Bai Xiaochun’s eyes went wide as he watched his daughter loudly scolding his son. He even started to get a bit dizzy. Just as he had been contemplating how to provide the proper life education for his children, Xiaoxiao accused Dabao of using the snake to try to scare him….
Bai Xiaochun was simply stunned.
“Xiaoxiao,” he said, “you--”
Before he could finish, Xiaoxiao turned to look at him, a charming, innocent smile on her face as she said, “Daddy, Grandpa Qinghou told me all about those snakes that scared you so much when you were a kid. It was from that moment on that you feared three things in life: death, ghosts, and snakes! Don’t be scared daddy, I’ll teach Dabao a lesson he won’t forget because of this!”
With that, she turned back to Dabao, who was standing there, head hung low.
“Dabao, this is very, very wrong. You listen to me. If you ever try to scare our daddy again, I’ll beat the crap out of you!”
Looking quite humiliated, Dabao pouted and quietly said, “I won’t scare daddy ever again, sis.”
Bai Xiaochun was now completely bowled over. It was like his daughter could instantly fill blue skies with dark thunderclouds. Off to the side, Lu Yuntao was having a hard time holding back from laughing out loud.
Wanting to cry, but finding no tears to shed, Bai Xiaochun decided that he really had to establish himself as a figure of fatherly authority. Trying to sound as somber as possible, he said, “Xiaoxiao, what you said now was completely incorrect.” Thumping himself on the chest, he continued, “Your daddy--”
But before he could say anything else, Xiaoxiao smiled sweetly and hugged his leg. Looking up at him, she spoke in a very comforting tone.
“Daddy, don't be scared. Dabao doesn’t understand these things, but I’ll teach him. Anyway, the two of us already decided a long time ago that before we even grow up, we’ll make sure to catch all of the snakes and ghosts in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty.
“By the time we’re grown up, we’ll have them all cleared out. That way, they won’t be able to scare you, daddy. Don’t worry, Dabao and I are here to keep you safe!” Xiaoxiao seemed to be perfectly sincere in everything she was saying, to the point that Bai Xiaochun’s heart twinged in response.
As for Dabao, it seemed to take a bit of effort, but he also nodded and said, “Daddy, I’m not sure why you’re afraid of snakes and ghosts, but sis is right. From now on, you don’t need to be scared. We two are here to keep you safe! We won't let any snakes or ghosts frighten you!”
What the two children were saying was actually the truth. Although they often snuck out of the palace because they thought it was fun, the real reason was the stories that Li Qinghou had told them of Bai Xiaochun’s past. After hearing about the things that scared him, they decided that it was their mission to keep him safe.
To hear the children speaking in such a heartfelt fashion caused Lu Yuntao’s smile to fade away, leaving her eyes glistening with emotion.
Bai Xiaochun was equally moved. Sighing at the realization of what was going on, he decided that now wasn’t the time to try to educate his children. Tousling their hair, he turned to leave. But before he did, he looked over his shoulder.
“Your Grandpa Qinghou is actually wrong. The truth is… your daddy isn’t scared of snakes, or ghosts. He’s actually very brave!” Even as the words left his mouth, he heard the sound of throats being cleared behind him. Turning, he found Song Junwan and Zhou Zimo approaching, enigmatic smiles on their faces as they looked at him. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, he came up with a quick excuse to get away.
After returning to his private meditation chamber, he sat down and thought back on the conversation. Although he was still moved, he was also worried, and wasn’t sure of what to do about the situation.
“I guess I can't force them to change their personalities. They need to walk their own path, and make their own future. The only thing I can do is try my best to protect them.” He smiled.
“It’s nice to have someone trying to keep you safe, especially when it's your own son and daughter.”
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began to perform more auguries regarding twenty-three-colored flame.
After all the years he had spent doing research and study, he had reached a state of roughly ninety percent enlightenment. Now, he only needed to make some minor adjustments and improvements. He was confident that it wouldn’t be long before he would perfect the formula for twenty-three-colored flame.
Another year passed, and the formula was finished. He opened his eyes excitedly and waved his right hand, causing a mass of souls to erupt from his bag of holding.
However, that was when he sensed something very strange from the direction of Gongsun Wan’er’s official residence!
“That aura…. Something’s wrong!” Previous Chapter Next Chapter
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Chapter
1225: Thank You, Sweetie
The source of the aura was Gongsun Wan’er’s immortal's cave!
Bai Xiaochun had originally expected to detect the aura of a breakthrough. After all, whenever he spent time in secluded meditation, he would occasionally send some divine sense out into Arch-Emperor City to check on things.
And for years now, Gongsun Wan’er had been hoping to break through to the mid Celestial Realm. That fact was no secret; it was known to Bai Xiaochun, the Grand Heavenmaster, and even others.
If Bai Xiaochun had not helped Gongsun Wan’er supplant Ghostmother, then given the resources she had built up, she shouldn’t have had any problem achieving such a breakthrough.
The entire time that Gongsun Wan’er had been in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, she had been in seclusion. Although she had fully absorbed Ghostmother, that was only the first step. And despite the fact that Ghostmother’s consciousness was gone, there were still parts of her that remained.
As soon as Bai Xiaochun sensed the aura, he realized that in addition to the signs of an imminent breakthrough, there were also… fluctuations that indicated that something was struggling to awaken!
And Bai Xiaochun recognized those fluctuations; they belonged to Ghostmother!
Bai Xiaochun’s face fell. Now was not the time to worry about conjuring flame, so he flicked his sleeve to gather up all the souls, and then vanished. When he reappeared, he was actually inside Gongsun Wan’er’s immortal's cave.
There she sat, trembling, her eyes tightly closed. Mist swirled on her face, some of it black, some of it white. The black mist seemed to be in the process of consuming the white mist, and succeeding.
Clearly, that black color represented Ghostmother, and the white represented Gongsun Wan’er. At the moment, Bai Xiaochun was the only person in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty who realized what was happening, and also the only person who could save Gongsun Wan’er!
“Well that’s fine!” he thought. “I’ll take advantage of the situation to totally crush Ghostmother, and give Gongsun Wan’er complete control. That way, even if she needs to be resurrected by means of her Daoseed, she would still come back as herself!!” After being absorbed, Ghostmother’s mark still existed, and because she was still part of Gongsun Wan’er, Bai Xiaochun would not have been able to erase it even if he wanted to. It would have harmed Ghostmother, but would also have harmed Gongsun Wan’er as well, perhaps irreversibly.
Now, Ghostmother was taking advantage of this critical moment in Gongsun Wan’er’s breakthrough to try to defeat her. However, that also gave Bai Xiaochun a rare opportunity.
Snorting coldly, he reached out and touched her forehead, then sent some divine sense streaming into her sea of consciousness.
The waters there were both black and white, with the black side seething and churning as it attempted to overwhelm the white side.
Just barely visible within that black seawater was a face that resembled Gongsun Wan’er’s, but was more vicious, and burning with ghost qi! That was none other than Ghostmother’s consciousness!