With his Level 99 senses sharpened to the extremes of human capability, Qian Daoliu felt it instantly—Two presences rushing toward the forest.
Qian Daoliu released his Angelic Martial Soul, letting the golden radiance fade from his body. His appearance returned to that of a serene old man in simple robes.
Then—
Whoosh—
His figure blurred, crossing several hundred meters in a heartbeat.By the time he fully stopped, he was already standing at the entrance of the forest, moonlight spilling faintly around him.
There, approaching along the dim path, were two women.
Wu Meng, And beside her—Qian Renxue, his loving grand daughter.
Qian Daoliu opened his mouth.
But nothing came out.
Emotion—rare, raw—surged up in his chest.His eyes trembled slightly.
Wu Meng immediately understood the atmosphere and bowed deeply.
"Old Master, Young Master… I will return to the Academy first."
She didn't wait for a reply. With graceful steps, she disappeared into the night, leaving the pair alone.
Silence settled between them.
(Eve) Qian Renxue—broke it first.
Her voice gentle, respectful.
"Grandfather, do you want to speak with me about something?"
Qian Daoliu's gaze softened, the loneliness of seven years reflected in his eyes.
"Renxue…Are you avoiding me?"
The question was simple,the weight behind it was not.
"It has been seven years since we last met face-to-face. Even when you return to Spirit City… I only hear news of your visit from others."
Inside Eve's mind, chaos stirred.
'How would I know? I'm just a persona of her. I don't know what's happening in the real Renxue's head… Why don't you go ask the real one…'
But she could not speak any of that.She could not break the illusion her very existence depended on.
So she chose the safest answer.
A half-truth.
"Grandfather, I have only been carrying out the tasks assigned to me. The missions… the duties of Heaven Dou… they keep me busy."
Qian Daoliu's fists tightened, the faint veins bulging.
"Yes.…The divine test…The task that has made you forget this old man entirely."
His voice did not rise.But the pain beneath the calmness pierced deeper than any shout.
Eve lowered her eyes.Not out of guilt—But out of helplessness.
And so she stayed silent.
Seeing her silence, Qian Daoliu forced a smile, which was Soft, bitter and fragile.
"Come.Walk with Grandfather for a bit."
A simple request.One he had likely dreamed of repeating for years.
Eve nodded lightly.
"…Alright."
Side by side, under the quiet silver moon, the two walked deeper into the forest—as if the fragile threads of familial connection was trying desperately to reconnect.
As they walked beneath the moonlit canopy, Qian Daoliu's tone turned soft—almost mournful.
"Renxue… you know, my heart never wished for you to leave Spirit City."His steps slowed, the weight of years reflected in his voice."But the inheritance test of the Angel God is of utmost importance. You must bear that burden , as it was the wish in our family for generations."
Eve kept her expression neutral, but inside she rolled her eyes.
'Qian Renxue hid everything from you because she feared you might be influenced—or even corrupted—by the beings watching over her.''That's the real reason she kept her distance, not because of the divine test.'
(Author notes: By this time Renxue already suspects that the more she interacts with Qian Daoliu, the more likely that like Electrolux and Tianmeng he will be noticed and lost.)
But Qian Daoliu, unaware of Eve's inner monologue, continued.
"You had no objection when Bibi Dong accepted a disciple…"His voice grew faintly strained."Yet after you left, you did not choose to meet her even once. Not even once, Child."
He gestured ahead.
On a low branch, a large crow's nest rested precariously among the leaves.
Inside, under the pale lunar glow, Eve spotted it immediately—
A cuckoo chick, larger than the crow chicks, pushing its way toward the food brought by the mother crow.Its mouth opened wide, crying loudly, monopolizing the attention.The true crow chicks huddled at the side, receiving only scraps.
(Author notes: Brood parasitism. Cuckoos lay eggs in crows' nests.)
Qian Daoliu sighed as he watched the scene.
"The adult crow will continue to feed the cuckoo—even after the cuckoo is bigger, even after it has grown strong enough to fly away.The mother will give everything… until the impostor no longer needs her."
His words lingered in the night air like a quiet lament.
Eve understood immediately what he meant.
Bibi Dong raising Hu Liena. Pouring affection into a child that was not her own.While her real daughter—Qian Renxue—never returned to face her.
Eve exhaled slowly and answered with careful neutrality, as someone who could not speak on Renxue's behalf.
"All that has happened… cannot be reversed. And confronting now… may not change much, Grandfather."
Qian Daoliu's shoulders trembled faintly.
He looked at the cuckoo's chick again, the crow chicks shrinking back in its shadow.
'Am I truly… too late?'His voice cracked with a pain he rarely allowed anyone to hear.'Too late to mend what was broken between mother and daughter?'
His eyes dimmed with sorrow.
"It has been so many years… and the two of you drift farther with every passing season."
Eve lowered her gaze, her heart tightening in guilt that was not her own.
'How am I supposed to answer this? I'm not her…''And the real Renxue's reasons… are far more complicated than you could imagine.'
Under the moonlight, grandfather and granddaughter walked in silence—
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