Chapter 22

Occupied with complaining to Sect Master Yu, the cub had almost forgotten that the entity behind the restriction was a black dragon.

She knew from the dragon scale her grand-uncle had gifted her that such scales were precious, yet they could be peeled off and taken away. However, to the dragon race, scales were like clothing; stripping a dragon of its "clothes" was improper, regardless of the dragon's personal feelings, and it was an easy way to make enemies and get beaten up.

But the black dragon behind the barrier was different. It was a bad dragon, locked away for doing bad things. Bad dragons had no dragon rights.

Since she was already here, how could she return empty-handed without peeling off a few of its scales? Besides, what was the harm in taking a few? It was locked behind a barrier anyway, unable to go out; since no one could see if it was wearing scales or armor, and no one would see if its "clothes" were tattered, it shouldn't really matter to the dragon, right?

Dragon scales were precious, and she had heard they were incredibly useful for both medicine and artifact refining. The cub counted on her fingers, meticulously calculating how to build her nest egg. She even emphasized to her father, "Gift."

Even a man as stoic as Sect Master Yu twitched his mouth when he heard his daughter innocently suggest that she would "borrow flowers to present to the Buddha"—using the black dragon's scales as a future tribute to the grand-uncle who had gifted her the cyan dragon scale.

He listened to the little one, who usually spoke in stammers but had become quite talkative after discovering a "great treasure." "Daddy... Uncle! Big..." The cub counted the loved ones around her, feeling that the black dragon’s scales might not be enough to go around. "Sister!" She couldn't leave anyone out.

Daoist Feihong stood nearby, holding a branch of brilliant peach blossoms. Even though she only half-understood, seeing the cub’s spirited little demeanor, she couldn't help but giggle. After laughing for a while, she watched as Sect Master Yu touched his daughter’s head—a child who was so good at managing her own "finances"—and said, "Dragon scales are good, but Ao Xin hasn't taken a bath in at least a thousand years. Be a good girl, Youyou; its scales are filthy. We don't want them."

"Eww!" The cub held up her clean, shimmering cyan dragon scale and recoiled.

Having been suppressed for a thousand years with nothing but air in that barrier, it did indeed look like it hadn't bathed in a millennium. That was a fair point. Yu Youyou shook her little head in disgust and babbled to her father, "...Wait!" She would wait until the black dragon had bathed before coming back to peel it.

She was a clean little creature. She pointed to herself proudly and said, "Strong!" She was much stronger than the black dragon. Even when she was sickly and neglected in the Demon City, she knew to dip a handkerchief in water to wipe her face. Back at the Taigu Sect, it was even better; as long as her second senior sister wasn't busy refining pills, she would always put her in a large pool mixed with spirit liquid to wash and scrub. The cub loved floating on the surface, bobbing up and down.

"That is true, Youyou is much stronger than it!" Sect Master Yu said with a laugh.

The black dragon had been wary of this little demon, and though it couldn't understand the "heavenly secrets" the little thing was spouting, it understood Sect Master Yu’s words. Stunned for a moment by the absurdity of this warm father-daughter conversation, it finally snapped, and a massive roar erupted from the black dragon behind the barrier. Ignoring the predatory gaze of the little demon, the dragon, scales bristling with rage, cursed, "How dare you covet my scales! I’ll eat you both!"

But what was even more infuriating was: "You’re the one who doesn't bathe! You scoundrel, you bastard, you Yu! Don't let me get my hands on you! You’ll regret it!"

A cultivator at the Heavenly Demon stage had long ago refined a body of perfect purity, untouched by dust. Furthermore, constantly being washed by demonic energy meant it was—it was extremely clean!

Daoist Feihong watched the demon dragon, which was so angry it had lost its wits, with a smile on her face. Clearly, watching the demon dragon roll around in a rage was quite amusing.

"Eww!" The cub didn't believe it. Seeing that the barrier was secure and not a shred of demonic energy leaked out—and since it couldn't be food for her, and it didn't like to bathe—the little one lost interest.

She carefully put away her clean dragon scale, rested her chin on Sect Master Yu’s shoulder, and began to purr softly. Seeing the barrier seal the black dragon back in, Sect Master Yu exchanged a look with Daoist Feihong, and they turned to leave together, clearly having no further interest in Ao Xin.

The black dragon, still hopping mad, cursed at them as they walked away. But then, looking warily at the cub who couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind and the seemingly doting father, it suddenly shouted, "Ao Qing! I want to see Ao Qing! Let Ao Qing come see me himself!"

It roared loudly, but Great Elder Ao Qing was currently in the Far West and could not possibly come to see it immediately. Although Sect Master Yu knew the history between Ao Xin and Ao Qing, he did not agree to the request immediately.

While he and Daoist Feihong acted as if the matter was closed, he couldn't help but thoroughly check Yu Youyou’s meridians. Once they were alone behind closed doors, Sect Master Yu asked with concern, "Youyou, you said your primordial spirit left your body in your sleep today... does this happen often?"

The departure of a primordial spirit was a serious matter. He worried for the child’s safety, but what worried him more was that if an ordinary cultivator’s soul left their body, it would be impossible for him, a Great Ascension stage cultivator, to remain unaware. Yet he was with his daughter every day and hadn't sensed a thing; if she hadn't told him herself, he would never have known.

"Hungry," Yu Youyou said obediently, knowing he was worried.

Sect Master Yu felt as if his heart had been pierced by a blade, blood dripping as he looked at his daughter in pain. Because she had been starved by Gong Miaohua, she had been forced to learn how to separate her primordial spirit... Wait, what did hunger have to do with the primordial spirit leaving the body? He suddenly realized that when Yu Youyou’s spirit had left her body, she had consumed Ao Xin’s demonic energy.

Overcome by immense guilt, Sect Master Yu was nearly crushed. If he hadn't let go so easily, letting the child fall into the hands of an irresponsible wretch, how could his sweet Youyou have shown so many abnormal signs?

Breathing heavily for a moment, he touched his daughter’s still-sparse hair with trembling hands and murmured, "Youyou, it’s all Daddy’s fault." He could not deny his past mistakes.

Knowing this wasn't enough, he called his two disciples over. After he recounted the events, the handsome face of Chu Xingyun turned slightly pale, and he said softly, "It is also this disciple’s fault."

He had visited the Demon City many times. Gong Miaohua had told him that the little junior sister was doing well, just that she was a sleepy child who was always resting. He hadn't wanted to disturb her, and he had assumed that since even a tiger wouldn't eat its cubs, and Gong Miaohua had been so reluctant to part with her, she wouldn't have neglected her. That was why he hadn't interrupted her sleep. It was precisely because of this that the child had ended up the way she did.

Zhu Changshu was also silent. The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive. The little one looked left and right, first touching her father’s arm, then乖乖 (obediently) touching the back of her senior brother and senior sister’s hands.

"Natural." She was actually born that way; she was used to her primordial spirit leaving her body, and it had nothing to do with being neglected. Besides, she was very happy now, and she didn't want them to feel guilty about things that had already happened... Wouldn't it be better if they just loved her more now and in the future?

The cub waved her little arms in a big circle, as if trying to hold all their love in her embrace, and tilted her little head up. "More!"

Love her more.

Even though she was born with the ability to separate her primordial spirit, Sect Master Yu and his disciples remained full of guilt. Not wanting the little one to worry about these things, Sect Master Yu decided not to mention it in front of her again and only said to his two disciples, "I will ask the Great Elder again..."

He left it vague, as he had only told his disciples about the primordial spirit separation and not about the demon dragon, Ao Xin. That involved the secrets of the Taigu Sect’s Great Elder, Ao Qing, which those below the Great Ascension stage were not permitted to know without Ao Qing’s permission. Although he didn't say it, the clever Chu Xingyun and Zhu Changshu could guess at some of the sect’s secrets.

As they brushed over the matter, they heard the cub patting her little belly and saying, "Food."

The three of them, who had been pretending the secret didn't exist, froze and looked at her in shock. Yu Youyou felt embarrassed.

"...Youyou, you said that when your primordial spirit left your body, what did you want to eat? A light vein? Was it a light vein?" Sect Master Yu already knew his daughter could consume the Heavenly Demon-stage energy of the demon dragon. But hearing her mention the "food" she had wanted when her spirit left her body made him think of the spiritual vein disturbance that had occurred not long ago.

He gasped. The cub also suddenly realized that in her pride, she had let her father find out about her dark history of almost "foraging for wild food." She hurriedly shook her head, wanting her father and senior siblings to know she was still that well-behaved, house-raised Youyou, and said anxiously, "No! ...No!"

She said it twice in a row, clearly very worried. Sect Master Yu comforted her, "Daddy knows Youyou doesn't eat food from outside. It’s just..."

So that was it! The case was solved! The spiritual vein had been disturbed and invaded, and he and Ao Qing had been so desperate to turn the Taigu Sect upside down to find that dog... that person. He had thought the intruder had run away, but he never expected that they had been eating and drinking right under their noses.

Sect Master Yu thought of the undamaged spiritual vein and looked at his daughter, who hadn't even eaten the spiritual energy from the vein to fill her belly, all for his sake. He couldn't help but hold her tightly. For him, his Youyou had endured so much and sacrificed too much.

Because his daughter hadn't just eaten randomly but did it all for his sake, Sect Master Yu felt both heartbroken and satisfied; how could he remember anything else?

Chu Xingyun, however, remained clear-headed for a moment after being shocked by what his junior sister had done. Hearing this, while still moved, he asked thoughtfully, "Little junior sister, what you meant just now was... you didn't eat that light vein... that spiritual vein?"

Her practiced pickiness, and the way she determined that a spiritual vein was food she could eat, made him ask her gently, "So, the spiritual vein—I mean, this kind of food that glows and is delicious and filling—little junior sister, you have eaten it before, haven't you?"

He paused, a guess forming in his mind. This guess made him feel a sense of vindication and satisfaction, and a hint of a smile crept into his voice.

"Did you eat it when you were in the Nine Nether Demon City?"