Volume 7, Chapter 2 – I’ll Protect You Well From Now On

Some dozens of minutes earlier.

Just as the faint morning light had begun spilling into the bedroom, Bai Lianyue slowly opened her eyes.

Her dark red eyes still carried a hint of grogginess from just waking up. She lay quietly on the soft bed, her fingers gently tracing the sheets beneath her, feeling the tangible sensation of them, when a wave of inexplicable bewilderment suddenly welled up in her heart — she was, somehow, still alive.

?!!

Was this real?

“I’m… still alive? How… how is this possible??”

Raising a hand to pinch her own cheek, feeling the genuine sensation of it, the little elf blinked in a daze.

Clearly, in this moment, Bai Lianyue had temporarily broken free of her ditzy mode, her mind rare and clear for once.

Having gone through the great battle in the Veiled Domain, having been completely swallowed into Valerdis’s body of Corruption power, and yet waking up peacefully lying in a room at the Lingyuan estate?

That feeling of something lost and unexpectedly regained made her let out a soft sigh. She sat up, her light green loungewear slipping off one shoulder, revealing a small patch of pale skin, her emerald-to-silver gradient hair spilling over her shoulder, carrying a certain languid tenderness.

At the same time, a growing sense of confusion kept welling up within her.

After all, Bai Lianyue knew very well that when she was swallowed by Valerdis, she had already exhausted all of her power — there was no way she could have broken free from within him on her own.

And Valerdis at that time had clearly been different from a thousand years ago, having already reached his complete form. For him to be unknowingly suppressed by her soul once again also seemed unlikely.

Given that…

“Someone saved me?”

Bai Lianyue couldn’t help but think of this possibility.

And as this thought surfaced, the face of a certain silver-haired girl immediately came to mind.

—”Xingwu?”—

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That child… after transforming into her adolescent form and activating the Heart of the World within her body, had reached Divine Graced Realm strength — perhaps she was the only one who could have stood against Valerdis.

Thinking of this, Bai Lianyue arched an eyebrow, and the thought that immediately came to her mind was to go check on Xingwu in her crib.

And so, the little elf immediately stood up and looked toward the crib nearby.

Sure enough, little Xingwu had reverted back to her infant form at the moment.

The little one lay sprawled spread-eagle on the small bed, sleeping soundly and sweetly. Her tiny body was splayed out in a “big” shape, her chubby arms and legs spread carelessly, one little foot having kicked off the thin blanket covering her, dangling out in the open. Her fine baby hair lay softly flattened against the top of her head, a bit disheveled, her small mouth slightly open, occasionally smacking as though tasting something delicious in her dream, her utterly unguarded pose both wild and adorable.

Watching her daughter like this, Bai Lianyue’s lips curved up into a gentle, tender smile without her even realizing it.

She tiptoed over to the crib, leaned down, and pressed a soft kiss onto Xingwu’s smooth forehead, the mark of the kiss carrying a faint coolness that made Xingwu whimper softly in her sleep, her little head nuzzling to the side before drifting back into deep slumber.

“You little brat, pretending to be a helpless baby to fool your mommy. So you had full awareness the whole time, huh~”

Honestly, back when she’d faced Renoval in Clavino and heard Xingwu’s voice suddenly enter her mind, discussing battle plans with her, Bai Lianyue had been rather shocked.

But after a moment’s thought, the little elf accepted the fact that her own baby had already regained consciousness.

After all, Xingwu’s soul carried over a thousand years of accumulated experience — it wasn’t so strange for her to quickly regain awareness after being reborn.

But then again… if she’d already regained consciousness, didn’t that mean everything Bai Lianyue had done in front of Xingwu before this had all been witnessed by her?!

The complaining and grumbling… and the breastfeeding?!

“What a naughty baby, embarrassing your mommy like this again~”

Bai Lianyue murmured softly, her fingertip gently brushing across Xingwu’s little cheek, her eyes full of complaint — though of course, beyond the complaining, there was even more doting affection.

Having settled her daughter, Bai Lianyue felt a faint pang of hunger in her stomach.

And so, rubbing her belly, Bai Lianyue straightened up and turned to head toward the kitchen.

…

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Though she wasn’t sure exactly where the kitchen was, following the delicious aroma of food, the little elf quickly found her way there.

The moment she entered the kitchen, Bai Lianyue was drawn in by the fragrant smell coming from the oven, and immediately trotted over cheerfully, trying to open it.

In the past, even touching scalding magma with her bare hands would have left her completely unharmed — an energy explosion of tens of thousands of degrees would have been little more than a mild sauna to her. That kind of taken-for-granted power made her instinctively reach out her hand, wanting to grab a cookie and try it.

However —

“Hiss—”

A sharp, stinging pain shot through her fingertip instantly, and Bai Lianyue snatched her hand back, her brow furrowing tightly, a flicker of bewilderment flashing through her dark red eyes. She looked down at her index finger — the fingertip had already turned red and swollen, a small blister rapidly forming, the stinging pain continuing to radiate outward.

Her eyes reddening slightly, staring at her own trembling finger, Bai Lianyue finally understood what that pervasive sense of wrongness throughout her whole body had been ever since she’d woken up…

Climbing the stairs had left her breathless.

She couldn’t sense the presence of passersby nearby.

Even opening the kitchen door had required a good shove.

The moment she touched the baking tray, she got burned.

…

Pressing her lips together, a torrent of complicated emotions suddenly welled up in the little elf’s heart.

She slowly sat down on the kitchen floor, staring blankly at her own finger, her gaze gradually growing despondent.

Just as she’d feared…

She…

“I’ve lost my power, haven’t I…”

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I’m just an ordinary person now.

This kind of physical condition couldn’t even compare to an ordinary second or third-tier cultivator.

In fact, it was even weaker than the human body she’d once had back on Earth…

Having grown accustomed to that invincible body she’d carried for a thousand years, experiencing this fragile, delicate elven body instead left Bai Lianyue’s heart a jumble of mixed emotions. She simply sat there on the floor in a daze, lost in her own thoughts.

…

It wasn’t until Ailiya rushed into the kitchen in a panic, and took her finger into her mouth to heal it, that Bai Lianyue finally snapped somewhat out of her stupor.

Though she found Ailiya’s odd behavior of sucking and licking her finger a bit exasperating, having apparently grown used to such things by now, the little elf couldn’t be bothered to complain about it.

What weighed on her mind more was the fact of being healed by Ailiya in the first place.

In the past, it had always been her protecting Ai’er, healing Ai’er — but now? It seemed the roles had reversed.

Even though she’d survived, she truly had become a girl utterly without strength, in need of others’ protection.

Ai’er, Xingwu, even the twins — their strength had all already surpassed her own.

She herself…

no longer had the qualifications to protect them anymore…

…

Having always regarded protecting her children as the very meaning of her existence, suddenly realizing that she no longer had the power to watch over their healthy growth left Bai Lianyue plunged into a state of unprecedented despondency.

And it was at this moment that a pair of warm arms gently wrapped around her from behind.

Ailiya’s chin rested on Bai Lianyue’s shoulder, a faint floral fragrance drifting from her body, her gentle presence enveloping Bai Lianyue and driving away the despondency in her heart.

Ailiya’s hand rested lightly on her back, slowly stroking down her spine, the motion tender yet firm, as though soothing a frightened little kitten.

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“Don’t worry.”

Ailiya’s voice sounded softly by her ear.

Being someone who spent every day by Lianyue’s side, she naturally knew what exactly this little airhead was feeling down about.

“Lianyue being alive is already the best news there could possibly be. Losing your power is nothing to worry about. Besides, the crisis is already over now, and everything’s at peace, isn’t it? Even without power, it’s fine. And besides, don’t you still have me? I’ll protect the children — nothing will happen to them.”

“Ai’er?”

Looking at Ailiya’s exquisite, beautiful face, a flicker of emotion surfaced in Bai Lianyue’s eyes.

“From now on, I’ll protect you too. Lianyue, you can try… leaning on me a little, okay~”

—”Leaning on someone, huh…”—

Hearing these familiar words, Bai Lianyue couldn’t help but think back to that young lady from the Bai family who had tangled with her so persistently a thousand years ago.

That young lady, too, had once said something just like this to her.

Thinking of this, the little elf’s lips curved up slightly, a sweet, comforted smile blooming across her face.

“Then Ai’er better protect me well from now on.”

“Of course~”

As she spoke, Ailiya leaned in affectionately, pressing her face close to Bai Lianyue’s, and took the chance to press a kiss onto her soft, pink lips.

“You’re my wife, after all~. Of course I’ll protect you well, hehehe~”