Cangshu Bai used to be rather reserved in expressing his feelings, but after spending so much time with Mu Ran and hearing her unabashed confessions so often, he had surprisingly become much more straightforward.
Mu Ran had clearly stated that she would return home in three days, and he had readily agreed at the time, promising to stay home and take good care of Jiaojiao. Yet, before the three days were even up, he used the excuse that Jiaojiao missed her mother to come looking for her openly and justifiably.
Mu Ran wanted to keep a straight face and feign displeasure, but under the sheer power of Cangshu Bai's simple "I missed you," her defenses instantly crumbled.
Seeing the soft light in Mu Ran's eyes, the corners of Cangshu Bai's lips curled up slightly. He knew that he had once again earned her indulgence.
Sure enough, Mu Ran could no longer maintain her stern expression. With a helpless look in her eyes, she took his hand and made him sit down beside her.
Mu Ran reached out, her fingertips smoothing the slightly messy stray hairs at his temples that had been tousled by the wind, and asked softly, "Did Jiaojiao give you a headache again?"
Cangshu Bai enjoyed her gentle touch, pressing his cheek against the palm of her hand. His gentle gaze remained fixed on her face. "Our daughter is very good."
No matter how much of a headache Jiaojiao could be, the moment she was labeled with the words "our daughter," Cangshu Bai's heart would melt completely, leaving no room for complaints, only a heart full of joy.
Mu Ran knew very well that despite Cangshu Jiao's young age, she was a master at switching between two faces.
Sometimes she was obedient and adorable, endearing herself to everyone.
But at other times, she was so quirky and mischievous that it was astonishing. She had no shortage of clever little schemes. If she grew a bit older, she would likely use her innocent appearance to wrap people around her little finger even more.
No matter how good Cangshu Jiao pretended to be in front of Mu Ran, she was still Mu Ran's daughter after all. How could Mu Ran fail to see through her little tricks?
Mu Ran couldn't help but cup her husband's face again, examining him from left to right for quite a while before muttering, "She's clearly the child I gave birth to, so why does she resemble you so much?"
This resemblance was not in appearance, but in personality.
Without a doubt, Cangshu Jiao inherited Mu Ran's beautiful looks, but in terms of character, she had inherited her father's cunning.
Cangshu Bai had been the same in the past. In front of Mu Ran, he was a cool and self-possessed, yet meticulous and considerate husband. However, in front of those cultivators, he was the notorious The Green-Clad Guest, the Black-clad Venerable who could destroy heaven and earth.
One person, two faces—how exactly did he switch between them so effortlessly?
Just as Mu Ran was feeling puzzled, the young man before her leaned in, gently rubbing his nose against hers, and smiled faintly. "Jiaojiao is our child. It is only natural that she resembles us."
Mu Ran chuckled softly. "Mhm, you're right."
After all, she was of their bloodline. No matter how much she resembled them, it was exactly as it should be.
Cangshu Bai held her hand. "On my way here, I saw Cangshu Linfeng and Cangshu Qihua."
Mu Ran did not feel surprised at all. "Those two still haven't given up."
It was quite amusing, really. Cangshu Linfeng stubbornly believed that women were not worth mentioning on his path of cultivation, and that it should remain that way, yet his state of mind had subtly undergone changes beyond his control.
So he found an excuse for himself: he had to find Mu Shuqing and use a romantic affair to settle this karma, only then could he return to the peak of a sword cultivator with a mind free of distractions.
As for Cangshu Qihua, he was as stubborn as a mule. While spouting words about how he didn't care about Mu Shuqing, he couldn't help but frequently appear by her side.
He claimed that he also needed to resolve the karma left behind in Zhenyue Mountain City back then, otherwise he would be unable to cultivate pure sword intent.
Leaning in Cangshu Bai's embrace, smelling his scent, listening to his heartbeat, and basking in the warm sunlight, Mu Ran felt that the wind was gentle and the clouds were light. Everything around her was incredibly cozy.
Playing with Cangshu Bai's well-defined fingers, she sighed, "It's a pity that they both want to come and resolve their karma with my aunt, but my aunt doesn't want any entanglement with them. It's a case of the mortal king yearning for the goddess, while the goddess remains indifferent. Trying to sever karma won't be a simple matter."
Cangshu Bai looked down at her, a shallow smile surfacing in his eyes, carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
He now had a wife and a daughter, living a happy and blissful life. How could those two solitary loners possibly compare?
Cangshu Bai's fingertips moved, hooking around her finger. "Now that matters here are settled, let us return home."
From the single glance he had of Mu Shuqing earlier, he had already seen that she had successfully broken through to the next realm and no longer needed anyone to stand guard for her.
Mu Ran blinked, thinking of something wonderful. She lifted her face and looked at him with a beaming smile. "It would be so boring to just go home like this. It's rare for us to come out, so let's wander around a bit. I heard the flowers on Wanhua Island are in full bloom right now. Let's go admire the flowers."
He replied, "Alright, I'll go call Jiaojiao."
However, Mu Ran grabbed his hand. Cangshu Bai looked down, slightly puzzled.
Holding a bowl of pastries, Cangshu Jiao leaned against the window, her eyes fixed on the overly affectionate couple outside. Unfortunately, her father's figure completely blocked her mother, so she had no idea what they were talking about.
Han Yu rested on top of her head, opening its mouth from time to time to swallow the food she offered in one gulp.
Unable to understand, Cangshu Jiao ran back inside. "Great-Aunt."
Mu Shuqing was sitting on a bamboo couch, flipping through an ancient book to pass the time. Hearing this, she looked over. "What's wrong?"
Cangshu Jiao asked curiously, "Why do my father and mother always have to stick together? When I was little and afraid of the dark, I didn't dare sleep alone, but even I wasn't as clingy with my mother as they are."
Mu Shuqing's tone was indifferent. "Perhaps those two adults are just not as sensible as you are."
Cangshu Jiao suspected that her Great-Aunt, despite being an adult, didn't know the answer either. After all, she had never seen her Great-Aunt cling to another person the way her mother did.
How strange.
Just as Cangshu Jiao was muttering in her heart, Han Yu, who was resting softly on top of her head, suddenly gave a slight tremble.
Sensing something was wrong, she looked up.
The little fish, which was originally only the size of a palm, entirely translucent white and emitting a faint cold light, was now suspended in the air, twisting and struggling as if it were enduring intense agony.
"Xiaoyubao, what's wrong with you!"
Just as Cangshu Jiao was panicking and at a loss for what to do, the spiritual light around the translucent white little fish suddenly surged, and a freezing, biting aura instantly swept outward.
Mu Shuqing pulled Cangshu Jiao behind her just in time, shielding her from the chill.
Han Yu's originally palm-sized body swelled violently. Its scales surged layer upon layer as it transformed into its true form—a massive flood dragon several zhang long. Its entirely translucent white body shimmered with a dark blue, cold light. Its dragon fins unfurled, its dragon whiskers fluttered lightly, and as its enormous tail swung through the air, a heavy, oppressive might descended. Even the surrounding air seemed frozen and stagnant, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.
After only a brief moment, the majestic dragon body gradually retracted its spiritual light. Amidst the swirling light and shadows, it continuously shrank and solidified, ultimately transforming into a little boy of about five or six years old, landing steadily on the ground.
He had soft, ice-blue short hair, and a pair of delicate, pale-green dragon horns grew on his forehead. His skin was lustrously white, and his eyes were clear, carrying the innocent confusion of someone who had just taken human form. He had completely lost the icy, intimidating aura of the flood dragon from just a moment ago.
From behind Mu Shuqing, a little head suddenly peeked out quietly. Her round eyes did not blink as she curiously and cautiously observed this magical transformation unfolding before her.
She called out uncertainly, "Xiaoyubao?"
The boy, looking lost and innocent, had his eyes light up. He couldn't wait to take a step forward, but due to his uncoordinated limbs, he fell to the ground with a thud and couldn't get back up for quite a while.
He lifted his bruised face, sniffled, and looked a bit wronged.
"Xiaoyubao!"
Cangshu Jiao ran over and helped the boy up.
However, having just transformed, his hands and feet didn't feel like his own. His body swayed unsteadily, and it was only thanks to the girl's strenuous effort to support him that he didn't fall to the ground again.
Hugging the limp boy, Cangshu Jiao looked up and asked, "Great-aunt, what's wrong with Xiaoyubao?"
Mu Shuqing looked thoughtfully at the single piece of pastry left on the plate and said, "This pastry of mine was made from spirit herbs I've cultivated for hundreds of years, so it's brimming with energy. Coupled with all the good things you usually feed him, it must have given him the power to transform into a human."
Cangshu Jiao and the little boy stared at each other, wide-eyed.
He had only just taken human form and couldn't even speak. His fair, clean face wore a blank expression, making him look a bit silly.
Cangshu Jiao suddenly reached out and grabbed his two dragon horns, shaking him back and forth. His blue hair swayed along with the motion.
The boy's head spun, and he haltingly forced out a word, "Jiao... Jiao..."
He looked as if he was about to cry.
Cangshu Jiao temporarily stopped playing with his horns and hugged his weak, tumbling body. His head rested softly against her shoulder, and a hazy mist welled up in his clear eyes.
Cangshu Jiao looked helplessly at the only adult present.
"Great-aunt, what should I do?"
Before Mu Shuqing could speak, the spring breeze blew in a fallen flower, bringing with it a young man's voice.
"Han Yu has just transformed and shouldn't move around too much. He needs to stay on Mount Cuiluo to properly adapt."
Immediately following was a woman's light and lively voice. "Jiaojiao, I heard that the Hundred Flower Pastry on Myriad Flower Island is the most delicious. You'll definitely love it. Your father and I are going to make a trip there right now to bring some back for you. Auntie, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Jiaojiao and little Yu for a few days."
Mu Shuqing didn't seem surprised. She simply sat back down on the couch and turned another page of her book.
This left Cangshu Jiao holding the blue-haired, horned little boy, stomping her feet in anger. "You make it sound so nice, saying you're going to find food for me, but you clearly just want to go enjoy some alone time without me!"
The sun set and the moon rose. In the night, specks of fireflies flickered, and the verdant forest was brimming with life.
Mu Ran looked up at the moonlight, in a very good mood.
Cangshu Bai held her hand, leaning in to ask, "Was that too much?"
Mu Ran's eyes curved in a smile. "That little girl loves to run away from home at the drop of a hat. Now it's time for her to taste what it's like when her parents run away from home."
Cangshu Bai chuckled softly, his fingertips gently caressing the back of her hand, clearly very amused as well.
The wind rustled through the emerald leaves of the mountain. Amidst the dappled light in the forest, only the silhouettes of the two leaning on each other remained, free and at peace.
Meanwhile, in the small courtyard on the mountain, Cangshu Jiao was still scratching her head in frustration, trying to teach the little dragon boy how to walk.
Mu Shuqing sipped her tea and flicked a piece on the chessboard on the table, causing the mountain's array formation to shift once again.
Cangshu Linfeng and Cangshu Qihua suddenly crossed paths on a narrow trail, both furrowing their brows.
"Why are you here?"
That night, the stars and moon shone together, casting a clear radiance over the mountains.
Everyone had their own bonds, and everyone had their own bustling lives.
Beneath the sea of clouds, scattered lights shone as bright and pure as the moon. Year after year, there was lasting peace, and everyone found their own perfect ending.
