345: Chapter 345 No Father, Only Mother

Inside the guest room.

Ling Hao opened his eyes. Almost simultaneously, Shui Liuli, who was lying on the bed, let out a soft moan and slowly opened her lively purple eyes.

“Liuli!”

Shui Wanqing was the first to rush to the bedside, tightly clutching her niece's hand. “How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”

The other women also gathered around, asking with concern.

Ling Hao stood up and, meeting everyone's inquiring gazes, said briefly:

“There was indeed an anomaly residing within Liuli's body; it was the remnant soul of a Heavenly Dao consciousness from another world. However, it has now been suppressed and sealed, so she is temporarily out of danger.”

“A Heavenly Dao consciousness... from another world?!”

Chi Wanhe and the others gasped, their gazes toward Ling Hao filled with shock and admiration.

“Revered Master, you can even suppress the Heavenly Dao? That's just too incredible!”

Ling Hao waved his hand.

“It was a stroke of luck. It was only a fragmented consciousness with less than one-ten-thousandth of its power remaining. If it had been at its peak...”

If it had been at its peak, he wouldn't have fared so well.

At this moment, Chi Wanhe suddenly remembered something and asked with curious, blinking eyes:

“Then Revered Master, are you really the Heavenly Dao of the Three Provinces Realm?”

Her question immediately triggered the memories of the other women.

That day on the Tribulation Platform, the 'Shui Liuli' had asked, 'Is your Revered Master the Heavenly Dao of this world?'

In an instant, all eyes focused on Ling Hao, filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

Even in the depths of Yu Zhaohua's eyes, who was standing next to Yu Linglong, a flicker of desire for knowledge passed through.

After all, there were all sorts of incredible existences within the Moonshadow Sect: the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring, the Chaos Azure Lotus Pool, the Heaven-Reaching Tower with its thousand-fold time flow, the vast Scripture Pavilion, the Tribulation Platform that protected those Undergoing Tribulation, the resonance dao tower that communicated across ten thousand miles, the world-suppressing monument that stabilized space...

They had also heard of that magnificent Grotto-Heaven world and the mysterious power that granted them combat strength far exceeding their Realms...

With all of this, if one were to say the Sect Master was the Heavenly Dao of this Realm, it seemed to be the most direct explanation.

Feeling these gazes, Ling Hao smiled helplessly and denied it directly:

“Regrettably, I am not.”

His tone shifted, carrying a bit of a joking manner.

“But if you all feel like I'm a quasi-Heavenly Dao, that's fine too. After all, I am the Revered Master of the Moonshadow World.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the women varied.

As for whether they believed him or not, that was up to them.

Seeing that the matter was resolved, Yu Lingshuang spoke calmly:

“If there is nothing else, I will head back first.”

Yu Linglong let out a lazy yawn in agreement.

Yu Zhaohua followed them out, but before turning to leave, her ice-blue gaze lingered briefly on Ling Hao for a moment.

Ling Hao noticed, but didn't think much of it.

“Alright, your Junior Sister is fine now. Everyone disperse and let her get some rest.”

Ling Hao said to Chi Wanhe and the other Disciples.

Chi Wanhe and the others took their leave as instructed.

Shui Wanqing carefully checked Shui Liuli several more times. Once she confirmed she was truly alright, she let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes reddening slightly.

“It's a good thing you're okay, Liuli. Otherwise... otherwise, how would Auntie ever face your mother in the future...”

At the mention of her mother, Shui Liuli's purple eyes instantly dimmed. She lowered her head and whispered, “Mother... I don't even know where she is anymore.”

Realizing she had misspoke, Shui Wanqing quickly said:

“We'll find her! Look, Liuli, thanks to the Sect Master, haven't we aunt and niece been reunited? We'll definitely be able to find your mother in the future too!”

As Shui Wanqing spoke, she cast her gaze toward Ling Hao.

Shui Liuli shook her head.

“But... the Central Province is so large, many times larger than Cangwu County. We don't have a single clue...”

Ling Hao frowned slightly upon hearing this. When Shui Wanqing had asked him to find Shui Liuli before, she had mentioned that the Tianshui Dao Sect was jointly destroyed by the Demon Ancestors of the True Demon Realm. At that time, he had assumed both of Shui Liuli's parents had perished.

Now it appeared they were merely separated.

He walked to the bedside, reached out, and gently rubbed Shui Liuli's small head.

“Don't worry. With me and the Moonshadow Sect here, we will definitely help you find your mother.”

Feeling the warmth and strength coming from the top of her head, Shui Liuli felt a pang in her heart. This feeling... was a bit like her mother's gentle touch when she was a child.

She gave a soft “Mm.”

Ling Hao asked, “By the way, Liuli, what are your parents' names? Or is there anything special about them?”

Shui Wanqing shook her head.

“Liuli has no father.”

Ling Hao's stroking hand immediately stopped.

“...No father? Did Liuli's father do something so heinous that you refuse to acknowledge him?”

Shui Liuli looked up.

“That's not it, Revered Master. I simply never had a father to begin with.”

“???”

No father? How was that possible? Was Liuli's mother not human? Could she reproduce asexually?

Seeing Ling Hao frowning in deep thought, Shui Wanqing thought he didn't believe them, and her face flushed slightly.

She hesitated for a moment, then gently pulled her dress down to her elbow, revealing a section of jade-like arm as white as frost. On that skin as delicate as congealed fat, near the shoulder, there was a stark, blood-red mark of a Cinnabar Mole.

“Qingli and I were like sisters, knowing each other for many years. She kept herself pure and never had any Dao Companion, nor was she ever involved with any man. On this point, I can stake my life.”

Shui Wanqing's tone was certain as she pointed to the Cinnabar Mole on her arm.

“This Cinnabar Mole is proof. If a man's Yang Qi had truly entered the body, this mole would surely vanish. Her Cinnabar Mole, like mine back then, was perfectly intact.”

Ling Hao's gaze was involuntarily drawn to that small dot of crimson. Against the backdrop of her snow-white skin, that shade of red was exceptionally striking. His vision even subconsciously followed the fallen sleeve, catching a glimpse of the full curves below that even the loose robes could not entirely conceal.

“Revered Master...”

Shui Liuli's voice brought Ling Hao back to his senses instantly.

“Cough!” Ling Hao let out a light cough and looked away, saying seriously,

“There's no need for that; I believe you. So... when Liuli was born, were there any special omens?”

Shui Wanqing pulled up her dress and recalled:

“Yes. After Qingli became inexplicably pregnant, we used an excuse to leave the Sect and found an extremely remote place to live in seclusion...”

“On the night Liuli was born, the surrounding Spiritual Qi spontaneously condensed into translucent lotus flowers, slowly blooming around her. I felt the Laws of heaven and earth become exceptionally clear, and the water-elemental Qi in the world was unusually active. The water surfaces for a hundred miles around reflected the bright moon, as if the water and moon were shining together.”

“Furthermore... that omen should have alerted everyone. Strangely, several incredibly powerful auras did pass high above us at the time—there were Old Ancestors from Holy Lands and seemingly Demon Ancestors from the True Demon Realm—but they acted as if they hadn't noticed us at all and just left.”

“Is that so?”

According to Ling Hao's guess, that lotus omen was likely the work of the Three Provinces Realm's Heavenly Dao consciousness, while that water-elemental Qi was probably influenced by the fragmented Heavenly Dao consciousness of the Water Element Realm at that time.

As for those great experts failing to find them, it was very likely that the intertwined auras of the two Heavenly Dao consciousnesses had formed a natural shroud.

He looked down at Shui Liuli, who was staring at him expectantly with a still-pale face, and suppressed the urge to immediately enter her Sea of Consciousness to seek confirmation from that deep-blue woman.

After all, Shui Liuli had just achieved a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation. Forcibly borrowing Dao Law power that exceeded her own by three major Realms placed a massive burden on her body; what she needed most now was rest.

“Alright, Liuli, get some good rest and stabilize your Realm as soon as possible.”

Ling Hao instructed, then turned to Shui Wanqing. “Wanqing, come with me. I'll check on the condition of the Yellow Springs Death Qi in your body.”

Shui Liuli obediently replied: “Yes, Revered Master.”

She watched as her aunt, Shui Wanqing, followed Ling Hao out of the room with a slightly flushed face. In her mind, she couldn't help but recall the ambiguous scene she had witnessed back in Songhua County when her Revered Master was 'suppressing' the Death Qi for her aunt...

“Suppressing Death Qi... suppressing Death Qi... will Revered Master and Auntie take the opportunity to...”

A thought popped up uncontrollably.

Shui Liuli's cheeks instantly became hot.

“Oh my, Liuli, what are you thinking about!”

She quickly shook her head to shake off those embarrassing images and pulled the quilt up to cover half her face.