Chapter 21: A Soft Heart

Chapter 21: A Soft Heart

After confirming that Wang Si was not slacking off in teaching his granddaughter, Qian Daolu also left Tiandou City.

All was not peaceful at the Wuhun Temple. Bibi Dong was taking the opportunity to reorganize the temple and kick some core members of the Qian family out of the power center.

From time to time, old friends at the Douluo Temple complained that if he were gone for too long and that crazy woman, Bibi Dong, found out, by the time he returned to the Wuhun Temple, there might only be an empty shell left.

For two days after Qian Daolu's departure, Wang Si enjoyed a life of peace and quiet.

It wasn't until the fourth night that Qian Renxue pushed open the door to his mimicry cultivation room.

Wang Si frowned as he watched Qian Renxue walk in and close the door, then sit down opposite him with a blank expression on her face.

Wang Si glanced back at the direction of the door.

"Why are you here alone?"

Where were the two Title Douluos? Shouldn't they be here to supervise him at this time?

"My grandfather said that from now on, when I come to cultivate with you, they don't need to come with me," Qian Renxue replied expressionlessly, her eyes fixed on a point in front of her, not meeting Wang Si's gaze.

Wang Si was not surprised by Qian Renxue's reaction, but he had not expected the aftermath of the cultivation session to be so intense. Even after so many days, she had not been able to shake off the shadows of that experience.

"Let's begin the cultivation," Wang Si said, raising his hands. Qian Renxue also raised her hands expressionlessly and clasped her fingers with his.

As Wang Si directed his soul power to flow through Qian Renxue's body, she still couldn't help but shudder when the power reached her spine. Losing control of her body, she fell forward into Wang Si's arms.

She didn't want to move from his embrace, instead choosing to remain there, like a puppet whose strings had been cut: pitiful, helpless, and a little lost.

Seeing Qian Renxue like this, Wang Si sighed softly, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

He stood up, holding Qian Renxue by the waist, and she didn't refuse. She simply hooked her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest as soft sobs escaped her lips.

Wang Si sat down at the edge of the cultivation field, his back against the wall, still holding Qian Renxue. He took out a handkerchief from his soul guide storage tool and gently wiped away her tears while patting her back gently.

"Go ahead and cry if you feel wronged. It'll make you feel better," he said softly. As he spoke, he activated the solar power within him, gathering it in his palm as he continued to pat Qian Renxue's back gently.

Feeling the solar power from her grandfather's body, Qian Renxue couldn't help but burst into loud sobs, even though she knew that this person was not her real grandfather.

Once she started crying, she couldn't stop.

Wang Si let Qian Renxue's tears flow freely, his palm gently patting her back in a steady rhythm.

It was almost an hour before Qian Renxue's sobs subsided, and she pulled herself together.

She lifted her head to look at the boy who was three years younger than her, but she couldn't detect any hint of impatience or disgust on his face.

Noticing the large tear stains she had left on his chest, Qian Renxue murmured softly, as if saying, "I'm sorry."

However, her voice was hoarse, and she couldn't speak clearly.

She pushed away Wang Si's hand, which had been patting her back, intending to get up and leave.

But at that moment, the hand she had just pushed away found its way to her shoulder.

"I remembered a song," Wang Si said. "Do you want to listen to it together?"

Without lowering his head to look at Qian Renxue's current state, which was undoubtedly unattractive, he took out a small wind chime from Yue Xuan.

As he handed the wind chime to Qian Renxue's left hand, he also took hold of it. Then, to Qian Renxue's surprise, he grasped her right hand as well, although she kept it in a fist with only her index finger extended.

Wang Si gently pressed his index finger against hers and plucked at the strings of the wind chime, creating a hollow and melodious sound.

"You've been crying for so long; your eyes must be dry by now. Close your eyes, and you don't have to look at me," he said gently.

As he played the wind chime, even without deliberately paying attention to Qian Renxue's state, Wang Si was aware that she was staring at him intently.

When Wang Si pointed it out, Qian Renxue didn't feel embarrassed. Instead, she closed her eyes without hesitation.

Perhaps this wasn't so bad.

She lay quietly in Wang Si's embrace, feeling his aura calming and becoming more serene...

Merely sensing the changes in Wang Si's aura, Qian Renxue soon felt drowsy, and her consciousness began to fade.

Just before her consciousness dissipated, she heard a ethereal and melodious humming.

"Look at the stars, look at the moon,"

"Look into my heart,"

"The moon represents my heart,"

"Dreams are sweet,"

"The pursuit of a dream is everlasting,"

"No matter how distant,"

"I will never lose my way."

..................................

There was no doubt that Wang Si felt sympathy for Qian Renxue, but he would prefer it if she didn't pose a threat to him.

In truth, Qian Renxue was unaware that her very birth was a mistake, a product of a momentary passion between her father and mother.

While her grandfather had protected her well, shielding her from the gossip and rumors, his love for her was also burdened with expectations for her Six-Winged Angelic Soul Master. He yearned for her to become the next Angelic God.

Perhaps Qian Daolu never explicitly expressed his hopes for Qian Renxue's future, but children are incredibly perceptive to the unspoken desires of their elders.

This unspoken love and expectation became a heavy burden on Qian Renxue's shoulders. The deeper Qian Daolu's love, the heavier this invisible pressure became.

Unable to bear this weight, Qian Renxue could only escape.

Her decision to go undercover in Tiandou City was, on the surface, to prove her worth to Bibi Dong and make her regret or feel guilty.

But in truth, she was running away from her grandfather and the oppressive love he showered upon her.

In the heart of the young Qian Renxue, there were already some deep-seated fixations.

Her hatred towards her mother was the smallest and easiest fixation to let go of.

It was all a misunderstanding, and Bibi Dong didn't hate her as much as Qian Renxue had imagined.

The sense of indebtedness she felt towards her grandfather was another fixation, one that she would never easily relinquish.

"Love is often accompanied by a sense of indebtedness."

It was a vicious cycle: Qian Daolu doted on his granddaughter, and Qian Renxue loved her grandfather deeply, but both felt they owed the other.

As for the last fixation, it was a yearning for a different kind of love, one that was freer and less burdened.

At present, Qian Renxue didn't exhibit this need, but that was only because she hadn't met someone who made her heart flutter.

If, in the future, she were to encounter someone who stirred her heart, her desire for this "unfettered love" would surge like a flood, becoming uncontrollable.

Wang Si hoped that he would be that person, not because he particularly liked Qian Renxue, but because he had watched her grow up.

As for her grandfather, Wang Si couldn't help but feel a slight headache when thinking about Qian Daolu.

To be honest, Qian Daolu's decision to knock Qian Renxue unconscious without hesitation seemed a bit unreasonable, but it made logical sense.

As a believer in the Angelic God, one's thoughts and consciousness would inevitably be influenced by the Angelic God, such as in the search for the Angelic God's successor.

His love for Qian Renxue was intertwined with his desire to assist the next Angelic God in ascending to their rightful place.

If faced with a choice between "the Angelic God" and "his granddaughter's happiness," there was no question that Qian Daolu would choose the former.

Knocking his granddaughter unconscious was a consequence of choosing the former; in his eyes, some sacrifices were necessary for the sake of enhancing Qian Renxue's strength and ensuring her future as the Angelic God.

Being an undercover agent in Tiandou City left her isolated and vulnerable, but to be betrayed by the very person she trusted the most was truly heartbreaking.

Of course, Wang Si's cultivation method also gave Qian Renxue a bit of stimulation, but compared to the heartbreak caused by Qian Daolu, that stimulation was negligible...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end