Chapter 937 - I’m so sorry it took me so long

Chapter 937: 937 - I’m so sorry it took me so long

"Miss Ma Mingzhu... I’m so sorry it took me so long. I put you through a lot..." Qingyi said, finally tearing his gaze away from little Lingxi.

Of course, that adorable little dragon had no intention of letting go of her father.

Even in Rouxi’s arms, she kept stretching toward him, her tiny fingers clinging to his robes with stubborn determination.

Rouxi tried to pull her back once or twice, but the girl only gripped the fabric even tighter, letting out a grumble of protest each time.

In the end, Rouxi gave up with a defeated sigh and handed her daughter over to Qingyi, who nestled her comfortably against his chest.

Lingxi let out a happy squeal, rubbing her little face against him and wrapping her tiny fingers possessively around the back of his neck, as if to tell the whole world that this spot belonged to her and her alone.

Mingzhu watched the scene with a warm heart, and it took her a second to register the words he had just spoken.

"Oh... n-not at all, Young Master Qingyi!" she said hurriedly, blinking a few times as if waking from a dream.

She was a proud woman, respected throughout the Celestial Heaven despite her sect’s lack of power.

Her position as the Divine Maiden was considered sacred nearly everywhere, so she rarely had to bow, even before beings far more powerful than herself.

Still, she lowered her head in a gentle bow, her hands clasped in front of her body.

"Thank you so much for coming. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been even an hour late," she said, her voice coming out a little lower than she’d intended.

As she straightened, one of her delicate hands rose to her face, brushing away a strand of hair that had slipped over her eyes in a single elegant motion.

Her cheeks were flushed, and the anxiety that had gripped her beautiful face slowly gave way to relief, as if an enormous weight were finally sliding off her shoulders.

As for any retaliation from the Zhang Family, she was at ease.

Qingyi was Tianjin’s son-in-law, and the fact that he had stepped in to help her showed that he held her—or her grandfather—in some regard.

Offending Qingyi was no different from offending Tianjin. The golden dragon had a kind and gentle disposition, even toward those who crossed him, but even so, no one dared to try.

He was far too powerful.

The Zhang Family would most likely sweep the whole matter under the rug and pretend nothing had ever happened.

"How is Old Ma Zhenwu? I heard his condition was serious," Qingyi asked, one hand absently patting Lingxi’s back.

The question caught the attention of Mingzhu, who, for a moment, seemed to have drifted off to some faraway place once again.

She blinked, snapping back to reality.

"Oh... Grandfather is fine," she replied. "He was badly injured, but his dantian and meridians weren’t affected. Another week or two of recovery should be enough."

"Hmm... that’s good. I’d like to see him," Qingyi said, nodding slowly.

Against his chest, Lingxi stirred, turning her little face to look at Mingzhu.

Her round eyes narrowed for a brief moment, studying the woman with all the seriousness a baby could muster, before she broke into a warm smile.

Keeping her left hand clutched to her father’s robes, she raised the other.

"Hewwo!" Lingxi shouted adorably, waving it back and forth with excitement.

Mingzhu could only smile, leaning slightly toward the little girl, her voice naturally softening. "Hello, princess."

Lingxi let out a high-pitched giggle, her chubby cheeks flushing pink as she buried her face against her father’s chest once more, peeking at Mingzhu out of the corner of her eye as if she’d suddenly become shy.

Mingzhu merely shook her head, amused. "I can take you to Grandpa now, if you’d like. He’s staying at that hospital over there."

She turned toward a building across the street, a medical treatment center for experts whose cultivation was below the Cosmic Emperor Realm.

Almost the entire hospital staff had rushed to the windows to see what was happening outside.

After watching the wind carry away what remained of Zhang Fei’s ashes, however, they simply returned to work, one by one, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Zhang Fei had tried to force his way into the hospital to drag Ma Zhenwu out and use him to threaten Mingzhu.

Fortunately, the hospital belonged to the Wei Family, who were certainly not thrilled by the idea of a young master from the Zhang Family snatching a patient from one of their medical facilities.

In the end, Zhang Fei had no choice but to give up, since he knew full well that families like the Wei, the Mu, and his own were far too proud to simply accept something like that.

Unless there was a valid justification, they protected those under their wing to the death, for when one was as wealthy as they were, the strongest currency was honor, dignity, and respect.

Zhang Fei would have lived much longer if he’d understood that.

Mingzhu took the lead, guiding Qingyi to the hospital with light, hurried steps, as if she herself could hardly wait to see her grandfather again.

The doors opened onto a spacious, silent lobby. The cool air inside carried the strong, bitter scent of medicinal herbs, and their footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor.

Usually, even for her—the patient’s granddaughter—entering there meant going through a very rigorous screening process.

Of course, Qingyi’s presence shortened that process considerably.

As soon as the attendants laid eyes on him, they bowed in hurried reverence. No one asked for identification or for them to wait.

Honestly, Qingyi couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself.

Receiving absolute priority in everything and being treated almost like a deity by everyone around him certainly made life much easier, reducing any bureaucracy to practically zero.

He hadn’t even reached the Celestial Emperor Realm yet, but he was already enjoying the perks of living like one.