After sweet-talking for a while, Lu Yaoyao finally saw Lu Qingyu’s mood improve and heaved a sigh of relief before changing the subject: “Daddy, I heard there were traces of devils in Tiangu Valley. Do you know about it?”
Lu Qingyu glanced at the little girl. “I do now.”
“Daddy, be serious, I’m asking a serious question,” Lu Yaoyao said with a stern little face.
“Though your Daddy controls the entire Devil Realm, I don’t keep track of every devil’s whereabouts. The Cultivation Realm is an attractive place; there will always be devils who want to visit and explore.” Lu Qingyu replied nonchalantly, glancing at his daughter as he spoke.
“…But we signed the Three Realms Peace Treaty, right? If they’re just coming to explore, that’s fine, but they won’t cause trouble, right?”
“The treaty only binds those who choose to abide by it. Besides, sometimes it’s not the devils who initiate the provocation.” If others attack first, why should devil stand and take it without retaliating?
Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao became even more worried. “Daddy, issue a command, then. Everyone should abide by the treaty, not harm the innocent, and not initiate attacks on humans or demons… all devils listen to you.”
Lu Qingyu chuckled, “What’s in it for me?”
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes widened. “Honesty and integrity are virtuous traits!” What more benefit is needed?
“We are devils, remember?”
“…If you won’t, I’ll do it myself!” Lu Yaoyao resolved herself. Daddy had once said that she ranked just below him but above all other devils. On top of that, she also had a powerful devil army he gave her!
“Yaqing,” Lu Yaoyao called out, and in the next moment, Yaqing appeared, bowing respectfully, “This Subordinate obeys.”
“Announce my decree. All devils must abide by the Three Realms Treaty, conceal their identities when visiting other realms, refrain from unwarranted exposure, must not harm the innocent, and must not provoke others first…” Lu Yaoyao listed several prohibitions, summarizing at the end, “…anyone found violating these commands shall be punished and locked at the Punishment Hall!”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Yaqing accepted the order and withdrew.
Lu Qingyu clicked his tongue, “Your tone’s so big, huh, kid?”
Lu Yaoyao stood with her hands on her hips, feeling slightly proud. She had confidence. Although the people at his disposal were all provided by Daddy, they completely obeyed her orders unconditionally. Furthermore, her greatest confidence was actually the Devil Venerable himself! She knew she always had her Daddy’s backing. Anyway, if he didn’t approve, he would have stopped her already. Regardless of what he said, Daddy must be just being stubborn!
“By the way, Daddy, can you undo your seal on me? You’ve never removed it, so I have no cultivation. It’s inconvenient for me. What if I face danger when I go out for training? And I also want to learn alchemy. Look how crudely our devil realm treats spiritual treasures; it’s such a waste. Wait until I learn enough alchemy, and I can start trying to make pills suitable for the devil race…”
Lu Qingyu frowned, full of displeasure, “Did your Father remove his?”
“It’s different.” Lu Yaoyao appealed emotionally, “I’m in the Cultivation Realm now. If Father removes my bloodline seal, won’t my devil identity be exposed? According to the decree I just issued, wouldn’t I have to lock myself in the Punishment Hall? We must be fair and led by example.” Lu Yaoyao said a lot. After failing to persuade him with words, she finally played her trump card, “Daddy, don’t you want me to learn to make devil pills? I’ll make them only for you, Father gets none!”
Lu Qingyu immediately sat up straight, “Really?”
Lu Yaoyao, with a serious face, raised three fingers, “I swear! I will never give the devil pills I make to Father!”
Lu Qingyu was delighted, “Remember you said it.” He imagined Yao Jiuxiao’s jealousy when he found out about this exclusive privilege, feeling overjoyed, “Alright, Daddy will undo the seal for you.”
Lu Yaoyao beamed with joy, and her tongue turned even sweeter, “Daddy is the best, I love Daddy the most!” She eagerly extended her hand, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Lu Qingyu pressed his hand on her small wrist, and a mysterious pattern lit up briefly on her fair skin. The pattern then slowly faded away as he withdrew his hand.
Lu Yaoyao shook her hand, “Is that it?” She tried to circulate her spiritual aura. Huh? Her little golden core was still missing, and nothing seemed to have changed.
“Daddy?” She looked incredulous.
“You thought you’d recover all your cultivation instantly? Have you thought about how you’ll explain it to Guiyuan Sect?”
“…” Lu Yaoyao found her Daddy makes sense. Right, she wouldn’t know how to explain to her master, senior brothers, senior sisters, martial nephews, and martial nieces… it was certainly abnormal if her cultivation leaped overnight from the not-quite Qi Condensation yet to the Golden Core stage.
“Your cultivation will gradually return.”
Lu Yaoyao was deeply moved, “Daddy, you’re so considerate! You’re amazing at everything, Yaoyao needs to learn a lot from you!”
Lu Qingyu proudly declared, “There’s nothing in this world This Venerable cannot do!”
Lu Yaoyao clapped her hands, cheering and flattering ever so sweetly.
“Daddy, I should go back now.” When they finally calmed down, Lu Yaoyao checked the sky. Fortunately, Daddy seemed fine, which greatly relieved her. “I’ll come to see you again in a few days!”
Saying this, she ran off cheerfully.
Lu Qingyu remained still, watching Lu Yaoyao’s lively figure fade away, chuckling softly.
His little cub, ah…
Moments later, Lu Qingyu’s smile gradually vanished, his face half-shadowed, as if deep in thought. Suddenly, he tilted his head, his gaze sharp as if piercing through all obstacles in front of him, seeing everything clearly.
A graceful woman stood at the estate’s gate, knocking politely and waiting. Yaqing had left the estate, leaving only Lu Qingyu there. He still didn’t move, his eyes fixed as if observing something. After what seemed like a moment, Lu Qingyu finally moved. His figure vanished from where he was and reappeared behind the gate, raising his hand to open it.
…
After knocking, Chao Muxue stood for a moment, but there was no response from inside. A look of concern on her face. She raised her hand to knock again but stopped as the gate opened silently.
The gate swung inside, and a stunningly handsome man appeared in her line of sight.
Chao Muxue was momentarily startled, but when she recognized the person who had opened the gate, she smiled politely, “Greetings to Senior Lu.”
Lu Qingyu’s face was expressionless, “What do you want?”
Chao Muxue seemed slightly uncomfortable, but remembering her concern, she said with a hint of worry, “Yaoyao didn’t come to class today and went down the mountain. We were worried about her, so I came to check if there was anything I could help with. Yaoyao, she… seems to have been troubled lately.”
Lu Qingyu didn’t respond, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly.
Chao Muxue looked directly at Lu Qingyu and earnestly said, “Senior Lu might not believe it, but Yaoyao has indeed looked upset these past two days. As her father, I think you should pay attention to this.” She glanced around, “Where is Yaoyao?” She had been standing there for so long that it was strange for Yaoyao not to appear. The pressure of facing an elder alone was too immense for her!
Lu Qingyu finally spoke, “Yaoyao has gone back.”
“Oh.” Chao Muxue was surprised, “When did she leave?”
“Just moments ago.”
Chao Muxue felt disappointed, “So we missed each other.” She stepped back, “I’ll take my leave, then. Sorry to have disturbed you, Senior Lu.”
As she turned to leave, Lu Qingyu’s voice came faintly, “Wait.”
Chao Muxue paused and turned back with an awkward but polite smile, “Is there something else?”
“Come in,” Lu Qingyu said curtly before turning and walking back inside, not checking if she followed.
Chao Muxue grimaced, not wanting to go inside. She found it uncomfortable to meet a friend’s parent alone. If she had known Yaoyao had already gone back, she wouldn’t have knocked on the door. She considered leaving… but eventually trudged inside reluctantly.
Lu Qingyu sat at the principal position in the main hall, his elbow resting on the armrest, fingers tapping slowly.
Chao Muxue stood in the hall, feeling awkward but unable to resist her curiosity. She glanced forward, quickly looked away, then sneaked another look.
She couldn’t help it; her eyes were drawn to beauty! Yaoyao’s father was incredibly handsome — how stunning must Yaoyao’s mother be to have caught the eye of someone like him?
“What are you thinking about?”
Chao Muxue, without thinking, replied, “You’re beautiful.”
Lu Qingyu chuckled lightly, “Heh.”
Chao Muxue’s face instantly turned red, hot as if smoking. She wanted to crawl into the cracks of the earth and hide herself out of embarrassment. What the… what on earth was she saying!
Lu Qingyu’s lips curved up, “You are quite honest.”
Thinking she had embarrassed herself enough, Chao Muxue simply resigned to her fate, “Of course, honesty is a good quality.” She tried to keep a straight face, changing the subject, “Senior Lu, do you want to ask about Yaoyao’s situation in the sect?” If not for the lingering blush, she would have seemed quite composed.
“You just mentioned that Yaoyao seems troubled?”
With this topic, Chao Muxue’s embarrassment faded, replaced by concern. “Yaoyao’s senior brothers treat her very well, and when we’re together, she’s not bullied. But sometimes she still seems preoccupied with heavy thoughts, and she doesn’t tell us what’s bothering her when we ask.” Chao Muxue described what she had noticed to Lu Qingyu, “Senior Lu, we shouldn’t disregard her concerns just because she’s young. The younger she is, the more we should pay attention.”
Lu Qingyu appeared thoughtful. He knew his daughter well and knew that few things could trouble her. It seemed the kid had more on her mind than he had expected.
“You’re considerate. I’ll pay attention.”
Chao Muxue breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help smiling with joy, “I’ll also take more care of Yaoyao.” Feeling that she had stayed long enough, she tentatively asked, “May I take my leave now?”
Lu Qingyu nodded slightly, and Chao Muxue, feeling like she had just been pardoned, quickly excused herself and hurried back to the sect.
Lu Qingyu remained seated, his expression unchanging, his eyes seemingly lost in deep thought.
…
At the same time, on the East Ninth Peak. As the sun set, the silhouette of the evening sky was like a dreamy tapestry, brimming over Lu Chongyun and Yao Jiuxiao as they sat facing each other in a silent standoff. A green leaf, blown by the wind, fell in front of them and landed on the stone table. Lu Chongyun finally moved, his serious expression showing slight hesitation, “Has something significant happened recently?”
Yao Jiuxiao remained expressionless, “Why do you ask?”
Lu Chongyun spoke cautiously, “Otherwise, why haven’t you been in seclusion lately?”
Yao Jiuxiao: “…” What correlation did these have?
The gravity in Lu Chongyun’s expression suggested that there was not only a correlation but also a significant one. Yao Jiuxiao’s closest companion was his cultivation; he had always spent years either in seclusion or in secluded cultivation, often not seen for decades, but now had stayed in East Ninth Peak for three continuous months without entering seclusion. This was an alarming change! Unusual occurrences always have a reason, and Lu Chongyun was convinced that something major about must have happened without his knowledge.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
Daddy Lu what kind of devil are you to be conned so easily by your daughter?! I wonder if Lu Yaoyao will use the same argument to convince her Father to release his seal later haha.
She technically has no reason to give devil pills to her father, so it’s perfectly reasonable to promise that she won’t give them to him; it’s just a shame that her daddy didn’t see through this loophole, lol.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀