Ye Ling’Er wept uncontrollably, her face bathed in tears.
Beside her, Ye Xuan, being a man, knew how to restrain himself. Men were indeed not as good as women at expressing their emotions.
"Ling’Er, you’ve suffered. Mother knows that without me by your side, your childhood must have been very hard, right?"
Ye Ling’Er nodded continuously, speaking between her sobs. "When we were little, others always insulted my brother and me, saying we were born of a mother but raised without one. Brother got into so many fights over this when we were kids.
"Walking down the street, seeing other parents holding their children’s hands, we also... we also..." Ye Ling’Er whimpered incessantly, unable to finish her sentence.
People always said that a child loved by a mother was like a treasure. But she and her brother had been motherless since childhood.
"Ling’Er, it’s Mother’s fault... it’s all my fault," Gongsun Yanran said, her eyes turning red. As if suddenly remembering something, she stood up. "That’s right, Mother has something for you."
With a thought, two large red chests appeared in the room. Gongsun Yanran opened one of them. Inside were nothing but children’s toys.
"What are these?" Ye Xuan couldn’t help but ask.
Gongsun Yanran didn’t answer right away. She squatted down and picked up a wooden sword before speaking, "Xuan’Er, I carved this for your sixth birthday with my own hands. But since I couldn’t give it to you, I could only keep it in this chest. And this cuju ball—it was your seventh birthday present. This calligraphy brush was for your eighth birthday, because you definitely would have started learning to write by then. And these clothes, these shoes..."
"You mean... every year, you prepared a birthday gift for me? All of these are...?" Ye Xuan felt his nose sting. The tears pooling in his eyes could no longer be held back.
It turned out that his mother hadn’t forgotten about him and his sister. She wasn’t heartless. She simply hadn’t dared to acknowledge them. Perhaps over these past twenty years, she had been the one suffering the most. In the dead of night, did she weep secretly from missing her children?
"Ling’Er, look, this chest is full of gifts prepared for you. There are shoes, beautiful hairpins, and pretty dresses. Girls should dress up beautifully, shouldn’t they?"
"SOB... Mother." Ye Ling’Er threw her arms around Gongsun Yanran and buried her face in her chest, weeping bitterly.
Ye Xuan, however, turned around, not wanting Gongsun Yanran to see him crying so profusely. How could a man cry in front of a woman?
In the end, it was Gongsun Yanran who took the initiative to embrace him from the side. His tears instantly broke through their floodgates. They say men do not shed tears easily, but that is only because their hearts haven’t been truly broken.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Mother is so happy to finally acknowledge you. But Xuan’Er, Ling’Er, you need to leave right away. If you delay, you’ll definitely be in danger. Although it breaks my heart to part with you, you really must go."
"Leave?"
"Yes. I can more or less guess Gongsun Qingyue’s intentions in bringing you back. While there’s still time, hurry up and leave. I will personally escort you out. After you return, say hello to your father for me. Then, relocate overnight. Go as far away as possible."
Gongsun Yanran took their hands and led them out of the courtyard. But the moment they stepped outside, a cold sneer rang out.
"Little sister, where are you going? Are you trying to escape? Too bad you can’t leave. Father asked me to bring you over."
The one sneering was none other than Gongsun Qingyue.
Gongsun Yanran’s expression turned fierce. "You two go. I’ll hold him off."
As soon as she spoke, Gongsun Yanran’s body blossomed with Spiritual Light, and a giant white crane materialized above her head. The crane looked gentle, yet it released a terrifying aura. As its aura grew stronger, the crane’s color shifted from snow-white to blood-red.
This was a mid-tier Fierce Beast Soul: the White Feathered Blood Crane.
"Little sister, you’re actually using your full strength against me!" Gongsun Qingyue’s expression changed.
Although Gongsun Yanran was the youngest, her talent was not considered weak in the Gongsun Family. Her cultivation base was even slightly stronger than Gongsun Qingyue’s.
Gongsun Qingyue didn’t dare to be careless and also released his Beast Soul Power. However, his Beast Soul Power was only at the level of a top-tier Wild Beast Soul. How could it possibly match Gongsun Yanran? After just a few exchanges, he was sent flying by Gongsun Yanran, spraying a mouthful of blood in midair.
Watching from the sidelines, Ye Ling’Er and Ye Xuan were utterly dumbfounded. The aura radiating from their mother was overwhelmingly powerful. They had never imagined she was a peerless expert!
Following his shock, Ye Xuan furrowed his brows tightly. With such a high cultivation base, his mother still had no say in the Gongsun Family and couldn’t protect him. Just how powerful was the Gongsun Family?
"Xuan’Er, Ling’Er, let’s hurry." Having knocked away Gongsun Qingyue, Gongsun Yanran immediately returned to Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er’s side.
"Yanran, that’s enough. Stop causing a scene and come see Father with me."
Right then, another middle-aged man appeared before them. He was heavily built with a cold, stern face.
Gongsun Yanran furrowed her brows immediately. "Eldest brother... you know as well? But are you going to stop me too? You’re the brother I respect and love the most."
The man before her was named Gongsun Xin. He was Gongsun Yanran’s eldest brother and the most outstandingly talented individual in the Gongsun Family. He was the sole candidate for the position of City Lord. Once the old City Lord stepped down, he would take over.
"What, if I stop you, are you going to fight back against me too?"
"Eldest brother, even though I know I’m not your match, I must fight back for the sake of Xuan’Er and Ling’Er. Transform!" Gongsun Yanran let out a low roar.
The massive Beast Soul above her head suddenly turned into pure energy and merged into her body. Her physique instantly underwent a dramatic change. Her neck seemed to elongate, resembling a swan’s, while her arms morphed into giant wings.
This was the ultimate profound meaning of Beast Soul Power—Beast Soul Transformation.
After transforming, Gongsun Yanran’s posture became even more graceful, and her imposing aura surged majestically.
"Xuan’Er, Ling’Er, grab onto my legs!" Flapping her wings, Gongsun Yanran intended to fly away.
The Beast Soul she had awakened belonged to the avian category. After undergoing Beast Soul Transformation, she literally grew wings—which meant she could fly!
WHOOSH. WHOOSH.
Every time her wings flapped, a massive storm swept through the courtyard. The next moment, Gongsun Yanran took flight. Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er didn’t hesitate, clinging tightly to her legs. Their mother’s legs were so warm.
Opposite them, Gongsun Xin watched this scene calmly before breaking into a smile. "To think you’ve actually mastered Beast Soul Transformation. It truly makes me proud. However, you should know that a gap in strength is an absolute gap. Even if you have wings, you won’t be able to fly away from me!"
As soon as Gongsun Xin finished speaking, he raised his right hand. No Spiritual Energy Wave emanated from his body, yet a massive net formed from Spiritual Qi materialized in the sky above.
The giant net fell, completely enveloping Gongsun Yanran. No matter how she retaliated or struggled, she couldn’t break free. The disparity in their strength was simply too vast.
From beginning to end, Gongsun Xin’s body didn’t release the slightest aura. He looked just like an ordinary mortal. But Ye Xuan knew that the more ordinary an expert appeared, the more terrifyingly powerful they truly were. Experts like Gongsun Xin had achieved a state of returning to natural simplicity in controlling their auras.
Such a realm could likely only be achieved by someone in the Earth Spirit Realm, or perhaps even the Celestial Spirit Realm.
The gap in power between a city and a mere town was truly as vast as heaven and earth.