Father and Son Conversation

Morning.

Mian slowly opened her eyes, still feeling somewhat drowsy, and let out a big yawn. A bit of physiological tears seeped from the corners of her eyes. Dreaming meant her sleep quality wasn’t great. After falling asleep, she’d been pulled into a chat by Aise for a while. Though it hadn’t lasted long, it had disrupted Mian’s usual steady biological rhythm.

“Good morning, Mian.” Musen materialized from the pages of a book. “A fine day starts with morning exercise. Come on, Mian, let’s start with a simple warm-up of three hundred push-ups and squats…”

“No, Mr. Musen, I won’t be exercising today…” Mian cut him off, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.

Musen paused briefly, then suddenly understood and quickly found a reasonable explanation for Mian, letting out a hearty laugh: “Haha, is that so? Taking a rest today? Indeed, balancing work and rest is important. If the burden is too heavy, it’ll only backfire. Then let your muscles relax today… Shall I recommend some relaxation exercises? Or, if you don’t mind, I could even massage your sore muscles…”

“Stop, stop, stop, Mr. Musen…” Mian waved her hands repeatedly, overwhelmed by his stream of enthusiastic suggestions.

“Let’s set exercise aside for now… Could you please help me find the Brave One? I have something quite important I want to discuss with him.” Mian took a deep breath, trying to make her expression more serious.

“Looking for Xia Lun?” Musen’s smile quickly faded, his gaze turning grave as he nodded slowly, clearly aware of the matter’s importance. “Alright, wait a moment.”

Musen took on physical form and walked toward the door, carrying the children’s book that was his true body.

Before long, Musen returned.

Xia Lun and Aina followed behind him.

Xia Lun was still dressed simply and neatly, his gaze calm yet carrying a power that saw through everything. Aina stood quietly at his side, her eyes as deep as a still pool, showing no ripple of emotion. An aura of inapproachability naturally emanated from her.

Seeing them, Mian immediately stood up and told Aina and Xia Lun everything about what had happened in her dream last night.

“…That’s how it was,” Mian finished, letting out a soft sigh. She felt a bit of weight lift from her shoulders, but her mood remained heavy.

“You performed better than I expected,” Aina said, her voice cold but offering praise, which made Mian feel flattered and surprised.

Xia Lun listened quietly, his face revealing little. But beneath his eyes, hidden currents churned like storm clouds gathering before a tempest. A barely restrained fury surged in the depths of his gaze.

Aise… that bastard was actually planning to strike at the people close to him.

If Mian hadn’t been quite cautious, something unexpected might have happened this time.

“Don’t worry, Xia Lun,” Aina said softly, giving his hand a light squeeze. “Aise won’t go after Mo Lini… If he could pull off something like that, he’d obviously use a more direct method instead of telling you about it through Mian’s words. He just wants to make you lose your composure.”

Xia Lun nodded.

If Aise actually harmed anyone else… it would mean he was ready to burn all bridges.

At that point, even Xia Lun couldn’t continue letting him do whatever he wanted. He would have to make a decisive move with overwhelming force.

Xia Lun turned his gaze to Mian.

“Want to step out and talk?” Xia Lun suddenly spoke.

Mian was clearly startled, not understanding right away, since Xia Lun wasn’t addressing her.

“Um…”

Suddenly, an overwhelming dizziness struck her consciousness like a tsunami. Mian tried to stay awake, but her vision began to spin, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. She tried to stand steady, but her body swayed uncontrollably side to side, like reeds trembling in a gale.

She lasted only five seconds. Then Mian’s eyes closed, and she lost consciousness.

“Father, what did you want to talk to me about?” When Mian opened her eyes, she grinned, her irises suddenly overtaken by an eerie crimson… The clarity, tension, and respect from before were gone, replaced by a mocking madness.

Xia Lun looked deeply at Aise. “Was all that acting necessary?”

“You’re so sharp, Father. Nothing escapes your eyes…” Aise remarked with a sigh.

Then Aise seemed to realize something: “Ah, I see. Now that your eyes are the ones Mother found for you, it’s only natural they’re so keen…”

Xia Lun waited silently for him to finish.

Xia Lun knew that when Aise had tried to seize Mian’s consciousness just now… it wouldn’t have taken five seconds.

About three seconds would have been enough for Aise to take over Mian’s body. The remaining time was Aise’s well-timed performance.

If he had any ulterior motives, those two extra seconds could have let Aise do a lot.

“So, Father, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

Aise seemed quite excited and well-behaved, standing properly in front of Xia Lun without any sly moves.

He wouldn’t dare make any suspicious moves, either. At this distance, Xia Lun wouldn’t allow him to do anything unexpected.

Aise sat down on the bed, as if this was just an ordinary father-son chat.

“How are you… feeling now?” Xia Lun asked.

“I’m feeling great… And Mother, please don’t look at me like that. It’s terrifying,” Aise said with a light laugh, addressing Aina. “I’m still your son, after all.”

Aina didn’t respond, and her icy gaze never left Aise, still capable of freezing a soul.

Xia Lun: “Aise, I’m talking about your condition.”

“Hmm… I can hold out for a while for now. After all, I spent nearly a thousand years outside the world, slaughtering all kinds of chaotic aberrations, which really satisfied my cravings,” Aise said, narrowing his eyes blissfully like he was basking in a gentle sunbath, looking harmless. “But I don’t know when the urge will strike again.”

Aise paused, his tone turning sly: “What’s the matter, Father? If my condition ever gets cured, are you thinking of mending our father-son relationship?”

Xia Lun gave Aise a deep look. “Aise… the blood on your hands can never be washed clean.”

For a fleeting moment, a hint of disappointment flickered across Aise’s smile and froze there, then dissolved as if it had never existed.

“Is that so? What a pity.” Aise squinted, a faint smile curling his lips. His face showed no sign of regret at all.

There was nothing to regret.

A thousand years ago, when he had chosen to follow his desires and do what he did, he had already chosen his fate.