LAVW – Chapter 70 Running Away with a Baby

Long Aotian’s mouth was just full of lies.

Shi Qian looked at Long Ye and bluntly said, “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, if you’re disgusted, just say it.

“Squeak——”

After all, I understand you.

Long Ye: ?

Brother Qian, just how much of a mess is your dad?

Long Ye’s curiosity was piqued. He tucked Brother Qian away and set off to dig up some information.

Mo Sanchi led the other Sword Sect disciples away ahead of them. On Mount Cuilong, only Hua Qing remained, still watching Hei Mao.

Hua Qing didn’t leave—first, because Hei Mao was here, and second, because upon hearing that Shi Hao was at Elder Peak, she instantly lost interest in joining the crowd.

“What a waste of this carefully prepared outfit.”

Hua Qing sighed regretfully, but soon sensed an approaching aura. She changed her pose to maintain her ethereal and beautiful appearance.

Long Ye and Shi Qian peered into the room through the window and saw Hua Qing, dressed in celestial robes, doing nothing in particular—resting her chin on her hand as she stared at Hei Mao.

Beside such a beauty, and surrounded by the aura of spiritual energy, even the sleeping Hei Mao seemed to be touched by a bit of fairytale charm.

Shi Qian looked at Hua Qing, then at Long Ye, and found that Long Ye… had no expression at all.

Just then, Hua Qing turned around, her face full of curiosity as she asked, “Long Ye?”

She had only gotten a quick glance earlier. This was her first time getting a proper look at the humanoid form of the black dragon—it was a tall young man that left a deep impression at first sight.

But Hua Qing didn’t stare for long. Instead, she reached out to Shi Qian and said, “Brother Qian, are you here to see the General?”

“Squeak.”

You could say that.

Shi Qian jumped onto Hua Qing’s hand and then climbed onto Brother Rat.

Shi Qian felt that he had gained some weight recently, but lying on Brother Rat made him feel like he was still just a “baby.”

He was just about to examine Brother Rat’s golden fur again, wondering if he could put together a “battle armor” for himself, when a black-furred paw swiped over and dragged him into a warm embrace.

“Squeak.” Hei Mao didn’t even open his eyes.

Little bro, just sleep quietly.

Shi Qian, feeling like he was being squeezed too tightly: ?

Bro, your love isn’t just heavy—it’s suffocating.

Shi Qian shrank down and smoothly slipped away from Brother Rat’s iron grip.

Just as he’d freed himself, Shi Qian realized that he and Hei Mao were surrounded by a soundproofing array, making it impossible for him to hear the two people talking outside.

He reached up with his little paw and scratched at Brother Rat’s belly, whispering, “Squeak Squeak.”

Bro, I’ve sacrificed too much just to get some sleep beside you.

I single-handedly faced a father-son drama, and now I can’t even listen in on Long Aotian and his confidant’s live heart-to-heart.

Outside the soundproofing array, Long Ye was subtly asking if anything new had happened at the Sword Sect recently.

Hua Qing, ever perceptive, immediately understood that Long Ye was asking about her spiritual beast.

She began recounting everything she’d heard from the Little Ancestor.

After finishing, she added wistfully, “If only you’d arrived a little earlier, you could’ve heard it directly from the Little Ancestor. She witnessed it all firsthand—I just heard it secondhand.”

Long Ye thought: The Little Ancestor didn’t want to see him at all, let alone talk about this.

But Long Ye didn’t mind. As long as he could get the information, that was enough.

“Thank you, Saintess,” Long Ye said politely. “Now that I know, I’ll know what to do next time.”

“Sigh.” Hua Qing sighed. “Exactly, we’re in the same boat.”

Long Ye had his little brother Shi Qian, and she had her big brother Hei Mao. In a way, the two brothers had been handed off to them.

Who would have thought Long Ye, after glancing at the two little beasts, would actually laugh and say, “It seems I won’t have to worry as much as the Saintess.”

Compared to Hei Mao, Shi Qian was incomparably smarter. Long Ye silently listed all of Shi Qian’s good qualities in his heart, then thought of the “debt” he owed. His smile deepened.

Hua Qing: ……

There really existed such a heartless man in the world, so utterly devoid of pity.

Hua Qing decisively lifted her skirt, stood up with a radiant smile, and said, “Then I’ll take advantage of this and go prepare the spiritual herbs for Hei Mao’s medicinal bath. I’ll trouble you, oh idle one, to watch over things for a bit.”

Hei Mao was sound asleep and couldn’t be moved.

Long Ye was even more aware of how rare a reunion between the two beast brothers was, so he immediately nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve got Shi Qian here.”

Hua Qing’s smile froze for a second.

Though Long Ye wasn’t wrong in anything he said, she really didn’t want to hear any of it.

With a final, “Then I’ll be going,” Hua Qing gracefully stepped out.

Her pace looked slow and unhurried, but after a few steps, her figure vanished.

Long Ye watched the Saintess of Shenhua Valley leave, then looked back to see that Shi Qian had curled up on top of his brother Hei Mao and fallen asleep too.

Sleepiness was contagious.

But not for Long Ye.

He removed the soundproofing array, sat to the side, and pulled out two jade slips from his storage pouch. He had requested them in advance from other Sword Sect disciples—they contained information about various sects.

Things like sect strengths and specialties, powerful elders, outstanding disciples, and so on…

Of the younger generation’s prodigies from the great sects, Long Ye had already met two.

Mo Sanchi had high cultivation and was naturally suited for sword practice, but she lacked social skills.

Clearly, she was more suited to focused cultivation and not to managing the Sword Sect.

Judging from the sect’s grooming strategy, she’d eventually be given a deputy to handle affairs.

Then there was Hua Qing, who had just left.

This Saintess, at the early Nascent Soul stage, was socially adept with a stellar reputation. But according to Long Ye’s observation, she also put in serious effort behind the scenes, a clever woman who managed multiple things at once.

And finally, there was Shi Hao.

Reportedly a charming young man, the future Sect Master of Taiyi Dao Sect, at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. He had a Divine Transformation-stage dragon-tiger beast beside him and carried a bamboo-shadow fan. His Dao heart was pure.

But after flipping through the major events recorded about Shi Hao, Long Ye couldn’t help but look down on him a little.

No wonder he needed to raise a dragon-tiger beast—this man lacked courage. He hadn’t fought many “tough battles.” He was far inferior to the two women from the Sword Sect and Shenhua Valley, who had both been tempered by life-and-death experiences. Though he’d reached Nascent Soul stage early, he was still stuck at mid-stage.

Noticing this shift in his own mindset, Long Ye realized he was starting to become arrogant—just reaching the Divine Transformation stage and already looking down on others.

But his cultivation wasn’t as solid as the others’.

His bloodline awakening had given him a massive boost, and then he’d gained the treasure-hunting rat Shi Qian. Without those, he’d never be where he was now.

Thinking about how the Sword Sect’s Little Ancestor was attached to Shi Qian, how the Shenhua Valley’s Hua Qing had contracted with Shi Qian’s older brother Hei Mao, and how Shi Hao was even raising Shi Qian’s father—

Long Ye suddenly felt a heavy pressure weighing down on him.

He had to cultivate diligently and improve himself. That was the proper path.

Shi Qian hadn’t expected that his cultivation would improve even while sleeping.

Awakening due to a surge in his cultivation, Shi Qian opened his eyes and squinted, seeing Long Ye meditating beside him.

Shi Qian: ……

Brother Ye, must you secretly cultivate behind my back?

Couldn’t you sit somewhere else, instead of right in front of me, just to make me feel bad?

What are you trying to pull?

Shi Qian decided to sneak away quietly.

Before leaving, he thoughtfully left a ready-to-use messaging talisman at the palace gates to inform Long Ye of his whereabouts—he was headed to the Tenth Peak.

Tenth Peak.

Senior Brother appeared, stepping on his signature black brick path, instantly attracting the attention of the younger disciples.

It was break time, and Wang Xingzhi looked on with amusement as Shi Qian was quickly surrounded.

Qiao Mianmian ran over excitedly: “Senior Brother! Senior Brother, did you just get back?”

Shi Qian nodded and hopped onto Qiao Mianmian’s shoulder, patting the little princess’s head.

A nearby guy squeezed his own head in: “Senior Brother, I want a head pat too!”

Shi Qian raised the black brick. “Squeak Squeak?”

Want me to knock your head with this?

The big-eyed, thick-browed youth immediately shrank his head back. “Senior Brother, you’re so biased.”

Shi Qian sighed. “Squeak Squeak.”

Bro, your square-shaped face is making me nervous.

Still, to show fairness, Shi Qian lightly leapt onto the youth’s shoulder and gave his head a gentle pat.

After patting this one, Shi Qian picked out a few other disciples and used them as stepping stones, hopping along the heads of those eager to be stepped on until he finally reached Wang Xingzhi’s hand.

The silver sword let out a crisp “zeng——” sound.

Shi Qian took out a piece of ore and casually fed it to the sword.

Then, he pulled out two jade boxes sealed tightly with spiritual energy and handed them to Wang Xingzhi. “Squeak Squeak!”

Brother Wang, here are some herbs I found.

Wang Xingzhi had received such jade boxes before — each contained materials for refining a Heaven-grade pill. This kind of pill could help Wang Lianzhi regrow a severed arm.

Wang Xingzhi carefully stored away the boxes. “Brother Qian, Lianzhi joined the Artifact Sect, and she’s here too. Once I’m done, I’ll take her to Cuilong Mountain to see you.”

“Squeak?”

Sister Lianzhi is here too?

Shi Qian nodded vigorously. “Squeak Squeak.”

Great! I’d love that!

But then, he thought waiting for Wang Xingzhi might take too long. Why not go find her himself?

Today, Shi Qian wasn’t in the mood to cultivate or practice swordsmanship. He jumped onto the black sword, used his spiritual power to write the words “Looking for Lianzhi” in Wang Xingzhi’s hand, and dashed off.

Wang Xingzhi, who was still touched: …

Watching Brother Qian rush off, Wang Xingzhi shook his head and chuckled.

Brother Qian is really full of fire and spirit — quite the carefree soul.

Qiao Mianmian saw him leave and sighed regretfully. “Looks like Senior Brother had something urgent. He didn’t even stay to practice.”

The other disciples were equally disappointed.

Once, they had the chance to observe two top experts practicing swordsmanship right before their eyes — and they hadn’t appreciated it.

Now that they’d lost that chance for a while, they finally understood the meaning of regret.

But it didn’t matter. They believed that their hardworking Senior and Second Senior Brothers, having returned to the sect, would definitely come back soon to practice swordsmanship again.

Listening to the disciples’ hopeful chatter, Wang Xingzhi, who never once exposed the lie of “hardworking Senior Brother”: …

But Wang Xingzhi wasn’t worried about the future.

He thought to himself: It’s fine, Long Ye will bring Brother Qian back to practice.

That way, he could continue tricking these kids into pouring their energy into training instead of stirring up trouble after stuffing themselves.

Elsewhere.

Shi Qian flew to a crowded mountain peak and asked around with the elders. Soon, he found out where the Artifact Sect disciples lived and headed there to find Wang Lianzhi.

Since Wang Lianzhi hadn’t formed a Golden Core yet, she likely wasn’t participating in the tournament — probably just here to observe and broaden her horizons.

She must have formally taken a master, one who both liked and valued her highly.

Thanks to his irresistibly cute face and tiny body, Shi Qian managed to get one of the female disciples of the Artifact Sect to carry him straight to Wang Lianzhi’s door.

“Brother Qian!”

“Squeak Squeak.”

Come catch me!

Shi Qian felt bad using the senior sister just to get here and tried to reach out to Wang Lianzhi politely.

Unbeknownst to him, this only made the senior sister more reluctant to let go.

Wang Lianzhi smiled and caught him with one hand.

Seeing her handle him so easily with one arm, Shi Qian figured she must be doing pretty well in the Artifact Sect.

After thanking the kind senior sister, Wang Lianzhi weighed Brother Qian in her arms. “Brother Qian, you’ve only gained a little weight. I thought I wouldn’t be able to hold you with one hand anymore.”

“Squeak Squeak.”

That’s easy to fix.

Shi Qian jumped to the ground, transformed into his larger form, and then casually lifted his paw to wrap around Wang Lianzhi’s waist.

Wang Lianzhi: !

Wang Lianzhi’s gaze turned intense and passionate again — the kind Shi Qian was all too familiar with, making him feel a little embarrassed.

After being hugged and admired for a bit, Shi Qian beat a hasty retreat.

This big sister was way too enthusiastic. She wanted hugs and kisses — he couldn’t handle that! Better to talk later when there were more people around at Cuilong Mountain.

After his visit, Shi Qian returned to Cuilong Mountain with the black sword.

There, he found Long Ye had already finished cultivating and was now chatting with Shi Hao. The two seemed to get along quite well.

Behind Shi Hao, Long Hu lay nearby, lazily swishing its tail.

Suddenly, that big tail froze mid-air.

Long Hu spotted his little cub and let out a loud “Awooo!”

My baby!

Shi Qian: … Not you again!

Just moments ago, he’d admired the tiger’s strong and majestic back, its aura fierce and powerful. Even the two white heart-shaped markings behind its ears had caught his attention. But then Long Hu turned around.

Shi Qian: “Squeak Squeak.”

My name is Brother Qian.

Long Hu swished its tail and came closer. “Awoo.”

Brother Qian.

Unashamed, Long Hu successfully approached his little cub and asked warmly, “Awoo awoo?”

Little one, where did you go just now? The mountains at the Dao Sect are even bigger than this place, and the spiritual energy is richer too.

Shi Qian didn’t even want to look at him. Even without looking, Long Hu’s face was etched in his mind, vivid as day.

This dragon-tiger beast was clearly shameless and thick-skinned — the very difficult type to deal with.

Hovering in mid-air, Shi Qian still didn’t dare come down. After thinking hard, he finally resorted to his ultimate move.

He shouted loudly: “Squeak, Squeak Squeak!”

Bro—Brother! Come out now!

Brother Mouse, your little bro needs you now.

You love to fight, right? Here’s a strong punching bag that won’t even fight back. Enjoy it!

Seeing the grin on Long Ye’s face and the way his fan tapped rhythmically in his hand, Shi Hao commented with envy, “Brother Long, I bet you barely have to worry about anything day to day. Brother Qian is so clever.”

Long Ye withdrew his gaze and responded perfunctorily, “How could that be? It’s all the same worries.”

“But I really did teach him properly. Things he shouldn’t do, Brother Qian knows them all. See, even though he’s annoyed now, he hasn’t lashed out.”

Shi Hao: …

That was basically saying—if you piss this little guy off, he will throw hands.

But even if he does, Shi Hao wasn’t the one getting hit.

Shi Hao smiled indifferently. “I think Long Hu can handle it. It’s rare for them to meet—let them have some father-son bonding time.”

After a few polite exchanges, the Hei Mao woke up in a daze.

First, it noticed the place was unfamiliar. But then it caught the scent of its little brother, which reassured it.

Then, following the sounds, Hei Mao found its way outside.

As soon as Shi Qian saw Brother Mouse, he immediately flew to hide behind him, feeling a rush of safety.

Long Hu saw his eldest cub and smiled, saying, “Awoo awoo—”

Big cub, I’m your dad.

Hei Mao: ?

You cursing me? That’s definitely a curse.

Hei Mao rudely snapped back, “Squeak squeak!”

I’m your dad.

Long Hu was stunned for a moment, then quickly explained: “…Awoo.”

Big cub, I really am your dad. Don’t believe me? Ask your little brother.

Hei Mao was furious. Another one trying to bully my little brother.

He charged at Long Hu, ramming him. When he saw that Long Hu wasn’t really fighting back, he got bolder—chasing Long Hu all around, biting as he went.

Shi Qian clenched his paw. “Squeak Squeak!”

Go, bro! So mighty!

Hearing that fired Hei Mao up like he was drunk—he chased Long Hu all the way out of Cuilong Mountain and started wreaking havoc in Jian Sect.

Long Hu, noticing only the big cub was stupidly chasing him while the little one stayed put, couldn’t help sighing a little.

The younger one takes after his mom. Why is the older one not too bright?

Unlike himself—clever enough to lure the big one out, hoping to find a breakthrough point from him.

While sparring with Hei Mao, Long Hu started coaxing: “Awoo awoo—”

Big cub, where’s your mother now?

Hei Mao didn’t remember what had happened while he was drunk, nor that he wasn’t supposed to tell.

But right now he was just full of anger. This tiger first claimed to be his dad, and now asked about his mom—clearly mocking him, humiliating him, taking advantage of his lack of wits.

Furious, Hei Mao’s eyes turned red. He chased Long Hu all the way to where his little sister was, then transformed and went in for a giant bite.

He couldn’t beat the tiger demon alone, but with his little sister, maybe they could.

They’d already reached the gates of the sect, and the commotion wasn’t small—it was even happening at another sect.

Naturally, Hua Qing wouldn’t just watch the two make a laughingstock of themselves. She used her life-bound artifact to trap Long Hu and sent someone to notify Shi Hao to come retrieve his beast.

Long Hu, caught off guard, realized the big cub Hei Mao was a bit smart—but he funneled all that into fighting.

Then Long Hu glanced at the Saintess of Divine Flower Valley and thought: Now Shi Hao really owes me.

Otherwise, the Saintess wouldn’t have agreed to meet Shi Hao at all.

The Saintess’s peak at Divine Flower Valley practically had a sign posted: “Shi Hao Not Allowed.” Even a spirit beast like Long Hu knew that.

When Shi Hao received the message, he didn’t get to see Hua Qing—only an elder from Divine Flower Valley, who sighed and lectured him endlessly, telling him to rein in Long Hu and not let it disgrace both sects in Jian Sect.

Shi Hao nodded and promised he’d keep Long Hu in check.

Once the beast business was over, Shi Hao asked, “What about the Saintess? She must be tired—I’ll go check on her.”

“No need, no need.” The elder looked at the young sect master of Dao Sect and said bluntly, “The Saintess has no interest. Why insist? It’s best not to come again.”

Shi Hao left disappointed. This time, he didn’t go far. He sat on the mountain peak next door, gazing sorrowfully at the peak and palace where Divine Flower Valley was temporarily residing.

Long Hu stood beside him and said, “Awoo awoo—”

Don’t look. It’s no use.

Shi Hao: “I thought I’d at least see her in Jian Sect. Who knew she still wouldn’t meet me, even after I finally came back.”

“Awoo—”

Stop thinking about it. Let’s go back to Cuilong Mountain.

“I’m not going. That Long Ye isn’t easy to deal with. He only gave Dao Sect a bit of face, nothing more.”

Shi Hao was being honest, and he even blamed the spirit beast: “You tricked the big one out but didn’t use the chance to ask anything. You just fought your son instead. You really are something.”

“Awoo awoo.”

How was I supposed to know the big cub was scheming too? He lured me out on purpose, straight into their trap.

“That’s called walking right into the net.”

Seeing Shi Hao truly reluctant, Long Hu tried lying to him: “Awoo awoo.”

The Saintess is the big cub’s person. Help me get through to him, and you’ll definitely get to see her!

Theoretically, it was workable. After all, Long Hu couldn’t handle both sons on its own—it needed help.

And Shi Hao had brains, which Long Hu still believed in.

So human and beast struck a deal and returned to Cuilong Mountain together.

Unfortunately, Hei Mao had gotten back first and complained to his little brother, which made Shi Qian realize Long Hu had ulterior motives. He immediately gave Hei Mao an emergency crash course.

When they saw Long Hu and Shi Hao return, Shi Qian kicked them right out.

And so, another mountain next to Cuilong Mountain gained two new melancholic figures—Shi Hao and Long Hu, both looking dejected.

Evening fell, and the golden glow of dusk dyed the peaks of Jian Sect in brilliant orange and yellow.

Wang Xingzhi and Wang Lianzhi arrived hand-in-hand, reuniting with Long Ye and Shi Qian.

Upon hearing her brother Wang Xingzhi thank Long Ye and Brother Qian, Wang Lianzhi finally realized they had all been looking for medicine for her this whole time.

In the end, Shi Qian couldn’t escape—he was pulled into a hug by the touched and beautiful elder sister and got a kiss on the top of his head.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Only one kiss allowed!

When it came to the progress of finding medicine, Shi Qian was actually dissatisfied.

At first, he had planned to directly locate one or two divine medicines, but no news ever came.

Even after receiving a “massive inheritance” and a “large relief fund” from the Buddhist sect, although there were many treasures, finding one that matched her condition was another story.

Left with no choice, Wang Xingzhi and Long Ye had suggested a backup plan early on—to piece together a pill recipe. This would lower the difficulty of sourcing ingredients but would require more steps overall.

In this way, Wang Xingzhi could also exchange some spiritual herbs at the sect and start saving them up—making plans for the long term.

Of course, the one who contributed the most was Shi Qian.

As for Long Ye, there wasn’t much to say about this money-squandering dragon.

Shi Qian shyly slipped out from Wang Lianzhi’s arms and ran into Brother Mouse again, who had come looking for him—this time bringing along a saintess as a bonus.

With Hua Qing present, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward at all, and the conversation naturally turned to the upcoming Heroes Assembly. She and Long Ye listened attentively to the details, while Wang Xingzhi and Wang Lianzhi chimed in with their own thoughts.

As for Shi Qian, he had originally wanted to wander around a bit with Brother Mouse. But the moment they stepped outside, he ran into Shi Hao again.

However, the dragon-tiger was nowhere to be seen—only Shi Hao was present.

Shi Qian became even more alert inside. “Squeak Squeak.”

What are you up to?

Shi Hao, having learned his lesson, had come up with a new plan.

Since the dragon-tiger annoyed both brothers, he left it behind—stuffed it into a spirit beast pouch—and showed up alone, hoping to first build rapport with the little spirit beast.

Shi Hao began, “Brother Qian, are you wondering where the dragon-tiger is?”

“It fought with your brother, so I put it in solitary confinement.”

He made it sound nice, but Shi Qian, recalling Hua Qing’s appearance at Green Dragon Mountain, was already wary of Shi Hao’s true intentions.

What kind of person raises what kind of beast?

Shi Qian gave him no face and shook his head directly.

I’m not curious.

Shi Hao added, “Brother Qian, would you like to know about your parents back in the day? I know a bit and can tell you.”

Shi Qian was genuinely curious at that. What child isn’t interested in their parents’ younger days?

So Shi Qian patted the especially lush green grass on Green Dragon Mountain. “Squeak Squeak.”

Come, sit here and talk.

Hei Mao was completely lost in the “parents” topic and plopped down right away. Shi Qian sat beside him.

Shi Hao glanced at the grass, lifted his robe, and sat down with the two spirit beasts.

“This all started over a decade ago.”

“Your father, Long Hu, was about to reach Nascent Soul stage and finally decided to find a partner. He actually had pretty high standards, so he made some inquiries and picked out a tigress. Then he headed to the mountains where she lived.”

“I followed him to a nearby town but got driven away. He didn’t want me meddling.”

At this point, Shi Qian looked up at him, thinking: if you hadn’t secretly followed, how would you know what happened next?

He used spiritual energy to write four words: “Secretly followed him.”

Shi Hao shook his head. “I couldn’t be bothered to get involved. I didn’t follow. But I really do know—at least 80% of it.”

He didn’t say exactly how he knew—just launched into the story: “Your father entered the mountains, and that tigress took a liking to him. After all, he was strong and his cultivation was high.”

“But just when your dad was getting himself ready and the spring heat hit him, he happened to run into your mom.”

“According to Long Hu himself, it was your mother who made the first move. She suddenly came up behind him and hugged him. He was caught off guard by her boldness and gave in. Afterward, the tigress beat him up badly.”

Hei Mao: “Squeak Squeak?”

What’s “spring heat”?

Shi Qian: …

Little brother, I really can’t explain that to you. You’ll understand when you’re older.

Shi Qian ignored Brother Mouse’s question and signaled Shi Hao to continue.

Shi Hao fanned himself lazily. “There must have been a period when your father and mother got along pretty well.”

Shi Qian: You’re full of crap.

If they really got along, why would Mama Mouse run away while pregnant?

The twist came as expected. Shi Hao sighed, “Later, your mother got pregnant with you. One night, while they were sleeping, she suddenly felt he was too heavy and shoved him away. After that, she stopped talking to him.”

“Long Hu tried everything to make it up to her—caught spirit beasts, found spiritual fruits, even climbed trees to dig into hollows. When he got drunk, he could crack pine nuts like lightning.”

Shi Hao didn’t mention that Long Hu cried while cracking them—he wanted to preserve a shred of dignity for the poor beast.

“Your dad didn’t sleep for days. One day he was so exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up—”

Shi Qian prompted him: “Squeak Squeak.”

And then?

“He woke up… and was bald.” Shi Hao chuckled. “When he returned to Dao Sect, his fur had just started growing back. One glance and you could tell something had gone wrong.”

“He kept searching. He even went to the place your mom had called her hometown—only to find it didn’t exist.”

“I actually tried helping Long Hu find another tigress. But your dad wasn’t interested. He’s been living alone as a spirit beast all these years—it hasn’t been easy.”

Here, Shi Hao glossed over something.

After being tricked by a giant rat, Long Hu couldn’t deal with tigresses anymore.

After all, he had ended up completely bald back then, and one sensitive part had nearly been injured.

Shi Qian didn’t know about that part, but listening to the story and thinking about Long Hu’s lonely figure, he could imagine a more “realistic” version.

No need to guess—Mama Mouse probably didn’t care what species her partner was at the start. Whether he was her kind or not didn’t matter.

Most likely, Mama Mouse was moved by Long Hu’s back view—fell for the silhouette and made her move.

Halfway through making a move, she discovered his front didn’t match the back.

But by then, it was too late. After all, Mama Mouse couldn’t beat this big tiger.

After that, things probably got a bit tangled, which left Long Hu with a few good memories.

But to say Mama Mouse was truly satisfied—that was obviously false.

Even the address was fake. How sincere could she have been?

Complaining that he was “too heavy”? Clearly, the two spirit beasts weren’t physically compatible. A giant rat and a dragon-tiger—what a mismatch.

After getting pregnant, Mama Mouse probably started losing patience and began planning her escape.

She likely wore him out first—kept him busy until he was drained. Then she found a way to make sure he wouldn’t be able to chase her immediately.

Shi Qian didn’t know exactly how she managed it, but the fact that Long Hu was “bald” and still hadn’t woken up said a lot. In any case, Mama Mouse succeeded in running away with the baby.

She escaped, gave birth, raised the child a bit, then left him at the doorstep and went off to enjoy her own carefree life.

Now that was a real “pregnant runaway”—the kind who never looked back.

If Mama Mouse thought things through, she might’ve figured: tricking Long Hu into having a cub wasn’t a bad idea—after all, his bloodline was excellent.

Summary: Mouse Mom is truly one formidable mouse.

After listening, Shi Qian gave Shi Hao a clear response: “Squeak Squeak.”

Thank you. But I don’t know where my mom is, and I’m not taking you to see the Saintess.

Feeling that was too long to say, Shi Qian simply wrote down the two words “Mom” and “Saintess,” then wiped them out right in front of Shi Hao.

Shi Hao looked shocked. “Even you know about me and the Saintess?”

Shi Qian thought to himself: I already saw the finale in advance.

You and the Saintess were never a thing from start to finish.