"Lian'er..." A soft call sounded by her ear. Her body was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace, skin pressing against skin. After a brief moment of surprise, the warmth made Chu Lian smile gently. She closed her eyes, savoring the tenderness given to her.
"It's so good that you woke up... it's really so good that you could return to Mom's side." Li Mingxue's voice grew choked without her realizing it. She had worried all night, and at last, Chu Lian had awakened.
She had not disappointed her, nor had she left her behind. Instead, she had stubbornly returned from that world that threatened to drag her into the abyss.
"Mm, because I thought of Mom, thought of everyone, and thought of how there are still so many, many things I haven't done yet. With so many people caring about me, I can't be that selfish." Chu Lian shook her head lightly in her arms, her hand brushing against that softness without any sense of embarrassment.
If she couldn't even accept this level of intimacy, then what meaning would there be in calling them mother and daughter? She enjoyed her embrace, her warmth—clothed or not, it was all the same.
"Hiss~" Just as she was thinking this, behind her, a black serpent condensed from deathly energy slowly emerged. Its crimson eyes stared at Chu Lian, filled with greed and malice.
"Now that Lian'er is awake, I can deal with you. Don't think I don't know—it was you interfering with her all along, preventing her from waking. If I hadn't known that eliminating you before she woke would be useless, I wouldn't have let you remain until now."
Chu Lian didn't move, but Li Mingxue lifted her head to look at the serpent, killing intent surging in her eyes.
"Hiss~" The serpent seemed to understand her words. It flicked its tongue and swayed uneasily, both fearful and eager to attack, yet under Li Mingxue's gaze, it didn't dare move at all.
"Killing you will also wound that old fellow, Nether Ancestor, a little. Consider it repayment—so he learns not to be so arrogant." A white phantom of a woman appeared behind her. Draped in light gauze, she held a longsword and thrust it toward the black serpent.
Locked onto by the sword, the serpent couldn't move in the slightest. Even the simple act of flicking its tongue froze in place.
The blade pierced forward, driving from its head straight through to its vital point, burying itself entirely within the serpent's body.
"Nether Ancestor, once these troublesome years pass, once the world's energy barrier rises and can withstand battles of Transcendence Realm experts, I will come find you and settle this debt. Then you'll see whether the consequences of you harming my precious daughter are worse... or the consequences of us sealing your precious disciple."
Li Mingxue spoke with absolute seriousness, making Chu Lian feel that in the future, she and this so-called Nether Ancestor were destined to clash in a peak battle. And her mother would undoubtedly win.
Even though she didn't know why her mother had such confidence—knowing the opponent was a veteran powerhouse who had stood at the peak of the Transcendence Realm for thousands of years—she still said such words.
But Chu Lian didn't dwell on it. This was her mother. Wasn't it enough that she would make such a declaration to protect her?
At the same time, after Li Mingxue destroyed the serpent, far above Nether City, the Nether Ancestor, who was meditating in the sky, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Looking at the wisp of remnant soul slowly dissipating within the blood, even without knowing what the serpent had experienced or seeing any of it, his expression grew solemn.
"They've set their sights on me... this is not a good thing. I didn't expect that after thousands of years, her lineage still exists in this world—and this generation seems even more outstanding than before. It seems I need to make preparations. Otherwise, protecting this disciple might cost me my own life—and that wouldn't be worth it."
"Mom, Chu Chu and the others are alright, right?" After returning to her body last night, all of Chu Lian's focus had been on Li Xiu'er. Although she had sensed Inori and Chu Chu, she didn't know their exact situation.
Even knowing that with her mother present nothing serious could have happened, she still couldn't help but ask—perhaps out of guilt for her recklessness. She had not only put herself in danger but also forced the girls to face enemies far stronger than themselves.
"They're fine. Everyone is fine—at least far better than you. Even their injuries are minor, nothing like you, who nearly died."
Li Mingxue's tone carried a trace of reproach, leaving Chu Lian a little embarrassed, yet unable to refute it.
After all, it was her fault. If she hadn't caused so much trouble, things wouldn't have become so complicated.
At the very least, if she had stayed calm last night and waited for Li Mingxue to arrive, then with her mysterious abilities, rescuing Li Xiu'er would have been far safer than her reckless actions that nearly cost her life.
But what was done was done. She didn't resent it or regret it—only felt lingering fear. The danger had been immense, though the gains made it worthwhile.
"Oh right, Ya didn't have any problems, did she?" Though she might not have known that Li Mingxue had guided Cai Ya to awaken her talent after she left, she could guess it had happened.
Moreover, after recovering, she sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar presence in the house—it was undoubtedly Cai Ya.
"She's fine. Last night, no one had any problems—except you. Xiu'er should be waking up soon too... honestly, I don't even know what to say about you." Li Mingxue wanted to warn her not to act like this again.
But she knew her daughter well. Once she decided on something, no amount of lecturing would change her. So she swallowed those words. Her daughter had grown up—her life should be hers to choose.
"Mm... Mom, um..." After a moment of warmth, Chu Lian spoke again. But this time, after starting, she hesitated, stammering slightly.
"What is it?" Li Mingxue asked curiously. Lian'er was usually bold—this kind of shy, girlish behavior was rare.
"Could you turn around for a moment? I need to get dressed." Although Chu Lian didn't mind embracing her mother naked, dressing herself like this was still embarrassing. She didn't want her mother watching—it felt like it might break her completely.
"Oh? You're actually shy? Why are you so open in front of them, yet so bashful with your own mother?"
Li Mingxue immediately understood. She glanced at the snow-white girl in her arms and teased her before finally letting go and turning around.
"Hurry up, or if I turn around later and see something... don't blame Mom for not keeping her promise." Of course, Li Mingxue wouldn't actually do that—she was just teasing Chu Lian.
"Just wait a moment!" Feeling her body released, Chu Lian opened her eyes. After her gaze lingered briefly on her mother's bare back, she quickly jumped off the bed and ran to the wardrobe, rummaging for suitable clothes.
After about a minute of hurried searching, Chu Lian finally put on her underwear and a white Lolita-style long dress. She tidied her long hair in front of the mirror before turning back around.
"Alright, let's go out." Li Mingxue, who had been naked just moments ago, was now already fully dressed, standing by the bed. A gentle, graceful aura radiated from her, like the warmest sunlight, making one instinctively want to draw close.
"Big Sis..." When Li Mingxue opened the door first and stepped aside—
When Chu Lian reappeared before Chu Chu, who had spent the entire night worrying, fearing she might never see her again—
The girl's eyes instantly reddened. With a smile, she approached, wanting to hug her but not daring to.
Knowing she was worried about her condition, Chu Lian looked at her like this, opened her arms, and gently pulled her into an embrace. She kissed her forehead and said softly, "Hey, Chu Chu, your big sister is back. No need to worry."
"Mm..." Held in Chu Lian's arms, the tension Chu Chu had been holding onto finally broke. Tears streamed down uncontrollably, soaking her shoulder.
Seeing the two of them, Li Mingxue knew this wasn't a moment to interrupt. She quietly left and went downstairs to prepare food.
So many things had happened the previous night that going to school today was out of the question. Moreover, because of Chu Lian, everyone had worried all night—none of them had rested well, nor had they paid attention to eating or drinking.
Now that everything was finally settled, as their mother, it was only natural for her to take responsibility for taking care of the girls.
As she passed by the sofa, she reached out and pinched Anna's cheek, reproaching her lightly, "No more acting recklessly in the future, understand?"
Only after seeing the girl puff out her cheeks and nod did she turn to look at the elegant blonde girl.
"Thank you for saving my daughter. If there's ever an opportunity, I will repay you."
She knew the girl before her was far stronger than her at full power, but because of her own uniqueness, she didn't need to worry about that at all.
Yukari Yakumo, who had been sipping her tea leisurely, tilted her head slightly upon hearing this, her violet eyes resting on Li Mingxue. "Strictly speaking, I am the girl's enemy. Aren't you afraid I might turn on her?"
Li Mingxue wasn't surprised. She smiled and shook her head. "Why should I be? If you truly intended to harm Lian'er, you wouldn't have saved her last night. Even if you have your own reasons, saving her is still saving her—there's no denying that."
"You really are an interesting person." The previously indifferent look in Yukari Yakumo's eyes rippled slightly. This mother and daughter pair truly suited her temperament in an unexpected way.
"You're not bad yourself, are you?" After saying this, Li Mingxue turned and left, tying an apron around her waist as she entered the kitchen to get busy.
"Little Anna, do you think she's a good person?" Setting down her teacup, Yukari Yakumo watched Li Mingxue's back for a moment before asking Anna.
"Anna doesn't know. Anna just feels comfortable being around her... but Anna likes Mommy more." Anna shook her head. She hadn't understood a single word of the conversation between Yukari Yakumo and Li Mingxue.
When asked, she simply expressed her feelings. Perhaps she was the type to live by instinct—following what she sensed.
"Hehe, I suddenly find myself liking you all a little." No matter the age, this family carried a kind of warmth that made others want to draw close. It was especially strong in the girl and her mother—how interesting.
But, girl... you actually dared to lie to me and say your name was "Deloris". It seems I've been too lenient with you, haven't I?
Chu Lian's identity and real name had already been uncovered the moment she arrived. That girl who could freely traverse worlds actually dared to hide it from her. Well, that worked too—now she had more reasons to "properly" deal with her in the future.
"Can I go see Mommy?" Anna's arm still hurt, but she was worried about Chu Lian. Now that she had awakened, the little girl wanted to see her. However, if the older sister in front of her didn't allow it, she couldn't go.
"Not yet, Little Anna. Wait until she comes down herself." Yukari Yakumo shook her finger. She wasn't trying to make things difficult—she simply wanted Chu Lian to come to them.
"By the way, are you sure you don't need me to heal your injury? Being hurt by that kind of energy can be troublesome if left untreated." Yukari Yakumo's gaze shifted from her face to the arm she was holding, her voice gentle.
"No need. This kind of energy is delicious! Anna is digesting it right now. Once it's done, eating it a couple more times will heal it completely. If you clear it away, I won't get many chances like this anymore."
Anna still shook her head at the suggestion. Although she hadn't been in this world for long, she already understood what benefited her and what harmed her.
The energy clinging to the wound carried strong corrosive properties—even the kind that could erode the soul.
But Anna didn't mind at all. Instead, she was excited, because she could eat this energy—and once consumed, it would benefit her greatly.
Such a rare opportunity—she wouldn't give it up over a little pain. As for the sensation of something invading her soul, it wasn't worth worrying about at all.
No one could control her soul, nor harm it. Even if this energy were a thousand times stronger, it still wouldn't matter.
"How interesting." Resting her chin on the back of her hand, the curiosity in Yukari Yakumo's eyes deepened. These humans were far more intriguing than many great youkai she had encountered.
"There, there. Isn't your big sister fine?" Holding the crying girl tightly, Chu Lian stroked her hair, her gaze drifting toward the staircase—where a white-haired girl had paused.
Seeing Chu Lian look at her, Kurosaki Satsuki unconsciously tightened her grip on the railing. After taking a deep breath, she turned and left.
Now wasn't the time to speak with her—nor was there anything she could say. What she needed to do was grow stronger, to narrow the gap between them. Even if she couldn't surpass her, she would at least catch up.
"Big Sis, promise me... don't ever do something like this again. You have no idea... when you became like that, how worried I was. It felt like the sky was collapsing all over again..."
Chu Chu's voice was choked and hoarse—it seemed she had been suppressing herself for far too long.
"I understand. I won't be that foolish again. Whether for your sake or mine, I won't." Chu Lian felt even more tenderness toward the girl clinging to her. She was just a girl who loved her big sister, wasn't she?
"Mm... you have to..." With her promise secured, Chu Chu said nothing more. She simply leaned against her, quietly savoring this moment.