui facing down a group of demon beasts, led by a Black Gold Rank demon beast.
Their jaws dropped, once Chen Zhenlong confirmed the legitimacy of Chen Linlin's story.
"Then… then when I woke up, I could move my legs again."
Chen Linlin's face flushed as she ran out of breath, she finished her story while thumping her small legs on the floor. Her voice ended up a little hoarse from all the talks she did.
Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou were left dumbfounded.
They had planned to ask for some details about their adventure, maybe even scrutinize Chen Zhenlong a little for putting their daughter in danger.
But they had never expected the sheer amount of absurdity their husband and daughter had been through.
Looking at the current state of his wives, Chen Zhenlong sighed, knowing that there were still a lot of crazy events Chen Linlin hadn't even covered yet.
"Once we got our hands on those needles and treated Lin'er's condition, we headed to our next destination."
Noticing that his daughter was already out of breath, Chen Zhenlong picked up where she had stopped and continued retelling the events.
At one point in the story, both wives suddenly lunged toward him and grabbed him.
"NO WAY! L-LEGEND RANK!? B-BABE IS LEGEND RANK!?" Chen Yinying exclaimed as she used her soul force to probe her husband's aura.
"HUSBAND! I WANNA SEE IT! S-SHOW ME THE PILL, PLEASE!!!"
Chen Zhenlong could practically see the steam coming out of Chen Wenrou's nose as she demanded to see the pill he had used to break through to the Legend Rank.
One looked at him with absolute shock as she held his cheeks.
The other eyed him like a prey, her hands gripping his arm tightly, eyes bloodshot with excitement.
Being pinned on both sides by his wives, Chen Zhenlong felt completely at a loss for what to do next.
Not far from them, Chen Linlin sat on the floor with her arms crossed, pouting.
The poor girl had fallen face-first onto the floor when her mothers suddenly leaned forward to grab her father.
The reason for this sudden and completely unprovoked commotion was when the story reached the part about the Heaven Breaker Heart Crystal Fungus, and how Xue Hui had turned it into the Realm Breaker Soul Ascendant Pill, helping Chen Zhenlong break through to Legend Rank.
The moment he revealed his current strength, the two women jumped in shock at the revelation and crawled onto their husband to personally probe his cultivation.
Only then did they confirm that he was telling the truth.
The reason they hadn't noticed anything earlier was because Chen Zhenlong was wearing the Mask Realm Bracelet.
This bracelet was one of the treasures they had found in the Moon Peak Emperor's vault.
As the name suggested, it was a treasure capable of hiding one's cultivation level.
Finding this treasure was also the reason why Chen Zhenlong and Xue Hui had made the plan for Chen Zhenlong to hide his real strength for the time being.
After a thorough explanation about why he wanted to conceal his strength, while carefully avoiding mentioning anything about the poisoning.
Chen Zhenlong managed to convince his wives to keep his breakthrough a secret.
A moment later, once both women had calmed their raging emotions,
and after they had profusely apologized to the little girl for the small bump on her forehead,
they continued retelling the events.
Meeting Silver.
Finding the vault.
Entering the treasure chamber.
The bitter struggle against Guān Ning.
And most importantly, how Xue Hui had taken the Glaze Blood from Suo Leiyue's body and given it to their daughter.
Silence engulfed the entire room.
The two women looked at Chen Linlin, before reaching toward her.
Holding to her, they both released gentle wisps of aura and used them to probe Chen Linlin's soul realm.
Although the presence of healthy meridians in her body was already enough proof, their auras continued to probe deeper until they reached Chen Linlin's soul realm.
Soul Force of ninety-two.
Cyan Soul Realm.
The highest potential in terms of soul realm type.
Furthermore, she was only a few soul strength away from stepping into Bronze Rank of demon spiritualists.
Satisfied, both mothers carefully withdrew their auras.
They remained silent and bewildered.
They had never heard anything about this.
When Chen Zhenlong and the children departed for their journey a year ago, they had been led to believe that the entire trip was solely to heal their daughter's health.
Chen Zhenlong had never mentioned anything about giving Chen Linlin a new Soul Realm.
Now that they thought about it, they continued traveling even after they had already cured Chen Linlin's illness.
Because they had another goal in mind. And that is to bring back their daughter's Soul Realm.
Tears streamed down once again as Chen Yinying's entire body trembled. She reached for her husband, squeezing his hand.
Everything they had gone through, all the time they had spent in the outside world, the dangers they had encountered, and the life-and-death struggles they had faced.
all of it was to bring her daughter back completely.
Her health.
Her mobility.
Her joy.
But more importantly,
her dreams.
"T-thank you, babe… thank you," Chen Yinying choked out.
Holding her close, Chen Zhenlong shook his head, a knowing smile etched on his face.
"I just got dragged into all of this as well, Yin'er" he said in a soft tone. "All of this is thanks to Xiao Hui. From the start, he's the one who's been doing all the hard work, while I'm just there whenever he needs some muscle."
Chen Zhenlong laughed bitterly within his heart. In this matter, he fully admitted that Xue Hui had done almost everything.
Hearing Chen Zhenlong's words, Chen Yinying immediately stood up. Without letting go of the small girl in her arms, she hastily turned toward the door and left.
Watching them leave, Chen Zhenlong stood up as well. Offering his hand, he helped Chen Wenrou to her feet.
The two of them stared at each other, their eyes conveying just how much they had missed one another. Leaning closer, they pressed their lips together.
It was sweet and brief.
But enough to sate the longing in their hearts for a short while.
Now that they were reunited, they would have plenty of time for that kind of thing later.
But for now, they still needed to follow the mother and daughter as the two of them went searching for Xue Hui.
Chen Linlin Residence, Courtyard
The moon hung high in the sky, its serene light shining over the courtyard, illuminating the place in a soft glow, the cold wind rustled through the trees and grass, making the night feel calm, yet lonely.
Standing at the center of the courtyard was Xue Hui. His lilac hair swayed with the wind, revealing the faint glow within his eyes as he watched the night deepen.
After showing Silver around the area, the two of them had decided to call it a night and return to Chen Linlin's residence.
Once they arrived, Xue Hui opened one of the vacant rooms in the residence for Silver to stay in.
Being a Black Gold Rank demon beast, if Silver were placed in a stable alongside the horses, he would undoubtedly scare those beasts senseless and cause a huge commotion within the Divine Family Mansion.
Right now, the two of them were bathing in the soft glow of the moon.
Enjoying a moment of peace and security, something they could rarely afford in the outside world.
Both silently waited for drowsiness to crawl over them.
Suddenly, Silver's long ears perked up, twitching as he heard a couple of footsteps approaching their direction.
"Ra~ul!" the demon donkey informed him.
Xue Hui nodded. He had already sensed several auras stepping out from Chen Zhenlong's office and heading toward their location.
Before Xue Hui could even turn around to greet them, he was suddenly snatched off the ground and trapped in the soft embrace of a crying Chen Yinying.
"Hui-Hui, thank you!.. Thank you! You saved my baby!" Chen Yinying cried as she drowned the small boy in her scent and massive chest.
Feeling awkward at the sudden closeness, Xue Hui tried to scoot his way out of the embrace.
But he quickly found his attempt futile as he was overpowered by the highly emotional mother. In the end, all he could do was to relent.
Looking to his side, Chen Linlin, who was also trapped in her mother's embrace, gave him a resigned look.
"Yin'er, you need to let go of Xiao Hui. He looks pale. Let the boy breathe," Chen Zhenlong said humorously.
Chen Wenrou, who was clinging to his side, also let out a soft giggle.
Seeing Xue Hui's troubled expression, Chen Zhenlong had found it a little amusing.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed Xue Hui look so helpless. Usually, the boy always appeared composed no matter the situation they were in.
"Mwu! What are you saying? Hui-hui here isn't complaining about anything. He's fine," Chen Yinying pouted at the two of them.
Chen Linlin wanted to point out that Xue Hui wasn't saying anything because he couldn't exactly speak with those breasts pressed against his face, but decided to keep quiet about it.
After placing both children back on the ground, Chen Yinying knelt in front of Xue Hui and gently cupped his face with her hands.
"Hui-hui, for everything you've done for my baby, I, Chen Yinying, will always be in your debt. If you ever need anything, just say it, and I will do it without question, even if it costs me my life," she said solemnly, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
Xue Hui shook his head with a small smile, He glanced at Chen Linlin standing beside her mother before looking back at Chen Yinying.
"Madame Yinying, I didn't do any of this for any other reason than to fulfill my promise to Linlin. Madame Yinying doesn't have to be this thankful to me."
Feeling her heart melt from the boy's overwhelming sweetness, she let out a soft coo before trapping him in her embrace once more.
"None of that 'madame, madame' stuff. From now on, you call me Auntie. Or if you want, you can call me Mother as well. You're my baby from now on," she said while suffocating the boy in another hug.
"Baby," Chen Linlin snorted from the side.
While this was happening, Silver, who had stayed quiet through the entire exchange, walked to Chen Zhenlong's side and rubbed his head against his master's free arm.
Instinctively, Chen Zhenlong placed his hand on Silver's head, gently patting the demon beast donkey.
He looked at the scene in front of him, then lifted his gaze toward the moon.
Everything had changed.
Although there were still many things they needed to do to ensure Glory City's safety, at least for tonight, they could all enjoy this moment.
End of Chapter 30