[Of course not,] Weiwei replied, her tone becoming business-like. [I have a specific message to pass to you.]

"A message from you, or from someone else, if I may ask?" Qin Mo countered, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out if there was a master puppeteer behind the system.

[Smart, ain’t you?] Weiwei teased, her tail flicking.

Qin Mo said nothing to that. He maintained a steady, intense gaze with Weiwei, waiting for the real blow to land.

[Well, you can figure that part out yourself later,] Weiwei said, stepping closer to the edge of the counter. [All I have to tell you is this: you should stay away from my lady, and only return to her side when you have officially reached the God Realm.] 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Hearing that specific condition made Qin Mo’s steady gaze tremble for the first time.

The God Realm was a legendary level of cultivation that people in the lower and middle realms only spoke of in myths.

It took thousands of years of perfect luck and talent to even catch a glimpse of that threshold.

His heart sank, but he maintained his rigid stance and said firmly, "No. I will not leave her."

[Let me finish before you start refusing,] Weiwei interrupted, raising a paw to silence him. [You can all stay right here until my lady gives birth. You should at least be able to take your kids and raise them during their earliest months, as you should. My lady is fair; she will not take your rights to your own children away from you. But once the children are settled, you must leave to train.]

The freezing, defensive aura surrounding Qin Mo lowered slightly at those words. The fear of being completely separated from his newborn child dissolved, leaving only the heavy weight of the path he had to walk.

[Help will be given to you to start this journey, so do not worry,] Weiwei added.

Qin Mo’s jaw tightened, his masculine pride flaring up again. "I do not need your hand me downs or charity to grow strong."

[Shush! You don’t need to conclude things so fast,] Weiwei snapped back, her eyes flashing. [You will only be helped exactly once. How fast you grow from there, and how you choose to grow, depends solely on you. We are only providing the key; you have to unlock the door yourself.]

The black cat tapped her paw against the counter, and with a small flash of light, a small, ancient leather scroll and a glowing porcelain vial appeared on the wood.

[A bloodline awakening pill and a secret map will be given to you,] Weiwei stated clearly.

"A bloodline awakening pill..." Qin Mo’s voice faded into a whisper, his green eyes trembling violently as those specific words hit his ears.

His mind instantly flashed back to his early youth in the serpent clan. He remembered reading a highly guarded, crumbling relic left behind by the very first Teng ancestors who had founded their line.

Even in that ancient book, the greatest ancestor of their family had written a paragraph full of deep regret, stating that he was incredibly unlucky to have been birthed in an era when the legendary bloodline awakening pill had already gone completely extinct, its divine formula long lost in the dark passage of time.

How could it be that Weiwei had something like this? The final thought of this left Qin Mo more and more shocked as he stared at the small porcelain bottle on the wooden counter.

The air in the kitchen felt still. The ancient stories he had read in his youth came rushing back to his mind, making his heart beat fast against his ribs.

The formula for this pill was supposed to be completely lost. It was a myth, something that belonged to the dead past. Yet here it was, sitting right in front of him.

[With the Bloodline Awakening Pill, you can at least be able to escape if you meet higher powers in the future,] Weiwei said, her voice dropping the playful tone and becoming very serious. [It will unlock the true strength hidden deep inside your bones. Right now, your serpent blood is sleeping. This will wake it up.]

Qin Mo forced his eyes away from the glowing bottle and looked at the ancient leather scroll next to it. His throat felt dry. "What about the map? What is that for?"

[Yeah, the map,] Weiwei replied, flicking her black tail lightly against the counter. [That is for the location to the first Divine Teng Snake.]

"What?!" Qin Mo asked, his voice shaking. He stepped closer to the counter, his hands clenching into tight fists.

[It should take you to the hidden world he created for himself,] Weiwei explained, looking at him with her steady golden eyes. [It should help you find something that will help you grow. If you are lucky enough, he may even be around to teach you how to use your true power. If you are not lucky, well, that is just your bad luck. But the path is there.]

With each word Weiwei said, Qin Mo felt more and more shocked. His mind was spinning so fast it made his head ache.

The stories of his clan always said the first ancestor had dissolved into the wind thousands of years ago after reaching the peak of the world.

"My ancestor... is still alive?" he asked incredulously, his green eyes wide as he stared at the cat.

[Of course he is,] Weiwei said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. [Well, most of the time he is just sleeping deeply under the ground, but he is definitely still alive. Old monsters like him do not die easily.]

After the overwhelming excitement passed through his chest, a heavy reality dawned on Qin Mo. The shock faded away, leaving a cold, sharp pain in its place. The thought of leaving Lin Wan’s side, even if it was just to go train, made his heart ache badly.

He had just fully claimed her again under this roof. She was carrying his child. How could he just pack up his things and walk away into an unknown world, leaving her behind with the other males?

Seeing the deep pain on his face, Weiwei spoke lightly, jumping off the kitchen counter onto the floor. [It is entirely up to you. You can either leave for a while and come back strong enough to protect your female and your cubs so you can stay with them forever, or you can choose to stay right here and eventually be removed from my lady’s side by the enemies coming from above. The choice is yours.]

Qin Mo knew Weiwei was saying the absolute truth, but knowing it did not stop the words from hurting his pride and his heart.

He stood there in the quiet kitchen, the red marks on his bare chest looking sharp in the dim light. After a long while, he suddenly looked down at the cat and asked a question

"Does Long Zhan know about this yet?"

[Well, not yet,] Weiwei said, walking slowly toward the kitchen door. [But before the day ends, I will let him know too. He has his own path to face.]

"Mmm," Qin Mo hummed softly.

He didn’t say anything else. He turned his body away from the counter and walked over to the kitchen sink.

His chest felt heavy, and his mind was completely full of chaotic thoughts.

He lowered his head toward the metal tap and simply drank directly from the running water to cool the burning heat in his throat.

Weiwei paused her steps near the doorway and turned her head back to look at him. A small, amused smile appeared on the cat’s lips as she watched the tall, proud serpent man.

’If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, who would have known that the noble King of the Beast City drinks directly from the tap?’ Weiwei thought to herself, her golden eyes gleaming. ’He must have realized he is in a precarious situation. Good for him. Now, it is time to go meet that big brawn. Time to find out if he is all brawn and no brain.’

Without making a single sound, the small black cat vanished on the spot, leaving the room completely empty.

Qin Mo raised his head up from the sink, water droplets clinging to his sharp jawline. He turned to the kitchen window, gazing at the faint reflection of his own face against the dark glass.

His thoughts were completely unreadable now, hidden behind his usual cold, quiet mask. After a long while, he released a deep, heavy breath from his chest.

He needed to busy his hands. He needed to do something standard and routine to stop his mind from worrying about the future.

He walked over to the gas stove and turned the knob, a small blue flame popping up instantly.