Chapter 23: A Family Portrait and a Changing Destiny

The inky night had fallen, and lanterns along both sides of the long street lit up one after another.

Their warm, yellow glow spread into soft, round patches on the bluestone slabs, drawing out the shadows of the family of three into long, elongated forms.

“Host, you are truly too clever!”

099’s voice echoed excitedly in Hua Xiangrong’s mind.

“You specifically chose a powerful physique related to divination when selecting your body. This way, our subsequent assistance to Hua Yan and Yun Xueshang through the script won’t be suspected!”

“Hmph, of course it won’t.”

Hua Xiangrong walked in the middle, holding a mother’s hand on each side. Her steps were small and bouncy, her pink hair gently fluttering in the night breeze.

“Oh, right, 099, now that the City Lord of Fulong City has been eliminated by Mother and Lady Mother, the plot should change, shouldn’t it?”

“Yes, congratulations, Host! You have successfully taken the first step towards saving the world!”

099’s voice grew even more cheerful.

“In the original plot, Yun Xueshang and her group would have believed Zhang Lide’s words, allowing him to report back to the mastermind behind the Great Chu Imperial City.

In the subsequent storyline, Yun Xueshang and the others would first eliminate the evil cultivators mentioned in the intelligence across Great Chu, then unexpectedly discover that the evil cultivator incidents were connected to the Imperial City.

“However, by the time they arrived at the Imperial City, the mastermind would have already made thorough preparations.

This directly led to Qu Linglong’s death, Lin Qianqian and Yun Xueshang being severely injured, and even caused the relationship between the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and the righteous path to fall into a stalemate, triggering a series of cascading problems.

“But through our intervention, we successfully intercepted and killed Zhang Lide. This way, the mastermind in the Imperial City won’t have time to prepare in advance.

I believe the protagonist group will now head directly to the Imperial City to investigate, and the danger of their trip to the Imperial City will be greatly reduced.

“We have already altered a crucial plot point, and mission points have been credited to your account. Host, you can now go shopping in the system store.”

The little system meticulously summarized the results of their endeavor, its tone filled with elation.

“Host, would you like to check your account and the store now?”

“Oh? 099, you’ve been hiding such good stuff? Let me see! Let me see!”

Hua Xiangrong’s interest was piqued instantly, and she immediately opened her data store in her mind.

“Wait, 099, are these points correct?”

Before long, she asked, “Why are there only points for intercepting the City Lord of Fulong City this time?

What about the points for me bringing Mother and Lady Mother together? Did you secretly pocket them? 099, you better be honest with me.”

“I would never do such a thing!”

099 immediately retorted.

“The Host’s points and the system’s salary are calculated separately. Your points are useless to me… Besides, our mission is to save the world! Points are only awarded for actions that affect the main storyline. How could your previous little matchmaking efforts earn any points?”

The little system argued indignantly.

“Why can’t what I did count for points?”

Hua Xiangrong was not to be outdone. “Look, now Lady Mother’s team has Mother, a powerful fighter. Doesn’t that greatly increase the success rate of their subsequent actions? Of course, that should count for points!”

“Uh, it seems… there’s some truth to that?”

099’s data stream paused for a moment, then it said hesitantly, “Then, I’ll help you apply to the higher-ups, Host?”

“That’s more like it.”

Hua Xiangrong raised her chin in satisfaction. “Hmm, let me look at the system store again… Why are there so many random things?”

The dazzling array of goods in the store instantly made her eyes spin.

“The store has a search function, you know. Or, Host, just tell me what type of item you’re looking for,” 099 reminded her thoughtfully.

“Oh, then 099, help me search for keywords like ‘aphrodisiac’, ‘spring medicine’, and ‘red flower’.”

“?”

“Host, you still haven’t given up on drugging them! I already told you, we are a healthy and legitimate system; we absolutely will not provide such things!”

The little system’s voice instantly rose.

“Hmph~~”, Hua Xiangrong pouted. “Then I guess your system store isn’t very useful, after all.”

“How can it be useless! We can exchange for cultivation techniques and materials that the Host can use at this stage!”

“The Heavenly Secret Pavilion will provide those for me.”

“And various magical artifacts and elixirs!”

“I can buy those from Mother.”

“And spirit beasts and spirit pets!”

“I can also ask Mother to buy those for me, and I already have one at Hundred Flowers Valley.”

“…”

099 was utterly speechless.

Apparently, because of the abstract world-saving path Hua Xiangrong had chosen, she truly lacked nothing. 099 suddenly felt a bit redundant.

“Aiya, but don’t be sad, 099, you’re still very useful.”

As if sensing its low spirits, Hua Xiangrong consoled it with a beaming smile, “After all, I still need you to record Mother and Lady Mother’s intimate moments for me in the future, so I can savor them slowly.”

“I’m not a camcorder!”

***

Amidst the silent squabbling between the host and the system, the family of three turned down a street, and the wooden gate of a small courtyard appeared before them.

The pink-haired girl was the first to let go of her mothers’ hands, darting towards the courtyard.

“Hey, little girl, slow down!”

Hua Yan frowned slightly, waving her hand to light the lantern beneath the eaves of the small courtyard.

“I have something to show Mother and Lady Mother! Wait for me!”

Ignoring Hua Yan’s soft call, Hua Xiangrong ran straight into the courtyard, leaving only a cheerful, small pink back disappearing from view.

Not long after, she pattered back, clutching something in her arms.

“Mother, Lady Mother, look!”

Under the warm, yellow lamplight, Hua Yan saw clearly. It was an ordinary sketchbook, an accessory from the large toy gift package they had bought from Qu Linglong that morning.

On the page the girl’s small hand had opened, a naive yet charming little courtyard was drawn.

Upon closer inspection, the outline of the house seemed somewhat similar to the one they were currently staying in.

Inside the courtyard, a family of three was depicted with simple oil paints: the white-haired woman on the left carried a sword, her expression faint, with a few snowflakes swirling around her.

The red-haired woman on the right smiled gently, a small yellow flower tucked into her hair. In the middle, the pink-haired girl held their hands, her mouth stretched wide, smiling with exceptional joy.

“This is our home that I drew! Mother, Lady Mother, do you like it?”

Hua Yan looked at the girl holding the sketchbook, at her eyes filled with anticipation, and suddenly felt a sense of distraction. The words the girl had promised Qu Linglong earlier now gently echoed in her heart:

‘I want to apprentice myself to Auntie Qu, learn divination, and help Mother and Lady Mother!’

‘This way, I’ll be able to foresee the dangers you encounter and help you avoid them. Our family will never be separated again!’

‘Our family’…?

The red-haired girl, who had been raised freely by her parents in the valley since childhood, found her emotions in turmoil. Initially, she hadn’t felt much affection for this daughter who had suddenly appeared.

Her original intention had merely been to bring Yun Xueshang back to the valley, to fulfill her grandmother’s task, with no intention of forming a deep bond with Yun Xueshang.

But now…

Hua Yan turned her gaze to the white-haired girl beside her, just as the other woman also looked her way.

In Hua Yan’s pale golden eyes, an indescribable complexity surged, while Yun Xueshang’s crimson eyes held a hint of guilt.

Guilt…?

Somehow, Hua Yan understood that look. Indeed, leaving a child alone in a place as distant as Hundred Flowers Valley… How could you, as a mother, not feel guilty?

“Mmm, Rongrong drew it very well. Mother likes it very much.”

Hua Yan extended her slender, fair hand and gently ruffled the girl’s hair.

“What about Lady Mother?”

Hua Xiangrong, her eyes narrowed from the petting, then looked excitedly at Yun Xueshang, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“Mmm, Lady Mother likes it very much too. Rongrong is truly amazing.”

Yun Xueshang also raised her hand, stroking the girl’s head, her gaze tender.

“Then… can we continue to sleep together tonight?”

The girl looked expectantly at Lady Mother, then at Mother.

This…

Hua Yan hesitated. Her original plan had been to make an exception for just last night, and then have Hua Xiangrong sleep with Yun Xueshang. After all, she had no desire to share a bed with Yun Xueshang every night.

“Alright… you can.”

The red-haired girl bit her lip, finally nodding in agreement, while also shooting a glance at the slightly stunned Yun Xueshang beside her. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

“Yay! I knew Mother loved me the most!”