Chapter 2

These words were warm and gentle.

Chu Xingyun looked at the little one, who was drinking water in a daze and nodding obediently, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection.

Though only three years old and still very young, for the descendants of cultivators, this age was no longer considered too small; their talents should have already begun to manifest.

Descendants of cultivators are nourished by spiritual energy even in the womb, unlike ordinary mortal children.

Mortal children are usually average and unremarkable; it’s normal for a three-year-old to still be clumsy with speech.

But those nurtured by spiritual energy are often gifted and intelligent from an early age, able to speak fluently and lively by one or two years old.

Yet the child before him seemed even less developed than an ordinary mortal.

Even attempting to speak was painfully difficult.

No wonder the people in this demon city didn’t bother to pretend to treat her well.

At this moment, reflecting on the past three years of constant worry, and now facing Master Yu Youyou who eagerly awaited her master, Chu Xingyun already had a plan.

The demon city had no value for his little junior sister, but to the master and them, this child was a treasure.

… It was time to return her to her master.

His smile was so beautiful, his gaze so soft, with no trace of the awkwardness from their first meeting; even the stern dignity he had upon entering just now had softened.

Yu Youyou, having drunk her fill, wiped her little mouth and looked up to meet that patient, handsome smile. Embarrassed, she handed the jade cup back to Chu Xingyun and, after some effort but with little success, cupped her hands and said, “Good.”

She had finished her water and indicated she would be closer to the eldest senior brother from now on.

Though she said only one word, Chu Xingyun understood the full meaning.

Calmly taking the jade cup, he asked again, “Are you hungry?” He did not ask why there was no one to care for the child in the side hall, and Yu Youyou had no intention of complaining.

Just as she was about to nod and say “hungry,” the side hall echoed with the rumbling sound of a hungry stomach.

Chu Xingyun mentally noted the demon city’s negligence and first took some snacks from his storage ring to give to Yu Youyou.

The little one’s eyes sparkled with delight; she squeezed out a “thank you,” but when Chu Xingyun shook his head smiling, refusing to eat, she hurriedly took the fragrant, still-warm snacks and stuffed them into her mouth.

She was clearly very hungry.

Chu Xingyun poured another cup of spirit water, held it in his hand, and fed her. Seeing her eat and drink, he smiled and said, “These snacks were specially made by the disciples on Master’s orders for you this time. Although you live in the demon city, Master still wants you to taste the snacks from our Ancient Sect.”

His tone was steady and unhurried. Yu Youyou had never tasted such delicious snacks before; she nodded obediently.

Seeing her so well-behaved, Chu Xingyun watched carefully to ensure she didn’t choke, then softly apologized, “Little junior sister, I’m sorry.”

The little cub, mouth full of snack, paused for a moment.

Her two small cheeks puffed out as she chewed hard, tilting her head to look at the handsome youth before her, who, though somewhat proud, was apologizing to her for some unknown reason.

If anyone should apologize, it would be the Yu Youyou from the book to Chu Xingyun.

She had done so many cruel things to him—destroying his life and cultivation, ruining his reputation, almost causing his downfall in the entire cultivation world.

Yet even when all her misdeeds were exposed, that Yu Youyou showed no remorse, never once apologizing to those she had harmed.

But this little one looked at the youth smiling kindly at her and thought of the cold, loathing gaze he had once given that Yu Youyou in the book’s memory.

She was not that Yu Youyou.

Therefore, the feelings she received from her eldest senior brother were different.

She wished to spend her life beside such a kind and gentle eldest senior brother.

“If only I had come to see you earlier, little junior sister, I would have known sooner.”

Yu Youyou did not live with Patriarch Yu. Previously, due to turmoil within the Ancient Sect, Patriarch Yu had been busy running about and felt that the child would be better off with her birth mother, so he left her there without personally checking on her.

Who would believe a mother would neglect her own daughter?

After all, when their marriage ended, the former matriarch had cried, clutching the child and saying, “Youyou is my life!”

That look of despair, as if she couldn’t live without her daughter, had softened Patriarch Yu, who was overwhelmed and exhausted, leading him to leave the child with her mother.

Chu Xingyun was displeased deep inside but did not wish to speak ill of her mother in front of the child.

Yu Youyou shook her head hastily.

“Good!” She was anxious and afraid Chu Xingyun wouldn’t understand her words, so she quickly raised the snack in her hand.

Seeing Chu Xingyun remain silent, she wriggled her little clothes and, unable to form coherent words, suddenly brightened and hurried forward with the snack.

The handsome youth half-crouched before her, very close. Summoning courage, she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, still carrying the sweet fragrance of the snack.

“Kiss.” She called softly, holding the eldest senior brother who had frozen for a moment and who had nothing to apologize for.

Chu Xingyun rarely got this close to little ones. After a stiff pause, he quickly picked up the snack offered by the child and smiled.

“Little junior sister, do you want to see Master?”

He was born noble, and after cultivation, ranked just below the sect leader as the top disciple. Though usually courteous and fair, he had a certain pride; few dared approach him so familiarly.

If anyone else dared touch his face like that, they would have been sliced to pieces by a thousand swords.

But being loved by the little junior sister was not unpleasant.

His mood brightened because of the child. He wanted to pick her up but hesitated, having never been so close to anyone before.

Yet the little cub’s eyes brightened as she slowly stretched out her little arms and said, “Daddy!”

She was surprisingly familiar.

Chu Xingyun sighed inwardly, holding the small thing in his arms for the first time, intending to say a few words.

One should harbor no intention to harm, but must remain cautious.

How could his little junior sister be so easily won over by a few kind words and some snacks?

As an elder brother, he truly wanted to teach his innocent little junior sister the treacherous nature of the cultivation world.

But at this moment, as the little one shyly nestled in his arms and he noticed the slight dampness of her clothes, Chu Xingyun felt that, before all else, it was best to let her master see the true circumstances of this girl who he thought had lived a honeyed life.

The spiritual energy dried the dampness on Yu Youyou’s clothes. Chu Xingyun handed her a warm, fire-element spirit stone to hold and carried her back along the way they came.

Yu Youyou obediently nestled in the arms of the eldest senior brother she had just met but already felt familiar with, thinking happily that she was going to see her father.

In this life and in the book’s world, the only undeniable truth was her father’s love for her.

Even though the Yu Youyou in the book had done many wrong things, he would punish her to uphold justice for others, scold and discipline her, but truly loved her.

All his discipline was a father’s hope for his child to become a better person.

Even in this life, though he traveled far and wide, he never forgot to send the best things from the cultivation world to nourish her in the demon city.

“Daddy.” She nestled in Chu Xingyun’s arms, sheltered from the wind, softly murmuring again and again.

The Yu Youyou in the book never cherished her father’s love.

She always resented his strictness, feeling he stood up for others but not for his own daughter.

But she was different.

Her father loved her; she loved him back, becoming his devoted little sweetheart, never allowing the misfortunes from the book’s world to taint her father in any way.

Seeing her devotion to a father she had never met, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Chu Xingyun’s eyes.

Though the road was long, cultivators travel a thousand miles a day. In no time, Chu Xingyun arrived with Yu Youyou at the main hall of the demon city.

This main hall was grander and more magnificent than the side hall, imposing and majestic.

This was the ancestral home of the demon race in this world—the Nine Nether Demon City, the foremost of the demon cities. The city was guarded by the Red Flame Demon Lord, one of the three great demon lords, whose cultivation had reached the half-step Heavenly Demon realm, a rare top-tier powerhouse in the cultivation world.

Perhaps because of the honored guest visiting today, the terrifying aura of a near-Heavenly Demon did not manifest; instead, voices of conversation echoed from within the main hall.

Listening to the cordial dialogue, Chu Xingyun remained calm and tightened his hold on the child.

Sweet words spoken and cruel deeds done—such was the truth here.

Guests were treated with utmost hospitality, but who knew the “honored guest’s” beloved daughter was being so neglected?

He strode inside and saw numerous demons standing on either side of the main hall. At the very top sat three people.

On one side was a couple. The woman was heavily pregnant, yet still dressed in splendid, radiant attire, with a face like the moon and flowers, though her expression was troubled and her eyes flickered nervously.

Beside her was a remarkably handsome man, his forehead marked with vivid red demon runes that added a dazzling, exotic charm. He looked at her with loving care, speaking softly and holding her fingers tightly.

Opposite them sat a tall, imposing man who appeared absent-minded as he observed the affectionate couple, frequently glancing toward the door.

When he saw Chu Xingyun enter, his eyes lit up, and he fixed his gaze on the small head peeking from Chu Xingyun’s arms.

A smile spread across his face.

But upon seeing the child’s thin, weak, and sickly appearance, he was stunned and instinctively glanced at the woman opposite him.

Caught by his gaze, the radiant woman became uneasy, her beautiful eyes betraying a hint of grievance.

“Eldest senior brother, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I’m not devoted,” she complained to the tall man with grievance, “You don’t understand how difficult this child is…”

Before she could finish the word “difficult,” the man stood up, staring intently.

Standing before Chu Xingyun, he looked at the timid, frail child hiding in his arms. His eyes reddened instantly. Forcing a smile, afraid of scaring the child with a grim expression, he raised his hand hesitantly and softened his voice as he bent down and called out, “Youyou? Is that you? I’m Daddy. You…”

He tried to speak, but his throat felt blocked. Having faced countless storms, he was now at a loss before this child.

“Daddy!” The little one saw his reddened eyes and quickly stretched out her tiny arms to embrace him.

With anyone else, she would never be so close.

But this was her daddy.