520: Chapter 520 Stepmother, Homework, and Kindergarten Bully

The light in the secret room dimmed suddenly for a moment before returning to normal.

The surrounding space seemed to be wrapped in a layer of transparent film, and the flow of the Underworld mist outside visibly slowed down, as if it had been dragged into slow motion.

Meanwhile, the speed at which spiritual energy flowed into the secret room increased nearly a thousandfold, so dense that it condensed into spiritual crystals amidst the yin energy.

"Good grief..."

She murmured, closed her eyes, and sank into her Sea of Consciousness, beginning to focus all her efforts on breaking through the ninth-rank bottleneck.

...

Six months later, the iron gate of the Netherworld Kindergarten clanged open.

A group of little rascals swarmed out, their laughter and chatter shattering the Underworld mist.

Princess Shang Wugou walked at the back of the line as usual, her silver-white braided pigtails meticulously styled, and the bow tied with a red silk ribbon standing out starkly against the yin energy.

She was wearing a small cape today, with silver thread embroidery of Manjusaka flowers at the collar. As she walked, the hem of the cape fluttered, her gait steady and composed, carrying the natural aura of a little Princess of the Underworld.

She spotted Ling Qi under the withered locust tree from afar.

Wearing a smoky gray qipao and a dark green shawl, with a gold-rimmed glasses chain hanging by her collar, she had a "Chibi Maruko-chan" schoolbag hanging from the crook of her arm.

Ling Qi stood straight, a hint of lingering fatigue between her brows, looking as if she had stopped by on her way after finishing official business.

Princess Shang Wugou quickened her pace and stood at attention in front of Ling Qi. She first scanned the surroundings, confirmed that no acquaintances were watching, then looked up and put on a standard, well-behaved smile: "Auntie Ling, you're here."

"Mm."

Ling Qi handed over the schoolbag, "Little Princess, did you cause any trouble today?"

"Why would Auntie think that of me?" Princess Shang Wugou took the schoolbag and slung it over her shoulder. "I was very well-behaved today. During nap time, I even helped the teacher fold the blankets. I folded them so neatly that the teacher praised me as a little labor expert."

"The Rabbit Demon teacher told my Subordinate that while you were folding the blankets, you kept muttering under your breath, 'How could the Great Evil God do such a thing?'"

Princess Shang Wugou's smile froze for 0.3 seconds.

"...How could she tell you even that?"

"She is a teacher and has an obligation to provide feedback to parents about students' performance at the kindergarten." Ling Qi adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. "Besides, Your Highness is classified as a 'registered problem child'."

"I'm speechless." Princess Shang Wugou rolled her eyes. "I just muttered a word, and she actually put it directly into my file?"

"The file has existed for a long time; it was created on your first day of school."

Princess Shang Wugou choked, about to retort, when she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision. She turned her head and saw Anan trotting out from the iron gate.

The little boy was slim, carrying a navy blue canvas schoolbag that was neatly groomed and clean. He waved in this direction: "Little Princess! Hello, Auntie Secretary-General!"

Princess Shang Wugou instantly switched modes.

She raised her hand and waved twice at Anan, her voice sweet and soft: "Goodbye, Anan! Is your family here to pick you up today?"

"Mm, they're waiting for me right across the street!" Anan pointed across the street.

Star was standing there, wearing a neatly tailored beige long dress, her long hair loosely tied at the back of her head, waving at them.

Anan bowed to Ling Qi and trotted across the road. Star bent down to ruffle her well-behaved son's hair, and the two turned and walked away side by side.

Princess Shang Wugou lowered her hand, the sweet smile on her face vanishing in a second. "Tsk, I really don't know how he manages to be so well-behaved every day. Did you see his schoolbag? It's so neatly kept; Star certainly puts in the effort."

"Although his parent acts a bit unconventional, she is very attentive to her child."

"Unlike some gods, who have to steal just to eat a spiritual fruit."

"That spiritual fruit was meant as an offering to me!!!"

"It was offered to the 'Evil God', what does that have to do with you, Princess Shang Wugou?"

Princess Shang Wugou opened her mouth, then closed it again.

They walked side by side across the stone arch bridge over the Wangchuan River.

The river water shimmered with a dim light in the twilight, and occasionally one or two lanterns drifted by with the water.

Princess Shang Wugou was silent the whole way, but suddenly spoke up as they neared the entrance to the inner city of Fengdu: "Auntie, I think you are perfectly suited to be my stepmother."

Ling Qi's footsteps halted.

"Look," Princess Shang Wugou counted on her fingers, "You pick me up from school on time every day, supervise my homework, and help me smooth out interpersonal relations at kindergarten... Everything is taken care of, you couldn't be more suitable."

"If your mother knew you said this, she would come out of her closed-door cultivation secret room."

"But she is in closed-door cultivation, isn't she?" Princess Shang Wugou said righteously. "Besides, when Mother was here, she said you were the person she trusted the most. Trusting you enough to entrust her daughter to your care—how is that any different from entrusting an orphan?"

"Does Your Highness know what 'entrusting an orphan' means?"

"Naturally I do; it means entrusting a child to a reliable person to look after." Princess Shang Wugou tilted her face up, her red eyes filled with a threat. "So, you are my stepmother."

Ling Qi: "Your Highness, say that one more time!!!"

Princess Shang Wugou sensed the coldness in her words and quickly changed her tune: "I mean, Auntie is so good, treating me no differently than my own mother, and you are an elder I respect."

"Heh, triple the homework."

"Secretary-General!" Princess Shang Wugou chased after her. "I was wrong, I was truly wrong. I was just babbling nonsense earlier; it's all because others disturbed my peace of mind today."

Ling Qi didn't want to respond.

Princess Shang Wugou continued to chase: "Auntie, listen to me, just double the homework will do. I even helped the Rabbit Demon teacher erase the blackboard after school today, and the teacher said I've made great progress this semester..."

"When you erased the blackboard, did you erase what the Rabbit Demon teacher wrote, 'Observe classroom discipline', and then rewrite it as 'The Great Evil God was here'?"

Princess Shang Wugou felt emo.

"...That, that was an accident. I thought she had finished writing."

"She hadn't finished writing."

"Then why didn't she say earlier that she hadn't finished?"

Ling Qi looked down and glared at her.

"...Fine, triple it is."

"Double it." Ling Qi retracted her gaze. "Finish it tonight and hand it in tomorrow."

Princess Shang Wugou looked up abruptly, her eyes brightening by half a degree: "Really?"

"The condition is that Your Highness must not scribble on the walls at kindergarten tomorrow."

"I guarantee I won't scribble on the walls tomorrow." Princess Shang Wugou held up three fingers. "I, Princess Shang Wugou, swear to the heavens."

"The last time you swore, the next day you wrote 'The Yama King is a stingy ghost' on the toilet stall door."

"That's because he deducted my monthly allowance."

"So, I cannot trust this oath of Your Highness for now. Give me that engraving pen in your schoolbag."

Princess Shang Wugou froze, slowly reached into the schoolbag compartment, took out the small engraving pen with the silver barrel, and obediently placed it into Ling Qi's palm.

Ling Qi put the pen into her own cloth bag.

"If the teacher reports that Your Highness is scribbling again when you go to kindergarten tomorrow, your homework will be increased by tenfold."

"Got it." Princess Shang Wugou pouted and walked forward.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned back, "Secretary-General, you took my pen, so what should I do if I want to take notes in class?"

"You need to take notes on the content of your kindergarten senior class???"

"What if I do?"

"In that case, you can raise your hand and borrow a pen from the teacher. The teacher has prepared five spare pencils in the class, specifically to guard against children like you."