Xiao Wu was being gently caressed by Ah Yin and Liu Erlong, who looked at her with eyes full of maternal affection—it made her hair stand on end.
She wore a confused expression on her face, especially when she noticed her own mother looking gratefully at the two beautiful women who kept stroking her.
She just couldn't understand—what was wrong with these two women? Why were they looking at her like that?
Xiao Wu was utterly bewildered, but instead of overthinking it, she used her thoughts to open the latest entry in the diary copy.
Immediately, Zhao Ling's magnetic voice echoed in her mind. The more she listened, the more confused she became.
She understood what a "goddaughter" was, but what the heck did "daughter-in-law" mean?
Human familial terms were way too complicated. Up until now, she hadn't been able to figure out exactly what "daughter-in-law" meant.
But when she heard Zhao Ling say that, in a certain sense, both of these beautiful women in front of her were her moms, her mind grew even more muddled.
She clearly only had one mom. Even if this "Long'er" mentioned in the diary could be considered her adoptive mother, that made two moms at most. But how did this woman called Yin'er end up being her mom too?
Xiao Wu sighed quietly in her heart—whatever, two more moms is just two more. As long as they don't treat me too harshly, I can live with it.
Meanwhile, Bo Saixi and Bibi Dong saw the latest diary entry. Since it didn't mention them, they skimmed through it briefly and closed it.
—In a parallel timeline of the Peerless Tang Sect era—
A girl who looked around eleven or twelve years old—with large pink-blue eyes, long curled eyelashes, and flowing pink-blue hair cascading down her back—playfully disappeared into the mist.
She had overheard her parents say that Douluo Continent sounded like a fun place, so she wanted to travel to the mortal realm of Douluo for a bit of fun.
But as her body kept descending, she suddenly saw a strange white vortex appear mid-air out of nowhere.
She immediately tried to halt her fall, but her speed was too great—and the vortex seemed almost alive, lunging straight at her.
Before the little girl could even cry out, "Dad! Mom! Help me!!", she was swallowed by the white vortex.
And then, just as suddenly, the vortex vanished—leaving behind only calm skies, as if nothing had ever happened.
Back in that parallel timeline, Tang San, now a god, was being affectionate with his beloved wife.
Their daughter was quite clingy, so the only time the couple could enjoy some alone time was when she was asleep.
They cherished these rare moments together. But suddenly, Tang San furrowed his brow—he had just sensed something strange: his daughter's aura had disappeared.
He was sure he wasn't mistaken. Her presence had completely vanished—without a trace—as if she had never existed in the world at all.
His expression grew darker and heavier. Xiao Wu, lying in his arms, looked up at him with a puzzled expression and asked cautiously:
"What's wrong, San-ge? Did something happen?"
Tang San's frown deepened. His face was now filled with dread.
"Xiao Qi's aura disappeared. It was sudden—like she was never part of this world. It's strange... why would her aura suddenly vanish…"
"What… Xiao Qi's aura disappeared?!" Xiao Wu, now a mother, felt her head spin and nearly collapsed on the spot.
Tang San quickly caught her by the waist and comforted her, "Xiao Wu, don't panic. Maybe I sensed it wrong. I believe Xiao Qi is fine—she'll be okay."
The next morning, in Heaven Dou Imperial City—
Zhao Ling rode in a carriage directly to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Someone had attempted to assassinate Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, and they were now trying to pin the blame on him—how could he possibly keep hiding?
He had never wanted to become a royal protector or the Crown Prince's godfather in the first place. Now that something like this had happened, it was the perfect excuse to reject both titles.
As for the five million gold soul coins and the residence, Zhao Ling planned to return them to the royal family as well.
He was a dignified Titled Douluo—killing someone like Xue Qinghe would be as easy as crushing an ant. And yet those people dared to accuse him of using despicable means? Outrageous!
If the people of the Heaven Dou Empire didn't want him as a royal protector or godfather to the prince, then fine—he'd gladly cut ties.
His carriage reached the palace gates, but the guards blocked it.
Zhao Ling lifted the curtain, face cold, and barked, "Move."
The guard saw who it was—it was the royal protector personally appointed by the emperor not long ago.
He had even seen with his own eyes how Zhao Ling sent Bone Douluo from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect flying with one punch at the royal training ground.
Knowing he couldn't afford to offend someone like this, the guard immediately let him pass.
Even though Zhao Ling was now under suspicion of orchestrating an assassination attempt against Crown Prince Xue Qinghe—many officials had even jointly petitioned for his removal—the emperor had been holding firm and suppressing the matter, a sign he was still on Zhao Ling's side.
The guards weren't about to mess with someone like that. Letting him through was the best way to stay alive.
Once the carriage entered the palace and reached the imperial stables, Zhao Ling got out and headed straight for the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Inside the hall, Emperor Xue Ye and his ministers were in the middle of a court session, discussing recent events—chief among them the attempted assassination of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
For days, Emperor Xue Ye had been avoiding the issue, not wanting to deal with it. But the more he delayed, the more officials brought it up.
Sure enough, today over twenty ministers had jointly submitted a petition demanding a full investigation—and the removal of the primary suspect: the royal protector.
This gave both Emperor Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing a headache.
They couldn't understand it—why were people so hell-bent on ousting Zhao Ling, their hard-won royal protector?
They both felt like slaughtering these blind, foolish officials.
These ministers were just too irritating. They had finally secured Zhao Ling, yet now everyone was trying to drive him away. Were they out of their minds??