Chapter 28

The Black Dragon’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

"She’s faking it! She must be faking it. She..."

What? That little milk bun?!

How could she be tastier than it is... no, that’s not it! This must be an act!

"Ao Xin, your concern for the safety of this world is commendable. But I am not a weakling who cannot handle matters myself."

Ao Qing’s gaze settled on the Black Dragon as he spoke slowly. "This child does indeed possess some abnormalities, but since she has never committed an evil act, I will not strike against her. Can you understand that, Ao Xin?"

He met the Black Dragon’s somewhat frenzied eyes and said gently, "I suppressed you that day only because, after you escaped the God-Demon Tomb, the first thing you shouted was that you wanted to slaughter every dragon in the world."

The Black Dragon had no retort for that. Ao Qing said coldly, "Since you were determined to commit mass murder, what was wrong with me suppressing you? Youyou has never done anything evil. Even if she truly carries a soul of extreme malice, on what grounds should she be suppressed for that alone?"

Ao Qing could not agree with convicting someone who had done no wrong.

Besides... he lowered his eyes, his mind filling with images of the little cub standing on tiptoe to express concern for his injuries, and her diligently wiping the faces of her elders.

Those were mundane actions. Yet, if she did not possess a kind heart, she could not have faked such natural warmth.

"I believe in her; she is a child of the Taigu Sect. As for you, reflect well. If you can digest the evil intent you absorbed in the God-Demon Tomb and make amends for your slaughters, it is not impossible that I might one day grant you your freedom again, Ao Xin."

The man in the green robes looked at the Black Dragon, who was pacing within the barrier and cursing under its breath. "We are of the same kin; suppressing you was never my intention. Wouldn't it be better if you returned to goodness and saw the sunlight once more?"

Seeing the Black Dragon huff and turn its tail toward him, Ao Qing immediately snorted, turned on his heel, and walked away, grumbling, "You deserve to be watched by the cub! Just wait, tomorrow I’ll increase her reward so she comes to greet you every single day!"

This remark infuriated the Black Dragon, who whipped around and unleashed another torrent of curses. Ao Qing stopped and cursed back. When he got into the spirit of it, he gave the Black Dragon another good thrashing.

Muffled dragon roars echoed from deep underground. Chu Xingyun heard them and saw a streak of green light returning aggressively to Ao Qing’s dojo, his own expression remaining unchanged.

He walked directly to the small hillside behind the Sect Master’s main hall, where he found a pavilion nestled among green hills and clear waters. Three figures of varying heights were gathered there.

He didn't disturb them, instead leaning against a tree trunk and watching from afar. He saw the smallest, thinnest little one squatting on the ground, seemingly absorbed in something.

His little Junior Sister was quiet, her small back appearing exceptionally peaceful and cozy. Infected by this serene moment, Chu Xingyun watched with a smile.

Yu Youyou was focused on the jade floor tiles of the pavilion. The Taigu Sect was indeed wealthy; these floor tiles were as white as snow and crystalline—the finest jade. The cub tapped them with her soft little hands; they were fitted perfectly together.

She looked down at the jade pendant at her waist, thinking the material of the floor tiles looked very similar. As a cub with a curious spirit, Yu Youyou lowered her head, trying to pry up a tile to compare it with her pendant.

But her tiny, soft fingers were no match for tiles firmly embedded into the mountain rock. She fussed for a long time, but the tiles didn't budge.

What one cannot obtain often becomes more desirable. She looked at the floor with lingering attachment, then her eyes lit up. She wiped her little claws on her dress and let out a small, "Hey!"

In that instant, Chu Xingyun, waiting quietly outside the pavilion, felt a sharp surge of demonic energy. Before he could react, the small, soft hands of the little one turned dark as demonic energy surged, covering her arms and coalescing into a giant black dragon claw.

The claw was sharp and hard. Yu Youyou looked at it with satisfaction. She had seen the Black Dragon Ao Xin form a demonic claw the other day and looked so sharp, she wanted to see if she could dig with it.

The claw looked massive, yet it felt as light as if it were truly a part of her own body. Yu Youyou happily hurried to poke the floor tiles.

Her dragon claw made light contact with the ground.

A loud crash followed.

All the jade tiles in the pavilion turned to dust, revealing a massive, deep pit. The cub stood there, dazed, looking down at the pitch-black dragon claw on her hand, completely stunned.

"Ah!"

She only wanted to play; she didn't mean to do anything bad.

She hurriedly dispersed the demonic energy of the claw, but Yu Youyou never expected that just a tiny, light touch would cause such a disaster.

She felt her Senior Brother’s spiritual presence behind her. Startled that she had been caught red-handed, she panicked and desperately tried to feign peace, looking up at the sky. "Fly!"

There were powerful people flying across the sky. She signaled for her Senior Brother to look up, pretending she had no idea what had happened at her feet.

The smile on Chu Xingyun’s lips froze. So much for peaceful beauty... it turned out she was making trouble. Meeting his Junior Sister’s guilty, peeking eyes, Chu Xingyun began to ponder how to fill the pit.

Before he could come up with a plan, the two elders who had been sitting in the pavilion like wooden dolls stood up in a daze. They stepped on the ground twice.

The pavilion collapsed into fragments. The debris swirled together and poured into the pit. Once filled, the handsome young man stood silently to the side, his eyes vacant, walking back and forth mechanically with the elders to stomp the dirt down until it was solid.

The pit was level. If not for the missing pavilion, it would look as if nothing had happened.

Yu Youyou turned her head and watched as the evidence of her wrongdoing was destroyed. Her eyes widened. Did the elders fill the pit just so she wouldn't get in trouble for breaking the tiles?

"Grandpa... good!" The two elders who filled the pit for her were the best in the world.

The little one beamed, taking hold of the two elders who were still standing on the dirt, acting as if nothing had happened, their expressions blank and lifeless. She rubbed against them, left and right, and hurriedly pulled out a small water bottle to feed them after their hard work. Surprisingly, even though two out of the three had no consciousness, they were quite harmonious together.

Chu Xingyun watched with his arms crossed, and only when the pit was firmly packed did he approach with a smile.

Even though the two elders lacked awareness, he still bowed respectfully. Then, he helplessly stroked Yu Youyou’s head and laughed, "It doesn't matter if you don't hide it; you can do whatever you like, Junior Sister."

Did he and his Master look like the type to scold her just because some floor tiles in a small pavilion were broken?

The cub, exposed, shyly let go of the elders' hands. She hugged Chu Xingyun’s elaborate robes, buried her face in his clothes, and whispered, "No!"

She shouldn't have broken the tiles. It wasn't because she was afraid of being scolded, but because she knew she shouldn't do destructive things.

"Remember." This was the first time she had formed a dragon claw. Next time, she would keep the strength in mind so she wouldn't break things.

The little one was very obedient. Seeing the pavilion gone and the hillside empty, Chu Xingyun led everyone back to the rear hall.

Seeing the former Sect Master and Daoist Sun sitting in the hall, unmoved by everything, he placed Yu Youyou on his lap. Recalling the pure demonic energy that had formed the dragon claw, he stroked her head and asked softly, "When did you learn to do that, Junior Sister?"

The cub still had no spiritual or demonic energy of her own, but he had truly felt the terrifying, massive demonic energy that had covered her hand earlier. Seeing that the little one showed no signs of fatigue or weakness, he breathed a sigh of relief and fed her a few spiritual pills first.

Once he asked, the cub became spirited. She was very eager to show off to her Senior Brother.

"Eat!" The day she ate that claw of the Black Dragon, she discovered she had learned instinctively how to manifest a dragon claw just like it.

Although it was pitch black and not particularly pretty, it was quite majestic.

Chu Xingyun did not ask where the demonic energy came from. The cub was naive; she herself couldn't explain where that vast energy surged from. Recalling that Zhu Changshu had once mentioned her body was like a chaotic void—seemingly ordinary like a spiritual pill, yet containing vast energy—he nodded slowly and said, "It's good that you ate it."

Perhaps the power of the demonic veins in the Demon City and the power hidden within the demonic dragon claws suppressed by the Taigu Sect were all stored within the child, ready to be called upon at any time.

What he found remarkable was that after eating the demonic energy once, his Junior Sister had taught herself how to manifest her claws.

Knowing how to show one's claws was a good thing. It meant being mighty, strong, and not easily bullied. His Junior Sister could be super fierce, too.

The handsome young man in fine robes smiled genuinely. Looking at the little one eagerly waiting for his praise, he laughed, "Junior Sister is truly clever and gifted; you are a rare genius."

The pavilion on the back hill looked ordinary, but it actually had defensive barriers that weren't easily broken. His Junior Sister had shattered the entire barrier with a light, effortless touch. If that didn't count as being a genius, what did?

He also told her, "If anyone offends you in the future, Junior Sister, don't be polite—just use your dragon claws."

"Ah!"

"We will never take bullying from others." While Yu Youyou was safe within the Taigu Sect now, if she went out in the future and someone looked down on her because of her speech or rumors in the cultivation world, Chu Xingyun felt she needed to learn how to use her claws in this world where the strong ruled.

He paused, looked at Yu Youyou, and said warmly, "Besides, Master and all of us will protect you." He would be her backer and support her, so she had nothing to fear.