Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Qinghe's voice was gentle yet clear, and the hand that caressed Mu Ling'er was warm, making Mu Ling'er momentarily forget what she wanted to do.

Mu Ling'er vaguely remembered that in her initial impression, Qinghe was not such a gentle person.

Back then, Qinghe would often make her stand still and chatter on and on for ages.

In severe cases, he might even pin her down on his lap and give her a light but not too heavy beating.

When did it start to become like this?

Oh right, it started from the first time she took the initiative to ask Qinghe to be stricter with her.

From the moment she first left the Mu residence, spending countless cold nights in the outside world.

From then on, Qinghe never blamed her like she did when they were children; all that remained was her overflowing tenderness.

Ah, so Dahe has always had this kind of personality?

Yes, she clearly knew all along.

When she was a child, no matter how big a mistake she made or how absurd she did, Qinghe never really got angry.

She had always known that, from childhood to adulthood, Qinghe had never truly blamed her.

After all, Qinghe's tone never changed when she scolded her; it was always so gentle. It's just that she was too young to realize it back then.

The delicate scent of lavender wafts from the pillow, seeping into your heart with the flowing air.

Inhaling the familiar scent, Mu Ling'er pressed her cheeks against the pillow even tighter. From childhood to adulthood, the scent of this pillow was her favorite.

This is a pillow that Qinghe made for her by hand when she was little.

She didn't think much of it when she was a child, but from her current perspective, this pillow that accompanied her growing up is clearly the most precious treasure in the world.

Lost in thought, Mu Ling'er turned slightly to the side and looked at the carved tree branch by the window.

When she was little, she loved listening to the story of the Monkey King, so she pestered Qinghe to pick a branch from the ancient camphor tree in the courtyard.

When she was little, Qinghe used this branch to scare her, saying that if she dared to misbehave again, she would beat her with the branch.

Despite his frightening words, the tree branch was soon turned into a window decoration and was never actually used.

Qinghe is always like this, saying the most frightening things in the gentlest tone, but when she really encounters something, she will reserve all her gentleness for her.

Look closely, this is not some carved tree branch at all, but clearly a divine treasure capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.

They searched the entire empire but could not find such a precious treasure.

This is true for one or two items; you'll notice it if you look closely.

Her little house was full of mysteries.

There's no such thing as teenage angst or being the protagonist of a story; it's just the unwavering love and care from two elders...

Suck, suck, suck; roll, roll, roll.

The action that she loved most as a child has now exhausted Mu Ling'er's heart.

She buried half her face in the pillow, only using one eye to steal glances at Qinghe.

"So, if you're so clever, why did you keep lying to me? You could have told me sooner."

As she said this, Mu Ling'er rolled towards Qinghe's direction, her hand hidden in her sleeve secretly grabbing the hem of Qinghe's dress.

As the empress of the empire, Mu Ling'er would not do such a thing, but as a child raised by Qinghe, Mu Ling'er did not mind acting coquettishly in front of Qinghe.

Just like when she was a child, Qinghe could never help but soften her heart when faced with Mu Ling'er's coquettishness.

She sat up straight and gently patted her thigh. Mu Ling'er didn't stand on ceremony and used Qinghe's thigh as a pillow.

One looked up, the other looked down, their eyes met, and they stared at each other for a very long time.

"Is it my fault?"

"No, I'm actually very grateful to you."

"That means you've been wronged."

Mu Ling'er did not answer; the little girl turned her head away and refused to look at Qinghe anymore.

Qinghe didn't mind, and gently patted Mu Ling'er's back again and again.

"This is a very, very long story, one that should have been told to you by the master himself, but since you want to hear it, then I will tell it to you..."

……

"Just as you guessed, I am not actually your mother. It was only because of your husband's request that we came together."

"At the very beginning, I didn't like you at all, because in my eyes at that time, your existence kept Mr. [the gentleman] stuck in the past, making him a ghost living in the past."

"How should I describe it? It's roughly like this: I, useless as I am, spent nearly four thousand years trying to change you, but in the end, I came up with nothing."

"The gentleman hasn't changed much, but I've lost sight of my true self and my own will."

"I must apologize to you, because in the very first few years, my concern for you was all a pretense, not a genuine expression of joy..."

……

"But now, I really hope you won't hate me, and I hope you can always stay by my side like you did when we were little."

"I have prepared my incarnation. Even if one day I lose most of my emotions like you did, she will take my place, protect you, accompany you, and prevent you from living in loneliness like we did."

……

"I'm not very clear about the details either. Just like I told you, I can't understand how you created this world. The only thing I'm sure of is..."

"Apart from those two who left a deep impression on you, everyone's souls were retrieved from the past and brought into this world by you."

"Even those powerful beings who have already achieved the Golden Immortal realm had their souls from the past retrieved by the Master."

"In other words, the world we live in now is actually the former Nine Realms, the only difference being a few scattered individuals."

……

"That's roughly the story. I met my husband far too late. Many things were already set in stone, unchangeable and irreversible."

"My husband helped me so much, while my own efforts had already failed. At the time, I thought that playing the role of Xiaohe well according to my husband's requirements was the only thing I could do for him... even though I didn't really want to do it at all."

……

The sound gradually faded away, and when Qinghe came to her senses, she realized that her skirt was already soaked with tears.

Qinghe thought this was not something to cry about, since Mu Ling'er hadn't lost anything and had actually gained a lot from it.

They kept many things from Mu Ling'er, but they also gave her the most wonderful life.

But Qinghe also knew that Mu Ling'er was a child who grew up in love, and it was this overflowing love that made it impossible for Mu Ling'er to accept the truth with a smile.

Ultimately, Mu Ling'er was a child who loved to cry and act spoiled from a young age.

Thinking about all this, Qinghe tightened her grip on Muling'er's arms a little more.

She stroked Mu Ling'er's hair again and again until the sobbing stopped.

"Here, wipe your tears."

"Um"

……

"I want to ask Da'an some questions, and I also have some things I want to say to him, but I lack a bit of courage. Dahe, can you cheer me on?"

Looking at the child with teary eyes, Qinghe paused slightly as she played with her hair, a subtle smile appearing in her eyes.

She held the child tightly in her arms and made a promise to the child, word by word.

"Go ahead, I'll stay here until you come back."