Not a Biological Child

The fish pouted. "You just don't get it!"

"How do I not get it?"

"She's already a tree now! As a tree, there's no way she can tell who your ancient ancestors were! She can only sense one generation down."

After the second generation, the ancestral aura gets so faint she can't sense it at all."

"Actions speak louder than words," Lucy Luan said. "I've already received three rainbows from the Holy Lord—so why are you still arguing with me?"

"You definitely aren't their biological child."

"I—" Lucy Luan tugged Sean Shaw's sleeve. "Hit it again for me!"

Sean Shaw obligingly hit it.

"Oh come on! You color-chasing, wife-fearing pushover!" the fish yelled furiously at him.

Sean Shaw promptly rolled up the painting.

He snuck a glance at Lucy Luan and saw that she wasn't angry—in fact, she was even smiling a little. Instantly, his whole mood brightened.

Lucy Luan glanced at him, smiling. "That lightning really wasn't a coincidence—the Gatekeeper chose you and wanted to pass the Tenfold Annihilation Arrow to you."

"Actually, I sensed something unusual at the time. I just couldn't figure it out until now," Sean Shaw said. "Thanks to you—thank you for coming here with me."

"Thank me for what?" Lucy Luan said. "Just now you mentioned your mother was raised by the Gatekeeper and Emperor Evan Xiao?"

"Yeah." Sean Shaw nodded. "My mother came from another world. A thousand years ago, she got a chance to return to the Lotus Realm to find them, but they'd both already passed away."

"And then she met His Majesty the Celestial Emperor and had you?"

Sean Shaw nodded, smiling faintly. "My father really loved my mother, but my mother... she had her own responsibilities, so she left anyway..."

"Did you ever resent her for that?"

Sean Shaw shook his head.

Lucy Luan thought to herself: If it were me, if my mother left me behind to suffer alone, I'd definitely hold a grudge.

She figured His Majesty the Celestial Emperor must've raised him well.

"Fifth Highness—"

"Could you..." Sean Shaw suddenly interrupted her. "Can you not call me Fifth Highness anymore?"

"Then what should I call you?" Lucy Luan teased. "Should I call you Brother Sean too?"

Sean Shaw blushed. "I wouldn't mind."

"Looks like you really enjoy girls calling you 'brother' in that sweet voice, huh?" Lucy Luan shot him a look.

"No! I don't like it when other people do it, but if you call me that... I—I really like it." He stammered, face still red.

Lucy Luan snickered. "I can't bring myself to say it. From now on, when it's just us, I'll call you by your name, Sean."

He didn't seem entirely happy about that, but he kept quiet.

"Oh, by the way!" Lucy Luan said. "Now that you have this arrow, it's best not to tell anyone except His Majesty the Celestial Emperor."

She hinted, "At the Celestial Emperor's birthday, you pulled out the Puresteel Sword. Plenty of people are already keeping an eye on you. If you show off the Tenfold Annihilation Arrow too... that's just asking for trouble."

The way she fussed over him made her look just like a worried little wife.

Sean Shaw grinned. "Okay."

"Fine, fine—what are you grinning about?" Lucy Luan bit her lip.

He stopped smiling and did his best to look aloof. "Let's go!"

As they left, the barrier opened a door for them.

Once they stepped outside, the barrier closed behind them—and never opened again, not for all eternity...

......