Tongtian Jiaozhu carefully examined the child before him. The child’s large, watery eyes, as dark as black grapes, sparkled with a light that clearly indicated a lack of intelligence. The child’s face was plump and round, somewhat chubby, reminiscent of his first inner disciple. For a cultivator who had no particular feelings about appearances, he could only think that this child looked…
Quite endearing?
At the very least, the child didn’t seem irritating. Of course, Sages had no concept of beauty or ugliness; everyone focused only on what they cared about most. For example, the Two Sages of the West were preoccupied with attaining sagehood through loans, single-mindedly striving to bring prosperity to the Western Paradise. As for him, if it weren’t for the Investiture of the Gods calamity, it would be hard to say what he would have been particularly focused on.
At this moment, Tong Tian slightly closed his eyes, sensing the faint but tightly connected karmic bond between himself and this child. He pondered for a moment before finally deciding to extend his hand.
“Young friend…”
This child, though a member of the Human Race, was shrouded in strangeness from head to toe. Even though the Heavenly Dao had made him a father, he was not one to easily submit. He had to figure out exactly what was going on with this child.
Could the Heavenly Dao have some scheme again?
Just as he was about to continue speaking, the child in front of him had already approached, grabbing his clothes tightly. “Daddy.”
“Hold me.”
Tong Tian: …
The Heavenly Dao, secretly observing from not far away: …
At this moment, the little one had no idea of the complex emotional turmoil within Tong Tian. She only knew that the person before her seemed harmless and was incredibly good-looking. After being struck by lightning and turned into a child, her mind had become simple and pure.
Hold me.
After quickly realizing that normal and smooth communication with the child was impossible, Tong Tian experienced for the first time the limited vocabulary of a child—or rather, the limited vocabulary of a Human Race child. The entire conversation consisted of nothing but “hungry” and “hold me.”
Tong Tian: …
Who had sent her here, and what kind of scheme was at play? What was the purpose of this strange karmic connection?
At this moment, the Heavenly Dao was clutching its head like a Psyduck. “I also want to know why ‘Master, please stay’ turned into ‘Daddy.’ Someone save me!” The Heavenly Dao, forced to sense everything despite its reluctance, was also suffering. For the first time, it regretted its past cold-heartedness—how it had immediately struck down the anomaly with a Lightning Tribulation, turning them into this state.
The only consolation was that the other anomaly had also been struck down, their cultivation realm plummeting.
But ours seems to have started even lower! The Heavenly Dao continued clutching its head.
In the end, Tong Tian brushed off his sleeves and, after failing to communicate, took the child back with him. Since a karmic connection had been established, he couldn’t simply let her go. After all, the entanglement between Hongyun and the Two Sages of the West was a cautionary tale.
Upon returning, before Tong Tian could sort out his thoughts, he received a message from Yuanshi. The Three Pure Ones, who had been in seclusion, had sensed Tong Tian’s departure and immediately rushed to his main peak. “Tong Tian, what urgent matter made you leave Kunlun?”
As everyone knew, the Primordial World was now an era where Golden Immortals were as common as dirt and Great Powers as numerous as dogs. Although the Three Pure Ones believed themselves to be the essence of Pangu, that didn’t mean they had no rivals in the Primordial World. They were far from the future where they would become three Sages in one sect. Leaving casually meant potentially forming karmic connections, which was not a good thing for them as they were still digesting Pangu’s essence to elevate their realms.
Tong Tian looked at his somewhat flustered elder brother, Yuanshi, whose expression remained solemn. This was not yet the future version of him who would stab him in the back for the sake of the Doctrinal Lineage. He could hardly remember if there had ever been such concern between them after they each established their own sects.
It seemed that every time they communicated, all he heard was his elder brother’s disdain for his disciples. In the end, for the sake of his own legacy, Yuanshi had even severed ties with the entire Intercepting Sect.
Perhaps it was the betrayal by those closest to him that made him even more furious and pained. Having just returned, Tong Tian didn’t know how to face this brother of his from the past.
After a moment of silence, Yuanshi, looking at his strangely quiet younger brother, also found himself at a loss for words. He believed he had always done his utmost for his brother. As the youngest among them, Tong Tian had always been under his care, and he often thought of him as a child who had yet to grow up.
In the past, Tong Tian would have already started protesting and explaining himself, but now he was so quiet that Yuanshi was momentarily at a loss.
Although Tong Tian accepted defeat gracefully, the thought of the Investiture of the Gods made him refuse to communicate with Yuanshi, who was left puzzled. The two brothers exchanged a glance.
Yuanshi tried to divine the reason but found nothing, only sensing that the workings of heaven were obscure, as if deliberately concealed.
"Forget it," Yuanshi said, thinking his brother must be troubled by something. "Laozi and I have discussed it and decided to seal off Kunlun for a thousand years. We’ll make further plans after the first Tribulation passes."
He glanced at Tong Tian, who had been silent since his arrival, and after a pause, added, "You won’t be allowed to leave either."
Tong Tian: …
Their conversation was brief, lasting only half a day—a mere fraction of an Immortal’s lifespan, less than one in hundreds of millions.
Watching his brother leave, Tong Tian let out a long sigh, his heart still heavy with unresolved emotions. Only then did he remember the little Human Race child he had brought back. Perhaps, under his supervision in Kunlun, the child might reveal some secrets. But when he released the child, he found them tightly closing their eyes.
Tong Tian: Hmm?
"Little friend, what’s wrong?"
The child opened their eyes, glanced at Tong Tian, and frowned. "I’m hungry…"
Tong Tian: !!
Tong Tian was shocked. Had it only been half a day since he last spoke? How could the child already be this hungry?
Hearing Tong Tian’s reaction, the child, though reduced to the age of three by the lightning strike, still retained basic common sense. Children were naturally prone to hunger, and Tong Tian had kept them hungry for half a day, which was already the limit of their endurance. The child’s lips immediately quivered, and they began to wail.
"Hungry!!"
Tong Tian: …Well, this is awkward.
As a future Heaven-appointed Sage, with countless disciples and a reputation for "ten thousand Immortals paying homage," he had never taken care of a child before. All the disciples he had taken in were Demon Race members who had successfully transformed, long past the age of needing to be fed, and he had certainly never taken in such a young, milk-drinking toddler.
He was born with great divine abilities…
Now, forget about asking about the child’s origins—the child was so hungry they were on the verge of passing out and had completely refused to communicate.
Tong Tian was utterly exasperated. What frustrated him most was that the child wouldn’t listen to instructions at all. He asked what the child wanted to eat, having heard that some demon cultivators consumed metals and stones. The child just stared at him.
With unwavering confidence, the child declared, "I want to eat food!"
Tong Tian: …Alright, that was as good as saying nothing. Now he had no idea where Nüwa was either.
The little one saw there was no food and immediately lay down to continue crying.
Tong Tian: …
He was truly getting a headache from all the crying.
Once again, he emphasized to himself: he, a future Heaven-appointed Sage, now had no idea what a child should eat. Restricted by the secrets of heaven, the Human Race had not yet been born, so he couldn’t even divine it. He was utterly at a loss.
He even thought about going out to find Nüwa later—perhaps she would know—but then remembered that Kunlun had already been sealed off…
The little one was also at her wit’s end. She was so hungry she rolled around on the ground. When a child is hungry, it’s unbearable. After crying for a long time, she finally grew too exhausted to cry anymore, whimpering weakly between sobs.
Tong Tian: …
Once again, he reminded himself: when his disciples met him, they were already quite mature. This was the first time he had encountered something that left even a Sage at a loss.
Tong Tian pondered for a moment, then, with his hands behind his back, said leisurely to the child, “Get up.”
The little one continued rolling around on the ground.
Tong Tian: …
She completely ignored his command!
He reached out, intending to put the child away again, but then met a pair of teary eyes. The child’s eyes were red from crying, and she seemed genuinely hungry. As someone born with great cultivation who had never experienced hunger, this was his first time facing a child rolling around in hunger.
Tong Tian: What should I do? She really does look very hungry.
But as a Heaven-appointed Sage, should he yield to someone who, for some unknown reason, shared a Karmic Connection with him?
He could simply turn and leave, secluding himself for a hundred years. As he thought this, his mouth said, “Get up.”
The little one had no idea what Tong Tian was thinking. She only had one feeling: she was really, really hungry.
Exhausted from crying, she lay on her back on the ground. Hearing Tong Tian tell her to get up, the little one made it clear: she wouldn’t.
Tong Tian: …
With no other choice, he went out to look for those who had been enlightened by absorbing Spiritual Energy in Kunlun in the past. As soon as he stepped out, he encountered the young attendant who served him. The attendant bowed respectfully and said, “Lord Tong Tian.”
Lord Tong Tian asked him, “What should this little fellow eat?”
The attendant: ??
Wasn’t this beyond his scope?
He was transformed from jade by the pond and looked just as bewildered. Tong Tian felt frustrated that he had never paid attention to the early stages of human life. Now, unable to divine anything, he was deeply troubled.
With no other options, seeing the child crying uncontrollably, he could only offer her a few sips of the dew his elder brother had once collected. To them, it was nothing special, but to others, it was a rare treasure.
In later times, such a thing would be tearfully enshrined if brought out casually. After returning, Tong Tian helped the child up and watched as she tilted her head to look at him.
He noticed that the child’s arms were very soft, as if boneless. Even a slight force would leave bruises on her fair skin.
Seeing the dew brought to her lips, the child cautiously sniffed it first, then frowned and took a tiny sip.
Then he watched as she grabbed the bottle and began gulping it down.
After finishing the drink, the child grew completely quiet and stopped rolling around on the ground.
It seemed she was full now…
Tong Tian couldn’t help but wipe the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. Turning around, he saw the now-satiated child sitting on the ground, pushing the bottle around to play.
Tong Tian: …
Although he didn't understand why, Tong Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief and at last had a chance to catch his breath. Since returning to the past, he hadn't been able to properly think about how to plan for the future. What he needed now was to enter meditation and calm his mind.
Based on his experience with entering meditation, the next time he woke would be a thousand years later. From this perspective, Kunlun Mountain sealing itself off didn't seem to have much impact.
Perhaps this thousand-year meditation could help him calculate what schemes this child, connected to him by karmic ties, might be hiding behind the scenes.
After all, it was just a mere child.
Overthinking was pointless. Just as Tong Tian arrived at the meditation cushion, sat down, and prepared to enter meditation, he felt a head lean in close. The Sect Leader heard a faint, childlike voice whisper in his ear.
"Daddy, I'm hungry."
Tong Tian: !!??
What's going on? How can he be hungry again?
Author's Note:
[Eating melon seeds] The Sect Leader is about to experience the power of a child.