Feeling both hands held tightly by soft, boneless hands, Deng Tianyu’s expression stiffened slightly!
Wasn’t everything fine just moments ago? Their conversation had been perfectly pleasant!
How did the atmosphere suddenly turn hostile the moment the topic shifted to him?
More importantly, it seemed there was no room for him to interject.
Now, in the rear courtyard, the atmosphere was inexplicably heavy.
Meeting Ning Wan’s gaze, Qu Qirong narrowed her beautiful eyes, giving no ground whatsoever:
“If we go by what Sect Master Ning says, then I, this humble one, am as close as sisters to the Zhenbei Princess Consort. Though we share no blood ties, our bond is even deeper.”
“In the Princess Consort’s absence, it should be my duty to act in her stead as a mother figure, looking after Tianyu!”
The meaning behind her words was equally clear: You can be his master and mother, and I can be his aunt and mother.
And in terms of their relationship, hers had been acknowledged by the Princess Consort herself.
But what about you, Ning Wan?
Merely someone who intercepted halfway!
To this, Ning Wan parted her crimson lips slightly, elegantly sipping her fragrant tea.
Only then did she leisurely reply, “Has Madam ever nursed Tianyu?”
A beautiful flush of crimson spread across Qu Qirong’s stunningly beautiful face. She spat lightly, “No!”
Realization then struck her. Her expression turned extremely strange as she looked at Ning Wan and then at Deng Tianyu.
Deng Tianyu’s expression became unnatural. He spoke up to explain: “Goat’s milk!”
His Shizun had deliberately spoken ambiguously to lead Aunt Rong’s thoughts astray.
Ning Wan remained completely unbothered. She turned to look at her Precious Disciple, her beautiful eyes brimming with affection: “Has Madam ever helped Tianyu bathe?”
“No!” Qu Qirong bit her pearl-like teeth, shaking her head unwillingly.
When she finally met Deng Tianyu, he was already a young man. How could she help him bathe?
Ning Wan’s expression turned nostalgic as she asked again, “And has Madam ever stayed up all night just to coax Tianyu to sleep?”
“No!” Qu Qirong lowered her eyelids, once again shaking her head.
Deng Tianyu wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat when he met his Shizun’s gaze, which carried an indescribable meaning.
He couldn’t deny it: ever since he was brought back to Purple Cloud Sect, he had indeed been deeply cared for by his Shizun, including times when bathing and resting, he was almost always with her.
But this business about staying up all night to coax him to sleep… where did that come from?
His sleeping schedule had always been perfectly regular. He fell asleep right on time, alright?
When had he ever needed coaxing, as his Shizun claimed?
Did she really think of him as an infant?
Ning Wan naturally had no idea of her Precious Disciple’s thoughts. She simply looked at Qu Qirong, her smile becoming ever more dazzling:
“Madam has experienced none of these things, but this Seat has experienced them all personally, and the memories are deeply ingrained.”
“These things Sect Master Ning speaks of, I have never experienced.” Qu Qirong took a deep breath, her crimson lips parting slightly. “It is precisely because of this, that I wish to make up for these years of neglect in the time to come.”
She had to admit, in this exchange, her opponent had gained a slight upper hand!
But so what?
It was only because Ning Wan had spent more time with her Tianyu over the years.
“This Seat did not intend to argue with Madam.”
“I simply wanted to express that Tianyu is very important to me.”
“Therefore, this generous gift – this Seat cannot accept it, and will not accept it!”
Ning Wan spoke softly, not pressing the argument further.
No matter what, Qu Qirong was still Deng Tianyu’s elder. She needed to control the temperature carefully, so as not to make things difficult for Tianyu.
Qu Qirong did not put away the Storage Ring. Instead, she said, “A gift once given, how can it be taken back?”
Ning Wan’s beautiful eyes shimmered with interest. She looked at Deng Tianyu with amusement: “In that case, Tianyu, do you think it should be accepted or not?”
Qu Qirong also looked at him with a burning intensity.
Under the gaze of these two elders, Deng Tianyu felt only a bitter misery he couldn’t voice, followed by a splitting headache!
Aunt Rong wanted to send out this lavish gift, but Shizun wouldn’t accept it.
Somehow, the final decision had landed squarely on his shoulders.
If he’d known it would turn out like this, he should have found an excuse to leave, letting them discuss it alone. Then he wouldn’t be stuck in this dilemma, caught right in the middle.
As his thoughts raced, Deng Tianyu pondered for a long moment before breaking into a light smile:
“This generous gift is a token of Aunt Rong’s heartfelt sentiment. It wouldn’t be good to simply refuse it.”
Hearing this, Qu Qirong’s heart bloomed with sweetness. She smiled beautifully, utterly enchanting.
Ning Wan, on the other hand, remained unhurried. She simply waited with a smiling expression for her Precious Disciple’s next words.
Just as she expected, Deng Tianyu continued: “Shizun won’t accept it because she has cared for me all these years without ever expecting anything in return.”
“How about this: let the Storage Ring be kept with me for now. What do you both think, Aunt Rong, Shizun?”
He knew full well what this lavish gift represented.
Aunt Rong, acting as his elder, was presenting this gift to Shizun to express gratitude for the years of care Shizun had given him. It was perfectly reasonable.
But from Shizun’s perspective, it was entirely different.
She had cared for this disciple she treated as her own son. Why should she accept a token of thanks from an outsider?
If she accepted the gift, wouldn’t that imply the other person was the true family of her Precious Disciple? What would that make her?
It was precisely considering this point that Deng Tianyu chose to keep the Storage Ring himself.
Qu Qirong nodded. “Tianyu is about to break through to the King-Sealing Realm. There are quite a few rare Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures inside the ring. They will come in handy.”
Ning Wan was also thoroughly satisfied with her Tianyu’s handling of the matter. “Tianyu’s opinion is this Seat’s opinion. It is most appropriate for you to accept it.”
Hearing these words from both elders, Deng Tianyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness he was skilled in the art of choosing between difficult options.
The perfect harmony of both sides was always the best answer!
As if recalling something, Ning Wan asked, “Madam, this Seat heard from Tianyu that a Sleep-Sealing Curse Mark has been planted on you. Is this true?”
“Yes. Fortunately, Tianyu helped dissolve it, so it’s been alleviated considerably.”
Qu Qirong did not deny it, answering openly.
Ning Wan glanced imperceptibly at Deng Tianyu, then continued: “The Sleep-Sealing Curse Mark is one of the Eight Curses of Yang Veins. Only those above the rank of Palace Master of the Five Palaces of Yin-Yang Law Heaven can cultivate it.”
“This means Qu Tianheng is likely connected to a certain Palace Master within Yin-Yang Law Heaven.”
“If this Seat’s guess is not wrong, this Palace Master is likely targeting this Seat.”
Though she could shield her own Heavenly Secrets with her Star-Reading and Moon-Chasing abilities, she couldn’t completely erase all traces.
For Dong Jun, who had been possessed by the previous generation’s Dao Chief of Yin-Yang Law Heaven, even if her Heavenly Secrets were obscured, the other party could still use their Art of Deduction to glimpse that faint trace, confirming she was in Youzhou.
Of course, they couldn’t deduce her exact location. Otherwise, what came wouldn’t be just a single Palace Master.
Qu Qirong pondered for a moment before replying, “This matter… perhaps we’ll have to wait for some time before knowing the specifics.”
To understand Qu Tianheng’s relationship with Yin-Yang Law Heaven, they’d have to wait for his body to fully fuse with the Love Gu and Heart-Controlling Gu.
Seeing the two elders no longer at odds with each other, Deng Tianyu revealed a smile. But that smile quickly froze.
Because he felt a tingling, numbing sensation traveling up his calf…
