Chapter Thirty: The Kind Uncle

An angel descending to earth?

Thanks to his extraordinary perception, Jiang An immediately looked up. What met his eyes was a delicate little girl, pink-cheeked, leaping up to catch a balloon. Yet, she lost her balance and tumbled from midair. In that moment, time seemed to freeze. Jiang An did not hesitate. With a swift step and a flash of movement, he reached the spot beneath the falling girl, extending his arms. The little girl landed securely in his embrace; with a twist of his arm, he absorbed the force of her fall.

“Oh?”

The little girl, like a curious marmot, glanced at this stranger who was holding her, then at her balloon. Her confused little head had yet to grasp what had happened—how had she ended up in this uncle’s arms?

“Xixi! You scared me to death! Oh, my goodness!”

On the second floor, a middle-aged woman lay almost paralyzed against the railing. Seeing the girl safe and sound, caught without a scratch, she finally exhaled a long breath. Yet the violent surge of emotion left her weeping uncontrollably. With trembling legs, she descended the escalator and swept the little girl into her arms, bowing repeatedly to Jiang An in gratitude. “Thank you, thank you so much! I don’t even know what to say. Are you alright? Let’s go to the hospital for a checkup just in case.”

Jiang An gazed at the little girl’s exquisite face, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. He smiled and replied, “I’m fine, not a scratch. Just keep a close eye on her in the future.”

The middle-aged woman thanked him profusely and then checked the girl over. “You little rascal, you scared Grandma half to death! Does anything hurt?”

The little girl realized she might have done something wrong. She stuck out her pink tongue and shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Xixi’s not hurt!”

The woman gave a helpless sigh and said, “This uncle saved you, Xixi. What do you say?”

Little Xixi nodded solemnly and turned to Jiang An. “Thank you for saving me, good uncle! Come here, uncle.”

As she spoke, Xixi opened her arms wide, endearingly mischievous. Jiang An laughed and leaned in, and Xixi wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, with her rosy lips, she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. Beaming, she declared, “Good uncle, goodbye!”

But with that gentle kiss, Jiang An felt every hair on his body stand on end!

Within the spiritual sea, Jiang An’s primordial soul, sitting in meditation, snapped open his eyes. A divine light shot ten thousand miles from his gaze, his expression filled with disbelief, as if encountering something utterly impossible!

How could this be? How could this be! This little girl actually carried my bloodline! To be precise, she is my daughter—my own flesh and blood!

No, that’s impossible. I’ve roamed the immortal realms, met countless women, but never had relations with any of them. Nearly two thousand years of cultivation, and I remain pure, untouched. So why does my bloodline exist here, so strong and unmistakable? It is undoubtedly mine!

Yet, the perception of the soul cannot be mistaken!

Although, upon descending to Earth, Jiang An’s divine soul was almost completely sealed by the will of the planet—especially his powerful soul—had it not been, he would have noticed the anomaly with a mere thought. But Earth’s primordial seal is too strong, obscuring all heavenly insight. Through layers of clothing, he could not detect it. Only now, through the skin-to-skin contact of the little girl’s grateful embrace, did his soul precisely sense the bloodline—a connection as intimate as flesh and milk.

“What is going on?! Let me out!”

Furious, Jiang An’s primordial soul dashed recklessly toward the towering, resplendent nine-colored gate that barred his way, crashing into it with a series of thunderous impacts. Each collision sent waves of dazzling light rippling across the gate, yet there was no sign of collapse or breach.

Suddenly, Jiang An’s soul calmed itself, regaining the tranquil composure that would not waver before even the greatest chaos. He floated quietly back to his spiritual dais, sitting in silence. Only the flickering fire in his eyes betrayed the storm within.

This turn of events had caught him entirely off guard, but now that it had happened, he had no choice but to face it.

“Boss, boss, what’s wrong?” Gao Chao, standing nearby, asked with concern. He had never seen Jiang An like this before. No matter the temptation of wealth or the threat of danger, Jiang An always remained aloof, as if nothing could touch him. But after that angelic little girl kissed him, he had flickered through confusion, shock, anger, and finally calm, all in the space of a few moments. Gao Chao could not help but be alarmed.

Jiang An had already regained his composure. He looked at Gao Chao with a gaze so cold and penetrating it seemed to see through his very soul.

“Gao Chao, I want you to mobilize all your resources and investigate everything about that little girl before I get home tonight! Do it well and there will be a reward. If you fail, don’t ever come to see me again!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll arrange it immediately and guarantee completion!” Gao Chao dared not refuse—the look in His Highness’s eyes was murderous, chilling to the bone. He hurriedly pulled out his phone to give orders.

Jiang An ignored the commotion. He only cared about obtaining information on the little girl as fast as possible. The feeling of being deceived and out of control was intolerable.

His gaze swept over the crowd and out the doors, following the little girl as she left by car. A complex light flickered in his eyes.

An hour and a half later, Jiang An arrived at the Mingde Residence by car. After a short wait at the entrance, another car pulled up. A sweating man jumped out and handed a sealed envelope through the window to Gao Chao, who, relieved, passed it to Jiang An in the back seat.

Jiang An accepted it, nodded, and said, “Very good. You’ve done well. I’ll have a surprise for you as a reward.”

“It’s my duty, Your Highness. You flatter me.” Gao Chao grinned, clearly hoping for something, but knowing how important this matter was to Jiang An, he excused himself. “Shall I take my leave, Your Highness? Any further instructions?”

“No, you may all go and rest.” With that, Jiang An stepped out of the car and strode toward his dormitory without looking back.

After calming the exuberant tiger, Jiang An sat on the sofa and quietly opened the sealed envelope, drawing out the contents.

The very first page was a photo and file of the adorable little girl—clearly downloaded and printed from the police database, a testament to the current power of the Divine Blade Sect.

“Xixi, surname Jiang!”

At first glance, Jiang An spotted this crucial detail. His heart surged. He bit his lip and turned the page—he needed to see who the child’s mother was.

As the photo of a woman of otherworldly beauty came into view, Jiang An’s pupils contracted and his breath grew heavy. Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh and murmured, “Xiao Shuang, you’ve returned, and even borne me a daughter... Hahaha, now I understand. Heaven’s will is unfathomable, the earth gives rise to grass, the waves return—where do they go? Two figures in the sunset: Song Wan Shuang! Jiang Xixi!...”

The little girl sat on the sofa, utterly absorbed in her cartoons, while in the kitchen the middle-aged woman washed dishes, glancing anxiously toward the door from time to time.

At some point, the door opened and an extraordinarily beautiful woman entered. Weary, she changed her shoes and called, “Xixi, Mommy’s home!”

“Mommy!”

Xixi forgot her cartoons and bounced off the sofa, rushing into her mother’s arms like a fledgling bird. She nestled her head against her mother’s neck, looked up, and grinned, revealing a row of tiny white teeth. “Did Mommy miss Xixi?”

The beautiful woman kissed Xixi’s rosy cheek and laughed. “How could I not miss you? Did Xixi miss Mommy?”

“Mm-hmm! I missed you.”

“You really are Mommy’s little treasure. Oh, Xixi’s gotten heavier again—Mommy can barely hold you!”

“No way! Xixi wants Mommy to hold her.”

The mother and daughter chatted as they walked inside. The middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen. The beautiful woman smiled, “Aunt Xue, thank you for your hard work. Did Xixi eat well tonight?”

“Miss, the little miss was very good—she ate two bowls.”

“Good, then please rest after you finish up. I’ll bathe Xixi tonight.”

As she spoke, she was about to step forward when the middle-aged woman suddenly knelt before her. Startled, the beautiful woman quickly set Xixi down and tried to help her up. “Aunt Xue, what are you doing? Has something happened at home? Tell me, and I’ll help however I can. Please, get up.”

But the woman refused to rise, her face flushed with shame. “Miss, it’s not about home. I’ve let you down. I wasn’t watching Xixi properly today and she fell from the second floor of the mall...”

What!

The beautiful woman paled and crouched to inspect Xixi, relieved to find no injuries. Frowning, she asked, “What exactly happened?”

“Miss, here’s what happened—Xixi suddenly chased after a balloon and tumbled over the second-floor railing. Fortunately, a kind man caught her downstairs, and both were unharmed. To be safe, I took Xixi to the hospital for a checkup... In short, it was my fault for not keeping a closer eye on her.”

Upon hearing the explanation, the beautiful woman’s face turned cold as she addressed Xixi, “You chased after a balloon?”

Xixi knew her mother was angry and lowered her head, giving a soft “mm.”

“What did Mommy tell you?” the woman asked sternly.

“Mommy said to behave, not to be naughty, and never to do dangerous things... Mommy, I know I was wrong.”

“And what happens when you’re wrong?”

“A smack on the palm. Mommy, I really know I was wrong, please don’t hit my hand...” Little Xixi burst into tears, shaking her mother’s hand. “It hurts so much, I won’t do it again. Please, Mommy, don’t smack my hand.”

The beautiful woman wanted to be strict so Xixi would remember this lesson, but seeing her pitiable little face—and recalling how seldom she had time to spend with her—she relented. Tonight, she was home early for once and didn’t want to ruin the mood. She shook her head, softening her expression, lifted Xixi into her arms, wiped her tears, and said, “Crying like a little kitten. Alright, Mommy won’t smack your hand this time. But if you’re naughty again, I really will.”

Xixi immediately beamed through her tears. “I won’t—Xixi will be good from now on.”

“Aunt Xue, get up. It’s not your fault. Just be more careful in the future,” the beautiful woman said, helping her up before turning back to her daughter.

The two beauties, one big and one small, sat on the sofa, the atmosphere finally warm and gentle.

“Xixi, who saved you? Was it a man or a woman?”

“It was a good uncle!”

“Oh? And did you thank this good uncle?”

“Mm-hmm! Xixi even gave him a kiss.”

Amused, the woman asked, “What made you want to kiss the good uncle?”

“I don’t know. At that moment, he just felt so familiar to Xixi.” Xixi tilted her head, her expression adorable. Suddenly her eyes lit up. “Oh! Because he looked so familiar—Xixi must have seen him somewhere before.”

The beautiful woman dismissed it as childish nonsense. “Do you remember where you’ve seen him?”

Little Xixi folded her arms and thought hard, then suddenly exclaimed and dashed off to the master bedroom.

“Xixi, what are you doing?” the woman called, puzzled. She was about to follow when Xixi raced back, clutching a picture frame.

“Look, no wonder! The good uncle looks just like Daddy. That’s why Xixi thought he was familiar!” Xixi held the frame out to her mother as if presenting a treasure.

“Impossible!”

The woman’s face drained of color, turning utterly pale.