After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me

Zhouzhou wept silently, tears and snot mingling on her face, yet not a single sob escaped her lips.

Seeing her like this only made Qin Lie's heart ache more.

He sighed and walked over, gently ruffling her hair. "Don't worry... he'll get better."

Even he didn't sound convinced, because he knew exactly how capable Zhouzhou, Qin Ren, and Jing Bai were.

If even they couldn't wake Ye Lingfeng, he had no idea what else could be done.

Still, he had to say something. Anything.

Zhouzhou knew it too.

She sniffled, her eyes red and swollen from crying. After a long pause, she mumbled, "Should I go to the temple and light some incense?"

Since science wasn't working, maybe it was time to try mysticism.

The moment she said that, before Qin Lie could respond, Ancestral Master shot out of the statue in a puff of smoke, grabbed her ear, and shouted furiously, "Excuse me?! So now you think I'm useless?!"

Zhouzhou was in no mood to back down. She looked at the chunk missing from his face and snapped, "You are useless!"

That made the ancestor even madder.

But no matter how fired up he got, he couldn't think of a comeback.

The two glared at each other for a long before they both scoffed and turned away in unison, refusing to look at one another.

Zhouzhou rubbed her ear, cheeks puffed with indignation. She muttered, "Can't do anything and still blames me."

Ancestral Master, who had been about to calm down, exploded all over again. "Who says I can't do anything? Just you wait!"

With a huff, he spun around and disappeared in a flash of light—off to who knows where.

Zhouzhou blinked, unbothered. Clearly, she was used to this.

Qin Lie raised an eyebrow. "That was on purpose?"

"Shh." Zhouzhou put a finger to her lips, tiptoed to the doorway, peeked out to confirm the ancestor had really left, then whispered, "Dad, it was reverse psychology. Ancestral Master's got age and connections. If anyone knows what's going on, it's him. But he's lazy—if I don't push his buttons, he won't lift a finger."

Honestly, she knew the ancestor pretty well.

After all, she'd "raised" him for years.

Then she looked over at Ye Lingfeng and let out a deep sigh.

"Dad, you have to wake up soon."

Qin Lie followed her gaze.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but... without Ye Lingfeng around to bicker and compete for Zhouzhou's attention, things felt strangely empty.

Hopefully Ancestral Master could really find something.

But unfortunately... Zhouzhou had miscalculated this time.

The ancestor left and never came back.

By the next day, there was still no sign of him.

No matter how many times Zhouzhou summoned him, there was no response. She even tried to divine his whereabouts—but nothing came up.

Now she was really starting to panic.

She called Li Yuanming in a hurry. "Has Ancestral Master returned to the temple?"

"No," Li Yuanming said. "Isn't he with you?"

Zhouzhou quickly explained the whole situation.

Li Yuanming suddenly understood. "Ah, that explains the mess in the study this morning! I thought we'd been robbed!"

"But yeah, I checked just now-he's not here. Probably left to look into it, right?"

That would've made sense.

Maybe he hadn't found answers and decided to search elsewhere.

That was plausible.

But the fact that she couldn't contact him at all?

That wasn't just weird—it was unnatural.

And not being able to locate him through divination?

That was downright ominous.

Zhouzhou suddenly remembered something. She quickly pulled out her copper coins and cast another divination—only to discover, to her shock, that she couldn't divine anything about Ye Lingfeng either.

Her heart lurched.

She tested it again with other people—ten, twenty, one after another—all came up normal.

Only her ancestor and Ye Lingfeng were completely unreadable.

It was as if... something was blocking her.

A force, unknown and unseen.

"What is going on?"

Zhouzhou had never encountered anything like this.

She quickly called Li Yuanming.

"Master, you've read a lot... Do you know what's happening here?"

Li Yuanming shook his head. "Never seen anything like it. First time in my life."

He stroked his chin, a spark of curiosity flashing through his eyes.

"But don't panic. Your dad doesn't look like someone with a short life. Just go about your day and let nature take its course. Leave the rest to fate."

Fate...

The word struck her like a bolt of lightning.

Could this really be fate?

She suddenly remembered what her ancestor had said too—that this might be heaven's arrangement.

She tilted her head back, staring at the sky, confused and restless.

Just what kind of arrangement is this?

Far away, beyond the world Zhouzhou could see—

Ye Lingfeng sat cross-legged next to Ancestral Master, the two of them floating in a realm blanketed by dark clouds and arcs of lightning.

Ye Lingfeng casually reached into Ancestral Master's pocket and pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds—the same ones he'd originally taken from Zhouzhou.

By extension, he was still eating his daughter's stash.

Which, in this place, was the last thread connecting him to her.

The thought tugged at his heart.

A quiet, sour ache.

He turned to the ancestor and asked while cracking seeds,

"So... this really is a trial for Zhouzhou?"

"Of course," Ancestral Master grumbled, hair scorched and still smoldering, his robes tattered and charred.

He shot a glare upward at the swirling thunderclouds above.

One eye twitching, one lip curled. "You saw what happened."

He was pissed.

If he'd known stepping out would get him dragged up by the Heaven Thunder, he'd have stayed in the statue.

He hadn't even gotten a full sentence out before being struck by lightning.

What happened to human decency?!

Just thinking about how he'd been dangled through the sky like a roast duck made his blood pressure spike.

Damn it... I had face, once!

Ye Lingfeng, on the other hand, looked surprisingly calm.

All he remembered was passing out from poison, and waking up here.

This realm had no people, no sky, no ground—only endless clouds and dancing lightning.

Strangely enough, though... he could see and hear Zhouzhou.

Everything she said, everything she did, no matter how far away—he heard it all clear as day.

It was like he had clairvoyance and divine hearing.

As for the lightning... it didn't touch him at all. Not because he was fearless—but because...

Someone up there was clearly on his side.

He'd even seen the Heaven Thunder above Zhouzhou's head give a nod of respect to the ones here.

Proof? The ancestor had been zapped bald, and he hadn't suffered a scratch.

Having an awesome daughter really made a difference.

Lying back with his hands behind his head, he crossed one leg over the other and asked lazily,

"So, what exactly are they testing her for? Why this trial?"

Ancestral Master, too, had been thinking about that.

After a long silence, he said,

"I've only been through something like this once—during my tribulation for ascension."

"But nowadays, there's barely any spiritual energy left. No one's ascending. So that only leaves one other possibility—"

He paused. Then said seriously:

"She's trying to defy fate."

"She was born with a poor-luck fate. But now... it's probably changing."

Ye Lingfeng sat up, eyes gleaming.

"Seriously?!"

That had been his little girl's dream since forever!

Ancestral Master nodded slowly. "Pretty much. Lucky kid. I thought she used up all her merit saving you, figured she'd never get another chance in this life. But turns out, the heavens really do favor her."

Then he added through clenched teeth—

"Jealous!"