Lu Yaoyao was unaware that her father was seeking parenting advice. Her Master had assigned her a pile of coursework, keeping her busy late into the night. She didn’t even have time to read her favorite storybooks. Today, after finally completing her homework, she thought about the early start the next day and decided to catch an early sleep.
She hadn’t even lied down when she heard a knock at the door. A deep, cold voice followed, calling, “Yaoyao.” Lu Yaoyao turned around and hurried to the door, deliberately asking, “Who’s there?” She knew who would visit her at this late hour. Except for Father, who else? After her angry outburst last time, Father didn’t directly enter her room but knocked on the door first.
“It’s me.” The voice answered.
Lu Yaoyao pouted inside. Without telling his name, how could she know it was him? She wanted to be a bit stubborn and refuse, but since her Father had finally come here, she couldn’t just ignore him.
Lu Yaoyao had been upset, and even unilaterally had a cold war with Yao Jiuxiao. But after her initial anger dissipated, she quickly realized that she was angrier about her Father not coming to make amends. Now that he had come, she was genuinely pleased. But she still remembered that they were in a cold war, so when she opened the door, she greeted him with a somewhat awkward expression.
“Why are you here?”
Yao Jiuxiao didn’t respond. Instead, he lowered his head and looked at his little daughter, whose height was just up to his knees. Then he picked her up and held her in his arms. In the next instant, the surroundings changed, and they appeared in the boundless starry sky.
Yao Jiuxiao remembered that when Yaoyao was still a child, Lu Qingyu would often take her to fly around whenever she was in a bad mood. With Yao Jiuxiao’s cultivation level, he could easily fly her to the sky above the Guiyuan Sect without alerting anyone or breaking any barriers. Lu Yaoyao was amazed as she looked down from her Father’s arms. At this moment, she completely forgot about her earlier stubbornness.
Overlooking the night scenery of the Guanyuan Sect was a different visual experience. While cultivators no longer had the same physical needs as mortals, most of them still retained their old habits. At night, even if they didn’t sleep, most cultivators would stay in their rooms for meditation or rest with their eyes closed, and that’s why the nights at the Guanyuan Sect were quiet.
But this tranquility was not due to the absence of the hustle and bustle during the day, as even the night offered its own beauty and activities. Flowers that bloomed only at night were in full display, swaying gracefully and emitting a faint glow. The lights under the eaves of the corridors and the twinkling stars in the sky complemented each other, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Lu Yaoyao was amazed. This night view was even more beautiful than the scenes she had seen on Cangshan Mountain. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Father…”
Lu Yaoyao was about to express her amazement, but quickly remembered they were still in a cold war. So she stopped herself and huffed, “Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because of this.”
Was she really that easy to appease?
The little dumpling huffed inwardly, determined not to forgive her father easily.
Yao Jiuxiao held Lu Yaoyao in his arms, hovering in mid-air amidst the starry sky. Above them was a canopy of stars, while below were the shimmering lights and luminous flowers. “Yaoyao, your father was wrong.” Yao Jiuxiao finally spoke softly.
Lu Yaoyao tilted her head and didn’t look at him directly, but her curious eyes couldn’t help darting toward his face.
“Your birth was unexpected for me. I had never thought that I would have a child of my own. However, I am very happy you came into my life. This is my first time becoming a father, and I hope my child can grow into a responsible person. But your Daddy likes to pamper you without limits. I’ve always been worried that you might… grow spoiled.”
“But it’s Father’s fault for being narrow-minded. You are my daughter, the daughter of Yao Jiuxiao. You have a pure character and a clear mind. How could you become such a person?”
Yao Jiuxiao’s love for the daughter whom he raised with his own hands was no less than that of Lu Qingyu, but his affection was more restrained. Half of the child’s blood belonged to the devil race, with a natural predisposition towards cruelty and aggressiveness. Moreover, Lu Qingyu, the Devil Venerable himself, had been with her from a young age, instilling her with improper beliefs and ideas. Yao Jiuxiao had always been cautious, afraid that even a slight mistake could lead to his daughter’s corruption.
As his daughter, Yaoyao would be doted upon without limits. Whether by seniors or juniors, people in the Cultivation World would all indulge her without a bottom line. Such an environment would make it easy for her to develop a spoiled personality. Yao Jiuxiao always believed that Lu Qingyu was excessively indulgent and biased towards the child. In the Devil Realm, which was even more ruthless than the Cultivation Realm, the temptations were not to be underestimated…
Once in the past, when he discussed the Dao with eminent monks, they had told him that love could give rise to worry and fear. Yao Jiuxiao had remained silent back then, thinking that someone detached like himself wouldn’t encounter such emotions, and he believed that he would never experience that state of mind as long as he remained strong as he was. However, his daughter’s half-devil heritage was always a hidden danger. If it were ever revealed, those who had once doted on her might turn against her. The teachers, the friends that once showered her with love might end up pointing their swords to her.
He could protect her life, but he couldn’t guarantee that everyone’s attitude towards her wouldn’t change. Having experienced too much, he knew that the enmity between devils and humans was too deep. Once the truth was exposed, his daughter would bear the brunt. How would she endure it?
Yao Jiuxiao couldn’t help but shake whenever he imagined such a scenario.
A child who had been pampered and loved throughout her life, how could she withstand the hostility from all sides?
Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao pouted, feeling that Father was underestimating her. Was he afraid that she would become too complacent and not be able to handle even a slight setback, so he wanted her to experience some hardships first?
“Father…”Lu Yaoyao nestled against Yao Jiuxiao’s chest. “Will you and Daddy always stand firmly by my side? Will you always protect me? If there comes a time when you have to choose between me and the human race, will you choose me?”
After discovering her mixed-blood heritage, Lu Yaoyao had indeed had such thoughts before. However, she hadn’t delved into them deeply. Perhaps it was subconscious avoidance or the fact that her desire to find her father outweighed everything else, so she hadn’t had the time to consider these matters. Lu Yaoyao thought of her beloved Master, her caring senior brothers, and many good friends…
In the future, when her devil identity is exposed, and they look at her with suspicion or even hostility, what should she do?
Yao Jiuxiao replied solemnly, “Of course, Father will always protect you.” He had once firmly stood by the greater good of his race, but no matter how strong, he was ultimately just a person. If it weren’t for his daughter, he might not have realized that he wasn’t as selfless as people believed. He, too, had his own selfish concerns. From the moment he felt that blood connection, he knew he was no longer the Dao Venerable Hengwu that everyone revered and who stood high above them all. He was simply a father.
Beneath Lu Yaoyao’s youthful appearance lay a resilient soul. She looked up at Yao Jiuxiao with shining eyes and said, “That’s enough, Father. Don’t underestimate me. As long as you and Daddy firmly stand by my side, I’m not afraid of anything!”
Deep inside, Lu Yaoyao never doubted the love of her two fathers. How could she, seeing that she grew up watching them fighting over her at every turn? Only when they turned their backs on her would she receive the most fatal blow. As long as Father and Daddy always stood by her side, why should she be afraid of the stormy path ahead?
Even if in the future, her Master and friends would point their swords at her, she wouldn’t blame anyone, nor would she be easily defeated. As long as the Father and Daddy she trusted and relied on remained unwavering in their support, she would overcome any obstacle.
The heartfelt conversation between father and daughter completely dissipated Lu Yaoyao’s uneasiness, bringing them closer together. Lu Yaoyao realized that her father wasn’t the omnipotent and idealized Dao Venerable Hengwu that others perceived him to be. He was capable of doubt, uncertainty, and concerns about his only child. He was subject to the same worries as any parent, hoping for his child’s life to be smooth, yet also fearing that an excessively smooth life might lead to an inability to cope with even minor setbacks.
He also worried about the influence brought by a privileged environment on his daughter’s character, fearing that he hadn’t raised her properly…
“Father, can’t humans and devils coexist? Can’t we live peacefully without being trapped in endless conflicts and hatred?”
——Junior brother, is it really impossible for humans and demons to coexist? Have I been… wrong?
Time seemed to reverse and overlap. Amidst blood and fire, cries and lamentations echoed endlessly. Once again, Yao Jiuxiao heard the question from a thousand years ago, and his gaze showed faint ripples.
Back then, he couldn’t answer that question, but this time, he had a vague answer emerging. It had surfaced several times before. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his gaze was sharp and resolute.
“You’re not wrong.”
Above the vast sky, a single figure remained motionless in mid-air, appearing tiny like a grain of sand in the ocean, yet shining even brighter than the stars, unable to conceal its brilliance. Yao Jiuxiao’s surging thoughts gradually settled down, and he hadn’t heard his daughter’s voice for a while. When he looked down, he saw she had already fallen into a deep slumber, her little face rosy.
Yao Jiuxiao’s gaze instantly softened.
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Ig in the story the other isekai guy read, the reason Muxue got his attention was because of this samw question.
They finally made up! It’s about time he communicated properly with his daughter so that she understands his actions and the reasons behind them. I also think it’s a good turning point for Yao Jiuxiao in his stance between the humans and other races, but how he’ll go about to change things is another concern.
Thanks for the great chapter! 😀