"Ran Ran, your father..."
"Do you want to lose your mother?"
Mo Huai'an froze, then met Bai Ran's serious and earnest gaze. It seemed to question him silently, asking if he intended to let go and lose Huan Yan.
Mo Huai'an lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and recalled the first time he saw her. The sudden, irresistible flutter in his heart was still vivid in his memory even now...
Amidst the sound of war drums, she slowly rode her dark warhorse from the center of the crowd. She wore no makeup, no ornaments, her three thousand strands of hair tied high with a silk ribbon. Her fiery red cloak billowed dramatically, and her battle armor clanked with a resolute sound. She was dashing, beautiful, and decisive. Her imposing presence, looking down upon the world, made Mo Huai'an's heart pound like a drum.
From that moment, he knew his heart's desire, his soul's longing. He wanted to approach this radiant woman, to practice swordsmanship with her day and night, to drink and sing with her, to spend countless lifetimes with her... never to part until their souls dissipated and vanished...
Mo Chenze slowly clenched his fist and gave a bitter laugh. "As expected, I still don't want to give up..." He wanted to explain, to plead, no matter the punishment or the price, he didn't want to leave Huan Yan.
Bai Ran looked at Mo Chenze and smiled lightly. She knew her father was always gentle and indecisive. But at this moment, perhaps even Mo Huai'an himself didn't notice how resolute his eyes were...
...
In the dim room, a chill permeated the air. With a creak, the door was slowly pushed open, and a tall, slender figure stepped inside. The man clenched his fist and walked towards the coffin placed in the center, then slowly squatted beside it.
"Yan'er..." Mo Huai'an reached out and gently caressed the coffin. Huan Yan lay peacefully inside, as if in a deep sleep. But no matter how Mo Huai'an called her name, she would not slowly open her drowsy eyes and bid him good morning.
"Yan'er..." Mo Huai'an's hand caressing the coffin trembled, and his eyes gradually reddened. "I'm sorry..." He gazed at Huan Yan for a long time, wishing he could sacrifice his own life to make her open her eyes and look at him again.
"Is your husband very useless? He wants to protect everyone, but he can't protect anyone." "He even made Ran Ran work so hard and grow up under such pressure..." Mo Huai'an paused, forcefully suppressing the overwhelming guilt and longing in his heart. "So, please wake up..." "Whether you hate me, stay away from me, or even kill me for revenge, it's all fine..." "As long as you wake up... okay..."
As his words fell, the room was silent. No one answered him. Bai Ran didn't disturb Mo Huai'an. She returned to her own room and began to cultivate the clone soul condensation technique without pause. As long as she mastered all the secret arts in the book, she could save her mother.
Long Jinhan stood outside the room. Despite his overwhelming longing, he did not enter. "It's over, His Majesty has become a stone waiting for his wife again," Jing Feng murmured, looking at Long Jinhan's back from a distance with a shake of his head. Zhu Que pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on the closed door filled with worry and a hint of joy. The joy was that her master was finally about to be reunited with his family. The worry was that once her master began cultivating with the intention of saving someone, he would become almost sleepless, completely disregarding his own health.
Zhu Que's worries proved true. Days passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by. The group stood before Bai Ran's closed door, each filled with extreme concern.
"Is something wrong with Master?" Little Zi rolled her eyes at Zhu Que. "You idiot, what are you talking about." Even Jing Feng wore a worried expression, looking troubled. "If Miss Bai has truly been cultivating day and night, her body indeed won't be able to withstand it..." During this time, Mo Huai'an and His Majesty had both almost given in several times, wanting to urge her to rest. But without exception, both were blocked by the souls under Miss Bai's command at the door, unable to get even a step closer.
"Boom!" A loud explosion echoed from the kitchen. Jiang Ye turned his head in confusion. "What was that sound?" Jing Feng looked at him with a hint of helplessness. "His Majesty and the others are brewing medicinal soup..." Little Zi pouted. So, the explosion meant he failed? Giving something like that to a little ghost would only make her worse. Zhu Que was puzzled. "But didn't the male master's cooking skills improve?" Previously, a dozen bowls of medicinal soup hadn't exploded. He even made Jing Feng drink the leftovers. Jing Feng rubbed his forehead, unsure how to explain. In fact, it wasn't just His Majesty making the medicinal soup; it was also Miss Bai's father... With the combination of their cooking techniques, it wouldn't be surprising if the entire ghost clan exploded.
In the kitchen, Mo Huai'an coughed from the black smoke caused by the explosion, while Long Jinhan frowned and waved his hands, trying to disperse the smoke.
"Father..."
"This title, Demon Lord, Mo Huai'an cannot accept it." In the past half-month that Bai Ran had been cultivating, Mo Huai'an had learned from Jing Feng and the clan elders that his precious daughter was the King of the Ghost Clan and was engaged to the Demon Lord of the Demonic Realm. The more Mo Huai'an looked at Long Jinhan, the more displeased he became. Perhaps this was the nature of a father-in-law looking at a son-in-law, growing more angry with every glance. Xuan Qinghong, who also wasn't too pleased with Long Jinhan, had a lively chat with Mo Huai'an. They discussed which young master was obedient and which disciple was gentle and refined, seemingly plotting to find a new husband for Bai Ran. It was pity for Long Yu Venerable, who went back and forth, his mouth worn out from trying to change their impressions of Long Jinhan. He scratched his head all night, pondering how to praise his son.
"Creak—" Bai Ran's door suddenly opened, and everyone's attention instantly shifted. Slowly, Bai Ran stepped out. Apart from a pale complexion, she seemed fine.
"Little ghost, your body..." However, before Little Zi could finish speaking, Bai Ran raised a finger and placed it on her lips. "It's alright. Help me to my mother's room first..." Her voice was hoarse. Little Zi immediately understood that she was forcing herself to stay upright. Zhu Que stepped forward and helped Bai Ran to the door of the room where Huan Yan's coffin was placed. She raised her hand, signaling everyone to stay outside.
Watching the door close again, everyone's hearts were in their mouths, their faces contorted with worry. Little Zi looked solemn. Earlier, Shi Tian in the spatial dimension had been urgently transmitting messages to him, saying that he couldn't stop his master from cultivating. For the past half-month, Bai Ran had been cultivating with unprecedented intensity, almost to the point of fainting, yet she refused to put down the technique. Little Zi sighed. It was easy to guess that Xiao Gui was pushing herself, but no one could stop her. This stubborn streak, where did she learn it from?