"Pfft—pfft—pfft!!!"
Xiao Jietian felt invisible daggers pierce his chest—again and again, each thrust delivered by the two people he cherished most in all the heavens and earth.
His own daughters.
Critical strikes. No mercy.
He silently chanted in his heart: They are mine, mine, mine. Do not be angry. Do not be angry.
Yet even blood kin could push a man too far.
Children who are never disciplined will never learn respect, he thought grimly. A father's love must sometimes be as heavy as Mount Tai.
Xiao Jietian drew a deep breath, sleeves already stirring with intent to scoop up the two mischievous sprouts and impart a proper lesson in filial piety.
Before he could move, a soft, sweet voice drifted from the nearby woods.
"Dearest Daddy~ Come quickly! We found something truly amazing—you'll love it for sure!"
The storm clouds on Xiao Jietian's face instantly dispersed. A foolish, doting smile bloomed against his will.
Dearest Daddy…
"Aye~ Coming, coming!"
He flashed forward in an instant, appearing beside the two little girls.
"My two precious darlings, what rare treasure have you uncovered? Let Father see."
Xiao Ling pointed excitedly toward a dense thicket. "Daddy, look! There's a beautiful wild auntie hiding in the bushes!"
Without waiting for a reply, she tugged his sleeve and pulled him forward.
Xiao Jietian did not extend his soul sense to probe ahead. Curiosity stirred within him—he wished to see with his own eyes this "beautiful wild auntie" whom his daughters deemed worthy of praise.
After all, these two had grown up surrounded by peerless beauties: their mothers were fairies descended to mortal dust, each more resplendent than the last. Their standard of "beautiful" was already cruelly high.
As he parted the branches, the sight that met his eyes caused his brows to furrow faintly.
A woman, seemingly around thirty years of mortal age, lay crumpled in a shallow pool of her own blood.
She wore a form-fitting qipao of white silk shot through with imperial purple—elegant yet faintly provocative, clinging to curves that spoke of ripened maturity. Her face was delicate and refined, bearing the subtle allure that only time and experience could bestow: phoenix eyes half-closed in pain, vermilion lips slightly parted, long lashes trembling.
Several deep gashes marred her body. Faint wisps of sinister black qi lingered around the wounds like vengeful serpents, slowly corroding her vitality.
Xiao Jietian's gaze sharpened.
The black qi… and her facial features… stirred a thread of inexplicable familiarity deep in his sea of consciousness. Yet no matter how he searched his memories, he could recall no such woman among the countless faces of the Central Plains.
"Daddy," Xiao Ling squatted beside the stranger, small face serious, "this auntie looks like she's about to die. But I don't think she's a bad person. Please save her."
Xiao Meng crouched on the other side and—without the slightest hesitation—reached out a tiny finger to gently poke the unconscious woman's cheek.
The wounded beauty's brows, knitted tight from agony, twitched ever so slightly at the touch. Yet her eyelids remained sealed; consciousness had long since fled.
Xiao Jietian rubbed the heads of both girls affectionately.
"Very well. But first we must find a safe place."
His daughters were kind-hearted—too kind, perhaps—but he had no desire to harden them. With him as their eternal shield, they could afford to retain a trace of innocence. Moreover, their kindness was tempered by the innate discernment of the Heavenly Phoenix bloodline flowing in their veins; they could sense malice as keenly as a sword senses blood.
Xiao Meng pointed westward with a small, determined hand. "Then let's hurry, Daddy! We already know there's a mountain cave not too far ahead. The magical beast inside was very friendly—we asked it to leave, and it made space for us."
Xiao Jietian extended his divine sense in the direction she indicated.
Indeed, a spacious cave lay several li distant. No powerful aura remained within, though recent traces proved its former occupant had departed in haste.
He lowered his gaze to the woman once more.
Her wounds told two stories: savage claw marks from a high-tier magical beast, and precise, vicious sword qi from a human hand.
Whether she had been ambushed while battling beasts, or hounded by enemies after escaping a prior injury, the conclusion was the same—pursuers might not be far behind.
A not-insignificant aura still clung to her body, suppressed by grievous wounds yet unmistakably profound. In her current state, he could not yet discern its exact origin or grade.
Xiao Jietian extended a finger and tapped several acupoints in rapid succession, sealing off the worst of the bleeding with a gentle thread of pure Dou Qi.
Then, with utmost care, he gathered the bloodied woman into his arms. Her weight was light, yet the warmth of lingering life pressed against his chest like fragile jade.
"Void Piercer Art."
Space folded beneath his feet. He shot forward like a streak of violet lightning.
Behind him, Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng hastily executed the same movement technique, chasing after their father.
Xiao Jietian deliberately maintained a lead of several dozen meters—enough to spur them onward without letting them fall too far behind. Pressure, after all, was the finest whetstone for genius.
His soul sense spread like an invisible net, vigilant for any ambush. Only when life and death danced on a knife's edge would true potential awaken.
The two little girls, sensing the growing distance, poured every ounce of strength into their steps. Their small faces flushed with effort; breaths came in quick pants. Yet unconsciously, the rhythm of Void Piercer Art grew smoother, more fluid, more profound with every stride.
By the time they reached the cave mouth, both were gasping, leaning against their father's legs with aggrieved expressions.
"Bad Daddy! You ran so fast—we almost couldn't keep up!"
They pouted in perfect unison, cheeks puffed like steamed buns.
Xiao Jietian chuckled softly. With a flick of his wrist, two crystalline candies materialized, hovering before them on strands of Dou Qi.
"If I hadn't done so, how would your Void Piercer Art have advanced? These are your well-deserved reward."
Though they appeared to be ordinary sweets, each was refined from rare spirit herbs—body-tempering, meridian-nourishing elixirs disguised as confections. In truth, Schrödinger's candies: delightful to children, beneficial to cultivators.
The two girls thought back and suddenly realized—the movement technique that had stagnated for months had indeed leaped forward. Their maximum displacement had increased by over twenty meters in a single chase.
Beaming, they snatched the candies and popped them into their mouths.
Xiao Ling gave Xiao Jietian a playful shove. "Daddy, hurry inside! Otherwise this auntie might really leave us forever."
Xiao Meng nodded solemnly from the side. "Ling Ling and I already 'invited' the magical beast out. It definitely won't dare return."
Xiao Jietian's lips curved.
He could well imagine what their "invitation" entailed.
Carrying the unconscious woman, he stepped into the spacious cavern. "And how exactly did you 'invite' it?"
"Oh, nothing much," Xiao Ling said breezily. "Meng Meng and I each gave it one kick. Then it flew away—quite far, actually. Don't worry, Daddy, we held back. It won't die."
Xiao Jietian nodded in approval.
He permitted his daughters their mischief, but never wanton slaughter. Life was not to be taken lightly—save from those who bore true malice.
The cave was surprisingly vast. The entrance stood nearly three meters high; deeper within, the ceiling soared even further.
Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng darted about like curious kittens, tapping stalactites and peering into crevices.
"What are you searching for?"
"Daddy," Xiao Ling replied earnestly, "we're looking for treasures! People in the main hall always say mountain caves and beast lairs hide all kinds of rare things. Our mothers told us you found so many heavenly materials in caves—especially the ones Fei Yan Mother needed for her evolution. It's just…"
She trailed off, tilting her head with innocent curiosity.
Xiao Jietian smiled faintly, gaze drifting to the woman still cradled in his arms.
Her breathing had steadied slightly under his earlier treatment, yet the black qi in her wounds continued its insidious work.
Whoever—or whatever—she was fleeing from… the shadow of pursuit still loomed.
And in the quiet depths of the cave, beneath flickering torchlight conjured by Dou Qi, a new thread of karma quietly began to weave itself into the tapestry of his fate.