The unifier of multiple holy lands in both the Yao and God Realms, the master of his alliance with tens of millions of warriors under his command, Ye Zichen.
The only thing in this world that terrified him was the woman before him, his mother, Ye Rong.
Gu Luolin had brought up her relationship with Ye Rong back in the Divine Mausoleum. At the time, Ye Zichen at least partially believed it. He knew that he originally ought to have been surnamed Gu, and after meeting Gu Zichen, he knew what Gu Zichen had experienced in his parallel universe.
However, the difference between the Gu Family he’d known in the Modern Realm the one before him was far, far, far too huge. He found it hard to join them up mentally.
But now, Ye Rong had appeared in the Gu Family. That made things simply.
It seemed he really was a true-blue member of the Gu Family.
“Big Sister Ye Rong.” Gu Luolin giggled and rushed up to her. It seemed she and Ye Rong were quite close, perhaps even closer than Gu Luolin and her parents.
“Luolin! You’re here too.” Ye Rong patted her on the head. Gu Luolin nodded and smiled back.
Ye Rong gestured to the platform. A voice emanated from it, its tone not the least bit warm or friendly. “Did you notice that your mother and father are here too?”
Gu Luolin had been smiling mere moments ago, but she promptly wiped the grin clean off her face, then looked over, her gaze tense and a bit terrified.
“Mom, Dad.”
“Hmph. You left our clan’s dimension without my permission, and moreover, you endangered yourself by entering the Divine Mausoleum. Am I even a father in your eyes? I really can’t tell.” The more he spoke, he harsher Gu Xuande’s words. He’d been in a position of power for a long time, and he unconsciously emanated an air of authority as he spoke.
The temperature on the platform plummeted, and the atmospheric pressure increased.
Gu Luolin hung her head. She dared not display any sign of her usual lively playfulness. She just bit her lip, looking rather scared. “I was wrong.”
“Enough already! Luolin was just tired of staying in our family’s territory all day, and she wanted to go out and have a look around. Why lose your temper like this?” A gentle voice and indistinct figure appeared from within the mists.
Ye Zichen saw her indistinct figure lean forward and caress Gu Luolin’s little face. Then, her gentle voice rang out once more. “Luolin, I’m just glad you’re home safe. Next time you go out, be sure to tell me first, or I’ll worry. I’m glad nothing bad happened. Go back to your room and play by yourself for a while. Your father and I have some matters to discus with your Big Sister Rong and her son, Ye Zichen.”
“Mmhm!” Gu Luolin didn’t want to stay a second longer than she had to. When her dad looked at her, he always glowered, and being with him was deeply uncomfortable.
Qing Li was letting her leave, so there was no way she’d stick around.
She dashed a few steps towards the door, but then, she came to a sudden stop. “Mom, there’s something I…”
“How about we talk after I finish up here?” said Qing Li with a warm smile. Gu Luolin nodded and disappeared into the clouds.
Gu Xuande, who was still facing away from Ye Zichen, couldn’t help but snort coldly.
Ye Zichen, who was squinting and surveying his surroundings, saw a woman walk off the cloud-covered platform.
She wore a green satin dress, and judging by her features, she was around twenty years old. She was enchanting, with a graceful figure, and when he first saw her, Ye Zichen froze despite himself.
He thought he’d seen quite a few absolute beauties. Zuo Mo, Xia Keke, Su Yan… All of them were the types of beauties that could topple a nation.
But the woman before him was different. She looked like she’d walked right out of a painting. Her every gesture had the air of an immortal, her skin was tender and fair, her eyebrows were fine and elegant, and her long black hair draped down like a waterfall.
Ye Zichen trusted that anyone who saw her would feel their heart pound, but her enchanting gaze carried a cool elegance that left others unable to look her directly in the eye.
“So you must be Little Rong’s child.” For a woman who looked so young to call him a “child”, and to call his mother “Little Rong” made Ye Zichen feel rather out of sorts.
But even if he was uncomfortable, he didn’t dare object, because he was well aware….
Unless he was mistaken, this woman was one of the Gu Family’s half-step transcendents, Gu Luolin’s mother—Qing Li.
“Junior Ye Zichen greets you, Seniors.”
“Ha….” Qing Li covered her mouth and laughed. When she laughed, the sun and moon dimmed, and even the flowers lowered their heads in shame. “You’re sure a funny a little guy. You actually called me ‘senior!” Your mom is standing right here, and she’s a member of the Gu Family too. Going by relatively seniority, shouldn’t you call me ‘grandma’ instead?”
……
Ye Zichen’s expression darkened.
Was this family all sick in the head? Why did they keep going on and on about generations and seniority for no good reason?
When Gu Luolin was around, she constantly brought up her seniority over him, and now, Qing Li was doing the same. She even wanted him to call her grandma!?
Although Ye Zichen knew Qing Li’s actual age was quite possibly in the tens of thousands of years, she looked like she was just over twenty! How could he possibly call someone like this “grandma”? He really couldn’t do it!
“Hmph.” Gu Xuande’s snort suddenly rang out within the mists. “Even if Little Rong is a member of the family, he isn’t necessarily qualified to join us. What right does he have to address you like a relative?”
Then, a middle-aged man stepped out of the clouds. His eyes were bright like stars, and his angular features looked like they’d been carved out with a knife.
He wore purple robes, and strode forth with all the power of a dragon or tiger and all the presence of a leader.
As he walked, even the clouds subconsciously cleared a path for him. He walked straight up to Ye Zichen, then gazed down upon him with an air of superiority.
The look in his eyes was downright destestable!
Ye Zichen hated nothing more than others looking at him like that, like he was some sort of loser, beneath their notice, a mere ant.
He couldn’t just let people treat him like that. Ye Zichen glared right back without a second thought.
“So you’re Ye Zichen?”
“What an interesting question. You saw me outside the city, didn’t you? Why bother asking again? At the time, you made me the first in history, and you even gave me the generous gift of a holy dragon’s soul. I really ought to thank you.” With that, Ye ZIchen really did bow to Gu Xuande as a show of thanks.
Gu Xuande’s expression went rigid; Ye Zichen had just rubbed salt in his wounds. He thought to himself, “This kid really dares talk like that? If I weren’t his senior, I really wouldn’t be able to resist killing him in a single slap!”
But Ye Rong was present, and he couldn’t possibly take Ye Zichen to task for this. Instead, he forced his rage back down and smiled, “Breaking the sign was proof of your skill, and obtaining the dragon soul was your fate. This simply proves that your strength and your fortune are both first-rate. You earned this, and there’s no need to thank me.”
“Oh, actually, I know that too. It’s just, my mom is here, so I need to mind my manners and be extra polite.”
When Gu Xuande heard that, his face went rigid again.
Qing Li had long since been forcing back a grin. When she looked at Ye Zichen, she couldn’t help but nod.
On his way here, Ye Zichen had looked forward to seeing Gu Xuande’s face after eating such a loss.
Now, he’d realized his wish. But at the end of the day, Gu Xuande was still a half-step transcendent expert, and even if Ye Zichen wanted to keep prodding, he didn’t dare.
He’d already come out ahead, so he didn’t linger on this topic. Instead, he changed the subject. “Family Head Gu, might I ask what you invited me here to discuss?”
