The first thing Iris did after returning to the Shuowang Empire was head straight to the cradle where Baixi lay. She gently picked the baby up. Feeling the movement, Baixi slowly opened her eyes, saw Iris, and sighed inwardly: Time to play the clueless baby again.

She immediately let out a bubbly “goo” of laughter, clearly happy to see her mother.

Iris lightly stroked Baixi’s soft cheek. Baixi instantly reached out her tiny hand, trying to grab her mother’s finger. Iris’s eyes were full of motherly love as she doted on Baixi. “It’s been so long. Huihui must’ve missed Mommy, huh?”

Like hell I missed you. When are you going to let me go? Baixi muttered inwardly.

Even though Baixi felt humiliated about being Iris’s daughter, she had no choice but to keep acting like a baby if she didn’t want to expose herself. And she had no idea when this kind of life would finally end.

So Baixi acted like a normal infant, laughing as she reached for Iris’s face, as if she were showing how much she missed and adored her mother. Iris’s heart almost melted at the sight. She pressed a soft kiss into Baixi’s little palm and tickled her tiny feet. Baixi let out peals of giggles, clearly having a great time.

“Huihui’s grown up,” Iris whispered while teasing her, eyes brimming with affection. “Be good, Huihui. Mommy’s gonna give you some milk now.” With that, she gently loosened the swaddling and lifted Baixi to her chest.

Baixi resisted in her heart, but her body was brutally honest. She latched onto Iris’s soft breast like it was some priceless treasure and started sucking greedily.

Iris stroked Baixi’s little head, her gaze full of tender pity. “Huihui’s such a good girl.”

Hearing the praise, Baixi drank even harder. Watching her gluttonous daughter, Iris’s lips curled into a faint smile. Her hand slid to Baixi’s belly button and began to gently massage the area.

After half a year of this, Baixi had pretty much given up resisting—at least when it came to nursing. Her heart still rejected it, but her body was very honest, even starting to habitually enjoy it. She couldn’t exactly refuse breast milk and starve herself to death.

When Iris saw Baixi finally stop swallowing, she slowly let go and laid her back on the bed.

Just then, the door swung open and Lilia walked in. Seeing her mother’s clothes half undone as she held Baixi, Lilia’s brows immediately knitted together. “Mom, what are you doing!”

Iris’s gaze shifted from Baixi’s face to Lilia. The smile on her face froze a little, and she coughed in embarrassment. “I… I’m nursing your sister.”

“Mom, I want milk too. I’m just a 126‑month‑old baby,” Lilia said shamelessly as she walked over.

Flustered, Iris hurried to straighten her clothes. This girl was getting more and more out of line—coming in without even knocking.

Just as Iris was about to scold her, Lilia put on a completely cheeky face. She spread her arms toward Iris and whined, “Mooom~ I want milk too—”

Iris’s eyes went wide as she glared at Lilia. “What nonsense are you spouting? Do you want a beating?”

Seeing Iris’s expression darken, Lilia instantly hunched her neck, laughing weakly as she shook her head. “No, no, Mom, I was just kidding. Don’t be mad.”

Iris snorted, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “You brat, make that joke again and I’ll really make you pay for it!” She lifted her hand and smacked Lilia on the head. Lilia yelped in pain.

“Mom, that hurt! I was wrong, okay? Please forgive me.” Rubbing her head, Lilia continued to whine and act spoiled. “I swear I won’t talk nonsense anymore. Just forgive me this once, yeah?”

Looking at Lilia like that, Iris had no reason to stay angry. She reached out and ruffled Lilia’s hair. “You girl, you never think before you speak. If I didn’t dote on you, I’d have beaten your butt till it bloomed by now.”

“You’re the best, Mom!” Lilia saw Iris wasn’t mad anymore and instantly beamed as she leaned in close. “I swear I’ll watch my mouth from now on and stop making things up.”

So boring, Baixi thought to herself. She really thought Lilia would have the guts to tease Iris properly. Who knew this girl was so timid—just a slightly harsher tone and a darker look from Iris, and she immediately backed down.

She could’ve taken advantage of the fact Iris hadn’t fixed her clothes yet and really messed with her. But no, Lilia didn’t dare. Just a few words from Iris and she was scared half to death.

Looked like this dull baby life was nowhere near its end.

Without realizing it, Baixi slipped into a deep sleep. She dreamt she was back in her childhood, playing and roughhousing on the lawn with her older brother and younger sister.

Seeing Baixi asleep, Iris took Lilia by the hand and left the bedroom.

Mother and daughter walked to a pavilion and sat down on the stone benches. Iris spoke first. “What did you come to see me for?”

Biting into an apple, Lilia handed over the letter in her arms. “Mom, this is news from a skeleton soldier.”

Iris took the letter, opened it, and her expression grew a little grim. Noticing this, Lilia couldn’t help asking, “Mom, what does it say?”

Iris folded the letter and set it on the stone table, thinking aloud. “A vampire town in the southern border had an anomaly. The dead vampires suddenly came back to life.”

“Resurrection? There’s resurrection magic in this world? If there is, we should go grab it right now and revive Grandma. Aunt would be so happy to see her again,” Lilia said, instantly excited.

If resurrection really existed, why would I have had to suffer through pregnancy just to bring Lilia back to this world… Iris thought to herself.

“This is no trivial matter. We shouldn’t act rashly. I’ll look into the details first and then decide what to do,” Iris said after a brief silence.

“There is no resurrection in this world. Don’t even think about it. If you dare entertain that idea, I’ll have to discipline you.” She shot Lilia a sharp look, warning her not to act on impulse.

Seeing Iris’s face turn serious, Lilia realized her excitement had clearly gone too far. She scratched her head awkwardly. “Mom, I… I was just talking. You can treat it like I was fooling around.”

Iris looked at her and tapped her on the head. “Resurrection magic doesn’t exist. If it did, would there still be any dead in this world?”

“Got it, Mom.” Lilia nodded quickly. “I swear I won’t let my imagination run wild again. I’ll try to judge things more rationally.”

In truth, Lilia was still thinking about resurrection. If what the letter said was real, then Grandma, Granduncle, and Great‑grandma could all come back.

Then everyone could sit together, chatting and laughing in a house full of warmth. How wonderful would that be?

“For the next while, you’re staying in the imperial palace. You’re not allowed to go out. I’ll have people keep an eye on you. Don’t run around, understand?” Iris instructed.

“Huh?” Lilia yelped. “Mom, no way. I’ll suffocate if I stay cooped up in the palace. I want to go with you and keep you safe.”

“If you suffocate, I’ll collect your corpse and give you a grand funeral. As for my safety, you don’t need to worry. I’ll have Qizhou go with me,” Iris said lightly.

Lilia froze, stunned. Her eyes instantly reddened. “Mom… why would you say something like that… I… I just care about you…”

Iris ignored her and walked off on her own. She knew Lilia was putting on a show, and she also knew Lilia would be drawn to the idea of resurrection.

From the way she’d lit up the moment she heard about it, Iris already understood Lilia had made up her mind about what she wanted to do.