Chapter 7: 7, Dark Gold Heterochromia

"Xiao Li? Where is Master?" Seeing that the figure beside her was long gone, Jin Se couldn't help but ask.

"He just told you he was going down the mountain, and you ignored him. Mother, should we give Master the cold shoulder? That's too petty; Xiao Li doesn't want to talk to him either." Xiao Li, simply assuming her mother was unwilling to acknowledge Master, said with puffed cheeks. Just now, she had even offered him her favorite roast squab to curry favor, but he didn't appreciate it.

The corner of Jin Se's mouth twitched. A child's logic was always this bizarre. As for Old Man Yun, Jin Se felt genuine gratitude from the bottom of her heart. If the day came when Jin Se rose to prominence, she would never forget this kindness.

"Xiao Li, we're going down the mountain too. Mother will take you to meet your maternal grandparents." Her pitch-black eyes held a hazy look, and a layer of frost seemed to cling to her stunningly beautiful face. It was time to face everything that belonged to Xiao Jin Se. Since she inhabited this body, she was now her.

"Mother! You promised to make fruit salad for Xiao Li." Obviously, this matter was far more important than meeting grandparents. Xiao Li'er pouted dissatisfiedly.

"There seem to be many things down the mountain that Xiao Li hasn't eaten before." Jin Se gently stroked Xiao Li's hair, sighing inwardly. It was all her own doing that she had raised Xiao Li into a little foodie. What if she were coerced or deceived by food in the future? But she needn't worry too much; with her fierce strength, anyone who deceived her would meet a miserable end.

"Really?" A suspicious glint flashed in her dark golden eyes. Looking at those clearly heterochromatic eyes, Jin Se's black eyes also deepened. Xiao Li's eyes absolutely must not be revealed.

"Xiao Li, eat this candy first, then we'll go down the mountain. Mother will take you to eat delicious food." Jin Se coaxed softly. Suddenly, a tiny sense of guilt pricked her heart. This was a pill she had refined after countless hardships, capable of changing pupil color. It was also the very reason she had initially started learning alchemy. Although the pill's efficacy lasted only a short month, for her, it was best to be constantly prepared. Who on the entire Beixuan Continent didn't know that only *that person* possessed a pair of dark golden eyes?

Xiao Li obediently popped the milky-white pill her mother handed her into her mouth. Her originally dark golden eyes instantly turned a moist, pitch black. Anticipating the delicious food her mother spoke of—food she had never tasted before—what would it be like? An excited flush spread across her chubby little face.

The Beixuan Continent was divided into five nations: Nanyue, Beijiang, Dongqi, Qionggiao, and Li. The five nations stood in a balance of power, revering martial strength. This was an era of warriors who venerated Xuan Force. Xuan Force spanned the entire Beixuan Continent. From highest to lowest, the ranks were: Chi Xuan, Cheng Xuan, Hong Xuan, Lü Xuan, Qing Xuan, Lan Xuan, Zi Xuan, Bai Xuan, Hei Xuan, Jin Xuan, Tian Xuan, Di Xuan, Shen Xuan, Xuan Zun. Once Xuan Force was activated, light corresponding to the rank's color would ripple around the body. Above Mo Xuan, one could conceal their cultivation color or simulate the light of any lower rank.

A simple horse-drawn carriage traveled through this lush, deep forest. Inside, a chubby little child was sleeping soundly, pillowed on the lap of a peerlessly beautiful woman. The two slept sweetly.

*Roar...*

With a roar, a lion half the height of a grown man, its entire body golden yellow, opened its bloody maw. Sharp teeth glimmered with a milky white luster under the sunlight. Ferocious beast eyes fixed intently on the simple carriage, blocking its path. Its long, thin tail swayed slightly, adorned with an exquisite silver ring.