NOVPUBChapter 473: Chapter 471: How about celebrating your birthday for you, okay?
Chapter 473: Chapter 471: How about celebrating your birthday for you, okay?
Before Sally could go to the Beast Emperor’s Palace, Zi Qi had already come to find her. He looked exhausted; the purple in his eyes had dimmed, overtaken by shadows.
Sally was holding a broom, sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard. A storm last night had brought a flurry of leaves into the backyard, along with some unidentified green fruits.
Upon seeing Zi Qi, Sally blinked, then handed him the broom. “Help me sweep up the courtyard—I’m going to make some open-air barbecue.”
“Yanyan… Okay,” Zi Qi took the broom.
Sally watched him sweep little by little, glancing at her from time to time.
“The children’s recent grades weren’t very ideal. I’ll keep a closer eye on them,” Zi Qi said to Sally.
“No need, just let them study at their own pace. Besides, this month’s test doesn’t count. I got the wrong papers, and I wanted to arrange a makeup test, but Qing Linghuan disagreed and made a fuss with the kids, which is why their grades turned out this way.”
“I heard from Xiaoqi that Zulu…”
“I revived him,” Sally looked at Zi Qi. “I also owe you an apology. I doubted you at the time.”
“It doesn’t matter; I would have doubted me too.”
Sally set up the barbecue grill and had Bai Kaixin prepare some side dishes and wine; she started to grill the meat.
Zi Qi just quietly watched her bustling about, not knowing what to say or do, so he simply kept silent and drank.
“I went to the Southern District,” Sally said, smelling the sizzling meat.
Zi Qi tightened his grip on the now empty wine cup, waiting for her to continue.
“You gave him the Shark Bead?”
“…Yes.”
“With his memories inside the Shark Bead, he remembered the past and wanted to raise Xiaoqi on his own.”
“He also told me that originally, he had no plans to return to the Southern District, but decided to do so after meeting Xiaoqi at the academy.”
“How much do you know about the Southern District, Your Majesty?”
“Other than a few islands and forested areas, most of the Southern District is made up of rivers, lakes, and seas, especially the Canglan Sea, which is not only the largest but also where the Sea Emperor Capital is located.”
“I see the waters of the Southern District are vast, almost connecting to the other continents.”
“Yes. But the distance between continents is also vast, and even if you leave the waters of the Southern District, there are still extensive international waters in between. The true resources and power of the Southern District are not in the waters above but beneath the sea.”
“The bottom of the sea… sounds dark and cold,” Sally frowned slightly.
Possibly because this topic was within Zi Qi’s comfort zone, his tone became more relaxed, and his expression improved significantly.
“There’s another world beneath the sea. Beyond the darkness lies the Deep Blue Abyss—the Luoya Ancient Continent, known for its eternal daylight, once home to the Sea God Clan.”
“Luoya Ancient Continent…” Sally pondered.
“If Xiaoqi wants to go back, I won’t stop him,” Zi Qi suddenly said.
Sally glanced at him and handed him a skewer of grilled meat, “Here you go.”
Zi Qi’s eyes suddenly lit up as he took it, “Thank you.”
“What are you being so formal for?” Sally chided with a smile. “Consider it a birthday gift for you, okay?”
“…” Zi Qi’s eyes sparkled even more. “You knew?”
“Of course, I knew. But I had an urgent task at the time, and I needed to earn points to revive Zulu, so that’s why I left.” Sally smiled, “Happy Birthday.”
“Mhm.” Zi Qi took a bite of the skewer, his eyes filled with joy, “It’s very delicious.”
“Then eat more… Wait a minute, didn’t I prepare a birthday gift for you to give to Xiaoqi?” Sally looked at him.
Zi Qi paused, “…”
Sally laughed heartily, “Your daughter beat you to it again.”
Zi Qi was embarrassed, “She claims whatever she’s interested in for herself, I’ll speak to her about it later.”
“It’s fine. You know, being from the Rat Clan, these little ones have inherited some of my bad traits.” Sally handed him two more skewers, “It was Xiaoqi’s own decision. She said she’d stay with you until she grows up. If she must go to the sea, she will tell you herself. Just follow her lead. Once she’s an adult, she’s completely on her own, free to go wherever she wants.”
Zi Qi took a sip of wine and gladly accepted, “Alright.”
Sally smiled teasingly at him, “But you’d best prepare two heirs, in case Xiaoqi really does return to the sea. What would happen to the Eastern District then?”
Zi Qi was very open-minded about this, “A wise ruler and capable general are hard to find; it doesn’t necessarily have to be my child. The future is still far off, we’ll see. And if they find a better world, even if they want to stay, I would not agree.”
“Ah, as long as you’ve decided.” Sally tasted a piece of her own grilled meat, then her face turned dark…
She forgot to add salt!
She looked at Zi Qi who was savoring every bite as if it were delicious, “Have you lost your sense of taste?”
“Not at all, Yanyan, it’s very tasty when you grill it.”
“…”
…
“So you’re saying, now, after twelve divine battles, the Asura Realm and Divine Realm are tied?” Sally didn’t pay much attention to the divine warfare, always feeling it had little to do with her.
Plus, having been on another mission, now bringing it up felt like casual gossip.
Zi Qi looked at her, considering that the Continent 9908 was actually a dangerous place for Sally. The envoys from the Divine Realm had sought her out several times.
Fortunately, she had not been around these past three months, avoiding one search after another.
“There are quite a few forces in the Beast World that have pledged allegiance to the Divine Clan, and they are looking for you.”
“Looking for me?” Sally was startled, “What for?”
Zi Qi took a letter out of his Spatial Ring, “Someone came asking for your whereabouts with this, here’s a copy. And regarding your information, I’ve already issued a gag order throughout the continent.”
“It’s not that serious, and not many people know me.” Sally opened the letter—Mom (a big smiling face) upon reading this feel like seeing your face, reading the letter brings joy…
“Is this from Little Shier?” Sally was surprised by the handwriting on the letter, then she continued to read.
After finishing, she said, “I’ll have the other kids practice their writing skills later. There were quite a few misspelled words.”
Zi Qi: “… What about Little Shier?”
“Him?” Sally had Xiaomei check Little Shier’s status. He was currently sleeping, had gained five pounds, and his Innate Secret Technique had improved significantly, “He’s doing quite well.”
Worst comes to worst, there was also a substitute master following him, who, although somewhat unreliable, would not stand by in a life-and-death situation.
“Hehe, I thought you’d be worried.” Zi Qi handed her a wet towel, “Right corner of your mouth.”
Sally took it and wiped the corner of her mouth, which had a bit of charcoal ash, “Your Majesty can rest assured. I have Substitute Talismans for all my children… No matter where they are, they’re absolutely safe. As long as I am alive, they’ll have nothing to worry about.
There’s also a parenting mode that allows me to understand clearly their status, progress in training their Innate Secret Techniques, and even who didn’t sleep well or whose spiritual power is low.”
The half-million Fertility Points she spent to activate the parenting mode for her offspring were definitely not wasted.
Zi Qi gazed at her with a profound light in his eyes, “When Yanyan wasn’t here, it felt as if the sky was dark. After you returned…”
“The sky got even darker! Hahaha~” Sally joked playfully, then passed a freshly grilled skewer to Zi Qi.
Zi Qi took it and chuckled softly, a laugh that seemed to stem from genuine joy deep within.
