Chapter 19

The cub was overjoyed at not being proposed to. She giggled happily for a while. Seeing that she was not upset by the remarks Elder Wen made regarding Gong Miaohua, Sect Master Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He hugged his daughter back to his chest, and seeing her appetite pique, he began pulling delicious snacks from his storage ring in high spirits. Sect Master Yu considered sending a voice transmission to Chu Xingyun, but after glancing down at his daughter, he decided against it. A transmission would be useless.

He said to Chu Xingyun, "Gong Miaohua actually dares to shift the blame! We were too lenient with the Scarlet Flame back then!" His large hand clenched, knuckles popping.

Chu Xingyun had just heard Sect Master Yu mention the marriage alliance between the Wen and Sun clans. The Sun clan was also a prominent family in the cultivation world, but unlike other great clans filled with talent, the Sun family had produced few outstanding disciples in the last few hundred years. They maintained their standing in the cultivation world only because they were overseen by an exceptionally brilliant elder—a sword cultivator of immense power and extraordinary combat prowess.

Years ago, Zhu Changshu had received guidance from that Sun clan elder on the path of the sword. It was thanks to those unreserved pointers that she came to understand the Dao of the Sword more deeply, allowing her to carve out a formidable reputation in the cultivation world with nothing but her own sword and cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage.

Out of gratitude for that past guidance, ever since that Daoist Master Sun vanished without a trace, Zhu Changshu had frequently sent many medicinal pills to the Sun clan to ensure their cultivation would not be hindered. It was a gesture of repaying a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude, which was truly characteristic of Zhu Changshu.

"I never expected the Sun clan to actually agree to this marriage. In these turbulent times, such a choice is heartbreaking. Daoist Master Sun was always known for his pride and integrity; if his primordial spirit were to know... alas," Sect Master Yu sighed.

Because the Sun clan elder had gone missing while searching for his master, the Taigu Sect could not abandon them. They had publicly declared that the Sun clan was under the protection of the Taigu Sect and even invited them to send their younger generation to the Taigu Sect for training. Yet, for years, the Sun family had sent no one, and now, to seek the protection of the Wen family, they were marrying off their daughter to a member of the Wen clan... Sect Master Yu forcefully restrained himself from saying anything harsh. Was the Wen family really so powerful that they could be compared to the Taigu Sect? Under the protection of the Taigu Sect, what need had they for the Wen family?

However, this was the Sun clan's own choice. Since Zhu Changshu was still in seclusion refining pills, Sect Master Yu did not rush to inform her. He said to Chu Xingyun, "I must also instruct our disciples outside to keep their ears open, lest Gong Miaohua speaks ill of our Youyou."

Naturally, rumors were circulating in the cultivation world that the Taigu Sect Master’s only beloved daughter was a little simpleton. Sect Master Yu didn't believe for a second that this hadn't originated from the Demon City. He knew the malice hidden in those who spread such words and knew that even if he explained it himself, no one would care. These rumors were never about the truth. Whether Yu Youyou was smart or dim-witted meant nothing to them; they simply wanted to mock others.

"Why not also cast doubt on her bloodline?" Chu Xingyun was born of royalty. He usually disdained the use of schemes, but when it came to cunning, no one could compare to him. With a smile, he watched the oblivious little one gnawing on a milk cake and said to Sect Master Yu in a gentle tone, "Since she gave birth to a 'little simpleton,' could it be that the Gong clan's bloodline was corrupted by her? Could it be that her own bloodline is flawed, thereby implicating the child?"

Wasn't Gong Miaohua most afraid of people questioning her ability to produce an excellent child? Because of this, she wished Yu Youyou would disappear from her world immediately, terrified of gossip in the Demon City that might cast doubt on her own excellence. If she wanted to play dirty, he would play along.

Chu Xingyun had always been upright and disdained using the matter of childbirth to embarrass or insult a female cultivator. However, since Gong Miaohua insisted on letting the cultivation world know that Yu Youyou was slow, Chu Xingyun would ensure the world knew that, ultimately, it was she who was inadequate. If she were so capable, why wasn't the child bright?

Sect Master Yu looked at his disciple, who had offered this suggestion with a smile, and nodded. "Let's do that." When the topic came up, it would shift the focus from Yu Youyou to Gong Miaohua, sparing his daughter much of the attention. As for the feelings of Gong Miaohua and the Scarlet Flame Demon Lord, Sect Master Yu did not care. He also didn't mind if Gong Miaohua produced an excellent heir later to slap his face. When the time came, they wouldn't compare the excellence of their children; they would simply compare whose father was the more excellent one.

"I must work harder," Sect Master Yu murmured to himself. In the cultivation world, the strong were revered. To ensure his Youyou lived a happy life, free from the judgment of others, and could live however she pleased, he—as her father—had to strive toward a more powerful path.

Chu Xingyun looked at his tiny junior sister and nodded slightly. He changed the subject and asked Sect Master Yu about his cultivation. Since he was already at the half-step Great Vehicle stage and could strike the bottleneck at any time, Sect Master Yu was more concerned with this. As a Great Vehicle cultivator, he had a wealth of experience and insight, all of which he imparted to Chu Xingyun.

Ruan Ling, sitting to the side, diligently fetched snacks and water for Yu Youyou, not distracted in the slightest. Seeing her wholehearted dedication, Sect Master Yu said to her, "Youyou is young, and it always requires your effort to look after her. When she is older and can manage on her own, you should focus more on your cultivation so as not to fall behind." Although he loved his child, he would not let his other disciples waste their prime years neglecting their own training for her.

Ruan Ling quickly responded, adding, "I have already received much guidance and many pills from Senior Brother Chu and Senior Sister Zhu. Do not worry, Sect Master, this disciple has not neglected her cultivation." It was just that since she was on a mission, even if someone were spewing golden lotuses nearby, she would not forget her primary duty for the sake of listening to cultivation insights.

Her only worry was something else... there were too many disciples vying for the cub's affection. Not only the Sect Master and the Elders, but even Senior Brother Chu and Senior Sister Zhu spent their days refining pills, making milk cakes, or repairing swings and pavilions. She was caught in such competition, and it was so difficult! Even with her wholehearted care, she felt she couldn't secure a firm place in the little junior sister's heart.

Feeling melancholic, Ruan Ling could only work harder, wishing she could peel the spirit fruits herself for the cub to eat. Seeing this girl bustling about with her heart entirely centered on his daughter, Sect Master Yu felt a sense of pride in how adorable his daughter was, and at the same time, he felt more at ease.

With his disciples as helpers and Yu Youyou being an easy child to raise, his life was quite relaxed. After receiving several messages from Great Elder Ao Qing from outside the sect reporting that he was safe, Sect Master Yu felt even more at ease.

Yu Youyou also began her happy life of eating and sleeping by her father's side. Perhaps because of the assurance that Ao Qing would "provide for her," Sect Master Yu no longer forbade her from eating indiscriminately. As long as she could finish her food and didn't complain of being stuffed, the stream of offerings from everyone never ceased. At first, he had been worried sick about her stomach, which seemed to have no limit, but when he saw that she ate a lot yet remained in high spirits, her cheeks becoming rosy and her hair losing its sallow tint, Sect Master Yu was finally reassured. Although he still watched her daily to ensure she didn't eat too quickly, he no longer stopped her from consuming high-tier spirit pills that she shouldn't have been able to handle at her age.

The cub had gained some experience from her eating. If one spoke of taste, milk cakes were undoubtedly the best. But if one spoke of satiety, spirit pills were the most effective. She consumed spirit pills very quickly; fortunately, she had a second senior sister skilled in alchemy, a wealthy and generous sect master father, and a senior brother who often encountered strange adventures and provided her with all sorts of miscellaneous spiritual items.

Yet, even so, the cub knew—though she didn't say it—that she was never truly full. She was simply no longer starving. She knew her father had done his best. Moreover, as long as she wasn't starving to an extreme, she could endure it; she was already used to it. The little one felt that her current life was already a very happy one. Because she possessed the genuine love of her father and her senior siblings, being a little hungry didn't matter.

Though she said this, she was still a child, and she couldn't always restrain herself. One day, while she was taking an afternoon nap in the back hall, trying to grow a little bit of "baby fat," Ruan Ling was sitting in meditation beside her. The little one turned over in her soft quilt, and her soul drifted away, carried by the familiar aura that always surrounded her, leading her to wander underground.

This time, she didn't head toward that incredibly fragrant place, worried that she wouldn't be able to resist snacking, so she drifted elsewhere. As she wandered, the cub suddenly felt a series of subtle tremors and fluctuations coming from not too far away—though there was still some distance. From that direction came a violent, resentful dragon roar.

The sound was strange. The little one pondered for a moment, then slowly drifted over to look. She saw a massive, blinding cage of light, within which rolled a black dragon with a terrifying aura. This black dragon's giant head was ferocious, its eyes burning bright red. Its dragon claws were carefully scratching at the cage of light; because its movements were so subtle and slow, it had already created tiny, faint cracks on the cage without causing much disturbance.

The cracks were not large, but a faint black aura seeped through, forming a thin mist over the cage. Yu Youyou sniffed and expertly recognized it as demonic energy. Having grown up in the Demon City, she might not know much, but she certainly knew demonic energy.

Just as she was identifying it, the black dragon sensed her and snapped its gaze toward her with vigilance. Seeing that what appeared before it was not a formidable Taigu Sect master, but a seemingly unremarkable little cub, the black dragon roared, its vigilance replaced by surprise.

"Little thing, your luck is poor. Don't blame this seat!" It laughed loudly. Although its body remained trapped in the cage, the demonic energy outside the cage condensed into a black dragon claw and lashed out at Yu Youyou.

Facing this terrifying pressure, which felt like the awe-inspiring might of Great Elder Ao Qing, the cub was frozen in shock. Seeing her frightened into a daze, the black dragon laughed wildly. "Ao Qing, you never imagined that I would escape so easily!"

As long as he captured this little cub, he could split a portion of his divine sense to control her and use her to destroy the various restrictions from the outside, allowing him to escape. Thinking of the hatred from being trapped for who knows how many years, the black dragon's blood-red vertical pupils burned with malice, and the demonic claw struck with immense power.

"Ah," the cub let out a dazed cry as the evil wind struck.