"I didn't see anything." Shen Wuqiu paused, then asked her, "I didn't feel like anyone was watching us?"
"Really?" Gu Lingyu glanced around the main hall, completely unconvinced. "But there's nothing strange about it. I envy our loving relationship."
"..." Shen Wuqiu originally wanted to ask her, but after thinking about it, she held back.
After all, this cat is someone who can fall from grace with just a few words, so she should save face for the other person, or rather, for the cat.
After a friendly exchange, the two clans had a basic understanding of each other. With the four cubs as a bond, Gu Miaomiao's clansmen showed great enthusiasm for the Shen family.
However, as the saying goes, you can't see into someone's heart, and not all the clansmen were so happy to accept Shen Wuqiu.
After all, they had waited for thousands of years to finally welcome Gu Miaomiao, a female. In order to produce offspring with a purer bloodline, the clansmen were willing to save hundreds of years' worth of fertility fruits.
In the end, these fruits still ended up in the womb of a human woman.
How could they possibly bear this? How could they possibly bear this!
So, as the elders in the main hall praised the cubs repeatedly, some people became dissatisfied:
“Our clan has always inherited the bloodline of ancient divine beasts. Over the past few thousand years, even though it has been difficult to conceive offspring, those who are born safely are all outstanding individuals, not to mention those who have inherited the bloodline of the mountain god. Elders, there is no need to flatter the young gods so much.”
The moment those clear voices rang out, the noisy hall fell silent.
After a brief silence, Gu Lingyu slowly spoke: "So, what do you want to say?"
The moment she opened her mouth, it was as if an invisible divine power descended, like being trapped by soft strips of cloth—not cold, nor painful, but gentle, yet leaving one powerless to break free.
Even though the person was still sitting next to her, Shen Wuqiu felt as if she had to tilt her head back to see her face clearly.
The woman who had spoken lowered her head, but did not fall silent: "Everyone in the clan knows that for hundreds of years, in order to produce offspring with a purer bloodline, the clan has reserved the fertility fruit for the Divine Lord. But what have we waited for after hundreds of years? In the end, we still have the human race reproduce for us. What has been the meaning of our hundreds of years of waiting?"
Gu Lingyu lowered her eyes. She remembered that this woman had objected to leaving all the Pregnancy Fruit to her. According to the clan's custom, if it weren't for this female cat who came out of nowhere, the mature Pregnancy Fruit should have been given to her son.
No wonder there's so much resentment.
Although this was indeed a bit of a misunderstanding, the child Qiuqiu gave birth to has the purest bloodline, and no one can slander that.
So, she openly shifted the focus: "Oh, are you questioning my lineage?"
"This humble god wouldn't dare." Although the woman wasn't considered a powerful figure in the clan, she held a high position and could speak for herself. It wasn't that she was taking advantage of her age; it was simply that her child was already two thousand eight hundred years old, and she had finally gotten her chance, only to have it snatched away by this little female cat with an inherently noble status. She was already feeling bad about it.
But for the sake of her people's descendants, she swallowed her anger. Who knew that in the end, they would give such a precious thing to a human? How is that any different from his son using a mortal to have offspring?
"The God-King is of noble blood, but the clansmen are well aware of the power of the human race. Back then, the clansmen left the opportunity to have offspring to the God-King without any complaints, hoping to use the God-King's power to change the status quo of the clan."
Gu Lingyu held the gluttonous Simao in her arms. "Is the Lord of Clear Water unhappy that my child has been tainted with human blood?"
"That's natural. For thousands of years, everyone has known that human bloodlines will dilute our divine bloodlines. If the fruit of conception left for the God-King will ultimately be given to a mortal, then what's wrong with giving it to my daughter-in-law?"
Gu Lingyu narrowed her eyes: "Is that so? Then what does the Lord of Clear Water want?"
The woman then raised her head and looked at Simao in her arms: "There is a saying among their human race—'Whether it is a mule or a horse, you will know once you take it out for a walk.' Since ancient times, our race has allowed infants who are a month old to choose their teachers based on their abilities. Today, in front of our people, we can see whether our little gods have lived up to everyone's expectations after so many years."
A note from the author:
The update is a bit late, sorry to have kept you waiting.
Chapter 116
The divine beast race were originally protectors of the Heavenly Dao who guarded the three realms. In the turbulent prehistoric era, in order to contend with the demonic beasts, they all revered strength.
However, with the increasing difficulty of procreation and the peace of the world, the Spirit Cat Clan has no choice but to take great care of every cub that is born safely. Yet, deep down, they still hope that their offspring can continue the divine power of their ancient ancestors.
Therefore, even though everyone in the clan was very satisfied with the arrival of the four cubs, no one dared to refute Qing Shui Lao Jun's words at this moment.
Just as the Old Lord of Clear Water said, they placed all their hopes for procreation on Gu Lingyu, the God-King, in order to use her to change the increasingly diluted divine beast bloodline of their people.
Gu Lingyu glanced at the silent clansmen in the main hall, then looked at the nervous and uneasy Shen Wuqiu: "Qiuqiu, do you believe in our child?"
Shen Wuqiu didn't know how they planned to "walk" the children, but as a mother, she had an innate protective instinct towards her children. At the same time, she understood that her children were not ordinary people, and their growth might not follow her expectations.
She looked at Simao, who was still diligently licking the floral dew from his lips. A feeling of heartache mixed with helplessness welled up inside her. She didn't know what to say—of course she believed in the child, but she was also worried.
After a brief silence, she looked at everyone in the hall: "If you don't like the children, I'll take them all back to our world from now on..."
"You've misunderstood, Shanhou." The First Elder immediately stepped forward. "Don't laugh at me, Shanhou. Since the birth of the Divine Lord, our clan has not raised any offspring for five hundred years. Now, it is difficult for our clan to have children. The young Divine Lords are not only your and the Divine Lord's children, but also the children of the entire clan. Although Qing Shui Laojun's words were a bit harsh, they can be seen as a sign of our expectations for the young Divine Lords."
Gu Lingyu grasped Shen Wuqiu's hand, which was unconsciously clenched due to nervousness, and said loudly, "Since everyone is so expectant, I cannot let everyone down."
After saying that, she released Shen Wuqiu's hand and threw Si Mao, who was in her arms, directly into the center of the hall. Then, she quickly formed a hand seal, and the moment the seal was released, a crystal-clear drop of blood was suspended in the air above the hall.
All of this happened so fast that Shen Wuqiu didn't even have time to react to the fact that her precious daughter had been thrown upside down before she found that the four little ones had gathered together under the blood droplet, enveloped in a halo of light.
A few seconds later, Gu Lingyu withdrew her hand, and at the same time, the drop of blood floating in mid-air disappeared.
Meanwhile, the four cubs in the main hall seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. Although they were still small, they exuded an invisible, chilling aura.
Shen Wuqiu watched all this with mixed feelings, her unease growing stronger, "The children..."
Gu Lingyu calmly took her hand, her gaze sweeping over the four children one by one. She was quite satisfied with their changes, then turned to her and smiled, "Qiuqiu, the children are even more amazing than I imagined."
Shen Wuqiu turned her gaze away from the children and stared blankly at her.
Gu Lingyu didn't rush to explain, but instead looked at everyone in the hall: "Now that the blood seal has been lifted, who among you would like to go up and meet them?"
From the moment the Pregnancy Fruit is infused with the essence and blood of the recipient, it forms a blood seal, the purpose of which is to seal the offspring's aura. Because the Pregnancy Fruit is a gift from the gods, carrying the purest spiritual energy, it will be gradually bestowed upon the offspring during the gestation period.
If the blood seal is not formed, the spiritual energy will be released instantly at the moment the cub is born, attracting the covetousness of evil forces.
Although the blood seal protected the cubs, the blood seal itself is a form of suppression, suppressing the purest divine beast bloodline flowing within them.
In other words, the purer the bloodline of the cub, the stronger the suppression of the blood seal.
As the bloodstains on the cubs were removed, the expressions of everyone in the hall underwent subtle changes.
After a brief silence, a man dressed in black brocade stood up. "I'll do it."
"Cang Mo is so young, he probably has no experience fighting against cubs, and he could easily hurt the little god..."
"What's there to be afraid of? The little god-king has inherited the bloodline of a god-king, so he can naturally handle it."
"Don't forget that the Little Gods are also born of the human race. Cang Mo is a figure in the clan who is second only to the Gods..."
Amidst the soft murmurs, Shen Wuqiu looked over and discovered that the man who had stood up was none other than the man who had been scrutinizing her earlier.
Gu Lingyu paid no attention to the discussions among the people in the main hall, just as she hadn't taken the man who had volunteered for her services to heart. After being back on the mountain for so long, she was finally giving him a proper look now.
"Cang Mo?"
The man named Cangmo nodded, "I hope the Divine Lord will grant my request."
Gu Lingyu waved her hand, and Cang Mo disappeared into the distance. Looking again, a majestic black cat appeared in the center of the hall.
The black cat stood in front of the four kittens, its head held high, and bowed respectfully.
The next second, Little Lion Er Mao was the first to rush forward.
But the black cat did not fight back; it simply retreated.
Shen Wuqiu looked nervous, but at this moment he couldn't understand what was going on.
Gu Lingyu understood, "Does Cang Mo underestimate my child so much? Does he think he can take on four opponents by himself? There's no need for that."
The black cat did not stop even after hearing this.
Er Mao, who was relentlessly pursuing him, suddenly got angry and meowed.
After letting out a roar, it leaped up and landed on the black cat's head.
The black cat then stopped and began to fight back.
The two cats, one big and one small, were locked in a fierce battle. Both attacked with lightning speed, making it impossible for Shen Wuqiu to see clearly, but he could clearly feel the fluctuations in the air throughout the hall.
As the auspicious vase in the corner of the main hall suddenly shattered, the two cats that had been fighting each other finally separated.
The two cats, having just finished their fight, were both looking rather disheveled, their fur in disarray.
After stopping, the black cat quickly transformed into human form.
"how?"
The question was directed at him, and also at everyone in the hall.
Cang Mo spat out a mouthful of blood, "This little god admits defeat."
A soft gasp rippled through the main hall.
Gu Lingyu raised her chin slightly, giving off an air of condescending arrogance: "I have four children. Would you like to 'test' them to see if they're mules or horses?"
"I dare not. The young deity possesses innate divine strength, a blessing to our clan."
Amidst the unanimous voices, Qing Shui Lao Jun remained somewhat unconvinced, "May I ask, Divine Lord, which minor Divine Lord just fought against Cang Mo Jun? What is his rank?"
Daiying smiled and replied, "Second in line, Gu Xiang, the Little God."
Qingshui Laojun stepped forward, "May I test the youngest little god again?"
Gu Lingyu's lips curled slightly, and she said casually, "I agree, the fattest one will do."
Among the mythical beasts, the smallest of the cubs born at the same time is often the weakest, while the strongest is the one born first, because only the eldest has the innate right to rule.
It's likely that the first of his offspring was the weakest.
Qingshui Laojun walked to the center of the main hall, cupped his hands in greeting to Simao, and said, "Little deity, please forgive me."
After saying that, it suddenly transformed into a large black and white tabby cat.
However, before she could make a move, a hollow, distant voice drifted over, "Fortunately, fortunately..."
A note from the author:
It's been updated! Surprised?
Chapter 117
The sound was like the deep, resonant toll of an ancient bell, steady yet incredibly penetrating. At first glance, it seemed to come from the distant horizon, but the next second, it was like a gust of wind rushing in.
When the final sigh faded, another figure had appeared in the hall.
Apart from the Shen family members who were unaware of what was going on, everyone else in the hall rose in fear and trepidation, including Gu Lingyu, who was in the main seat.