Divine Family Mansion, Chen Zhenlong's Residence, Patriarch's Office
Two women sat inside the patriarch's office, taking a much-needed break after spending the entire afternoon cleaning the place.
Seated in front of Chen Zhenlong's desk was a woman in her thirties with flawless, milky-white skin and brown hair neatly tied into a bun. A pair of large, round glasses framed her delicate face, accentuating her features as her red lips moved slightly while she studied the scroll in her hands.
This was Chen Wenrou, the Divine Family's resident alchemy master and the mother of Chen Zhenlong's eldest son, Chen Li Jiang.
Not far from her, another woman lounged in Chen Zhenlong's chair, her feet resting on his desk as she lazily rocked the chair back and forth. Her long teal hair was loosely tied behind her head, while her fiery red eyes and delicate features did little to conceal the boredom written all over her face.
This woman was none other than Chen Yinying, Chen Zhenlong's second wife and the mother of the Divine Family's only princess, Chen Linlin.
It had been almost a year since their husband and daughter had left to explore the outside world in search of a cure for their youngest daughter's illness.
Their journey had been kept secret from the public, with only a handful of trusted individuals knowing the truth, including the two women and their father-in-law.
The official explanation was that Chen Zhenlong had entered secluded cultivation, concealing the fact that he had ventured beyond Glory City.
The public had found nothing unusual about the announcement. After all, cultivators frequently entered seclusion, especially when they encountered bottlenecks in their cultivation.
The same was true for a Black Gold Rank Demon Spiritualist like Chen Zhenlong, who had been stuck at his current rank for years.
No one would complain if the patriarch disappeared for a while. On the contrary, the people of Glory City would gladly welcome his absence if it meant he could break through and become the city's second Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist.
If that happened, Glory City would become a much safer place to live.
Although many people hoped for such an outcome, few dared to raise their expectations too high.
Breaking through to Legend Rank was no simple feat.
Among the countless Black Gold Rank Demon Spiritualists who had attempted the breakthrough, only one had successfully reached that level.
That person was none other than Lord Ye Mo, Glory City's War God.
Aside from him, no other Demon Spiritualist in Glory City had managed to reach such heights, not even his own son, the City Lord.
Thus, the people could only cross their fingers and hope that Chen Zhenlong's secluded cultivation would bring about a miracle, allowing Glory City to welcome another supreme expert.
"That's it! I'm going out there to look for them!"
The sudden outburst startled Chen Wenrou so badly that the scroll in her hands flew into the air as she instinctively sprang to her feet.
At the same time, Chen Yinying leaped out of her chair. With a resigned expression, she marched straight toward the exit.
"No... No! Absolutely not!"
Seeing what Chen Yinying was about to do, Chen Wenrou hurried toward the door and planted herself in front of it, blocking her way.
Chen Yinying stopped and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she shot her sister-wife an irritated look.
"Rou'er, this is ridiculous! Our husband and our baby have been out there for almost a year, and there's still no sign of them coming back!"
Chen Wenrou sighed dejectedly. She, too, had been struggling to sleep properly, her mind constantly plagued by worries about their whereabouts.
However, rushing blindly into the outside world was far too dangerous.
Even their father-in-law, who was second only to Chen Zhenlong in terms of strength within the family, wouldn't dare venture out without careful preparation.
"Ying'er, listen..." Chen Wenrou shook her head before reaching for Chen Yinying's hands and gently holding them. "I know how you feel, but we both promised our husband that we would trust him, didn't we?"
At those words, the irritation vanished from Chen Yinying's face. Her shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head as tears began streaming down her cheeks.
"Oooh, Ying'er..." Chen Wenrou murmured softly.
Seeing her sister-wife break down, she immediately pulled Chen Yinying into a comforting embrace. "It's okay. They'll be back soon. You'll see."
Yet as she held the other woman, Chen Wenrou felt her own composure beginning to crumble.
The longer their husband and daughter remained away, the more terrible possibilities crept into her mind.
What if something had happened to them?
What if they never returned?
What if...
Before she realized it, tears were streaming down Chen Wenrou's cheeks as well, falling onto Chen Yinying's shoulder.
Sensing this, Chen Yinying wrapped her arms around Chen Wenrou's back and held her tightly.
The two women remained locked in each other's embrace for quite some time, quietly sobbing as they tried to comfort one another.
Then, without warning, a pair of powerful arms wrapped around them both 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 over the past year.
"Ying'er, Rou'er... I've wronged you both. I'm sorry for making you worry so much."
Their breaths caught at the sound of that familiar voice.
Slowly, both women raised their heads.
Standing before them was Chen Zhenlong, looking at them with an apologetic expression.
"HUSBAND!"
"BABE!"
The two women cried out in unison before throwing themselves into his arms.
All thoughts of dignity and prestige were forgotten as they clung to Chen Zhenlong like children who had finally found their way home.
Despite being an absolute powerhouse, Chen Zhenlong remained perfectly steady, allowing his wives to hold him as tightly as they wished.
The next ten minutes were filled with hugs, kisses, and countless apologies from Chen Zhenlong.
Although the two women barely paid attention to his words, they didn't particularly care. Their husband was finally home, and that alone was enough to make them happy.
Then, all at once, Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying remembered something equally important.
They were mothers, too.
"LIN'ER! WHERE'S MY BABY?!"
Chen Yinying abruptly pulled away from Chen Zhenlong's embrace and shrieked in panic, making both her husband and Chen Wenrou wince.
For a moment, Chen Zhenlong genuinely couldn't decide whose shriek was more painful to hear: his wife's or Guān Ning's.
Before either woman could say anything else, they turned toward the door, sensing an unfamiliar aura concealed just beyond it.
A small figure cautiously emerged from behind the doorway, peeking into the room.
"Y-You guys done k-kissing!?" Chen Linlin asked, staring at her parents with an expression caught somewhere between embarrassment and horror.
Chen Linlin had seen her parents kiss before. Their kisses had always been brief and formal.
But what she had witnessed just moments ago, complete with the sounds and all the tongue involved, had scarred her for life.
Unfortunately for Chen Linlin, even Xue Hui didn't have a pill capable of curing such an embarrassing childhood memory.
The two women fell silent, staring at the little girl in disbelief.
Gone was the frail, emaciated child they remembered.
Chen Linlin now possessed a much healthier physique. Her fair complexion, rosy cheeks, vibrant teal hair, and eyes brimming with vitality made her look like an entirely different person compared to the girl they had last seen a year ago.
But there was one detail that astonished them more than anything else.
Chen Linlin was standing on her own two feet.
Chen Yinying covered her mouth as her entire body began to tremble. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as her knees gave way, leaving her kneeling on the floor.
'When...?'
'When was the last time I saw my baby like this? Standing on her own, healthy and completely free from that dreadful aura of death?'
The little girl before her was the same Chen Linlin she had thought she might lose forever when her daughter first fell ill.
Chen Yinying almost didn't dare move. She feared that if she did, the miraculous sight before her would vanish like a dream.
Because, to her, this was precisely the kind of moment she had only ever dared to imagine in her dreams.
"Ma... ma..."
Hearing her daughter's trembling voice, Chen Yinying's body moved on instinct.
In an instant, she rushed forward and gathered Chen Linlin into her arms.
Gently cradling her baby, Chen Yinying released the warmest, most soothing aura a loving mother could muster, enveloping her daughter in a comforting embrace.
Then she began to sing.
It was the same beautiful song she had always sung whenever her little girl needed extra comfort.
Judging by how completely Chen Linlin melted into her mother's embrace, basking in the affection she had missed for so long, the others could tell that the familiar song was working wonders.
Watching his wife and daughter reunite, Chen Zhenlong did his best to hold back his tears.
He had known that everyone would be emotional when they finally reunited, so he had tried to remain strong and composed, believing that someone needed to keep their emotions in check to comfort the others.
But as he watched the tender scene before him, a few tears escaped despite his efforts.
Beside him stood Chen Wenrou, clinging tightly to her husband with her own face stained by tears.
The only reason she hadn't rushed toward her daughter like Chen Yinying was that Chen Zhenlong was still holding her in his arms, unintentionally keeping her from moving.
The family remained gathered in that embrace for a long while.
No one asked questions or tried to explain anything. They simply savored the moment, immersing themselves in one another's warmth and presence.
Meanwhile, Xue Hui watched the reunion from a distance, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Realizing that his presence wasn't needed at the moment, he quietly turned around and headed toward Chen Linlin's courtyard, leaving the family to enjoy their reunion in private.
"C'mon, Silver. I'll show you around."
"Ra-ra-ra-uul!"
The demon beast donkey replied with a series of happy brays as Xue Hui led him away.
—
Half an hour later, the family finally decided that they could save the rest of their hugging for later.
For now, they wanted to hear everything about their daughter's recovery.
The three adults sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, while Chen Linlin rested comfortably in Chen Yinying's lap, eagerly recounting their adventures, especially their time exploring Wu Zhen Yi's ruins.
"And then Father was like, 'YOU!'"
Both mothers burst into laughter as Chen Linlin reenacted the moment her father had been forced to dig a tunnel through the hills covered in nerve-attacking flowers.
However, their amusement soon gave way to bewilderment when Chen Linlin began recounting how Xue Hui had faced a group of demon beasts led by a Black Gold Rank beast.
Their jaws dropped when Chen Zhenlong confirmed that every word of their daughter's story was true.
"And then... then, when I woke up, I could move my legs again!"
Chen Linlin's cheeks flushed as she finally ran out of breath. She had been talking so excitedly that her voice had grown hoarse, and she punctuated the end of her story by kicking her little legs against the floor.
Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou sat there, utterly dumbfounded.
They had initially planned to ask a few questions about the journey and perhaps scold Chen Zhenlong for putting their daughter in danger.
They had never imagined that their husband and daughter had experienced so many unbelievable events during their travels.
Looking at his wives' stunned expressions, Chen Zhenlong sighed inwardly. There were still plenty of extraordinary events that Chen Linlin hadn't even mentioned.
"After we obtained those needles and treated Lin'er's condition, we headed toward our next destination."
Noticing that his daughter was already exhausted from talking, Chen Zhenlong took over the story and continued recounting their journey.
At one point, however, both women suddenly lunged toward him and grabbed hold of him.
"NO WAY! L-LEGEND RANK?! B-BABE, YOU'RE LEGEND RANK?!" Chen Yinying exclaimed, frantically using her soul force to probe her husband's aura.
"HUSBAND! I WANT TO SEE IT! S-SHOW ME THE PILL, PLEASE!"
Chen Wenrou practically radiated excitement as she demanded to see the pill that had helped him break through to Legend Rank.
One woman stared at him in utter shock, holding his cheeks as though she needed to make sure he was real.
The other regarded him like a rare treasure, gripping his arm tightly with bloodshot eyes brimming with excitement.
Pinned between his two wives, Chen Zhenlong was left completely at a loss.
Not far away, 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 their husband.
The cause of this unexpected commotion was the part of the story involving the Heaven Breaker Heart Crystal Fungus and how Xue Hui had refined it into the Realm Breaker Soul Ascendant Pill, allowing Chen Zhenlong to break through to Legend Rank.
The moment the two women learned of his breakthrough, they had practically pounced on him, desperate to confirm his cultivation with their own soul force.
Only after probing him themselves did they finally believe what he had told them.
The reason they hadn't noticed his breakthrough earlier was that Chen Zhenlong was wearing the Mask Realm Bracelet, one of the treasures they had discovered in the Moon Peak Emperor's vault.
As its name suggested, the bracelet could conceal its wearer's cultivation level.
Discovering this treasure had also inspired Chen Zhenlong and Xue Hui to devise their plan to keep his true strength hidden for the time being.
After explaining his reasons for concealing his cultivation, while carefully avoiding any mention of Chen Linlin's poisoning, Chen Zhenlong finally managed to persuade his wives to keep his breakthrough a secret.
A short while later, both women had calmed down enough to apologize profusely to their daughter for the small bump on her forehead.
With that little incident settled, they resumed recounting the rest of their adventures.
Meeting Silver.
Discovering the vault.
Entering the treasure chamber.
The bitter struggle against Guān Ning.
And, most importantly, how Xue Hui had obtained the Glaze Blood from Suo Leiyue's body and used it to restore their daughter's Soul Realm.
Silence filled the room.
Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying exchanged a glance before turning toward Chen Linlin.
Reaching out, they gently held the little girl and released wisps of their auras, carefully probing her Soul Realm.
Although the presence of healthy meridians was already proof of her recovery, they continued examining her condition until their auras reached her Soul Realm.
A soul force of ninety-two.
A Cyan Soul Realm.
The highest potential among Soul Realm types.
Furthermore, she was only a few points of soul force away from reaching Bronze Rank as a Demon Spiritualist.
Satisfied with what they had discovered, both mothers carefully withdrew their auras.
Yet neither could find the words to express what she was feeling.
They had never imagined that something like this was possible.
When Chen Zhenlong and the children had departed a year ago, they had believed that the entire journey was solely about curing their daughter's illness.
Chen Zhenlong had never mentioned anything about restoring Chen Linlin's Soul Realm.
Now that they thought about it, however, they realized why the group had continued traveling even after her illness had been cured.
Their journey had never been solely about restoring her health.
They had also wanted to give her back something she had lost long ago.
Her Soul Realm.
Tears streamed down Chen Yinying's cheeks once more as her body trembled. She reached for her husband and squeezed his hand tightly.
Everything they had endured throughout their journey, the dangers they had faced, and the countless struggles between life and death had all been for the sake of bringing their daughter back to them completely.
Her health.
Her mobility.
Her joy.
But most importantly...
Her dreams.
"T-Thank you, babe... Thank you," Chen Yinying choked out.
Holding her close, Chen Zhenlong shook his head with a knowing smile.
"I was just dragged along for the ride, Ying'er," he replied softly. "All of this is thanks to Xiao Hui. He's been doing all the hard work from the very beginning. I'm just there whenever he needs a little muscle."
Deep inside, Chen Zhenlong couldn't help laughing bitterly at his own words.
When it came to restoring Chen Linlin's health and Soul Realm, he had to admit that Xue Hui had done nearly all the work.
The moment Chen Yinying heard this, she abruptly stood up.
Without releasing her daughter from her arms, she hurried toward the door.
Watching them leave, Chen Zhenlong rose to his feet and offered Chen Wenrou a hand, helping her stand.
The two gazed at each other, their eyes conveying the depth of their longing over the past year.
Leaning closer, they pressed their lips together.
It was a sweet, brief kiss, but it was enough to soothe the ache of their separation, if only for a little while.
Now that they had finally reunited, they would have plenty of time for such moments later.
For the time being, however, they needed to follow Chen Yinying and Chen Linlin as the mother and daughter went in search of Xue Hui.
---
Chen Linlin's Residence, Courtyard
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a serene glow over the courtyard.
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees and grass, lending the surroundings a peaceful yet somewhat lonely atmosphere.
At the center of the courtyard stood Xue Hui, his lilac hair swaying in the wind as he gazed into the deepening night. A faint glow flickered in his eyes.
After showing Silver around the area, the two had decided to call it a night and return to Chen Linlin's residence.
Upon arriving, Xue Hui had opened one of the vacant rooms for Silver to use.
As a Black Gold Rank demon beast, Silver would undoubtedly frighten the horses senseless if he were placed in their stable, likely causing quite a commotion throughout the Divine Family Mansion.
Now, the pair stood beneath the moonlight, enjoying a rare moment of peace and security.
Such moments were a luxury they could seldom afford in the outside world.
For a while, they simply enjoyed the quiet night, waiting for sleep to overtake them.
Suddenly, Silver's long ears perked up and twitched as he caught the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Ra~ul!" the demon donkey alerted his companion.
Xue Hui nodded. He had already sensed several auras leaving Chen Zhenlong's office and heading in their direction.
Before he could even turn around to greet the newcomers, a pair of arms suddenly scooped him off the ground and pulled him into the tight embrace of a sobbing Chen Yinying.
"Hui-Hui, thank you! Thank you for saving my baby!" Chen Yinying cried, showering the little boy with affection as she pulled him close.
Caught off guard by the sudden display of affection, Xue Hui awkwardly tried to wriggle free.
Unfortunately, his efforts proved futile against the highly emotional mother. In the end, he could only surrender to her overwhelming embrace.
Looking to the side, he spotted Chen Linlin, who was likewise trapped in her mother's arms. She gave him a resigned look, as though silently acknowledging that they were both in the same predicament.
"Ying'er, you need to let go of Xiao Hui. He looks like he's about to turn pale. At least let the boy breathe," Chen Zhenlong joked.
Chen Wenrou, who was clinging to her husband's side, let out a soft giggle.
Seeing Xue Hui's helpless expression amused Chen Zhenlong more than he cared to admit.
It was the first time he had ever seen the boy look so utterly powerless. Under normal circumstances, Xue Hui always appeared composed, no matter what situation he found himself in.
"Mwu! What are you talking about? Hui-Hui isn't complaining, so he must be fine!" Chen Yinying pouted at the two of them.
Chen Linlin briefly considered pointing out that Xue Hui couldn't exactly complain with her mother's chest pressed against his face.
In the end, however, she decided to keep quiet.
After finally setting both children back on their feet, Chen Yinying knelt in front of Xue Hui and gently cupped his face in her hands.
"Hui-Hui, for everything you've done for my baby, I, Chen Yinying, will forever be in your debt.
If you ever need anything, just say the word, and I'll do it without question, even if it costs me my life," she declared solemnly, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Xue Hui shook his head with a small smile. He glanced at Chen Linlin standing beside her mother before turning back to Chen Yinying.
"Madame Yinying, I did all of this for no other reason than to fulfill my promise to Linlin. You don't have to be so grateful to me."
Feeling her heart melt at the boy's sweetness, Chen Yinying let out a soft, affectionate coo before pulling him into another tight embrace.
"None of that 'Madame this, Madame that' nonsense! From now on, you can call me Auntie. Or, if you prefer, you can call me Mother! You're my baby from now on!" she declared, practically smothering the boy in her embrace.
"Baby," Chen Linlin snorted from the side.
Meanwhile, Silver, who had remained quiet throughout the entire exchange, walked over to Chen Zhenlong and gently rubbed his head against his master's free arm.
Almost instinctively, Chen Zhenlong rested his hand on Silver's head and gave the demon beast donkey a gentle pat.
He gazed at the scene before him before slowly lifting his eyes toward the moon.
Everything had changed.
There were still countless things they needed to accomplish to ensure Glory City's safety, but at least for tonight, they could set those worries aside and cherish this moment together.
End of Chapter 30