394: Forum-style "Battle of the Birth Mothers"

The space within the inner hall of Jiaotai Palace distorted slightly. Shang Wan Ning's figure had just solidified, her body still surrounded by the lingering foul aura of the abyss.

She raised her arms, just about to shed that uncomfortable evil god disguise, when a white shadow pounced toward her with a wail like a storm of misery, crashing firmly into her embrace.

"Your Majesty, you're finally back."

Chen Yu hung onto her entire body, her hands clutching the collar of the robe of ten thousand sorrows tightly, her tears and snot nearly rubbing onto it.

"Hurry and go to the Underworld APP to explain things clearly. Princess Shang Wugou really isn't a cub born from you and me."

"Ahhh, this seat is being wronged to death!!!"

Ling Qi was a step slower in coming forward. She extended an arm to try and stop her, but as soon as her fingers touched Chen Yu's shoulder, the white-haired ball of fluff instead hugged even tighter. Ling Qi could only helplessly withdraw her hand and push up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Shang Wan Ning was knocked back half a step by the momentum, her waist squeezed painfully, and her brow furrowed tightly.

She extended two fingers and pinched the back of Chen Yu's collar, attempting to peel this clingy fellow off her body.

"What kind of madness are you having? Get off of me."

"I won't! If you don't explain things clearly, I won't get down." Chen Yu stiffened her neck and acted like a rogue, her arms tightening with force as she looked up with a small face scrunched like a bun, her eyes red.

"Your Majesty, go look at the forum. They've analyzed it into a masterpiece. They're saying that ten years ago, I secretly sneaked into the Netherworld Blood Pool and used the Blood Pool's source and your divine power..."

As she spoke, it became more and more ridiculous. The veins on Shang Wan Ning's temples throbbed. Unable to bear it any longer, she curled her knuckles and gave her a light rap on her smooth forehead.

"Ow!"

Chen Yu cried out in pain and abruptly let go.

She jumped back half a step like a startled rabbit, covering her instantly reddened forehead with both hands, tears welling in her eyes.

"You actually hit me."

"I don't care. I'm still an unmarried yellow flower maiden (crossed out). If this reputation of being an unwed mother spreads, how am I supposed to flirt with sisters in the future?"

"Moreover, being a mother to an evil god—whoever wants this 'blessing' can have it."

Shang Wan Ning didn't bother to give her half a glance. Spiritual power surged at her fingertips, and the robe of ten thousand sorrows and heaven-deceiving divine soul mask, which radiated an ominous aura, dissipated into black mist, revealing the phoenix robe she usually wore underneath.

She walked over to the phoenix couch and sat down, rubbing her shenting acupoint, her head aching from Chen Yu's noise.

"What's wrong with the forum now?" she asked impatiently.

Ling Qi timely handed over a Pear-brand phone. The screen was already lit, staying on a highly popular post within the Underworld APP.

The post title was written in bold, blood-red font:

[Deep Exposure! The Underworld's mysterious little Highness has emerged out of nowhere. Silver hair and red eyes, she looks just like a certain someone. Biological mother is a mystery—let's solve the case together!!! (Hot)]

Poster ID: Underworld's #1 Melon-Eater.

The post format imitated the forums of the Great Xia. The main body was a segment of a pseudo-mysterious opening:

"Dear colleagues, recently a little girl with silver hair and red eyes appeared by the Wangchuan River. She respectfully calls Her Majesty the Empress 'Mama,' and her appearance and demeanor are like a carbon copy of a certain white-haired high-level official."

"The origin of this child is a mystery, and Her Majesty the Empress is tight-lipped about it. In the spirit of seeking truth and facts, this post will gather collective wisdom to analyze from multiple perspectives—timeline, appearance, personality, and more—who the little Highness's true biological mother is."

"Everyone is welcome to speak up and provide clues. (Note: Discuss rationally; personal attacks are prohibited. Violators will be served with a mute package.)"

The replies below had already built up hundreds of thousands of floors. All sorts of brain-opening analyses were dazzling to behold.

[Top Comment 1 (1.508m Likes)]

ID: CP-Shipping Leader: Does this even need analysis? It's clearly Secretary-General Ling Qi!

As everyone knows, the Secretary-General's original form is a Six-Tailed Demon Fox. Fox tribe children can naturally inherit maternal traits, so a silver-haired variant isn't surprising.

The timeline also matches. Twenty years ago, the Secretary-General accompanied Her Majesty in secluded cultivation.

What were they doing in seclusion? Those who know, know! (Doggy wicked smile.jpg)

Reply 1 (ID: Qi Qi is Mine): Agreed.

And haven't you guys noticed?

Although the little Highness looks like the Prefecture City God, that occasional flash of shrewdness and calculation in her eyes is exactly the same as the Secretary-General when she's processing documents.

This is the power of bloodline!!!

Reply 2 (ID: AQi's Official Daoist Partner): Bah! Upstairs, don't talk nonsense.

My AQi is pure as ice and clean as jade, focused entirely on her career. It must have been Lord Prefectural City God's itchy hands messing around with spiritual power back then.

AQi is beautiful on her own!

[Top Comment 2 (1.482m Likes)]

ID: Yu Yu's Dog: LMAO, our Prefecture City God won't take this blame.

Even if they look alike, our Yu Yu clearly has a pure and lively White-Haired Loli persona. How could she give birth to such a... uh, uniquely aura-ed child?

If you ask me, it's definitely Her Excellency Olexia. She's the Goddess of Desire; having a cub is perfectly reasonable.

Timeline? Can a god's timeline be calculated the same as ours?

Reply 1 (ID: Succubus Bar Regular): Possible.

I heard Her Excellency Olexia was indeed frequently entering and exiting the Netherworld a while ago, her movements mysterious.

And the little Highness's gaze—if you look at it for too long, it's indeed a bit creepy, somewhat like those guests at the Succubus Bar who've played too hard. (Whisper.jpg)

Reply 2 (ID: Goddess of Desire Cult Peripheral Member): Refuse the stigmatization of my Goddess.

Her Excellency the Goddess is carefree and unrestrained; she wouldn't secretly have a child.

I think it's Lady Meng Jiang.

She can even brew meng pos soup; what's wrong with brewing a child?

[Top Comment 3 (1.201m Likes)]

ID: Bridge of Helplessness Worker: I'll say it weakly... has no one nominated Chief Assistant Lin Ran?

Chief Assistant Lin just regained her youth; she's young and beautiful, highly capable, and deeply trusted by Her Majesty.

Regarding the timeline, Chief Assistant Lin's movements were a mystery during her last period in the mortal world; she had every opportunity. And that desperate drive the little Highness has when working is quite like Chief Assistant Lin's 'Involution King' style.

Reply 1 (ID: Ran Ran's Fan Club President): Taking our Ran Ran away, not interested.

Ran Ran just revived and is about to show her skills in her career.

Don't cue her!

Reply 2 (ID: Rational Analysis Emperor): From a genetic perspective, Chief Assistant Lin is human and Her Majesty is a god. The child born would most likely be a human-god hybrid; it's unlikely she'd have pure evil god characteristics.

ID: Logic Genius Master Analyst: Come, come, come, This Old Lady will pass them off for you one by one.

Lady Meng Jiang: First to be excluded.

Lady Meng governs reincarnation, and her own karma is extremely heavy. If she were truly pregnant, the Netherworld's laws would have sensed it; it definitely wouldn't be so silent.

Furthermore, Lady Meng resides at the head of the Bridge of Helplessness year-round. If she were pregnant, could she hide it from those of us who go for soup every day?

Her Excellency Olexia: The authority of Desire is indeed profound, but the Goddess's divine power attributes lean toward bewitchment and indulgence, which is entirely different from that pure, almost primordial evil aura on the little Highness.

It's like fire and water being incompatible; forced fusion would only result in an explosion, not gestation.