Ming Qiao runs back from the pavilion, his cheeks flushed and visibly excited. Bai Yu bends down to catch him, asking with a smile, “Where does our Qiao Qiao want to go?”

“Feilong City!” Ming Qiao repeats the name clearly, remembering it well. Thinking back to what the adults said earlier, he repeats in a soft voice, “Feilong City, for the spiritual root test. Let’s go there.”

“Well, what a coincidence! We were just planning to have you take a spiritual root test.” Bai Yu says, exchanging a glance with Xie Qingyun. They both had been discussing this matter.

Seeing his senior brother agree, Ming Qiao becomes even happier. After a moment of happiness, he looks down at his clothes and asks: “Senior brother, do my clothes look nice?”

He wants to wear his best outfit since he’s about to see his mother!

“Of course they look nice! Qiao Qiao looks good in anything.” Bai Yu responds without hesitation. Even without bias, it’s undeniable that Ming Qiao is an incredibly adorable child. He’s seen many kids, but none as lovely as Ming Qiao. The little boy looks like a perfect, sculpted doll, who could charm anyone, even wearing a sack.

Ming Qiao blushes a little from the compliment and buries his face in Bai Yu’s neck, whispering, “Senior brother is handsome, and so is uncle.”

In a small room with three people, two adults and one child but with only one bed, making it rather cramped. So Xie Qingyunso doesn’t join them. “I’ll head out for a bit. You two get some rest, don’t wait for me.”

“Alright” Bai Yu responds cheerfully, waving him off while holding Ming Qiao.

Xie Qingyun has unfinished business. He had recently dealt with Gongsun E and Huang Gui. Though their bodies were found, the children they took were not. He needs to take care of that.

While Xie Qingyun is busy outside, Bai Yu stays in the room,  trying to help Ming Qiao sleep. But Ming Qiao is too excited to fall asleep, even after closing his eyes for a while. Eventually, he squeezes Bai Yu’s fingers and softly says: “Senior brother, Qiao Qiao doesn’t want to sleep.”

“Don’t want to sleep? Then what do you want to do?” Bai Yu, tired after searching for the little one for days, is starting to feel drowsy.

Snuggled in his arms, Ming Qiao whispers, “Qiao Qiao misses mommy.”

Bai Yu, already on the edge of sleep, replies in a sleepy tone, “Hmm, with your uncle here, you’ll definitely find your mother soon.”

Ming Qiao rubs against him and continues in a small voice, “Can you tell me about mommy?”

Bai Yu, a bit confused, mumbles, “Huh?”

“About Immortal General Qing Heng,” Ming Qiao clarifies.

Bai Yu’s mind, hazy with exhaustion, takes a few seconds to recall memories of Immortal Qing Heng. He begins telling what he knows, though it’s a bit disjointed.

“Immortal General Qing Heng… yeah, his aura is unmatched. Many people across Cangxuan Realm admire him… He has countless admirers, some of them even a bit obsessed.”

“But he himself doesn’t like like to appear in public. He spends most of his time in seclusion.”

“Even disciples in the Lin Tian Sect rarely get to see him.”

Since Qing Heng Immortal Lord makes so few public appearances, people know very little about his personality or preferences. As Bai Yu tells the story, he notices that the little one in his arms has fallen asleep. Smiling, he gently kisses Ming Qiao on the forehead and drifts off to sleep himself.

The next morning, as soon as Ming Qiao wakes up, he eagerly asks: “Senior brother, when are we leaving?” If it hadn’t been so late the night before, he would’ve wanted to leave immediately.

Bai Yu, seeing how excited he is, teases him by pinching his cheek, “Qiao Qiao is in such a hurry. Should we go without your uncle?”

“No, we’ll wait!” Ming Qiao insists, Even though Ming Qiao wants to leave, he knows they have to wait for his uncle.

Seeing that his uncle hasn’t returned yet, Ming Qiao obediently takes the medicine his uncle left for him. He then sits quietly in the room, patiently waiting for his uncle to come back. He waits for more than half a day until his uncle finally returns.

“Bai Yu, you take Qiao Qiao and go first.” Xie Qingyun says as soon as he arrives. “I can’t leave yet.”

There is an issue with the bodies of the children Gongsun had taken. Xie Qingyun can’t leave until it is resolved. Moreover, aside from dealing with the children’s bodies, he also wants to stay and gather some rare treasures for Ming Qiao.

“The spiritual root test is in two days, you don’t need to wait for me. Once I finish things here, I will come find you.” Xie Qingyun explains. Though he wants to keep Ming Qiao close, he knows it’s not practical.. He has seen how Bai Yu takes care of his little one. So leaving Ming Qiao with Bai Yu for a few more days is the best option.

As expected, Bai Yu agrees without hesitation. “Don’t worry, Qiao Qiao will be fine with me” 

Bai Yu promises, patting his chest. “I’ll take good care of him!”

With no one else competing for the little one, Bai Yu feels secretly pleased. That day, he bids farewell to Xie Qingyun and happily takes Ming Qiao to Feilong City. Before leaving, Xie Qingyun tosses him a pouch of money for expenses. Bai Yu, initially reluctant to accept it out of pride, eventually gives in to the harsh reality of his financial situation.

In less than a day, the big and the small, hitching a ride on a passing carriage, entering Feilong City. Unlike Xisha City, where there were hardly any children, Feilong City is full of them. Many kids wander around without adult supervision, while others play in groups, laughing and having fun in the streets.

Ming Qiao watches these children with wide, unblinking eyes. He has spent most of his life in the valley, without other kids to play with. After watching for a while, he wriggles out of Bai Yu’s arms, “Senior brother, I want to get down.”

“Alright, just be careful.” Bai Yu warns. The children in the street run around recklessly, and Bai Yu worries they might bump into Ming Qiao.

Ming Qiao, happy to be let down, holds Bai Yu’s hand as they walk through the streets, watching the children playing. The spirit root test is being held at a mansion owned by the city lord.

On the way, Bai Yu stops at a teahouse and orders a pot of tea. While holding Ming Qiao, he drinks tea and gathers information. By the time he finishes the pot, he learns some exciting news:

This time, they’ve invited Immortal General Qing Heng to the mansion. He is passing through because the head of Lintian Sect has connections with the lord of Feilong City, which is why he is willing to come here.

The lord of Feilong City loves socializing and hosting events. Recently, he has even participated in a new cultivation academy. During the upcoming spiritual root test, The child who ranks first in the test would have the chance to follow Immortal Qing Heng back to Lingtian Sect and become an inner disciple. Even those who don’t place first but perform well would still receive rewards like elixirs and rare herbs.

Ming Qiao holds his empty teacup with his small hands, listening intently to the news. After hearing it all, he lifts his soft little face and looks at Bai Yu with bright eyes.

“Senior brother”, he says in a soft yet determined voice, “Qiao Qiao wants to get first place!”

If he gets first place, he will be able to take his mother back! Ming Qiao is usually obedient, generous, and understanding. But when it comes to his mother, he’s not willing to share. In his little mind, he believes that if his mother takes a child to the sect, he will definitely hold that child in his arms. Ming Qiao has never been held by his mother before, so no other child should get that chance before him.

Bai Yu, unaware of these thoughts running through Ming Qiao’s little head, smiles and pats his hand. Hearing him say he wants to get first place, Bai Yu raises an eyebrow and encourages him without thinking: “If our Qiao Qiao wants to get first place, then he will get it!”

“Yes! Qiao Qiao will definitely get first place!” Ming Qiao feels encouraged by his senior brother’s words. He puts down his cup, grabs Bai Yu’s hand, and hurries toward their destination.

The destination isn’t far. In less than the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the big and small arrive at the entrance of the mansion. At the gate, there’s a registration point where names and backgrounds are recorded. 

When registering, participants must touch a blue crystal ball on the table. The ball is used for a quick test, once it lights up, participants receive a small token. The table is a bit high for Ming Qiao, so he stands on his tiptoes, trying hard to reach the ball.

Seeing this, the person behind the table smiles and says, “Little one, you’re too small. Why don’t you wait until you grow a bit more?” 

Ming Qiao pouts, determined to touch it now. He refuses Bai Yu’s help because all the other kids touched the ball themselves, and he wants to do the same. After some effort, Ming Qiao finally manages to touch the small ball and it lights up. Ming Qiao’s flushed face breaks into a smile. “Qiao Qiao touched it!”

“Well, you’ve passed, but you really are too small…”

“What’s wrong with being small? I don’t recall any age restrictions here!” Noticing that the staff member doesn’t want to give Ming Qiao the token, Bai Yu furrows his brow.

“Are you deliberately making things difficult for my kid?”

“I have no grudge against your child, so why would I make it hard for him?” The staff member replies helplessly. 

“I’m not giving him the token for his own good.”

“All the kids participating in the spiritual root test have to stay together without adults. Your child is too small, I’m worried he might not adapt well with the other kids.”

Hearing this, Bai Yu hesitates, Ming Qiao is indeed too small. Bai Yu doesn’t like the idea of leaving him to stay with the other kids without his supervision

“Qiao Qiao can stay!” 

Seeing that he can’t get the token and that his senior brother seems ready to carry him away, Ming Qiao gets anxious. He raises his voice at the staff, saying: “Qiao Qiao can take care of himself!”

“Senior brother, don’t take Qiao Qiao away.”

With tears welling up in his eyes, Ming Qiao pleads, “Please give Qiao Qiao a token!”

Ming Qiao’s tearful pleading is so pitiful that Bai Yu can’t resist. With a sigh, he finally agrees and gets the token for him.

“Qiao Qiao, if you feel uncomfortable staying there, we don’t have to go through with the test.” Bai Yu says.

The spirit root test in Feilong City is very thorough, with various testing methods. Bai Yu really doesn’t want the little one to go through it alone. He can’t help but remind him over and over not to push himself and to come back if he feels he can’t handle it.

Ming Qiao obediently listens, softly agreeing to everything. Soon, with the small token in hand, Ming Qiao is led into the mansion. As he enters, he happens to see city lord Wang Feilong at the Zhaixing Pavilion, inviting Immortal Qing Heng to play the zither.

Wang Feilong sits on the seventeenth floor, while Qing Heng sits on the eighteenth floor. For some reason, they are quite far apart. Ming Qiao looks up and sees a figure dressed in white in the distance. It’s Qing Heng. He clutches his chest, his little face turning red, and he almost faints with excitement.

A nearby child, who is also watching Qing Heng, looks over and is startled by Ming Qiao’s reaction. “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

Ming Qiao clutches his chest,  his small voice full of excitement, “I see my mother!”

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Author’s Note:

Qiao Qiao: It’s my mother!