In the simple wooden cabin, two handsome fathers sat facing each other, with a well-behaved and adorable little girl standing by their side. Silence filled the small space. The well-behaved and adorable Lu Yaoyao blinked and cautiously glanced once and again at her Daddy’s hand crushing the cup.
“What’s wrong?” Did she say something wrong? Weren’t they gossiping? This was gossip too…
Lu Yaoyao recalled what she had said, realizing something was amiss, and quickly tried to charm her way out: “But I explained right away. My Daddy is so handsome and dashing, as elegant as a jade tree in the breeze, noble and awe-inspiring… how could anyone possibly mistake his gender? It must be their fault for making such a stupid mistake, right, Daddy?” Lu Yaoyao racked her brain to pile up all the compliments she could think of, hoping to make Lu Qingyu forget the dangerous statement she had accidentally made.
Lu Qingyu pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands slowly, “Did your friend say this?” Such a remark could only come from the kids who had seen both him and Yao Jiuxiao.
Lu Yaoyao mentally apologized to Xiao Xingxing, realizing she had inadvertently sold him out. What to do now? “Oh, that’s all nonsense!” Lu Yaoyao blinked cutely, “Daddy, don’t mind that. There’s plenty more gossip!”
Yao Jiuxiao poured tea into the cup Lu Yaoyao had just drunk from, and Lu Yaoyao picked it up to gulp down another drink, then began to employ the art of diverting the conversation “Speaking of which, I’ve had a question for a long time.” Lu Yaoyao carefully watched Lu Qingyu’s expression, “Daddy, why did you let me have the surname Lu?”
After Lu Yaoyao found out that her Daddy was Devil Venerable, she thought Lu Qingyu was his real name at first. However, when she arrived at the Cultivation Realm, she heard someone say Devil Venerable’s name was Chijia Luo and the storyteller also referred to his name as such. She asked Yaqing, who answered that Devil Venerable’s name was indeed Chijia Luo, which then reminded her of Chijia Lan, the third elder of the Devil Palace, who once told her that she should call her aunt…
Lu Yaoyao figured that Lu Qingyu must be the name her Daddy used when he went incognito in the Cultivation Realm. But she still found it strange. Under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t give their child a fake surname, right? Especially one as coincidental as Lu.
The surname Lu was the family name of the Guiyuan Sect’s successive sect leaders. This coincidence made her ponder deeply. Furthermore, she had found no record of a person named Lu Qingyu in the Cultivation Realm, leading her to suspect that, just like the elder, all information about him was erased. Regardless, this surname must hold special significance for her Daddy.
Lu Qingyu paused for a moment, then put away the handkerchief, “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious!” Daddy walked into the Guiyuan Sect as if it were his territory, wandering around with the same ease and familiarity he displayed in the Devil Palace. Lu Yaoyao pondered, “Daddy, have you spent time in Guiyuan before?”
Lu Yaoyao seriously considered a possibility: could it be that Daddy was once a spy in the Guiyuan Sect and coincidentally became a disciple under the Lu, leading to his adoption of this surname? No wonder Father said it was normal when she mentioned the possibility of a spy within the sect; it turned out Daddy was once a spy too?
But she still couldn’t understand why he would let her take the surname Lu.
Lu Yaoyao remembered Daddy and Father had a long dispute over her name, which was finally resolved only after could speak and choose her own name.
Lu Yaoyao blinked, waiting for her Daddy’s response.
Lu Qingyu glanced at Lu Yaoyao, tapping her forehead, “Why are you so curious?”
Lu Yaoyao covered her forehead, “So I’m not allowed to know?”
Lu Qingyu stood up and said nonchalantly, “This sect is too boring, Daddy is going back.” With that, he turned and left.
Lu Yaoyao called out a few times, but was unable to stop him. Just as she ran out of the cabin, Lu Qingyu’s figure was no longer in sight.
“…” Daddy ran away! Lu Yaoyao puffed up her chubby cheeks, turned back into the cabin, and then clung to her Father, coquettishly asking, “Father, won’t you tell me?” She was certain: Father definitely, surely, absolutely knows!
Curiosity seemed to itch Lu Yaoyao’s heart and lungs. She was really, really, really curious! There was no doubt that Father and Daddy were keeping many things hidden from her. She really wanted to know!
Yao Jiuxiao stroked Lu Yaoyao’s head, his voice unusually gentle, “It’s all in the past.”
Lu Yaoyao tilted her head, her face showed puzzlement.
“Don’t ask your Daddy about this anymore.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded, “Okay.”
…
Lu Qingyu stood outside on a ridge overlooking the Guiyuan Sect, where one could vaguely see figures moving around in the distance. His handsome face was shadowed, seemingly in a very bad mood. Memories that he had thought were long gone suddenly came flooding back.
—ah! He’s so seriously injured, poor little thing…
—I’ll give you a name. My surname is Lu, um… ‘I want to give you that pure and peaceful world’… so how about the name Lu Qingyu!1
—I’m sorry…
An invisible, violent aura enveloped Lu Qingyu’s figure, his dark hair and red clothes fluttering furiously. Sensing something, his figure flickered and instantly disappeared from the spot.
…
At the entrance of the Guiyuan Sect, Chao Muxue was seeing off the sect leader and disciples of the Wuji Sect. As she watched the group descend the mountain and gradually move away, she slowly let out a sigh of relief. Many guests who had come for the memorial ceremony didn’t want to leave yet, but Guiyuan Sect was reluctant to keep them around. Large sects could rely on their status and connections to shamelessly extend their stay, but smaller sects didn’t dare to offend Sect Leader Lu, so they had no choice but to reluctantly depart after staying for a few extra days.
As the sect leader’s disciple, to have Chao Muxue personally see them off was not considered impolite. Her master was busy checking the inventory; how could he have the time to see off everyone? As it turned out, Master felt he had given his martial niece too little for their first meeting and was planning to send some more to East Ninth Peak.
At this thought, Chao Muxue couldn’t help but chuckle. Just as she was about to go back, she caught sight of someone standing not far away. Thinking the person seemed familiar, Chao Muxue swiftly turned her head for a closer look, “Senior Lu?”
The person standing there was indeed Yaoyao’s daddy.
Chao Muxue’s smile bloomed, and she briskly walked over, “Senior Lu, are you here to look for Yaoyao?” Chao Muxue didn’t expect such a coincidence, but it was fortunate since she was at the entrance. Otherwise, Senior Lu might not know how to find Yaoyao. Thinking he had come because of the rumors, Chao Muxue reassured him, “Senior Lu, please rest assured, Yaoyao…”
Lu Qingyu’s gaze fell on that familiar yet seemingly strange face, the smile that appeared upon seeing him momentarily merging with the face from his memories.
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- This is the origin of Lu Qingyu’s name. Lu(陆) is a surname that means ‘land.’ Qingyu(清予) is a given name written with the ‘Qing’ character that means ‘pure’ or ‘clean’ and ‘Yu’ that means ‘to give.’ The idioms (or maybe poems? I’m not sure) that form his name are: (1) 一清如水 (yī qīng rú shuǐ) means ‘as clear as water or ‘honest and incorruptible.’ (2) 上善若水 (shàng shàn ruò shuǐ) means ‘the highest good is like that of water.’ (3) 海晏清平(hǎi yàn qīngpíng) translates as ‘the Yellow River is pure, and the sea is calm’ which means ‘the world is peaceful.’ The phrase 予你(yǔ nǐ) is added at the beginning, and literally translates as ‘to give you.’
