Chapter 21 Qian Renxue: Using Formulas is Fast
The evening breeze seemed to have grown a bit cooler.
She tightened her arms around her knees and whispered, "The son is not like the father? But... if the child really were like the parent... wouldn’t that lead to even more suspicion..."
She paused, her voice turning even softer, carrying a trace of coldness and sympathy she hadn’t noticed herself.
"What else?"
"And then..." Jiang Bai pondered for a moment before speaking.
"The Jingnan Campaign..."
"To put it simply, the father was elderly, the eldest brother died young, and the second and third brothers passed away one after another. The eldest nephew, who was supposed to inherit the Family business, happened to go missing. The entire Family foundation was on the verge of collapse, facing internal strife and external threats."
"At that time, the fourth uncle, who originally only wanted to be a peaceful vassal king, had no choice but to step forward at the age of forty-three to shoulder the heavy burden of reorganizing the Family business and Setting things right."
One took the initiative out of self-preservation and ambition, while the other was forced to shoulder a heavy responsibility during a Family crisis...
The light in Qian Renxue’s eyes flickered uncertainly.
It was like four different mirrors reflecting the trajectories of people in different positions and with different personalities within the vortex of power.
There was helplessness, tragedy, decisiveness, and responsibility.
Without exception, they were all filled with sacrifice, maneuvering, and the feeling of being caught in circumstances beyond one’s control.
Jiang Bai observed her expression, and his tone shifted, becoming ethereal and full of temptation.
"Senior, when I was a child in the village, I heard many ancient legends from the elders. Among them were stories about the Angel God, saying it was a supreme and great existence that wielded light and judged the World."
He paused and looked at Qian Renxue. "In this World, there should really be gods, right?"
Qian Renxue was taken aback by this sudden shift in topic and nodded subconsciously.
Gods? For her, who was born in the Enshrinement Hall with Angel divine force flowing in her blood, a ’god’ was not a vague legend but a tangible existence, a concept closely related to herself.
Her grandfather’s lifelong faith and pursuit, and the mission passed down through the Family—didn’t they all point toward that supreme Angel God Position?
"Since gods exist," Jiang Bai’s voice dropped lower, yet it carried a strange, Soul-piercing power, like a devil’s whisper.
"Then you, Senior, as the Bloodline closest to a god, why do you still limit your gaze to Mortal recognition and making compromises? Why not cast aside those distractions and focus wholeheartedly on your Cultivate to pursue... the chance to become a god?"
The chance to become a god!
Those words exploded in Qian Renxue’s mind like a thunderclap!
Jiang Bai continued his temptation, his words becoming increasingly rebellious, yet they painted an increasingly clear and blood-pumping picture.
"As long as you successfully inherit the God Position and become the new Angel God, then the Supreme Pontiff... no matter how majestic or powerful she is, she will still be just a Mortal."
His tone carried a hint of almost cruel rationality.
"At that time, why would you still care whether she gives you a second look or recognizes you? Between you, there would already be the difference between god and Mortal, as far apart as the clouds and the mud."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes burning as they watched Qian Renxue’s pupils suddenly contract. In a voice that was almost a whisper, he described an even more ’terrifying’ scene.
"Perhaps when that day comes, you will appear before her with the Angel Sacred Sword in one hand and... Hu Liena’s head in the other."
"Instead of blaming you, she might even ’praise’ you, saying you were decisive in your killing, that you ’set things right’ for Spirit Hall and cleared out the trash. She might say you killed well!"
Is... is this... right? Is this reasonable?!
Qian Renxue’s eyes widened abruptly as she looked at Jiang Bai in disbelief, as if she were truly seeing this boy, three years younger than herself, for the first time.
These words completely overturned all her perceptions and challenged worldly ethics, yet... they were damnably full of a twisted and powerful temptation!
They had crudely lured out the dark thoughts hidden deep within her, born from long-term suppression and neglect!
Becoming a god... surpassing the Mortal realm... standing above all... wielding the absolute power over life and death...
Caring about the recognition of a Mortal? In the face of a god’s power, did that not seem ridiculous and insignificant?
To gamble a twisted life of long-term undercover work for a single word of cold charity?
Or to use absolute power to redefine the rules, and even... ’set things right’?
Several starkly different thoughts collided and intertwined frantically in her mind.
Grandfather is old, father died young, mother is ’unconscious’ of her duties, and outsiders are watching like tigers, coveting the glory and authority that should belong to the Angel... The Family is full of surging undercurrents, and signs of chaos are beginning to appear.
I, Qian Renxue, the descendant of the Angel God, am I really going to be like those princes in stories who passively accept their fate, or like my mother arranged, to engage in a gamble with slim hopes and a heavy price?
No...
A faint but incredibly clear voice rang out from the deepest part of her Soul.
Why can’t it be... me, who shoulders this Family business that is about to collapse?
The confusion, pain, and hesitation in Qian Renxue’s eyes vanished rapidly like a receding tide, replaced by an increasingly bright and determined light.
Becoming the Angel God...
Holding the Angel Sacred Sword in one hand...
Holding in the other...
"Hehe... Hehehe..."
She suddenly began to laugh softly. At first, it was suppressed and intermittent, but then her voice gradually opened up, and there was no longer any sadness in that laughter.
Instead, it was filled with a sense of sudden enlightenment, even carrying a hint of madness and pleasure.
She seemed to see another completely different, yet incredibly clear path unfolding before her eyes.
"Senior?"
Jiang Bai was somewhat surprised by her sudden laughter and called out tentatively.
"Senior?" Seeing that Qian Renxue didn’t react and was still immersed in her own thoughts with a low laugh, he called out again.
Right then, Qian Renxue suddenly moved.
Without any warning, she reached out her arms and pulled Jiang Bai, who was sitting beside her, into a hug!
The movement was abrupt, even carrying a bit of reckless force.
She gently rested her head on Jiang Bai’s slightly thin but straight shoulder. Her golden hair brushed against his neck, bringing a hint of ticklishness and a refined, elegant fragrance.
"Thank you, Jiang Bai."
Her voice sounded in his ear, much lower and softer than usual, carrying a sincerity born of relief.
Jiang Bai’s body stiffened slightly. With the girl’s unique fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose and feeling the weight and warmth from his shoulder, he was momentarily dazed.
He hadn’t expected Qian Renxue to show such a direct display of emotion.
What surprised him even more was yet to come.
Maintaining the hug, Qian Renxue brought her lips close to his ear and, in an extremely faint voice that only the two of them could hear—carrying a rare, almost coquettish hesitation and expectation—she whispered a question.
"Jiang Bai... can you... call me ’Sister’?"
"..."
Jiang Bai was completely stunned.
This was... too sudden, and too... intimate... wasn’t it?
He lowered his gaze and could see Qian Renxue’s fair ear and slender golden eyelashes right before him.
She seemed to be waiting, yet also seemed a bit nervous, as her arms holding him tightened unconsciously.
In the shadows, Qian Daoliu saw his granddaughter suddenly embrace Jiang Bai. His brow twitched imperceptibly, but he did not stop them.
This Rank 99 super Douluo, who had experienced many vicissitudes, also had an extremely complex emotion flash through his eyes.
There was surprise, sentiment, and perhaps even a hint of... an understanding sigh.
The lakeside was silent as the starlight began to appear.
After a brief silence, Jiang Bai took a soft breath. He didn’t push her away, nor did he ask any questions.
He turned his head and, also in a very soft voice, called out clearly and steadily in her ear:
"Sister."
"...Mm."
Qian Renxue responded, her voice filled with satisfaction and an indescribable tremor.
She finally released her arms, sat up straight, and looked at Jiang Bai again.
At this moment, the tear tracks on her face were not yet dry, and her eyes were still slightly red, but those beautiful eyes were startlingly bright, filled with unprecedented spirit and determination.
The sadness and hesitation had been swept away, replaced by a sharp edge of someone who had found their direction and was ready to break out of their cocoon.
She looked at Jiang Bai and suddenly broke into a smile.
That smile was as bright as the rising sun.
"Jiang Bai," she called out, her tone returning to its usual style but with a bit more natural closeness, "what we said today, and... the way you just addressed me, it’s a secret between us, right?"
"Of course." Jiang Bai nodded and raised his hand to make a zipping motion at his mouth again.
"Very good." Qian Renxue stood up, patted the non-existent dust off her skirt, and looked toward Spirit City with a deep gaze.
"I should head back. There are some things... I need to reconsider, and I also need to have a good talk with my grandfather."
She turned to leave, took two steps, then looked back at Jiang Bai, who was still sitting by the lake, and said, "By the way, how was the effect of your first spirit ring?"
Jiang Bai’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm as he showed a slightly joyful smile.
"The effect is good, and I feel the boost to my body is even stronger than expected. It might be because the quality of the Spirit Beast was high. Thank you... Sister."
Qian Renxue nodded with satisfaction. "That’s good. Remember to Cultivate well!"
With that, she didn’t linger. Her golden figure quickly disappeared into the deepening night and the depths of the path leading to the villa.