Chapter Twenty-Three: The Road Ahead Is Shrouded in Uncertainty

The next morning, Tao Ming took Ruan Ruan and Nuo Nuo to the kindergarten. She first settled Ruan Ruan into her classroom, then brought Nuo Nuo to the principal’s office to negotiate. Everything went smoothly; after paying the fees, Nuo Nuo could start school immediately, only needing to provide the household registration certificate later. However, Nuo Nuo was placed in a different class, right next door to Ruan Ruan’s classroom.

After leaving the kindergarten, Tao Ming stopped by her maternity and baby store. Xiao Wang was cleaning the shelves and greeted her with a cheerful, “Good morning, Sister Tao.” Tao Ming replied, “Good morning,” and began checking the accounts. Once finished, she returned to her mother’s home.

Tao Ming pulled Tao Banxia into the bedroom, took out the plan she had written the day before, and asked, “Mom, what do they use over there for… personal cleaning?”

“The wealthy use silk, the rich use cotton cloth, and ordinary people make do with sticks and clods of earth,” Tao Banxia replied.

Pointing to the item labeled ‘toilet paper’ on her list, Tao Ming asked, “Do you think this could sell?”

Tao Banxia looked at Tao Ming, astonished. “What on earth is in your head?”

“My head is filled with the word ‘profit’!” Tao Ming replied with a mischievous grin.

After thinking it over, Tao Banxia said, “It should sell. Weishui truly doesn’t have anything like it.”

“Really? No papermaking?” Tao Ming was surprised.

“None. Words are written on various fabrics. That’s why poor people can’t afford to study,” Tao Banxia lamented. After living so many years on Earth, she felt more and more appreciative of its conveniences.

Tao Ming went through her list item by item with Tao Banxia, discussing each one. Finally, she said, “We’ll need to rent a large warehouse to cover our tracks. If we take everything directly, we’ll be discovered before long.”

Tao Banxia agreed wholeheartedly. She pulled a bank card from her wardrobe drawer and handed it to Tao Ming. “Nanxing gave me this before he left, in secret. The password is your usual one.”

Tao Ming’s eyes widened as she recalled Tao Banxia’s reaction when she first brought Su Nanxing home. She asked, “Mom, when I first brought Su Nanxing back, you seemed like you had something to say but stayed silent. What was that about?”

Tao Banxia sighed. “The moment I saw Nanxing, I knew he was from Weishui. My first instinct was to stop you from marrying him. But he threatened me. If I opposed your marriage, he’d take you back to Weishui.”

Her expression grew complicated. “I couldn’t beat him, nor could I let him take you away, so I had to keep quiet.”

Tao Ming frowned. “Mom, I’m starting to think he approached me on purpose because he knew whose child I was.”

Tao Banxia quickly explained, “No, the restriction placed on you by Miss was too advanced for him to detect. I protected you by not having a restriction on myself—so it was obvious I’d learned Weishui’s techniques.”

“Ming Ming, don’t overthink it. He always believed you were my child with your father.”

Yet Tao Ming still suspected Su Nanxing had known her identity all along and deliberately drew close.

Tao Banxia continued, “Before returning to Weishui, he came to see me and left this card for emergencies. He didn’t want you exposed to danger, so he asked me to keep it from you.”

Tao Ming snorted. “He didn’t want me in danger? If not for him, Ruan Ruan wouldn’t have become a Saintess, nor would the Qiluo clan have produced a Sacred Beast!”

Tao Banxia sighed. “He’s from the Qin family. You already had a chance to become a Saintess. With Nanxing’s bloodline, Ruan Ruan’s chances were even greater.”

“When I see him in Weishui, I’ll give him a good beating!” Tao Ming gritted her teeth.

...

Tao Ming contacted an agent to rent a warehouse, choosing the most secluded location possible. The agent checked their records and found one on the southern edge of the city. It took over an hour’s drive to reach it. Tao Ming inspected the warehouse: fifty meters long, twenty wide, five high—perfect for a covert transfer station. The surrounding area was all warehouses, rarely visited. After haggling, the annual rent was set at eighteen thousand, and she signed a five-year lease without hesitation.

By the time she returned, kindergarten had finished for the day. When picking up Ruan Ruan and Nuo Nuo, parents from her neighborhood exclaimed, “You’ve lost so much weight—and you look even prettier!”

Tao Ming smiled. “I managed a trip to Korea and had a little procedure done.”

As she walked out hand in hand with the two children, more curious parents gathered, asking, “Which one is your little darling? I can’t tell them apart.”

Ruan Ruan declared proudly, “I’m the little darling, that’s my sister. She lives with me now.”

Tao Ming explained, “She used to live with her father, but I just brought her over.”

Someone gossiped, “You got divorced? I never knew!”

Tao Ming rolled her eyes inwardly—does one need to beat drums and announce a divorce to the world?

She ignored them, pretending not to hear, and led the two children into the maternity store.

...

She let Nuo Nuo pick out clothes and toys she liked, then habitually asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Nuo Nuo said nothing. Ruan Ruan shouted, “I want hotpot!”

Tao Ming looked at Nuo Nuo. “What about you?”

Nuo Nuo thought for a moment. “I want to try everything.”

“Then we’ll rotate dishes every day. Today, hotpot.”

The days that followed, Tao Ming proceeded with her purchases according to plan.

Lianshao City was an agricultural town with little developed light industry. Tao Ming scoured the surrounding industrial zones and found only a few small factories making toilet paper and clothing.

After comparing options, she chose a factory and signed a contract for three grades of toilet paper, packaged in kraft paper with no words or designs. The papermaking plant, struggling in a weak economy, raised no objections to her requirements. The contract specified delivery to the designated warehouse, resolving the supply issue.

After signing, Tao Ming realized the warehouse needed a manager; otherwise, accepting deliveries would be problematic when she wasn’t around. Yet finding a reliable, discreet person was no easy task.

Tao Banxia criticized Tao Ming for wanting to hire an outsider, insisting she would handle it herself. As Tao Ming’s logistical support, she was perfectly qualified for the job. Tao Ming yielded, entrusting both the warehouse and the maternity store to her.

Looking at her list, Tao Ming decided she needed to make a trip south.

...

Tao Ming took leave for the two children and brought them along to the south, shopping, eating, playing, learning—all the way to Ruan Ruan and Nuo Nuo’s fourth birthday.

After blowing out the candles, Tao Ming offered her blessing: “Mama hopes you’ll always be healthy, safe, happy, and free.”

Nuo Nuo was puzzled. “Mama, is it really that simple? Other parents want their daughters to soar.”

Tao Ming stroked their heads. “It’s not simple at all. To live a life always healthy is rare. To be safe—no one knows what fate or accidents may bring. Genuine, lifelong happiness is even rarer. Freedom is the greatest luxury. The two of you carry the titles of Saintess and Sacred Beast—freedom will not come easily.”

“Mama, then your blessing was just empty words,” Ruan Ruan mumbled.

Tao Ming was momentarily speechless. “It’s a blessing, of course I wish you only the best.”

...

After the fourth birthday, to ensure a smooth journey to Weishui, Tao Ming decided it was time to depart.

She questioned Tao Banxia repeatedly, confirming that traveling via Star Shift would land her in the Qiluo clan’s Sacred Hall.

Tao Ming checked Star Shift one final time, inspecting all items: daily necessities purchased in the south, dozens of boxes of dowry left by her father, rare materials already present in Star Shift, four-season clothing and embroidered shoes sewn by Tao Banxia, all sorts of food and spices from Earth, plus every toy belonging to Ruan Ruan and Nuo Nuo.

With anxiety for the future, Tao Ming embraced both children and, amid Tao Banxia’s endless reminders, entered Star Shift.

Standing at the control core, Tao Banxia pressed button sixty-eight. A hexagonal opening appeared in the silver wall, just as it had the first time, covered by a thin membrane of light.

The star spoke up, “Are you sure you want to go now? Your strength is still low!”

Through recent cultivation, Tao Ming had advanced to Moon Level Two, just enough to meet Star Shift’s requirements. She no longer needed to check lists—whatever she wanted could be summoned with a thought.

She mused that with this skill, she could make a living as a magician!

She had also learned the ancient script, though the process had nearly made her cough up blood.

What frustrated her even more was that, since Ruan Ruan and Nuo Nuo formed their bond, they mastered the language of Weishui effortlessly, leaving her as the only one who had to study.

With Ruan Ruan, Nuo Nuo, and Tao Banxia taking turns as instructors, Tao Ming struggled to master the peculiar pronunciation of Weishui’s tongue.

“Time is running out—I should leave myself a little margin,” Tao Ming said, holding the two children to steady her nerves in front of the hexagonal opening.

The star’s voice seemed warmer, “If there’s danger, hide inside. Safe travels.”

Tao Ming took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the hexagonal opening.