"Of course it's Wang Dong'er."
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Tai Tan instinctively replied without thinking. But the moment the words left his mouth, both he and Niu Tian immediately realized their mistake.
Niu Tian's heart sank—but his expression remained calm.
"Xiao Dong," he asked gently, "why do you suddenly ask this?"
"Oh, nothing much—just curious!" Wang Dong'er beamed with genuine cheer. "I mean, I possess the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul, yet I don't bear the Tang surname. That's pretty weird, right? Now it makes sense—I must've inherited my mother's name."
Niu Tian and Tai Tan exchanged a silent glance. They didn't want to keep deceiving the child they'd raised since infancy—but they also couldn't tell her the truth. So they said nothing.
To Wang Dong'er, their silence was confirmation enough.
Instantly, her mood lifted.
Seeing this, Tai Tan sent a covert soul-force message to Niu Tian:
"Brother, I didn't say anything wrong just now, did I?"
"Of course not—and you answered perfectly," Niu Tian replied through soul transmission, sighing inwardly. 'Our little Dong's starting to play mind games now, huh?'
"First Dad, Second Dad, I'll head off then!" Wang Dong'er, unaware of their inner turmoil and satisfied with her "answer," bounced toward the door.
But just then, Niu Tian pulled out a small embroidered pouch and dangled it before her, instantly capturing her attention.
"First Dad… is this for me?" she asked, examining the unassuming sachet.
"It was left for you… by your father."
"My… dad?" Wang Dong'er froze. For three full breaths, she stood stunned—then slowly reached out and took it from Niu Tian's hand.
Niu Tian then explained the pouch's purpose—that infamous "test of love." Wang Dong'er's face dimmed slightly, though she held back her frustration and asked the question closest to her heart:
"First Dad… my parents—are they still alive?"
Niu Tian almost laughed in exasperation.
Your father is a God-King! Your mother's status is equally extraordinary! Do you really think they'd die so easily?
But he couldn't say that aloud.
Meeting her hopeful gaze, he could only ruffle her hair gently. "When you grow strong—strong enough to match your First and Second Dads—you'll learn where they are. And you know… we'd never lie to you."
Though still disappointed, Wang Dong'er now held real hope. Her parents hadn't vanished due to tragedy—they'd simply gone far away.
She tucked the pouch carefully against her chest.
"So… First Dad, Second Dad—anything else?"
"Wait, Xiao Dong. One more thing."
Niu Tian's sudden call made her turn back. Under her puzzled look, his eyes turned grave—an expression that instantly put her on high alert.
"Xiao Dong," he said seriously, "even though you've taken the pouch meant to test your future husband… and even though I can already guess your answer… I still need to ask: deep in your heart, have you truly decided to choose that brat Huo Yuhao?"
"He's not a brat!" Wang Dong'er snapped, still sharp enough to argue.
Then, under Niu Tian and Tai Tan's resigned stares, her cheeks flushed pink—but her eyes burned with unwavering resolve. She didn't speak, but her gaze said everything.
It was the exact same look their dear Xiao Wu had worn decades ago.
They'd failed to protect one beloved sister. Now history seemed to repeat itself.
(Though, admittedly, the nature of these affections was different.)
"Sigh…" Niu Tian, seeing how deeply she was already entangled, asked a question he knew he shouldn't:
"Xiao Dong… suppose—just suppose—Huo Yuhao betrays you or abandons you one day. Then what would you—"
"He dares?!" Tai Tan roared, cutting him off mid-sentence. "If that little punk ever breaks Xiao Dong's heart, I'll flay him alive—bones and all!"
"Brother!" Niu Tian shot Tai Tan a warning glare, noticing Wang Dong'er trembling where she stood. "I said if!"
"Even as a 'if'—it won't happen!" Wang Dong'er shouted, her voice ringing with fury.
She glared at both of them, hurt and anger flashing in her eyes. "First Dad! Second Dad! You're the worst!"
And with that, she stormed off.
Tai Tan watched her vanish down the third-floor corridor, his outstretched hand slowly lowering. For once, he grumbled at his elder brother: "Seriously, why'd you have to bring that up? Look—you made Xiao Dong run off!"
"I had to," Niu Tian retorted, shooting him a sharp look. "For Xiao Dong's happiness, we must be strict."
Tai Tan shrank back, chastened.
—
Unbeknownst to them, as Wang Dong'er fled, her thoughts darkened.
First Dad and Second Dad are definitely hiding something from me.
She was a little naive—Wu Feng's "big-chested" jabs about her being "slow" weren't entirely wrong—but she wasn't stupid. She'd sensed their unease clearly enough.
And so…
"Yuhao," she whispered under her breath, fists clenched, "if you ever dare betray me…"
"I'll… I'll kill you—then kill myself!"
—
Ah-choo! Ah-choo!
In the Cold Jade Chamber, Huo Yuhao suddenly sneezed twice—so violently it broke his meditation.
"Weird… I've got Ultimate Ice! How can I catch a chill?"
"Yuhao! What are you doing?!" Ice Empress scolded from his spiritual sea. "Get back to cultivating!"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm could only cheer weakly from the sidelines.
Then—
Buzzzzz—!
Fully alert now, Huo Yuhao sensed it instantly—or rather, Tianmeng did.
"Yuhao—your Brother Junting is right on the verge of breakthrough!"
—
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Spirit Chamber…
Thanks to the Deep Sea Sunken Silver bed—impervious to the artifact's razor-sharp aura—Chen Junting had steadily absorbed the metal-element heaven-and-earth spiritual energy from the Heart of Heavenly Spirit, advancing his cultivation layer by layer.
Time passed.
Suddenly, Chen Junting's eyes snapped open!
A flash of cutting cold light glinted deep in his pupils—the residual metallic energy he hadn't yet fully integrated.
But the greatest reward was yet to come.
Like a ravenous beast devouring its prey, he'd absorbed the massive Heart—originally the size of an adult's head—down to the size of a baby's fist. The resulting surge of primordial energy catapulted his cultivation three full ranks, propelling him past the critical threshold into Level 70.
"Now… for my seventh soul ring," he murmured.
His gaze drifted to the storage soul guidance device placed far across the room.
'Snow Empress…' he thought silently. 'We're about to meet properly at last.'
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