Not Treating Dad as Dad

Under Yan Yun’s persistent disregard, Yan Lingyun finally conceded defeat.

“You?”

“Ah, you win! You truly are an unlikable brat, but what choice do I have when I need your help? Let’s strike a bargain.”

Yan Lingyun offered a helpless smile.

Upon hearing her words, a faint smile finally graced Yan Yun’s lips, and she turned her gaze towards Yan Lingyun.

“Old Ancestor, that’s more like it, isn’t it? From your demeanor, it’s clear you have a favor to ask of me. Why bother feigning such a lofty air?”

Yan Yun had deliberately kept Yan Lingyun waiting precisely because she had guessed that the other party had a request for her.

The initiative lay with her; if she had immediately acted like a fawning sycophant, she would have fallen into a trap.

Thus, the two struck a bargain. The terms of this transaction were straightforward: Yan Lingyun would fully assist Yan Yun in cultivating the Heavenly Poison Scripture, and Yan Yun, once capable, would help Yan Lingyun resurrect.

****

With Yan Lingyun’s assistance, Yan Yun’s predicament was instantly resolved. As a practitioner of poison techniques, Yan Lingyun herself was an exceptionally skilled alchemist.

However, she only refined poisons, and could be aptly called a poison master.

Over a thousand years ago, Yan Lingyun was renowned throughout Jiang Nation, her cultivation having reached the peak of the God-Venerate Realm. She had once used her poison techniques to eliminate a cultivation sect in Jiang Nation that boasted multiple God-Venerate cultivators, earning herself the moniker ‘Heavenly Poison Maiden’.

Ultimately, however, she incensed the mighty cultivators of the Upper Realm, who dispatched cultivators of the Divine Fire Realm to descend and hunt her down.

She fled and hid, and to avoid implicating her family, she secretly left behind the Heavenly Poison Scripture and a fragment of her soul, instructing her younger brother to keep them safe.

As for her true body, she could no longer sense its presence, a clear indication that she had been slain by the Upper Realm powerhouses.

The so-called Upper Realm was, in fact, another dimension, though not the Immortal Realm.

The world where Yan Yun and her companions resided was called the Heavenly Dust Continent, which belonged to the Profound Origin Realm, one of its many lower-tier worlds.

Cultivators reaching the Divine Fire Realm could shatter the barrier between the two realms and enter the Profound Origin Realm.

Yan Lingyun’s experiences were roughly thus.

As for the tome containing the Heavenly Poison Scripture, this book was a treasure, arguably Yan Lingyun’s most cherished possession during her lifetime. She dubbed it the ‘Heavenly Tome’ and had acquired it from the ruins of an ancient cultivator.

Yan Lingyun only knew that this item could create cultivation techniques; her Heavenly Poison Scripture had been created using this very item.

However, she currently had little clue how to fully utilize it.

With Yan Lingyun’s help, Yan Yun became the new master of this Heavenly Tome.

Once the Heavenly Tome acknowledged its master, it transformed into a streak of light and entered her body, allowing Yan Lingyun to converse with Yan Yun anytime, anywhere.

****

Three hours after meeting Yan Lingyun.

Yan Yun hesitantly emerged from her residence, her expression betraying that she seemed poised to undertake something deeply embarrassing.

‘Kid, what’s there to be afraid of? That’s your birth mother. Flash a cute smile, act a little spoiled, and ask for some spirit stones—isn’t that a simple matter? Don’t waste that innocent, harmless face of yours.’

Yan Lingyun’s voice echoed in Yan Yun’s mind. ‘These past few years, even though I didn’t immediately come out to meet you, I know your experiences intimately.’

Yan Yun rolled her eyes vehemently, but steeled herself and headed to her mother Su Muyu’s dwelling.

As luck would have it, no sooner had she arrived than she spotted an unwelcome guest; from a distance, she saw Yan Long enter Su Muyu’s residence.

‘What’s that old geezer doing at my beautiful mother’s place?’ Yan Yun immediately grew wary.

She had never seen Yan Long visit Su Muyu’s dwelling before, and as the saying goes, ‘an unusual occurrence often signals trouble.’

Yan Yun slowed her pace, waiting for Yan Long to enter the courtyard first, while she quickly found a spot to hide, intending to observe Yan Long’s intentions.

Su Muyu was seated beneath a tree in the courtyard, sipping tea and reading a book. Upon seeing Yan Long arrive, her maid immediately exclaimed:

“Family Head, you’ve come!”

This sudden exclamation caused Su Muyu, who was reading, to pause slightly.

However, she showed Yan Long no deference, straight-up ignoring him as if he weren’t there.

Yan Long smiled at the maid and walked towards Su Muyu.

Su Muyu, meanwhile, remarked sarcastically:

“Oh! The Family Head has arrived. What a rare guest. The last time you graced my presence was when I gave birth to Yun’er, wasn’t it?”

This comment instantly made Yan Long incredibly awkward.

Su Muyu’s dowry maids, seeing their mistress’s indifferent demeanor, were utterly flustered.

In their eyes, Yan Long’s sudden visit was an opportunity to mend their relationship and foster affection.

“This… sigh! Xiao Qi (TL Note: A diminutive or affectionate term for a younger sister or a concubine, often used by a husband), I know I, your husband, have neglected you and Yun’er all these years, but I, too, have my own difficulties.”

Yan Long explained.

Yan Long indeed had his difficulties; it wasn’t fear of the First Madam herself, but rather of the powerful faction backing her.

Thus, for years, internally, he had largely been subservient to the First Madam’s every command, while externally, the First Madam never interfered.

It wasn’t just Su Muyu; he rarely visited his other concubines either. Only with the First Madam’s permission could he approach them.

The First Madam, in turn, only permitted Yan Long to visit his concubines when there was a specific need.

And now, a need had arisen, so the First Madam had allowed Yan Long to come to Su Muyu’s dwelling.

“No need to explain. This concubine is merely a tool. Having failed to bear the Family Head an heir with cultivation talent, it is only natural to be neglected and ignored.”

Her gaze remained fixed on her book, displaying an air of complete indifference toward Yan Long.

Yan Long’s gaze suddenly sharpened. With a swift wave, the book in Su Muyu’s hands was snatched away by Yan Long.

This sudden action caught Su Muyu off guard. She promptly rose and questioned him:

“You, what are you doing?”

Yan Long chuckled softly and strolled towards Su Muyu. His imposing aura caused Su Muyu to feel an inexplicable fear. She retreated steadily until her back met the wall.

“Xiao Qi, I know you hold prejudices against me, but you also understand that it wasn’t entirely my decision to take you as a concubine back then. Regardless of the reasons, you did, after all, become my woman. Are you truly determined to remain so distant and stiff with me for an entire lifetime?”

Yan Long cornered Su Muyu, gazing down at her from above.

Su Muyu was no longer the young maiden she once was. Nearing thirty, she was now a mature woman, and her thoughts and perspectives were certainly different from back then.

The man before her was, after all, her husband—an unchangeable fact.

However, she was not like the other concubines in the family who tried every conceivable method to foster a closer relationship with Yan Long; such methods did not align with her nature.

“You, stay away from me.”

Su Muyu raised her hands and pushed against Yan Long’s chest.

Yet, he remained unyielding. The scent of a mature man wafted over her, plunging Su Muyu into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

‘That old geezer, it’s clear he has ill intentions.’ Having experienced such things herself, Yan Yun immediately understood her nominal father’s intentions upon witnessing his actions.

Saying this, she prepared to rise and disrupt the mood.

“What are you doing?”

Yan Lingyun quickly intervened.

“What am I doing? To save my mother, of course! I can’t just stand by and watch that old geezer prey on my innocent mother (TL Note: ‘老牛吃嫩草’ (lǎo niú chī nèn cǎo) is a Chinese idiom literally meaning ‘an old ox eating young grass,’ used to describe an older man pursuing a much younger woman)!”

Yan Yun instinctively replied.

This remark nearly made Yan Lingyun burst into laughter.

“Haha, calling him ‘old geezer’ every other word? You clearly don’t see him as your father. They are husband and wife; even if they were to engage in something, what business is it of yours?”

But Yan Yun could not accept it. After all, in her eyes, Yan Long was merely a stranger who had sired her, devoid of any emotional connection.

“This is my concern, you don’t need to interfere.”

With that, Yan Yun popped her head out and shouted loudly into the courtyard.

“What are you doing?”

The sudden shout startled everyone in the courtyard.

Yan Long quickly looked outside, only to see Yan Yun rushing in at an incredibly fast pace, squeezing between them and separating the two.

“Eh? Yun’er, what is this?”

Su Muyu gazed at her son, who was now shielding her, utterly bewildered.

Yan Yun fixed him with a hostile glare, locking onto him, as if to tell Yan Long, ‘Stay away from my mother.’

This only made the atmosphere even more awkward.