Early in the morning, Ling Guang woke up and busied herself in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her daughter Iris. Although Iris called her "Aunt Ling Guang," Ling Guang didn't mind. After all, it was just a title. She didn't think Iris would call her Aunt forever. There would come a time when Iris would recognize her as her mother, and then Ling Guang could proudly call her "baby."

Sunlight poured into the room through the window, casting Ling Guang's shadow long.

Under the sunlight, a stunning figure was kneading dough. Ling Guang wore a loose white dress, her hair falling on her shoulders, revealing her fair neck. Her eyes sparkled, her red lips were alluring, like freshly-picked apples emitting an irresistible fragrance.

Ling Guang's movements were extremely skillful, and soon, a steaming hot steamed bun was shaped.

She put the bun in a porcelain bowl, poured in some blood plasma, stirred it evenly, and put it on a plate. Then she picked up the plate and walked towards the bedroom.

Entering the room, she found Iris still sound asleep and couldn't help but smile.

Ling Guang walked over, picked up a bun with chopsticks, and waved it in front of Iris' mouth.

Iris smelled the delicious scent of the food and took a bite of the bun, savoring it with delight.

Ling Guang looked at Iris with a smile on her face and continued to pick up another bun.

"Is it tasty?" Ling Guang called softly, a smile on her face.

"Mmm." Iris nodded, her face beaming with happiness. "Aunt Ling Guang, your buns are so delicious."

"Hehe." Ling Guang blushed at Iris' compliment and gently patted her head, saying, "I'll bring you some more food. Rest in bed for a while."

"Mmm." Iris obediently replied.

Watching Iris' well-behaved appearance, Ling Guang couldn't help but smile, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Iris watched Aunt Ling Guang leave with a thoughtful look and wondered, "Why did she make blood buns for me early in the morning? And why would it be Aunt Ling Guang's blood?" Although Aunt Meng Zhang, Uncle Jian Bing, and Uncle Zhi Ming treated her very well, why would they treat her so kindly? We have no blood relation, so they have no reason to help me, right? Iris couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried. In the end, she buried her head in the pillow and stopped thinking about it.

Ling Guang took two more baskets of steamed buns and placed them on the bedside table. "Iris, have some buns first. I need to go make something else."

"Mmm." Iris softly replied, still lying obediently in bed.

Seeing this, Ling Guang didn't pay her any more attention and closed the door, then continued making clothes for Iris.

In the afternoon, Meng Zhang pushed open the door of the bedroom and saw Iris sitting cross-legged on the bed. A smile appeared on his face as he walked over.

"The cultivation of the mind's eye is not achieved through efforts, but through the state of mind. The stronger the state of mind, the more things the mind's eye can perceive. If you have something in your heart, you can only abandon the past and start anew for the state of mind to calm down and achieve the purpose of cultivating the mind's eye." Meng Zhang imparted his teachings to Iris with great emphasis.

"Mmm." Iris nodded, not saying anything. She knew she couldn't abandon the past, nor was it possible for her to do so. With her great vengeance still unavenged, she couldn't let go of her hatred. She couldn't forget everything, they had to "repay their debts."

"Life is like a game. It doesn't matter who wins or loses, but the most important thing is to be the player who is alive." While teaching Iris, Meng Zhang infused her eyes with a green power.

Iris felt a cool sensation in her eyes and a wave of relief in her heart. At the same time, a warm flow circulated inside her, like a hot spring, filling her body with strength.

"Shall we play chess?" Meng Zhang looked at Iris and asked.

"Sure." Iris nodded and agreed.

"We don't have many rules when playing chess. Do you want to be black or white, Iris?" Meng Zhang asked.

"Black." Without hesitation, Iris replied.

"Alright, then I'll be white." Meng Zhang smiled and began playing chess.

The two played a game, and Iris appeared focused, with a slightly serious expression on her beautiful face, as if studying the moves.

After a while, Meng Zhang looked at Iris and said, "You lost, Iris!"

"It's just one point. Let's play another round." Iris pouted and said unwillingly.

"Okay, let's play another round," Meng Zhang agreed, nodding slightly.

They exchanged chess pieces and started the second round of the game. This time, Iris didn't hold back and fought with all her strength.

After a while...

"Not fair, not fair! Let's rematch!" Iris pouted.

"Okay, okay, let's play another round," Meng Zhang nodded repeatedly.

After a while...

Iris lost to Meng Zhang again, "I will win," she said, refusing to accept defeat.

"Hehe, when attacking others, you also need to focus on defense. It's inevitable that you will be the one who falls," Meng Zhang chuckled as he packed the chess pieces.

After listening to Meng Zhang's words, Iris lowered her head and remained silent for a while before saying, "Aunt, there's something I want to ask you, but I don't know how to put it into words."

"Just ask, don't hesitate," Meng Zhang smiled at Iris.

Iris took a deep breath and said, "Aunt, why are you all so good to me?" She was puzzled.

"Hehe," Meng Zhang smiled faintly, sat beside Iris, and reached out to pat her hair, saying, "Why don't you guess why? We not only brought you out of the abyss but also went to great lengths to cure your eyes. Why do you think?"

"Well..." Iris thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's because I'm pitiful."

Meng Zhang shook his head and said, "No, who isn't pitiful in the abyss? Think about it, who would be so good to a stranger for no reason? You have nothing valuable on you, and we don't want anything from you. Why would we help you like this? Is there anyone like that in the world?"

Thinking carefully, Iris answered, "Probably not."

"Foolish!" Meng Zhang tapped Iris's head and said, "Of course there is. Only your mother would do such a thing. She spared no effort to heal your eyes and took care of you. To put it simply, we saved you because you are Ling Guang's daughter. If it wasn't for her crying and begging me, you would have died in the abyss long ago."

"When Ling Guang came back, the first thing she did was to reshape your eyes, and she entrusted you to my care. So it's only natural for you to call me aunt, right?" Meng Zhang said.

"I am a vampire, and our races are different. How can we be mother and daughter?" Iris asked in confusion.

"Hmm?" Meng Zhang frowned and said, "Didn't Ling Guang tell you that Bai Yan is the child fire of her Nan Ming Li Huo?

"Um... that... maybe probably..." Iris stuttered.

"Did you bully Ling Guang?" Meng Zhang stared at Iris seriously, questioning her.

"No, I... I didn't," Iris hurriedly denied with both hands.

"That's good!" Meng Zhang smiled and said, "I will ask her later. If you dare to bully her, I will never forgive you!"

The once kind aunt suddenly became "stern". Iris was alarmed, and she lowered her head with some fear.

"Bai Yan is the child fire of Nan Ming Li Huo, and now you have merged with Bai Yan. It's not an exaggeration to call Ling Guang your mother," Meng Zhang said with a smile.

Iris's heart raced, and she became flustered. She was afraid that her aunt would ask Ling Guang about her misconduct in the dream realm. If the aunt found out, she would definitely be locked up in the small dark room.

"Iris, what's wrong with you?" Meng Zhang couldn't help but ask as he noticed Iris's absent-minded expression and suspected that she was hiding something.

"It's nothing, I'm just... a bit tired," Iris said.

"If you're tired, rest then. Aunt will go chat with your mother," Meng Zhang stood up, smiled, and walked out.

After Meng Zhang left, Iris let out a sigh of relief, her palms already sweaty.

If Ling Guang told her aunt about everything that happened in the dream realm, Iris would not acknowledge her as her mother. On the other hand, if Ling Guang didn't say anything, Iris would call her mother when her eyes regained their sight. A mother would always protect her daughter, and if she didn't protect her, she wouldn't acknowledge her.

The small dark room wouldn't have cruel punishments, but rather some indescribable punishments. These were all the knowledge that Meng Zhang imparted to Iris about female matters, along with some information about the Cloud Palace's small dark room. After all, since its establishment, no one had ever experienced it. If Iris made a mistake, Meng Zhang would take the opportunity to send her in there.

Meng Zhang is a good older sister who loves her younger brother and sister...

...

After a moment, Dao said, "When establishing a parent-child connection, did the little one bully you or behave disrespectfully towards you?"

"No, she is very well-behaved and polite. She just keeps calling me Auntie," Ling Guang said. Hearing this, Meng Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. If the little one dares to speak disrespectfully to you, just lock her up in the small dark room for punishment."

"Okay," Ling Guang said faintly, with no trace of emotion in his tone. "By the way, how are Iris's eyes?"

"They are recovering well. After all, she sucked a lot of my blood, so her body's recovery ability must be strong. She should be able to regain her sight in less than a month," Meng Zhang said with a smile.

Meng Zhang noticed some scars on Ling Guang's wrist and asked, "Did you get hurt? What happened?"

"It's nothing. I donated blood when making a blood package for Iris," Ling Guang waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing.

Meng Zhang grabbed Ling Guang's wrist and the blue energy from her hand flowed into Ling Guang's body, examining his physical condition. She then smiled and said, "Why don't you use your blood to make dumplings for her in the future?"

"No, it won't work. She has Holy Flames in her body, and my blood can enhance her bloodline," Ling Guang quickly refused.

"Alright, take care of yourself," Meng Zhang smiled and said, "You can continue with your sewing, I'll go back." Meng Zhang smiled and turned to leave.

Ling Guang watched Meng Zhang leave and continued making clothes for Iris.