Lu Xunzhi felt a little nervous about bringing Pu Xin to meet Lu Bieling. Lu Bieling was not easy to get along with, and even as his son, Lu Xunzhi rarely had much to say to him.
The next day, Lu Xunzhi got up early. When he went downstairs, he saw a white “mushroom” growing in the living room and was startled.
Calling it a mushroom was not quite accurate. It looked more like a dandelion that had matured but not fully.
On top of a lush green receptacle was a fluffy white tuft of pappus, but there were no seeds at the ends of the strands. Perhaps sensing Lu Xunzhi’s shocked gaze, the little dandelion trembled, then with a soft whoosh retracted all the white fluff and immediately bloomed into a small pale yellow flower.
Lu Xunzhi’s eyelids twitched. His gaze shifted downward and he saw that beneath the long flat leaves of the little dandelion was a small pale green basin. From his angle he could clearly see the light, translucent roots soaking freely in the water. Occasionally they stirred the water, splashing droplets outside the basin. A home service robot circled around her, thoughtfully cleaning up the spilled water.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense. The short little roots immediately stopped moving, and the leaves quietly shifted position to cover the basin. The pale yellow flower swayed gently at him, looking somewhat guilty.
Lu Xunzhi turned his head and coughed lightly.
“What are you doing?”
Knowing that aliens could take human form and personally witnessing his mother transform into an alien were two completely different levels of understanding.
Seeing that her little one was no longer looking at her, Pu Xin quickly pulled her feet out of the basin and stepped onto the floor. She ran behind the sofa with rapid little steps, leaving a wet trail behind her. The home service robot hurriedly wiped the water clean.
Two minutes later, Pu Xin stood in front of the sofa wearing the pale green dress Lu Xunzhi had first seen her in. Her black hair hung loose over her shoulders, and she stood barefoot on the floor, looking guilty as she allowed her little one to examine her.
Seeing that she looked exactly like his little nephew waiting to be scolded after doing something wrong, Lu Xunzhi could not help but feel amused. He pointed to the sofa beside him.
“Sit.”
Pu Xin immediately sat beside him. Her emerald green eyes shifted quietly, as if she were brewing some explanation.
Lu Xunzhi glanced toward the corner where the small basin had already been carried away by the robot and smiled silently. Squatting halfway down, he helped Pu Xin put on her shoes and reminded her, “Don’t walk barefoot in the future. You’ll catch a cold.”
As soon as he said it, he suddenly realized that soaking one’s feet in cold water probably made it easier to catch a cold than walking barefoot on the floor. But asking an alien to soak their feet in hot water…
Pu Xin nodded vigorously, then glanced at Lu Xunzhi’s strange expression and lightly tapped his ankle with her foot.
“Zhizhi, I’m sorry… I haven’t soaked my feet in a long time.”
Lu Xunzhi fell silent.
What kind of strange bad habit was soaking one’s feet in cold water early in the morning?
Lu Xunzhi took her hand, untied the hairband on her wrist, and used it to tie her hair again. “You don’t need to apologize to me. But can you tell me why you wanted to play with water?”
Pu Xin liked the feeling of him tying her hair. She sat obediently and said matter-of-factly, “Soaking feet feels very comfortable. When I was in the Devil’s Eye, I often went to Emerald Lake to soak them. The little silver fish would even nibble my feet. It tickled…”
She enthusiastically described her past experiences, then looked regretfully at Lu Xunzhi.
“Little one, why aren’t you a dandelion? Otherwise I could take you to Emerald Lake to soak your feet too.”
Lu Xunzhi was speechless.
Imagining himself sitting by a lake, taking off his shoes to soak his feet, he forced a dry laugh and shifted the topic.
“The Devil’s Eye is where you used to live?”
As more aliens integrated into human society, humans had gradually learned a term from them: the Devil’s Eye.
It was a mysterious and vast place. Almost all plant-type aliens came from the Devil’s Eye. Once they left it, they could never find their way back. Because of this, since the Devil’s Eye became known to humanity, no one had ever managed to locate it.
Pu Xin nodded, then drooped like a deflated balloon.
“But I don’t know how to go back now.”
That was no different from other aliens. Lu Xunzhi tied the bow in her hair and comforted her.
“We’ll find it someday.”
The matter of soaking her feet seemed to pass without much trouble. Pu Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After breakfast, she followed Lu Xunzhi into the hover car.
The Lu residence was a vast estate. Outside the tall metal fence were guards every few steps, checking everyone who entered or exited.
Pu Xin pressed herself against the hover car window and curiously looked at the surveillance eye approaching the vehicle. She even tried poking it through the glass with her finger, though of course she could not touch it.
Lu Xunzhi had gradually grown used to her simple, sometimes childish behavior and never restrained her.
Soon he noticed that he was not the only one arriving at the estate today. Several hover cars were traveling along the ground roadway.
His brows furrowed slightly.
The Lu residence had been granted by the Federation government after Lu Bieling became the Federation’s marshal. Lu Bieling himself rarely stayed there, but the rest of the Lu family enjoyed its luxury and splendor. Old Master Lu had therefore confidently moved the entire family into the estate.
Lu Jinyu liked hosting banquets or inviting friends to visit, using the opportunity to flaunt her identity as the beloved younger sister of the marshal and bask in others’ envy.
Thinking of something, Lu Xunzhi’s brows knit tighter and his expression cooled slightly.
Just then, his smart brain emitted a notification sound. It was a message from Lu Bieling asking him to come to his office.
Since Lu Xunzhi had mainly brought Pu Xin here to meet Lu Bieling, he pushed aside the messy thoughts.
As they stepped out of the hover car, they happened to run into Fang Zhiren, who had just gotten out of another vehicle, along with two other carefully dressed women.
Fang Zhiren looked dignified and elegant. When she saw Lu Xunzhi, she immediately adopted the manner of an elder and greeted him warmly.
“Xunzhi, that’s more like it. Your home is here. How can you live outside? If others hear about it, they’ll think your relationship with your family isn’t good.”
Before Lu Xunzhi had a chance to reply, she turned her attention to Pu Xin standing beside him. Noticing the slightly crooked hair tie, she frowned.
“This must be your girlfriend. What’s her name? If you’re bringing her home, you should at least make her look presentable. Her hair isn’t even properly combed. It’s really too—”
“Is it your place to criticize her?” Lu Xunzhi interrupted.
Fang Zhiren choked on her words. The elegant mask on her face nearly cracked. Then she heard him continue calmly.
“This is my mother. Show some respect.”
Fang Zhiren froze completely.
The two women beside her, who had been waiting to watch her make a fool of herself, were also stunned.
Pu Xin smiled shyly. “Hello, I’m Zhizhi’s mother.”
Her voice was gentle, but her gaze lingered on Fang Zhiren’s face. Her eyes curved as she smiled.
“The saliva of the Devil Flower does help with beauty and skincare, but if you use too much, your face will rot.”
She had noticed the scent of the Devil Flower on the woman the last time they met. At first she thought it had only been accidentally contaminated, but now Fang Zhiren had applied a thick layer of Devil Flower saliva on her face, making her complexion radiant.
In the Devil’s Eye, many ignorant little aliens would steal the Devil Flower’s saliva while it slept to maintain a youthful appearance. They did not realize that excessive use would instead erode their life force.
Pu Xin had warned many little aliens about it before. They would always promise in panic that they would never use it again, yet secretly smear it onto their flower discs to prolong their blooming season.
Humans using alien secretions as beauty treatments was not a secret, but people were ashamed to speak about it openly. Even those who used it did so quietly.
The moment Fang Zhiren heard the words “Devil Flower,” her face changed dramatically. She stepped back, then suddenly realized something and clutched her handbag tightly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she snapped sharply.
Pu Xin looked puzzled by her flustered reaction. Seeing that she had once again clumsily tried to do a good deed, Lu Xunzhi turned to the guard beside him.
“Escort them out. From now on, I don’t want to see them here again.”
The guard hesitated briefly, glancing at him. Only when he saw Lu Xunzhi’s expression darkened did he signal for someone to escort Fang Zhiren and the other two away.
Pu Xin looked at Lu Xunzhi, then at the guard, tilting her head.
“Zhizhi, why doesn’t he listen to you as well as your soldiers do? Isn’t this your other home?”
The place where Lu Xunzhi lived was also staffed with guards, all of them his trusted subordinates who treated Pu Xin with great respect. She especially liked one of the younger soldiers.
As soon as she said this, Lu Xunzhi paused slightly, and the guard’s face changed.
“Good point. Replace them.”
The abrupt, cold voice made everyone turn.
In the parking area, the door of a hover car had opened without anyone noticing. Lu Bieling stepped out from the back seat wearing his marshal’s uniform.
He wore a black-and-gold military cap bearing the Federation’s insignia. On the shield, two swords crossed, edged with slender olive branches symbolizing strength and peace.
The guard’s face instantly drained of color. He opened his mouth as if to plead for mercy, but when his eyes met Lu Bieling’s icy gaze, his whole body trembled and he lost the ability to speak.
While Lu Bieling was admired by the Federation’s citizens, he was also a controversial figure. He was unquestionably the Federation’s God of War, but his aggressive combat style and nearly autocratic approach were frequently criticized. Once he had single-handedly opposed the decisions of the Federation’s five marshals. Yet despite acting alone, he succeeded, which firmly established his unshakable status in the Federation.
Pu Xin’s eyes lit up. She quickly walked over to Lu Bieling and extended her soft white palm.
“Hello, I’m Zhizhi’s mother.”
Lu Bieling had not yet reacted when Lu Xunzhi inwardly cursed. He had not yet told the old man about Pu Xin.
Nearby, Fang Zhiren, who was being escorted away, had a glimmer flash in her eyes and a trace of ridicule curled on her lips.
Young girls these days really do not know the meaning of fear. The last woman who had tried to throw herself at Marshal Lu Bieling, hoping to become Lu Xunzhi’s stepmother, had caused her entire family to collapse.
Seeing that Lu Bieling had not responded, Pu Xin waved her hand slightly.
“Aren’t you going to shake hands with me?”
Wasn’t shaking hands the way humans expressed goodwill when meeting each other?
Lu Bieling examined her. His icy gaze was enough to freeze someone in place. Lu Xunzhi hurried over, intending to explain.
But Lu Bieling suddenly raised his hand and lightly held Pu Xin’s palm. The coldness in his voice softened slightly.
“Hello, I am Lu Xunzhi’s father.”