Chapter 4: Misunderstandings and Clever Disguises

“You’re this child’s grandfather?”

Liu Hongmei saw the scene and noticed how obedient Gu Yunfei was in the old man’s arms, assuming he really was his grandfather.

She let out an “Oh.”

“As long as he has family, I thought he had no one.”

With that, she turned to leave.

‘He has family now, Liu Hongmei. You can rest easy,’ she comforted herself, not bothering to verify if the old man was truly his grandfather.

Seeing Liu Hongmei about to leave, Gu Yunfei immediately called out, “Mommy—”

“Mommy?”

Le Yushang grabbed the woman.

“You’re his mother?”

“No, I’m not!”

Liu Hongmei struggled to free herself from Liang Dekuai’s grip.

“Mommy!”

Gu Yunfei cried loudly while calling out.

“Grandpa, help me out here!” Gu Yunfei schemed in his heart.

“Hey, no, I’m not his mother!”

Liu Hongmei anxiously tried to escape the old man’s grasp, but his cultivation was higher, and she couldn’t break free.

Gu Yunfei’s cries drew the attention of passersby.

Liu Hongmei grew more anxious as the crowd gathered.

“What? Why is everyone watching?”

The scene reminded Gu Yunfei of a human trafficking scam from his hometown.

But now, he had to use this tactic because the System had given him a task.

[Raise Liu Hongmei’s favorability to 100 to receive an exclusive reward.]

The onlookers, eager for drama, pointed fingers at Liu Hongmei, making her increasingly flustered.

They didn’t care about the truth, only blindly criticizing her.

As the crowd grew, Le Yushang sensed something off about the woman.

If she were truly his mother, would she resist like this?

Le Yushang released her hand, held Gu Yunfei, and apologized to the woman and the crowd.

“Sorry, my mistake. I mistook her for my daughter-in-law. My eyes aren’t what they used to be, and my grandson calls every woman ‘Mommy.’ My apologies.”

Le Yushang bowed repeatedly as she apologized.

The sudden reversal turned the crowd’s criticism onto her.

“You old man, wasting everyone’s time!”

“If your eyes are bad, stay home!”

Le Yushang wasn’t angry and kept smiling and bowing.

Once the crowd dispersed, she looked at Liu Hongmei.

“What’s going on? Come with me.”

Liu Hongmei followed quietly, occasionally glancing at Gu Yunfei.

Le Yushang placed Gu Yunfei on her shoulder so he and Liu Hongmei could look at each other.

Soon, the three arrived at a mansion, neither too big nor too small.

Gu Yunfei looked at the mansion, puzzled.

‘The old man doesn’t seem crazy. This place is huge—he must be rich. Why wouldn’t he leave me some money after he dies?’

‘This doesn’t match what the System said.’

It reminded him of a term from his hometown: the butterfly effect.

The three entered the mansion.

Le Yushang waved her hand, summoning a tea set.

“Sit. Tell me your real relationship with this child. Be honest. I act crazy to stay alive, but fooling me isn’t easy!”

Seeing the old man’s high cultivation, Liu Hongmei tweaked the truth—nine parts true, one part false, undetectable.

“So, the child was left with you by a powerful cultivator couple. You abandoned him because he hindered your cultivation, but then felt guilty and wanted to take him back. I picked him up, so you followed us here.”

“You’re his wet nurse, but you don’t know whose child he is, right?”

“Right!”

Liu Hongmei nodded.

“Damn, this woman can spin a story,” Gu Yunfei marveled inwardly.

“Since that’s the case, meeting is fate. You can cultivate here. This is an Enlightenment Pill to improve your aptitude.”

Le Yushang placed the pill in front of Liu Hongmei and set Gu Yunfei before her.

“You’ll feed this child from now on. When you want to care for him, do it. When you don’t, I’ll take over. I’ll also watch him while you cultivate.”

“Your cultivation resources are on me. Don’t worry about me having ulterior motives. I have a Pure Yang Body and Pure Yang Spirit Root.”

Le Yushang stroked her beard and pinched Gu Yunfei’s cheek as she spoke.

“Pure Yang Body? Pure Yang Spirit Root? Are you the renowned Pure Yangzi?!”

Liu Hongmei stood up excitedly.

Her master, Leng Ningbing, had told her about the ten strongest cultivators in the Northern Domain.

Leng Ningbing was one, and Pure Yangzi was another.

Liang Dekuai nodded expressionlessly, but inwardly she was laughing.

‘Yes, yes, I’m Liang Dekuai! I’m too clever!’

She looked at Liu Hongmei and then at Gu Yunfei.

“Don’t let a fourth person hear about my identity. You too.”

Liu Hongmei nodded but glanced at Gu Yunfei, as if wondering if a child so young could understand.

Gu Yunfei stood up, hands on hips, and nodded.

“This little guy’s interesting.”

Le Yushang stood.

“Alright, you’ll stay in that room. The child’s hungry—feed him. I’ll go buy some food.”

“Senior, I’ve long given up mortal food.”

Le Yushang turned back, looking at Liu Hongmei like she was an idiot.

“What about me? I’m baffled by you cultivators who give up food. You’re all fools!”

With that, Le Yushang waved her hand, shut the door, and left, giving Liu Hongmei no chance to respond.

Liu Hongmei smiled awkwardly and looked at Gu Yunfei.

Gu Yunfei pointed to his little belly.

“Mommy, hungry—”

“Hungry?!”

Liu Hongmei carried Gu Yunfei to a side room and took out a pill.

“This is a Fasting Pill I got from my junior sister. Want it?”

Gu Yunfei gave her a look like she was an idiot.

Liu Hongmei blushed.

“I-I know what you want, but I don’t have milk.”

Gu Yunfei hugged her.

“Mommy, hungry—”

“Alright, alright. It’s my first time feeding a child. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”

Liu Hongmei looked shy.

She knew Gu Yunfei was just a baby, but the thought of her body made her feel embarrassed.

She took out a Lactation Pill she’d gotten from her junior sister.

After so many days, Gu Yunfei could finally have his first meal.

Lying in Liu Hongmei’s arms, he looked excitedly at the food.

But just as he was about to eat, he realized—where’s the feeding point?

It reminded him of his university dorm and that infuriating cafeteria.

The cafeteria technically had a serving hatch, but it was set inside, so students had to reach in themselves to get food.

Looking at the scene before him, Gu Yunfei sighed.

“Ugh, I’m used to it.”

Back in university, he dealt with those tricky serving hatches himself.

Now, it was just a repeat. Simple enough.