Chapter 167: Protagonist (5)

Xiao Shou lived for a while in the forests outside Gongxi City, changing his disguise daily to go into the city and gather information, but he heard nothing about the Second Miss of the Gongxi Family falling out with her family.

This shouldn’t be. He had spent so much time and so many points manufacturing “accidental” encounters, making Gongxi Wenxing fall deeply for him. How could there be no reaction at all now?

According to his experience, with this much time apart, Gongxi Wenxing should have long been unable to resist sneaking out to find him.

Unless… she was being controlled.

Thinking of Gongxi Yue, who had been staying in the Gongxi Family estate all this time, Xiao Shou couldn’t help touching his own face. The wound had already formed an ugly scar, stretching across his face.

He put on a mask that conveniently covered the upper half of his face, revealing only his scar-free chin, giving him a hint of mysterious handsomeness.

His ability to conquer so many women had a lot to do with his looks—Xiao Shou was well aware of this. Now that his face was ruined, it was bound to bring him more trouble.

After lingering near the Gongxi Family for several more days without getting any news of Gongxi Wenxing, Xiao Shou finally gave up in frustration. He knew that as long as Gongxi Yue remained around, he’d never fully win over Gongxi Wenxing.

Helplessly, he decided to temporarily abandon this target and set off for the distant Dannan Snow Mountain.

That was where the Snowfall Palace lay. He decided to approach another four-star target first.

Meanwhile, Gongxi Wenxing, whom Xiao Shou was obsessing over, was being tightly confined in her own courtyard by her elder sister, unable to take a single step outside.

Gongxi Yue was a cold and ruthless jailer. Every attempt at resistance from Wenxing was suppressed. Her only moments of joy came when she played with her beloved little niece.

Poor Qian was drowning in her aunt’s overwhelming love. Under this intense pressure, in just a few short days, she learned to speak her first words—simple phrases and names.

The first word she learned was “No,” which she suddenly blurted out while her aunt was showering her with kisses.

However, when the adorable little girl clearly said “No,” her aunt’s only reaction was delighted surprise: “Qianbao can talk now! So smart! Let Auntie give you a reward—a kiss!”

Because Gongxi Yue kept repeating “Auntie” in the child’s ear all day long, Qian soon learned to call her “Auntie” too, though it was often followed by a firm “No.”

With Gongxi Yue stuck at home, Gongxi Jianchen didn’t dare go out drinking, to the theater, or on other amusements. Every day, he came to play with his niece in his eldest sister’s courtyard.

Sometimes he even joined his second sister in pestering the child, often ending up with Qian punching and kicking to push both their faces away.

“Call me Uncle! Uncle! I’m your uncle!”

“Look, Qianxi, don’t you like this jade ring? You like it, right? Call me Uncle and I’ll give it to you!”

Little Qian grabbed the jade ring tightly with both hands, pulling it into her arms, and stomped on her uncle’s face with one foot, pushing his pitifully pleading face further away.

Gongxi Jianchen didn’t give up, even with his bright, handsome face flattened under her foot. He still insisted, “Just call me Uncle once! Uncle has lots more jade rings and little jade bells for you!”

Gongxi Wenxing giggled from the side and proudly said, “Our Qianbao likes Auntie more!”

Gongxi Jianchen had no choice but to ask his eldest sister for help: “Sister, teach Qian to call me Uncle. She listens to you the most.”

Gongxi Yue stayed silent: “……”

Gongxi Wenxing became smug and blurted out, “Qianbao doesn’t even call her Mama yet!”

Feeling the cold, murderous gaze from her sister, Gongxi Wenxing quickly shrank back and hugged her little niece for a kiss to make amends.

Even Great-Uncle Gongxi Yao had heard about the child learning to talk and came to teach Qian to say “Grandpa.”

Since he wasn’t as annoying as her aunt or uncles, Qian was willing to sit quietly in his arms for a while. But she wasn’t exactly obedient—no matter what he said, she would babble nonsense back at him while playing with the furry collar of his robe, ruining several of them.

Finally, when night came, Gongxi Yue took Qian to bed.

During the day, when her daughter called out “Auntie” without hesitation, her mother didn’t seem to care. But at night, when all was quiet, she sat cross-legged in front of her child and tried to teach her, “Say Mama.”

The child glanced at her, then scrambled toward her lap, hands and feet working together. Gongxi Yue held her shoulders, making her look at her face again, and repeated, “Mama!”

This time Qian reacted. She giggled, laughing like her aunt, raised her little hands, and loudly gave an enthusiastic “Mm!”

Gongxi Yue: “…Mama.”

Qian lifted her arms again and cheerfully replied, “Eh!”

Gongxi Yue: “Mom.”

Qian gradually got the hang of it: “Hey!”

Gongxi Yue thought, Forget it. Even if she doesn’t learn now, she’ll figure it out when she’s older.

Qian grabbed her mother’s hands, held onto her arms, and tried to pull herself up. Her chubby legs wobbled but managed to stay steady.

“Ah ah, eh!” she shouted, holding onto her mother’s arm and stepping forward, trembling with every step, as if she might fall at any moment.

Gongxi Yue calmly extended her arm, quietly watching her daughter learn to walk.

It was just a child learning to walk, yet as Qian stepped toward her, Gongxi Yue’s gaze grew focused and serious. When only two steps remained, Qian wobbled again and crouched down.

Gongxi Yue instinctively reached out to support her. With that bit of help, the child took another staggering step forward and fell into her mother’s arms.

Holding her soft little daughter, Gongxi Yue’s expression softened as she praised in a low voice, “Very good.”

In the sect, earning a single word of praise from the genius Senior Sister was no small feat.

The last person she had praised like this was her Junior Disciple—someone with the same Innate Sword Bone as her—who had reached Golden Core at twenty-six, shocking the entire Yunyin Immortal Sect.

“Walk again. More practice will make you steadier.” Gongxi Yue picked the child up, set her aside, and encouraged her to walk another stretch.

But Qian, who had finally crawled into her mother’s warm embrace and was nearly asleep, gave two disgruntled cries after being picked up again.

“Come on, walk to me.” Her mother extended her hand.

Qian opened her mouth and bit down on the offered finger with her tiny rice-grain-sized teeth.

Gongxi Yue’s brow twitched slightly. She pulled her hand back and wiped it clean: “Stand up.”

Qian kicked her legs and lay flat on the spot.

Just two days after Xiao Shou’s departure, the Gongxi Family held a grand family banquet for Qian, celebrating the addition of a new family member.

Eldest Miss Gongxi Yue sat beside the family head, Gongxi Yao, holding her daughter.

The banquet table stretched across the entire garden, with tables and chairs scattered among rockeries and garden paths.

On the banquet table was a long flowing water feature, surrounded by colorful, Spirit Energy-infused flowers, golden bowls, jade chopsticks, and a continuous stream of delicacies being served. Performers moved between tables, putting on shows.

The lively noise from outside was reduced to a distant murmur by the time it reached the main table in the hall. Only the music from the side hall was clear and pleasant.

Gongxi Yue disliked such banquets, but since this was her daughter’s official naming and first-birthday celebration, she stayed at the table for once instead of leaving midway like before.

Before her were some spirit-infused foods containing considerable Spiritual Energy. Rarely, she picked up her chopsticks and took a few bites.

She soon noticed that whenever she ate, her daughter in her arms kept turning her head, staring at her intently, even opening her mouth in a daze, drooling.

Without changing her expression, Gongxi Yue shifted her chopsticks around in her dish, and Qian’s eyes followed the chopsticks wherever they went.

When she picked up a petal-shaped slice of meat and put it in her mouth, Qian stared at her mouth, opened hers too, and began chomping at the air with exaggerated chewing motions.

Gongxi Yue allowed herself a barely noticeable smile and took another bite.

Qian tried to grab her mother’s chopsticks, opening her mouth wide like a little begging bird.

“You can’t eat this,” her mother said coldly.

After saying that, she caught several pitying gazes from those nearby.

Her aunt, uncle, and great-uncle all looked heartbroken and began to persuade, “Look how hungry the child looks! Just let her have a taste! One bite won’t hurt!”

Great-Uncle was even more flustered, quickly having the kitchen bring out something suitable for the child, all the while blaming himself, “It’s Grandpa’s fault for not thinking carefully enough! I forgot that our little Qian also wants to enjoy the banquet!”

Gongxi Yue thought to herself that raising her child in the Gongxi Family might not be a good idea—these elders were going to spoil her rotten.

Halfway through the banquet came the “First Grasp” ceremony. The wide long table, a special treasure artifact itself, displayed mountains and rivers within it. Close-blooded guests tossed their gifts into the artifact, each item floating and glowing with a unique light.

Qian was placed inside, but she simply sat still, staring at the various treasures, unmoved by the cheers and encouragement from the surrounding friends and family. She wouldn’t crawl, let alone walk.

Finally, after sitting too long, she just lay down flat.

Gongxi Yao started praising the child for being calm and unflustered, steady and composed, truly taking after her mother.

Her biological mother, Gongxi Yue, had no such rose-colored filter. In her heart, she thought the child was just lazy and would need strict discipline in the future.

The banquet carried on into the night, countless lanterns illuminating the entire garden in a dreamy, enchanting glow. With strong wine and rich flowers, singing and revelry, the atmosphere was even livelier than during the day.

Amid this lively scene, a figure silently slipped away down a dark path.

She wore a treasure that concealed her presence, had changed her appearance, dressed in a plain maid’s uniform, cautiously avoiding the patrolling guards.

The side gate of the inner courtyard was already within sight. Once past this door, it would be much easier to leave the Gongxi Family. She grew a little excited, quickly stepping past the gate—only for her footsteps to halt abruptly.

Gongxi Yue stood under the moonlight, holding her sword, looking at her sister’s panicked face with a calm expression. “Looks like it’s still not working,” she said flatly.

Terrified, Gongxi Wenxing turned and fled, but moments later, she was dragged back to the courtyard by the back of her neck.

Gongxi Yue had deliberately relaxed supervision today just to see if her sister’s “lovesickness” had improved. It seemed there had been some progress, but still far from enough.

Since this was the case, she couldn’t let her sister stay at home any longer. No one here could watch her properly.

Worried about her sister’s condition, yet unable to remain at home for long, Gongxi Yue decided to take her back to the sect.

Gongxi Wenxing and Gongxi Jianchen, the twin siblings, had been brought to the Yunyin Immortal Sect by their uncle Jing Lingzhao when they were very young. However, neither of them had any aptitude for cultivation. They had cried for as long as they stayed there, until Gongxi Yao personally brought them back home.

Yet their fear of their uncle hadn’t diminished with age. So Gongxi Yue decided to leave her sister in his care.

Her uncle had no objections, only earnestly reminding her to bring Qian home for the New Year.

Gongxi Jianchen, seeing his second sister’s pitiful appearance, felt a little sympathetic, but when their eldest sister casually said, “Why don’t you go too?” he was instantly frightened off, hiding behind his fan and avoiding Gongxi Wenxing’s pleading gaze.

Looking utterly miserable, Gongxi Wenxing was escorted by her sister to the Yunyin Immortal Sect. Because she was holding her little niece the whole time, she didn’t struggle, clearly still retaining some sense.

Previously, Gongxi Yue had rushed out of seclusion and left again in haste, and news about her child hadn’t yet spread.

This time, upon her return, Gongxi Yue first went to her residence on Crane Cauldron Mountain and summoned her junior sister Xue Yingying with a spirit crane.

This junior sister was a disciple of their martial uncle, but she got along well with Gongxi Yue. True to her name, she had bright smiling eyes, a gentle personality, and was very good at taking care of people.

In that “future,” she too had been a victim of Xiao Shou and the System, her temperament drastically changed, committing countless wrongdoings until she was expelled from the sect and froze to death alone in the cold.

“Senior Sister, last time you left so soon after coming out of seclusion, we were just saying we should throw a small banquet for you in the mountains to celebrate.” Xue Yingying, dressed in water-blue robes, was as graceful as an orchid on a mountain slope.

Gongxi Yue handed over the sleeping Qian from her arms, instructing, “Junior Sister, please look after my daughter for a bit. I need to take my sister to see Master first.”

Xue Yingying: “…”

“…What? Daughter? Wait, Senior Sister, daughter?!”

She stammered in shock, instinctively taking the child, struggling to find the words to ask her senior sister for clarification.

But Gongxi Yue merely nodded slightly, then decisively dragged Gongxi Wenxing onto her sword and flew away.