Deng Tianyu drew a deep breath and looked at Qu Qirong. “The ‘Sister Xue’ Madam mentioned is…?”
“Yes, Sister Xue’s full name is Yuan Xuefei—your Mother Consort. Am I correct?” Meeting his gaze, Qu Qirong spoke slowly.
She had searched for so many years without any news whatsoever. She had almost believed that Sister Xue’s child had died in that assassination attempt back then. Perhaps it was fate’s design, or perhaps it was predestined, but now they had actually met.
“When my Mother Consort activated the small teleportation array in this pendant, was she intending to seek refuge with you, Madam?” Deng Tianyu murmured to himself, looking at the half pendant in his hand.
His Mother Consort’s name was indeed Yuan Xuefei, and the character “snow” was right there. In the assassination that year, his memories only extended up to the moment his Mother Consort activated the pendant to revive the array. Then, bathed in light, he had lost consciousness. By the time he awoke, his Mother Consort had died, and he had ended up inside the Purple Cloud Sect, eventually taken in by Shizun Ning Wan.
“It’s a pity I couldn’t find you that year. Otherwise, I would never have let you roam lost outside! I even held you when you were little. Eighteen years have passed in a blink, and that little baby has grown into an adult.” Qu Qirong looked at Deng Tianyu, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness.
When her cold and heartless father in the clan forced her to marry into the Mysterious Spirit Sect, the concept of familial affection had long since been erased from her heart. If there truly was familial love, how could a father be willing to push his own daughter into a fire pit? Did her father not know about her special physique? The irony was, it was precisely because he knew that he wanted to sacrifice her for the sake of the entire Tongbao Merchant Guild. From that point on, Qu Qirong harbored nothing but disgust for the term “familial affection.”
Sister Xue was the sole exception. Though they were sworn sisters, their bond far surpassed that of the loathsome blood ties.
“You held me when I was little?” Gazing at Qu Qirong’s mature, exquisitely beautiful face, an identical face surfaced in Deng Tianyu’s mind. It was a delicately flawless face of a young girl. Compared to her current mature and dignified appearance, it had indeed changed a lot. Though there were differences, upon close inspection, one could still tell it was the same person. It was only when the two faces gradually overlapped that Deng Tianyu finally understood.
Of course, it was not his fault. After all, he had just been born at that time. Although he retained memories of his past life, his body was that of a baby. Babies do nothing but eat, sleep, and eat again. Combined with the passage of eighteen years, Deng Tianyu simply hadn’t recognized Qu Qirong when they first met.
“Still calling me ‘Madam’?” Upon hearing that form of address, Qu Qirong furrowed her brows, slightly displeased.
“Aunt Rong?” Deng Tianyu pondered for a moment, considered the generational hierarchy, and tried out the term.
Following the relationship between his Mother Consort and Qu Qirong, calling her “Aunt Rong” according to seniority was perfectly appropriate.
“Can you say it once more?” Qu Qirong was taken aback, feeling her heart fill with an emotion she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time—an emotion she desperately craved.
“Aunt Rong.” Deng Tianyu softly called out again.
“Mm!” Qu Qirong’s eyes reddened slightly. She tightly grasped Deng Tianyu’s hand, unwilling to let go.
In her eyes, Sister Xue was her most important family. Therefore, Sister Xue’s child was also her child, and she must take good care of him, no matter what.
[Ding! Binding second target for Filial Piety: Qu Qirong]
At that very moment, the voice of the system, silent for years, echoed in his mind.
Deng Tianyu: (⊙﹏⊙)!
What was this? Did the system only bind elders once a confirmed relationship was established with him? Now that it had bound Qu Qirong, did it mean he had to be filial to her, just as he was to his Shizun?
Of course, whatever the case, this was a good thing. Previously, Deng Tianyu had wished the system could bind a few more targets, so he could master the Path of Filial Piety quicker. Yet, in all those years, it had only bound his Shizun, Ning Wan.
“Tianyu, what’s wrong? Is there dirt on my face?” Seeing him staring straight at her, Qu Qirong touched her face oddly, very naturally switching her form of address for Deng Tianyu.
“Aunt Rong, your face is clean. I was just thinking about something and got lost in thought!” Deng Tianyu shook his head, casually making an excuse.
“How have you been living all these years? What exactly happened back then, and how did you become Sect Leader Ning’s disciple?” Qu Qirong had fully slipped into the role of “Aunt Rong,” asking with concern about the past.
To this, Deng Tianyu didn’t hide anything and told her everything that happened afterward.
This included how Shizun Ning Wan picked him up and brought him back, and everything that occurred over the past sixteen years—he told her all of it. Naturally, certain matters of specific filial piety, like the sensual massages, acting as his Shizun’s hugging pillow, good morning kisses, and the like, were conveniently left out to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
“Tianyu has suffered over the years.” Qu Qirong affectionately rubbed Deng Tianyu’s head, her heart already resolved to make up for the maternal love this child had missed all these years. Thinking this, she automatically transitioned from the identity of an “aunt” back into the role of “Mother Consort.”
“Not at all.” Deng Tianyu truly didn’t feel those sixteen years were hard. His Shizun raised him like a son. He had a cute but silly junior sister. Every night in his dreams, his Fourth Aunt kept him company. His childhood could be considered quite carefree. Compared to his past life, this kind of start was practically perfect!
“Has Tianyu ever thought about returning to the Great Yu Dynasty to uncover the truth of what happened that year?” Qu Qirong inquired, as if recalling something.
She had investigated the events of that year herself, but got nowhere. All she knew was that almost on the very same day, the Zhenbei King and Princess Consort had died. The specific clues seemed to have been wiped clean by an invisible hand.
A cold glint flickered in Deng Tianyu’s eyes as he narrowed them. “Once I step into the King-Sealing Realm, I will go back.” Breaking into the King-Sealing Realm required two types of enlightenment regarding the world. One was inner enlightenment, relating to one’s own state of mind. The other was outer enlightenment, gained from worldly affairs and customs. Only when both were thoroughly understood could one receive the fiefdom of heaven and earth and achieve the King-Sealing Realm!
“What does Tianyu need right now? Aunt Rong has a great many heaven and earth spirit treasures and ample spirit stones. I can aid your cultivation!” Upon mentioning this, Qu Qirong once again transformed into the rich woman wanting to keep him, radiating a very “money-talks” aura.
“Aunt Rong, right now I don’t need spirit stones, nor do I need heaven and earth spirit treasures. The Purple Cloud Sect is not lacking these things either,” Deng Tianyu explained with an exasperated laugh; his impression of her had changed multiple times.
When they first met, Aunt Rong was the dignified lady who would call him a “libertine.”
After interacting for a while, he discovered this dignified lady was extremely resourceful and intelligent, perfectly living up to the label of Sect Master’s Wife.
And today, eating candied hawthorns, guessing lantern riddles, strolling the night view, she also possessed the innocent romanticism of a young girl.
Now, as “Aunt Rong,” she showed the care and amiability of an elder!
There was one more thing Deng Tianyu only realized now. The half of the crystal jade pendant had always been kept in his Storage Ring. He himself hadn’t noticed anything unusual about it. But Qu Qirong, who carried the other half on her person, should have discovered his identity much earlier. Why, then, did she wait until they had spent some time together to acknowledge him?
Deng Tianyu guessed there were two points. One, to confirm whether or not he was truly the son of the Zhenbei King. Two, to use that time to observe the character of this junior.
All in all, she was an elder who was rational, but not lacking in sentimentality.
