Chapter 32

The egg agreed.
The egg’s parents agreed.
That meant it was willing to leave with her.

The little cub was still a bit worried. She pointed at the spiritual energy formation and tilted her little head at Ao Qing, "Eat?" This dragon egg had also been absorbing spiritual energy in large gulps just moments ago.

As a cub who had known the pain of hunger, she knew how uncomfortable it was to have an empty belly without vast amounts of spiritual energy to nourish it. She felt that if the dragon egg left the Azure Dragon clan, it wouldn't be able to consume enough energy to sustain itself.

Seeing the little one so concerned for the dragon egg—even while hugging it tightly, she was still thinking of its well-being—the Azure Dragon patriarch whispered to his wife, "She really has taken it to heart!"

Sect Master Yu and his disciple remained silent.

"Three hundred years of spiritual energy have failed to hatch it. It is clear that its destiny for birth does not lie here."

Ao Qing felt a strange stirring in his heart. It was a subtle intuition, as if he had received some guidance from the unknown. As an immortal-tier powerhouse who communed with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he knew that even a feeling like this had its reasons.

Thus, when he felt the subtle sensation that this dragon egg might have a different destiny this time, Ao Qing did not stand on ceremony. He prepared to take the dragon egg and travel with Sect Master Yu to the Gong clan's ancestral grounds.

There was nothing wrong with that. Sect Master Yu also felt that since his daughter liked it so much, it would be wonderful if the dragon egg hatched and the Azure Dragon cub could become a playmate for his daughter.

Since everyone had finally made the trip to the Azure Dragon clan, there was no need to rush. They went to the palace at the front of the clan's territory to attend a banquet.

While the "Azure Dragon clan" sounded vast, in reality, there were only seven or eight members; the rest were other creatures from the sea. Some were traveling or visiting friends in the cultivation world, so only three were present. As they sat together, Yu Youyou leaned against the dragon egg, with her senior brother sitting on her other side.

Sect Master Yu saw his beloved daughter and the dragon egg leaning on each other, perfectly content. Although he was slightly annoyed by the Azure Dragon patriarch secretly smiling at him as if they were destined to be related, the matter Ao Qing had brought up earlier bolstered his spirits.

"Near the God-Demon Tomb?" When Ao Qing mentioned the God-Demon Tomb, Ao Yong finally shifted his gaze away from the little one, Yu Youyou, and turned grave. He said softly, "To imprison the soul of a Great Perfection cultivator is something no ordinary person could achieve; it is likely the work of an immortal-tier being. However, in recent years, I have vaguely heard rumors of abnormalities within the God-Demon Tomb. Ao Xin once broke into it, and because of that, we have always kept a close watch on the place."

The God-Demon Tomb was extraordinary. Because the dragon Ao Xin had once trespassed there, the dragon clan paid even closer attention to it. However...

"I have also heard that evil intent spills out from the God-Demon Tomb. High-level cultivators in the Far West were once eroded and corrupted in mind, slaughtering all the people in the towns of the region."

Even for the dragon clan, the mere mention of the God-Demon Tomb brought a chill to their backs.

The little cub was rubbing against the dragon egg. The egg remained unmoved, silent and still, yet Yu Youyou felt its aura was exceptionally intimate and familiar. Hearing this, she paused and tilted her little head.

The God-Demon Tomb. It was a place she often heard the elders mention. It felt familiar, yet every time she heard those three words, she felt a sense of mental daze. She instinctively stopped thinking about them, avoiding them by instinct.

The little one sat there, playing while hugging an egg larger than herself.

It was rare for Chu Xingyun to see his little junior sister like something so much—her focus even exceeded her focus on him. If it weren't for this egg, the little junior sister would have been curled up beside him, playing.

Daoist Chu never imagined that by leaving the sect and avoiding Junior Sister Zhu—who worked so hard it gave him a headache daily—he would run into such an egg.

He sighed, peeled a peach, sliced it carefully, and fed it piece by piece to the cub, who was waiting with her mouth open.

The sweet, ripe, and soft peach entered her mouth. After a few bites, Yu Youyou hurriedly picked up a small fork and fed a piece to her senior brother. Although the dragon egg was her new favorite, the cub’s heart was vast. She still had her senior brother in her heart!

Seeing her so generous, Chu Xingyun felt comforted. It would be unbearable if his little junior sister were only devoted to one companion. Finding a new favorite was just a phase; she still loved many others in her heart, and being so loving made everyone happy.

His mood brightened once more. The seniors at the head of the table were still discussing the God-Demon Tomb. He heard Ao Yong say, "However, although the God-Demon Tomb hides the evil of this world and can cause one to be entangled by it, I see that some things in the cultivation world today are not necessarily caused by the leakage of that evil. Some people are simply wicked at heart, not good things themselves, yet they blame the God-Demon Tomb as if they were perfectly innocent."

Though he didn't specify what he was referring to, his words were vague yet quite reasonable.

The little one struggled to embrace the large dragon egg while leaning against her senior brother's arm, burying her head in her food. She hadn't eaten for a while, and now she was eating with great relish. This sweet, little appearance made the Azure Dragon patriarch and his wife’s eyes sparkle.

"I’m telling you, Gong Miaohua is out of her mind," Ao Zhen said softly. It was extremely difficult for the dragon clan to conceive offspring, so they could not stand anyone mistreating a child.

Gong Miaohua had let Yu Youyou fall into a serious illness, and even now, she was thin and small. Looking at her sparse, soft hair, Ao Zhen sighed and said, "Brother Yu, you blame yourself for trusting her words, but since she despised Youyou and didn't want to raise her, why didn't she just return her to you?"

If she didn't want to raise her, she should have just returned the child to her father instead of keeping her by her side without showing her any love.

Sect Master Yu knew the reason. He had demanded back many of the treasures he had given the child from Gong Miaohua. He said coldly, "She was embezzling Youyou's nourishment."

Ao Zhen’s mouth twitched. She mentioned something else to Sect Master Yu: "A while ago, the Nine Underworld Demon City was suddenly locked down. Although the ban was lifted quickly, it was said that something major happened in the city, and something vital was stolen."

Of course, since there had been no movement from the Flame Demon Lord later, it seemed that whatever was stolen wasn't a major issue. Sect Master Yu had also heard the rumors. He and Chu Xingyun exchanged a look, vaguely guessing what the Flame Demon Lord had lost.

Lost a demonic vein, perhaps! But that was purely the Flame Demon Lord’s own fault. Sect Master Yu thought, if they hadn't refused to feed his daughter the heavenly treasures he had provided, and hadn't starved her while she was sick, she wouldn't have been forced to go out and forage for food, would she? It was just karma.

He shook his head and said, "I haven't heard much. I suppose it's insignificant." Although he had some conflicts with the Flame Demon Lord and his wife, outsiders couldn't possibly know the details. Ao Yong nodded, "Let's not talk about those two."

The cultivation world was so big; why talk about such spoilsports? He turned to Chu Xingyun with a smile, "A few days ago, I visited the Red Flood Dragon clan. They mentioned you, saying that one day you saved the daughter of the Red Flood Dragon patriarch. You were heroic and charming, and she fell in love with you at first sight. The Red Flood Dragon clan is considering marrying her to you."

This was clearly a marriage proposal. Chu Xingyun smiled and said, "I know the princess of the Red Flood Dragon clan."

"Oh?" Everyone became interested.

The little cub, who had been rubbing against the dragon egg, immediately perked up her ears. The book didn't write that her senior brother had any romantic entanglements. Why was he talking about a girl now?

Chu Xingyun didn't notice others, but he saw the little junior sister leaning softly against his arm, her little ears perked up in a very gossipy manner.

"The Red Flood Dragon princess was previously framed and captured by villains. A friend of mine and I happened to pass by and saved her. It wasn't just me who saved her. She fell in love with my friend. I suspect the Red Flood Dragon clan knows of this but mistook my friend for me, hence the proposal."

Chu Xingyun said peacefully, "If you go and ask now, the princess should have returned to her clan and explained everything clearly." He smiled, "When I parted ways with those two, I joked that when they get married, I must go and toast them."

He and his good friend had performed a heroic rescue, but unfortunately, the princess had taken a shine to his friend, causing a misunderstanding within the misinformed Red Flood Dragon clan.

Ao Yong looked at the handsome, noble, and extraordinary Chu Xingyun and asked in surprise, "It was a misunderstanding?" Could someone like Chu Xingyun, a dragon among men, fail to make someone fall in love with him at first sight?

Chu Xingyun nodded with a smile.

The cub rubbed against his arm. Her senior brother still looked like the senior brother from the book.

This was just an anecdote, and it was soon laughed off. As cultivators who practiced diligently day and night, having a sparse romantic life was not a headache.

After the meal with the Azure Dragon clan, they were to head to the Gong clan's territory. As everyone saw them off, the cub’s arms were full of treasures gifted by the Azure Dragon clan. Several Azure Dragons followed the flying boat for a long distance before turning back to the sea, looking back every few steps.

The cub lay on the edge of the flying boat, together with the tall dragon egg, watching the figures of the Azure Dragon clan disappear into the vast sea, before she reluctantly climbed down from the railing.

"My Youyou is sentimental." As long as you were kind to her, she would pour out her heart to you and be reluctant to part. Even if it was just a fleeting encounter, she was exceptionally attached.

Sect Master Yu looked at the little one, who had dejectedly rubbed against his leg, feeling his heart ache. Seeing her trying to hug the large dragon egg with one hand, he hesitated and then placed the egg on the cub’s small bed inside the flying boat.

Yu Youyou hurriedly climbed onto the small bed to snuggle with the dragon egg, diligently explaining to it, "Heart." She pointed to herself, letting the dragon egg know that it was in her heart.

Seeing that the dragon egg didn't object and didn't call her a fickle cub, she felt relieved and fell fast asleep while hugging it.

She slept soundly until she woke up naturally, ate another delicious meal, and only then heard Chu Xingyun say, "We are almost there." The Gong clan seemed quite far away.