Chapter 791 Xiao Xi'er

Medusa took in Xiao Ling's reaction. Seeing his dazed and confused look as he gazed at his daughter, her fingertips trembled slightly, and the turbulent emotions in her heart gradually subsided.

She could clearly sense the sudden softening of Xiao Ling's aura, and feel the slight tremor in his fingertips as he touched his daughter's small hand. It was a genuine and heartfelt tenderness and emotion that could not be faked.

Seeing this, Medusa's previously furrowed brows quietly relaxed, and the corners of her lips involuntarily turned up slightly, revealing a very faint smile that she herself did not even notice.

It turns out that she had been overthinking things.

She had also secretly worried that Xiao Ling, who was often away from home and whose mind was mostly focused on the treacherous affairs of Zhongzhou, might not care much about this daughter he had never met.

But seeing him like this now, I realized that those concerns were nothing more than baseless delusions in my own mind.

After all, this is the flesh and blood born from their union, their most precious bond throughout the long years.

Xiao Ling's gaze remained fixed on his daughter's exquisitely beautiful face, his fingertips enveloped in her warm, soft touch. The smile on his lips grew even more tender and affectionate. He turned his head to look at Medusa in his arms, his voice filled with unwavering doting affection.
“Our precious daughter is so cute. She even has some of your charm in her eyes and brows. She will definitely inherit your beauty perfectly when she grows up.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ling seemed to suddenly remember something, a look of realization flashing across his eyes. He then asked, "By the way, have you chosen a name for this precious little one?"

Upon hearing this, Medusa gently shook her head, her dark hair brushing against her smooth shoulders. She looked up at Xiao Ling, her eyes filled with a tender, expectant light.
"Speaking of which, I haven't given her a proper name yet. This child is the flesh and blood of both of us, so naturally it should be you, as the father, who decides on the name. Why don't you give her one now?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling tightened his grip on Medusa's arm, his fingertips still held by his daughter's warm, soft little hand. He lowered his gaze to the little one's exquisitely beautiful sleeping face, his long eyebrows furrowing slightly as he truly fell into deep thought.

He pondered for a long time, his fingertips unconsciously stroking Medusa's hand, many words flashing through his mind, only to be rejected one by one.

Until her gaze swept across the full moon shining brightly outside the window, the moonlight just brushing against her daughter's delicate nose, and she caught a glimpse of the gentle curve at the corner of Medusa's eyes, a sudden inspiration flashed in her heart, and a soft light shone in her eyes.

"How about we call her Xiao Xi'er?"

Xiao Ling spoke very softly, afraid of disturbing the little one sleeping soundly on the bed.
"Xi is the first ray of dawn, breaking through the night and dispelling the darkness. May she be like the morning sun, warm and bright, her whole life enveloped in light, never tainted by any gloom. Moreover, the name is easy to pronounce and carries a touch of naivety, which suits her soft and gentle appearance perfectly."

He turned his head to look at Medusa in his arms, his eyes full of expectation, and added...
"This name also carries my hopes for her. I hope that, under our protection, she can live a life as bright and peaceful as the morning sun."

Medusa chewed on those three words several times, her gaze softening.

She looked up at the bright moon outside the window, as if imagining the scene of dawn breaking. Then she looked down at the little one's sleeping face, and a smile slowly spread across her lips. Even the last trace of reproach in her eyes turned into tender affection.

“Xiao Xi’er…” she murmured the name softly, her fingertips gently brushing her daughter’s temples, her tone full of satisfaction, “This name is quite good, and as her mother, I will not object.”

Upon hearing Medusa's praise, Xiao Ling's lips immediately curled into a smug smile. He reached out and pinched Medusa's delicate cheek, his tone laced with amusement.

"Of course. Just look at who named it. With my years of experience wandering the Central Plains, how could a name I came up with be bad?"

As he spoke, he leaned closer to his daughter's ear, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart.
"Little one, from now on you'll be called Xiao Xi'er. Grow up well, okay?"

As if she understood, Xiao Xi'er on the bed unconsciously smacked her lips and tightened her grip on the index finger, causing Xiao Ling and Medusa to exchange a smile. Warmth filled the room, flowing quietly in the tranquil night.

Whether it was the conversation between Medusa and Xiao Ling that disturbed the surrounding tranquility or not, the colorful little snake that had been lying quietly in the brocade box in the corner of the dressing table slowly stretched out its coiled body and slowly woke up.

Its pair of dark, glass-like eyes blinked in bewilderment, then it subconsciously looked around.

When the gaze pierced through the dim light and landed on the familiar figure by the bed, an extremely welcoming aura instantly swept over it, and the little snake's eyes suddenly lit up, its lively light filled with joy.

The next moment, its figure suddenly leaped up like a streak of seven-colored light, its small body cutting through the air and creating a barely perceptible gust of wind as it shot towards Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling was chatting with Medusa about Xiao Xi'er when suddenly, a familiar aura with a faint seven-colored halo came from behind him. His keen soul perception instantly caught the anomaly, and his heart stirred slightly. He then turned around to look.

When Xiao Ling saw the small figure flying towards him, enveloped in a rainbow of light, he was momentarily stunned. A look of surprise and realization flashed across his eyes, and his voice trembled with disbelief.

"A seven-colored, sky-devouring python?"

Xiao Ling subconsciously stretched out his hands and steadily caught the seven-colored light in his palms. He felt a cool and delicate scale-like touch in his palms, so gentle that it seemed as if it would break at the slightest touch.

The seven-colored python wriggled happily in his palm, its little head rubbing against his fingertips. The cool scales brushed against his warm skin, a touch of affectionate teasing. Its dark, glassy eyes shone brightly, filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

Looking at the lively, seven-colored snake in his palm, Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile gently. His fingertips lightly traced its smooth scales, his voice filled with emotion.
"Little one, I never thought we'd have another chance to meet." His fingertips moved even more gently, as if afraid of disturbing this hard-won reunion, his voice carrying a sigh of longing.

"It's been quite a while since we last saw each other. You haven't changed at all; you're still as clingy as ever."

The Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python seemed to understand Xiao Ling's words, nuzzling its head even more enthusiastically. Its small body coiled up in his palm, flicked its tongue, and made soft hissing sounds, as if responding to his words.

Medusa, who was standing nearby, took in the intimate interaction between the human and the snake. Her red lips parted slightly as she slowly began to explain.

"With your help, my original form evolved into the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python. Initially, the evolution consumed too much of my soul power, so most of the control over my physical body fell into this little guy's hands."

She lowered her gaze to the seven-colored snake in her palm, a gentle light flickering in her eyes, and continued...
"Later, as my soul power gradually recovered, I slowly regained control of my physical body, and the little guy's consciousness also faded away. It wasn't until I became pregnant with Xi'er that I realized that it had used the life force of the fetus in my womb to conceive a new body in my body in a very special way, and finally it was born into this world together with Xi'er."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling slowly nodded, his fingertips still gently tracing the smooth scales of the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
"I can vaguely sense that there is a special connection between this little guy and Xi'er that comes from bloodline. In the future, the two of them will definitely be inseparable."

As he finished speaking, he reached out a finger and gently tapped the little seven-colored Sky-Swallowing Python's forehead, a gentle smile playing on his lips, his tone full of solemn instructions.
"Little one, from now on, I'll be relying on you to take good care of my precious daughter Xi'er. If anyone dares to cause her the slightest grievance, you'll have to stand up for her."

Upon hearing Xiao Ling's instructions, the little seven-colored Sky-Swallowing Python seemed to truly understand. It nodded its little head sharply, its dark, glassy eyes gleaming with intelligence. Its body wiggled happily in his palm, as if patting its chest to assure him, "Leave it to me, you won't go wrong."

Xiao Ling teased the seven-colored Sky-Swallowing Python in his palm for a while, gently scratching its smooth scales with his fingertips, which made the little guy flick its tongue before gradually showing some signs of fatigue.

Its small body nimbly circled around and slowly crawled down from Xiao Ling's palm. The tiny snake scales brushed against the brocade quilt, making a soft rustling sound.

The little one slowly circled around the bed a few times, his dark, glassy eyes full of affection. Finally, he climbed straight to the side of the sleeping Xiao Xi'er, gently wrapped his slender body around her chubby little arm, closed his eyes, and also fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling couldn't help but chuckle softly, his tone full of gentle teasing: "It seems these two little guys are equally fond of sleeping."

Medusa, standing nearby, rolled her eyes at him, her tone tinged with reproach yet also concealing a hint of barely perceptible pride.

"Isn't it all because of you? When I was pregnant, the high-grade pregnancy pills you gave me were so potent that they directly tempered these two little ones into powerful fighting spirits in the womb, and they were already at the level of high-grade Dou Zong at birth."

She paused, recalling the days and nights she had been tormented by, and couldn't help but glare at Xiao Ling with annoyance.
"It's just that they are too young and can't control the powerful force within them. They expend too much energy on weekdays, which is why they are always so sleepy. It's also thanks to them that they have caused quite a stir among the snake people with their brute strength, which often gives me a headache."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling reached out and pulled Medusa closer, his fingertips gently stroking her hair, his tone full of guilt and tenderness.
"This is all to create better conditions for our precious daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have specially refined those high-level pregnancy-nourishing pills. You've worked so hard all these years carrying the baby, giving birth, and taking care of the two little ones."

He glanced down at the two children, one big and one small, sleeping soundly on the bed, his eyes darkening, and continued.
“They are too young to control such powerful battle qi. If this continues, there is no guarantee that they won’t cause an accident due to loss of control of their power. After dawn, I will set a gentle seal on the two of them to temporarily suppress the power in their bodies. As they grow older and their minds and control over their battle qi catch up, I will slowly remove the seal so that they can gradually take control of their own strength.”

“Indeed, that’s a good idea.” Medusa nodded in agreement, her slender fingers gently tracing her daughter’s delicate cheek, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. “Although the Snake People also have secret techniques to seal battle qi, even if I were to do it myself, I wouldn’t be able to get it working on these two little ones. You’ll have to do it yourself.”

She had barely finished speaking when she abruptly changed the subject, raising her eyes to look at Xiao Ling with a hint of inquiry in them.

"By the way, what important matter brought you back to the Jia Ma Empire this time? Was it for the alliance you discussed with the various forces in the capital? I don't think you would come all the way back from Zhongzhou for such a trivial matter."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling chuckled softly, reached out and pinched her puffed-up cheek, his eyes full of playful amusement: "Hehe, what else? Couldn't I have come back specifically to see my precious wife and adorable daughter?"

"I don't believe your nonsense." Medusa rolled her eyes at him, slapped his wandering hand away, pouted her red lips, and said with a hint of reproach, "Get to the point, what is it about?"

Seeing this, Xiao Ling stopped joking and his smile faded. His expression gradually became serious, and he lowered his head to whisper in Medusa's ear, "I really came back this time for your sake."

"When I was researching ancient books in Zhongzhou, I accidentally discovered that in the deepest part of the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan, there was a long-sealed Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python's nest. Not only does it contain the complete inheritance of the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python lineage, but it also contains the original essence blood and cultivation insights left by our ancestors."

He leaned slightly forward, his gaze fixed intently on Medusa, his tone filled with undisguised certainty.
"Now that you have fully evolved into the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, your bloodline is the same as that of the nest. If you can go there in person and absorb the inheritance, your strength will surely experience a tremendous leap forward."

Upon hearing this unexpected joy brought by Xiao Ling, Medusa's usually aloof eyes suddenly lit up, filled with barely concealed excitement and shock.

She knew Xiao Ling's personality all too well; he was always calm and composed, and would never speak carelessly on such an important matter concerning the improvement of his strength.

“I never imagined that the extinct Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python clan would still have such a legacy.” Medusa’s red lips trembled slightly as she murmured, her tone filled with disbelief and relief. “This is indeed an incredible opportunity for me! Perhaps, breaking through to the Half-Saint realm is not impossible.”

As Xiao Ling listened to her murmurs, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He thought to himself, "Only a half-saint? That's a rather conservative idea."

He knew perfectly well how profound the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python's inheritance was. If Medusa could absorb and refine all the inheritance in that nest, let alone a half-saint, even a four-star Dou Sheng realm would be within her grasp. How could a mere half-saint compare? (End of Chapter)