Sunlight streamed through the glass floor-to-ceiling window, scattering golden little stars across the sky.
Silver starlight, golden light rain—these were scenes that only Si Zhiruo’s dreams would conjure.
By all rights, she had lived for thousands of years, visiting countless places and beholding endless landscapes.
Yet, strangely, she had no memory of any of it.
All her clear memories began at that mass grave.
That was where her consciousness fully awakened.
Before she was completely aware, the place that left the deepest impression was a cave utterly devoid of light.
Inside the cave were countless jars and bottles—and a person she intensely disliked.
She only remembered fighting that loathsome figure, then leaving that place afterward.
She vaguely recalled drifting aimlessly for a long time. Whenever she encountered a place heavy with Yin energy, she would stop and absorb the nourishing ghost energy to sustain herself.
She lived alone like this for countless years, until one day, in another place rich with Yin energy, she habitually stopped—and happened upon Si Xinyan, who had mistakenly wandered into the mass grave in a moment of grief and was now dizzy and disoriented.
Stimulated by Si Xinyan’s overwhelming Yin aura, it was as if countless two- or three-year-old children suddenly gained self-awareness all at once.
With a sudden jolt, she sharply realized she was a complete individual.
Looking at the girl’s golden hair shining in the sunlight, Si Zhiruo’s eyes flickered with sudden clarity as memories of the past flooded back.
“This spot is correct. If I can fit the adjacent piece here, the rest will become exponentially easier.”
Biting her finger, Si Zhiruo spoke within her Sea of Consciousness, guiding herself.
There was still some laziness in my bones—if it’s not absolutely necessary to think, I just don’t want to bother.
No other reason, just tired.
Physically tired.
Mentally tired, too.
“My Zhi Zhi is really amazing.”
I moved neither hurriedly nor slowly, my voice gentle and soft, and in my watery eyes, there was a trace of a refined, cultivated demeanor.
Playing puzzles with my baby a little longer, I rubbed my sore arm.
“Let’s stop here for today. We’ll play more next time.”
Looking at the half-completed masterpiece before me, I inexplicably felt that Lego might be easier.
After all, these toys were brought by Su Liumeng, who said they were made by the Su family’s own business. Buying them was also a way to support family products.
“Mommy, do you still dislike the Su family?”
Si Zhiruo sensed my mood and asked sweetly.
“The Su family?” I slowly stood up, my expression neutral, neither happy nor sad.
“I guess… I’m indifferent. No matter how much I dislike them, interfering with my life, they did adopt me.”
I pulled at the corner of my lips and suddenly smiled.
“The most unreliable thing in this world is the human heart.”
“That’s why there’s a saying: judge actions, not hearts.”
“They used me, that’s true. Their adoption was not purely out of kindness. But because of it, I survived and never had to return to that miserable orphanage.”
“Right and wrong—how can it be explained with just a few words?”
“If I strip away all feelings and see this relationship as mere mutual exploitation, it makes me happier and more at peace.”
“And yet, I foolishly developed some unreasonable hopes.”
I gave a bitter laugh and dropped the topic I had pondered many times before.
I stood by the window, gazing at the distant sunset.
The beauty of the sunset lies in its fleeting moment.
As a child, I often wondered what was beyond the mountains.
No one can chase the fleeting sunlight—just like a child imagines the love they never had.
The beauty of fantasy lies in its existence only in imagination, carrying the purest dream of a small figure.
“Mom, are you still thinking about things that happened before?”
Si Zhiruo cautiously spoke, afraid she might say the wrong thing and disturb the fragile figure before her.
I gave a self-mocking smile and shook my head.
“Just rambling. Melancholy in spring and sadness in autumn—aren’t these the common afflictions of all literary youths? Luckily, I’m still at that age.”
Si Zhiruo nodded thoughtfully.
“So, Mommy has already passed the rebellious phase and is now a literary youth?”
What kind of summary was that? My legs nearly gave out and I almost fell to the floor, helpless.
“You child, I’m just joking to lighten the mood. I’m definitely not a literary youth… Zhi Zhi, don’t be too naive. Mommy might not always be right.”
Si Zhiruo blinked her big eyes.
“Oh, so that’s how it is.”
Mommy also jokes with her sometimes.
If that’s the case, Mommy’s mood isn’t so bad after all?
Thinking about the past, the many things that were hard to let go, as I grew older, I gained different understanding.
Perhaps it was this subtle change in my state of mind that slowly calmed my once indifferent heart.
Not exactly peace of mind.
I just didn’t want to think so much anymore.
No matter what happened in the past, I now had a new life, and a lovely daughter who cared for me in every way.
What the past taught me was one lesson.
People must have self-awareness and not overreach with hopes for things that aren’t theirs to have.
No expectations, no disappointments.
Now? Listening to Si Zhiruo’s clingy voice in my mind, I felt a faint tremor of wavering.
It seemed I could long for more after all—not a delusion that would make me doubt myself.
I thought about what Su Liumeng had said to me.
I have always had self-awareness.
I’m not a good person. I’m actually very skilled at manipulating hearts, a malicious little villain.
Just like when I faced the female Daoist assassin and risked my life to fight back, and in the countless interactions with Si Zhiruo afterward, I habitually performed gentleness and displayed concern.
Then suddenly, I thought about what I had just said.
Judge actions, not hearts.
Why was it that when it came to myself, I was judging the heart again?
Is this another kind of high moral standard—strict with oneself, lenient with others?
No way. I’m no saint.
If I truly didn’t judge hearts, then before I did anything to hurt Si Zhiruo, what’s the difference between my acts of care and selfless giving?
Besides.
I would never hurt her again.
Because.
She is my daughter.
*****
November 24th.
Deep within the Dragonfall Domain.
Countless beams of light darted through the sky, colliding and weaving.
Among them, several elegant young men shone the brightest, each easily defeating many opponents on their own.
Behind them were their own followers.
With the arrival of these reinforcements, the battle’s tide began to turn.
“Su Nantian, this vial of Azure Dragon blood is destined for me.”
“Su Zhenyu, isn’t it a bit too soon to be bragging?”
Su Nantian, the core heir of the Su family’s Second Branch, was also the legitimate son of its branch leader.
Su Zhenyu, the illegitimate son of the Fourth Branch leader, had used his incredible talent to displace the branch leader’s son and successfully ascend as the core heir.
These two young prodigies, each a genius of their generation in the Su family, refused to yield to one another.
Their usual encounters were filled with small clashes, but now, over the rare Azure Dragon blood, old grudges and new hatred ignited a battle to the death.
At that moment, a wild, arrogant laugh echoed from afar.
“Hahaha, since you two brothers both want it, then little sister will just have to accept it. After all, I’m understanding and don’t want you two fighting each other bloody.”
A petite girl stepped down on a beam of white light from the sky.
A contemptuous smile tugged at her lips as she ignored the two men beside the Azure Dragon blood and boldly reached out to grab the transparent vial.
“Impudent!”
“How dare you!”
Seeing her arrival, the two men’s expressions changed instantly, and they attacked the girl together.
“Heh, a firefly dares to compete with the bright moon.”
The girl’s voice grew more disdainful. Her slender body trembled lightly, sending the two men flying back with force.
Clutching the jade bottle tightly, she glanced at the two increasingly sullen men on the ground.
“Let’s go, you two boring creatures.”
In the next instant, the white light vanished over the horizon.
The two men exchanged glances but said nothing about giving chase.
They were indeed prodigies of the Su family, but in front of this monster, they were no match.
Su Qingshi, now only eighteen, was already making waves.
Born with extraordinary talent, she was the biological granddaughter of the Su family’s Grand Elder and hailed as the unparalleled genius born once in a century.
She was the strongest contender for the family head position, already regarded as the leader of the younger generation outside the family.
Before even entering the Dragonfall Domain, many had already deemed her the likely champion of this trial, destined to receive the sole title of “Heir Apparent.”
Even Su Liumeng was ranked behind her in everyone’s eyes.
Because.
Su Qingshi’s strength could no longer be described as terrifying—it was monstrous.
She had never once been defeated since birth and had already reached the sixth realm by eighteen, a rarity even in the history of the Dao Xuan Sect.
Among the younger generation entering the Dragonfall Domain, only Su Qingshi possessed sixth realm cultivation, so how could the other two dare to seek death?
At most, they would just talk tough and vent their frustrations—nothing more.
Fifteen minutes later.
In a bamboo forest, Su Qingshi’s beam of light abruptly stopped.
Hovering midair, her face turned solemn as she stared ahead.
“Who is ambushing me here?”
She quietly tightened her grip on her longsword.
If any other Su family member saw this, they would be utterly shocked.
Su Qingshi was always cheerful and carefree, easily crushing peers without much effort—she had never been so guarded before.
Her expression grew heavier; indeed, she sensed pressure ahead.
Rustle rustle—
Footsteps crunched on fallen bamboo leaves as a stunning girl stepped out from the shadows.
Su Liumeng’s face was calm, her casual tone as if mentioning something trivial.
“I heard you just got a vial of true Azure Dragon blood. Hand it over.”
Su Qingshi suddenly burst into laughter, a flicker of anger burning in her eyes from the insult.
Who had dared speak to her like that all these years?
“Who did I think you were? It’s you, Su Liumeng.”
“Heh, challenging me, Su Qingshi, you really have guts. Is it the confidence from the formation beneath your feet that I haven’t entered, or the breakthrough to the Wuwang Realm you achieved upon entering the Dragonfall Domain?”
Wuwang Realm, where one’s mind is free from delusions.
A realm of mental refinement.
Cultivation there is essentially cultivation of the mind. The term “Wuwang” means to see through all illusions.
Trying to trap a Wuwang realm expert in a formation is indeed difficult.
Su Liumeng never intended to let her in.
“You’re overthinking. The formation isn’t meant to trap you; it’s just so our battle won’t attract others.”
Su Liumeng smiled lightly, her eyes brimming with confidence that made Su Qingshi sick to her stomach, as if the person before her was already hers to command.
How dare she?
In front of Su Qingshi, such an expression was utterly unacceptable.
Su Liumeng—
Lower yourself and be humble—that’s your lifelong place.
A dog can never turn around and become the master.
Just as long as the Grand Elder of the Su family lives, that day will never come.
This is eternal truth.
Su Qingshi sneered, “Very well, you’ve succeeded in angering me. I will personally tear apart that disgusting smile of yours.”
“Next, you will face me at my peak.”
“Enough nonsense.”
Su Liumeng didn’t draw any weapon.
Her body suddenly transformed into a golden dragon’s shadow, dozens of meters long, nearly filling the entire sky.
Her massive translucent claws surged with limitless energy, swiping at the tiny girl’s silhouette before her.
“Only sixty percent pure Golden Dragon blood, and you dare show off before me?”
Su Qingshi laughed bitterly.
In the past, only she had wielded the true dragon shadow to bully others.
Today, she was the one being ridden—how could she not be furious?
She tossed her longsword aside and revealed the Su family’s most domineering attack.
In the next moment, an equally massive Black Dragon shadow appeared in the clear blue sky, entangling fiercely with the golden dragon before them.
“I want to tell you, your most proud Golden and Black Dragon bloodlines mean nothing before me…”
“Because my Black Dragon true blood purity has reached seventy-nine percent.”
“And here’s a truth that will make you jealous: once my dragon blood purity reaches ninety percent, I will become the first unprecedented talent in this generation of the Su family to successfully transform into a dragon. And you—Su Liumeng—are only fit to tremble beneath my feet.”
Su Qingshi spoke so much to crush someone’s confidence; this was her signature psychological warfare.
However, the person before her was not as panicked as she expected.
She seemed calm and even indifferent, never losing ground despite the overwhelming attack.
“Seventy-nine percent purity is indeed impressive, but ask yourself—was this your own ability?”
Su Liumeng’s tone was flat.
“I have your connections, the Grand Elder’s backdoor. My blood purity is countless times stronger than yours.”
“Remember.”
“Even without your precious backdoor, I can crush you countless times over.”
“Five Dragons Unite—!”
Su Liumeng’s booming voice echoed across the sky.
In the next moment, five true dragon shadows of different colors appeared.
Four dimmer dragon shadows circled one vivid golden dragon.
After a breath, the other four shadows, with a roar from the golden dragon’s raised head, merged into one.
Boom—
The black dragon shadow was shattered by a single strike.
A battered girl’s silhouette fell from the sky like a cannonball, crashing heavily onto the ground.
“Wah—”
Su Qingshi spat out a mouthful of blood, staring up at the girl who had just reverted from dragon form, bathed in golden sunlight, descending step by step like a god.
Her voice was shocked and incredulous.
“You, you’re crazy.”
“To fuse the fifth true dragon blood at the Wuwang Realm?”
Su Liumeng’s feet treading golden light, she approached Su Qingshi and took a jade vial from her pocket.
A hint of madness curled at the girl’s lips, giving Su Qingshi a sick sense of insanity.
“Yes, I’m crazy.”
“I’m about to fuse the sixth true dragon blood.”
Faced with the madness in the girl’s eyes, Su Qingshi felt fear—an emotion new to her heart.
Someone who doesn’t care about their own life—isn’t that a lunatic?
Such a lunatic must not be provoked.
Su Qingshi’s voice trembled.
“Su Liumeng, if you want to die, then die, but don’t drag me down with you, alright?
Everyone knows I took the Azure Dragon true blood.
If you explode because of it, your father will come looking for me.”
The Su family does not forbid internal fighting.
Life and death are fate; wealth and honor are determined by heaven.
But because fighting is not forbidden, there have been cases of elders taking revenge in secret after sons and daughters are killed.
Su Liumeng’s gaze dropped, then she replied calmly,
“He won’t care about me.”