It was deep into the night.
Si Zhizuo had been pretending to sleep the entire time. She was nestled in Si Xinyan’s arms, her dark eyes constantly darting around.
It was already 2:00 AM.
Si Zhizuo listened to the frequency of her mother’s heartbeat, her small face practically written with the word “nervous.”
‘It’s my first time doing something bad.’
The little girl didn’t know how to handle the nerves, and her little heart pounded wildly. Sneaking out alone while her mother was asleep—just thinking about those words was thrilling and nerve-wracking. Si Zhizuo didn’t even dare to imagine what would happen if she were caught.
However, Si Zhizuo didn’t dare use a spell to force Si Xinyan into a deep sleep. She wasn’t that out of line yet. As a “little dumpling” who had just recently become human, she couldn’t bring herself to use magic on her own biological mother, even if the intention was good.
Normally, getting up would cause some movement. Someone like Si Xinyan, who was a light sleeper, would be startled awake by even the slightest noise.
But she also had a fatal vulnerability that only her biological daughter knew. Around 2:00 or 3:00 AM, Si Xinyan would sleep exceptionally soundly. This was one of the few times she entered a deep sleep.
One of Si Xinyan’s arms was draped over Si Zhizuo. The little girl carefully poked her head out from under her mother’s arm, then slowly slid her entire body out. She didn’t make a single sound throughout the process, her movements so light it was as if nothing had happened.
Thanks to her small size, the little girl was able to crawl out from the warm blankets and into the cold air on her hands and knees.
Winter nights were freezing.
Si Zhizuo instinctively looked back. Si Xinyan was still sleeping deeply, her lips unconsciously pouting in her sleep. Compared to her mother’s warm embrace, it was indeed a bit cold outside.
The little girl’s first instinct was to crawl back under the small quilt, but she used her willpower to restrain herself.
‘I must save Mom.’
Zhizhi clenched her fists, her fighting spirit soaring as she made an internal vow. Then, in a flash, she vanished from the spot.
A massive Divine Sense swept across the entire small world in an instant.
Su Liumeng hadn’t returned today either; she was still busy with the transfer of power within the Su family. There were restrictions in many places in this world, and these wards generally blocked Divine Sense probes. However, Si Zhizuo was too strong. She used a nearly brutal method to force her consciousness into various places, searching for Su Liumeng.
Of course, she never looked at things she shouldn’t. Mom had said that if she looked at things she shouldn’t, she would get styes. She always remembered that. She didn’t want to be a disobedient baby at all.
Thinking about things she shouldn’t do, Si Zhizuo realized what she had done tonight and felt strangely speechless.
‘How can I say I listen to Mom while sneaking out behind her back?’
Si Zhizuo stuck out her tongue playfully. Her small face turned slightly red as she floated through the sky, yet not a single person could notice her cute little figure.
‘How can this be compared to that? I’m still a good baby.’
After a few minutes of searching, Si Zhizuo found Su Liumeng in a valley. Su Liumeng was standing in front of an array, her hands forming unknown seals as she tinkered with something.
Si Zhizuo didn’t care what she was doing. Or rather, she didn’t care at all. She suddenly popped up in front of Su Liumeng, her small body filling the woman’s entire field of vision while one little foot stepped right onto the center of the bright array below.
Su Liumeng was startled. Who wouldn’t be frightened if someone suddenly jumped out in front of them while they were working seriously in a quiet environment?
Su Liumeng’s expression remained calm, but her heart was racing. Looking at where the child was stepping, her eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
‘Stay calm. I must stay calm,’ she repeated to herself.
This was her family’s little princess. Even if she stepped directly on the Su family’s array core and nearly destroyed the entire thing, she couldn’t get angry…
*Crack.*
*Crack —*
The array was slowly cracking.
Su Liumeng’s eyelids twitched again, and she could no longer control her emotions. The array was about to shatter—to hell with not getting angry!!! Just what kind of feet did the girl have to be able to crack the entire array with one step?
Most importantly, Si Zhizuo lacked any self-awareness. Her fair, tender little feet were bare as she hopped around right under Su Liumeng’s nose, making her presence known. At the same time, she waved her small hand in Su Liumeng’s face. “Hey, bad woman, I have something to discuss with you. Wait, what’s with that expression? Since I, the Ghost Emperor, have personally come to speak with you, you should be honored. Instead, you dare to glare at me? Fine, I’m going to get angry. No, I’ll tell Mom you were mean to me.”
“Liar. You clearly said you would treat me as your own and pamper me like a little princess,” Si Zhizuo huffed. The cracking sound near her ears grew louder. Hearing the abnormal noise, she tilted her head unnaturally, her tone finally returning to normal. “Wait, I think I broke your array.”
She suddenly jumped back a certain distance. Looking at the light array that was about to shatter into countless pieces, her small hand immediately formed a seal.
In an instant, it was as if time were flowing backward. Everything returned to its original state.
Su Liumeng breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself that the girl wasn’t quite that much of a brat yet, and the worst hadn’t happened. On the other hand, she was shocked by Si Zhizuo’s cultivation level; it had truly reached a point of divine perfection.
“Sorry, I almost broke your thing.”
“Small matter,” Su Liumeng said with a light chuckle. “Coming to see me this late… there must be something important, right?”
“Is it about Xinyan?”
Si Zhizuo looked at the young woman in front of her. The thought that she could only cooperate with this person made her feel entirely uncomfortable. But the key was that she had no other choice.
After struggling through her internal conflict and hesitation, she took the initiative to bring up the topic. “Mom has been very off lately. It’s like she’s fallen into some kind of emotional trap. She’s completely different from how she used to be. I’m worried that if this continues, something bad will happen. So, I wanted to discuss a plan with you to help her find her old self.”
Su Liumeng pondered for a moment. “I noticed this problem a long time ago as well. That’s why I’ve been investigating Xinyan’s past, thinking that if I can resolve that part of her heart’s knot, it might make things a bit easier for her.”
Si Zhizuo listened very seriously. This was a detail she had never considered. She had to make sure to remember it.
Su Liumeng continued, “Of course, Xinyan’s heart’s knot definitely isn’t limited to just that one. Otherwise, she wouldn’t look relatively normal every day while actually being full of worry.”
“To untie the knot, you need the person who tied it. To truly resolve the things on her mind, we need to understand what she is worried about. You can take on this task, and I can try as well.”
Si Zhizuo nodded seriously again and added, “On top of that, we shouldn’t forget to let Mom do things she’s interested in. Only by working on both her internal state and her external life simultaneously can we reawaken her true self.”
“Exactly, you’re absolutely right.” Su Liumeng looked at the little girl before her, a trace of relief flowing in her eyes. It seemed Xinyan hadn’t spoiled the wrong person.
“Then it’s decided. We’ll work together and strive to complete the mission as soon as possible.”
“As you wish, Princess Zhizhi,” Su Liumeng said with a smile. “I haven’t forgotten the promise I made earlier. I, Su Liumeng, am not someone who breaks her word.”
After finishing their discussion, Si Zhizuo was about to leave directly. Hearing the way Su Liumeng addressed her, she reacted like a kitten that had its tail stepped on. She nearly jumped, her tone suddenly stammering as she retorted angrily, “Who wants to be pampered like a little princess by you, you bad woman! Hmph, don’t think that because I chose to cooperate with you, it means I don’t dislike you anymore. As long as you are with Mom, I will never accept you!”
Si Zhizuo lifted her chin and gave a light huff.
Having finished speaking, it was as if Su Liumeng’s next words would contain arsenic; she didn’t give the woman a chance to respond. Leaving only a small, cute silhouette behind, she vanished instantly from the spot.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.