As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life

Inside the house.

Father, while eating a steaming bowl of noodles made by Mother, carefully handed his wages to her.

Xi Xi lay in her swaddling clothes, blinking her eyes as she watched. All of this was something she had never seen before.

However, it seemed a little different from the images in Xi Xi’s memory.

The time spent lying in swaddling clothes always passed quickly.

Unbeknownst to Xi Xi, she was already nearing her first birthday. She could now walk on her own, and she was quite nimble.

The neighbors all called Xi Xi a Spirit Child.

Xi Xi wasn’t just a Spirit Child; she was a mighty Divine Child!

Still, Xi Xi felt strange, because she hadn’t seen Grandpa Chen or the Uncle Xu she remembered…

Had they both disappeared?

On Xi Xi’s first birthday, didn’t they come to attend her birthday banquet?

It was as though memories buried deep in her mind were awakening. Xi Xi began to recall many things and sensed that something wasn’t quite right.

One day, Father rushed home in a panic, his body still covered in wood shavings. His head was scattered with snowflakes, large as a hand, and his cheeks were frozen blue. As soon as he entered the house, he frantically started searching for Xi Xi.

“Wife, where’s Xi Xi?”

Father called out, with a deep and unshakable terror in his eyes.

Mother came out of the kitchen holding Xi Xi in her arms, her eyes filled with confusion. “Husband, what’s wrong?”

Father ran over in desperation, taking Xi Xi into his arms. Xi Xi could feel his nervousness and fear, and instinctively reached out to pat his back.

“Don’t be scared, Father. Xi Xi is here.”

Xi Xi mimicked the words Father would always say to comfort her, and she burst into cheerful laughter. “Hee hee hee!”

“As long as Xi Xi is here, it’s alright… it’s alright…”

“The Spirit Infant Sect is catching children in the city… Our Xi Xi was delivered by Grandma Lei. The children delivered by Grandma Lei are always taken away when they turn one…”

Father explained this to Mother, and Xi Xi listened secretly and understood.

“The Spirit Infant Sect… Mother mentioned that Master Niu Niu had wiped out this evil sect…”

Xi Xi mused to herself.

“Wife, once we save enough money… we’ll move, leave Fei Lei City. This city… we can’t stay here.”

Father’s voice was heavy with weariness.

In the days that followed, the birthday banquet Xi Xi had imagined never took place. Her movement was restricted; she wasn’t even allowed into the courtyard anymore. Day by day, she was confined to her room.

Xi Xi leaned against the window, bored out of her mind. She wanted to go out and play; she wanted to eat delicious food…

This test was so dull, so boring!

It was all fake—Xi Xi’s father… he was clearly so powerful, a Qian Yuan Divine Sect Elder!

Xi Xi also had Master Niu Niu and so many, many other friends…

But in this test, why were none of them here?

Xi Xi rested her small hand against her chin, gazing at the clouds drifting in the sky. She felt that the life of a little kid was truly boring.

Night fell, and snowflakes danced in the wind.

Inside the house, the charcoal stove was lit, warming the entire room.

Xi Xi lay on the bed, nestled in Mother’s embrace. Mother’s hands had become rougher than she remembered; these days, she often took on laundry work, washing coarse fabric clothes in freezing water during the bitter winter. Her hands were covered in chilblains.

Xi Xi didn’t like this kind of life.

Xi Xi pouted. She wanted to go back!

She knew this was all fake, all an illusion, just the second test of the Heart Test in the Qianyuan Divine Sect Master’s direct disciple assessment.

It was only an illusion.

Yet, even though Xi Xi knew it was fake, she couldn’t prove it was fake…

So, Xi Xi felt a little pain and unhappiness.

Father and Mother, exhausted from the day, had fallen asleep, snoring softly.

Xi Xi couldn’t sleep. She climbed out of bed and sat upright, listening to the howling wind and snowstorm outside the house.

With wide eyes, Xi Xi stared at the paper-covered window.

There…

A hunched black shadow stood there.

The paper window was poked through, revealing a pitch-black eyeball.

The eyeball scanned the room before its gaze landed on Xi Xi, sitting up on the bed.

“Heh heh…”

“Good child, Grandma’s here…”

…

…

In the lavish palace, blood flowed in pools.

Lu Chi’s eyes were icy cold. His body was drenched in blood, and in his hand, he tightly gripped a sword. With stubborn defiance, he raised his head, staring at the imposing man seated on the dragon throne adorned with coiled and roaring Golden Dragons.

The man who held the greatest power in the Da Jing Dynasty.

Beside this man stood Lu Chi’s mother, who had rebuked him constantly for as long as his memory served.

Her gaze was just as icy, her expression no less ruthless.

At this moment, Lu Chi’s own chilling gaze mirrored theirs.

Yet, from their eyes, Lu Chi caught a trace of appreciation—as if only in this moment of merciless coldness was he the child they wanted.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Chi faced them and began cutting into his own flesh. Although he knew this was an illusion, the searing pain rocked his very mind, making it hard to distinguish between illusion and reality.

Perhaps this moment was reality?

In the real world, he was in Fei Lei City, sitting in the small courtyard, riding a Twist Car, cheerfully racing against Xi Xi… Was that the illusion?

Was happiness the illusion?!

Lu Chi gritted his teeth. He had thought he could no longer shed tears, but as he stripped flesh from bone, it felt as if his heart was dying completely, and his tears poured uncontrollably.

Seated on the magnificent golden throne, the man radiating authority looked on at this display with admiration, gently clapping his hands.

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