150: Chapter 150 Return to the Many Children, Many Blessings

The world spun.

As the peeling sensation of spatial teleportation receded like a tide.

Li Taiping's feet touched down on the deck of the Many Children, Many Blessings; in his ears was the sound of waves lapping against the hull.

Immediately following were the cries of The girls, filled with surprise and worry.

“Captain Brother!”

“Captain, you're back!”

A gust of fragrant wind hit him as Lin Weiyu was the first to pounce, hanging directly onto Li Taiping.

Her two fair arms tightly hugged his neck, and her watery eyes scanned his body back and forth, terrified that he might be missing even a single hair.

Xia Zhi, Lin Qingxue, and Sa Wanwan also quickly gathered around.

“How was it?” Lin Qingxue's voice carried a hint of urgency.

She took a step forward, her gaze fixed intently on Li Taiping's face.

Xia Zhi frowned slightly, immediately sensing that something was wrong with Li Taiping's mood.

“Captain, are you alright?”

Li Taiping didn't speak; he just stood there blankly.

His gaze was hollow, lacking focus.

The faces before him were familiar and vivid.

But his heart felt as though a piece had been ruthlessly gouged out.

It was empty, drafty, and devoid of any sense of belonging.

He was back, having returned alive from that damn dungeon where truth and falsehood were indistinguishable, bringing back a full load of spoils.

Yet, it seemed as if he had lost an entire world.

He slowly raised his hands, his movements stiff, and gently pushed aside Lin Weiyu, who was hanging onto him.

Lin Weiyu was stunned for a moment and stepped back half a pace, somewhat at a loss.

Li Taiping's gaze bypassed everyone and looked straight ahead.

Su Mei was leaning against the railing at the edge of the deck.

The sea breeze blew.

Her long, wavy hair, permed at some unknown time, danced wildly in the wind.

She was mature and charming, with an enchanting figure.

Sensing Li Taiping's gaze, her red lips curled slightly.

She tilted her head.

Raising a slender finger, she lightly touched her lips and blew him a flirtatious kiss.

The gesture was frivolous and seductive to the bone.

But her narrow fox-like eyes held a hint of puzzled inquiry.

Looking at the living Su Mei, Li Taiping was struck as if by lightning, standing frozen on the spot.

His breathing instantly became rapid.

Countless images surged uncontrollably into his mind.

That woman in the dilapidated rental room who had blocked a fatal blow for him.

That girl who had bowed her head to write in her diary by candlelight.

Blood, tears, smiles.

Su Jie, Sister Su; Su Mei, Little Sister Su.

The same face, the same voice, even that small room filled with memories was exactly the same.

“Hubby, in the next life...”

“If I'm not enough alone, then I'll help Hubby train a whole group!”

In the dungeon, the handwriting in Su Jie's diary turned into steel needles, frantically stabbing into his mind.

The next life, many children, many blessings, and the Su Mei who was keen on training others.

Was all of this truly just a coincidence?

What was the relationship between that girl in the Abandoned City—the one he had considered a burden but who had silently used her life and soul to protect him—and this enchanting woman before him?

Countless thoughts collided and gnawed at each other frantically in his mind.

Li Taiping felt like his head was about to explode.

His heart pounded wildly, but he didn't dare to confirm it.

He was afraid that this was yet another false dream.

He feared that once it was punctured, even this last shred of solace would vanish into thin air.

He gritted his teeth hard and shook his head violently.

He forcibly suppressed those frantic thoughts deep into the recesses of his heart.

He took a deep breath.

The cold sea breeze filled his lungs, clearing his head slightly.

Looking at The girls before him, each with her own unique charm and all peerless beauties, he pulled himself together.

“I'm fine.”

“I just have a bit of a headache for a moment.”

“Just let me be alone for a bit to recover.”

Having said that, he no longer looked at anyone, bypassed the women, and walked straight toward his private Captain's Quarters.

His retreating figure looked desolate, a loneliness that tugged at the heartstrings.

He was the captain of the Many Children, Many Blessings.

He was Li Taiping.

He lived in the present.

This ship and these girls still needed him.

Let the past be the past.

The past has already happened and cannot be changed.

To over-indulge in the shadows of the past is no different from killing one's present self.

A night's sleep would fix it.

When he woke up, everything would be back to normal.

He told himself this over and over again in his heart.

Thud—the door closed, cutting off the view from outside.

On the deck, the sea breeze continued to blow.

The girls looked in the direction where Li Taiping had vanished, exchanging glances.

Looking at one another, they all saw a deep sense of worry and confusion in each other's eyes.

They had never seen Li Taiping like this.

In their memory, the previous captain, no matter how great the danger or how tragic the battle,

would always return with the light of confidence shining in his eyes.

It was the composure of someone in total control.

But now.

A layer of thick, inseparable sadness shrouded him, along with an exhaustion that reached his very marrow.

He was like a lone wolf who had just defeated all his enemies, only to find he had lost his entire world, licking his wounds in solitude.

“Let him be alone for a while.”

Finally, it was Su Mei who broke the silence.

She straightened up and reached out to stop Lin Weiyu, who wanted to chase after him and knock on the door.

“Sister Su Mei, but the Captain...” Lin Weiyu bit her lip, her eyes turning slightly red.

“He might have... experienced some things inside that we don't know about,” Su Mei interrupted her.

A strange look flashed in the depths of her eyes.

The girls fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

“Shouldn't we do something for him?” Lin Weiyu twisted her fingers, her face full of heartache.

Xia Zhi shook her head. “It's fine, trust the Captain.”

“He's a man; he can adjust on his own.”

“If we go and disturb him now, it will only distract him.”

Just then.

Lin Shishi curled her lip and muttered in a low voice.

“Men are human too.”

“Captain Brother definitely needs some care as well!”

Her eyes darted around, and a fawning smile appeared on her face.

“I'll go draw his bathwater.”

“Let him take a hot bath and relax.”

As she spoke, she prepared to duck into the cabin.

Chu Mengyao rolled her eyes nearby and spoke up bluntly:

“Oh, give it a rest!”

“Drawing bathwater?”

“You just want to use the excuse of drawing bathwater to crawl straight into his bed, don't you?”

“Your little scheme is so obvious, the abacus beads are practically hitting me in the face!”

Her motives exposed, Lin Shishi's face instantly flushed red.

“None of your business! I want to!” She stomped her foot and retorted loudly.

The daily bickering between the two slightly lightened the heavy atmosphere on the deck.

Sa Wanwan hadn't participated in their argument; she kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed.

She seemed to be using her Spatial Talent to carefully sense something.

A moment later, she snapped her eyes open, her cool gaze filled with unmistakable shock.

“Didn't you all notice?”

“Notice what?” Lin Qingxue looked at her.

Sa Wanwan took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.

“Captain Brother's aura...”

“It has become much stronger again.”

“No, not just much stronger.”

“It's terrifying!”

“When he walked past just now, I felt like I was facing an Ancient Behemoth.”

“That kind of pressure has completely exceeded the scope of the Excellent Grade!”

At these words, all the women were shocked, and the sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed across the deck.

Exceeded the Excellent Grade?

Then wouldn't that be... epic grade?!

How long has it even been?

Just what kind of terrifying slaughter did he go through in that dungeon to achieve such a leap-forward breakthrough?

Everyone was rendered speechless by this news.

Only Su Mei remained leaning against the railing, the sea breeze mussing her long hair.

Her eyelashes flickered slightly.

A breakthrough in strength?

She had felt it too, of course.

But what she cared about more was Li Taiping himself.

She felt that Li Taiping had changed.

Yes, the way he looked at her had changed.

Before, when Li Taiping looked at her, there was appreciation, desire, and the possessiveness of a man for a woman.

But that look just now was hard to describe or explain.

But she was certain he had changed.

In that gaze, there was deep guilt and a madness suppressed to the extreme.

And also a kind of...

...obsession, wanting to grind her whole being, skin and bone, into his very blood and marrow.

...