“Why are you staring at me?”
“Did I say something wrong?”
Xi Zhiruo looked puzzled, almost suspecting there was something stuck on her face.
I forced myself to look away as calmly as possible.
It’s fine.
It’s fine.
She’s still just a baby.
After mentally repeating that three times, I finally managed to steady myself—only to meet Ye Xi’s meaningful gaze the very next second.
“Carry me—”
Xi Zhiruo stretched her arms toward me from Ye Xi’s embrace.
I took her back naturally.
Ye Xi looked a little reluctant, but well, she was my daughter.
A sudden thought flashed through her mind.
Maybe… she could have a baby too, someone to keep her company?
The moment that idea surfaced, her expression dimmed. She thought of her failed first love, and all that remained was quiet bitterness.
Who was that unlucky? First relationship, and she met the wrong person.
She was short—was that her fault?
Her looks hadn’t disqualified her, but her height had.
Who could she even complain to?
Xi Zhiruo rested against my shoulder, secretly glancing at Ye Xi.
Hmm… strong emotional fluctuations, and a bit of sadness.
‘Is she talking bad about me?’
‘I only let her hold me for a little while. That can’t be enough to complain about me, right?’
I waved down a taxi. “Ye Xi, I’m heading back. We’ll probably meet again next year.”
“Mm. Be careful on the way.”
I didn’t tell her I was leaving this world.
She still didn’t know that Xi Zhiruo was the supreme powerhouse who had broken through last time.
I only said I’d be away for a while.
Ye Xi waved at me.
With my bag slung over my shoulder and my daughter in my arms, I waved back.
“Miss, where to?” the driver asked.
I gave the address of the hillside villa, and the car sped forward.
“Mom…”
“I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
Xi Zhiruo yawned sleepily in my arms.
The driver glanced at us through the rearview mirror. A girl this young always made people look twice.
Soon, we arrived at the villa district. After verification, the car drove all the way to the entrance. Su Liumeng had already heard the commotion and was waiting downstairs.
August first.
A Spirit Boat rose from above the villa. Its concealment formations activated, making it vanish from sight. Su Liumeng stood on the rooftop, silently watching as it shot into the sky and disappeared beyond the clouds.
A trace of warmth and lingering fragrance remained in her arms.
Then, her figure vanished from where she stood.
One day later, near the boundary monument, Su Liumeng looked at the three elders before her, her voice devoid of emotion.
“Father… I’m not your biological daughter, am I?”
…
The Spirit Boat passed through without obstruction, using the Great Elder’s token to cross the boundary barrier.
Leaning against the edge of the deck, I felt my long-cold blood begin to stir.
Leaving this world for the first time.
Leaving Earth for the first time.
To say I wasn’t excited would be a lie.
Xi Zhiruo was even more excited. She bounced around, pointing at countless stars, then at one especially bright one.
“That’s where we’re going.”
The world is vast.
The universe is even more vast.
Yet only six planets hold life.
Together, they are called the Six Realms.
The world I once lived in is known as the Sixth Realm, located at the very edge.
As we left the Sixth Realm, I saw countless evil cultivators gathered outside it, dense as locusts, endlessly attacking the world’s natural defensive barrier. A massive formation covered the sky, vast beyond imagination. The aftermath alone had already altered the planet’s temperature.
Sitting on the deck, I watched as our Spirit Boat passed boldly by them. I took a sip of the lemon drink my daughter had made.
“Can you poison them?”
“You should be able to do it quietly, right?”
“Pick a few of the strongest ones and plant an incurable poison. Let it trigger when the battle fully breaks out.”
Xi Zhiruo tilted her head. From confusion to excitement, it took her exactly one second.
“That’s easy. Leave it to me.”
She blinked—and casually planted hidden poison in half of them.
Poisoning just two or three people? What’s the point?
She—Si Tonghao—never does bad things.
But when she does, they’re always on a grand scale.
The little dumpling crouched there, already waiting for the aftermath.
When the poison erupts during the great battle… that would be quite a show.
“Done?” I asked.
“Done!” Xi Zhiruo patted her chest. “And I exceeded expectations.”
My eyelid twitched slightly.
Whoever got caught in that… good luck.
The Spirit Boat continued along its designated path.
A special route derived from the laws of the world.
People call it the Star Sea, or the Boundary Sea—a kind of cosmic highway connecting worlds.
Of course, “fast” is relative.
Even then, it would take about one month to reach the Ghost Realm.
The Ghost Realm is the Fifth Realm, the closest to the Sixth.
Still one month away.
“Mom, let’s grill meat,” the little dumpling said eagerly.
I looked back at the starry sea. The Sixth Realm had already shrunk into nothingness, replaced by endless stars scattered across the darkness.
Only when you gaze into the universe do you realize how small you are.
At that moment—
The little girl tilted her head.
“But Zhizhi isn’t small. I could punch a hole through the Boundary Sea right now—one that could never be repaired. Everyone passing by would see the mark forever.”
She could vaguely read my thoughts.
I turned and pinched her chubby cheek.
“Don’t ruin my mood.”
I had just been about to feel sentimental for a bit.
It was my first time being apart from Su Liumeng for so long. I hadn’t said it out loud even once, but it already felt suffocating.
“Mom…”
“Don’t cry.”
Xi Zhiruo stood on tiptoe, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes.
I slowly crouched down and pulled her into my arms.
Listening to her steady heartbeat.
In this unfamiliar sea of stars, she was my only anchor.
“Don’t cry. I’ll comfort you,” Xi Zhiruo said helplessly. She didn’t understand why I was crying, but she could feel the pain spreading from my heart. She wiped at my face over and over, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
Finally, she sniffed hard, and tears rolled down her own cheeks.
“I… suddenly feel sad too…”
“Mom, are you missing that bad woman?”
I held her small body close.
Her warmth was completely different from my cold constitution.
“Yes.”
“But… I feel better now.”
I wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Alright, don’t be a crybaby like me. Let’s make some grilled meat.”
The moment she heard that her mother would cook, she stopped crying instantly.
Ridiculously easy to comfort.
Her bright eyes curved into a smile, still glistening with tears.
Adorably so.