"You're speaking nonsense! He's Tang San—how could he not be my child!"
Ah Yin looked at Ye Qiu with confusion, trying to discern something from his heart—but she couldn't find anything.
Ye Qiu only smiled faintly and said nothing.
He couldn't be entirely sure whether Tang San was truly Ah Yin's child. Physically, yes, but his soul clearly came from another world.
Ye Qiu believed that with just a little guidance, Tang San would be like mud falling into your pants—whether or not it's poop, it still looks like poop! Whether he was a reincarnated soul or a body-snatcher, he had no way to prove otherwise. He couldn't explain it no matter how hard he tried!
In the lush green space—
Ah Yin was clearly getting anxious. This involved her own child, so there was no room for carelessness.
She kept urging, "Ye Qiu, say something! Why isn't Xiao San my child? He has the Blue Silver Grass spirit! Could a martial spirit lie? Tell me—why would you say Xiao San isn't my child?"
Ah Yin stared at Ye Qiu, waiting for an answer.
Ye Qiu was silent for a moment. Then he looked up and, with a teasing gaze, said slowly, "Xiao San is indeed your flesh and blood, that's true. But—"
He paused, then continued with deliberate gravity:
"—But his soul is not original equipment!"
"W-What? What do you mean his soul isn't original? What does that even mean?"
Ah Yin furrowed her beautiful brows.
What did he mean, her child was her flesh and blood, but the soul wasn't original?
"Just what it sounds like~" Ye Qiu shrugged, his voice calm yet unnerving.
"You've seen my memories, right? You should've noticed Xiao San is… different. Waking up early, cultivating, inventing hidden weapons, creating his own soul skills. These things—how could a child only a few years old do them? Even with extreme talent, it doesn't add up."
Although Ah Yin had only skimmed through a portion of Ye Qiu and Tang San's memories before they arrived at Nuoding Academy, she still remembered those details.
Ah Yin froze, her face showing a strange and uncertain expression.
In all her life, she had never heard of any person—or even a spirit beast—being able to possess another's body and live on. It was completely unheard of!
That sense of maternal love mixed with guilt influenced her. Her doubts quickly faded again as she shook her head in disbelief. "That doesn't prove anything! Maybe someone taught him those things?"
"Taught him?" Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, smiling nonchalantly.
Ye Qiu could see clearly that Ah Yin's heart still held doubt—they were soul-linked after all.
Ye Qiu continued asking, "You've lived so long—have you ever heard of hidden weapons before? And who do you think taught him? Tang Hao? But Tang San seems to want to hide these things from Tang Hao."
Ye Qiu's barrage of questions left Ah Yin speechless. She opened her mouth but couldn't find a way to refute him. She just pressed her lips together and glared at Ye Qiu.
"In any case, I will never doubt my own son so easily! And don't even think of trying to sow discord between us!"
"Sow discord? How could I?" Ye Qiu shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth. If you don't believe me, then forget I ever said anything."
Ye Qiu spread his hands, not in the least bit anxious. Their hearts were connected—he knew that Ah Yin wasn't as calm as she appeared. She was just lying to herself.
"All right, come over and cultivate."
Ye Qiu didn't talk about it any further. Cultivating together with Ah Yin was already a disadvantage for him, so he might as well focus on it. Schemes and manipulation were second-rate. Real strength was the universal language. Once he was strong enough, he could snatch Ah Yin in front of Tang Hao and even shove her into his waistband, and what could Tang Hao do? He could only kneel and watch!
This world respects strength. But for now, Ye Qiu was still weak—he needed time to lay low and grow.
As his voice fell, the ground under the cross-legged Ye Qiu suddenly rose up, forming a soft Simmons-style mattress.
This green space could be shaped at will by the two of them.
"Ye Qiu, what are you doing?!"
Ah Yin looked at the bed that had suddenly appeared, her face instantly turning red. That bed had been the stage of Ye Qiu's fantasy scenes last time—the platform where she had been manipulated and made to perform all sorts of provocative "moves."
She hugged herself tightly and backed away, warning, "If you dare touch me, I won't let you off! Hao will kill you!"
Seeing her panic-stricken face, Ye Qiu spread his hands again. "Come on, I just asked you to cultivate. If I really wanted to do something to you, could you resist? Even if you screamed, who would hear you?"
As Ye Qiu spoke, he released the mental veil he had used to block Ah Yin.
Sometimes, hiding too much could cause you to lose the upper hand. And to build real trust, honesty was the ultimate weapon.
Looking at him now, Ah Yin could see everything about Ye Qiu—his heart was clear, calm as still water, and she had no place in his thoughts.
Ah Yin's panic eased slightly.
She also understood—right now, she was like fish on a cutting board. If Ye Qiu really wanted to do anything to her, she wouldn't be able to resist. She could only let him lift her legs and do as he pleased.
Even knowing this, Ah Yin didn't step toward the bed. She bit her lip and pleaded, "Please… let me see my child's past! Otherwise, I can't concentrate on cultivating…"
Seeing her lower her stance and knowing she still harbored doubt, Ye Qiu nodded. "Sure, no problem."
This was all within Ye Qiu's expectations. With his hint, Ah Yin would now examine Tang San more closely in the future.
This time, Ye Qiu didn't hide a single memory—not even the default martial spirit starting point, or the memories before spirit awakening. He shared everything.
From the very first time Ye Qiu met Tang San…
The scenes played in Ah Yin's mind like a slideshow. She finally understood why Tang Hao's appearance had changed so much. After that battle, he had lost his wife and father—falling into despair and drowning in alcohol.
When Ah Yin saw that Tang Hao had neglected their child completely, her heart broke.
At the same time, Ye Qiu's speculation mingled with the memories—why had Tang Hao ignored his own child? Why had he turned a blind eye?
When she saw Tang San awaken his martial spirit, she was slightly relieved. But when she saw him gift Ye Qiu the sleeve dart, calling it "his own secret"—
And when she saw him use all kinds of "self-created" soul skills in his spars with Ye Qiu—
Ah Yin's heart again filled with doubt and confusion. She also saw the little rabbit beside Ye Qiu.
She saw the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, and Ye Qiu's entanglement with Dugu Yan, which made her cheeks flush.