Divine Family Patriarch's Office
A pair of melodic laughs rang out, filling the Patriarch's office with a light-hearted atmosphere.
Those laughter belonged to the two wives of Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou.
On any other day, Chen Zhenlong would have loved to listen to the peals of their laughter.
With all the misfortune that had struck their family over the past few years, finding a reason to laugh had become extremely rare.
So, watching both of his wives cackle as if there were no tomorrow was something that warmed Chen Zhenlong's soul.
If only the reason for their joy wasn't giving him a mountain-sized headache.
As the Patriarch of a major family, Chen Zhenlong had long prepared himself for any situation that might come his way.
But none of those included the possibility of his only daughter developing feelings for a boy.
Chen Zhenlong let out a low grunt. Just thinking about it made him feel exhausted.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. It's not that big of a deal. She's just going through some normal girl stuff. Don't take it too seriously," Chen Wenrou said as she looked at her husband.
"Exactly. And it's not like we're even sure that's the real reason Lin'er has been acting so differently today. Maybe she's just starting to get self-conscious. I mean, having a boy attend to you during a bath is quite embarrassing," Chen Yinying added.
Chen Zhenlong sighed.
His two wives were right.
He was probably reading too much into it.
They were only speculating; nothing had been confirmed yet.
Instead of overthinking things, he should focus on the fact that his daughter had been more proactive since this morning.
It had started when Xue Hui approached him early in the day and informed him that Linlin wished for someone else to assist her during her bath.
The request was so random that Chen Zhenlong needed a few moments to process it before he could respond, telling the boy that he would send someone to attend to her.
The reason was that ever since Xue Hui came to their home and became his daughter's attendant, all her needs had become the boy's duties to fulfill. Not because there were no other servants who could do his job, it was just that Chen Linlin only wanted him to take care of her.
So it felt rather strange for Chen Zhenlong when he heard that his daughter had suddenly changed her mind and requested another person to help her.
After sending the boy away to continue his tasks, Chen Zhenlong quickly asked his wife, Chen Yinying, to help their daughter take a bath and, if possible, subtly probe what was going on with her.
Only after Chen Yinying returned did Chen Zhenlong get wind of everything. And if he were being honest with himself, he didn't know whether his worries had lessened or increased.
It certainly didn't help that Chen Yinying was giggling like a young maiden when she returned.
When he asked her about it, she told him there was nothing to worry about. Apparently, their youngest daughter had suddenly grown conscious about certain things in front of the boy, which was totally normal for a growing child.
Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou simply laughed it off, finding the situation a little cute.
As for Chen Zhenlong, he was too busy suffering a minor heart attack, as the thought of his daughter being with the boy hurt his chest for some reason.
Not only that, the changes in his daughter's behavior didn't stop there.
Later that morning, during breakfast, in the private dining hall reserved exclusively for Chen Zhenlong and his immediate family, the trio was slightly shocked when a servant placed an additional plate on their table.
When asked who it was for, the servant replied that Xue Hui had informed the kitchen staff that Chen Linlin wished to have breakfast with them.
As the servant finished setting the plate, Xue Hui entered the dining hall with Chen Linlin in her wheelchair.
Gone was her usual gloomy aura. Chen Linlin greeted her parents in a cheerful tone.
Chen Zhenlong and his wives looked at her in confusion and shock before shooting up from their chairs and rushing over, showering the little girl with kisses and hugs.
The three of them were overjoyed to see their daughter acting so lively and full of spirit. Not to mention, it had been quite a while since they had all sat down together for a meal.
The family of four had a very enjoyable breakfast. Even Chen Linlin's grandfather, Chen Shenxin, joined them midway through the meal.
Chen Linlin's abrupt changes didn't end with breakfast either.
Later that day, after handling a mountain of documents, Chen Zhenlong took a short break and went out for a stroll to get some fresh air.
As he did, he walked past his courtyard and noticed both of his wives there with their daughter, causing quite a commotion.
Said daughter was currently looking flushed as she struggled to lift a weight with her small arms.
The "weight" in question was a watermelon nearly as big as her head.
As she strained herself, her two mothers stood beside her, cheering and encouraging her to push a little harder.
Curious, Chen Zhenlong walked over and asked what they were doing.
He was surprised to learn that his daughter had gone out of her way to seek her mothers' help with training.
Of course, the two women were delighted to see that their daughter was being active, so they didn't hesitate to drop everything and join her.
His heart swelled with happiness as he watched his daughter break free from her depression and begin living her life again.
He remained to the side, quietly observing the heartwarming atmosphere between his wives and daughter.
At some point, Chen Zhenlong's eyes unconsciously landed on the boy standing not far from them.
For some reason, his gut was telling him that there was something different about Xue Hui, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
He felt that all these sudden changes, though undeniably good, seemed to have something to do with him.
Chen Zhenlong's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the boy inquisitively, as if trying to discern any subtle changes.
But he found nothing.
Eventually, Chen Zhenlong turned his attention back to his wives and daughter, choosing to simply enjoy the moment.
Xue Hui was silently cursing in his heart.
As expected of a Black Gold-rank Demon Spiritualist like Chen Zhenlong, his perception was frighteningly sharp.
Even after closing all his pores and meridians to prevent any leakage of spiritual energy, Chen Zhenlong still managed to sense something unusual about him.
Xue Hui's heart sank slightly.
It seemed he truly needed to have that talk sooner than he wanted, before Chen Zhenlong began to grow suspicious and wary of him.
'I guess it can't wait any longer. I need to talk to him tonight,' Xue Hui thought.
Back to Chen Zhenlong and his wives.
After Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou had their kick, the two decided to call it a night and returned to their room, leaving Chen Zhenlong alone in his office.
Now alone with his thoughts, Chen Zhenlong finally had the time to properly think about all the sudden changes that had occurred with his daughter.
He was genuinely glad to see that she seemed to have cast aside the shadow of death lingering in her heart and was trying to better herself.
But despite that, Chen Zhenlong couldn't stop himself from feeling skeptical about the entire situation.
Not to mention the strange sense of unease he felt whenever he looked at Xue Hui.
He could feel that the boy had done something to cause his daughter to act differently from her usual self.
He didn't like how his thoughts kept trying to accuse the boy of doing something suspicious toward his daughter.
But his instincts were firm. The Xue Hui of today felt like a completely different person from before.
Releasing a shaky breath, Chen Zhenlong finally made up his mind.
He would confront the boy directly and see for himself whether his suspicions held any merit.
Rising from his chair, he released a thin wisp of spiritual energy toward his daughter's residence to sense what they were doing.
Usually, the two children were still awake at this late hour, doing something to pass the time.
He gently enveloped his daughter's entire room with his spiritual aura.
The moment his spiritual senses peered inside his daughter's room, his expression darkened and he became worried.
His spiritual aura detected that his daughter was in severe emotional distress.
She was sitting on her bed, both hands clasped tightly in front of her chest as if she were praying.
A tear streaked down her delicate cheeks.
This was far from the cheerful mood she had displayed earlier.
Chen Zhenlong could practically feel the anxiety radiating from her small body.
Worry crept into his heart, followed by a surge of uneasiness.
Just as he was about to step outside to check on his daughter, a sense of danger rushed through him.
He felt that someone was watching him, and they were doing so without him being able to detect where they were.
He released strands of spiritual energy, spreading them throughout his office as he searched for the source of that dreadful feeling.
Then he sensed it.
A figure was standing behind the door.
Without hesitation, Chen Zhenlong formed a hand seal as he controlled his spiritual energy to lock onto that person.
Before making a tugging motion.
The door burst open, and a boy was pulled toward him.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been strange for Xue Hui to appear in his office.
After all, the boy was his younger daughter's attendant.
It was only natural for him to seek him out from time to time whenever he needed something for his young miss.
But this time was different.
Chen Zhenlong had clearly sensed a faint wisp of a Demon Spiritualist's aura coming from him.
Something that should have been impossible given Xue Hui's poor innate talent.
So the first logical conclusion that entered his mind was that someone else was disguising themselves as the boy.
And that made him furious.
"Get over here!"
With a forceful tug, Xue Hui's small body was pulled toward Chen Zhenlong's grasp.
But before Chen Zhenlong could get hold of him,
A single strand of condensed spiritual energy shot forward at incredible speed toward Chen Zhenlong's spiritual energy.
Thin as a needle and moving like a snake, it slithered through the vast spiritual force in search of its weakest point.
Finding its target, it quickly burrowed into Chen Zhenlong's spiritual energy before rapidly rotating like a drill.
As his spiritual energy forced its way through the overwhelming spiritual pressure of Chen Zhenlong's, Xue Hui began reciting the [Creation Origin Ancestral Canon] through gritted teeth.
Guiding all his energy with extreme precision, he focused everything he had on a single point of contact.
Instead of clashing head-on, he refined a minute fragment of Chen Zhenlong's spiritual aura, stripping it down into raw, ownerless spiritual energy.
WOOSH!
In that instant, the connection between Chen Zhenlong and the strand of aura binding Xue Hui was severed.
It allowed the pale-faced Xue Hui to leap aside and escape by a hair's breadth before he could be captured.
Chen Zhenlong's pupils shrank, a look of shock flashing across his face.
He never imagined that Xue Hui would actually be able to escape his capture.
A mere Bronze rank had actually managed to contend with his spiritual energy.
Such absurdity was hard to believe, even though it had just happened right before his eyes.
Chen Zhenlong's moment of shock gave Xue Hui enough time to swiftly retrieve a scroll from his interspatial ring and unfurl it without hesitation.
The scroll ignited with brilliant light, blinding Chen Zhenlong.
A concealment array activated and spread throughout the room like vines, completely sealing the office and cutting them off from the outside world.
With Chen Zhenlong's status, even the slightest trace of his offensive spiritual aura escaping would undoubtedly alert all the experts of the Divine Family.
They would immediately rush to his office to investigate.
If that were to happen, it would completely ruin Xue Hui's plan to speak with him alone.
Sensing that it was some kind of concealment array, Chen Zhenlong's expression darkened.
He was just about to integrate with his demon spirit and forcefully break the array.
When Xue Hui suddenly raised both hands in surrender.
"Lord Patriarch, please! Hold your aura for a moment. Calm down," the boy said, panic visible on his small face.
"This is really me, Xue Hui. I have a proposition that can help Linlin heal her illness. Just give me a little time to explain."
Surprised by his words, Chen Zhenlong quickly restrained the explosive surge of his aura.
The two stared at each other in tense silence.
Xue Hui's words had piqued his interest.
Especially the part about his daughter.
"Speak!" Chen Zhenlong's voice boomed, his gaze sharp as a blade. "I want to know who you really are. Why are you hiding yourself? And how dare you use my daughter's condition as a bargaining chip? If you fail to explain yourself, I'm going to make you regret using my daughter." Every word was laced with killing intent. It was clear that what he said was not merely a threat, but a warning.
"Everyone in Glory City knows that my Lin'er's illness is incurable. Every medical expert has long since given up on finding a solution."
Though Chen Zhenlong had intended only to probe the boy, he hadn't expected his own emotions to flare up.
The mere mention of his daughter's condition was enough to disturb his composure.
Xue Hui slowly lowered his arms.
He placed his right hand over his chest as if making an oath.
Despite his ashen face, his expression remained calm, and his eyes showed no signs of falsehood.
With sincerity in his voice, he replied:
"Because I can."
End of Chapter 11