"Careful now, Little Ancestors…" Bai Ya hurriedly reminded them in his deep, rumbling voice as the two small figures prepared to leap down.
By now the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor had long since figured it out: as long as he kept these two little demon princesses happy, his future days in the Eternal Heaven Small World would surely be filled with comfort and glory.
"En, Uncle Bai Ya, you may return first." Xiao Ling waved her small hand grandly, as though bestowing a great favor. "When I see Daddy later, this princess shall put in a few good words on your behalf."
Bai Ya's serpentine eyes immediately curved into crescents of delight; even the scales along his neck seemed to shimmer brighter.
After watching the great black serpent beat his eight wings and vanish into the distant clouds, the two little girls clasped hands once more and skipped lightly toward the grand palace gates.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses."
A woman of astonishing figure stepped forward to meet them. Though her waist was slender enough to be encircled by a single palm, her curves blazed with a fiery allure that could set hearts ablaze. She bent slightly at the waist in respectful salute; her voice carried a faint, naturally seductive lilt.
When she raised her head, a devastatingly charming countenance was revealed—phoenix eyes like limpid spring water, rippling with an unconscious mist of enchantment.
Behind her, five armored female guards carrying long spears likewise bowed in unison.
"Sister Yue Mei, I already told you—there's no need for such formality between us," Xiao Meng said helplessly, waving her small hand at the woman before her. Her tone was intimate yet tinged with childish exasperation.
The one who had come to receive them was none other than Yue Mei, formerly of the Snake-People Tribe.
After consuming a precious Transformation Pill bestowed by Xiao Jietian, the serpentine tail that once defined her race had vanished, replaced by a pair of long, perfectly straight jade legs.
Nowadays she served as the Commander of the Eternal Heaven Palace Guards, personally overseeing the security of this immortal domain.
Among all the young talents of Boundless Heaven Hall, Yue Mei was the unrivaled dream of countless admirers. Beautiful, voluptuous, naturally bewitching, and moreover possessed of formidable cultivation—such a combination was lethal.
Yet with a man like Xiao Jietian standing before her eyes—a paragon whose brilliance outshone every other male by tenfold—how could she possibly spare any affection for lesser men?
Moreover, he already belonged to her Queen.
Thus she could only bury those faint stirrings of longing deep within her heart, never to be spoken aloud.
"En, I shall pay closer attention next time." Yue Mei covered her lips and let out a soft, bell-like chuckle.
"You've said exactly the same thing many times already, yet you never change," Xiao Ling huffed, folding her arms across her chest and pretending to be angry.
In truth, Yue Mei shared an exceptionally close bond with the two little princesses.
She often stole them away on little adventures; moreover, the Transformation Pill and the countless other treasures Xiao Jietian had bestowed upon her had long since turned gratitude into genuine affection.
Most importantly—the two little girls were simply too adorable. Yue Mei doted on them with all her heart.
Seeing their familiar little tantrum, Yue Mei's smile grew even more radiant. With graceful steps she drew near, crouched down, and gently reached out to tidy the wind-tangled strands of hair that framed their small faces.
"Just in time. Little Fairy Doctor Madam instructed me earlier to bring the two of you back as soon as you returned."
"Xian'er Mother is looking for us?" Xiao Meng and Xiao Ling exchanged a glance; giant question marks seemed to rise above their heads.
They immediately began racking their little brains, trying to recall whether they had forgotten some important task or broken some minor palace rule.
Yet after thinking left and right, neither could find any fault.
In the end they simply gave up.
They would know soon enough anyway.
Looking up at Yue Mei with bright eyes, they chorused:
"Then Sister Yue Mei, we'll go inside first. When we have free time later, we'll come find you to play!"
Yue Mei smiled warmly and nodded.
"Mm. Go on, then. This sister still has to make another patrol round."
"Goodbye, Sister Yue Mei!"
With those cheerful words, Xiao Ling seized Xiao Meng's hand. The two small figures blurred for an instant—then, employing the Void Piercing Step they had mastered first and loved best, they flickered forward dozens of meters with each light skip.
No other reason: it was simply too convenient.
When one wished to slip out and play, this movement technique saved an incalculable amount of tedious travel.
Originally Xiao Jietian had planned to teach them the Fangtian Painted Halberd, hoping to raise two valiant little female generals akin to the legendary Lu Lingqi—heroic, spirited, sweeping through battlefields with peerless grace.
Yet the moment he voiced the suggestion, Yun Yun and the other mothers had immediately objected in unison. Even Xiao Meng and Xiao Ling themselves had shaken their heads vigorously in refusal.
In the end the two little girls had chosen the way of the long sword.
Especially Xiao Ling, whose innate Sword Body made her a natural sword cultivator from birth.
Xiao Jietian had quietly abandoned any further thoughts of halberd training.
What if they truly trained incorrectly and ended up as muscular, King Kong Barbies?
That would be an irreparable "Barbie-Q"—utterly ruined!
When the pair finally dashed into the rear palace, from a distance they caught sight of Xiao Jietian seated within the waterside pavilion.
...
Eternal Heaven Palace, rear hall, moonlit pavilion.
Xiao Jietian sat chatting idly with the Little Fairy Doctor. From time to time she would cover her lips and release a soft, silvery laugh, or cast him a glance that was half-shy, half-reproachful.
Beside them rested a small carved jade crib. Within it, a baby of roughly two months stared with wide, curious eyes, quietly observing the two adults.
This was their son—Xiao Ze.
"Daddy!!"
Two clear, delighted cries rang out.
Two streaks of red flashed across the night sky like returning swallows, descending gracefully toward the pavilion.
The two little girls in matching scarlet dresses landed lightly before Xiao Jietian, one after the other, movements perfectly synchronized and brimming with youthful vitality.
"Daddy, we missed you soooo much!" Xiao Meng threw herself forward and wrapped both arms around his leg, raising her sparkling eyes full of stars.
"Me too, me too!" Xiao Ling hurriedly echoed, pressing close on the other side.
Xiao Jietian threw back his head and laughed heartily.
"Hasn't it only been two short days since we last met?"
Xiao Meng immediately puffed out her cheeks and quoted solemnly:
"The books say, 'A day apart feels like three autumns.' So two days apart equals two times three autumns—that's six whole autumns! A very, very long time!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Xiao Ling, who normally avoided books like the plague, nodded vigorously in agreement.
Hearing her parrot the phrase so seriously, Xiao Jietian nearly choked on his laughter.
That line had clearly come from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms tales he had told them before bedtime.
Beside them, the Little Fairy Doctor lowered her gaze to the crib where Xiao Ze lay quietly watching everything with bright eyes. Then she lifted her head again, looking at Xiao Jietian and the two little girls clinging to him, her own eyes brimming with soft, overflowing happiness.
The kind of warm, complete happiness she had once never even dared to dream of—she now held it securely in both hands.
Once she had been an orphan, drifting alone since childhood. Only after learning a little medical skill had she gained the slightest respect from others.
Yet even then she had lived in solitude, friendless, with only the little companion Xiao Lan by her side.
(By the way—Xiao Lan had long since advanced to a fourth-tier Magical Beast. He really had been somewhat neglected in recent times.)
From the side, the Little Fairy Doctor deliberately teased:
"You always say that Xian'er Mother is the best, the one you miss and love most in the whole world. Yet the moment you see your Daddy, you don't even glance at me—your eyes are glued only to him."
The two little girls immediately exchanged a guilty look.
Then, without another word, they released Xiao Jietian's legs, scampered over to the Little Fairy Doctor, hugged her legs tightly, tilted their small faces upward, and batted their long lashes in perfect unison:
"Of course—the one we love most, most, most, most is Xian'er Mother!"
"Moreover, we weren't ignoring you on purpose. We were saving the best for last—just like saving the most delicious food for the final bite!"
The Little Fairy Doctor could not help covering her mouth and giggling.
"You two little flatterers… clearly you've inherited all your father's bad habits and none of the good ones."
So saying, she gently tapped each of them on the forehead with a slender finger.
"Hehe—we're only speaking the truth!"
The pair promptly climbed up her legs like little monkeys and settled comfortably in her lap, showering her with kisses and nuzzles.
To them, although their other mothers had not given them birth, every single one treated them with boundless love and care.
Thus the three of them whispered and laughed together in sweet conspiracy.
Xiao Jietian, meanwhile, leaned comfortably against a vermilion pillar of the pavilion, arms folded behind his head, simply basking in the warm, gentle tide of happiness that filled the moonlit night.