Chapter 1383: Warm Moments Before the Battle

Chapter 1383: Chapter 1383: Warm Moments Before the Battle

After Pei Yan finished speaking, it was Mrs. Pei who became worried. She glanced at Wang Ruoqin, who was sitting on the sofa curiously observing all the new things around her, and said with concern, "But won’t she find the food here hard to stomach? My cooking skills aren’t that good, and we don’t have those ingredients you mentioned."

"Mom! Don’t listen to Pei Yan’s crazy talk. Those things do exist in that world, but Ruoqin isn’t as spoiled as he says. Her family, a Daoist lineage, emphasized self-restraint and simple, bland diets just enough to avoid hunger before leaving the Three Corpses Realm. Unlike Pei Yan, whose love of food is now famous throughout the Daoist Plane." Pei Jin, who had been caring for Wang Ruoqin and knew many details of her life, rolled his eyes at Pei Yan and patiently explained to his mother.

"Three Corpses? What’s that?" Mrs. Pei asked, bewildered by the unfamiliar term from her daughter’s mouth.

"It’s just a state of being! Mom, you don’t have to worry about it. Just treat her as one of our own, let her eat what we eat, and discipline her as you would naturally. Oh! By the way, I’ve also brought home a brother; that’s Xiao Si’Er, you can treat her as the fifth child in our family." Pei Yan suddenly recalled that Hu Jiu stayed behind at the investigation hall to assist Gu Shenghui with disguising replacements, so he couldn’t come back with him.

"Xiao Si’Er? That doesn’t make sense! That would mean he’s the third child."

"Oh, there’s more to it! I’ll explain when I have time. Mom! Get us some food! I’m starving here." Pei Yan pushed his bewildered mother towards the kitchen and repeatedly turned back to educate Wang Ruoqin, who was reaching for the snacks on the table: "Eat fewer snacks! We’ll have dinner soon, if you eat too much you won’t have room for dinner, and after dinner, I’ll give you ice cream later this evening."

Seeing Wang Ruoqin reluctantly withdraw her hand at his admonition, and then her eyes light up with curiosity at the mention of ice cream, Pei Yan finally experienced the feeling his father had when scolding him as a child. Entering the kitchen, Pei Yan tried to help his mother with something but was promptly pushed out for making things messy. Resigned, he returned to the living room, where he sat on the sofa chatting idly with his father while teaching Wang Ruoqin how to watch TV and change channels. The girl was fascinated by these new things and asked Pei Yan many questions like how it worked, whether it was a Magical Artifact made by Mechanical Masters from Mo Sect, and why she couldn’t sense any source energy flow from it.

Initially, Pei Yan patiently answered each question, but as her queries grew, he ended up feeling overwhelmed. Though he could quickly gather information via the AI in his mind, letting her continue was not a solution. So he sternly educated her, telling Wang Ruoqin that she would learn these things over time and if interested, once she’s older, he’d help her get related books. Importantly, he stressed to her that asking these questions at home was fine, but speaking of source energy, Magical Artifacts, or anything related to the Daoist Plane outside was a no-no. Pei Yan didn’t want his parents to be labeled as negligent at parent-teacher meetings when teachers think he’s the parent who lets his child indulge in fantasy dramas all day.

The educated Wang Ruoqin nodded in semi-understanding. Pei Yan felt a headache seeing her innocent curiosity, knowing she lacked knowledge about this world and had an innate desire to learn. He could imagine her stirring up many amusing moments early on in life here. With this in mind, he suggested to his father, "Dad! Buy her some children’s reading materials."

"We’ve already done that! When your firm notified us of this matter, your mom and I went out and bought some first-grade reading materials and school supplies."

Pei Yan scratched his head and chuckled bitterly, "Get her even younger-level books, like those that teach kids about daily life and knowledge around them. Don’t worry, her IQ is definitely fine, she’s already had language knowledge instilled directly into her consciousness by her teachers, so no need to worry about literacy. It’s about getting her accustomed to our way of life now so she won’t feel out of place with other kids at school later."

"Alright! Once things settle a bit, your mom and I will go shopping."

As the group chatted casually, Mrs. Pei began placing dishes on the dining table. Although she had earlier complained about people causing chaos, she now started grumbling about her husband just sitting watching TV and not helping. Amid her complaints, Old Pei and Pei Yan exchanged smiles and got up to assist with setting the table.

A harmonious meal followed, as the family enjoyed themselves. Wang Ruoqin slowly blended into this strange new world. Faced with the couple’s friendly encouragement to try each dish, she realized that she would be living under their care for a long time, which might be better than life at the lifeless, cautious Immortal Palace.

Afterward, her mom refused Pei Yan’s request to help clean up the dishes, treating him as idle, as his father pulled him along for a digestive walk around the neighborhood.

Wandering through the streets, Old Pei asked many questions about Pei Yan’s work, all of which Pei Yan answered as best as he could. When the topic turned to the elderly guard at the fish market gate suddenly being replaced, Pei Yan ended a moment of silence by telling his father the man had passed away.

"You folks really have it tough! Your boss told me someone wants to target us, and they want us to move to a new place for our safety, thinking we might help in return?"

"Hmm! You are aware? Did the other families agree too?" Pei Yan asked softly, looking down.

"Why wouldn’t they agree? You’re all focused on our safety. I just don’t understand how those people became so rampant." Old Pei said, feeling indignant.

Pei Yan shrugged helplessly, "They’ve done even crazier, more heinous things with no shame. They aren’t from the same world as us; to them, ordinary people are simply there to hunt or kill at will."

"I know! I’ve heard that they’re like, the Blood Race, akin to vampires, right? Never thought such beings actually existed." said Old Pei, looking around cautiously before pulling out a necklace from his collar. Upon seeing the item, Pei Yan couldn’t help but laugh despite feeling heavy-hearted.

"Dad! When did you start believing in this stuff?" Pei Yan struggled to contain his amusement seeing his father holding a cross necklace.

"I don’t believe it! Can’t you tell? Your mom and I are just grasping at straws! Other people in the neighborhood bought them too." Aware of his son’s expression and realizing his information may not match reality, Old Pei awkwardly countered.