Tears rolled down her cheeks, condensing into ice beads that dripped into the bowl.
Yue Zhiyin and the others tacitly withdrew.
Li Yu gently tilted his head, a tender smile gracing his handsome profile as he reached out to wipe away the tears from Qi Yu's eyes.
"Daddy, Mommy," Qi Yu whispered softly, burying her head in Li Yu's chest, her pure silver hair tangling with his own silver locks.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd been held by her parents.
Li Yu's chest was broad, and holding her small form in his embrace made her feel exceptionally warm.
Though the biting cold of the hellish abyss made closeness to warmth painful, Qi Yu still cherished the embrace of her father and mother.
Yu Zhen embraced her from the other side, her voice slightly hoarse, "We won't ask anything. Your brother has already told us everything that needs to be said."
"We just want you to know that no matter where you are or what you do, we will always stand behind you."
"No one can replace you. To your father and me, you are unique."
Although they had other children, Feng Mingxi and Feng Sixian were never born to replace Qi Yu and Si Qing.
Qi Yu pursed her lips and nodded.
Nine Heavens.
Ling Ru sat in the Heavenly Emperor's palace, calmly sipping tea.
"Why have you come back again?" the Heavenly Emperor asked, a smile playing on his lips. "Are Yu Zhen and Li Yu being too strict with you again?"
"Don't even mention it," Ling Ru said with a dejected look. "I feel like I can never replace Qi Yu in their hearts."
"How could that be? After Qi Yu and I swore with three claps of our hands, you became Yu Zhen and their daughter," the Heavenly Emperor said, looking at Ling Ru. "No one can shake your position."
Ling Ru pouted. "How can it not be shaken? That Qi Yu didn't stay obediently in the hellish abyss; she escaped!"
"I know," the Heavenly Emperor said slowly. "But the Heavenly Dao has decreed that she did not violate her oath, so there's nothing I can do."
"However, you don't need to worry too much."
"The hungry ghosts and vengeful spirits of the hellish abyss, due to their punishment, can only live in solitude for eternity. The concern of their loved ones is like a knife piercing their hearts; the closer they get to warmth, the more it hurts."
"Qi Yu will not snatch Yu Zhen and Li Yu away from you; she cannot bear that pain."
Ling Ru sighed. "Alright, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
"Actually, I don't necessarily want to make things difficult for Qi Yu. If she had just given up the body properly, why would she have to fight with me?"
Ling Ru complained as she bowed and turned to leave.
The chief eunuch, who had been standing beside the Heavenly Emperor, couldn't help but bow to him. "Your Majesty, do you truly believe this Ling Ru can prevent the impending century-long catastrophe that the Three Realms are about to face?"
Ling Ru had studied at the Beiyuan Sect for several hundred years, learning only how to fly with her sword and summon her spiritual sword.
She thought that whether it was to prevent the century-long catastrophe or deal with a great demon, she should at least know a little bit.
The Heavenly Emperor pondered. "These are matters of Heavenly Dao's providence; let fate decide."
The chief eunuch bowed his head in assent.
After everyone else had left, the Heavenly Emperor twisted a mechanism and walked into the darkness.
...
The Cultivation World.
When Ling Ru returned to the Beiyuan Sect, she thought she had entered an empty city. There was nothing and no one inside.
After inquiring in many places, she finally learned that Li Yu and Yu Zhen had taken their disciples to Mount Buzhou.
Qi Yu!
Ling Ru was furious and immediately flew to Mount Buzhou on her sword.
She stood outside the barrier of Mount Buzhou and shouted, "Ice Demon! Why don't you quickly release the people of my Beiyuan Sect! You are utterly wicked and have committed all sorts of evils; aren't you afraid of heavenly retribution?!"
Inside the barrier of Mount Buzhou.
Li Yu picked at his ear and turned to Yu Zhen. "Hey, the one outside is really annoying, truly, too annoying."
"What a sin," Yu Zhen said, turning to herd the other Beiyuan Sect disciples, who were spectating, into cages. "Go, go, go. If you're captured, act like a captive. What are you doing here? Go to the cages and watch the show."
A group of disciples nodded, carrying fruits and melons to find comfortable seats in the cages.
Li Yu and Yu Zhen led the way, keys in hand, and hid inside.
Qi Yu looked at them, her heart complex. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
"It's fine, I think it's great," Yu Zhen said, sitting cross-legged inside and cracking melon seeds. "Captives should be in cages. You're young; you don't understand. Mother will teach you. Be fierce later, and let out more demonic energy to scare that girl outside."
Li Yu nodded beside her.
Whatever Madam said was right.
Qi Yu was speechless and opened the barrier to let Ling Ru in.
Ling Ru, holding her spiritual sword, walked up to Qi Yu. She looked at the aloof Qi Yu, then at the Beiyuan Sect members in the cages beside her. She turned and angrily said, "Ice Demon, you were once a member of the Beiyuan Sect. Now you have fallen so low, you shouldn't treat your former sect like this! Quickly hand over the keys!"
Qi Yu's expression was indifferent. "The keys are not in my hands. If you want to fight, start quickly."
"If they're not in your hands, where else could they be?" Ling Ru said with righteous indignation. "There's no one else here but you. Could they possibly be with our Mistress and the others?"
Qi Yu: "..."
You might not believe me if I told you, but that's exactly the case.
Ming Lou, who was spectating from inside the cage, almost choked on a melon seed upon hearing this.
Qi Yu looked at Ling Ru. "Stop the nonsense. Are we going to fight or not?"
"..." Ling Ru just stared at her warily.
Qi Yu lost her patience. Her figure flashed, and she instantly appeared before Ling Ru. She grabbed Ling Ru by the neck, examined her up and down for a moment, and finally let out a sigh.
"I must say, this body of mine is quite beautiful."
Her icy fingertips lightly traced Ling Ru's cheek, then slid down to her dantian, probing Ling Ru's dantian. "Although it's a bit of a waste to use it on you."
As she said this, the sky outside suddenly became overcast.
Qi Yu glanced sideways.
"You, what do you want to do to me..." Ling Ru's voice trembled, unsure if it was from the chilling aura emanating from Qi Yu or from fear.
"I just want to test if the Heavenly Dao, which always favors you, can save you," Qi Yu said. As soon as her voice fell, a layer of frost suddenly covered Ling Ru's toes.
The frost continued to spread upwards, gradually covering Ling Ru's calves, waist, shoulders, and face.
Layer upon layer of frost encased Ling Ru, who had no time to escape.
After finishing, Qi Yu threw her out of Mount Buzhou and had some minor ghosts watch from a distance.
To see if anyone would come to Ling Ru's rescue.
They were to report any sign of movement.
The show was over.
Li Yu and Yu Zhen opened their own cages and walked out.
Yue Zhiyin and Qi Nian went to continue preparing their beds. Sui You, Chi Ming, Qi Yan, Ming Lou, and the others ran outside to lead the evil spirits in weeding.
Everyone was attending to their duties, as if nothing had happened.
Qi Yu looked at the scene and tugged at her lips.
Si Qing, with his hands behind his head, stood beside Qi Yu. Taking advantage of Yue Zhiyin and the others' absence, he asked Qi Yu with some confusion, "Sister, why didn't you just kill Ling Ru just now?"
"It's not that simple," Qi Yu lowered her gaze. "When I grabbed Ling Ru, the celestial phenomena changed. It was obvious that the Heavenly Dao was protecting her."
"Do you think the Heavenly Dao might be right beside us? Why is it so biased towards Ling Ru?" Si Qing couldn't understand.
Qi Yu shook her head.
Just then, outside the barrier of Mount Buzhou, a Qilin auspicious beast, treading on auspicious clouds, descended from the sky.
Its four hooves were snow-white, its demeanor majestic, elegant, and noble. It arrived outside the barrier of Mount Buzhou and gently nudged the barrier with its horn.
Qi Yu, who was in her cave dwelling, frowned.
Li Yu seemed to sense something and stood up. "Your grandfather is here."
Grandfather?
Si Qing's face showed surprise. He had lived for so many years but had never seen his grandfather.
Qi Yu opened the barrier.
The Qilin auspicious beast walked in from outside.
Wherever it passed, wondrous flowers, immortal herbs, and lingzhi mushrooms bloomed. When it reached Qi Yu, it ignored Si Qing, Yu Zhen, and Li Yu, and spoke first.
"Alright, alright, let's set aside the formalities and greetings for now. Si Qing, Qi Yu, you know I'm your grandfather, so let's get down to business."
"The Yaoshan Secret Realm has suddenly appeared. It's now surrounded by people, and it's estimated to officially open in two hours. This Yaoshan Secret Realm will have a divinely bestowed item descending. You must come with me."
Upon hearing the words "Yaoshan Secret Realm," Li Yu's expression changed. Before he could respond, an evil spirit sneaked in from outside.
The evil spirit circled the Qilin and approached Qi Yu, whispering, "Master, that Ling Ru was indeed rescued. The one who rescued her was a man in white who descended from the sky. This man wore a mask, and after rescuing Ling Ru, he took her directly to Yaoshan."