After the meal, Bai Li followed Bai Ning to the study.
The hall was silent, save for the flickering candlelight that cast swaying, indistinct shadows against the corridor pillars.
“Come, Bai Li, sit on my lap.”
Bai Li was reluctant, but she ultimately obeyed and sat down.
Her gaze fell upon the desk, watching Bai Ning as she handled political affairs.
A thick stack of Parchment Scrolls was piled on the desk, yet Bai Ning’s eyes were sharp.
She could distinguish right from wrong and make decisions the moment she looked them over.
Her actions were decisive and efficient, without a hint of procrastination.
As the scrolls were flipped through one by one, a certain page suddenly caught Bai Li’s eye, making her heart tighten.
[Your Majesty, your humble servant implores you to decide on the subsequent strategy regarding humanity. Now that the human Brave has fallen, it is a god-given opportunity. I suggest we ally with the Dragon Race to avenge the blood feud from ten years ago! We are fully prepared and only await your command!]
“Mother…”
Bai Li lightly tugged at Bai Ning’s sleeve, her fingertip pointing toward the scroll.
Her voice carried an irrepressible urgency.
“Can we just veto this one?”
“We can. Besides, I already intended to stabilize Long Jiu first before making further plans.”
“Mother… does that mean you still intend to invade humanity in your heart?”
“It would be a lie to say I don’t, Bai Li.”
Bai Ning raised a hand and stroked the top of Bai Li’s head.
Her palm was warm, but her tone took on a touch of gloom.
“Even if I had no such intention right now, the humans would eventually come looking for trouble sooner or later. That is simply the way of the world, Bai Li.”
“Why can’t the two races just live in peace? Why must there be fighting and killing, only to increase the casualties?”
Bai Ning fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Her eyes grew dark, and only after a long while did she slowly speak.
Every word was laced with helplessness and reality.
“Bai Li, I admire your sentiment. Looking across this world, I fear there are few who hold such thoughts. But in this world, there aren’t always so many ‘whys.’ Maybe this is just how the world works. Demons and humans are born to be at odds; they have been natural enemies since the beginning. Or perhaps, this is an ironclad rule set by the Demon God that no one can violate.”
She paused before continuing.
“If that weren’t the case, the Heavenly Dao would not have bestowed the supreme Hero’s Power upon humanity to maintain the balance between the two realms when the Demon Race gave birth to a Demon King. That power is comparable to a god’s—it is truly heaven-defying. Furthermore, even without the interference of the Heavenly Dao, humans and demons are as incompatible as ice and hot coals. Most of the Demon Race has always fed on humanity. How could they be willing to stand on equal footing and coexist peacefully with their own food?”
“Conversely, how could humans allow the existence of Magic Creatures that view them as a meal? They will eventually raise an army to crusade against us, fighting until one side is dead. Even if both sides are thinking, intelligent beings, this war is ultimately unavoidable.”
“Bai Ning… actually… was I very foolish for adopting the three of you when I was a human?”
Bai Li lowered her eyes.
Those harsh realities weighed on her heart like a heavy stone, making her doubt her past choices the more she thought about them.
Bai Ning’s pen landed on the desk with a *clack*.
She pushed the Parchment Scroll aside and reached up to cup the back of Bai Li’s neck.
Her grip wasn’t heavy, but it carried a gentle firmness that forced Bai Li to look up.
“Foolish?”
The gloom of political affairs vanished from her eyes, replaced only by a soft, tender seriousness.
“How are you foolish?”
Bai Li’s eyelashes trembled, and the tip of her nose felt a bit stingy.
“Even though I knew you were Magic Creatures, and that humans and demons are natural enemies, I insisted on picking you up and raising you. When you were small, I poured my heart out and patiently taught you how to be good people. Now, look at me. I’m not even a human anymore, and I might have to watch the daughters I raised with my own hands attack humanity…”
“If that isn’t foolish, what is? I’m just looking for trouble.”
Bai Ning lowered her head, her voice softening.
“Looking for trouble? But which one of us three would have survived if not for you ‘looking for trouble’?”
“Long Jiu looks carefree, but she actually used a Newborn Body as cover back then to escape the pursuit of the Brave. Without your ten years of meticulous care, how could she have returned to her peak so quickly? She might not have even been kind enough to let me off the hook.”
“Ziya was born prone to nightmares and would always cry in the middle of the night. Who was it that held her every night until dawn, humming tunes to coax her to sleep?”
“And then there’s me. I was once wounded by the Brave and was on the verge of death. Who hid me and buried me, giving me the chance to resurrect?”
Bai Li was startled.
Her throat tightened, and she turned her face away, unwilling to let Bai Ning see her reddened eyes.
“…That’s all in the past.”
“It’s different now. You’ve all grown up, and the reality of the world is right here. My original idea of everyone getting along was simply impractical.”
“Then let it be impractical.”
Bai Ning reached out and gently turned Bai Li’s face back toward her.
“But your feelings were never in vain. The thing I am most grateful for in this life is being picked up and brought home by a foolish Father like you.”
Bai Li sniffled and asked in a muffled voice, “But… but in the end, humans and demons walk different paths.”
“So what if our paths were different before? We are all demons now.”
Bai Ning pulled her into a tighter embrace.
“A path is made by walking it. Rules are dead, but people are alive, and Magic Creatures are alive too. You are foolish—foolish enough to love us demons like your own daughters. But we are also ‘foolish’—foolish enough to treat you, a human Father, as the most precious person in the world, even if you aren’t quite satisfied with your current appearance…”
She raised a hand and gently pinched Bai Li’s cheek, her tone soft and pleading.
“So, stop doubting yourself, okay? You aren’t foolish at all. You are just too kind, too soft-hearted, and you wanted so badly to give us a home. And this home only counts as a real home because you are in it.”
Bai Li buried her face in Bai Ning’s embrace.
After a long while, she squeezed out a sentence.
“You just know how to say nice things to trick me.”
“I’m not tricking you.”
Bai Ning chuckled, her voice full of mirth as her warm breath brushed over the top of Bai Li’s head.
“These are all my true feelings. From now on, you aren’t allowed to think about such silly questions again, do you hear me?”
“Mhm,” Bai Li answered softly.
Then, a thought occurred to her, and she looked up to ask, “But Bai Ning, did you grow up with your memories intact the whole time, just like Long Jiu?”
Thinking back to the baby cradle that had appeared out of nowhere by the river, Bai Li suddenly understood.
Bai Ning let out a low laugh, her tone carrying a hint of mischief.
“Haha, yes…. My human Magic Caster.”
“Hmph, you shameless Vampire Queen. You’re just good at acting young.”
Bai Li curled her lip and whispered back a retort, but the bitterness in her heart had long since been filled with a gentle, lingering warmth.