"Mom, how come you never told me you knew someone from the Genius Society?"
Qingni enthusiastically welcomed them into the house.
This was a member of the Genius Society!
If her mother really managed to get close to someone like that, it would practically bring honor to the family line!
Seeing her daughter so excited left Yukong with indescribably mixed feelings.
What was she supposed to say?
That they'd only known each other for two days?
Their relationship wasn't nearly as close as her daughter imagined.
Once that Lord Ravager was eliminated or driven away, they would probably part ways.
They simply weren't people from the same world.
Yukong understood very clearly that a Genius was not someone a mere Sky-Faring Commission helm master like herself could compare to.
Their value could even surpass that of an Xianzhou General.
"Qingni, don't scare your Uncle Su."
Yukong hurriedly reminded her.
But the moment the words left her mouth, even she felt something strange about that phrasing.
"I think you're the one who shouldn't scare Uncle Su, Mother."
Qingni shot Yukong a reproachful glance.
Compared to her old-fashioned mother, she herself was a youthful and energetic beauty!
She hadn't even confronted her mother yet about hiding this from her.
And now her mother was blaming her instead?
"Sorry, my daughter has always been this impulsive."
Yukong could only give Su Ran an apologetic smile.
"It's normal for young people to be a little fiery. From what I've heard, Yukong, you used to be like that too."
"…"
Now he wasn't even using "Miss" anymore?
And he even knew stories about her youth?
Could it really be that he liked her?
"Uncle Su, have a seat first! I'll go make some tea for you!"
Qingni very sensibly volunteered to prepare tea for the two of them.
Seeing her daughter acting so considerate left Yukong utterly stunned.
Was this really her rebellious daughter?
Why did she look so obedient right now?
When Yukong herself was home, she had never once seen Qingni proactively brew tea.
"She may have misunderstood something…"
Yukong still felt it would be better to clarify things now.
Otherwise the misunderstanding would only grow larger later.
"You mean how she mistook me for your… new lover?"
Yukong: …
Did he really have to put it that bluntly?
Wasn't that a little too direct?
"To be honest, I'm quite interested in you too, Yukong."
"Cough cough—!"
At first it had merely been speculation.
But now that Su Ran had said it outright, Yukong genuinely couldn't handle it anymore.
She was already well over two hundred years old.
She'd long thought her life would simply continue on quietly like this forever.
And now, with this sudden springtime for an old tree—
How was someone with absolutely zero romantic experience supposed to endure this?
"But I'm already over two hundred years old… and you're only in your twenties…"
That was a gap of over ten times!
And on top of that, she was an unmarried woman raising a child.
Even if Qingni was adopted, her adopted daughter was still older than the man before her.
If this got out—
How would she ever face anyone again?
And besides, she was a foxian.
She didn't even have many years left to live.
"In a million years, wouldn't the age difference become pretty insignificant?"
"A million years…"
The sheer scale of that number made her wonder if he was simply teasing her.
"How could anyone possibly live for a million years…"
Just living a little over two hundred years had already felt incredibly long to her.
A million years of life—
Could any living creature truly endure that?
"You won't know unless you try."
"But I don't understand any of this…"
If this had happened while she was younger, she definitely wouldn't have hesitated like this.
But she wasn't young anymore.
"I think Yukong is an exceptionally wonderful person."
If this were praise directed at her professional abilities, Yukong would have accepted it happily.
But this wasn't that.
And so she could only hesitate awkwardly.
"…Thank you."
Even she herself felt how unnatural she was acting right now.
It was completely different from the composed demeanor she usually maintained at the Sky-Faring Commission.
She was acting almost shy—
Despite clearly being the older one between them.
"Mother! Uncle Su! The tea's ready!"
Qingni walked over carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups atop it.
Originally, she'd considered bringing alcohol.
But after thinking about how one of them was the helm master of the Sky-Faring Commission while the other was a Genius, she figured liquor might not be appropriate.
So she ultimately settled on tea instead.
"Good luck!"
As she placed the tea set down on the table between them, Qingni leaned close to Yukong's ear and whispered encouragement.
Yukong's face immediately darkened.
Before she could say anything, however—
Qingni had already briskly departed.
"I still have a lot of work to do, so I won't disturb the two of you any longer."
Work?
At this hour of the night?
If anyone heard that nonsense, they'd think the Xianzhou was exploiting its workers.
Even the daughter of the Sky-Faring Commission's helm master had to work overtime late at night?
What would that imply for everyone else?
While Su Ran was still chatting leisurely with Yukong—
Back at the residence, Kafka was no longer alone.
She stared at the uninvited guest who had apparently arrived long before her.
"A wanted criminal of the Xianzhou… appearing inside a distinguished guest's residence?"
Before Kafka could even speak, the woman inside questioned her first.
Hearing this, Kafka immediately felt the absurdity of the situation.
"I could say the exact same thing to you."
"Why is another wanted criminal of the Xianzhou inside a distinguished guest's residence?"
Kafka looked coldly at the white-haired woman inside the room.
"Then I suppose we're alike in that regard."
An icy sword condensed into existence within the white-haired woman's hand.
It looked as though she might attack at any moment.
Kafka glanced toward the weapon she'd left nearby.
"Listen to me. Calm down."
She decisively activated her Spirit Whisper.
Because engaging this person in direct combat would be incredibly irrational.
Her combat abilities were nowhere near sufficient to contend against the former Sword Champion of the Luofu.
"…Hm."
Under the effects of the Spirit Whisper, Jingliu's killing intent subsided slightly.
"I am an old acquaintance of his. That is why I'm here."
"And you?"
Kafka questioned Jingliu's motives.
The two of them should have had absolutely no connection.
How could the long-disappeared former Sword Champion possibly know a newly famous Genius?
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