Chapter 36

It is rare for the little one, who is always hungry, to get a full meal. Even with her little belly bulging, she would never be foolish enough to push the table away and say she was finished.

Anyone who has known hunger understands.

When one has starved for too long, always unsure if the next meal will come, the first thought upon finally being full is to eat just a little more, lest the next meal never arrives.

She felt the struggling thunder and lightning clouds in her mouth were quite unruly. Stretching out her tiny hands, she gripped a thick layer of the pitch-black thundercloud, which had a dense, cake-like texture, and bit down with her milky teeth, pulling it down from the sky bit by bit.

As she tugged, the thundercloud struggled even harder, trying to break free.

That would never do.

The little one didn't care about anyone else. With a muffled cry of "Bad!", she took another forceful gulp of the delicious treat that had finally reached her lips.

The surroundings grew quiet.

Within a few breaths, the thunder that had shrouded the entire Gong family sky was completely devoured by the ravenous cub. Even the thick, black thunderclouds grew thin and pale.

Sect Master Yu stared blankly at his daughter, who was foraging for food.

Watching as the lightning—which had nearly shattered Ao Qing just moments ago—poured like a rushing river into his daughter's bottomless little belly, Sect Master Yu stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

Perhaps it was because he saw that his cub, despite consuming such terrifying, world-destroying lightning, remained steady in her aura. Not just steady, but even more vibrant and active.

Seeing her shake her head in delight, looking intoxicated by the rare delicacy, as a father, he could not bear to stop her.

What wrong had the child done? She only wanted a full meal.

A sense of pity and affection welled up in Sect Master Yu’s heart.

Just as he watched his daughter’s cheeks grow rosy with fatherly tenderness, the tattered Green Dragon above could no longer hold its form and plummeted to the ground, its massive body crashing down outside the ancestral temple.

The immense impact and the scent of blood startled the little one, who had been lost in the enjoyment of her meal. Her hands, still clutching the tasty clouds, instinctively loosened.

The thundercloud, which she had been holding so wearily, immediately struggled free and escaped.

However, just as Chu Xingyun braced himself to prevent the thunderclouds from reconverging and continuing the tribulation, the cloud shot upward into the blue sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The sky was clear for ten thousand miles... not even a white cloud dared to linger.

Chu Xingyun looked up, feeling a hint of regret. His junior sister seemed like she could have eaten more.

"Did I interrupt the child's meal?" Ao Qing walked in from outside the temple, covered in blood, his robes in tatters.

Though he was a formidable Immortal-rank cultivator, he was now covered in gashes, some deep enough to reveal white bone. He walked in slowly with a dark expression. A thin stream of golden light followed behind him, snaking through the air before rushing toward Yu Youyou.

The cub, however, didn't notice, still staring regretfully at her escaped meal.

Seeing her heavily injured grand-uncle, she immediately forgot about her lost food. She scrambled up and scurried over, circling him, looking pitiful yet afraid to touch him for fear of worsening his wounds.

"Hurt," she said. She looked at her father and senior brother, and seeing them in such a disheveled state, her eyes turned red.

The cub had never imagined that paying respects to her ancestors would bring about so much harm. It was all because of her, wasn't it?

"Sa... sad," the little one whispered.

Ao Qing paused. He ignored the thin golden light that had missed its mark and lunged at Yu Youyou again, finally hanging onto her neck. He looked down at the cub with stern, steady eyes.

The danger and terror he had felt moments ago were gone. She was just like a little puppy, circling him, sad because he was hurt, and she had even... saved his life just now.

Ao Qing closed his eyes for a moment.

"Grand-uncle." Sect Master Yu was a man who cherished his child deeply. But the strange display he had just witnessed reminded him that others might not feel obliged to see her as harmless.

"Wipe her mouth," Ao Qing snorted, though he said nothing more.

Sect Master Yu's eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously and said, "Thank you, Grand-uncle, for your kindness. Youyou—sigh, Youyou only wanted to eat because she felt bad for us. Ah, my sweet Youyou, what did you just say? You’re sad?"

That was two whole words, wasn't it? Such a massive improvement filled Sect Master Yu with boundless joy.

He saw the little one look dazed, as if she hadn't realized it herself. Holding her newly rounded belly, the cub said, "Daddy."

Sect Master Yu responded immediately. "Yes!"

His clever, precious daughter. Was there another child in this world as smart as her, evolving from one word to two so naturally? No! Only this one!

Even after everything that had happened and the lingering weakness of surviving a disaster, Sect Master Yu couldn't help but beam with joy, reaching out to pick up his daughter.

He lifted her gently at first, but she was as heavy as Mount Tai, and he couldn't budge her. As an experienced parent, he understood immediately. He infused his hands with spiritual light and lifted his daughter, who felt as heavy as the weight of heaven and earth, looking lovingly at her rosy, plump cheeks.

She had a bit more baby fat, and her hair was thicker and darker. Though some of the scorched yellow remained, she was clearly much better.

Against her skin...

Sect Master Yu finally noticed the small golden dragon on his daughter's arm, looking like a golden bracelet. It was as thin as a chopstick, shimmering with brilliant light, like a finely crafted gold chain. It was curled around her arm, eyes closed in rest.

The exquisite little dragon left Sect Master Yu bewildered. He finally remembered the dragon egg that had hatched, but this seemed even stranger. He was about to ask, but saw Ao Qing looking solemnly toward the front of the ancestral temple.

He immediately realized there were more important matters at hand and turned around, only to see the portrait of the middle-aged man floating in mid-air.

He remained half-submerged in the painting, holding the spirits of the Gong clan members, watching them... and watching Yu Youyou, who was tilting her little head in innocent curiosity.

The portrait began to burn from the bottom up, as if it could no longer withstand the aura of this place. The man smiled at them, his figure and the spirits of the Gong clan beginning to fade.

"Wait, Ancestor..." Sect Master Yu still had many questions about the Gong family. Seeing the portrait burning and the man's figure dissipating, he hurried forward a few steps, asking urgently, "I beg you, Ancestor, tell me, what exactly is my Youyou..."

With so many strange occurrences and so little time, Sect Master Yu didn't want to know the root of everything; he only asked what he cared about most. "Is this state she is in... harmless to her?!"

Regardless of the strangeness, regardless of what she truly was, she was his beloved child. He only wanted to know if this was dangerous for her.

The middle-aged man's blurred face seemed to smile. He looked at this father, who was devoted entirely to his child, and shook his head.

"It's safe for Youyou?" Sect Master Yu let out a sigh of relief, then hurriedly asked, "And the Gong clan members..." He had just seen him protect their spirits during the lightning. If not for his protection, even Ao Qing would have been shattered, and those weak spirits would have left no trace behind.

Now that the lightning had dispersed and the man was about to take them away, he asked, "My master was an old acquaintance of the Gong clan head. I only dare to ask... will their spirits... survive?"

Seeing the man nod, and with the painting nearly consumed by flames, he asked, "Will there be a day of reunion?"

This time, just as the man and the Gong clan spirits dissipated, he held up one finger and pointed silently toward the sky.

In an instant, the painting burned away, the flames vanished, and the ancestral temple was empty, save for them. Only the ancestor tablets and the other motionless paintings remained, facing everyone in silence.

"Gone." Although the Gong ancestor had no ill intent, Ao Qing remained vigilant. Only when the painting vanished did he sit down on a prayer mat. His bloody hands trembled violently as he grabbed a handful of spirit pills rich in immortal energy and shoved them into his mouth without hesitation.

As the massive amount of spirit pills turned into immortal energy, healing his missing flesh and wounds, Ao Qing finally closed his eyes to regulate his breath.

Sect Master Yu also sighed in relief and whispered, "I saw the Gong clan head. If my master were here, if he could meet his old friend again, he would surely be happy." This had been his master's century-long burden.

He had been too preoccupied to think about it in the crisis, but now that everything had settled, he sat opposite Ao Qing, holding his daughter, who was so heavy he was starting to sweat.

Finally assured that his daughter was safe, the heavy anxiety in his heart dissipated. He said slowly to Ao Qing, "Time was too short. I still wanted to ask who exactly it was that committed such evils against the Gong family."

He had saved this question for last because he had seen the Gong clan head's spirit, implying it still existed. But it was quite important. Since his Youyou was of Gong blood and had such strange traits, how could he be at ease without rooting out the evildoer who coveted the Gong family?

Sect Master Yu hadn't wanted to ask earlier, but he had clearly seen that the Gong clan head didn't seem entirely clear-headed. When he learned of Yu Youyou's origins, the clan head's first choice was to tell him where to find the explanation for her condition, never mentioning the tragedy of the Gong family. Otherwise, if he had been obsessed with it, he would have told him who the culprits were the moment he appeared.

Sect Master Yu shook his head slightly, pushing those thoughts away. He saw Chu Xingyun sitting beside him, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the cub's mouth, asking with a smile, "Was it delicious? If Junior Sister wants to eat again in the future, I'll find a way."

It was only tribulation lightning; though not easily obtained, one could always find a way.