Bloodline Link

“I want more!”

Chacha had now completely let her guard down around Gan Tang. Like a clinging little koala, she wrapped her arms tightly around Gan Tang’s slender waist and tilted her little face up, her eyes filled with a craving for more candied hawthorns.

“Alright, alright,”

Gan Tang’s heart was captured by this display of complete trust. She beamed, skillfully lifting the soft little wolf cub into her arms with one hand, while her other hand considerately brought the candied hawthorn to her pink lips. “Eat slowly, Senior Brother. This whole stick is yours.”

Chacha immediately settled down, nestling obediently in Gan Tang’s arms. Her small paw rested lightly on Gan Tang’s forearm as she nibbled on the crystal-clear hawthorn balls, letting out satisfied “mmm-mmm” sounds. Even the tip of her fluffy tail swayed contentedly.

Cradling such an obedient and soft little bundle, Gan Tang felt a subtle sense of strangeness. She felt that her Senior Brother was a bit different today, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

While she was pondering, Chacha had already finished the candied hawthorns in Gan Tang’s hand, licking her lips, clearly not having had enough.

Gan Tang casually tossed the remaining bamboo stick into a storage pouch for trash, then subconsciously reached out to stroke Chacha’s little head.

“Ngh…”

The little bundle in her arms let out a contented purr, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face as her eyes squinted slightly.

By now, even the usually dense Gan Tang had noticed something was off with her Senior Brother… her aura was simply too soft.

The previous Lu Qiancha, though small and cute, always maintained a composure that didn’t match her body.

But now, she exuded a soft, cute, and innocent aura.

If the previous Senior Brother was like a little loli pretending to be an adult, always full of dignity,

the current her was a completely soft and tender little cub, the kind that could be lured away with a single candied hawthorn.

Lu Qiancha, who was observing, was a little speechless at this point. Just a moment ago, she was afraid of this and that, and now she was being held without moving a muscle.

“Miss Gan? Little Qiancha? What are you two doing standing at the door?”

A clear voice, tinged with a hint of confusion, came from the corridor ahead. Xun Xue’s figure appeared silently, her ice-blue eyes shifting between Chacha and Gan Tang.

“Huh?” Chacha looked up at the sound, and when her gaze met the familiar tall figure, her pink pupils suddenly burst with an indescribable, joyous light.

“Mama—!”

A clear and affectionate cry escaped her lips.

Without hesitation, she wriggled out of Gan Tang’s arms and, with a few pitter-pattering steps, rushed over to Xun Xue’s side.

“Hmm?”

Xun Xue looked at the little bundle before her with some surprise. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination… but she felt that the little one was a bit… lively today?

As if afraid that Xun Xue would disappear, Chacha wrapped her arms tightly around Xun Xue’s waist with all her might, burying her small face in the faintly fragrant fabric of her clothes and taking a deep breath.

“What’s all this about?”

Xun Xue chuckled, patting Chacha’s head.

She tilted her face up, her pink eyes filled with pure joy and a hint of grievance, her voice carrying a peculiar stickiness, “Ngh… missed you…”

Her tone was as if they had been separated for a very long time.

“Missed me?” Xun Xue laughed, her fingertips habitually combing through the soft blue hair. “How long has it been? Weren’t we sleeping together just two days ago?”

“Mm…”

Chacha just buried her face deeper, letting out an indistinct nasal sound, expressing her affection through her actions.

Lu Qiancha, who had been watching the show, was slightly taken aback. Seeing Chacha’s reaction, she had thought that the heart demon didn’t inherit her memories… but when it came to Xun Xue… could it be that the memories were selectively inherited?

Just then, Chacha suddenly lifted her little face from Xun Xue’s embrace, opened her tender little arms, and stared at Xun Xue with her pink eyes, her voice soft and sweet, tinged with anticipation, “Mama—hugs!”

This cry stunned everyone present.

Whether it was Xun Xue or Gan Tang, in their hearts, Lu Qiancha had always been a very reserved figure.

Especially for Xun Xue. She could feel that although Lu Qiancha would call her “Mother” on a daily basis, that affection was more like a polite adherence to a contract. There had always been an invisible veil between them.

It seemed that Lu Qiancha only saw her as a friend with whom she was not very close.

Forget asking for a hug; even when she initiated a hug, she would be pushed away once or twice. Although the outcome was usually Lu Qiancha ending up in Xun Xue’s arms with a helpless expression…

At this moment, Lu Qiancha, who had been watching, felt her vision go dark as a strong sense of shame washed over her. Although it was Chacha being affectionate, it was her face that was being lost.

Lu Qiancha felt a crack appear in her dignified Senior Brother image. She was now regretting letting Chacha out to play.

Xun Xue stared blankly at the pair of pink eyes, filled with longing, so close to her own.

The first absurd thought that popped into her head was—this child… has she been possessed?

“Wuu…”

Seeing that Xun Xue hadn’t moved, the light in Chacha’s eyes dimmed slightly. Her small mouth drooped in grievance, and tears as big as beans began to well up in her pink pupils. A pitiful whimper came from her throat, “Mama doesn’t want Qiancha anymore?”

“How could that be?!”

The sight of her daughter about to cry was like a sharp awl, instantly piercing through all of Xun Xue’s surprise and doubt. Her heart ached, and she immediately tightened her arms, enveloping the soft body in a tight embrace.

Her warm palm patted the slightly trembling back with a mix of urgency and heartache, her voice filled with a hint of panic and immense tenderness, “Mama would never leave Little Qiancha. Don’t cry, okay?”

Chacha let out an obedient, nasal “Mm…”, her tense body completely relaxing. Like a delicate and fragile doll, she curled up safely in the warm embrace.

Just then.

Weng—

A strange sense of resonance, without any warning, emanated from the point where their skin touched.

Xun Xue suddenly felt the dormant power of her origin bloodline and her own vast immortal energy being drawn by an invisible hand, spontaneously and eagerly… surging towards the small body in her arms.

“?!” Xun Xue’s expression changed dramatically, her ice-blue pupils instantly contracting.

She subconsciously probed with her divine sense—

A pale golden bridge of blood qi, containing the essence of life and the origin of power, had extended from her body and was now firmly established at the core of her daughter’s Dantian in her arms.

What horrified her even more was that she could even clearly “see” a similarly pure but much smaller stream of pale blue spiritual energy being drawn by her vast immortal power into the bloodline bridge, forming a subtle yet stable energy cycle.

“Bloodline link?!” Xun Xue’s voice was filled with unconcealable astonishment as she stared intently at Chacha in her arms. “This secret art of the Heart-Guiding Contract… where did you learn it from?!”

This was an esoteric secret of the Ice-Rending Snow Wolf Royal Clan. It could link the lives of close blood relatives, allowing them to watch over each other. If one was in mortal danger, the other could instantly sense their location and draw upon their origin power to attempt a rescue! It could even slightly boost both of their cultivation speeds…

“Ehehe~” Chacha peeked out from Xun Xue’s embrace, playfully winking her right eye. “Mama taught me!”

“Huh?”

Xun Xue was even more bewildered. “I taught you?”

“Mhm!”

Chacha nodded vigorously, her pink eyes filled with absolute trust and dependence on Xun Xue.

Hearing this, Xun Xue’s brows furrowed. She had no memory of teaching Lu Qiancha this secret art… Wait, could it be that it was naturally imprinted in her essence blood, and this contract art, originating from the bloodline, had been unconsciously absorbed by Lu Qiancha?

Looking at her daughter in her arms, Xun Xue could only come to this conclusion after a long moment of thought.

There was no other possibility.

She looked at Chacha in her arms with a helpless expression and sighed softly.

In truth, she hadn’t wanted to use this secret art on Lu Qiancha because its side effects… were a bit severe. She was afraid that because of them, Lu Qiancha would grow to resent her and a rift would form between them.

Xun Xue gently lifted Chacha, her feet dangling in the air, holding her under her arms until she was at eye level.

Xun Xue looked into those innocent and bewildered eyes, her tone unprecedentedly serious and tinged with an imperceptible worry, “Little Qiancha, do you know the side effects of this secret art?”

“I do.”

Chacha nodded. She tilted her head and looked at Xun Xue, asking in confusion, “Ngh… what’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

The deep worry in Xun Xue’s eyes instantly melted away. As long as she knew the consequences… that was good.

With this thought, Xun Xue reached out and stroked Chacha’s little head.

Although it was just a casual stroke, Lu Qiancha felt a strange sensation.

She could actually feel the immortal power within Xun Xue’s body!

Not only that, her spiritual power and the other’s immortal power had formed a link, connecting them.

But she was only limited to sensing it; she couldn’t control the other’s immortal power.

And her own bit of spiritual power, in the face of the other’s surging immortal power, was as insignificant as a drop in the ocean. And through this link, this drop of water had been drawn into the ocean and had become a part of it.

Xun Xue could now completely control her body through her spiritual power. No, to be more precise, Lu Qiancha even felt that she was now like a part of Xun Xue, able to be manipulated at will.

This feeling terrified Lu Qiancha. If Xun Xue wanted to, she could completely turn her into a puppet, completely under her control.