Page 907

Ning Yuzhou nodded in agreement. Since Min Jishu had suspected something upon their first meeting in the Thousand Islands Secret Realm, it was clear that the Min clan's method of identifying direct bloodline descendants was quite accurate. It made them feel familiar and friendly just from meeting.

Wen Qiao said sadly, "But suddenly, I don't want to tell him anymore. After all, my mother..."

Ning Yuzhou finally got what she meant and pulled the young girl into his arms.

Wen Qiao quietly rested in his arms, her eyes filled with confusion and sorrow, an inexplicable sadness rising in her.

While the two were talking, Yi Xuan and Shi Wuming led the group of followers away. Although they couldn't hear what the two were saying, by observing their actions, the followers once again confirmed that Xing Jinling and Min Jishu had no chance.

It seemed the boss and her partner were really close.

Shi Wuming muttered under his breath, "Little sister Qiao really relies on Brother Ning."

Yi Xuan grunted in acknowledgment, giving him a puzzled look.

"If little sister Qiao ever finds out that Brother Ning has been hiding something very important from her... will she be as upset as she is now?" Shi Wuming mumbled, "I'm afraid she might be even more upset."

"What are you saying?" Yi Xuan asked coldly.

But Shi Wuming stayed silent, squatting there, still watching the two in the distance.

——

Wen Qiao leaned on him for a bit, listening to the man's voice accompanied by the gentle sea breeze.

"Chui, given how much the Min clan cares about bloodline, if they were to find out about your mother, they'd probably be even more upset. Maybe there was more to it back then—it might not have been that they didn't search for your mother, but that they couldn't, or there were other reasons..."

"Really?" she asked softly.

Ning Yuzhou assured her, "Of course. If they didn't care so much about bloodline, the Min clan wouldn't have implanted an identification secret technique in their bloodline, making Min Jishu feel friendly toward you upon first meeting and subsequently suspect your identity."

Unfortunately, Min Jishu's suspicion was in the wrong direction. He probably thought someone from the Min clan had a child outside without knowing, leading to her being left adrift.

Wen Qiao's mood finally lifted a bit.

Originally, she had planned to ask Min Jishu directly about the Min clan when she met him, and then bring up her mother's identity.

But Min Jishu's behavior was too obvious, making it clear to her just how much the Min clan valued bloodline. If they valued it so much, why had her mother been abandoned in Dongling for decades without the Min clan ever looking for her?

If the Min clan had found her mother earlier, her parents wouldn't have been secretly killed.

So she felt upset and suddenly didn't want to ask Min Jishu, inevitably feeling a mix of resentment and a desire to avoid the issue.

"Next time you see Min Jishu, just ask him directly," Ning Yuzhou said gently. "We need to figure this out, so the Min clan knows. Otherwise, they might unknowingly be used to harm their own kin."

Wen Qiao responded with a muffled sound.

Ning Yuzhou hugged her again, then took out a bottle of spirit fruit juice and handed it to her.

The spirit fruit juice was delicious. Wen Qiao's eyes lit up after just one sip, and her mood suddenly improved. Indeed, delicious food always lifts one's spirits, which is why most cultivators, even when fasting, still insist on enjoying good food. The satisfaction it brings is enough to make any sentient being feel happy.

As she drank, she looked up and saw Wen Guangun perched on Ning Yuzhou's shoulder, drooling over the spirit fruit juice.

During this period, Wen Guangun had been following Ning Yuzhou.

This was also Wen Qiao's instruction, to ensure that her husband wouldn't be bullied when they were apart, with Wen Guangun acting as his protector.

Wen Qiao drank half of it and handed the remaining half to Wen Guangun.

Wen Guangun immediately started barking happily, which made Wen Qiao chuckle. "You're an iron-eating beast, not a canine young beast, so stop barking like that."

Wen Guangun then bleated a couple of times. Iron-eating beasts have diverse calls that can change based on their mood, so barking a couple of times wasn't a big deal.

Seeing that Ning Yuzhou had successfully reassured her, Yi Xuan and the others finally approached.

At this time, the number of cultivators heading to the Sea God Residence from the sea surface was dwindling. It was clear that besides these people, many others opted to stay on the islands rather than compete for the Sea God Token.

Shi Wuming, seeing Wen Guangun sipping juice, felt a pang of envy. "This smells amazing, Brother Ning. Did you stumble upon some high-grade spiritual fruit on an island again?"

"Kind of," Ning Yuzhou replied casually, not continuing the topic. "Since we're here, why don’t we check out the Sea God Residence?"

Everyone present agreed.

Wen Qiao, her worries eased by Ning Yuzhou, thought it would be good to go in and take a look. If she ran into Min Jishu, she could ask him about her mother.

So the group headed towards the Sea God Residence.

As soon as they entered the Sea God Residence’s hall, a loud boom suddenly echoed. Looking up, they saw seawater splashing high outside, flooding the steps of the Sea God Residence and rushing towards them.

"Huh, why’s the sea rising?" the salted fish male cultivator muttered.

Yi Xuan's expression changed slightly, his voice stern. "It's not the sea rising, but the Sea God Residence is descending."

Everyone's expressions changed.

The Sea God Residence originally flew out from the seabed, so if it were to sink back into the sea, it wouldn't be a problem. But for cultivators to be taken into the sea with the Sea God Residence, that wouldn't be so friendly.

As they were thinking, everyone noticed that the seawater had already flooded over, instantly submerging them.

The entire palace was soaked in water, and the Sea God Residence was rapidly descending in the azure seawater.

The speed of the Sea God Residence's descent was very fast, but the people inside, apart from being enveloped by seawater, did not feel the impact of the descent. Instead, it was very stable, clearly indicating that the Sea God Residence was surrounded by a force that would not affect the cultivators.

Everyone was puzzled that the Sea God Residence reappeared after just half a day only to return to the sea. They thought that this must be some characteristic of the Sea God Residence. It emerged from the depths of the sea, probably to allow cultivators to discover it. After the cultivators who discovered it entered the Sea God Residence, it would return to the sea, allowing the cultivators inside to compete for the Sea God Token underwater.