As soon as the little girl said that, Jiang Yao almost thought she had misheard.
What did she just say?
She said she wanted to kill her father?
What the hell?
Wasn’t she looking for her father all along? Now that she had found him, she wanted to kill him?
Why?
Jiang Ling found it hard to believe. How could a five-year-old girl say something so outrageous? What had she gone through?
Of course, not only Jiang Yao was shocked—everyone present was stunned.
This little girl wasn’t just smart. She was… a little scary.
To hear words like “kill” from the mouth of a child so young…
“You… are you joking?” Jiang Yao softly asked, “You want to kill your father?”
“That’s right, I want to kill him. I want him to die a horrible death!” the little girl said through clenched teeth, her tone cold.
“Why?” Jiang Yao couldn’t understand.
“Because he abandoned my mother and me!” the little girl’s large eyes turned red. “If he hadn’t abandoned us, mother wouldn’t have been taken by bad people. I wouldn’t have been starving on the streets. I almost got killed too.”
“This…” Jiang Yao was at a loss for words.
If he really was such an irresponsible father, then holding a grudge was understandable.
The crowd around them was also indignant.
“Such a smart and adorable daughter, what kind of father would be heartless enough to abandon her?”
“A man like that has no conscience. As a man, I’m ashamed of him!”
“I’d be grateful just to have such a smart daughter.”
“Exactly. Abandoning his wife and daughter—he’s a beast!”
People were shouting angrily. How could a father abandon such a young and adorable daughter?
She nearly died. Now she could only wander the streets, selling paintings to survive.
How could such a heartless father exist in this world?
Jiang Yao didn’t deny what everyone was saying. But the problem was… Ling Qi wasn’t supposed to be that kind of man.
What exactly happened? It had to be investigated carefully.
“Let’s go, big sister. Take me to find my father!” the little girl said.
She quickly gathered the remaining paintings into her small basket, then strapped it onto her back.
Seeing her small frame carrying that basket, Jiang Yao shook her head and waved her hand.
A maid stepped forward and said, “Little sister, let me carry that for you!”
“You’re so kind. Thank you,” the little girl said without objection.
With that, Jiang Yao led her back to the palace under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The crowd behind them broke into furious scolding again.
“A father worse than a beast. A husband worse than a beast…”
…
Jiang Yao quickly led the little girl into the palace gates.
“Wow! Sister, are you really a Princess?” the little girl asked in surprise.
She had heard how everyone earlier addressed Jiang Yao. And now she could see it for herself—only a Princess could enter the palace so freely.
“You… can’t call me sister,” Jiang Yao quickly corrected her.
If this child was Ling Qi’s daughter, she would technically be her junior.
She shouldn’t be calling her sister. But… what should she call her?
Jiang Yao didn’t know. She couldn’t call her mother either, right?
Though… with such an adorable daughter, Jiang Yao wouldn’t mind having one. But she wasn’t the child’s mother.
Besides, her real mother was still alive.
“I got it!” the little girl quickly said. “I should call you Princess. A Princess is ‘Your Highness,’ and the Emperor is ‘Your Majesty.’ Mother taught me that.”
“Just call me sister…” Jiang Yao chuckled awkwardly.
Although it wasn’t appropriate, it would do for now. For a child so young, expecting her to follow rigid etiquette would be too much.
“Okay, Princess Sister,” the little girl nodded.
“And you? What’s your name?” Jiang Yao asked.
“My name is Xu Qiyue. I was born in July, and I take my mother’s surname, so that’s what she named me,” she replied with a smile.
“That’s easy to remember…” Jiang Yao shook her head helplessly.
It seemed her mother had picked a temporary name, likely hoping to find Ling Qi someday.
“What about your mother? What’s her name? And the bad people who took her—where are they from?” Jiang Yao continued asking.
“Mother’s name is Xu Qingxue. As for those bad people… I don’t know!”
Xu Qiyue shook her head. “Mother said she was already on the run when she was pregnant with me. Those bad people kept chasing her.”
“A few months ago, they caught up.”
“That day, Mother hid me and told me not to make a sound. She told me to go find Father no matter what.”
“And then… I saw them take Mother away.”
Her big eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.
She had only ever had her mother by her side since birth.
When her mother was taken, it was like her whole world had been taken away.
Of course she was heartbroken.
Jiang Yao looked at the heartbroken Xu Qiyue, then gently reached out and rubbed her little head.
A child so young, forced to watch her mother being taken away, left all alone with no one to depend on…
Only the heavens knew how she had survived.
It was no wonder she hated the father she had never met.
“So… you’ve never actually seen your father?” Jiang Yao asked.
“Of course not. He abandoned Mother and me before I was even born,” Xu Qiyue pouted.
“But what if… your father had something very important to do and didn’t know your mother was pregnant?” Jiang Yao suggested.
If that were the case, then maybe Ling Qi wasn’t such a scumbag. Maybe he just didn’t know.
“How could he not know? If he was my father, how could he not know Mother was pregnant?” Xu Qiyue refused to give her father the benefit of the doubt.
Since she was little, everyone else had a father.
Wherever she went, other children had both parents by their side.
But she only ever had her mother, wandering from place to place.
She envied those children, and the more she envied them, the more she hated her irresponsible father.
After her mother was taken, she swore in her heart that she would find her father… and kill him.
“Mother told me herself—she was abandoned!” Xu Qiyue added angrily.
She remembered very clearly how heartbroken her mother looked whenever she mentioned her father.
Of course she hated that man just as much.
“I see…” Jiang Yao forced a laugh and stopped trying to defend Ling Qi.
What really happened would be clear the next time she saw him.
She’d have to ask him properly—what exactly had he done in the past?
And what were his plans now?
If Xu Qiyue really was Ling Qi’s daughter… then what about her and Ling Qi?
Jiang Yao was both confused and anxious.
Ling Qi was her man. If he already had a wife and child, should she still be with him?
She had already decided that she wanted to spend her whole life with him.
But what if they couldn’t be together in the end?
What if… he didn’t want her anymore?
…
Soon, Jiang Yao brought Xu Qiyue to the inner palace and went straight to Jiang Ling.
Since this involved Ling Qi, such an important matter had to be reported to her royal sister.
When Jiang Ling saw Jiang Yao walking over with a little girl in tow, a trace of confusion appeared on her noble and beautiful face.
Where did this adorable little girl come from?
“Royal Sister!” Jiang Yao greeted respectfully.
Xu Qiyue also realized that the woman in front of her was the Empress whom everyone had spoken about.
She copied Jiang Yao and gave a slight bow. “Greetings, Your Majesty Sister.”
“Uh…” Jiang Yao was speechless.
Calling everyone ‘sister’? The seniority here was completely mixed up—etiquette too.
But it didn’t matter. Her royal sister wasn’t the type to hold grudges over such things.
She wouldn’t argue with a little girl over titles, right?
Sure enough, Jiang Ling didn’t care what Xu Qiyue called her, as long as it wasn’t disrespectful.
“Your Majesty Sister is so beautiful…” Xu Qiyue said in a small voice.
It was the second time someone had praised Jiang Ling’s beauty to her face.
The first was Ling Qi.
When he said it, it was clearly laced with desire and rudeness.
But when Xu Qiyue said it, there was no ulterior motive—just a genuine, heartfelt compliment.
She had never seen such a beautiful sister before. She was almost as pretty as her mother.
“Who is she?” Jiang Ling asked with a soft smile, turning to Jiang Yao.
“She…” Jiang Yao took out Ling Qi’s portrait from the little basket and stepped forward. “She might be Ling Qi’s daughter.”
Jiang Ling was stunned.
Ling Qi… had a daughter?
Wait a minute—if he already had a daughter, why was he still so flirtatious?
“It’s not confirmed yet,” Jiang Yao added, “but I don’t think it’s wrong.”
Jiang Ling’s golden eyes stared directly at Xu Qiyue.
Looking at her young face and those clear, bright eyes…
She did resemble Ling Qi a little.
And more importantly…
“7th stage Spirit Martial Realm? Heh, there’s no doubt,” Jiang Ling said with a light laugh.
She had seen it at a glance—the little girl already possessed cultivation at the 7th stage Spirit Martial Realm.
That level wasn’t rare. There were many cultivators far beyond it.
But the key was—this girl looked only five years old.
To have such cultivation at her age… she was a little monster.
With talent like that, she had to be Ling Qi’s child.
“What? 7th stage Spirit Martial Realm?” Jiang Yao was shocked.
She hadn’t even noticed the child’s cultivation.
Thinking about it, she was already eighteen and only at the 9th stage Spirit Martial Realm.
She admitted she wasn’t very talented.
But Xu Qiyue’s talent was unbelievable.
No wonder she’d survived safely after her mother was taken.
This little girl wasn’t just smart—she was a cultivation prodigy.
With talent this terrifying, if she wasn’t Ling Qi’s daughter, then who else could she be?
“Where did you meet her?” Jiang Ling asked.
“Just now, on the street…” Jiang Yao then explained everything about Xu Qiyue.
After listening, Jiang Ling chuckled and took the portrait from Jiang Yao.
Staring at Ling Qi’s face in the painting, she said calmly, “She really is Ling Qi’s child.”
“How can you be so sure, Royal Sister?” Jiang Yao asked, curious.
“Xu Qingxue. I know her,” Jiang Ling said slowly. “Saintess of the Snow Clan from Tianshan.”
Beyond the northern border of the Great Yan Empire lies a vast glacier region known as Tianshan.
Among those icy lands lives a clan of cultivators who all practice ice-element techniques—the Snow Clan.
Ordinary people wouldn’t know the name Xu Qingxue.
But Jiang Ling, the Empress of the Great Yan Empire, did. She was the Saintess of the Snow Clan.
“To have the Snow Clan’s Saintess give birth outside and be forced to wander… aside from Ling Qi, who else could be responsible?” Jiang Ling said.
The Snow Clan wasn’t weak by any means. For someone to have managed to win over the Saintess of the Snow Clan, Jiang Ling could only think of one person—Ling Qi.
And after considering what Chu Xinyue had said earlier about Ling Qi’s entanglements with many women, it was basically certain now. The little girl in front of them really was Ling Qi’s child.
“But he probably doesn’t know about this,” Jiang Ling continued. “Otherwise, he’d have no reason to abandon his woman and child.”
Even though Ling Qi wasn’t exactly a good man—just a womanizer through and through—he still wasn’t the type of scum who would abandon his own child and lover. He simply didn’t know he had a daughter, nor that Xu Qingxue had been pregnant back then.
“Interesting…” Jiang Ling’s golden eyes rested on Xu Qiyue’s delicate little face.
Ling Qi actually had a child?
And now that child was in her hands?
This just made things easier—she could use this to bind Ling Qi even tighter.
Jiang Yao, on the other hand, looked extremely gloomy.
Interesting? What’s so interesting about this?
Royal Sister, have you forgotten he’s my man now?
If he finds out he has a child and runs back to Xu Qingxue, then what about me?
I’ll be the one getting abandoned!
“My father… is his name Ling Qi?” Xu Qiyue’s tender yet icy voice suddenly rang out.
She had remembered that name—and decided she would never let that man off.
“That’s your father’s name. So your name could also be… Ling Qiyue,” Jiang Ling said as she walked up to the little girl and crouched down.
She had decided. From now on, she would make full use of this little girl.
“Hmph! I’m not taking his surname. I want to kill him!” Xu Qiyue snorted, crossing her arms.
“Your father is very powerful. You won’t be able to kill him,” Jiang Ling said with a faint smile.
Xu Qiyue pouted. Of course she had considered that.
But so what? If she couldn’t kill him now, she’d kill him in the future.
“You shouldn’t hold such a grudge against your father. He didn’t even know your mother was pregnant at the time,” Jiang Ling said softly. “As for your mother… don’t worry. She’s safe now.”
The ones who had taken Xu Qingxue were undoubtedly people from the Snow Clan.
Since Xu Qingxue was the Saintess, she had to return to the clan.
And precisely because she was the Saintess, she couldn’t let anyone know she had a child.
“Really?” Xu Qiyue was at least somewhat comforted upon hearing her mother was safe.
“Back when your mother was taken, they didn’t hurt her, did they?” Jiang Ling asked.
“No… they didn’t. But they forced her to go with them. She had no choice,” Xu Qiyue said coldly.
“Then that’s fine. Don’t worry, she’s okay. You’ll see her again soon,” Jiang Ling said.
“Really? Your Majesty Sister… can you help me find my mother?” Xu Qiyue looked up with pleading eyes.
Right, if anyone could help her find her mother, it was the Empress of the Great Yan Empire.
“Of course. Once your father returns, I’ll send him to bring her back,” Jiang Ling said with a nod. “He’s my friend, but he’s away for now. It’ll take a while for him to return.”
“In the meantime… how about you stay here in the palace?”
“No one can hurt you here. You won’t go hungry.”
“There’s lots of good food in the palace. I bet you’ve never tasted anything like it.”
Right now, Jiang Ling sounded exactly like a gentle and loving big sister coaxing her younger sibling.
Of course she had to treat this little girl differently.
First, she was beautiful, smart, and gifted—easy to like.
Second, she was Ling Qi’s daughter.
“Really? But… I don’t have any money,” Xu Qiyue whispered.
“You don’t need money here,” Jiang Ling smiled. “But… you have to agree to one thing.”
“What is it?” Xu Qiyue’s eyes widened.
If she could have a place to stay—especially in the palace—of course she would be happy.
Jiang Ling’s red lips curved slightly, and she said slowly, “You… have to take me as your master and become my disciple.”
The moment she said that, Jiang Yao pursed her lips slightly.
Royal Sister, you sly little fox…
Taking Xu Qiyue as a disciple—first, the girl was outrageously talented, with limitless potential.
Second, this would guarantee Ling Qi could never break away from them.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
“Really?” Xu Qiyue’s face lit up. The Empress herself wanted to take her in as a disciple?
That was a great thing!
She immediately nodded. “I’m willing! Master, I bow to you!”
With that, she performed the formal ceremony on the spot.
Jiang Ling smiled with deep satisfaction, then gently took Xu Qiyue’s small hand.
“You must be starving, right? I’ll take you to eat something delicious now.”
“Mhm… I’m really hungry. I haven’t eaten since last night—I had no money,” Xu Qiyue giggled.
And so, Jiang Ling held her hand and led her toward the imperial kitchen.
Jiang Yao followed behind, her expression a bit odd.
Her sister really seemed to like this girl. It almost felt like she saw her as her own daughter.
Then again, what’s the difference between a disciple and a daughter?
…
Elsewhere, far out at sea, the vast blue stretched endlessly.
Upon the waters, a small boat drifted quietly.
Ling Qi leaned lazily on the side of the boat while the catgirl Xiao Chan crouched nervously at the edge.
She peeked over the side to look at the dark, deep blue water, then immediately pulled back.
So scary. It felt like some sea monster would suddenly leap out at any moment.
This little boat that could barely fit two people looked like it would be swallowed by the waves at any second.
There was zero sense of safety.
Other people set out to sea on warships that could withstand storms.
But they? Just a tiny boat?
Wasn’t this just asking to die?
But all her worries were unnecessary.
No matter how fierce the waves got, the boat glided along smoothly, riding the wind like it had a will of its own.
With someone at the Supreme Limit Realm like Ling Qi around, even the wildest sea posed no threat.
“So we’re really just going to sail up to the Demon Sect like this?” Xiao Chan asked.
The Demon Sect’s main base was on a remote island—heavily fortified and hard to breach.
And now, it was just the two of them… in a tiny boat?
“How else do you want to go?” Ling Qi chuckled.
If it were anyone else, this would be suicidal.
But he wasn’t just anyone.
“I don’t have much fighting power. You better protect me,” Xiao Chan pouted.
Ling Qi just smiled and motioned her over.
“What now?” Xiao Chan scooted over.
Ling Qi pulled her into his arms, letting her rest against him.
As he gently stroked her fluffy ears, he gazed at the sky and murmured, “This world… it’s actually quite nice.”
His original world—if he couldn’t go back, then so be it.
Since he was stuck here, he might as well live well.
Hearing this, Xiao Chan curled up tighter in his embrace like a clingy little kitten.
“I’m glad you feel that way. Otherwise… I’d feel like it was all my fault,” she said quietly.
After all, she had brought him to this world. If he were miserable, she’d feel guilty.
“I never blamed you for bringing me here. But you really shouldn’t have lied to me,” Ling Qi smiled.
Thinking back on everything he’d done over the years, he felt a little guilty.
How many good women had he hurt?
He was probably the worst kind of scumbag.
He wondered how they were all doing now…
They must hate him, right?
If he had the chance, he’d go find them all and make it up to them.
“I only lied for your own good…” Xiao Chan pouted.
If she hadn’t been thinking of him, she wouldn’t have told that lie.
And so, the two of them lay together in the boat, chatting idly as they drifted along.
It looked so peaceful, so dreamlike…
Until evening, when a massive island finally emerged from the mist on the distant horizon.
This was the Demon Sect’s main stronghold.
As their tiny boat neared the island, the patrol guards quickly spotted them.
“A boat is approaching! Archers, fire at will!” the squad captain shouted.
No reasons needed. No excuses.
Approaching the island meant death.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Arrows lit with flames shot out of the darkness, filling the sky.
The small boat was instantly riddled with holes and caught fire on the sea’s surface.
Naturally, everyone assumed the intruders were dead.
But they didn’t know—before the boat was set ablaze, Ling Qi had already taken Xiao Chan and darted underwater.
They resurfaced at a hidden corner of the island and slipped ashore unseen.
The Demon Sect’s island was massive.
Its central fortress was magnificent—almost on par with the Great Yan Empire’s palace.
No wonder the Demon Sect was the Empire’s greatest threat.
Under cover of night, Ling Qi and Xiao Chan infiltrated the depths of the Demon Sect’s stronghold.
Their first goal was to find the medical tome.
If they could get it directly, all the better.
If not… they’d have to go straight to the Demon Queen for it.
Soon, they reached a secluded courtyard at the heart of the compound.
They climbed a flower-covered wall and peered inside.
Within the tranquil courtyard was a small hot spring.
Soaking in it was a snow-white figure, her back turned to them.
All they could see was her long black hair and fair shoulders above the water.
Seeing this, a smirk curled at Ling Qi’s lips.
The Demon Queen, bathing… what luck.