Two months later, at Nuoding City's Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy…
"Little San, what's up with you? Are you daydreaming again?"
"Little San?"
"Little San!!"
A girl with a scorpion braid in a pink dress frowned impatiently, trying to get his attention.
In front of her, a boy with an ordinary appearance and dressed in blue homespun clothing was standing in a daze. His black hair was cut short, and his usually sharp eyes were filled with an unusual confusion.
Tang San observed the girl before him, and his confusion quickly turned to surprise.
"Xiao Wu? Why are you so small? Weren't we just in the God Realm?"
Xiao Wu knitted her brow. "What are you talking about? There's no God Realm, this is Nuoding Academy. Come on, let's go train!"
Tang San's eyes widened, turning serious.
Nuoding Academy?
He looked around quickly, taking in his surroundings.
Yes, this was unmistakably Nuoding Academy.
He had gotten smaller—Xiao Wu, too. The air even held that familiar sense of nostalgia.
Could it be… he had returned to ten thousand years ago?
Tang San frowned. Why? Could it have something to do with assassinating Lin Luo?
He remembered he'd only just received the news from his God Realm officials that Lin Luo had been killed on the mortal plane.
Yet the next moment, here he was, back in time by ten thousand years.
Everything felt so real; Tang San had even pinched himself, and the pain had been unmistakable.
He really had returned to the past! Could it mean Lin Luo wasn't dead? Did Lin Luo do this somehow?
Just thinking about that formidable foe, who always seemed to counter his plans, made Tang San's head ache.
Impossible—Lin Luo had to be dead. Tang San had personally monitored Lin Luo's essence vanishing from existence. His rebirth couldn't have anything to do with him.
Right now, Lin Luo wasn't the priority.
The real task was to make the most of what he knew and tread this well-worn path once more, to reclaim all he'd once achieved.
Tang San's mind raced as he recalled information from ten thousand years in the past.
His father was Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo.
His future friends would appear at Shrek Academy in three years.
Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue were his prime adversaries.
Qian Renxue… Tang San whispered her name to himself.
Even though ten thousand years had passed, he remembered that name all too well.
The present crown prince Xue Qinghe was none other than her in disguise; she was the Holy Daughter of the Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong's daughter.
"Little San, what're you muttering about?"
Xiao Wu squatted down, looking at Tang San with curiosity.
Tang San, however, looked at her solemnly and said, "Xiao Wu, we're going to Shrek Academy!"
"Though, we have to wait three years. But there's something I need to do first."
Xiao Wu looked puzzled.
Tang San stood, his gaze cold and determined.
"Qian Renxue, I know you're masquerading as Xue Qinghe this time—eleven years in advance."
Reborn, Tang San was determined to leverage the information he already possessed to dismantle the Spirit Hall in advance, and establish the Heaven Dou Empire as his base.
He planned to seek out Xue Beng and reveal to him the truth about Xue Qinghe being Qian Renxue in disguise.
Yet, little did Tang San know that Lin Luo had also been reborn ten thousand years ago, now an unborn infant, awaiting his imminent birth.
---
Winter came, and Qian Renxue was now nine months pregnant.
Lin Luo's birth was only a month away.
Outside the Spirit Hall, the scene was now a pristine expanse of white. Snow drifted down in large, soft flakes, resting gently on the golden-haired girl's head like a pale crown.
Her skin appeared even fairer than the snow, flawless and delicate, unaffected by the dry air; she was radiant, her skin smooth and moist as tofu.
Qian Renxue was draped in a mink coat over a loose fox-fur gown. She reached out to catch a snowflake, watching as it gently dissolved at her fingertips before she blew it away with a playful pout.
With a soft smile, she took slow, measured steps, her pale legs moving gracefully beneath her gown, as she reached down to pat her rounded belly.
"You little rascal, it's been nine months now since we met."
"In a month, I'll be heading back to the Heaven Dou palace. Do you want to come with me?"
Despite calling him a rascal, her tone was gentle beyond measure. She rubbed her belly tenderly, a smile playing at her lips.
Inside, Lin Luo gave a little kick, as though he agreed.
After all, following Qian Renxue to the Heaven Dou palace seemed far safer than staying in the treacherous Spirit Hall.
He had accumulated 12,800 growth points by now, equivalent to 1,280 days.
That meant that once he was born, he could essentially grow straight to the age of three and a half after passing through the nursing phase.
Unfortunately, Qian Renxue hadn't been eating much over the past two months, preoccupied with some kind of plan, so Lin Luo couldn't urge her directly.
His only hope now was to make up for it during nursing, and he sincerely hoped she wouldn't mind.
Lin Luo already had a strategy worked out.
He'd refuse any food but milk, and if Qian Renxue tried to assign him to a wet nurse, he'd make a fuss until he was fed by her alone. It was the only way to keep gaining growth points.
Sorry, young and lovely lady, but you don't want to starve your baby, right?
As for her two-month plan, it was a meticulous scheme of feigning helplessness, appealing to emotions, and even a bit of charm to win over the elders and protectors of the Spirit Hall.
Her plan was to unite the support of those around her and resist both Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong.
She had even named the operation "The Baby Plan"!
During these past two months, Lin Luo had overheard her entire plan from inside her belly. He couldn't help but feel a spark of anticipation.
And, unexpectedly, he felt a genuine sense of gratitude. Qian Renxue was truly risking it all to protect him.
How could he have ever thought she hated him?
Lin Luo's answer to that was now a definitive no.
She cares, even loves him.
He found himself viewing her differently now.
Though she was prickly and had a sharp tongue, she was also incredibly kind-hearted.
And a wonderful mother.
Watching his little kick from within, Qian Renxue playfully snapped her fingers. "Fine, you'll come with me to the Heaven Dou palace."
---
Late that night, a figure clad in a black cloak sneaked into Qian Renxue's room.
She couldn't help but stifle a laugh at her fifth grandfather's get-up.
"Isn't this a bit much, Fifth Grandfather?"
He responded gravely, "Better safe than sorry. Only one month remains before we go into action. We can't afford mistakes."
Qian Renxue's expression grew serious.
Her baby's safety depended on this; she couldn't risk anything going wrong.
But her fifth grandfather had brought troubling news.
"Renxue, there's an issue with 'The Baby Plan.'"
He looked at her solemnly.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!