After rebirth, the eldest sister voluntarily abdicated and gave way to the wise.

"...Father, Father, I..."

Jiang Sheng paused as he was about to instruct the servants to prepare the meal. He turned to look at Jiang Liqian and, sensing her hesitation, his heart skipped a beat: "What trouble has my daughter encountered? Why are you so hesitant?"

Jiang Liqian's feelings towards the Jiang family are complicated. If she didn't have the memories from her reincarnation, perhaps she could have hardened her heart because of "hatred." But she was once a beloved daughter, showered with love and care. How could she possibly say that she was going to dig out her birth mother's bones with her own hands?!

She's not an animal!

But she, she has to do something even worse than an animal today...

"Father, Mother...Is Mother alright?"

That's what I was asking.

Jiang Sheng relaxed and nodded with a smile, "Of course everything is fine, daughter, you don't need to worry."

Jiang Li paused for a moment, her expression stiff, and forced a smile: "That...that's good...I, I..."

Jiang Sheng stopped what he was doing, turned around and stared into her eyes. This time he didn't ask any questions, but just waited quietly for her to say what she was hesitantly trying to say.

After stammering for a long time, Jiang Liqian finally closed her eyes and knelt down in front of Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes widened in shock, and he couldn't help but take a step back.

After all, they were father and daughter. Even though they weren't very close in the past, he knew his daughter's temperament; she wouldn't kneel down to anyone casually.

Sure enough, he seemed to be hallucinating, and he heard his own daughter say to him, "Father, I have come back to retrieve... Mother's remains."

Before his blank mind could even react, a slap landed hard on her face.

A bright red palm print led to blood at the corner of his mouth.

Even though her cultivation level was so high that he couldn't see her clearly, she fell to the ground like a withered branch broken by a strong wind, thanks to his force.

She voluntarily withdrew her protective spiritual power.

But this slap could not bring her peace of mind!

How could she, how could she bear to say such a thing to him?

That was his wife, his biological mother!

"roll……

"Get out!"

Suddenly, the sound of a vase shattering came from behind the screen on the left. Jiang Liqian lowered her head and dared not look at the figure behind the screen.

She was driven out of the Jiang residence. Jiang Junze rushed back, his robes still stained with blood. When he saw her kneeling at the door with a pale face, he first asked her what had happened. Jiang Liqian did not answer, so he went into the residence to ask his parents. Not long after, he appeared at the door with a face just as pale as hers, staring blankly at her through the gray sky.

His pale lips moved slightly, and he said in a trembling voice, "Little sister, she is our mother, she gave birth to our flesh and blood..."

"Little sister, she is our mother, she gave birth to our flesh and blood..."

Tears streamed down her face as Jiang Liqian lay prostrate on the ground, unable to hold back her sobs.

Stop talking! Stop talking!

She's a beast, she has no humanity!

She's a beast, she has no humanity!

But she can't... she can't leave.

We can't leave.

-

Cui Rou had just returned to her bedroom when Jiang Sheng followed her in.

He grasped Cui Rou's hand tightly: "Don't take her words to heart. It's better to pretend that such a rebellious daughter doesn't exist!"

Cui Rou shook her head dazedly, her eyes reddening and tears suddenly rolling down her cheeks.

Jiang Sheng felt a pang of pain in his heart. He lifted his robe, knelt down, cupped Cui Rou's face in his hands, and looked directly into her eyes: "Rou'er, you promised me that no matter where we are, in the mortal realm or the fairy realm, you would stay by my side. Forget that wretched girl's words, forget her, okay? She's gone mad!"

Cui Rou stared blankly at him, at the handsome and extraordinary man in front of her.

"My husband, I admire you, you are the one I love most."

For this man, she gave up almost everything. She was afraid of losing his love and that he would collapse if he lost her. She lived in constant fear and trepidation every day, simply because she was a mortal and he was an immortal. There was an indescribable gap between them.

Because of this, she was even able to choose her son, who was sure to share her burdens, over her daughter, who was still unsteady on her feet, when her children faced life-or-death situations.

This mistake, like a slow poison, has been eroding her life, causing her unbearable pain to this day.

Every bit of love she showed him seemed to turn into a deeper sin.

Now, an opportunity to atone for her sins is presented to her; isn't this a kind of liberation for her?

Cui Rou grasped his hand in return, placing his broad palm on her temples, which were already streaked with silver.

Jiang Sheng's gaze sharpened with pain, and he hugged her tightly.

"It's alright, it's alright, I can find more ways to prolong life. I promise you you will live a long and healthy life!"

Cui Rou buried her face in his arms, her eyes blurred with tears. She shook her head again: "Brother Sheng, as a mortal, I have lived for hundreds of years, it's been so long, I'm so tired."

"Please help our daughter. She wouldn't have come if it weren't for a last resort. She's a good girl, kind-hearted and naturally intelligent. When she was little, she was a soft little bundle of joy nestled in my arms, a real little white dumpling. I loved her so much, really... Don't let our daughter bear the guilt of murdering her mother. Brother Sheng, please come, let my life, which should have ended long ago, end in your arms. I beg you."

"Impossible, impossible!" Jiang Sheng shoved her away violently. He was usually the most composed person, but now he was completely disheveled, his face turned pale and then red, and his eyes were filled with raging anger.

"Are you going to be this cruel to me for your daughter's sake?"

"That's your daughter too..."

"I'd rather not have it!"

“Brother Sheng!” Cui Rou suddenly stood up, a sharp gold hairpin pointed at her neck, her eyes filled with determination and pain.

Jiang Sheng froze on the spot, his expression, his movements, and even his heartbeat.

"Rou'er..."

Do you really want me to do it myself?

"Brother Sheng, you've always agreed to whatever I wanted since we were little. Please forgive Rou'er's willfulness this time too, okay?"

Autumn harvest and winter storage, crabapple blossoms fall.

-

When Jiang Sheng walked out of the elegant and magnificent Jiang Mansion, he was still staggering and almost fell to the ground. He tightly protected the jade box in his arms, as if it were the only treasure he had in his life.

When he looked up and saw Jiang Liqian kneeling on the ground, he rushed over, grabbed her collar, and stared at her with bloodshot eyes as if she were his enemy.

“Father!” Jiang Junze rushed over and knelt in front of him.

As if struck by a heavy blow, Jiang Sheng suddenly came to his senses, and with a ridiculous laugh, he shoved the jade box he was carrying into Jiang Liqian's arms.

"It's truly karma; how could I have given birth to a daughter like you..."

The figure suddenly collapsed, like a mountain toppling over.

"Father!"