Family
No one knows a child better than their mother.
Bai Maomao was raised entirely by Su Yao, so naturally, she could tell what he was thinking with just one glance.
“His intelligence is about the same as a three-year-old’s,”
Bai Maomao rubbed his nose.
“Are you sure it’s really him, Mom?”
Su Yao smiled gently, her expression full of warmth.
“It is him. I wouldn’t mistake it.”
Bai Maomao gave a hum of agreement.
Since Mom was certain, then from now on, he was one of their own, even if it still felt strange to call him that ←_←
Rong Xiao sat quietly beside Su Yao, overhearing their conversation.
He secretly stole glances at Bai Maomao from the corner of his eye.
Bai Maomao had already noticed him spying and deliberately bared his teeth at him.
Startled, Rong Xiao shrank beside Su Yao like a quail and didn’t dare look up again.
In comparison, Xiao Hei was far more mischievous.
First, he nudged Bai Maomao’s chest, but when Bai Maomao ignored him, he let out a soft whimper, sat up, placed his front paws on Bai Maomao’s chest, and licked his face in a big, sloppy lick.
Bai Maomao met his gaze.
Xiao Hei’s eyes were full of innocence.
His round, watery eyes were paired with a pleading, crooked smile.
Bai Maomao expressionlessly and ruthlessly pinned him down in his arms.
Xiao Hei protested, wriggling fiercely.
Annoyed, Bai Maomao slapped his round little behind hard, and only then did Xiao Hei settle down, wrapping his paws over his head, tail out, curling up safely in Bai Maomao’s arms.
Su Yao couldn’t help but laugh, “Pfft!”
Bai Maomao looked a bit embarrassed and explained awkwardly, “Xiao Hei has been especially naughty ever since he turned like this.”
Su Yao teased him, and Bai Maomao sheepishly shut his mouth.
Bai Maomao’s hotel was in the city center.
After the three of them rested well overnight, Bai Maomao began planning to find a place to settle down.
The whole family couldn’t keep living in a hotel forever.
He found a real estate agent and quickly settled on a few apartments after viewing some.
The place he chose was similar in layout to his home in Guangshi City — three bedrooms, one living room, and a large balcony.
The rent wasn’t cheap, and the furniture inside was complete.
After shopping for essentials with Mom, they cleaned the apartment and moved in quickly.
Lang Junxian’s previous investments had earned quite a bit, and with the money from selling medicinal herbs, they had a large sum in the account—enough for a family of four to live comfortably.
No need to worry about money; now they could just stay home and cultivate.
Shangjing had always been a place where Dragon Qi gathered, not only rich in fortune but also abundant in spiritual energy, which was highly beneficial for cultivation.
Having endured the siege in Guangshi City, Bai Maomao realized how important strength was.
If they hadn’t been so weak, Yan Miao wouldn’t have ended up like that.
Without enough power, you can’t even protect the people close to you.
Bai Maomao gently stroked Xiao Hei’s fur.
Xiao Hei lay on his back, eyes half-closed in contentment, humming softly.
Mo Qin had mentioned the Lang Family; Xiao Hei said his enemy was in Shangjing, perhaps…the Lang Family.
The Lang Family’s influence in Shangjing was considerable.
As the capital of the Dragon Nation and the origin of the Dragon Vein, the ancestral estates of the Three Great Clans were all here.
The Lang Family was no exception.
The Mo Family, Xuanyuan Family, and Lang Family divided Shangjing’s territory into three parts, a tripartite standstill with no one able to overcome the others.
These families had centuries of heritage, their intertwined forces penetrating politics, military, and commerce — their power was not to be underestimated.
If Xiao Hei’s enemy truly was in the Lang Family, with their current cultivation and influence, it would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.
But Xiao Hei’s grudge had to be avenged.
Bai Maomao sighed and tapped Xiao Hei’s forehead.
“We have to cultivate hard.”
Xiao Hei licked his finger, his expression dazed.
Mom said Xiao Hei had awakened the Demon Clan Bloodline inside him—an atavism.
Even in ancient times, such cases were extremely rare.
Half-demon, half-human bloodlines either meant one was born a demon capable of freely shifting between human and demon forms, or purely human, with the demon blood completely suppressed, never awakening.
In the present era, spiritual energy was thin, and cultivation environments far harsher than in ancient times.
Most hybrids couldn’t even shift into full demon forms, just like Xiao Hei before.
Atavism was even rarer.
No one had seen it before, so no one could say if it was good or bad.
But as far as things stood, Xiao Hei was safe, and his cultivation remained intact.
It was just that the shock of awakening his bloodline had caused him to temporarily regress to childhood.
“Who knows when you’ll grow up,” Bai Maomao said, lifting him up and giving him a kiss.
Xiao Hei tilted his head, his deep black pupils shining.
Time flew by like a white horse passing.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Half a year—neither too long nor too short.
Bai Maomao had crossed the threshold of eighteen years old, legally an adult by human reckoning.
Xiao Hei had grown into a majestic wolf, lean and strong, his black fur glossy and sleek, his beastly vertical pupils glowing with an icy light.
Bai Maomao no longer dared to take him out in public; with Xiao Hei’s current appearance, no one would believe he was a dog.
Xiao Hei couldn’t go outside, which meant Bai Maomao didn’t get out much either.
Stuck at home all day with nothing to do but cultivate, Bai Maomao decided to start a Taobao Shop.
His shop specialized in strange and rare Dan Medicine he refined himself.
At first, business was slow, but Bai Maomao wasn’t worried.
He ran the shop purely out of boredom, photographing new pills every few days, editing the instructions, and listing them.
After half a year, quite a few customers actually came to buy.
Bai Maomao’s prices were low, but he used only top-quality materials harvested from his Space.
Experts who saw the listings became furious, flooding his comments with bad reviews, accusing him of wasting precious resources.
Bai Maomao couldn’t care less.
The spiritual herbs in his Space grew fast; he wasn’t afraid of using them freely!
If that cultivator knew, he’d probably be so angry he’d vomit blood.
While Bai Maomao stayed home growing his fur, Su Yao took Rong Xiao out to explore.
Rong Xiao’s mind was like that of a three-year-old, clinging to Su Yao without a moment’s separation.
The more he clung, the more Su Yao felt heartache.
They had been apart for so many years. She hadn’t expected that their reunion would be like this.
Rong Xiao’s arrival was too suggestive; even Su Yao couldn’t fool herself.
He really was the same Rong Xiao from back then, with no reincarnation, no transmigration—exactly the same person.
Even the bite mark she had left on his wrist back then had not changed in the slightest.
But could an ordinary person live so long?
Impossible.
The entire Rong Family had been wiped out that year; only Rong Xiao’s whereabouts were unknown.
Two hundred years later, he suddenly reappeared, his mind that of a three-year-old, and even she… couldn’t remember.
So many details just didn’t add up. It was as if a thick fog separated her from the truth.
Su Yao was helpless; all she could do was hold tightly to the hands of those around her, no matter what happened.
She didn’t want to wait another two hundred years—she didn’t have the time.
“Let’s go home.”
Su Yao held his hand, her eyes full of tenderness.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shangjing was already in the depths of winter.
Su Yao was busy in the kitchen early in the morning, with Rong Xiao clinging to her like a large pendant, following her in and out.
Today was Xiao Hei’s birthday.
Naturally, Bai Maomao wasn’t idle either.
After coaxing and coaxing, he finally got Xiao Hei into the Bathhouse for a wash.
Since turning fluffy, Xiao Hei hated water.
Maybe it was animal instinct—no one but Bai Maomao could get him near water willingly.
Bai Maomao spent a lot of effort dragging him into the bathtub.
The water temperature was just right.
Bai Maomao patted his head soothingly, took out a pet shampoo, and squeezed a generous amount into his palm.
A strong fragrance filled the air, causing Xiao Hei to sneeze and shake off the water restlessly.
Bai Maomao got drenched as Xiao Hei shook himself, water splashing all over him.
“Don’t move!”
Bai Maomao pinched his ear in annoyance.
Sure enough, Xiao Hei stood still in the tub.
Looking down at his soaked clothes, Bai Maomao just took them off, wearing only his underwear, and jumped into the tub to wash with Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei’s ears twitched, a faint gleam in his eyes.
The fur of an adult wolf was smooth but tough, and it became even harsher when wet.
Xiao Hei rubbed himself vigorously against Bai Maomao, leaving his fair skin red from the friction before finally stopping reluctantly.
Bai Maomao didn’t notice, focusing instead on washing his fur.
After cleaning his body, Bai Maomao still had to wash his tail and rear end.
He lifted Xiao Hei’s tail and chuckled, “Getting ready to wash your butt—don’t be shy now.”
Xiao Hei wagged his tail, his ears trembling in embarrassment.