He walked a few steps out of the ward, heard footsteps following him from behind, and Shichen stopped.
"Teacher Shi," Lan Yuqiancang came to his side.
"Hmm, going to see your mother?" Shichen asked.
"Yes," Lan Yuqiancang nodded.
"Then let's go together, I'll also pay a visit."
"Really?" Lan Yuqiancang looked at him in surprise.
"Let's go," Shichen said with a smile, patting her head.
"Okay!"
Shichen didn't stay long with Lan Yuqiancang's mother, just said a simple greeting and left.
He didn't use spatial magic to go home directly; instead, he swaggered out of the research institute, even releasing his aura.
Naturally, as soon as he exited the main gate, he felt a multitude of gazes converge on him.
Scrutinizing, suspicious, all kinds, completely undisguised.
Shichen paid no attention, strolled out of the research institute, and walked towards the apartment.
Compared to these insignificant outsiders, Shichen was more concerned about Nangong Nayue waiting for him at home; perhaps he would even have a chance to rub her small head.
Head pats are either zero or countless; if you haven't personally experienced them, you wouldn't understand how addictive they are.
Compared to head pats, these people were irrelevant. Now, he didn't need to worry about anyone causing trouble.
Before he had power, although he didn't fear danger, he also didn't attract attention. Now that he attracted attention, he could also deter his opponents.
Shichen feared trouble the most. Fortunately, he wasn't the Fourth Progenitor who could be bullied by anyone in the future. If anyone dared to come, he could just use the opportunity to establish his authority.
Along the way, no one approached him directly. Perhaps they were still observing, perhaps they were still unsure, or perhaps they didn't dare.
After all, Shichen had been continuously releasing his Progenitor aura. In this world, no one was foolish enough to casually approach a Progenitor.
Shichen wasn't deliberately showing off by releasing his aura; he simply didn't want those people to cause trouble with overt or covert investigations. If they were smart, they would just come to see him directly.
Back at the apartment, as soon as Shichen entered the door, a fan was thrown directly at him, and he raised his hand to catch it.
"Nayue-chan, what are you doing?" Shichen looked at Nangong Nayue, who was sitting on the sofa.
At this moment, she was still sitting as if nothing had happened, not even looking at him, appearing completely unconcerned.
"I don't know, maybe the fan has its own ideas."
"...Don't be ridiculous. Are you really holding such a grudge?" Shichen changed his shoes and walked towards her.
"Hmph!" Nangong Nayue finally turned her head to look at him, admitting candidly, "I'm making you learn your lesson, so you don't keep being disrespectful without repentance."
"Heh heh~" Shichen chuckled softly, came behind her, and unhesitatingly reached out to rub her head.
"Did you forget? We're at home now, so you're not my older sister."
"..."
"No problem, right?" Shichen knew when to stop, withdrew his hand, and handed the fan back to her.
"You guy…" Nangong Nayue took back the fan and glared at him.
Shichen met her gaze with a smile and asked, "Would you like some black tea?"
"...What do you think?"
"I'll brew it for you right away."
"And wash your hands by the way."
"Got it."
"Also, make dinner while you're at it."
"Alright, alright."
Shichen happily agreed. He was in a good mood today, so as a celebration, he would cook himself.
Nangong Nayue watched Shichen enter the kitchen, withdrew her gaze, remained silent for a moment, then raised her hand and pressed it against her head.
She tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.
Is there anything good about being touched there?
After dinner, Shichen cleared the dishes and was about to return to his room, but suddenly remembered there was someone else in the house who hadn't made a sound.
He came to Nina's room door, didn't knock, and pushed the door open directly.
Nina's room was empty, with only a bed and a desk, and a computer on the desk.
At this moment, dark-skinned Nina, dressed in a white swimsuit, was suspended above the keyboard, her back arched, her small buttocks Warp, staring intently at the computer screen, which was full of text.
Shichen walked over, took a look, and found that it was all historical data.
For several days now, Nina had still been learning history, so diligently. If this were applied to studying, she would probably be invincible.
Wait, why did he think of studying that stuff?
"Master, why are you here?" The sudden shadow on the screen made Nina come to her senses.
"I came to see you. Why do you always stay cooped up in your room?" Shichen asked.
"I need to understand this era, otherwise I'll become an old relic."
"An old relic... And you don't even need this history." Shichen twitched his lips.
He always felt that Nina wasn't just browsing data, but possibly surfing the internet as well.
"It's still useful. I won't make mistakes outside in the future."
"True... but occasionally come out, or I'll forget about you."
"Master is too much!" Nina puffed out her cheeks, looking annoyed and full of girlish charm.
What's going on, where did this girlishness come from?
"It's not my fault you don't make any noise," Shichen retorted.
"Alright, I'll occasionally come out to make Master remember me," Nina pouted, giving Shichen a sidelong glance.
"..."
Could this really be an expression made by a woman two or three hundred years old?
Shichen couldn't take it anymore and decisively left Nina's room.
"What's wrong?" Nangong Nayue, who was still drinking black tea in the living room, saw him come out flustered and asked curiously.
"Nothing..."
"Tell me!"
"Uh... it's just that Nina might have been corrupted by the internet."
"That's it?" Nangong Nayue shook her head and continued to drink her black tea.
"Don't be so nonchalant, it's really awkward."
"What does it have to do with me? Her master is you, not me."
"Nayue-chan, did you forget? Nina calls you master too."
"..."
"Anyway, you should pay attention. Don't be startled when the time comes."
"I'm not you."
"Nayue-chan, you're just stubborn."
"Shut up!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going back to my room. Don't be surprised if there's any commotion later."
"Commotion?" Nangong Nayue frowned and warned, "Don't you dare destroy the house later."
"Not that bad, not that bad. I'm just researching my power."
"Hmm?"
"I'm going back to my room." Shichen didn't explain, deliberately leaving her in suspense, and then returned to his room.
"..."
Shichen entered his room, closed the door, went to his bed, sat cross-legged, and began to sense his body.
Magic power permeated his body, mixing with his blood, vast and boundless, as if endlessly flowing.
With the Sage's Spirit Blood mixed with the Fourth Progenitor's magic power, and her years, Shichen was now no weaker than the other three Progenitors.
But he lacked the power to contend with them—the familiars.
Shichen searched for the Fourth Progenitor's familiar that he had devoured, but he searched his entire body and found no trace of that familiar.
The Fourth Progenitor's twelfth familiar—the Azure Ice of the Enchantress—was gone!
That's impossible!
Shichen remembered clearly that he had devoured the Fourth Progenitor's consciousness, magic power, and familiar!
How could it be gone?
His consciousness sank into his mind, and he arrived in that blank world again. As soon as he landed, he asked, "Where is the familiar I devoured?"
If he couldn't find the reason himself, it could only be "her" doing.
[That is not a familiar you should control.] she responded.
"What do you mean?"
[You have your own familiars; they are sealed within the fragments of the divine core.]
"My own..." Shichen was no longer surprised. He asked directly, "Why can't I sense them?"
"That is the power of a vampire. To unseal them and gain their recognition, you naturally need to use a vampire's method."
"A vampire's method..." Shichen twitched his lips.
He naturally understood what "she" meant; that is, he needed to suck the blood of a pure maiden to gain their recognition.
This was truly difficult for him.
He wasn't particularly averse to bloodsucking, but his former worldview made him feel strange.
Moreover, the first time was always nerve-wracking, and he had never thought about this issue before.
The key was that in this world, he had a more difficult problem: there was no suitable maiden for him to suck blood from!
The people he knew were either lolis or lolis. Vampires shouldn't, at least not in this way.
The two at home were one fake and one not human, so they definitely couldn't gain their recognition.
The only suitable female was Sasasaki Misaki, but Shichen had no intentions towards her; he wouldn't ruin her for the sake of power.
It seems there's no way for now.