Ye Bai's eyes flickered with confusion, but it quickly faded. He didn't have time to think much before rushing to Qiao Ci's side and holding her in his arms.
"A'ci, A'ci." He was somewhat helpless, not knowing what was happening or what to do, his voice choked with emotion.
"Cough, cough, not dead yet." Qiao Ci weakly opened her eyes. She felt an unprecedented fatigue in her body, but also an unprecedented joy in her heart.
Her cub, they could finally be together forever.
Facing the unknown, Ye Bai had left his homeland and followed her without hesitation. She should give him sufficient equality.
Not just in their relationship, but also in status and strength.
She gently stroked Ye Bai's increasingly handsome face, which was like unpolished jade, and smiled faintly, "Cub is getting more and more beautiful."
Ye Bai frowned, picking up Qiao Ci, and asked worriedly, "Doctor, physician, what do you call yourselves here? Quickly get someone to check you, is there something wrong with your body?"
"I'm fine, just a little drained. Try it, do you feel filled with power?" Qiao Ci motioned for Ye Bai to sense the power within her body.
Ye Bai had experienced cultivation in the outside world. Back then, he was the Demon Lord Ye Han. With just a slight exertion of his qi, he felt a boundless sea of energy.
"You gave me your divine power?" Ye Bai immediately thought of why Qiao Ci had become like this.
"Cub is so smart." Qiao Ci didn't hide anything. "I gave you half of my divine power. You don't need to blame yourself. We are the same, in every aspect."
"I don't want your divine power, take it back! How can I return it to you?" Ye Bai's eyes were very red. His voice choked, "You are the youngling of the Main God. You gave half of your divine power to me. How will you command respect in the future? Can you still have your former power and authority?"
He absolutely could not accept his beloved woman making such a sacrifice for him.
As he spoke, he took Qiao Ci's hand, wanting to channel the divine power back into her body.
Qiao Ci didn't stop him, only smiled, "The divine core has been formed, it cannot be reversed. It's only half of my divine power. With more cultivation, it will return."
"Really?" Ye Bai was somewhat disbelieving. Just hearing about the creation of a divine core sounded complicated, and adding half of her power must have made it even more so.
"Really." Qiao Ci nodded with effort, despite her illness, to increase her credibility. "If you don't believe me, then make more delicious food for me to recuperate."
It seemed that in every world, Ye Bai could cook, and he cooked very well. Qiao Ci didn't know if he had culinary skills in reality.
"Okay." Ye Bai responded gently.
He helped Qiao Ci up and carefully protected her the entire way, as if afraid she would fall, which made Qiao Ci laugh. "I'm not that fragile, you don't need to be like this."
At this moment, the two maids responsible for Qiao Ci's daily life started whispering to each other. "The Goddess hasn't smiled so happily in a long time."
"Yes, our Goddess's Palace will be lively again from now on."
Qiao Ci: ...
Why did this conversation sound a bit strange?
However, she didn't think too much about it and returned to her sleeping quarters with Ye Bai's "escort."
Since they hadn't officially married yet, they didn't live together. But this time, Ye Bai was unwilling to leave. He made a makeshift bed on the floor, ostensibly to take care of Qiao Ci at all times.
Qiao Ci didn't refuse.
She also wanted to watch Ye Bai all the time, never enough.
It was just that seeing him but not being able to touch him was a bit...
Ahem, it couldn't be helped. Ye Bai said that this was her world now, and her own father was present, so they had to follow etiquette, which made Qiao Ci very frustrated.
"Father God can't see, you can come up and sleep here. I won't touch you," Qiao Ci said, trying to persuade the pitiful Ye Bai who was lying on the narrow makeshift bed.
"Behave yourself." Ye Bai feared he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation. After speaking, he turned his back, but he wasn't asleep, constantly paying attention to the movements behind him.
As soon as Qiao Ci lay down to recuperate her divine soul.
She had not only lost half of her divine power but had also used her divine core as a catalyst to help Ye Bai form his divine core, making her very exhausted. In just a short while, she had fallen into a slumber.
After a long silence from behind her, Ye Bai slowly turned around.
Looking at the girl lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her skin like jade, Ye Bai's eyes were filled with shattered starlight. His gaze swept inch by inch over Qiao Ci's hair, forehead, nose, mouth, chin, neck...
The more he looked, the more his love for her grew.
This was his A'ci, the one he loved the most.
They had loved each other for a very, very long time, and they would continue to love each other.
He silently vowed in his heart that he would treat Qiao Ci exceptionally well in the future, better each day.
At this moment, he had no intention of sleeping. He began to think about what delicious food to prepare for Qiao Ci in the morning...
Under Ye Bai's meticulous care and various forms of feeding, Qiao Ci quickly recovered, appearing energetic on the surface at least. She prepared to take Ye Bai to formally meet her Father God. Only with the Father God's blessing could Ye Bai become a god in the true sense.
"A'ci, I'm a little nervous." Ye Bai's hands were slightly sweaty with nervousness. The person he was about to meet was not just any father, but the Main God of these three thousand minor worlds and three thousand great worlds.
Moreover, Qiao Ci had paid so much for him, and it had taken many days of care for her to barely recover. He still felt some guilt in his heart.
Facing the Main God who gave birth to and raised her, Ye Bai felt somewhat conflicted.
If he were in the Main God's shoes, after all, for his daughter, whom he had raised so well, to be eloped with by a mere mortal, anyone would be unhappy.
"Don't be afraid, Father God is very kind." Qiao Ci's eyes curved into crescents. She had finally managed to bring her cub to meet her parents.
"...Wait, what should I say?" Ye Bai was still somewhat apprehensive.
"You don't need to say anything. Father God doesn't talk much, so you don't need to be nervous." Qiao Ci forcefully took his hand and walked towards the Main God's palace. "I'm here for everything."
Ye Bai followed Qiao Ci, his gaze tenderly watching her retreating figure.
The Main God sat majestically at the head of the great hall.
"Father God."
Qiao Ci brought Ye Bai to pay their respects to the Main God.
Ye Bai also followed suit, calling out, "Father God."
The Main God: ...He called him that already?
However, the Main God did not make things too difficult for Ye Bai. He had seen Ye Bai's careful attention to Qiao Ci during these past few days.
This Ye Bai genuinely loved his daughter, and the love that filled his eyes was undeniable.
Most importantly, his daughter liked him. What could he, as a father, do? He could only indulge her.
However, it was said that hearts are easily changed. In a life that spans mere decades, there are so many reasons for change. How much more so for the long path of divinity?
He would observe for now. If anything happened, he could always find another one for his daughter.
Ye Bai was unaware of the Main God's thoughts. He sat patiently beside Qiao Ci, listening to the father and daughter's pleasantries. Occasionally, the Main God would say a few words to him, and the atmosphere was warm and cozy.